This might be a stupid question, but I'm going to throw it out there anyway. Who spreads manure during a rain storm? The answer to that question is quite obvious: I do. This past week it rained. Then it rained again. Then it kept raining. It got to the point that I built a boat, put our oxen in it, two milk cows, the bull, two ewes, the ram, six hens (I like eggs), a rooster, two sows from 1900, and Bill the horse.
In one day we got 4 inches of rain. I'll say that again so that it sinks in. Four. Inches. Not quite enough to warrant an ark...but still a good amount of rain.
Anyway, this past week Steve and I hauled manure, fence posts, logs, fence rails, and more manure. I shouldn't say Steve and I did this, as the oxen were the ones pulling the loads but the boys needed drivers. Our vine crops have been going crazy with all this rain. They have started an invasion of oat field, and are working their way to the trail that leads to the barn. We can't even see four rows of root crops. While I do enjoy pumpkin pie, fried squash, fresh watermelon, and cucumber salad. We've been having them pretty much every day lately. That and tomatoes.
There is an old French prayer that translates into "Lord, protect us from the wrath of the vikings". We at the 1850 farm have adapted that phrase, "Lord, protect us from tomatoes". Our farm has been eating, stewing, boiling, pickling, dressing, pitching, and fighting with tomatoes for the past month. Apparently there was a tomato blight this year in Iowa that affected a lot of the crops that were planted, depending on planting time. The blight was bad enough that farmers markets were getting complaints of not having tomatoes to sell. Everybody else waited another two or three weeks before they had edible tomatoes while we were sitting pretty. Steve and Katie were very proud of the garden because of that for a week or so. Then when we had three dishes on the table for dinner involving tomatoes our smiles quickly vanished.
It makes me thing of Garrison Keillor and his "Tomato Butt" story. How, as a child, he was picking tomatoes alongside his brother and sister. He and his brother started throwing tomatoes at the crab-apple tree, and each other until Mother calls from the door that they better keep working. Sister scolds Garrison and bends down to keep picking tomatoes at which point he says on the radio, "What a target!". Katie and I had a similar experience with Steve. Steve was picking cabbage worms, Katie and I were in the tomato beds picking. She and I started tossing the rotten tomatoes to the ducks, then we started playing a version of basketball with tomatoes. Steve scolds us, then bends down to keep picking cabbage worms. I look at Katie who must have been thinking the same thing cause she nodded and smiled. I picked up a handful of rotten grape tomatoes and threw them right at Steve's butt. It was awesome. Especially because he only wears white pants to work.
Anyway.
Tomatoes are finally dying off, but there are some more blooms on the plants which doesn't make me happy. Our cabbage and cauliflower are starting to head which makes me happy. We were worried that they wouldn't because of the damage done to them my worms. Little green caterpillars. Smell bad when you make them go "squish". Pumpkins are turning orange. Patty-pan squashes, Turk Turbans, and Yellow crook necks are going nuts too. Georgia Rattlesnake Watermelons are getting nice and big and plump. Green nutmeg melons have started to be consumed at dinners. They're a small green melon that looks honeydew and tastes like muskmelon. Plus they're only about the size of a 12 inch softball. It's a good breakfast food. Sweet corn is done. I'm upset about this because I didn't get to eat any at the farm. They always ate it when I wasn't there. We've got red chilli's that are up and done, along with some Bulls Nose peppers. It's a pepper that looks like a red jalep, but tastes like a bell pepper. I was confused.
Red the Bull is visiting our milk cows, and causing a bit of a ruckus with the steers. Red is only about 2 years old or so, but he put Luke the previous alpha male in the bovine community in his place. Steve and I were placing bets on who would win and how long it would take. If you won you didn't have to do chores the rest of the week. I picked the right bovine, but Steve won on the time. So we split and we split the pot, I didn't have to do morning chores, he didn't have to do evening chores. I think Red is going to be here for another month, but don't quote me on that. Since nobody is there at night or after work to see if Claire or Ginger get bread or not. -And no Dad, Red isn't baking up there. He doesn't have thumbs. Or an oven. Or a bread baker machine. Or electricity. -
Anyway, that about sums up the whole farming thing. We're building an addition to the hog lot for the piglets, but it's a work in progress. I conned Steve into digging all the fence post holes. But I think it's fair. I took a piece of machinery to the groin while we were demolishing the old hog lot. I told Steve he could make it up to me by digging the post holes. Con completed.
Oh,
I traded my car in for a truck. Helps with the moving animals and what not. When only one of the Ag guys has a truck, and maintenance won't lend us a truck it's hard to move livestock. We tried to put T-bone, our yearling steer into the back seat of my Grand Am...nobody was happy that day. "Tonka" is a 97 Dodge Ram 1500, 5.2 liter V8, she's two tone silver and red with tan upholstery. The best part is that the heat and AC both work! We're still feeling each other out, but so far we've only had a few hiccups. She goes into the mechanic the week before I come home, so...next week.
College football is upon us, so I'll be spending more time over at Cory's place as all I'd be able to watch is what garbage the TV channels want me to watch. Not that cable would be much better, but Cory gets the Big10 network. That makes me very happy that he is willing to let me watch sporting events at his place. Especially since basketball is right after football. And the Big10 network shows volleyball sometimes. Awesome Awesome.
Anyway, that's about it.
Buck
Friday, August 28, 2009
Friday, August 14, 2009
Family
Last week my sister asked me to play a piece in her wedding.
I got to thinking recently about my family. Probably because school should be starting up, and normally this is the time of year that I would get to see them. However, now that I have a job, am 360-ish miles away from them, and am graduated, I don't think I'll see them before next month. This is a shame.
My family is something that I can not live without. At least easily. I understand that I have always said that a little goes a long way regarding my family. But you start to notice when you don't even get that little.
I love my family. I do. I wouldn't be who I am today without them. Without the guidance, the freedom, the understanding that they have provided me all my life. I realize that it would be rude of me to say to them, "Thanks for everything, now I'm leaving". But at the same time calling every week, hell even every month isn't something that I'm particularly good at. Nor do I enjoy scheduling a call to a family member. I don't think that we should have to do that. Ask Sarah how often I've called her. Don't really do that cause I'll get yelled at again. It isn't that I don't enjoy talking with them/you. It is more of...I don't usually have a whole lot to say. Sure, I can spin yarns, catch you up on my life, but I'd rather be hearing about what's going on with you. I realize that you feel the same way about it, well Dad does.
Sarah has been having some family issues back home in Minnesota, which adds some weight to the family train of thought. Her father is stepping down from being a pastor at two small congregations. Her mother started harping at her to come up for a retirement luncheon and dinner shin-dig. But in reality, Sarah couldn't get there. She wanted to be there, but she's getting her classroom set up, lesson plans written, figuring out what she's doing as a second grade Lutheran school teacher. With Derek as her principal. That's a lot on a person's plate.
I do feel a sense of family out here at the Farms, but it isn't the same. It is very much a co-worker family. The only things that we really talk about is Farms related and it drives me nuts. Most of the griping is deserved, but we've been hitting the horse since May. The horse has gone past not wanting to move, it has gotten to the point where it needs to be buried.
I'm both honored to be asked to play in my sister's wedding, and a bit nervous about it. I'm sure that I'll do fine, and whatever I play will sound great. But at the same time, I'd rather not play in it. I know that that statement seems off, it's my sister's wedding. I should be thrilled to play in it. I should...I don't know, dance a jig with joy for being asked to play. There are two reasons for my reluctance. First: What am I supposed to play? Second: I'd rather stand there looking pretty and being there for her than also being a musician.
Now the first thought that pops into my head is that what I just wrote is the most selfish thing I could have ever said/written/whatever. But the shame from putting that down in electronic writing doesn't make me not feel that way. (There were a lot of negatives in that sentence)
By the way suggestions as to what to play would be great. Big Sister gave me free reign with one limitation. No Meatloaf. Not much of a limitation, but there it is. I have no idea what to play. Most everyone is going to say sacred music. I agree, there should be some sacred music, but I don't know what other tunes she is planning. Brett doesn't care. I also don't really care, just because whatever it is, I'll play it. But some ideas would be nice.
I suppose that this is enough rambling about things.
I miss you folks.
Buck
I got to thinking recently about my family. Probably because school should be starting up, and normally this is the time of year that I would get to see them. However, now that I have a job, am 360-ish miles away from them, and am graduated, I don't think I'll see them before next month. This is a shame.
My family is something that I can not live without. At least easily. I understand that I have always said that a little goes a long way regarding my family. But you start to notice when you don't even get that little.
I love my family. I do. I wouldn't be who I am today without them. Without the guidance, the freedom, the understanding that they have provided me all my life. I realize that it would be rude of me to say to them, "Thanks for everything, now I'm leaving". But at the same time calling every week, hell even every month isn't something that I'm particularly good at. Nor do I enjoy scheduling a call to a family member. I don't think that we should have to do that. Ask Sarah how often I've called her. Don't really do that cause I'll get yelled at again. It isn't that I don't enjoy talking with them/you. It is more of...I don't usually have a whole lot to say. Sure, I can spin yarns, catch you up on my life, but I'd rather be hearing about what's going on with you. I realize that you feel the same way about it, well Dad does.
Sarah has been having some family issues back home in Minnesota, which adds some weight to the family train of thought. Her father is stepping down from being a pastor at two small congregations. Her mother started harping at her to come up for a retirement luncheon and dinner shin-dig. But in reality, Sarah couldn't get there. She wanted to be there, but she's getting her classroom set up, lesson plans written, figuring out what she's doing as a second grade Lutheran school teacher. With Derek as her principal. That's a lot on a person's plate.
I do feel a sense of family out here at the Farms, but it isn't the same. It is very much a co-worker family. The only things that we really talk about is Farms related and it drives me nuts. Most of the griping is deserved, but we've been hitting the horse since May. The horse has gone past not wanting to move, it has gotten to the point where it needs to be buried.
I'm both honored to be asked to play in my sister's wedding, and a bit nervous about it. I'm sure that I'll do fine, and whatever I play will sound great. But at the same time, I'd rather not play in it. I know that that statement seems off, it's my sister's wedding. I should be thrilled to play in it. I should...I don't know, dance a jig with joy for being asked to play. There are two reasons for my reluctance. First: What am I supposed to play? Second: I'd rather stand there looking pretty and being there for her than also being a musician.
Now the first thought that pops into my head is that what I just wrote is the most selfish thing I could have ever said/written/whatever. But the shame from putting that down in electronic writing doesn't make me not feel that way. (There were a lot of negatives in that sentence)
By the way suggestions as to what to play would be great. Big Sister gave me free reign with one limitation. No Meatloaf. Not much of a limitation, but there it is. I have no idea what to play. Most everyone is going to say sacred music. I agree, there should be some sacred music, but I don't know what other tunes she is planning. Brett doesn't care. I also don't really care, just because whatever it is, I'll play it. But some ideas would be nice.
I suppose that this is enough rambling about things.
I miss you folks.
Buck
Monday, July 27, 2009
"God is great, beer is good, people are crazy"
I have come to a conclusion: People are stupid.
Allow me to expound upon this astonishing revelation. Just this past week Steve and I were out in the wheat field mowing down what should have been beautiful swaths of wheat. In reality the majority of what was cut was an ugly weed known far and wide as ragweed. The silent killer. I affectionately name the plant as such because only two people on the farm are not allergic to the pollen produced by this pestilent plant. Myself and Katie. Mostly because we rock, but a secondary reason is that everyone rocks a little bit less.
As I came in from the field to grab some water for myself and Steve, also to check the time and see if we needed to start on evening chores, Katie comes walking determinedly towards me. I stopped because she looked ready to kill someone, once she got to the barn where I was she calmly told me that "Claire just gored a kid". I look the question "Are you serious" at her to which she replied with the details. Turns out this little 4 year old girl thought that it would be a great idea to walk up to a 1,200 pound animal and scream at it because she saw a spider. Normaly Claire wouldn't bat an eye at the scream, but the kid started waving her hands around and bopped Claire on the nose. - This is not a good thing. Cattle have very sensitive noses, kind of like a dog or a cat. - Claire shook her head and caught the kid in the stomach. The kid was fine, but cried bloody murder ran away and thought that God was coming down to smite her for her wicked ways. Or something like that.
Mom and Dad came running into the house to get a staff member and tell us that the cow is dangerous. Katie asked them what happened, they tell the story. Katie checks out the kid and sees a three inch abrassion, some swelling, and the start of what I'm sure by now is a pretty bruise. Katie reminds the good traumatized parents that there is a sign at the begining of the trail saying, DO NOT PET OR FEED THE ANIMALS. Brainiac that Dad is says, "No there isn't". The reply falls from the lips, "Yes there is, right before you come to the hog lot on a green sign".
Katie filled out an incident report to cover the bases then came out to tell "the boys". I just looked at her and said, "OK. Anything you want me to do?" as I'm first aid trained. She said, "Nope, just don't say it's our fault". Oke Doke, I can do that. She goes off and tells Steve the story.
Later that day when Steve and I are milking Claire we got to talking about the rough day that Claire had, and what was on the agenda for the next day. Steve stopped milking for a second pats Claire and says, "Go for the heart next time sweetie, prove that Darwin was right". I laughed at the time and asked him what we should do to avoid this in the future, if anything. He resumed milking and said that all we can do is stress that the animals have horns for a reason and that cattle are not the same thing as petting a dog.
The next day we took measurements of the boys and the girls, just to see how much they have grown over the past year. Claire weighed in at an impressive 1,213 lbs. Beau moved the scale over to 1,450 lbs. Luke "Big Boy" weighed 1,536 lbs. T-Bone weighed 1,005 lbs. And "Little One" 6 week old Friendly weighed in at 192. In this past week Friendly finally out weighed me at 215, and has moved on to eating solid food. She still gets confused about the difference between hay and straw, but that's alright. She'll pick it up eventually.
Anyway.
People are stupid. If a sign says DO NOT...anything, you probably should pay attention and oh, don't do what you were about to do.
Buck
Allow me to expound upon this astonishing revelation. Just this past week Steve and I were out in the wheat field mowing down what should have been beautiful swaths of wheat. In reality the majority of what was cut was an ugly weed known far and wide as ragweed. The silent killer. I affectionately name the plant as such because only two people on the farm are not allergic to the pollen produced by this pestilent plant. Myself and Katie. Mostly because we rock, but a secondary reason is that everyone rocks a little bit less.
As I came in from the field to grab some water for myself and Steve, also to check the time and see if we needed to start on evening chores, Katie comes walking determinedly towards me. I stopped because she looked ready to kill someone, once she got to the barn where I was she calmly told me that "Claire just gored a kid". I look the question "Are you serious" at her to which she replied with the details. Turns out this little 4 year old girl thought that it would be a great idea to walk up to a 1,200 pound animal and scream at it because she saw a spider. Normaly Claire wouldn't bat an eye at the scream, but the kid started waving her hands around and bopped Claire on the nose. - This is not a good thing. Cattle have very sensitive noses, kind of like a dog or a cat. - Claire shook her head and caught the kid in the stomach. The kid was fine, but cried bloody murder ran away and thought that God was coming down to smite her for her wicked ways. Or something like that.
Mom and Dad came running into the house to get a staff member and tell us that the cow is dangerous. Katie asked them what happened, they tell the story. Katie checks out the kid and sees a three inch abrassion, some swelling, and the start of what I'm sure by now is a pretty bruise. Katie reminds the good traumatized parents that there is a sign at the begining of the trail saying, DO NOT PET OR FEED THE ANIMALS. Brainiac that Dad is says, "No there isn't". The reply falls from the lips, "Yes there is, right before you come to the hog lot on a green sign".
Katie filled out an incident report to cover the bases then came out to tell "the boys". I just looked at her and said, "OK. Anything you want me to do?" as I'm first aid trained. She said, "Nope, just don't say it's our fault". Oke Doke, I can do that. She goes off and tells Steve the story.
Later that day when Steve and I are milking Claire we got to talking about the rough day that Claire had, and what was on the agenda for the next day. Steve stopped milking for a second pats Claire and says, "Go for the heart next time sweetie, prove that Darwin was right". I laughed at the time and asked him what we should do to avoid this in the future, if anything. He resumed milking and said that all we can do is stress that the animals have horns for a reason and that cattle are not the same thing as petting a dog.
The next day we took measurements of the boys and the girls, just to see how much they have grown over the past year. Claire weighed in at an impressive 1,213 lbs. Beau moved the scale over to 1,450 lbs. Luke "Big Boy" weighed 1,536 lbs. T-Bone weighed 1,005 lbs. And "Little One" 6 week old Friendly weighed in at 192. In this past week Friendly finally out weighed me at 215, and has moved on to eating solid food. She still gets confused about the difference between hay and straw, but that's alright. She'll pick it up eventually.
Anyway.
People are stupid. If a sign says DO NOT...anything, you probably should pay attention and oh, don't do what you were about to do.
Buck
Saturday, July 18, 2009
July so far
We are having freakish weather out here. Now, I remember as a child being scolded for using the word freak or any derivation of the word. But let's be honest. It is the middle of July, and I'm wearing one of the three Fall season shirts I brought with me. 'S cold out there. I have to be honest though, I don't mind it. Maybe I'm only cold because I wear three layers to work everyday, and am out in the fields without cloud cover. Maybe that's why I'm chilly. But it still doesn't seem right to me.
Updates.
School: One more month until I get that piece of paper that is so coveted to hang on a wall in one's office. Problem with that is that if I hang it in the office that Steve and I share, some sort of vermin would probably get to it before anyone besides S or myself could enjoy it. I'm looking into doing some wilderness survival courses which are essentially EMS training courses for state parks. Further pursuing the whole using my degree thing.
Work: Work has been keeping me busy this month. Steve has been out of town for 11 days this month so I've been big dog on campus for the 50 farm. It's fun, but at the same time, I have to have the answers which isn't always easy to do. Nothing else has died yet. My farm is still getting about 2 gallons of milk from Claire every day. 1900 is getting their horses re-shod today, and the new shoes are pretty cool. The shoes are kind of like track spikes. Meaning that the spikes can be replaced when they get worn down. I think that's neat. Plus the farrier is a real nice guy. Funny even, in a Midwest small town kind of way.
Romance: I have been in communication with a very charming young woman that I met at Concordia for the past four years. She currently has a teaching job where her principal is one of Dad's former colleagues. How's that for the LCMS? Smaller world than a Walt Disney ride. Anyway, she conned me into a "long distance" relationship which doesn't really mean a whole lot. I say that because nothing has really changed. I still talk to her almost everyday, either by phone or online. It isn't as though I can take her out for dinner, or go rent a movie, or walk through town. 360 miles is quite the distance. Anyway, so yeah. There is a special someone out there.
Social life: I've been asked not to come to game night until my temper has improved. Now I know what you're thinking. "Buck, you're a pretty laid back kind of guy. You tollerate people very well. Something like that." Turns out that when you play Risk at game night, and you're doing pretty well until you can't get a roll to save your life and end up losing three of the continents you control in under five minutes, get so upset that you throw the dice out the window and a meteor strikes the game board throwing pieces everywhere...people don't let you play Risk with them anymore. In my defense, we had been playing for 4 hours straight, and I elminated two opponents. Social life is going well. Cory is without a doubt the guy that I go to with anything. He just moved, with my help, to an apartment in Grimes. To make that a bit more real for you folks, Grimes is 5 minutes north of Urbandale. We hang out quite a bit.
I've been talking with the Pastor at the church that I try to get to, and he's a very nice man. He didn't quite understand why a 20-something didn't like the contemporary service on Saturday nights until I told him a bit about my background at which point he brightened right up and told me to come to the 8 am Sunday morning service for a liturgical service. Problem is, I work Sunday mornings. If I want to get chores done and the site set up for the day, I have to be at work at 8. He was very understanding and offered to tape the service and give me a copy of the tapes. I said that would be great, but I'll still miss out on communion, and the relationships that I could form with other members of the congregation. Again, he didn't quite understand why a 20-something would worry about those kind of things at which point I elaborated on my background. - The only downside to this church is that one has to be a member to partake in communion. Being confirmed isn't enough. Reminds me a bit of Grace RF, or St. Paul Brookfield. I also can't become a member right now. New member classes are Sunday mornings and as previously said, I can't get to those. So, untill my schedule changes, or the season slows down to limited hours, I'll make do with the Church in a Can.
That's about all I can think of.
Oh, Big Sister - Ginger had a nail in her hoof, and your sheep are dying from worms. You still don't have pigs. But threshing is coming up! Some good news and bad news. Depending on how you interpret it.
Buck
Updates.
School: One more month until I get that piece of paper that is so coveted to hang on a wall in one's office. Problem with that is that if I hang it in the office that Steve and I share, some sort of vermin would probably get to it before anyone besides S or myself could enjoy it. I'm looking into doing some wilderness survival courses which are essentially EMS training courses for state parks. Further pursuing the whole using my degree thing.
Work: Work has been keeping me busy this month. Steve has been out of town for 11 days this month so I've been big dog on campus for the 50 farm. It's fun, but at the same time, I have to have the answers which isn't always easy to do. Nothing else has died yet. My farm is still getting about 2 gallons of milk from Claire every day. 1900 is getting their horses re-shod today, and the new shoes are pretty cool. The shoes are kind of like track spikes. Meaning that the spikes can be replaced when they get worn down. I think that's neat. Plus the farrier is a real nice guy. Funny even, in a Midwest small town kind of way.
Romance: I have been in communication with a very charming young woman that I met at Concordia for the past four years. She currently has a teaching job where her principal is one of Dad's former colleagues. How's that for the LCMS? Smaller world than a Walt Disney ride. Anyway, she conned me into a "long distance" relationship which doesn't really mean a whole lot. I say that because nothing has really changed. I still talk to her almost everyday, either by phone or online. It isn't as though I can take her out for dinner, or go rent a movie, or walk through town. 360 miles is quite the distance. Anyway, so yeah. There is a special someone out there.
Social life: I've been asked not to come to game night until my temper has improved. Now I know what you're thinking. "Buck, you're a pretty laid back kind of guy. You tollerate people very well. Something like that." Turns out that when you play Risk at game night, and you're doing pretty well until you can't get a roll to save your life and end up losing three of the continents you control in under five minutes, get so upset that you throw the dice out the window and a meteor strikes the game board throwing pieces everywhere...people don't let you play Risk with them anymore. In my defense, we had been playing for 4 hours straight, and I elminated two opponents. Social life is going well. Cory is without a doubt the guy that I go to with anything. He just moved, with my help, to an apartment in Grimes. To make that a bit more real for you folks, Grimes is 5 minutes north of Urbandale. We hang out quite a bit.
I've been talking with the Pastor at the church that I try to get to, and he's a very nice man. He didn't quite understand why a 20-something didn't like the contemporary service on Saturday nights until I told him a bit about my background at which point he brightened right up and told me to come to the 8 am Sunday morning service for a liturgical service. Problem is, I work Sunday mornings. If I want to get chores done and the site set up for the day, I have to be at work at 8. He was very understanding and offered to tape the service and give me a copy of the tapes. I said that would be great, but I'll still miss out on communion, and the relationships that I could form with other members of the congregation. Again, he didn't quite understand why a 20-something would worry about those kind of things at which point I elaborated on my background. - The only downside to this church is that one has to be a member to partake in communion. Being confirmed isn't enough. Reminds me a bit of Grace RF, or St. Paul Brookfield. I also can't become a member right now. New member classes are Sunday mornings and as previously said, I can't get to those. So, untill my schedule changes, or the season slows down to limited hours, I'll make do with the Church in a Can.
That's about all I can think of.
Oh, Big Sister - Ginger had a nail in her hoof, and your sheep are dying from worms. You still don't have pigs. But threshing is coming up! Some good news and bad news. Depending on how you interpret it.
Buck
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
June
Well, this past month was a whirl-wind of activity. Personally I'm very glad that June is over as nothing good happens in the month - birthdays excluded. I'll catch you up a bit on things that have been happening, but there won't be a whole lot of commentary in this post, the paper and I are currently in a bitter struggle since the crosswords keep beating me.
The second week of June was hectic. I had just found out that my sister is engaged the same day that a friend that I used to drive to HCHS was killed. Little bit of awesome, add a dash of devastating, bake for 30 minutes and that was my evening. That Tuesday my farm had a calf, who's name is Friendly. Supposedly it is a historic name - the wife of the territorial Governor of Iowa. That Governor shares his name with one of our oxen by the way. The rest of the week was fairly uneventful.
Third week of June. Kate's old farm had their second calf who is a bull calf, and very leggy. In fact, he is all legs. We've taken to calling him Skipper for some reason. Maybe it was because the calving which should have taken 1-2 hours max, took 6 hours. Ended up that Tony, and Sam had to pull him because the vet wasn't in the office at 10 PM. I also became an Iowa citizen this past week. Plates, car title, drivers licence, the whole 9 yards. Luckily one of my roommates didn't need their car that day and I got everything squared away before noon. -One side note here, Iowa's department of transportation is very strange. You can get a drivers licence at the DMV (DOT out here), but you can't change a title, or get your sticker, you have to go to the county hall. Strange. -
Fourth week of June. My phone died. Monday and Tuesday were brutally hot. It was nice to clear up all of the rain that we had gotten the previous week, and the crops are showing their love of the sun. Our corn has startled to tassel already, and in a week or so we'll probably have silks start to show up. Our potatoes are ready for harvest. Turnips, beets, beans, radishes, and rutabaga have been very popular in our dinners as they have gotten so big so fast that we're selling them at the garden market just so that the non-thinned veggies have room to grow. Anyway, apparently when you have your phone in a pocket that is saturated with sweat all day, in 90+ degrees of actual heat, plus the 8 or 9 degrees of heat index...a phone will die. I have a new one, and a new number, shoot me an email or talk to my folks, they have the number and I can get it to you. Wednesday Henry - a volunteer - and I slaughtered and butchered a lamb for the wedding later in the week. It was a lot of fun to do that, granted Henry did most of the work to start with, but I did the slaughter, then once Henry got the skinning started he handed over the knife and told me what to do. Dressing lambs was new for both of us, but I've had plenty of experience with anatomy classes regarding dissection, and he's hunted for the past 70 years. I think we managed quite well. Friday we lost a lamb and a ewe. The vet says that it was worms which doesn't make us happy. Saturday we had the Pioneer Wedding. We had a fair number of visitors so it was a good day, but it is amazing to me how much work we can get done on site when there are more than 3 people there. Granted in a single room cabin lots of people can be a hindrance, but somehow we managed. We had an amazing dinner, roasted lamb (this one was supposed to die), roasted root veggies, mac and cheese, lemonade, potato souffle, fresh salad...I'm not doing the dinner justice when I say it was delicious. It almost rivals some of Grandpa's grilled brats, with Aunt Karen's homemade apple sauce - or ribbon jello -, Grandma's potato salad, and Mom's fancy salad. Oh yeah, I was the minister for this fake wedding of ours. I got to wear a wool coat, canvas vest, cotton shirt, canvas trousers, and a quaker oats hat. So, needless to say, the heat was horrible. But I got to dance with some pretty girls during the waltz, and then the Virginia Reel. I must say that the Virginia Reel is quite fun. But dangerous in work boots on grass. Sunday was uneventful, we lost another ewe Sunday night. Somewhere between 11 and 4. I only know that because that's as much sleep as I got that night, worrying about the poor thing.
Last week of June. The vet came out on Tuesday to de-worm our sheep and give the pigs their booster shots, which was a lot of fun. Herding sheep isn't the most enjoyable task in the world. Then crawling into a hog lot to wrestle those little guys made the day even better.
Today, well, Steve - my immediate boss - left for a fishing trip right after the wedding so I've been the big man on campus. Which is great, but at the same time it shows me how much I need to learn still. Today I got my real first experience driving the oxen without training wheels. All we did was move some fence rails, but...everything went well. We also butchered and dressed a duck which was fun, I did it last year too, but it is still fun. While we were dressing it I got to teach some kids about anatomy and how human anatomy is different from a duck. Yay for using my degree!
So that takes us through this past month. Hopefully things will calm down a bit more and I can regularly update this.
Buck
The second week of June was hectic. I had just found out that my sister is engaged the same day that a friend that I used to drive to HCHS was killed. Little bit of awesome, add a dash of devastating, bake for 30 minutes and that was my evening. That Tuesday my farm had a calf, who's name is Friendly. Supposedly it is a historic name - the wife of the territorial Governor of Iowa. That Governor shares his name with one of our oxen by the way. The rest of the week was fairly uneventful.
Third week of June. Kate's old farm had their second calf who is a bull calf, and very leggy. In fact, he is all legs. We've taken to calling him Skipper for some reason. Maybe it was because the calving which should have taken 1-2 hours max, took 6 hours. Ended up that Tony, and Sam had to pull him because the vet wasn't in the office at 10 PM. I also became an Iowa citizen this past week. Plates, car title, drivers licence, the whole 9 yards. Luckily one of my roommates didn't need their car that day and I got everything squared away before noon. -One side note here, Iowa's department of transportation is very strange. You can get a drivers licence at the DMV (DOT out here), but you can't change a title, or get your sticker, you have to go to the county hall. Strange. -
Fourth week of June. My phone died. Monday and Tuesday were brutally hot. It was nice to clear up all of the rain that we had gotten the previous week, and the crops are showing their love of the sun. Our corn has startled to tassel already, and in a week or so we'll probably have silks start to show up. Our potatoes are ready for harvest. Turnips, beets, beans, radishes, and rutabaga have been very popular in our dinners as they have gotten so big so fast that we're selling them at the garden market just so that the non-thinned veggies have room to grow. Anyway, apparently when you have your phone in a pocket that is saturated with sweat all day, in 90+ degrees of actual heat, plus the 8 or 9 degrees of heat index...a phone will die. I have a new one, and a new number, shoot me an email or talk to my folks, they have the number and I can get it to you. Wednesday Henry - a volunteer - and I slaughtered and butchered a lamb for the wedding later in the week. It was a lot of fun to do that, granted Henry did most of the work to start with, but I did the slaughter, then once Henry got the skinning started he handed over the knife and told me what to do. Dressing lambs was new for both of us, but I've had plenty of experience with anatomy classes regarding dissection, and he's hunted for the past 70 years. I think we managed quite well. Friday we lost a lamb and a ewe. The vet says that it was worms which doesn't make us happy. Saturday we had the Pioneer Wedding. We had a fair number of visitors so it was a good day, but it is amazing to me how much work we can get done on site when there are more than 3 people there. Granted in a single room cabin lots of people can be a hindrance, but somehow we managed. We had an amazing dinner, roasted lamb (this one was supposed to die), roasted root veggies, mac and cheese, lemonade, potato souffle, fresh salad...I'm not doing the dinner justice when I say it was delicious. It almost rivals some of Grandpa's grilled brats, with Aunt Karen's homemade apple sauce - or ribbon jello -, Grandma's potato salad, and Mom's fancy salad. Oh yeah, I was the minister for this fake wedding of ours. I got to wear a wool coat, canvas vest, cotton shirt, canvas trousers, and a quaker oats hat. So, needless to say, the heat was horrible. But I got to dance with some pretty girls during the waltz, and then the Virginia Reel. I must say that the Virginia Reel is quite fun. But dangerous in work boots on grass. Sunday was uneventful, we lost another ewe Sunday night. Somewhere between 11 and 4. I only know that because that's as much sleep as I got that night, worrying about the poor thing.
Last week of June. The vet came out on Tuesday to de-worm our sheep and give the pigs their booster shots, which was a lot of fun. Herding sheep isn't the most enjoyable task in the world. Then crawling into a hog lot to wrestle those little guys made the day even better.
Today, well, Steve - my immediate boss - left for a fishing trip right after the wedding so I've been the big man on campus. Which is great, but at the same time it shows me how much I need to learn still. Today I got my real first experience driving the oxen without training wheels. All we did was move some fence rails, but...everything went well. We also butchered and dressed a duck which was fun, I did it last year too, but it is still fun. While we were dressing it I got to teach some kids about anatomy and how human anatomy is different from a duck. Yay for using my degree!
So that takes us through this past month. Hopefully things will calm down a bit more and I can regularly update this.
Buck
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Friendly
Yesterday evening we had a calf. That's right Claire-Bell decided right after work to bring forth another little heifer into the world. Her name is Friendly and hopefully it won't be a bad omen of worse things to come. She is solid brown until her hindquarters which are a mottled white. Ginger at the 1900 farm also had a calf last week who's name is Lilly. She's a splotchy brown and white. Tony has started milking Ginger, Steve tried milking Claire today which resulted in him getting kicked a couple of times.
Other than that, all quiet on the western front.
Buck
Other than that, all quiet on the western front.
Buck
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Hog Heaven
We have hogs!
Well, we have piglets, but at least it is a step in the right direction. Six little guys that will grow big strong and hopefully tasty. Kevin, the gentleman that we leased this litter from dropped them off yesterday bearing the great news that they, the hogs, have fleas. That's fine since people aren't supposed to pet or feed them without employee supervision.
1900 does not have any hogs yet as they are working on getting their prospective hogs bread. But that's O.K. We have six.
Buck
Well, we have piglets, but at least it is a step in the right direction. Six little guys that will grow big strong and hopefully tasty. Kevin, the gentleman that we leased this litter from dropped them off yesterday bearing the great news that they, the hogs, have fleas. That's fine since people aren't supposed to pet or feed them without employee supervision.
1900 does not have any hogs yet as they are working on getting their prospective hogs bread. But that's O.K. We have six.
Buck
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