Wednesday, December 14, 2011

$1 Minimum

So there is a vast difference in those that have ever worked in the service industry and those that have not.  By service industry I mean the umbrella of restaurants, fast food, hotels, spas, hair salons—basically any place you tip (or should tip).  Personally, I waited tables for 10 years, and before that worked in fast food for a couple of years, so I’ve put in my time….and I understand why you should tip these people---THEY DEAL WITH THE GENERAL PUBLIC—WHO ARE A PAIN IN THE A**.   A person (who shall remain nameless), when asked about tipping a hotel maid—why would you tip those people, they make minimum wage?  I’ll give you one guess whether she had worked in the service industry ever.   These people that serve us, are journeying to someplace.  Maybe it’s not a physical location, maybe it’s a time between a “real” job, maybe they are trying to make ends meet, maybe it’s their first job, whatever, but they are on a journey, so they deal with the public.   Now—I’m not condoning the rude server who forgot your ranch when you asked for it specifically.  Just your everyday hotel maid, person who waxes your brows,  and server who brought your child some crackers when they were crying.  They need tipped---so give them at least $1—it makes a difference  J


Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Crafty Makes Cuter!

So one of my nieces is 4 almost 5, and is in the girlie-wear dresses with a crown stage.  Well for Christmas my SNL said she would really like a flowey dress that she can wear over leggings.  So I found a plain pink one at Wal-mart, but thought, it needs a little something.  So I made some of the flowers I use for the crochet towel hanger and grouped them together and safety-pinned them to the dress.  Isn’t it cute?  It’s never too young to start wearing a flower corsage on something   J
Plain pink dress




The little yarn corsage--cute!


The completed dress--yeah its a small addition--but how simple and cute?!?!

Monday, December 12, 2011

Sometimes I wish I had Tractor Ears

So what’s a better location to wean calves from their mothers than our place?  Oh wait there’s not one—lol.  J and his Dad brought in about 15-20 calves from pasture, locked up the calves we already had on our place, and are letting them get to know each other.  Its kind of like a big pack n play.  And Dennis is pissed!  He’s not the top dog anymore, these fresh off the pasture steers are bigger—LOL.  The new fencing doesn’t allow him to get out and wander around either—he looks rather sullen when I walk down and see him now.  Anyways, back to this weaning business.  So these calves haven’t been separated from their momma cows before, and let me just tell ya—they want to tell the world about it!  Blah, Bahh, mmmaaa, bahh, maaa, barrrrrrr, a lovely cacophony of sound.  Now J with his ‘tractor ears’ really can’t hear them….me on the other hand, am looking up at the ceiling thinking, its 11:30 pm please stop!!!  Oh well, such is life, here’s pics of our new flocks, and a goofy pic of Dennis and friends (prior to being locked up) helping themselves to an alfalfa sundae. 




Look at Dennis glaring at me...what'd you do to me?!?!


Us?  We weren't eating of the alfalfa bail...it was him...the black one

Friday, December 9, 2011

Life in A Small Town

So life in Whitewater is different than KC, but there are some things I totally love about it!  For example, this weekend was the Christmas Home Tour, and there was nothing small-townish about it all.  These homes were amazing and all a little different.  One of the homes was something that could have been in Martha Stewart magazine, and another one was like a cute cottage you would see in a storybook.  The town invited people to help decorate the tree downtown, Santa was there, and the tree was turned on for all to see.  Next week there will be caroling around the tree and hot cocoa (maybe I'll slip a little peppermint Schnapps in mine--lol).  It might not be the great turning on of the plaza lights, but looking around and knowing the people around the tree is priceless.

I'll try and snap a pic of the tree to share  :-)

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Getting Crafty in the Kitchen...Again...

So I realized I have shared some of my great cheater meals lately...so here goes:

Thanksgiving Casserole

You need (all leftovers)
mashed potatoes
green beans/carrots/etc
cranberries
turkey or ham
stuffing
whatever else you would like

Take a casserole dish, layer all the ingredients, and freeze.  Pull out cook at 350, sprinkle with cheese.  Quick and yummy!

Turkey sliders
turkey
BBQ sauce
cranberries
leftover rolls

Make a sauce of the BBQ and cranberries (I added onions too), add turkey, split the buns, put the goodie in there, bake at 400 to warm.  yum!

Cheater Enchiladas

You need:
leftover chili
tortillas
cheese
taco seasoning


Scoop out the "meat and beans" from the chili, place in tortillas, wrap up in casserole dish.  Add taco seasoning to the leftover sauce from the chili, spread over the top of the enchiladas, sprinkle with cheese, bake.  So easy and J thought they were amazing!

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Barnyard Barbie

Have you ever been blown away by someone’s unexpected generosity and thoughtfulness?  Well I was this weekend, and here’s why.  So the girl (young lady) that christened me “barnyard Barbie” actually gave me a Barbie doll…dressed up barnyard Barbie style.  She painted her boots in a striped-fashion just like the boots I wear are striped, bought this cute little pink dress with animals all over it off eBay, even curled the Barbie’s hair using a toothpicks and hair-spray (I have really curly hair), and for a charm bracelet---found this adorable charm with 2 flasks and a wine bottle.  LOL.  First how amazing is she that she went to all this effort to do all that, and how cute is it?  I might have to steal the charm from  Barnyard Barbie for myself :-)
Isn't she cute?!?!


Monday, December 5, 2011

Do You Believe?

So there has been this ongoing discussion in our office whether to have children believe in Santa Claus or not.  First—I’m the only person without kids, so my opinion differs.  However, I think that kids should believe in Santa Claus—don’t you believe?  I was telling one of the girls, maybe he’s not real.  But what is real is seeing a child’s wonderment at Santa Claus, and the magic of getting gifts that “appear” under the tree.  Aren’t we supposed to come to God as children?  As we age do we lose that magic of believing in things?  Some families observe a more traditional and factual celebration of St Nickolas and the presents in the shoes.  Others just have 3 gifts under the tree, signifying the 3 gifts for the baby Jesus.  Others believe that lying to your children about Santa Claus is a bad example, only leading children to believe you’re lying about other things.  Hmmm.  I do believe, in the Spirit of Christmas, and what a more adequate jolly representation of that spirit than a man in a bright red suit who brings joy to good little boys and girls?  Do you believe?


Monday, November 28, 2011

Do I look Different?

So this past week driving up to God's country (that's a Kansas expression for anywhere that's not close to anything), J and I see a herd of Angus (black cattle) with one lonely Holstein (black and white) cow in it.  I said, do you think she realizes she's different?  Then I said, nope--its never seen itself.  I would venture to say that humans are the only creatures with access to mirrors so we can see our differences.  I bet that Holstein cow thinks she's a black beauty because that's all she sees in her fellow compandres---she doesn't see her differences.  And I bet the other cows wonder if they personally are a black beauty or a black and white beauty?  Hmmm.

If I wrote children's books, I would somehow turn this into how we see each other....let this idea stew in my mind for while  :-)

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Free Entertainment

So yesterday we had all of my side of the family out to the farm.  It was great!  I love being able to host and have people over and hearing the house full of all the sounds of crazy family.  (My family is loud, somewhat obnoxious, and always cracking jokes--and I love them).  But anywhos, Dennis and his 3 friends (yes he has another friend--he is POPULAR!  All the other little calves what to hang out with him), of course decided to trot through the yard and say hello to our guests.  I did holler out the porch at them one time and they moved around (my sis really couldn't believe that they knew my voice and the name Dennis) the barn....but came back around....and ended up in the front yard.  Oh boy.  I think all the cars in the circle drive kind of scared them, because they started running towards the road!!!  They never do that (at least that I've seen), so I run out there, and they're scurrying down the ditch, at a standstill because there's a culvert full of water.   They see me and start heading back the other way towards the house, BUT instead of following the fenceline, they head across our yard out back.  And I'm stuck doing the hokey-pokey with 4 calves in our front yard...did I mention there's a huge window in our living room?  Yeah, my whole family is standing in the picture window laughing and pointing...and taking pictures.  They've decided my Native American name is "She Who Runs With Cows".  Here's what they saw:

Oh no you don't....

Oh yeah--crazy lady, watch this!

Schwoo!  It's a good thing I'm in shape!  (That's Dennis in the front)

I told J I really need a hot pink 4-wheeler that would match my mud boots!  Wouldn't the cows love that!  LOL

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Teach a Kid to Fish

So this Thanksgiving with J's family, I got up to do dishes and I commented that when we (my siblings) were growing up, at my Grandmother's house, my Mom made all the kids do the dishes.  So there would be about 10 kids of various sizes, some on stools, others standing, doing all the dishes after a big feast.  Someone replied, I can't imagine making kids work, they should be being kids.  Hmmm.  Now I really do see both sides to this argument.  Yes, kids should enjoy spending time with cousins, running outside, playing football, creating imaginary games, etc.  But, its like the expression, "catch a fish for a child, feed him for a day, teach a child to fish, feed him for a lifetime."  I think it builds character to have to put in some sweat equity into things.  I congratulate my mom for having the cohonas to wrangle all us cousins and put us to work...even if it was a little dish washing sweat shop--J/K. 

However you might look at it personally, it did create a memory, I will always remember doing dishes, then getting to go play  :-)

Oh well, today all my family is coming over for our Thanksgiving....are my nieces and nephews tall enough to reach the sink yet?  LOL

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Full of Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

My family has this tradition of going around in a circle after we've prayed and saying what we're thankful for.  This year I would have quite the list, here goes:

-J--he is the most steadfast person I know.  He handles my craziness like a pro and loves me unconditionally.

-my Mom--she reads my blog every time (and normally comments), she is supportive of my wild ideas, even if they differ from her own.

-my BFF's A & K---they are 2 amazing women that I could tell anything to, and they wouldn't judge me, and would always listen.  And if I'm going to hell, they would be in the hot air balloon with me--LOL.

-my crazy life on the farm--everyday I am amazed by the circle of life that I am privy too living on a farm.

-all my family and friends who fill my life.

-and to God who has made all things possible  :-)

Monday, November 21, 2011

Dear Mr. Gates:

So this Penn State/Clearwater, KS/Kingman, KS/Hesston, KS, and numerous other instances of children being abused makes me sick, like almost physically ill.  The people that do these things to children are mentally ill--and that illness is an equal opportunity employer.  It can affect any race, creed, color, nationality, political status, income, family status, etc.  It just doesn't happen in "big towns" with "those people"...it happens everywhere--just like the flu.  And how do we prevent it, or stop it?  I don't know.

I heard in one country that there was a national registry of anyone that worked with children.  Nurses, teachers, Sunday School teachers, ministers, soccer coaches, Scout leaders, you name they all had to be registered with a higher power--and had to renew.  Hmmm.  I like this idea for several reasons.  First, lets say someone does something inappropriate with a church group, that incident isn't reported to the police, but they are escorted from their church group.  That same person then goes and becomes a soccer coach....hmmm.  There's something wrong with the current system.  If a person is kicked out of one youth organization that should carry over to other organizations, not just leaving the possibility of still working with other youth. 

How would this work?  I don't know, like a nursing license maybe?  You would have to apply and maybe even take a class.  And hey--you know what--if you had a problem with it, then you shouldn't be working with youth anyway.  I think its a great idea---now if I could only find a financier--don't the Gates have some extra millions they could donate?  LOL

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Free Range Beef (A Story)

So we really should start marketing our cattle as free range beef...free range chickens are all the rage...why can't beef be too?  LOL.  So as I was leaving for church today, a calf was standing in our yard.  I yelled and he waddled back in, here's how the story goes:

"Clarice, I say this wind is chilly."

"Oh Myrtle what we need is a new coat...say did you see crazy lady's new coat?"

"Clarice you spend way too much time looking over the fence, this here is some good Milo."

"I'm serious girls, she came out the other day in this vintage white fur coat...I about ran for high country thinkin I was seein snow."

"Hmph, high dollar fluezy, that girl is crazy."

"Louise don't be a stick in the mud, it was faux fur."

"I tell you what, DENNIS, come here boy."

"Yes Momma"

"Now I know you're fixing to hop through the fence, just wait until 8:00 right before the crazy lady leaves.  Then hop through the fence, and stand right in the yard, so she sees you.  Then, when she drives all crazy like over to you, the girls will get to see her coat."

"But Momma, this Milo is sooo goood."

"Boy, you hop over that fence at 8:00 or I will tan that black hide of yours."

"Yes Momma."

(30 minutes later)

"Well I guess I owe you a cube Clarice, that coat is fine, crazy lady be lookin good today."

"Told you so, I know my vintage goods."

Friday, November 18, 2011

Homemade Lean Pockets

So I figured I could make Lean Pockets from semi-scratch, so I gave it a whirl...and they turned out tasty!!!

You need:
1 lb ground and browned beef or sausage
2 packages of crescent rolls
1 jar of spaghetti sauce
any leftover soup/vegetables/onions/etc that you like

So I browned the sausage, then we had some leftover vegetables that I knew J wasn't going to eat by themselves, so I pureed them, threw them in with the sausage to brown.  Then threw in the spaghetti sauce.  Then I took the crescent rolls and left 2 triangles together and put the filling in it, rolled it over so the seam was at the bottom, pinched the ends, and that was it.  So easy.  Put them on parchment paper, put in the oven at 400 for about 20 minutes, dusted with shredded cheese, and yummo!  So good!  And got like 3-4 servings of vegetables...on the sly of course  ;-)

Thursday, November 17, 2011

The Grass is Greener on the other Side of Butler Road

So one of our neighbor’s is also a farmer (shocker right?), he lives about ½ a mile away from us, and is about 60 or so.  Lets call him Wilbur.  Well I don’t know if I would classify Wilbur and my hubby as friends…but they do have some weird keeping up with the Jones’ habits.  If Wilbur sees J out washing his combine, well then you see him jump into his truck, pull out the combine, and what do you know it’s a great day to power wash the combine.  If J sees Wilbur cutting soybeans, well hell, I can’t look bad, I better go cut down south, he says.  The other day we were driving and I don’t know where J had been, but the tires were just throwing mud, leaving a nice little Hansel and Gretel trail….guess who else had a dirt trail?  I said where have you been?  He laughs, I guess the same place Wilbur’s been.  LOL.    Does anybody's else husband have one of these keeping up with Joneses friends--farmer style? 

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Second Class Citizen?

So I have wonderful insurance through State Farm, I’ve had them since I started driving, like in 1995 or something.  When we got married, I stayed with State Farm, just added J to my policy, in case he needed to drive my car sometime.  One of the “bonuses” State Farm does is send out Christmas address labels to use for cards—love that part!  However, this year, the address labels came and said John and Mary Smith.  What?  When did I become the second class citizen?  Don’t I pay the bill?  Haven’t I been the insured person for 17 years? 
For years, we teach our daughters, support our friends to be independent strong women, until they get married and still become an “and” to somebody’s name, thus taking a second seat to the husband.  Why?  I don’t get it….especially in this instance when I have been the insured person, not him.   Shouldn’t I be listed as primary?   I know this is one of my oddities, among others—I don’t like Mr and Mrs at all.  Why do we as women have to identify our relationship status?  Do men?  No.  It’s just an archaic tradition of subjugating ourselves.  I use Ms.  for everything.   I didn’t (and don’t) address wedding invitations/cards/etc as Mr. and Mrs. James Doe to anyone.   How in modern-day society can a woman be identified as a Mrs. Some guys name? 
I know—women’s rights is my biggest soapbox, oh well.  I’m sure if it was 100 years ago, I would have been a suffragette in jail because I was fighting for the right for women to vote. 

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

The Things That Linger From the Past

Now, there are some things that I do that I don't think are odd...until other people notice and are like what?  I think it has a lot to do with your upbringing and habits you develop that are normal to you, until you are thrust into another environment and see other habits. It's interesting being around my siblings, and things we think are totally fine, but then our significant others are like, umm that's just a you guys thing. 

For example, my siblings and I hate dirty dishes in the sink.  So annoying, I'm just going to have to pull them out and put them on the counter to wash them, so just leave them on the counter.  Maybe this is because we had to wash dishes by hand growing up, and always stacked dishes on the counter.  Who knows.

I don't put ice in hardly anything.  I don't think my bro does either--I'll have to ask my sister.  Reason for that being, on the farm growing up we had those old metal ice trays, that were a pain in the a** to pull open and get ice.  Fingers would about freeze to the metal trying to pull it back, only to have it not break away half the ice pieces.  Solution:  don't put ice in your drink.  And that just kind of stuck.  I still don't to this day, and we have an icemaker.   Here's a pic of the trays:


They look so nice and vintage in the pic....too bad they're the devil in disguise.

Most people would be surprised to learn that I don't own a crock pot, and really can't recall I time I used one.  I'm sure my BFF had one that I might have used, but not that I can recall.  Reason:  when I was a wee young thing of 8 or so doing dishes (that were piled on the counter, not the sink--LOL), I was washing my Dad's old crock pot (the style that was a single unit, not the pull out kind).  Well in the best of my 8 year old intentions, knew I wasn't supposed to submergee the cord in the water because of electrocution...so the whole thing got submerged.  My Dad was so mad, I can't even remember what he said, but it scared the begeezus out of me enough to never want to use one.  Then I got one of those small crock pots dropped on my head one time.  So I just learned to cook without using the cursed little things.  LOL.  Who knows...I can laugh about it now  :-)

Monday, November 14, 2011

The Fight With Germs

So I'm not one of those women that carries Bath and Body hand sanitizer with me- sanitizing after I've shaken someone's hand or been to Walmart or any other various activities when I've seen those little bottles whipped out.  And I think it makes my immune system stronger.  Plus I live on a farm, where there are germs everywhere.  (I'm not saying that my house is gross or filthy either, just have a practical approach to how much am I really going to get clean.)  Look at guys, do you see guys with little sanitizer bottles on their belt, diligently squirting after they've peed behind a tree.  Lol, I don't think so.  I consider it lucky if the guys will wash their hands when they come in from doing whatever they've been doing.  Has society (or Bath and Body Works) created this fear of any germs, that is inherently making immune systems ineffective?  What quantity of germs is good to build up tolerance?  Have we bleached our immune systems by sanitizing?  Hmmmm.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Gunfight at OK Corral

So I conquered by fear of the 4-wheeler and got out and rounded up some calves that had gotten out--I don't know who was more scared..me or the calves.  Looking out I knew it was Dennis and friends (he has 2 friends now--he is popular!)...our neighbors have some volunteer winter wheat, and they just think its theirs.  So out I head on the 4-wheeler, pink boots flying, and yell at the calves.  I get them running and have them cornered, so I open the gate and swing around to get them in.  Well I didn't want to face them head on, so I looped around the horse barn and came down the narrow-way between the two corrals...Its just me and the calves now.  Its the gunfight at the OK corral.  As in--OK who's going to get in?  LOL.  2 of them make it in...I'll give you one guess which calf did not go in.

As I'm rounding them up, the other cows stare at me from the corral:


They're looking at me like I'm entertainment instead of actually working....here's my version of what they're saying:

"Now Myrtle look at her go, she's on that machine."

"I know, this ought to be good.  Do you think she'll get Clarice's boy in?"

"Oh that Dennis, he's such a wayward little man, always looking for greener grass somewhere."

"I know ya'll aren't talkin bout my boy Dennis are you?  He is such a fine man...look at him run, he's just a young stallion.  You two hussies better quiet it down over there."

"Now Clarice, you know we weren't talking bad about Dennis.  We just love to watch that crazy woman try and catch him."

"Oh here she goes again, I'll bet you 2 cubes that she gets him in."

"I'll take that bet Myrtle, my boy is stubborn and hard-headed just like his Daddy, 3 cubes says she doesn't get him in, machine or no."

Well I didn't get Dennis in...and the 4-wheeler ran out of gas.   Oops!


And here's Dennis, still searching for greener pasture...sigh.


Saturday, November 12, 2011

I'd Like to Make a Citizen's Arrest....

Daylight savings time has done it again!  Stolen my time!!! LOL.  No really though, I don't know whether its because I got a new job a couple of months ago, the leaving home when its dark and getting home when its dark, I don't know, but I feel like my time is just disappearing...and I'm blaming DST.

I did get a new job a couple of months ago, now I work full-time instead of part-time.  The PT job was never meant to be PT, just ended up that way.  It did work out because over the summer I was able to have another PT job...farmhand, LOL.  I was able to get some of those "to do list" projects done while J was at work.  While I do love working full-time, I do miss those hours (or heck I would settle for 1 hour) of just being in the house alone and working on my own timeline, instead of: get home, cook dinner, do laundry, get ready for work tomorrow, do chores, oh crap its time for bed already.  Kind of like the Sex and the City episode where Aiden has just moved in with Carrie and, she's like "stop with the questions, I need some downtime.'  How can so much of my life relate back to a SATC episode anyway?  LOL.

DST doesn't help this either, or the fact that the first few days afterwards were rainy and dreary--yuck.  But leaving when the porchlight is on, and returning and the porchlight is still on, is different...and its stealing my time.

Oh well, such is life  :-)

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Hauling Hay with the Hubs

Last year hauling hay only included prairie hay and alfalfa, maybe a bit of brohme.  This year--since we're chopping anything down--it includes corn stubble and Milo stubble.  So we're loading up some Milo stubble the other night, with the Gobob trailer, and I came up with a list of "rules in hauling hay with the hubs."  PS a gobob trailer is this long skinny trailer that the bales are loaded on horizontal and pushed forward.  Here's a pic of J loading:



In no particular order:
-make sure the tractor that's loading the truck has brakes...or that you know about it before you get whiplash when the tractor hits the trailer and you go flying in the drivers seat of the truck

-don't wear flip-flops...even if the hubs says you won't be getting out of the truck.  Who knows when the tractor will spring a leak and you will get called out of the truck to hold a flashlight or something.

-always bring a book or something to entertain you.  Problems happen, and you might get stuck in the truck waiting for a while; and being that some of these locations are not cell-phone friendly, talking to friends or playing on facebook isn't a reliable source of entertainment.

-wear a supportive bra, or sports bra.  The ground is hard and getting bounced around with 10,000 pounds on the back-end of a truck is not enjoyable in an everyday bra, take my word on it. 

-take a drink...does that really need an explanation?

-take a moment to enjoy the countryside and God's handiwork, it really is pretty!

-be ready for the trip to take longer than expected...or translate it to farmer time.  An hour to everyday people is about 2 1/2 hours in farmer time. 

I think that about covers it, unless some of my readers have others, feel free to share  :-)

Monday, November 7, 2011

The 8 and 80 Rule

Now when I waited tables, people would just love to have someone at their table sung happy birthday to them.  Would they want to be sang to?  Probably not, but something about embarrassing those around you appeals to people.  And really its not cute.  To sing to a 32 year person...not cute--to the person or the server that has to sing to them.  However, there are some exceptions, the 8 and 80 rule--if the person is under 8 or over 80 its cute, usually super-cute.  A little girl with pigtails all excited, a little boy in a Cars shirt--too cute.  A little old lady having a margarita on her 83 birthday--too cute!  So that's the 8 and 80 rule...it also applies to other things...like boys in overalls.

If a little boy (under 8) in overalls asks me for something...I have NO resistance.  They are just too stickin cute.  I'd probably had over my lung if a little tike looked up at me, with their hands in their pockets big eyes asking me to.  Same things goes for little old men in overalls--totally a sucker.  Sale barn, stockyards, little old man says "darling you look like my granddaughter--any chance you'd get me a coffee?"  Yep, you name it.  LOL.  I guess the first step is admitting the problem, right?  Hmmm...

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Untitled

My post for http://ruralwomenrock.blogspot.com/

So I'm sitting trying to enjoy a lovely evening of watching Sex and the City reruns, enjoying a little adult beverage, listening to my husband and his friend grind up goose meat for jerky, and the TV starts blinking in and out because of the lovely Kansas weather and wind.  And I'm thinking...this is my life.

When I first met my husband I really didn't even know where Whitewater was.  Pretty sure I'd heard of it, but didn't know exactly where it was.  Fast forward a few months, and I'm living outside of a town I couldn't even place.  But here's the thing, I love it!  I've always loved the country and seeing the seasons change and really see the full circle of life.  I get to witness that now.  Will I ever quit watching Sex and the City?  Probably not.  Will you ever see me in cowboy boots?  Probably not  :-)   The cows just love my striped rainbow boots anyways.  But that's who I am--I'm Barnyard Barbie...just a girl living in the country...with a good sense of humor...and a lot of fashion sense  ;-)


You talkin to me? You talkin to me?  Yeah I'm lookin at my momma--she has some cute boots on...that's right.  Her toes look good too, I've seen them...my toes are well, Miss Piggy has better. 

It helps in my adventures that I can laugh at myself  :-)  I've been known to have a couple of greenhand country girl moments--oh well--it gives my life an interesting pattern  :-)  Join in my adventures!

Monday, October 31, 2011

Who Am I, Really?

So in anticipation or preparation of my blog on ruralwomenrock, I've been thinking about who I am, and what makes me a "rural woman".  Hmm.  Here are my thoughts, in no specific order:

I love shoes
therefore my closet isn't big enough

I laugh at my calves when they get out....
then see the hay bale on the other side of the fence

I have a hard time relaxing
and feel most relaxed when I walk outside, see all my little creatures
sing to the horse, give him a kiss
and pet the kittens

My husband and I are both workaholics
and together we could accomplish anything
(its a good thing we don't work professionally together tho,
someone would have to be the manager, and we're both a bit bossy)

I have 2 rules in my house/on our property:
no taking the Lord's name in vain
no littering--we have trashcans for a reason

I'm the only person I know who can holler at her cows from the porch
and they know what they need to do....
get back in

I don't wear white after Labor Day
or before Easter (who are those people anyway?)

I talk to God.....
sometimes he talks back

Someday I will figure out the difference....
between a planter and a disc and a cultivator
(really they all look similar to me)

I love when I see my hubby walking with his Dad
they both have the same gait, pliers on the right side,
and complaining about the same things

I love wine
and you will always find some kind of alcohol in our house

I love finding a vintage skirt
at some thrift store for $2

I love my Sunday School and VBS kids,
but don't see myself as a mother

I love wearing a fabulous gown
or fat pants and an old sweatshirt

I love that I see God's handiwork everyday

I love that I can laugh at myself.

So what makes me a rural woman?  I guess I'm just a woman--who lives in the country.


Saturday, October 29, 2011

Hmmm

So I was cleaning today for our annual Halloween party, and noticed something that was indicative of how different J and I are, spot the differences in these 2 pictures:





Anyone?  Anyone see the difference in the 2 pics?  LOL.  My choice of magazine subscriptions vs Js.  Needless to say we never fight over who's going to read the latest subscription first.  He's Whitetail nation on the Outdoor Channel and I'm Sex and the City re-runs on TBS or E!.  And how do we do it?  Hmm, first we are both independent people and don't have to do everything together.  We both respect each others' interests--from a distance-- LOL.  Second, we're not going to change each other and we know that.  When we were dating there was no pretense of, "he'll change one day--he will watch SATC with me."  Now sometimes he watches Dancing with the Stars with me, but I think it has more to do with the skimpy little outfits than the actual dancing.  And he knew that I would never go hunting with him, and we're OK with that.  We know we come from different worlds, but together we make it :-)

Funny side story, I bought hose the other day and couldn't find the bag that they ended up in.  I tell J--let me know if you find the hose in one of the Walmart bags, he says, you bought a hose?  LOL.

Monday, October 24, 2011

Cleaning in the Country

So I like a house clean, kitchens are a must, clutter is a no-go, bathrooms I can't stand to do--but I do.  But mainly it was so much easier to clean an apartment than a house.  Is the house that much larger in square feet?  Hmm don't think so.  Its living in the country.  Like I don't even know where the mess comes from.  I can sweep (we have hardwood floors), go into the other room, come back and there's stuff on the floor.  How does that happen?  Do little hay bunnies come out when they see the floor is clear?  And spider webs, I can get all the corners, window sills, etc.  And a week later they are all back--HOW DOES THAT WORK?  Are spiders that industrious?  And it never fails I always see the big ceiling corner hangers when company is over.  Like oh yeah don't mind my little friend in the corner dusty spidey, he's harmless! LOL.  I just don't get it.  If someone has the solution, please let me know, I'm all ears--and dust rags.

PS:  I'm going to be featured on http://ruralwomenrock.blogspot.com/ next week.  If you have a favorite blogpost, let me know  :-)

Sunday, October 23, 2011

No Time to Cook?!??!

So this week has been insanely busy---where did October go?  Wasn't it just summer like yesterday?  I don't even know.  But I've been so busy--the cooking has gotten creatively easy.  Here are two Quick and Delicious casseroles I came up with, if you are pressed for time  :-)  They are both J approved  :-)

French Onion
You need:

1 lb ground meat (beef or sausage) uncooked
1 1/2 cups rice (I used brown, but white is probably fine too)
1 can Campbells French Onion soup
Frozen veggies (green beans, peas, carrots)
Spices (rosemary, sage, oregano)

And here's how its done:
Take a 9x13 casserole dish, put the raw meat in the bottom (oh and spray the pan), put the rice over the meat, then top with the veggies, put the spices on it, pour the french onion soup over the mixture, fill the can with water (or half water/half red wine) pour that over the whole mixture.  Cover with foil and bake at 300 for about 30-40 min.  That's it, takes about 5 minutes, and is SO GOOD!

Mexican Tator-Tot Casserole

This one is uber-good--J and one of his friends polished off the pan the first time I made it.

You need:
1 lb ground cooked meat (beef or sausage)
Diced veggies (green beans or carrots)
1 can rotel
1/2 a bag of tator-tots
1 can of enchilada sauce (if you don't have enchilada sauce, take one can of tomato soup and a packet of taco seasoning--so good!)
1 packet of taco seasoning (season the meat)
Onions
1 can of beans (dark red, chili, red, whatever you have)
Shredded cheese
and if you have any leftover soup, meat, whatever, throw it in

Brown the meat and add the rotel, veggies, beans, leftovers (should be messy).  Then take a 9x13 casserole dish, put the meat mixture in there, put the tator tots over the top, then pour the enchilada sauce over the top.  Bake at 350 for 30 min, pull out top with cheese, put back in the oven, broil so the top gets nice and bubbly.  Yummo!

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Why Yes I Do Remember When It was -16 outside

So I was talking to my boss the other day, and somehow the crazy KS weather came up.  Super hot summer, really cold winter, blah blah blah.  He said, well you remember that day it was -16?  And I said, actually I do, rather vividly--here's why....

J goes out to Goodland once a year to hunt mule deer with his friends.  Great, go have fun, I can manage by myself for a couple of days--it is a major crime district out here in the middle of nowhere--but hey I've got watch-cows.  Chores really aren't that bad anyways--make sure the cows have water, feed the horse, cats, etc.  I think I have it covered.  That is until I walk outside, before heading to the gym and work, and its -16 out, and what does that make water do?  Freeze!  Oh my loving husband said, if we get a little freeze, it will just create a layer no thicker than a boot can go through.  Uh-huh.  This tank had 3-4 inches of ice!  I could have skated across it.  And where's the ax?  Oh who knows--I'm sure it was in a safe locked place in his shop where I would never find it.  What do I find?  A garden spade.  I'm out there hacking away at this iced-over tank with a garden spade!  After a few hacks, the spade loses its hold on the handle and just starts spinning around the end.  So here I am--freezing, hacking away, with a spinning garden spade, at 6:00 in the morning. 

J calls me later that morning to ask--I heard it was cold--how is everything?  haha, where's the ax honey--I need to find it so I can use it on you!  LOL, just kidding.  He actually did feel bad, and since then, when its cold, the ax stays in the barn.  Just in case........

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Not your Momma's Crochet--LOL

So I crochet--am I a crocheter?....I don't know.  I kind of crochet like I cook--winging it.  LOL.  I went to some classes at Michaels with my BFF, but something just didn't click.  Then I started talking to the love of my life for hours a night and thought I really just can't sit here and do nothing--so I said, I can do this.  And picked up my crochet hook, placed the phone and a pillow underneath my ear and jabbed away.  So it stuck, I can whittle away and crochet to my little heart's content.  I made J a blanket, made scarves, baby blankets, etc.  But the best part is--I figured out how to make the towel hook things!  (PS If you're a cradle crocheter and can read patterns and figure them out the first time---hmph!). 

One of my good friends gave me a bunch of the towels she had received for her wedding. They really are pretty hideous:  kittens, Lion King, shells, etc.  And she's SO not a crochet person.  So she gave them to me--and I snagged how to do them--BAM!  Then I ran into the problem of always getting buttons to match.  Then I started playing around and came up with this "crochet button"--it always matches--and which crocheter doesn't have tons of extra yarn around and no buttons.  I say its a perfect match--and it's cute  :-)



Just do a single chain about 10 or so, slip through the first one, then go up and do a  single chain again around the whole thing until you get the puffiness that you want.

Its so cute!  Here's the final product:




And I tried to rotate it...but some technological thing beyond me is a hindrance to my plan.  Still looks cute though?  Better than some 80's kittens or Lion King  :-)

Sunday, October 16, 2011

The Silent Partner

So I would categorize my relationship with God as a silent partner in a corporation.  He lives in some Caribbean vacation hot spot, flies back into my life on a corporate jet, pulls out a big red pen, makes changes, then goes back to the Caribbean to be seen/heard from again later sometime.  I know he's there watching from a distance, taking notes or something.

For example, my good friend Leslie, (who is fabulous and my spiritual sound board) and also blogs at laffygrl, suggested I read Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers probably 3 years ago.  I tried but could not for the life of me get into it.  Picked it up at my church library last Sunday and finished it on Wednesday.  How does that work?  I'm pretty sure if I had read it back then I would not have gotten the same thing out of it that I did now.  BTW--it is an EXCELLENT book.  It's one of those that you're sitting in bed reading, look at the clock and say OK just one more chapter, then after that chapter, look at the clock again, and say OK just one more chapter, this cycle continues until I say OK I really have to go to bed now.  LOL.  Its that good. 

Then she tells me that her church did the Strength Finder exercise and to look at her "strengths."  Well, 2 years ago, my church (in KC) had also done the exercise, so I pulled out mine and remembered that my top strength was strategic, and that from a church's perspective, someone should serve on the church council to use that strength to the fullest.  AND just last Sunday the nominating committee for the church council asked me if I would consider serving on the board....Hmmm, coincidence?  Or do you hear the rumble of a jet taking off? 

Saturday, October 15, 2011

A Fall Saturday

So I come home from running to town (did I really just say that?  running to town?  I never said that before moving to BFE, anyways), and what do my wandering eyes should appear?  DENNIS!  And apparently he's like the bad kid in school who attracts friends to get in trouble with, because now there are 2 calves that like to get out!  Ugh!


Do you think she saw us?  Quick run the other way!  No the other other way!
Needless to say these two are out of place on our island...and not my kind of yard art.  I can only imagine people driving by, like, those are some big dogs...wait, those aren't dogs--they have cows in their yard! 

Then I had to make something for this shindig we're going to tonight, and was a kind of fallish item.  So I remembered this recipe using 1 box cake mix, 1 egg, and 1/2 cup of shortening--sounds great--except--I was out of shortening.  So improvise away.  Here's what I did:

Took a carrot cake mix, a container of chunky applesauce, 1/4 cup of oil, and 1 egg, some Jim Beam Stag, mixed it up and put it on cookie sheets like woopie pies.


Then I took cream cheese icing mixed in a little more Jim Beam Stag, put them together, and these things are good!  Sometimes I even impress myself.  Its like an adult-fall-woopie pie!  yum!


Don't those look tasty?  And so easy!! 

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Its a Sad Day on the Farm...Well at least in the Kitchen

Soooo,  its a sad, sad, sad day.  The orange mixing bowl that I have had for I don't know how long, and before that my mom had for I don't know how long...finally has a crack in the bottom.  I showed it to J and he was like...huh.  I was like what if the beebee gun that you shot your first bird in the barn with your brothers, that is still at your parents house, with the worn out trigger finger was suddenly cupoot (sp?)--yeah its like that.  This mixing bowl is perfect (I really don't know why my mom gave it to me---but it was probably one of the best things she ever gave me), its sides are tall enough so stuff doesn't start flying out the sides--and its just me.  This bowl was with me at Pitt in the sorority house, in my apartment, travelled to Florida with me.  I was probably the only girl who's car moving was piled high with shoes, cupcake tins, beater, and my bowl.  But hey, you have to be prepared  :-)  If I had just a dollar for every batch of cookies, cake, cupcakes, muffins, bread, drinks, etc, etc, etc that this thing has seen, I would probably be retired on some lake house on Lake Tahoe doing the ladies who lunch bit.  So sad.  And yes, I was dorky enough to look online and ebay has the whole set of these!  Bam! 


Sunday, October 9, 2011

Another Blast from the Past

So I've mentioned that I lived on a farm part of my growing up life...and what do you get when you take 3 kids from the city and put them on a farm?  Probably the same thing when you take a 30-year old from the big city and try to make her a farmer again. 

Here's a story from when I lived on the farm the first go-around:

So I was probably in 8th or 9th grade (I can remember what grade I was in because we moved around a lot and each grade corresponded to a town or school), so I stayed home "sick" LOL.  I probably did feel bad in the morning, but hey, everyone needs a mental health day.  And I was old enough to stay at home by myself--which makes the mental health day even better  :-).  Well we did have cows, and this must have been in the fall or spring, because all the cows were there.  (During the summer months we hauled them off to greener pastures--and I really do mean greener pastures).  So looking out the kitchen window you could see the pasture, and the cows.  And anyone who's been around cows for any amount of time, knows they are pretty habitual and dumb.  Their internal clocks go ding-a-ling when they see their owner's trucks go by, people walking to the barn, etc.  They know what's coming next--food.  So I'm at home feeling bored and mischievous and decide I'm going to play a little trick on them.  They see me in the kitchen window putting on my gloves, coat, hat, and one of them sounds the dinner call and they start heading to the corral.  I walk out the door slam it, and I can hear their little hooves slamming to go get food.  Hahaha.  Only the joke was on me--the door locked right behind me.  (is this reminiscent of a few blogs ago???). 

So here I was, coat, boots, and shorts (for some reason I didn't change that part), locked out of my house.  Hmmm...and of course the back door was also locked.  So what to do?  Guess I'll go wait in the wash house till Dad gets home, which was a couple of hours....LOL.  Oh boy.  I don't think he yelled at me, I think he just laughed--LOL.  Of course looking back on it--I can laugh too.

Monday, October 3, 2011

Crazy Weekend

So this picture may not look like much, but its a combine--left in the field...so J could go to KC with me and see my Pitt State Gorillas beat Northwest State MO.  So it might not look like a whole lot, but it means a lot  :-)





The game was AMAZING!!! And its always good to go to KC and visit my old stomping grounds...went to dinner at Jaspers--yum!  If you are in KC and want some excellent food, I highly recommend it!  And they had this Apple Martini made from apple cider from Louisburg Cider Mill and it was DIVINE!!!  Yum--cinnamon, nutmeg, vodka, apples, how can you go wrong?  LOL.  Then of course, coffee at my fav coffee place Dunn Bros  :-)  We couldn't leave KC without some shopping, so my girlfriends and I went shopping and left J at Cabela's--I think that's fair  :-)  Going to the game was amazing, seeing them win was awesome--good trip all around!

Then it was time for the dreaded Walmart trip yesterday...schwoo!  I had been putting it off, and wow--the cart was loaded...but once again, I hit the max number of coupons, requiring a CSM approval.  I really want to know what the magic "number" is, I've hit it before and am really curious...but I saved over $60 just in coupons--BAM!

When I got home, I was still feeling adventurous, so I tried this Stromboli-thing (I really don't know what to call it--but it was good)

Take:
Diced ham
Diced onions
Diced apples
marinate for an hour or so with a mixture of : an ounce of jim beam, spoon of brown sugar, butter and water
Then take a refrigerated pizza crust spread it thin, put sun-dried tomatoes on it, then the ham/onion/apples mixture, top off with shredded white sharp cheese, roll up and put in the oven.

I don't know what the name of this concoction would be, but the flavors just kind of melt together like a grown-up lean pocket--yum!

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Soybean Harvest

So its time for soybeans to be harvested...and what kind of farmwife would I be if I didn't run out to the field and ride around with J (and take him some beers :-)).

While I was waiting patiently drinking my glass of wine, I look down, and so sad some of the soybean seeds had already popped out of their pod/shell thing.  In the pic they look like white peas....expensive white peas.



Then I see J driving his combine..this is a weird patch of ground that he farms for crazy Karl...maybe that's why the ground is crazy--LOL.


Then J comes and gets me to ride around...mind you its no easy task climbing into a combine with 2 beers and a glass of wine.


But when its all said and done...this is what we get..isn't it pretty--can you smell the money?  Or rather smell the fuel bill/Coop bill/seed guy/fertilizer bill going away...ahhh!

Monday, September 26, 2011

Cleaning out the deep freeze means....

So J is a big hunter, plus we get 1/4 of beef or pork every so often, so the deep freeze (yes the one in the Adams family basement) is stocked with all kinds of meat.  Some of the stuff I don't even touch...especially if its in a black trash bag--usually that's a head of something and I don't mess with that.  Anyways, its almost deer season and its time to clean out the freezer, which means getting creative with meals.  Last night was excellent, and here's what I did.

There were some deer backstraps that were a little old, so I knew they were going to be a bit tough.  So...I marinated them in 1-2 ounces of Jim Beam (yes friend M--alcohol isn't just for drinking  ;-)) , bit of molasses, touch of honey, chipotle sauce, pepper and garlic, and a bit of water, put them in the oven at 150 for about an hour--and they were fabulous!!  Yum--something about the Jim Beam mixed with the sweet and spice--made those things real nice!  Put it with some scalloped potatoes, teriyaki  peas--I think J thought he was in heaven--delicious!

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Adventures in Grain

So I was driving to church this morning, and notice some milo that had been swathed down, leaving the crop insurance mohawk strip in the middle.  The bales were baled all in white plastic and upright instead of laying on their side.  Hmmm.  So of course I txt J and say what the heck is that?

Now let me say, that on the farm where I grew up we had cows--we didn't farm.  Ask me the difference between a heifer and a steer, I can tell ya.  Ask me the difference in milo or soybeans--didn't have a clue.  True, driving down the road, I could see different crops, but didn't really know what they were.  I even thought the corn cob came out of the top tassle part (I know--dumb).  I just really had no clue.  However, J is more farmer than cow person, so he's been educating me  :-)  And no the cob does not come out the top.  I can now tell the difference between soybeans, milo (white and red), wheat, corn, etc.  I still get tripped up every now and then.  About a month ago I had to drive north and saw some really tall milo.  Now me, I'm like wow they must have had a lot of rain! (where we live everything's kind of short and puny looking because of no rain).  So I tell J wow their milo looks great it was like 4-5 feet tall--LOL.  Turns out that's atlas a superkind of milo.  Oh, he's good to humor me :-)

So it turns out these cotton ball looking bales of milo are sealed so it lets it ferment and turn into silage--hmph, who knew?  I didn't  :-)

Friday, September 23, 2011

Dear Santa

I think I've been so good this year!  I've ran calves in, I've fixed fence, I've loaded wood, laundry, etc etc.  And wouldn't these shoes just look so cute under my tree? 


I guess Stuart Weitzman's grandpa designed these in the 40s but have never been produced (maybe that's why I love them--they're so vintage-y looking!).  Anyways thanks Santa!  7 1/2 please  :-)

Love,
Barnyard Barbie

Thursday, September 22, 2011

They Know My Voice

So it struck me tonight when I was walking out to see J working on his planter, that when I walked all the little animals around here ears' perk up--they know Momma is coming.  Especially the cats...

And I should say I've never been a cat fan--kind of allergic, but J had barn cats, so ya know, they're here, I will talk to them.  We have:  Catman--a tomcat who is orange--he's really nice.  He'll disappear for a couple of days, but then return running towards me--ahh!.  Shady-a white girl cat, who's siblings and mother were CRAZY, but she managed to survive.  She's still kind of shady, but much better than she used to be.  Smoke--he's a tomcat (I don't have a pic of him), he's very skittish, and kind of growls at you.  I make a joke and usually growl at him first --RRRRR--LOL.  Then there are my little monsters--my babies.

Their mother, lil sh*t, somebody dropped off at our house about a year ago.  She was just a wee little black kitten, and lil sh*t seemed to stick as a name.  Well in May she had kittens  :-)  They were all so cute!!  Sadly a bunch of them disppeared--she did too.  J in his wonderful steadfastness didn't really say that the other ones would make it.  There were just 3 left and they were so little.  But we all know me (and J--he's a big softie), and I took little milk out there for them and coaxed them along.  I really think its that they had heard my voice even in the womb, talking to lil sh*t :-) 

So they are my little monster babies--3 little cats that look alike.  When they hear or see me they come running, they know their momma is near  :-)

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Sunday Flashback

So as I was heading out to feed Scoot (our horse) this morning, I had a flashback to another morning about 10 months ago.  J works on Sundays, so I usually do the chores so he can get to work and before I head to church.  Well this cold morning, I head out to do chores and here's what happened.  Now first I should preface by saying what I was wearing (it makes the story much more comical).  My rainbow boots, fat pants, and J's carhart jacket (which is about 5 sizes too big for me and hangs down to my knees), and I even still had my glasses on.  I was looking H-O-T hot!  So out I head out the back door feeling pretty cool and calm, I'm on top of my game.  I say hi to all the little animals, feed and water Scoot and head back to the house.  Go up the back door, and Bam--it is locked!  What?!?!  I didn't realize it was one of those lock-behind you doors, I just thought the deadbolt was used.  Oops!  I trudge up to the front and think maybe J left it unlocked, nope!  So here I am 7:30 or so in the morning, cold, and locked out of my house, and Sunday school is at 9:00.  hmmm.  *Yes, we did have a hidden key box, but it had a rather unfortunate accident with my boot heel during a winter storm when it was frozen shut  :-) *   And of course I didn't have my cell phone with me to call a neighbor or anything.  So I start walking around the house, wondering if one of the windows was unlocked or could be broken.  I'm sure anyone driving by got a good laugh at some weird person walking around their house. Then I think about the basement windows.  Our basement is a creepy place that I don't like to go in--it looks like the Adams family decorated it.  But--we do have a deep freeze right below a window, that I could fall on.  So I rip the screen on this window, lightly punch the glass window pane (miraculously it fell and did not break), and go for it.  I take my glasses off, lay on the ground and shimmy-scoot feet first through this window hole, when my boots hit that deep freeze, I let a big breath out.  Looking up at the window hole, standing on the deep freeze, I thought I just broke into our house--LOL.  But you gotta do what you gotta do. 

Thursday, September 15, 2011

So I got an "F" in Farmer Talk

So one of the amazing things that I've noticed being out here in the country, is Farmer Talk.  Schwoo!  Guys are bigger gossipers than women!  And that whole "men use fewer words during the day than women" I don't buy that at all.  Maybe they should visit a local cafe during coffee hour and count the words farmers say.  I've tried to analyze it too, and it just doesn't add up in my logical brain. 

For example, let's use laundry as a synonym for a flat tire, broken sickle, busted bale, etc and compare women to men.  Well see I have this pile of laundry.  Yep, I saw that Maybelle had some too.  Course you know she has that new washer, so maybe well you know she might get too it quicker.  Well, I don't know my pile's kinda big, there's coloreds and whites and towels too.  This job is not getting started before I have my coffee, let's head up to the cafe and see if Maude is up there talking about her laundry.  *Two hours transpired at the cafe, because not only was Maude there, but so was Olive and Claire Anne and they had to talk about their laundry too.*  Meanwhile back at the ranch, I looked at that pile of laundry and well, decided maybe I just ought to go ahead and sort it.  Course Ellen Jane, my good friend in the county over, called as I was sorting, and don't you know I had to talk to her about her laundry foibles over in Tucker county.  So this laundry sorting and starting took a good 3-4 hours from beginning to end.

SCHWOO!  What if women really talked like that?  Nothing would get done!  If there's laundry to be done, do it.  If that tire's flat, fix it.  There is no amount of yackin your trap that will make that tire/sickle/whatever better.  Its actually doing something.  J just laughs, he can tell when I'm just like, I gotta go, you and your seed guy/friend/whatever can keep yacking, but I'm outta here.  Why, because this girl got an "F" in farmer talk and can not BS when there's stuff to be done.

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Unplugged

So this weekend, one of my cousins asked if he could bring his kiddos out to the farm.  Sure, why not  :-)  They/we had a blast!  Running around looking at the horse, petting the kittens, climbing all over the combine/tractor/semi/etc farm equipment, playing on the swings, etc, etc.  It was so great to see them run and play (isn't that what kids are supposed to do?).  Of course they did come inside and look for a game console...hmm J and I don't have one.  Do we need one?  Don't we have all the entertainment kids need outside?  Playing over hay bales, creating games of their own?  I remember my siblings and I on the farm would make up all kinds of games in the barn/corrals.  Then one of J's Laotians (people of Laos) friends

Sidebar: one of the things I love about J is that he has friends of every different nationality/creed/religion etc.   Laotian, Mexican, African-American, believers, non-believers, I just love it!

friends came over, and brought his kids, and then there were even more shenanigans with more kids.  To stand back and watch it really was awesome just to see kids being kids.  Yes, there were some war wounds (kitten scratches, horse nips, dirty jeans, etc), but no one remembered that part the next day  ;-)

Monday, September 12, 2011

Rough Ground?

So I really don't mind swathing....except if its planted grass (alfalfa, CRP, etc) or the ground is harder than concrete.  Well lucky us in central Kansas have been in a drought so the ground is uber-hard.  Pair that with planted grass and me and Sally are in for a bumpy ride.  And I mean bumpy!  J is nice enough to warn me whether the field is a 1 or 2 sports bra needed field.  And I'm not even blessed in that department!  One of my other farmwife friends said the same thing "well at least we're both small girls--not that that helps much--LOL."  Its like riding one of those crickety wooden roller coasters over and over and over and over again.  You just hope the ride will come to an end, but then you turn the swather around and see you're only half done.  I would almost rather ride in a combine than in the swather across rough ground.  Schwoo!

I gotta go...ice my knees..and ice my drink!  LOL

Friday, September 9, 2011

Experiencing Life in the Corners

So last year I was driving and noticed a lot of the fields had this cut-out part on the corners where another crop was being grown.  So I asked J about it, and he laughed, and said its an irrigation center pivot.  The farmer will plant something else in the corners where the water can't reach.  Interesting.  Below is a picture of what it looks like for my non-farm friends  :-)




So I love going to museums and learning new stuff; whereas I don't know if J had ever been to a museum before I met him.  So one day I'm saying we need to go do something, like go to the Underground Salt Museum.  He kind of hmm-haws around because he gets stuck in a rut with the things he normally does.  So I decide to try out some farmer talk!  J you are like a center pivot, sometimes you need to experience life in the corners once in a while  :-)  Of course he laughed, but now its something we say when he steps a wee bit out of his comfort zone and experiences something new.  And the museum was really cool, and he enjoyed it!

Cheers to experiencing life in the corners!

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Plans Change

So I want to dedicate this blog to all of my farm wife friends, they are an amazing group of women, and have truly taken my green hand year in stride with all my crazy stories and foibles.

One common thread throughout their stories is that none of them (including me) dreamed they would end up on a farm and married to a farmer.  However, the Big Man has other plans and sends these dashing, dirty, steadfast, wonderful men into our lives that lead us down another path.  I don't think any of my friends dreamed as a little girl, I want to live out in the middle of no-where, pull calves while my husband is at his "real" job, fix broken equipment, do laundry in mud boots between cow feedings, fix fence, haul hay, and a myriad of other fantastic activities.  If there is a girl out there that pines away on this farmer star to shine down on her and make all her unknown dreams come true, please tell me, I will break her out of her romantic notions of what country life is like. 

However, most are generally happy, why?  Because in all of them runs a thread of hardworking, getting the job done, and witnessing little miracles every day. 

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

The Summer of Wood

So all summers seem to have a theme, and this summer was no different.  As I was piling wood into the Batmobile yesterday I had deja vu, that I had done this before and I had--lol.

The first load was a bunch of branches that were littering up the pasture and just laying around.  J said he would get to it, but with farmers "getting to it" could be anywhere from 2 months to 2 years from now, and it was just too nice outside to be indoors, so out I go.  I loaded up two loads with the Batmobile of branches!  Cleaned up a bunch of broken cement and stacked logs that I couldn't physically lift into the truck.  The pasture looked a lot better!  And I think the cows were happy they didn't have to step over all this stuff anymore.  :-)



Then about a month ago, I was headed to the shop to talk to J and his Dad, and went through the backyard gate.  Well most people don't even know we have a backyard gate because its so camouflaged by low-hanging trees and brush that needs removed.  So I get wacked in the face with a low-hanging branch, and march my happy a** into the shop looking for the hand-loppers to cut that thing off.  J sees the look on my face (the look of that thing is going, not later, not when you say you'll get to it, but now), and says don't be starting a pile of branches in the yard.  Oh I won't--LOL.  Then we start chatting and I realize that all the little saplings and small trees need to be removed.  So on a cool morning, out I go, and look what a job I did; Paul Bunyan doesn't have anything on me!  LOL.



Then one day I was out riding on the tractor feeding cows with J, and he looks into the pasture and goes, yeah one of these days I need to get some loppers and get these small trees out of the field.  Ummhmm.  So I go out one day and do it.  I kid J sometimes, what are you going to do, when all the stuff on your "I need to do that someday" list is gone.  LOL.


Our barn had blown down earlier and the spring, and we've been having various work parties to get this thing taken down.  Well this last weekend we put the "labor" in labor day, and the trusses were taken down and good wood was thrown in a pile for future use, and bad wood was thrown in a dump truck to get hauled away.  So yesterday, me and the batmobile make two trips of the good wood, moving it from the corral to another barn for storage, schwoo!!

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Cooking with Barbie

So most of my friends know this, but for those of you in the blog-o-sphere, I love to cook.  I love to bake even more.  Maybe its the chemistry of it all, I don't know.  Which I loved chemistry in high school!  Maybe I'm a cross between the mad-scientist and Betty Crocker.  Hmmm.  Well the other day my Grandma asked me what I loved to cook or bake best of all.  I really don't think I had an answer to that, I still don't think I do.  My BFF says I could have made it through the depression because I just use whatever is on hand to make a meal.  No running to the grocery store to pick up some random ingredient, especially now that I live out in the boonies where the grocery store (awesome that it is), carries the staples, not a full-line of goods.  Even J didn't notice last month when I was stretching my Wal-mart trip for as long as possible.  All because I just use what I have.  No fancy cookbooks, I don't watch foodnetwork, and no one really wants to see me cook.  Its better just to enjoy the meal in front of you and not think about what the mad scientist put in it.

Example, the BEST sloppy joes I have ever made were all leftovers!  LOL.  We had had a labor day party (last year), and there was a bunch of burgers (cheese and plain), hot dogs, bacon, sliced vegetables, I really don't remember all what was left.  But, all I did was throw all that sh*t in a blender, then put it on the stove to heat, put it on buns and they were delicious!  J and his best friend said they were the best, and what was the brand of mix I used?  Hmmm.  It wasn't until a week later or so, when J asked what happened to all the leftovers I told him.  Oh well, they were the best, try it sometime--you won't be disappointed.

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Playing Chauffeur

So one of the untold fantastic jobs of being a farm wife is playing chauffeur.  Taking J down to the field, picking up, following behind, driving to the pick-up, to go pick-up the semi, to drive back to the field to get the combine, etc, etc etc.  It's like this never ending battle of moving bodies to where the equipment needs to be, or moving equipment to where the bodies are.  (Kind of depends on how you look at it).  Well sometimes I drive my own vehicle, which I really don't like to do, because some of these roads are treacherous for my little SUV.  Sometimes I drive J's big truck, more often than not, I get to drive the Batmobile, this little POS blue ranger.  See the pic below.  From the pics it really doesn't look that bad, but let me elaborate.

First its the smell, it doesn't have AC, so its smells like a mix of a boys locker room, diesel fuel, and funk.  If its been sitting in the sun for a while, the smell just roasting away in the heat, when you open the door its like a wall hits you.  Ugh.  Then the power of this truck.  I'll have it to the floor in 4th gear, flip into 5th, hear those 4 cylinders purrr, and reach a riveting 50 mph.  This thing is not winning any speed races.  The brakes are also a little iffy, so you have to stop, give yourself some space if you don't want to hit something. 

Why is it called the Batmobile?  I don't know, J is really tall and lanky and seeing him driving this thing, all you see is knees and a baseball hat.  His his legs just don't seem to fit in there quite right.  Maybe its like the Batmobile, that you have to crawl down into it, I don't know.

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Dennis the Menace

So we have this bull calf, which I named Dennis.  Why you ask; because he is a menace!  And he is a bull calf and not a steer, somehow he missed the cheerio that would take his hoohoo away.  So Dennis is pretty bull-headed, in fact I think he puts the "bull" in "bull-headed."  Dennis believes in the philosophy that the grass is always greener on the other side and pokes his little head outside the fence and grazes away.  I would say I run him in at least every other day.  He too knows my voice like all the other little creatures around here, but instead of a loving "Dennis" its DENNIS!  Kind of like those 8-10 year old boys that never listen, yeah that's him.  He knows my car too, so if he sees my driving over with my car, he knows its time to get back in.

Well one day this spring, I was headed to church, and what do my wandering eyes should appear--Dennis!  Oh Dennis, I'm running a little late, get in!!!  So I turn the car and get him to go into the pen.  Well I start to head up the drive and I'm looking in my rear view mirror and that little sh*t has his little hoof on the fence just waiting for momma to leave.  I give my car a little gas, he starts to put his head through.  I give a little more gas and start to turn, and out he goes--home free--mommas gone!  Fat chance little Mofo!  I flip my car around and I'm yelling at him all the way back down the drive.  I think he could tell I was a little pissed at this point.  So I run him back in, and make sure he's at least halfway into the pasture before finally driving away.  Rrrr!

Then a couple of months ago, I let the dogs out, and what do I see, Dennis!  Only this time he's in the hay barn, helping himself to some delicious little hay.  I'm running across the yard, yelling at him, DOES THIS LOOK LIKE FURR'S CAFETERIA ALL YOU CAN EAT FRIDAY NIGHT BUFFET?!?!?  GET YOUR BLACK A** BACK INTO YOUR PEN!!!!

And people say we need kids!  They've obviously never had a bull calf.

Anyways here he is, I wouldn't say he's cute, and I'm not going to miss him when he goes away to stock a meat counter somewhere.