It’s overcast and 45 here on the Knolltop. Turtlenecks and sweatshirts are the appropriate clothing for milking on these cool mornings. I haven’t had to break out the red union suit yet….but I hear that weather may be coming soon.

It’s been scrapmania around here lately. The other night I was reading and heard some banging around outside. At 9:30 at night I looked out and saw JW out there loading up his truck with scrap metal by the light of his headlights. The next morning he was headed to town with a load of scrap before school. Just in time for breakfast he walked in the door with cash in his hand and a smile on his face.

The combination of elevated scrap prices and a teenage boy who needs gas money for his new truck that he also wants to get repainted makes for a really clean farm.

The list of things to do today includes a trip to the glass place to replace a storm window…just in time for cooler weather. I heard a Jersey farm up near Perry was devasted by the tornado that went through mid-Michigan last week, so I need to check on that today too. Does anyone know anything about that? If you do, let me know. I got an email yesterday describing the damage, but I haven’t heard that first hand, so I don’t want to perpetuate possible rumors. So if you’ve heard anything let me know!

Yes, I’m late this morning…it was a two hour delay for the kids this morning….so my attention was on them instead of this blog.

I just got done cleaning up from a breakfast of pancakes with walnuts and bacon with homemade syrup. They love it when I cook a big breakfast on a school day. It just seems to put everyone in a good mood.

We had a miracle this morning on the Knolltop. Last evening Jake and I came in from the barn and Bobby was still out there feeding TMR. The other three were at the school for a volleyball game. Bobby called and asked us to come out and help with Jackie…she had split out and couldn’t get up.

We headed out to help with Jackie who also happened to be one of Jake’s favorite cows. She is a nine year old cow who is on her seventh calf. She is the only cow in our herd that had 165 pounds on a test day…yes, that’s not a typo…I couldn’t believe it myself but I milked her and we all just stood there while she cranked out every drop. Her next three tests were 140, 138, 120…so it wasn’t a fluke that she had that much milk in one day…she is just a good milk cow.

So seeing her on the cement not able to get up was not a happy moment. In the cold rain we worked and worked and finally got her on some dirt just inside the barn just a few feet from a boxstall that Jake and I had prepared for her. She was drained so we just left her there on the dirt with some hay and water and figured we’d get her into the stall this morning after she had a good nite’s rest. All three of us came in soaked clear through and really enjoyed a hot shower.

We didn’t know what to expect this morning when we went to the barn…and much to my surprise she was in the isle way right in front of the boxstall…almost like she knew where to go but couldn’t get there. I figured after chores we’d get the hip lifts back out and just scooch her into the stall onto a thick pack of soft, dry shavings. When we got all done milking, I went out to clean the heifer pens and guess who was laying in the boxstall? Yes, Jackie was all the way in the stall and resting comfortably, chewing her cud. Wow…that was a miracle if you ask me! Now, she had the option of going a different way that led back into the stall barn, but she choose to head for the boxstall…she’s smarter than the average bear!

And by the way…..the fence stretcher that was lost yesterday? I asked God where it was…and He led me straight to it…just in time for the boys to help Bobby with some fence repairs!

Laundry and a dozen other things are calling!

Yes, I’m late this morning…it was a two hour delay for the kids this morning….so my attention was on them instead of this blog.

I just got done cleaning up from a breakfast of pancakes with walnuts and bacon with homemade syrup. They love it when I cook a big breakfast on a school day. It just seems to put everyone in a good mood.

We had a miracle this morning on the Knolltop. Last evening Jake and I came in from the barn and Bobby was still out there feeding TMR. The other three were at the school for a volleyball game. Bobby called and asked us to come out and help with Jackie…she had split out and couldn’t get up.

We headed out to help with Jackie who also happened to be one of Jake’s favorite cows. She is a nine year old cow who is on her seventh calf. She is the only cow in our herd that had 165 pounds on a test day…yes, that’s not a typo…I couldn’t believe it myself but I milked her and we all just stood there while she cranked out every drop. Her next three tests were 140, 138, 120…so it wasn’t a fluke that she had that much milk in one day…she is just a good milk cow.

So seeing her on the cement not able to get up was not a happy moment. In the cold rain we worked and worked and finally got her on some dirt just inside the barn just a few feet from a boxstall that Jake and I had prepared for her. She was drained so we just left her there on the dirt with some hay and water and figured we’d get her into the stall this morning after she had a good nite’s rest. All three of us came in soaked clear through and really enjoyed a hot shower.

We didn’t know what to expect this morning when we went to the barn…and much to my surprise she was in the isle way right in front of the boxstall…almost like she knew where to go but couldn’t get there. I figured after chores we’d get the hip lifts back out and just scooch her into the stall onto a thick pack of soft, dry shavings. When we got all done milking, I went out to clean the heifer pens and guess who was laying in the boxstall? Yes, Jackie was all the way in the stall and resting comfortably, chewing her cud. Wow…that was a miracle if you ask me! Now, she had the option of going a different way that led back into the stall barn, but she choose to head for the boxstall…she’s smarter than the average bear!

And by the way…..the fence stretcher that was lost yesterday? I asked God where it was…and He led me straight to it…just in time for the boys to help Bobby with some fence repairs!

Laundry and a dozen other things are calling!

I was in from the barn early this morning to take Luke to the doctor for a sports physical. I should’ve gotton this done last summer, but I forgot and just didn’t get to it. So last Friday I was scrambling around to find a doctor who would give him a physical before tomorrow because tomorrow is the start of basketball season for him. So…I got it done and we’re good for another year.

Sarah is still at a friends, she spent the night with Sidney and Brad spent the night here. Right now they are chowing down on my favorite food….donuts! Yes, I was hungry when I stopped at the store after the appointment.

Well, I’d better get on the day…we’ve got conferences today…thus the kids have the day off from school…which also means they get to go clean their own heifer pens this morning instead of me! I’ve got to go hunt down the fence stretcher…they couldn’t find it on Saturday when they were working on fence and it seems I’m still the only one who can find elusive objects. Actually, I have God on my side…I just ask Him where something is and He leads me right to it…so we’ll see where He leads this morning!

I was in from the barn early this morning to take Luke to the doctor for a sports physical. I should’ve gotton this done last summer, but I forgot and just didn’t get to it. So last Friday I was scrambling around to find a doctor who would give him a physical before tomorrow because tomorrow is the start of basketball season for him. So…I got it done and we’re good for another year.

Sarah is still at a friends, she spent the night with Sidney and Brad spent the night here. Right now they are chowing down on my favorite food….donuts! Yes, I was hungry when I stopped at the store after the appointment.

Well, I’d better get on the day…we’ve got conferences today…thus the kids have the day off from school…which also means they get to go clean their own heifer pens this morning instead of me! I’ve got to go hunt down the fence stretcher…they couldn’t find it on Saturday when they were working on fence and it seems I’m still the only one who can find elusive objects. Actually, I have God on my side…I just ask Him where something is and He leads me right to it…so we’ll see where He leads this morning!

The fall colors that I wrote about last week being so slow in coming are finally here! If you look across our backyard you can see the most beautiful fall colors in the woods that borders the corn field. They are not quite at their peak…but they sure are pretty.

Although the colors are nice…the weather is still unseasonably warm. It was 70 yesterday and will be in the mid 70s today…what’s up with that? No, I’m not complaining….I love doing fall work in short sleeves!

The galloping gourmet was at work on Friday…this was so funny! I had to use up the roast beef that was left over from Monday so I made some beef stew on Thursday, it was wonderful stew, but not very thick. Everyone knows stew is always thicker and better the next day. So on Friday morning when I was getting ready to head to the draft horse show for the day, Bobby, the gourmet chef that he is, commented “If you put that stew back in the crock pot and add a little brown rice it would probaby thicken up nice and be great for dinner today.”

“Great idea honey!” Taking his suggestion, I put about 3/4 cup of brown rice in with the stew and knowing how the rice would soak up all the liquid in the stew, I added a little more water and some beef stock. Happy that I had dinner all prepared, I headed off for a special day with my daughter and mom.

When we got home, Jake had set the table and warmed up the sweet potato casserole, so all I had to do was make the coffee and put dinner on the table. I opened the crockpot and much to my surprise the rice had multiplied and soaked up every drop of liquid in the pot. It was stiff and difficult to stir. With Bobby sitting right there not saying a word, I commented, “Boy, I guess that rice really soaked up the stock…I guess I added more rice that I thought I did.”

A bashful grin came over his face and he said in his southern drawl, “Well, at noon when I came in, it didn’t look like it was thick enough so I just honked the rice to it to make sure it’d be thicker, guess I added too much, huh?”

I looked at him and in my fit of laughter, I just said, “Yeah, I guess you did!” We put it on the table and as we thanked God for the food on the table, I silently thanked Him for that BBQ turkey sandwich I enjoyed at the horse show!

The fall colors that I wrote about last week being so slow in coming are finally here! If you look across our backyard you can see the most beautiful fall colors in the woods that borders the corn field. They are not quite at their peak…but they sure are pretty.

Although the colors are nice…the weather is still unseasonably warm. It was 70 yesterday and will be in the mid 70s today…what’s up with that? No, I’m not complaining….I love doing fall work in short sleeves!

The galloping gourmet was at work on Friday…this was so funny! I had to use up the roast beef that was left over from Monday so I made some beef stew on Thursday, it was wonderful stew, but not very thick. Everyone knows stew is always thicker and better the next day. So on Friday morning when I was getting ready to head to the draft horse show for the day, Bobby, the gourmet chef that he is, commented “If you put that stew back in the crock pot and add a little brown rice it would probaby thicken up nice and be great for dinner today.”

“Great idea honey!” Taking his suggestion, I put about 3/4 cup of brown rice in with the stew and knowing how the rice would soak up all the liquid in the stew, I added a little more water and some beef stock. Happy that I had dinner all prepared, I headed off for a special day with my daughter and mom.

When we got home, Jake had set the table and warmed up the sweet potato casserole, so all I had to do was make the coffee and put dinner on the table. I opened the crockpot and much to my surprise the rice had multiplied and soaked up every drop of liquid in the pot. It was stiff and difficult to stir. With Bobby sitting right there not saying a word, I commented, “Boy, I guess that rice really soaked up the stock…I guess I added more rice that I thought I did.”

A bashful grin came over his face and he said in his southern drawl, “Well, at noon when I came in, it didn’t look like it was thick enough so I just honked the rice to it to make sure it’d be thicker, guess I added too much, huh?”

I looked at him and in my fit of laughter, I just said, “Yeah, I guess you did!” We put it on the table and as we thanked God for the food on the table, I silently thanked Him for that BBQ turkey sandwich I enjoyed at the horse show!

Well, I it’s a beautiful afternoon here on the Knolltop. A warm, sunny, breezy fall day. The only bad thing is that at this moment, MSU is losing to OSU, but we won’t dwell on that.

I had a great time today ministering to women at the SPA event here at a local church. We had a great time worshipping, laughing, crying and eating…don’t forget the eating! Tim Hampton, my cohort in crime…aka my accompanist, was wonderful as always….we did a duet together that was recorded by the Gaither Vocal Band and we had the best time. The ladies were clapping and some were even dancing in the back row…where no one could see them. We just had a great time and Tim was awesome! He was also good at being on the losing end of my jokes…he was a good sport about it.

Now, it’s back to reality as I take Sarah to a party and then out to the barn to milk the cows. Everyone survived here at home while I was gone…they usually do better when I’m gone because Big Daddy keeps them hopping!

Better get back on the road!

Well, I it’s a beautiful afternoon here on the Knolltop. A warm, sunny, breezy fall day. The only bad thing is that at this moment, MSU is losing to OSU, but we won’t dwell on that.

I had a great time today ministering to women at the SPA event here at a local church. We had a great time worshipping, laughing, crying and eating…don’t forget the eating! Tim Hampton, my cohort in crime…aka my accompanist, was wonderful as always….we did a duet together that was recorded by the Gaither Vocal Band and we had the best time. The ladies were clapping and some were even dancing in the back row…where no one could see them. We just had a great time and Tim was awesome! He was also good at being on the losing end of my jokes…he was a good sport about it.

Now, it’s back to reality as I take Sarah to a party and then out to the barn to milk the cows. Everyone survived here at home while I was gone…they usually do better when I’m gone because Big Daddy keeps them hopping!

Better get back on the road!

This morning when we stepped out to head across the road to the barn we heard a strange noise. We both stopped dead in our tracts to listen for it again. Even Sadie stood frozen. We listened carefully and heard it again….it was the coyotes playing out in the woods. Boy is that an erie sound first thing in the morning with the wind howling around us.

Last night was a wild night in the midwest as tornadoes touched down in several places. Last evening I called my mom to ask if she wanted to go to the draft horse show today at the pavilion and the first thing out of her mouth was…”Are you okay?” I didn’t bother to tell her JW was 30 miles south of us in the path of some bad weather and possible twisters at a volleyball game with his buddies. She would’ve worried all the more. I just have to say thank God for cell phones.

I called JW and all I could hear was screaming in the background with him saying, “I can’t talk right now…I can’t hear you, call me later.” Meanwhile I’m sitting there looking at the weather warnings on tv seeing he’s right in the thick of bad weather and doesn’t have a clue. I guess him not knowing kept him from worrying too.

At 10 pm, he walked in the door and all was right in the world. I don’t like this growing up stuff…I think I want to go back to changing diapers and stumbling over building blocks…it was so much easier then.

Sarah and I are headed to the Great Lakes Draft Horse Show this morning, she loves draft horses and so I thought it would be fun to spend the day at the show. Don’t worry, I’m not leaving the laundry undone…I got that done yesterday! But as I walked into the laundry room, I see I’ve got enough for another load….it’s endless.