Good morning to each and every one of you who likes to start your work day surfing the web!

The Hart family made history yesterday in a couple of ways. First off, we actually attended a county fair that none of us had ever been to! The other history making event was that we left all the chores to our two teenage boys. Yep, they did all the chores from start to finish and did a great job! I can see this paving the way to some freedom from the farm!

Right now breakfast is calling me, I wanted to get on before it went into error mode like yesterday! I”ll have a full county fair report later this morning. It’s writing day!

Coffee time.

Oh my..how frustrating when you can’t get on your blog because of server error or someone else is camped on the computer when you want to get on!

I had such a great entry today…but like many of you….when I got on I couldn’t because of some error. So now I’ve got to head into our county FSA office to do a story on a retiring employee and then I’m headed north with Big Daddy to the Clare County Fair so he can judge dairy show.

Although I just got a report from the barn and we have one fresh cow and another one calving so mom might be staying home. We’ll see. Right now I have to head to Hillsdale…more..so much more later!

Hey Dad…how’s the ark coming this morning….make sure it’s big enough for all of us too!

It has stopped raining here but it’s still foggy and misty on the Knolltop.

I ventured into the garden last night for some peppers for a neighbor who is making salsa. Boy have I got the peppers. I’m headed out this morning to see how many tomatoes I can round up to make my own salsa.

I’ve got a luncheon at noon to discuss promoting local agriculture in the local paper…we seem to be banging our heads against the wall…personally I think we should venture into radio. I’m going to do a little research this morning with my cohorts from Kansas and Nebraska and see what I come up with. Since I know absolutely nothing about radio except how to tune a station in and listen…this should be a fun adventure.

Tomorrow, Bobby has to judge another show up in Clare County…I think I might even get to go with him…I’ll believe it when I see it!

Headed for the coffee pot!

Hey Dad…how’s the ark coming this morning….make sure it’s big enough for all of us too!

It has stopped raining here but it’s still foggy and misty on the Knolltop.

I ventured into the garden last night for some peppers for a neighbor who is making salsa. Boy have I got the peppers. I’m headed out this morning to see how many tomatoes I can round up to make my own salsa.

I’ve got a luncheon at noon to discuss promoting local agriculture in the local paper…we seem to be banging our heads against the wall…personally I think we should venture into radio. I’m going to do a little research this morning with my cohorts from Kansas and Nebraska and see what I come up with. Since I know absolutely nothing about radio except how to tune a station in and listen…this should be a fun adventure.

Tomorrow, Bobby has to judge another show up in Clare County…I think I might even get to go with him…I’ll believe it when I see it!

Headed for the coffee pot!

I think we might have to build an ark the way it’s been raining here! I’m not complaining…having the rain come just keeps me inside doing projects that need attention.

Today is the first day of Junior High Football practice and Luke won’t be there. He’s decided he doesn’t want to play this year. The only problem is…there are others who do want him to play and one stopped by the other night. He told Luke that his son won’t play if Luke doesn’t play. Wow….it’s hard for me to believe Jr. High Football is that important to a man….but it is and we don’t even live in Texas. I wonder if Luke will change his mind….I think he’s considering it. I love to watch all my kids play any sport so I would love for him to play…but he says he doesn’t really enjoy football like he does baseball and basketball. I’ll keep you posted.

Meanwhile, this morning JW and Luke will be unloading straw for a neighbor and Sarah and I have to head to town…I’m out of butter and when I’m out of butter, I’m out of groceries!

Yesterday I actually felt like cooking because the weather was so cool. We had baked chicken, new potatoes with brown butter, stir fry veggies and homemade rolls. I just love cooking Sunday dinner. Growing up, mom always made a big Sunday dinner and it was always so good. Right now, I’m thinking we had homemade pie every Sunday, but I’m sure we didn’t, it just seemed like it. And no one in the world can make better pie crust than my mom…no one! If I hadn’t put all my peaches in the freezer, I would’ve made a pie yesterday, but I just couldn’t bring myself to using any peaches that I had just put in the freezer….seems like I should wait until the snow flies or at least until the first freeze.

Better get the pancakes on the table….without butter….that’s practically breaking the law!

I think we might have to build an ark the way it’s been raining here! I’m not complaining…having the rain come just keeps me inside doing projects that need attention.

Today is the first day of Junior High Football practice and Luke won’t be there. He’s decided he doesn’t want to play this year. The only problem is…there are others who do want him to play and one stopped by the other night. He told Luke that his son won’t play if Luke doesn’t play. Wow….it’s hard for me to believe Jr. High Football is that important to a man….but it is and we don’t even live in Texas. I wonder if Luke will change his mind….I think he’s considering it. I love to watch all my kids play any sport so I would love for him to play…but he says he doesn’t really enjoy football like he does baseball and basketball. I’ll keep you posted.

Meanwhile, this morning JW and Luke will be unloading straw for a neighbor and Sarah and I have to head to town…I’m out of butter and when I’m out of butter, I’m out of groceries!

Yesterday I actually felt like cooking because the weather was so cool. We had baked chicken, new potatoes with brown butter, stir fry veggies and homemade rolls. I just love cooking Sunday dinner. Growing up, mom always made a big Sunday dinner and it was always so good. Right now, I’m thinking we had homemade pie every Sunday, but I’m sure we didn’t, it just seemed like it. And no one in the world can make better pie crust than my mom…no one! If I hadn’t put all my peaches in the freezer, I would’ve made a pie yesterday, but I just couldn’t bring myself to using any peaches that I had just put in the freezer….seems like I should wait until the snow flies or at least until the first freeze.

Better get the pancakes on the table….without butter….that’s practically breaking the law!

It’s a rainy morning here on the Knolltop. It’s been raining ever since we got up to milk early this morning. And it’s still cool…yes, it feels like fall.

Yesterday I witnessed a growth spurt in Jake. Being the youngest of four you have to wait your turn in lots of ways. The older boys were gone yesterday so if Big Daddy needed any help, he had to rely on Jake. Bobby was out mixing feed yesterday afternoon and I looked out to see a little person in the tractor. Jake had weaseled his way into helping out with the feeding, which Bobby didn’t object to at all. Then when it was time to go help with another project that involved using the skidsteer, guess who ended up in the drivers seat? Yes, it was Jake.

While I was milking, I saw Jake driving the skidsteer with Bobby riding in the bucket. It was such a funny picture. A few minutes later, I turned from dipping a cow and there was Jake, I almost had to look up to see him…he felt 10 feet tall and looked it too. With a wide grin on his face and a slightly deeper voice he explained with great detail everything he and Daddy had to do.

I asked him…”Isn’t it great not having the older boys here to do all that? Now you get your turn.” He walked away saying “Yep, I think I’d better go check on Daddy.”

Nothin’ but fun at the auction in town. Jake, Big Daddy and I went up to the fairgrounds late this morning after all the sortin’ and treatin’ chores were done. This auction is called the Hillsdale Auction and anyone and everyone brings their treasures and junk up to sell. They have several rows of junk that the auctioneers go through and sell. They also have piles of hay and straw, chickens, ducks, rabbits, potbellied pigs, turkeys you name it they sell it. Other people bring up produce, flea market stuff…just all kinds of junk. One neighbor calls it poverty exchange.

None the less, it’s always an interesting place to go on Saturday mornings and it’s been going since the beginning of time….I think. This morning one interesting item was a black Tennessee Walker that a man was riding up and down the hay isle trying to catch an eye. She was a pretty mare…pretty old…but still pretty. I forgot my camera, otherwise I could’ve shown her to you.

One of our friends hopped on the mare and took her for a spin, but the man told her not to go too fast…her bridle was loose. Hmmmmm……I wanted to say, tighten that baby up and get going, let’s see her walk! But I kept my mouth shut…mostly because my mouth was full of ice cream that Jake made me buy!

I’m headed to the garden to see what there is that’s ready for dinner.

It’s another clear, cool morning on the Knolltop. I’ve already been to town for supplies and now I’m back and headed out to the barn to help treat a sick cow and sort some heifers.

Luke is with a buddy of his down in Indiana at a bird show…I don’t have a clue…don’t ask.

JW and his buddy Sarah are off on another judging workout. The only problem is…he won’t take a map….testosterone strikes again….and he keeps calling me for directions. He has called four times in a matter of 2 hours because they keep taking wrong turns. I just talked to him again and they are at Taco Bell….getting a snack I guess…getting lost increases your appetite.

Well, I’ve got to get going to the barn since half the crew is gone. After that we’re going to the fairgrounds for the auction…I’ll explain later and hopefully with pictures!

The dishes are done, the coffee was enjoyed…it’s time to get moving.

If I were organized it would be dangerous. I wanted to write a story about the Ohio District 10 Holstein show and when I went to find my show catalog with all my notes in it….I couldn’t find it. I found Big Daddy’s but not mine. I searched the desk, the magazine basket, the Hoosier cabinet where everything important is deposited and nothing! I then took drastic measures and searched the garbage….still nothing. Knowing I would never be able to remember who was what, I flagged Big Daddy down and asked him if he remembered who won what. He looked at me and said, “Oh, your catalog is in by my chair in the bedroom, I was looking at it last night.” Saved! Now I have to write!

When the story is written then I will can peaches. When the peaches are canned the lawn should be dried out enough to mow. The laundry is going….we’re up and runnin’!