Bad Attitude Farm

2010-12-08T13:12:00.002-05:00

Services were held today for Hector Kosman. Hector was the beloved Mascot for Bad Attitude Farm. Hector was a hard working rooster and loved his hens. He fathered many peeps and was a good friend to his owner, Berni. He was laid to rest on the farm in his favorite place. He truly will be missed. RIP Hector.

New Babies at the Farm

2010-06-10T11:43:00.003-04:00

Tina had her calf on Monday night.

She is up and running around this morning.

She stays pretty close to her momma!

She was running around the pasture in the warm sunshine!

She still needs a name!

Spring/Summer

2010-06-01T13:20:00.002-04:00

Well Spring came and went and Summer has begun.

The temperatures were weird and too warm too fast for Spring.

Dave is ahead in all his planting and ground work.

He started making hay, earlier than most years.

We had a few activities happening here at the farm.

Dad turned 75 so we celebrated at the Winery!

The hens are laying eggs galore!

One hen is laying a HUGE egg every other day.

They weigh 4.5 oz. The largest was 5 oz.

They are double yolkers!

I worked real hard and made a new cover for the porch swing.

I also made some covers for the other patio furniture.

The garden is finally in and all the chicks have

been moved to their new coops. The new batch should start

laying in July!

A robin decided to make a nest on the mirror of the truck.

It laid 4 eggs in the nest but then abandoned the nest.

It was neat to see how resourceful the birds can be

when they want to build a nest!

Summer looks like it will be a hot one.

I have already turned the AC on in the house

and the fans are blowing in the coops to keep the air moving.

Good thing we saved so much on natural gas for heating,

because it is going to cost us a fortune for electric and the AC!

Winter Ice Fog

2010-02-08T10:28:00.002-05:00

At 5:00 this morning I let the dogs out. There was a fog in the air. They call it Ice Fog.
By definition it is only seen in extremely cold Arctic air. Well it was only 6 degrees this morning. I think that is Arctic enough. Some how ice crystals hang in the air and they seem to deposit themselves on everything. It reminds me of little feathers sticking up off the branches.

The trees were covered by the time the sun came up, and they just glistened. I couldn't take enough pictures. I also realized, I really need a better camera to take some of these shots.

The crystals were on everything and they stuck out only on one side of the item they were attached to.

Except for on the barbed wire, the ice crystals seemed to go all the way around it.

I think this was the coolest picture I took today.

Every bit of the wind chime was covered.

Hopefully my pictures are worth a thousand words, because you really have to see this to really appreciate it.

Winter's Project

2010-02-03T09:22:00.002-05:00

It seems like over the past 29 years we have lived in this house, we always have something going on. A remodel of a room, or garage, a barn being built, a water line installed or some thing that has to be replaced, like a furnace , roof, or hot water tank.
Being farmers, most of our good weather is used making hay. So when we do have down time to do house projects, it is usually in the winter. Many of our projects have been started
January 1st. There isn't a particular reason, but my best guess is the guys have cabin fever.

This year was no different. I was scheduled for hand surgery January 8th, and on January 4th, the reconstruction of the bathroom started. The timing wasn't that great, but we had the help, and I wanted it done.
Having a 1960's ranch, building codes where lax to say the least in those days. We have learned from previous projects, that you never know what you are getting into when you start.
We had some idea what this project may include, because we have semi remodeled it before.
It was a lick and a promise kind of job, paint, some new fixtures....
This time we were doing it from the bottom up, literally.
Some of the floor joists were cut in the original construction of the house, which caused the floor to sink 1 1/2 inches. I can't tell you how long it was that we had house floor jacks holding up the floor.
Several of the joists had to be replaced, which meant jacking up the house and putting in 12 ft boards. But it worked. Next came the demolition, to the studs!
New sub floor had to be laid, new dry wall had to be hung and a new tub surround put in.
Oh, by the way did I mention, we only have one bathroom. We do have a shower downstairs, but only one toilet. It had to be removed and replaced several times, depending on what phase of the construction we were in.

The new tile floor was put in by my BIL G2.

It was awesome. My brother put in the rest of the hall floor. The paper template on the floor is were the vanity will go. It is on special order and should be here in 2 weeks. We had such a problem getting one to fit the small area.

Dave wanted to go with the juniper ceiling. The wood is the same wood that is in the beach house in the OBX. It smells like cedar and the bath feels like a spa!

We chose a full size shower and surround. It only has a 4" ledge, and as we get older, we have to worry about accessibility and falls. All the walls were reinforced for grab bars to be installed at a later date.

Mick and his friend helped with the painting, because I have a splint on my right hand and cannot do anything.....AGGHHH! The paint is a blue glaze over white and it looks like clouds, very soft. I love it.

The lights are in and the only thing left to do right now is the exhaust fan and new door. Of couse the vanity will be set when it arrives. This was a major project for us, so I think I will rest for now.

Welcome Winter

2009-12-06T14:17:00.002-05:00

So where did fall go? We really aren't ready for
the cold and snow, but Mother Nature has different ideas.

Mick has cut and split a lot of wood for the wood furnace, and we have to get it all stacked. He is thinking it is going to be a cold winter. I don't like the cold and snow, it hurts my bones.
I had to get the heated waterers out for the chickens yesterday. They don't seem to mind the cold, but I know I had some guineas with frozen feet last year. Hopefully it won't be as cold this year.

We got our first taste of snow the week of Thanksgiving, up until then, we were
in the 60's during the day. Now that we
got the first snow, it cold, and really cold!

Welcome Fall

2009-09-22T06:58:00.005-04:00

Fall shows up and here I am another year older. You wonder where all the time goes. Then I sit back and look at the photos I have captured and they tell my story and document my time.

I can see that I haven't had much time to blog, I know I have been outdoors most of the summer.

When I am inside it was to can tomatoes and pickles and various other crops.

My photos are slightly out of order and it is too early in the morning for me to mess around with them. This is Tiffany's new Classroom. She is now teaching at Garfield Elementary. It is the school the boys went to. I had to make her new curtains for her room.

Besides all the canning, I also messed around with chicks, and chickens. I am trying some different breeds for variety. I like the odd and rarer breeds, but they can be fussy to raise.

I find the mortalitiy is higher than your standard chickens, but they are so pretty.
We had a small issue with the gender of some of the flock. I gave some hens to an urban farmer friend, and we found out later that it was a rooster, and no roosters in the city allowed! So they brough it back to me and we traded for another hen. Then they called and had another rooster from a friend, so now I am the proud owner of a Black Cochin Rooster, and he is GRAND!

The fall flowers are gorgeous and the weeds have taken over most of my beds. There just wasn't enough time to kepp everything in A1 condition

Along the way, I went back to work this summer, only to break my little toe again, so I was off for another 8 weeks. Now I am back at work and back to my old department. Hopefully it will be easier on my bones.

Now we wait for winter!

Ruralosexual

2009-08-02T22:06:00.007-04:00

This Article appeared in our local paper. The author is John Gladden, and his columns are hilarious. Thanks John for your humor.....we love it.

You might be a ‘ruralosexual’ if you can relate to this column
By: John Gladden July 21st, 2009 · Medina Gazzette

In recent years, the term “metrosexual” has burrowed its way into the public dictionary, describing a person who is urban, stylish and has a penchant for luxury. The word has been applied to the likes of actor Brad Pitt, soccer star David Beckham, and others among the similarly hip and famous.
Somehow, it doesn’t seem to describe me or most of the people I know. Most of us don’t live in big cities, couldn’t care less about what’s in fashion, and don’t spend a dollar we don’t have to. We’re more like “ruralosexuals.”
How do you know you’re a ruralosexual? Well, the first sign may be that you are vaguely uncomfortable with any word that has “sexual” in it.
Nevertheless, you can bet you’re a ruralosexual if:

Your idea of entertainment is pulling up a chair and watching the chickens strut around the yard.

The smells of good hay and freshly turned earth are better than perfume.

You run a tab at the parts store.

In summer, you mow your grass once a month, whether it needs it or not.

Most of what’s in your freezer is food you produced yourself.

You know where to find wild berries all summer long.

Throwing something away goes against every moral fiber of your being.

You have stay-at-home clothes and going-into-town clothes.

A good day is when you don’t have to go into town at all.

Your idea of getting a snack is taking a paring knife and salt shaker out to the garden.

You slow down and look at every truck, tractor or piece of equipment for sale at the side of the road.

You’re always racing the sun.

Your thumbs and the sides of your index fingers are stained with dirt for the duration of the

summer from pulling weeds in the garden.

It’s just “fair,” not “the fair.” As in: I’m getting ready for fair.

Your spouse can tell how nasty a chore you plan on doing any given day by the age and condition of the ball cap you put on when you walk out the door.

You’ve taken care of puppies and kittens abandoned on your road.

You’ve reached your hands into places that would scare Indiana Jones.

You’ve fixed things that would stump even MacGyver.

You’ve put on moves that would rival Michael Jackson as you’ve danced out of the way of moving livestock, angry bees, loaded skunks and ankle-twisting groundhog holes.

The wannabes in the cowboy hats just make you smile.

You spend more time outside than in.

You don’t know your own cell phone number, but you have the vet’s number memorized.

You’ve “used the facilities,” shall we say, from a moving tractor because you didn’t want to stop work.

You’ve stopped work to let a family of rabbits scurry to safety.

The patches on your clothes have patches on them.

You know how to blow your nose without using a tissue.

Every time you hear someone driving a tractor up the road, you know who it is by the sound of the engine.

Broken-down vehicles and rusty machines just seem like a natural part of the landscape.

You’ve nearly put your vehicle into a ditch because you were so intently studying a garden, building, crops or animals you were passing by.

Your primary unit of organization is “pile,” as in: a pile of scrap, a pile of manure, a pile of wood, a pile of trouble.

You enjoy getting soaked in a well-needed rain as much as plants do.

What was supposed to be a “temporary fix” on a building or piece of equipment has lasted 10 years.

You live by the rule that if it’s free, you take it.

In the winter, you’d rather watch the fire in the stove, or the fireflies outside on a summer night, than to watch TV.

You worry when the wind blows, when it’s too dry or too wet, when it’s too cold or too hot.

You’ve been so filthy, you’ve had to undress on the porch before being allowed to enter the house.

You wish there was an open season on trespassing four-wheelers.

You have an everyday pocketknife and a special-occasions pocketknife.

A date with your significant other usually involves a stop at the tractor store.

You’ve got dirt under your fingernails, except for the one that’s busted off.

You pull off your T-shirt and your skin looks like you are still wearing a white T-shirt.

You’ve stopped along the road to salvage a stick of firewood that fell off someone’s truck.

You envy people with 40-hour workweeks and regular paychecks, but you wouldn’t trade places with them for anything.

Where Has Summer Gone?

2009-07-31T10:15:00.006-04:00

As I find time to sit for a minute, I will check my e-mail and run through my favorite blogs. But as I read the blogs, I can see that everyone is sooo busy with all the goings on of summer that we don't have time to update our blogs. I know there are a few that have time to at least update once a week and then there are others that have time to update more often, but I am one that hasn't done an update in about a month or so.

It has been too nice to be indoors and if I am indoors, I am too tired do do anything except sleep, because I have worked my butt off outside.

The weather here has been absolutely gorgeous for the past month. A little on the colder side for July, but still beautiful. This past week we have gotten into a rain mode. One day rain, then two dry days, then scattered showers, then sun again. The humidity is up and my air conditioner hasn't been off in a week. Farming has been great. Crops are on tract and hay has been all put up. we are waiting on second cutting and for the sweetcorn to come in. The boys have been very busy doing the farm chores. We also got some pigs this year. they are a big hit at the farm!

The chicks have grown and they needed a new chicken run, so spent some time and built one for them. After about a week I had to revise the design and add a door so I could reach the feeders more easily. You see, Grace is not my middle name, and I tripped and broke my baby toe again. I needed easy access to the chicken feeders without doing acrobatics with my toe. The broken toe also meant I was off work again. I can't get a shoe on to save my soul, not that I haven't tried. So flip flops have been my pal for the last 4 weeks.

The goats came to visit after I came down with a severe case of poison ivy. They can eat up the poison ivy around the yard and it doesn't bother them. Everyone here in the house has had some poison ivy. We think the dogs are walking through it and them getting it on their fur and we pet them and it gets all over us. The goats are doing a good job of eating it up!

I have the funniest Rooster. His name is Don King. He is a Polish chicken. It is a breed of chicken that I have never seen before. He has this top hat of feathers that remind me of Don King's hairdo! He really is a beautiful rooster. He has a girlfriend named Alvira.
We have also had some other births here at the farm. Sweetie and Tina have come to stay this summer and they both delivered beautiful heifer calves. They have been doing a great job nursing and taking care of their babies and eating up the pastures.

We are all trying to deal with the recent economic downturn. Cutting back where we can and staying close to home. Small side trips are all we have done, and there isn't any plans to do any travel far from home. My DIL has made some changes, from Kindergarten to Second grade, which will be exciting for her, and she is also moving buildings within her district. I will be helping her get some things ready for her classroom.

The garden is bountiful and my DIL and I have been canning up a storm. We have done pickles and jelly so for. Beets, beans ans zucchini are next. It has made for a very busy summer. What did you do this summer! I hope you all had fun!

Just Another Summer Day

2009-06-15T13:37:00.003-04:00

The sun has been out here and the weather has been pretty fine. Dave is making hay and is as happy as could be. The corn is up and the wheat is starting to head out. We have had a pretty good growing season so far. The weathermen must be on crack, because they can't get a forecast straight, we can predict the weather better than they can with all those fancy sophisticated weather measuring tools!
There is so much yard work and chicken chores to do that I haven't had a moment to sit down and check out the blogs.
The Guinea Keets are hatching...11 so far.... they will probably go to auction. I have too many now! The neighbors are complaining that they are noisy, but I have to listen to their flippin' ATV's and motorcycles...or the weed wacker at 8:00am....don't they realize, some people work nights..... Anyways, as soon as something exciting happens here I will update the blog.
Enjoy the summer sunshine!

The Hatch Continues

2009-05-11T06:01:00.007-04:00

I ordered 50 chicks from the hatchery. They arrived on May 5th. During that week, my DIL Tiffany had a school project called Flat Stanley. Each child drew a self portrait and mailed them to someone for an adventure. I received Flat Lillian. Flat Lillian lived with me for about a week. She helped with the chick chores, went to work with me and enjoyed the apple blossoms on the trees. By the time she was ready to go back to school, she was very tired. She was a very good guest , she didn't eat much, and didn't take up too much space, but I know she had a good time. After her adventure with me at the farm, we put together a poster of her activities and it was presented at the school's Open House.

Flat Lillian with the new chicks.

The new chicks were doing great and then the eggs we ordered, and my friend Jim put in his incubator, started to hatch. It was very exciting! We now have 10 Blue Jersey Giant chicks, 27 Ameraucana chicks, 25 brown egg laying chicks and 8 Silkie chicks. They Ameraucana Chicks will lay green or blue tinted eggs.

Well it didn't stop there..... the other eggs we put in Jim's incubator started to hatch and before we knew it, there were about 100 chicks. We decided that we would take our chances and try to sex the chicks ourselves. When you order chicks from a hatchery, they come sexed, which means they are either pullets (females) or cockerels (males) and straight run ( mixed sexes).

When you hatch them yourself you have no way of telling them apart unless you do a vent check. Chicks have internal sex organs, so you have to put on your glasses and in a good light, and look at their behinds! Jim and I took a stab at it and checked one of the chicks that we knew was a male( came from the hatchery marked as a male) and started to compare chicks. We think we did a pretty good job. All the cockerels will be sold at the auction, females will be kept as egg layers at our farms.

I am waiting for my eggs to hatch that I have in my incubator. They are due to hatch this week.

My Guinea hens also started to lay eggs. I collected them and put them in the incubator. They take 28 days to incubate before they hatch. They have about 2 more weeks. The keets will then go to Jim's house.

Jim and his wife Gail, also raise Flat Coated Retrievers. He brought some of the puppies over for a photo shoot. They are really so cute! My problem is I can't tell them apart!

Can you?

Working up a Storm!

2009-04-19T16:50:00.003-04:00

The weather has finally started to cooperate and I have been able

to get some projects done outside.

I started cleaning chicken coops, in preparation for the new chicks.

The plan for the new barn addition has been put on hold for now, and Dave and I have discussed some other options for housing the new chicks.

I told him, I have about 3 weeks before I have to have things ready to go.

Our plans have been brewing in our heads.

He has been looking for some recyclable materials at the farm.

We try not to invest too much into the chicken housing because we have so much that we can recycle, we just have to check our inventories.

I also have been tying up a few ends here at home,

unfinished projects and things that were put aside last fall.

One of those things that came up was a Black & Decker work bench

I had gotten for a Christmas gift in December 2007!

Even though it came with instructions,

I had the most difficult time putting it together.

For those that know me, that is really unusual and this thing had me totally baffled.

I came across it again in the garage while I was doing some other woodworking.

I found the legs but couldn't recall where the rest of the pieces were.

I did some searching and couldn't find them....

until I went to look for something else and there they were.

So I struggled and got the thing together!

Now it looks like it could be a very handy item in the workshop!

I have been also working on some other projects.

I received new cordless tools for Christmas and I have been working up a storm!

I need transport boxes for the chickens, to take them to the auction.

I looked online and they were so expensive.

I found a picture and thought....well I can make one of those.

I actually made three.

The first one was a prototype. I had no plans, measurements or drawings.

I just went by the photograph I had. Each one got better as I made them.

I had plenty of hardware, hinges and such, laying around so I used what I had here at home.

Then when I was scrounging around in the barn, I came across an old stool that I was going to repair and never had the time. I glued it, painted it and put some decals on it, gave it a seal coat and it looked great. Onto the next project.....

During all this work, I found time to go to the Mt Hope Auction.

This place is trouble for me.....sometimes I take eggs to sell, but I always seem to come home with something. This time it was a Banty hen and her chicks. They were so cute! She is a good mother and her chicks like to ride on her back.

I also found some Silkie chicks. I have been looking for some all spring. Now I have 3 and I am thrilled. I am going to the auction this week....I might find some more chicks!

They look so cut on the new stool!

Supporting the March of Dimes

2009-04-15T10:25:00.003-04:00

My friend Debbie is walking to support the March of Dimes.
If you can, click on the link to donate $$$$. If you can't donate,
please think of her as she completes her walk on April 18th.
Thanks.

Polish Chicks

2009-04-03T17:34:00.003-04:00

I sold 8 roosters and bought 26 chicks. I seem to like the stranger things in life. These are Polish chicks. Some of the chicks I bought were 4 weeks old, 2 weeks old, 1 week old and 2 days old.

4 weeks and 2 weeks old

Buff Polish Chicks 1 week old

Buff Polish Chicks 1 week and Black Polish chicks 2 days old

Polish Chicks

Polish Chicks have a tuft of feathers or a "hat'" they are the craziest chicks I have ever seen.

I still am waiting to get Silkies and Frizzles......

What Comes First the Chicken or the Egg?

2009-04-03T17:05:00.005-04:00

I go to barn everyday and I see eggs...

so what came first the chicken or the egg?

I have two hens that are broody, which means they are ready to sit on the eggs to hatch them. I have fertile eggs because I have a rooster, well actually I had 11 roosters. On Wednesday I took 8 of them to the Mount Hope Auction. I now have 3 left. More on that later.....

This hen will stay in her nest only getting up once or twice during the day to get food and water. She won't eat it even if I put it in her nest. Unless I leave eggs under her for 21 days, she may sit there until she expires. I had two nutty hens do this to me last year.

This hen is also trying to sit on eggs. I take them from her becasue it is still too cold out for her to hatch them and let them be reared by her.
When I went to the Auction I found the most adorable Polish Chicks....

So I brought them home and stuck them under the hen. She started cooing imediately. The chicks ran to her and climbed right under her wings for heat.

So I really didn't let her hatch them but she thinks she did, so she is being a good chicken mom!

Oh did I mention that I sold the 8 roosters.......

and I brought home 26 chicks!

Time for Some Fun

2009-03-25T20:18:00.005-04:00

I have been slaving away at the piles and mounds of receipts I have in my "office" for the farm taxes. It really took a lot of effort to get it done. I even got a head start on 2009's taxes. Last year I bought a gadget and program called Neat Receipts, which scans and categorizes your document. I finally put it to good use and learned how to make the categories fit my needs. I also went through all the receipts for 2008's Medical bills and prescriptions and got that all in order. I started putting this years stuff together too!.
So where does that leave me? I have 5 brown grocery bags full of unneeded paperwork, envelopes from bills( I pay online) and various other things that get dumped in my office. I filled a whole new file box with everything else and you can actually walk into the room. Saturday is the appointment with the accountant and I will be so relieved.
So here comes the fun stuff.
I sat down tonight and went through some of the blogs I follow and I am going to copy one of the blogs here because it looked like fun. Thanks Angie

My ABC's
A - Age: The big 50, but I mentally do not feel "old" but the body and joints tell a different story.
B - Bed Size: KING! After 22 years in a waterbed, It was time to give it up....we went to the King size...I can't even reach Dave on the other side, it is hell in the morning when he leaves his alarm on, it is so far to reach to shut it off. The only bad thing about a regular mattress vs. a waterbed...it is cold, but I fixed that with heated mattress pads!
C - Chore You Hate: House cleaning, any part of it. I would rather clean barns than the house.
D - Dad's Name: Frank
E - Essential Start Your Day Item: Tea, hot, cold,sweet, flavored, it doesn't matter.
F - Favorite TV Show: Anything CSI
G - Gold or Silver: Gold
H - Height: 5'4" Wish I was taller
I - Instruments You Play(ed): Nothing, nada, zip.....I have the talent of a flea. I can't sing either!
J - Job Title: Package Handler,UPS, evenings, 5/10pm, that is the paid job.... Mom, Chicken farmer, Domestic goddess are the freebies
K - Kid(s): 2 children, actually grown men now, 26 and 23 But I have been known to share my home with whoever the boys brought home, many of their friends call me mom
L - Living Arrangement: 3 Bedroom ranch on 4 acres.....semi rural, easy access to shopping, freeways and plenty of room for quiet
M - Mom's Name: Jeannette, I always loved my mothers name
N - Nicknames: My real name is Bernadine, (after a Pat Boone movie my father loved)but in the 5th grade, Miss Norris thought my name was too long, so she shortened it to Berni, My nieces and Nephews call me Aunt Bummy
O - Overnight Hospital Stays Other Than Birth: Several Minor surgeries....nothing longer than overnight!
P - Pet Peeve: Bad drivers, slow drivers, drivers talking on the cell phone, drivers in the fast lane, going slow, drivers not using there turn signals, and the worst one is drivers who don't even give you a wave when you let them out in front of you!
Q - Quotes You Like: Scars are tattoos with better stories!
R - Right or Left-Handed: Right.
S - Siblings: 2 brothers, 2 sisters, I am the oldest
T - Time You Wake Up: 5:30a.m. I get everyone up and off to work, then I can go back to bed, unless it is a day that is full of activities.
U- The Ultimate Dessert: Chocolate Brownie, or Brownie Sundae
V - Vegetable You Dislike: Can't think of one I don't like
W - Ways You Run Late: I don't like to be late. But there are days when I am fiddling around here or on line....and time gets away from me....but my cell phone has a calendar reminder and I set that often for special things.
X - X-rays You've Had: Teeth, shoulder, knee,hands,breasts
Y - Yummy Food You Make: Chicken fingers, my boys can't get enough of them
Z - Zoo Animal: Polar Bears.....I love the white fur!

So if you are so inclined try thinking of your ABC's and have some fun!

So What Have I Been Doing?

2009-03-22T17:43:00.003-04:00

As I sit down to take a break, I realized I haven't updated my blog in 4 weeks.... can you even imagine that? It is not that I haven't sat in front of the computer, or read any of my fellow bloggers' posts, it is just that I didn't seem to have the time or the subject matter to fill the space.

It has been cold and dreary here and there weren't too many decent opportunities for an interesting photo, so I was at a loss for subject matter.

So what have I been doing with all my time, you ask?

Well I am struggling with the Income Taxes.... I hate doing them, they involve a lot of bookkeeping and most of it is farm related and Dave does not help at all! Oh, he keeps the receipts in a folder on the counter top, sometimes, and I usually have to chase him down for the ones he leaves on the dash of his truck. I tried giving him a folder in the truck to keep them in, but that didn't work.

So I am just like every other American and I resort to boxes!

I was doing really good this year and had everything posted through April....and then I do not know what happened! I even bought this gadget called a Neat Receipt that scans and categorizes your receipts......

I never got past April 2008!!!!

So I finally sat down today, realizing I only had a few weeks to Tax Day and I still have not made my appointment with the Accountant!

I sorted through many of the receipts I had, and now I have to tally and total them up and hand the sheet to the accountant so he can do his depreciation magic and sit back and see what we owe or what we get refunded.

Piles of paper work!

Then I realized that some of my time was taken up by the boys....

They found themselves on Unemployment as of 3/6/2009

Their positions were eliminated.... which was just a line that employers are using to downsize and remove higher paid employees and rehiring employees at a lower wage.

Can I prove it? Probably not, but it is happening in more places than you think.

So they are home, and they are trying to keep busy and waiting for the weather to break, and hoping there will be some job openings.

Mick Loves Green.....Even his Motorcycles are Green!

So Mick took some time to work on his motorcycle and took a small trip one weekend.

He came home early from the trip. It was a rainy, wet, muddy weekend.

He slipped and fell in the mud.....he also re injured his knee.

So off to the Orthopedic Dr. on Monday, wait a week for a MRI, and then a return visit to the Dr.

Torn Meniscus, bone chips, and a possible partial tear to the ACL graft! So we have to wait until April for the surgeon, he is in Arizona for Spring training with the Indians!

Mick will have to have an arthroscope procedure again!

And then there is Spring!!!

I have been waiting months for Spring. I am not sure about everyone else, but this seemed like the longest winter we have had in a long time.

Dave bought me a new rototiller and he was so kind this morning to get it out and till the garden... Mick put several loads on cow manure on it and Dave worked it into the garden. The rototiller worked marvelously!

I went right out and planted my onions. The soil still feels a little cool, but onions are one of the crops that can be started early, before the last frost.

I am not sure when they are predicting the last frost, but in Northern Ohio, my mother in law always swears by a June 1st planting date for any tender crops.

now that the weather is nicer, I can get out do more.

I am excited because Spring means I can order Chicks! The new peeps arrive May 5th!

Proud to be an Eagle Scout

2009-02-23T20:33:00.006-05:00

Scout Oath
On my honor I will do my best

To do my duty to God and my country
and to obey the Scout Law;
To help other people at all times;
To keep myself physically strong,
mentally awake, and morally straight.

Scout Law

A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly,

courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty,brave,

clean, and reverent.

This past Sunday, I had the privilege to attend the ceremony for my nephew Tyler , as he achieved the rank of Eagle Scout.

Tyler is a freshman at Edison High School in Norwalk, Ohio. Besides Scouting, he is involved in sports, and plays the "Quads" in Marching Band.

During the ceremony, which was attended by many friends and family members, guest speakers told of Tyler's accomplishments and his ability to overcome adversity and succeed in his quest to obtain the rank of Eagle Scout.

Many of the speakers praised his work and ability to help others. The talked about his choices to do the right thing, not always the easiest thing. They talked about Tyler and how he helped younger scouts with different challenges. Tyler loved to participate in the Pinewood Derby, making knots and various other scouting activities. He has earned over 30 merit badges and continues to pursue more subjects to earn his Eagle Palms.

Many of the friends and family in attendance were brought to tears as they listened to the heartfelt speech given by his brother Jordan. Jordan is also an Eagle Scout and attends Jacksonville University in Florida. He made the trip home for this special occasion to tell everyone how he remembered helping his brother in his scouting achievements.

Tyler took the podium and thanked all those who helped him reach his goal, including his current and former Scoutmasters, his church youth leader and his Conformation mentor. He also thanked his parents and his Grandparents, Nana and Poppy, for all their help and presented them with special mentor pins to honor them.

Tyler's Eagle Scout Project was to install a concrete patio and benches at the football field behind the High School. He gathered many volunteers to help with his project and collected over $3000 in donations from friends, family and community members for the project.

My baby sister Christine is the the very proud mother of two fine young men. It hasn't been easy for her to raise her sons in an ever increasing challenging world. While working and going to school, she had the support of her family and friends and her husband Gary (G2) to help .

I am proud to be the aunt of two fine young men and equally proud of their achievement in obtaining the rank of Eagle Scout.

We are pictured here together with my third and youngest nephew, Frankie, who is a Cub Scout. He looks up to his older cousins and hopes to be an Eagle Scout one day.

While my boys didn't become scouts, they participated in and excelled in 4-H. Both organizations help young people to become responsible citizens through hard work and learning experiences.

So to Tyler.....

Way to go!

Love, Aunt Bummy

Accident and Incindent Report

2009-01-29T22:56:00.006-05:00

Under this lovely dressing is a 2.5 " wound and 5 stitches!

Did you ever just have an awful week?
I think this was my week.
Things just seemed to "happen".

I came down with a case of bronchitis, of course it was Saturday
and no Dr. available, so off to the Minute Clinic I went, on Sunday.
Armed with cough syrup with codeine and an inhaler, home I went, to bed.
The week progressed and I was getting better, the coughing eased up and
I felt better. I went to the hairdressers on Friday and
she colored my hair.....a little more blonde than I expected,
and when I got home, everyone gasped!

On Saturday, I came down with a UTI! Of course it was after
office hours at the Dr., so on Sunday I went off to the Urgi Care.
I took my shower before I went to the Urgi Care and
dried my blonde hair and burnt my forehead with the curling iron.OUCH!
Armed with an antibiotic, I went home to bed, again.
Tuesday I went back to the hairdresser and
she calmed the blonde down a bit.

Wednesday we get this snowstorm that dumps 12" of snow on us.
Stuck in the house again.

Today I was getting the trash bag out of the can
and while Adam pulled it up I held the can down
because the bag was stuck. As he lifted the bag,
something sharp poked through the bag and cut my left hand.
There was blood all over.
Quick, washcloth, direct pressure, get some socks and shoes on,
locate insurance cards, can't find immunization record....
and head to the Urgi Care for the 3rd time in a week and a half!
Do I remember when I had my last tetanus shot......NO,
so I called the Dr. Office, and they are "out to lunch".....go figure.
So I called the Health Department, where I get my immunizations
and they were OUT TO LUNCH!
But the receptionist was very helpful when
I explained that I was on my way to the Urgi Care
and she looked it up. Tetanus shot was good!

Walked into the Urgi Care with my hand elevated and
they asked if I was bleeding and I said Yes.
Off to the back I went, no waiting.
I didn't even have to fill out paper work....
I just told them I was there on Sunday.
The receptionist filled out the forms, all I had to do was sign.
Nice physician, very patient. Injected Novocaine into the wound and it didn't work.
Stitched me up anyway.
An hour and 5 stitches later, I was on my way home.
Ice and rest, keep it dry, come back in 2 days for a wound check,
stitches to be removed in 10 days.
I think I need another vacation. Or a padded room!

I Heart Faces

2009-01-27T06:32:00.005-05:00

This weeks category for I Love Faces is JOY!
There are many photos I have that could represent Joy,
but the one I keep coming back to is the one from my older
son Chris' wedding to Tiffany.
All I can see is the joy in their faces on that day!
They are still like that today!

And the little orbs floating in the picture....
are bubbles! Because it was so hot the day they got married,
we had the wedding ceremony inside the air conditioned building
instead if the sweltering heat.
So you can't throw birdseed or rice inside, so we blew bubbles!
For other photos of JOY in faces visit http://iheartfaces.blogspot.com/

SKYWATCH FRIDAY

2009-01-23T00:01:00.002-05:00

Welcome to SkyWatch Friday

This week's entries were hard to choose. I had
two photos that really inspired me.
The first one is a sunset photo. We have been
under the clouds for days on end here, and this
was the first glimps of the sky I had seen in days.

The second is the icicles that have been forming off the roof line.
I was under these looking up toward the sky.
They are becoming massive in length and size, and they can
become dangerous if they fall on your head, so of course
I got under them to look up through them!

For more sky pictures, visit
http://skyley.blogspot.com

Remodeling 101

2009-01-22T12:22:00.006-05:00

We live in a 1960's three bedroom ranch with one bath. It is paid for and it is warm and comfy and has served us well raising 2 boys.

On the farm we are rough. There is always dirt, hay, feed, dog hair or something else making it's way into the house. While raising the boys we never had time or money to "redo" the house.

Necessity changed all that several years ago.

Back in 2001, we decided to do some remodeling. If you have done anything major to a house, you will know that nothing goes as planned. For every step forward there are two steps back.

We decided that we would do one room at a time, and as it worked out, it turned into one room or project a year.

The first question is what do you do with all the stuff in the area you are remodeling?

We started with the garage..... then we would have space to put the stuff from the house when we got that far. Dave did the garage the way he wanted, adding drywall, more electric, lighting,

a tool room and shelving.

We had to do some foundation work with the garage project, but it worked out well and I gained a breezeway addition to the house. It was a nice place to put coats and boots and other things instead of dropping them in the kitchen as in the past. I paneled the walls, laid ceramic tile and decorated the breezeway. Room one was done!

Life went on and we got to the kitchen. Walls had to come down, ceilings and joists repaired, new cabinets had to be custom made and flooring had to be installed. We lived, and ate in the living room with a microwave, and electric skillet and a sandwich maker for 6 months!

During this phase of the project, we also decided that we needed new windows, and if we were going to do the ones in the kitchen, we had to do the whole house so they would match.

One step forward, two back.

After the kitchen, college for two boys, a wedding and two surgeries interrupted the projects. Smaller bedroom projects were tackled and only consisted of paint, new carpet, and window treatments. This past summer, I finished the last bedroom by refinishing the hardwood floors and redecorating the room. In between all this, life went on...one day at a time.

During all this time there was never enough room in the garage to move the stuff out of each room as planned, so we moved stuff from room to room in order to have space to work.

This past few weeks, I started the the living room........ Then I interjected a project at my mother in law's house, installing ceramic tile floor in her breezeway..... I put my things on hold for about a week, did her project and returned to my work at home.

Although it isn't the most complicated project, we live in this room. We do not have a family room and so most activities and such are in this room. Not only did we have to paint and get new blinds, the furniture either had to be replaced or recovered and the biggest project was to refinish the floors.

Our budget didn't allow for new furniture and having one of the boys still at home with his friends, we decided that covering the older furniture would be best for now. I used denim to make slip covers for the cushions on the furiture.

This is also not the time of year to do the floors, so I tackled all the other projects and decided to leave the floors until Spring and warmer weather.

I finished sewing the last of the throw pillows for the couches last night. Whew!!! What a relief.

It has taken us almost 8 years to get to this point, and I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.

The last project is the Bathroom. We only have one, so it will have to be done quickly. We can go to Grandma's for showers, but we need the facilities daily. We will wait for warmer weather for this project.

So here is a peak it the living room as it now. I can't wait to do the floors. It will make a big difference when they are done.

Living room with new blinds (I love my new blinds)

recovered Love seat and new lamp

Can you see the faux finish on the walls?

Recovered chair

Skywatch Friday

2009-01-15T23:32:00.005-05:00

Look! Up in the sky! Is it a Bird? Is it a Plane? Oh! It is sunshine!

Something we haven't seen much of here lately!

I was so happy to see the sun, even though it was only

5 degrees out when I was taking photos!

Oh look! It is a bird!

I have silly guinea hens that roost in the trees,

and they don't seen to care about the cold.

This one was out all night while the rest of the guineas stayed in the barn.

Such foolish birds!

Make sure you take a moment a visit

Skywatch Friday at http://www.skyley.blogspot.com/

to see more amazing photos of the sky from around the world!

Good News, Bad News

2009-01-13T19:30:00.002-05:00

Good News
Today I went for my follow up visit with the surgeon.
He evaluated my range of motion in my shoulder.
He thought that I was progressing well
He encouraged me to remain off work for the next 3 months
to build up my strength before I return to UPS.

Bad News

He also evaluated my hands. I have Basal Joint Arthritis.

there are several things that can be done to ease the pain,

cortisone shots, Advil or Aleve, ice packs ( brrrr, not when it is 6 degrees outside)

and splints, but eventually the joint will have to be replaced.

He injected both hands today in order to give me some relief and ordered me some splints.

So here are my new pals for the next few months.

I will try to adapt to doing things with them on,

but I can already see that they are going to be in the way.

First I couldn't get my gloves on.

Then it is hard to button your jeans, and wash your hands after......

so I will try my best and hopefully the Velcro won't get stuck in the blankets!

I Love Faces

2009-01-12T21:53:00.005-05:00

This is a new blogspot I am trying.
I HEART FACES
Each week I will enter a photo of a face.
This week I am sharing my Mother in law
in a Nanook of the North hat.
It was a gift to my son on Christmas, but Mooey really enjoyed modeling it.
Visit http://iheartfaces.blogspot.com/ to see more photos of faces.

Nanook of the North

2009-01-08T23:13:00.004-05:00

I had to put up Mick's picture on the blog. I bought him this hat for Christmas and he just loved it. He is sitting on the couch with his girlfriend Jen.

Mick always makes me laugh. I am so glad I have such a funny kid!

Back to Normal

2009-01-08T19:54:00.007-05:00

Visit www.skyley.blogspot.com for more beautiful skies!
Key West Florida

After my trip to Florida, it seemed like there was no time to get to blogging.
I did get a chance to read a few blogs here and there but I didn't have time to post any new things.
I began to feel guilty. Then I read a blog that said, "it is OK not to blog all the time"
Whewwww!
The guilt left me and I began to focus on all the other thing going on in my life
and realized I had to set some priorities.

The holidays were here and gone in a flash. The stress is over and it seems like every
January we get the remodel bug here at the house.
It was no different this year. Except for Dave's bright idea......
"Let's do Mom's breezeway floor in ceramic tile as her Christmas present."

For those of you that don't know what a breezeway is, it is a "room" that separates the main house from the garage area, mostly found in older ranch homes. They vary in size and functionality depending on their structure. Some are no more than a screened in porch while others are actually part of the house and are considered a room.
Mother in law's breezeway is a room. Actually an area to deposit all my father in law's junk!! YUCK!
Well it took 3 days to remove all the junk and things my FIL had acquired, then the old tile had to removed and the floor area prepped. Ceiling tiles were removed and stored, and "things were removed from the walls. Remember, I said we were going to do ceramic tile on the floor.....except now the whole room had to be done and everything had to be color coordinated.

So that meant shopping for paint, and fixing and painting the walls. My DIL Tiffany, bless her heart, was super and helped me wash and paint walls, in two colors. On January 1st, Dave, Adam, (one of our friends) and I began the process of laying tile. My brother Frank, who is in the floor covering profession, came to lend his expertise and layout suggestions.
It took two days to lay the tile and 2 days to grout the tile. I was working carefully and slowly because my knees and my shoulders were subject to injury if wasn't careful.

On Friday I will go and finish sealing the grout, and finish the base board trim.

OH did I mention that Dave figured we could do it for about $300.00.....guess again. MIL has different tastes than my husband and she didn't choose the 77 cent tile, no it was the $2.77 tile!
I think with everything, the floor is closer to $1000.00, with our free labor!

I does look good though!

But did I forget to mention that I had already started my remodel project on December 25th!
I decided to paint the living room with a faux finish! Thank goodness for Shannon at the Home Depot! She was a life saver to a novice faux painter. I had help form Mick and Adam. the boys were excellent painters and did a great job.

A few new lamps and some re-upholstering of the furniture with denim and it will be done. I will have to wait until Spring to do the hardwood floors.
So if you were wondering what I have been up to.... here it is in a nutshell!
I really didn't have time to do much of anything else.
And how were your Holidays?

I'm Off Again......

2008-12-08T22:34:00.003-05:00

I have only been home one week, and I am getting
ready to go again. My bags are still unpacked from the last trip.
I will just rearrange a few things, and add some more
summer clothes and I"ll be done.

My friend Gail and I are off the Florida.
We are driving and we need to be in Fort Lauderdale on the 13th.
We will pick up her daughter, and then we will go to Fort Myers
for the rest of the trip. I'll fly home on the 17th.

Yes, I am a bum!

But doesn't this look more appealling than Ohio.
I am really feeling the effects of the cold weather.
I need sunshine. Now if I can only convince Dave
he needs sunshine too!

Skywatch Friday

2008-12-04T19:45:00.007-05:00

Skywatch Friday
I came across a blog that had a link to beautiful sky photos.
This is my first attempt at adding a link to my blog.
It may not work, but I will give it a try.

Here is the sky over Medina Twp. this fall.
I am not sure what this type of cloud formations are called
but the sky was full of them and they looked very odd.
The sun was shining and there wasn't any rain coming from the clouds.

Every Friday new sky photos are posted.

I'm Back........

2008-12-02T22:44:00.004-05:00

On November 20th, we left the cold and snow of Medina
for warmer temperatures. Our adventure took us through
6 states in 12 days and 1800 miles later we made it home.

We stayed at the Beach houses in North Carolina.
Dawn and Joanne always cooked up a feast. Lauri looks on at all the food.
Friends from Georgia, and South Carolina joined us for Thanksgiving.

Dave and Chris enjoyed the beach and the sunshine and the
opportunity to rest.

Dave made a new friend when we visited old friends in
Albemarle, NC

Dinner with old friends was great. Cindy and I began our
friendship in 1974 as Pen Pals.

The sunsets over the sound were spectacular.

Lauri and Tiffany met some old friends on

Ocracoke Island.

Dave and I enjoyed the sun and the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.

Thank goodness it was closed for climbing for the season!

The weather was perfect for flip flops!

The waves were perfect for surfing!

When we first looked out into the ocean, we thought these were seals,

until they stood up and rode their boards!

Yes, this house really exists. The movie "Nights in Rodanthe", written by

Nicholas Sparks, was filmed in Rodanthe, where the beach houses are.

The house is located at the end of the road. It is abandoned because it is

slowly being washed into the ocean. It looked much nicer in the film.

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is the most famous lighthouse

on the island.

Ocracoke Lighthouse is less famous, but watches

over the island that Blackbeard the Pirate was known

to hide out near.

When we weren't relaxing or sightseeing,or eating, we went "junking"

for used car parts. This is one of Dave's hobbies.

We went to several junk yards, excuse me, auto recyclers,

looking for replacement parts for the farm trucks. We found

2 fenders and a door!

Snowy Days......

2008-11-16T21:44:00.003-05:00

I have been very busy getting things ready for the change of seasons. I had help from Adam, and we got all the things in the yard put up in the barn, the garden cleaned up and the chicken coops ready for winter.

JUST IN TIME!!! The snow arrived last night and it is still coming down. Some of the bridges are icey, and some of the snow is sticking to the ground.

I think this looks so much better than snow!

This is Crest View III. This is were Dave and I stay with Tiffany and Chris. We also refer to this as the "little house" It has 3 bedrooms and 3 baths and a Florida room with a hot tub all on one level. It is closer to the sound, not ocean front or ocean side. It is really cozy.No computer access! Limited cell phone reception! PEACE and QUIET!!!!

I don't think I am ready for the snow...... so we are going to escape the cold weather for a few days and head to the Beach!!! There is nothing like Thanksgiving at the Beach..... The Outer Banks are so peacful and relaxing...and there is no snow! On our way down, we will be looking for farm equipment, and visiting friends in Albemarle, NC ( yes, the home of Kelly Pickler, American Idol)

This is Crest View Winds. It has 5 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms, it faces the ocean. It has an outdoor hot tub and has three floors. We refer to this one as the "Big House" This is were the rest of the family and friends stay. Some are coming from GA, SC, VA and NY.

Other family members will be joining us at the beach.... Mick and Adam will be staying home and takling care of the cows, and chickens. And yes we are leaving you all with the snow!

I will update the blog when I return......have a great Thanksgiving!

And What Do You Do on Your Day Off ?

2008-10-30T10:05:00.005-04:00

So what do you do on your day off ? We seem to have an addiction to auctions. Dave likes tractor, truck and equipment auctions and I like animal and produce auctions. We have been to other types of auctions, but the used equipment auctions seem to be the ones we attend regularly. You never know what you might find.

On Wednesday, we traveled to London, Ohio , just east of Columbus for the Tri Green Equipment Auction. Dave is always looking for used equipment for the farm. He was in the market for a gravity wagon to hold the soybeans and corn that he is picking.

The auction is a very interesting place. It is full of men, not all of them attractive either.

Rough hard working men that are also looking for a bargain.

They tend to be a little pushy, leaving their manners at home. There is chew and spitting involved and eating from one of those traveling kitchens.

There are very few women that accompany these men.

I am one of those women.

Anything to spend time with Dave, who seems to work 24/7 and when he isn't working, he's sleeping. This trip meant I had him in the truck for about 5 hours of uninterrupted time to talk and be with him.

So I gathered up my Carhartts, sweatshirts, & boots, packed some snacks and the dogs

and off we went at 6AM.

While you all had grey skies and snow here at home, we enjoyed plenty of sunshine dotted with a few puffy clouds. It was cold and windy and the Carhartts came in handy but we really did have a good time.

One of the things we saw that was interesting and we tried to bid on was a 3 point hitch, PTO driven Buzz Saw.

We thought this would be great for cutting firewood. The bidding went a lot higher than we were willing to pay.

We bid on several items, but all the prices were higher than we thought we could afford, so we came home empty handed. I think this was the first time we ever left an auction without a thing!

The best part of going to the auction is stopping in Plain City at the Der Dutchman for lunch. Although I packed snacks, and we did a drive through McD's in Delaware on our way in to town in the morning, we are staving by the time we finish the auction. We stopped at about 2 pm for lunch. They have the best fried chicken and hot buffet that I have seen. Plus they have pie. We ate so much at the buffet that we had to take our pie to go. Then we have the 2 hour drive home and all I want to do is sleep. I drove while Dave took a cat nap. A State Highway Patrol car followed me most of the way home on I71.
Through the construction and all the trucks on the freeway.
He made me nervous.
We stopped for gas in Ashland, it was only $2.09 a gallon and filled up. Dave drove the rest of the way home.
All in all it was a good way to spend a day off!

Pictures of Fall

2008-10-26T14:52:00.005-04:00

I tried to get some decent foliage pictures, but the trees are not cooperating. This one is overlooking the pastures at the Richfield Farm

The cows were very interested in what I was doing. I also had the dogs with me and the cows were on alert to protect the calf 'Tommy"! Tommy was the calf that was born and caused all the trouble with Mick's torn ACL.

Here is Chris, hard at work in the combine, picking soybeans.

Tommy, our farm manager, is checking the beans as they are unloaded into the grain bins for storage.

The corn is almost ready for picking.

My DIL Tiffany decided that we needed to make caramel apples. Dave loves those gourmet ones that have all the stuff on them and you have to cut them with a knife to eat them.

We decided that we could do just as nice of a job. We found a recipe on line at

www.werthers-original.us Their caramels are so much better than the old square ones we used to use. The recipe was easy to follow and the apples turned out delicious. I wanted candied apples, so we also made a batch of those. All together we made about 3 dozen apples. Tiffany will take most of them to school on Monday, for her teacher friends. The rest we will eat here. They do not store well so we are eating them up!

Ciemen and his Friends

2008-10-21T21:33:00.004-04:00

Ciemen The Chicken Dog Beani and Turbo in the snow

Ciemen and Tubo
Turbo

We have two dogs, and my neighbor Kim, has one. They recently lost one of their older dogs, Thor.
We also have neighbors....not always the best neighbors, but we cope. One in particular is lacking any sense when it comes to dogs. Our dogs are well behaved and run around our two adjoining yards.....until crabby neighbor called the dog warden and said there were vicious dogs in the neighborhood. I have a Border Collie who obsessive/compulsive when it comes to playing stick, a small Shepard mix that Mick rescued while he was at college, and Kim has a big and goofy Boxer mix.

We are very good about keeping our dogs in line.....but the neighbor just likes to make trouble.....not only with the dogs, but other things too! Fortunately he goes to Florida for 6 months...BYE BYE!

Anyway we made our own dog park in our back yard and the dogs have a great time running together. They chase the chickens, the bunnies, the ground hogs and the raccoons and swim in the pond. It is a dog's life!

My neighbor Kim is so funny....she made her dog, Ciemen, a chicken costume for Halloween and had his picture taken. Ciemen also has sleep overs with my dogs when Kim has to work nights so he isn't alone.

The Yellow Bedroom

2008-10-20T06:26:00.005-04:00

The Yellow Bedroom. The room is finally livable, the painting is done, the blinds are hung, and the bedding is on the bed. Tiffany and Jen helped me put some finishing touches on the walls. It is a product called Tatoauge. It comes in sheets and you can cut it to fit your area and you rub it on the wall with a tongue depressor, pull off the top sheet and it looks like you hand painted the wall.

I love the way the bed frame turned out, Mick did a great job. The bedding is OK, not what I wanted at first, but one that fit my budget. I still need too work an a few more throw pillows.

I am going to stick with the blinds for now, I like the Tatouage over the corner of the window, so I don't think I will do any other kind of window treatment, unless I see something that really sticks out.

But I love the way the floors came out. They really are beautiful. And yes that is a milk can that I used for the base of the table on the left. I have one more piece that I am working on. I have an old pedal sewing machine stand, minus the machine, that I am painting white. I think I will use it for a TV stand.

More on Bess

2008-10-19T10:13:00.008-04:00

Bess was on Chris' Graduation Cake!

Long after Chris left Garfield Elementary, he would bring Bess back to school and share her with the students. This is Mrs. Novotny's 3rd grade class. Mrs. Novonty was Chris' 3rd grade teacher.

Bess with Mrs. Bell at Garfield Elementary

Chris also took the time to take Bess to Canavan Elementary where Tiffany teaches. Bess loved being the star of the show. She is being kissed by Principal Karen McGinty

Chris and Bess at school.

Chris has 2 special girls in his life, one was Bess and the other is Tiffany, his wife.
This is one of my favorite pictures.

Bess was a fine show cow!

We all will miss her, especially her friend Sweetie.

In Memory Of Bess

2008-10-19T09:25:00.006-04:00

When you lose a pet, it can be as hard as losing any other loved one. Last night Chris' beloved cow, Bess died. Bess was 15 years old. Bess was born in March 1993. Ten years after Chris was born. They shared the same birth month. He knew she was special! Bess became a part of Chris' life when she was 1 year old as his first heifer project. She was a flashy cow, roan in color.

Chris showed Bess at the Medina County Fair, where Bess won many awards including Supreme Champion Heifer. He showed her at the Ohio State Fair, and other smaller county shows.
Chris spent many hours with Bess, grooming, feeding and taking care of her. In the summer time, Bess lived at our house, and in the winter Bess lived at Grandma's farm, where the barns where bigger.
Chris always took Bess for rides in his trailer. Bess loved to go for trailer rides, from one farm to another. Bess also loved apples.

Chris always made sure he brought Bess a treat, whether it was apples, pretzels, cookies, graham crackers or Pumpkin Pie.

Chris also liked to dress Bess up. The Medina County Fair held a Cow Dress Up Contest every year. I would have to make all the costumes for the cows.

This is the year they went as the "Moos Brothers"

This is the year that they went as Santa Cows, after a book that grandma had bought them

"Mooey Christmas" was on our Christmas cards that year

And this is Chris with Bess. He took his graduation pictures with Bess.

Bess will be buried at the farm, with all the other beloved pets.
She will be missed.

The Earth on Fire

2008-10-18T14:53:00.003-04:00

One of my fellow bloggers mentioned the "Earth on Fire" in reference to the fall leaves. Well here are the ones I captured. I'm not sure this has been the best year for color, maybe my timing is off, and next week will be better. Enjoy. These are taken at Plum Creek Park in Brunswick

Just for Fun

2008-10-13T11:02:00.003-04:00

I thought I would try to add something different to my blog. I have a unlimited file full of photos and I thought as I go through the week, I will change my heading picture. Some are older, the boys when they were young, some are new. They are all my favorites, so that is why they are kept in a special folder. they don't necessarily have a story behind them, I just like them. The fun part will be, can you guess who they are?

He has Escaped!

2008-10-12T00:02:00.003-04:00

Here is a photo ofMick and me. We were at Owen's 2nd Birthday, just 3 days after my shoulder surgery. Everyone says he looks like his mom, more than his dad. I see it now in this picture.

Mick is doing so well with his surgery. He visited the PA on Friday and got a great report and was allowed to bend the knee

40 degrees, and now he can drive. The first thing he did was get together with a few friends and out to dinner they went.

Today he went to work and to the farm......the poor kid was crawling the walls. Tonight he went out with his girlfriend Jen. As long as he keeps to his rehab program he should do well.

Mick, Surgery and Recouperation

2008-10-06T21:46:00.003-04:00

Mick before surgery...don't you just love the hat!
He was out of it, that's how I could get pictures like this!

Mick After Surgery

Mick is my youngest. At 22 he still is the baby. He is also the one that is always having some kind of adventure/accident....and a hospital file to go along with it.

So we add to the file today. This was probably one of the larger of his injuries, and just one of the many that have needed some intervention in the surgery/repair department. He had to have his ACL replaced with a cadaver graft. We spent most of the day at the Cleveland Clinic and now as the day ends, we are nursing Mr. Crabby Pants back to health, with Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation.....drugs are also involved with this one!

It all started last month when he was trying to hold onto a cow, while she was delivering a calf. His knee buckled and gave way and the next thing he knew he was laying in the manure. After a trip to the local ER we got on the phone and tracked down the best surgeon we could find.
Dr. Schickendantz is a surgeon for the Cleveland Indians. Well a couple of appointments and a MRI and we were on our way. We are thankful that everything has gone well.

So now we have 2 of us recuperating, me for my shoulder and Mick for his knee.....we make a great pair!

What We Do in Our Other Life

2008-10-06T07:36:00.007-04:00

Dave and Turbo on the loader.

If you have been reading this blog you know we farm and raise beef and chickens.....but what some of you don't know is that we also work other full time jobs.

My desk in the scale house

Trucks I weigh

This week I had to lend a hand to Dave, when Shirley, the Scale House Operator, took a day off from work.

Transfer facility
Dave is the Manger for a Trash Transfer Station. They collect trash from local municipalities and then transfer it to the landfill. He is also in charge of "capping" the existing landfill at the facility. They no longer accept trash there and now it as to be covered and sealed according to EPA Guidelines. I filled in for Shirley in the scale house, weighing in trucks. I get to take the dogs along for the day. They like to go to work and ride on the machines with Dave. Mick and Chris also work there, running heavy equipment and making repairs on the semi trucks and equipment.
It is a very impressive operation. As you can see by the photos, you would never guess what was in this building!

Getting Ready for the Cold

2008-10-06T07:04:00.005-04:00

Mick and Chris thinking
about cutting trees

Some where in my past life ( before children) I married a man that was frugal. Not a bad move, but sometimes there are weird things that make my life different. Like the time he decided after our first winter in our house, that he didn't want to waste money on fuel oil to heat the house! BRRRR! it was chilly winter, but we were young and in love....we slept close together!

Mick Stacking Wood

The next winter he decided we would try a wood burning stove.
He took two 55 gallon drums and attached them together with some kit and we heated the house, well one or two rooms....just ask my brother in law who was staying here at the time, how cold his room was. Until the day that Dave decided that it wasn't burning well enough and he threw deisel fuel on the fire.....POOF! that was the end of that!
Then he discovered a Brunco Indoor Wood and Coal Furnace.... it will meet all your heating needs...... well it was installed and hooked to the other pipes in the house and as long as you had a fire in the box, the house was warm....then the fire went out! BRRR!
It wasn't long until I took over the job of feeding the fire... I studied the furnace and all the sources of fuel and decided on a recipe of wood and coal and we have been warm ever since.... cooked out of the house more than once , and dirtier than I have ever seen, but warm.

So who would think I would come to love my wood furnace? I still struggle with dirt, and now I understand Spring cleaning.
But in the fall, it is wood chopping.....fortunately I have an unlimited source of free wood, and coal is still relatively cheap, $125.00 a ton, and I have a couple of great guys and their friends that cut and split and stack the wood.
This year they got carried away. Mick is having his ACL Tendon replaced today and he was afraid he would be out of commission for a while and he didn't want us to be without wood if it got cold.

So Mick,Chris, Tommy, Adam and Dave, started cutting a splitting wood like little beavers. We have cellar doors that open to the basement and the area near the wood burner. They loaded several trailers full of wood into the basement over the weekend and now we are set for a while.
I think if it was up to Mick he would try to get one more trailer load of wood in the basement. I'm not sure if there is room, but he would try.

Surgery Report

2008-09-30T18:40:00.003-04:00

I don't think you want to have pics of the recent surgery.......but I will give you the details. After several delays on Wednesday, I finally went to surgery about 4:30pm and returned to recovery about 6:30pm. I now have 5 holes in my right shoulder. After some confusion, my pain pump was installed and they said I could go home......well, not true. The pain pump delivers a Novocaine like drug to the affected area of my arm to keep it numb after the nerve block wears off. It works great and it also provides relief from pain instead of using narcotic medication. They installed the wrong pump, so I had to stay overnight until they could install the portable pump.... anyway I made it home Thursday afternoon, and then had to return to the Cleveland Clinic ER Friday night because the pain pump failed.
After 1 1/2 hours in the ER, we went to dinner and then home.
Saturday we went to Nana's Surprise party and then to Ashland for another BDay party. By Saturday night I had had enough of the pain pump and had Micks girlfriend Jen pull the catheter out of my neck. I took some Tylenol and went to bed. I got up in the morning and felt great. I could turn my neck now and that meant I could drive. Everyone left the house and I had peace and quiet, so I took a shower, did my hair and drove to Drug Mart to get band aids and a Blizzard at Dairy Queen. I start rehab on Wednesday....my arm is stiff, and I can't lift anything, but as long as I can type I guess I am OK.
This is just the first week, I know there are many more weeks of rehab to go, but right now I have a positive outlook and so far my shoulder feels greater than I would have expected at this point. I am not taking anything stronger than a few Tylenol or Advil, during the day and tonight we will go to bed without the Percocet. And I will sleep in my bed tonight, not the recliner. Although I love my new recliner, there is no place like your own bed.

Pictures as Promised

2008-09-22T17:25:00.006-04:00

Total Surprise, of course I didn't know about the party so I skipped the hair and makeup before coming over.

Blowing out the candles. Thanks to Charlene for letting me borrow her specs. I didn't bring mine and couldn't see a thing.

The Birthday girl with her mom

Birthday tears.... The gift from Mom & Dad, a Pearl necklace

Tiffany, the Master Mind

The birthday girl, and her niece Lexi

The party was fun for all!

Happy Bithday to ME!

2008-09-22T06:46:00.002-04:00

What is the best way to spend your 5oth birthday? Well I have a swell DIL Tiffany and a super BFF Gail. And they planned and executed the biggest surprise luncheon for me with all my girlfriends! NO BOYS ALLOWED! It was so great. And I was surprised!!!!!
I have been running crazy, getting everything in order here at the house before I go for the shoulder surgery Wednesday. I didn't even think about the BDay. Then we had the running around to Dr's for Mick and his torn ACL. I haven't had one minute to think. Gail asked me several times, what I was doing for the big day and I said getting my hair colored and going for PreAm testing. Never even thought they would do something like this!
Gail swooped down and picked me up at the house just after 1pm. I had been cleaning all morning and she wanted me to run over to Tiff's and have her proof a paper for Alison and then take Alison for dessert. I cleaned furiously all morning after the guys left for the Steam Tractor Show in Wellington. Then I cleaned myself up and put on some decent clothes and pulled my grey hair back. I didn't even paint my face....why, I thought, I was just going to Tiff's and out to dessert with them...they have seem me at my worst...... NEVER did I think that there would be a SURPRISE party waiting for me.
As Gail flew around the corner on Stone Road, Tiff's house came into sight and I saw cars lined up the drive, It wasn't until I saw a porch full of girlfriends, did I realize what they had planned.
Along with my girlfriends, my mom and my favorite aunts....we enjoyed a luscious lunch of chicken salad croissants, veggies, dips, cheeses and a wonderful assortment of cakes and desserts. Of course there were presents too! The day was blessed with beautiful weather and we sat on the porches and enjoyed each others company.
I am sorry to say that I don't have any pics for this post. Tiff has them on her camera and my friend Annette has them on her camera, so they will follow later.
And when I said no boys allowed, well they showed up after the party to eat the leftovers, and they were even in on all the planning for the party. You know paybacks are .........

Well, that was my excitement for the weekend.
And now I enter that 50 age range...... ahh yes, 50 is the new 40 right ? Tell that to my body and it's aches and pains!

Where have I been.....

2008-09-17T09:07:00.004-04:00

I just had a few minutes to sit down and update the blog. With the date of my shoulder surgery just one week away, I have been on a cleaning and remodeling frenzy. Yes, I work better under pressure, but I also have put off a whole lot of things while I was off work this summer. Really not by choice, more like...it was more fun to do things outdoors than indoors. Now we are on crunch time and I need to get things done.

First was the "spare" room. Chris bought his own house last August and got married in October. He has been out of the house for a year and his "stuff" still remained. I asked my DIL Tiffany to help and we packed up 2 trucks worth of "stuff" from Chris' room and moved it to his garage.

He had college books, and unknown treasures from the last 25 years in that room. His collector cars, his models, his school art work.... the list goes on....even his clothes were still there. I managed to throw a few things out, but I felt he had to do it himself, because you never know what he wants to keep or dispose of.

I knew I wanted to paint the room yellow. I had saved a magazine page a few years back of what I wanted to have the room look like when I redecorated. So I painted. After that I got this bright idea to pull up the carpet and refinish the hardwood floors. I figured it wasn't a large room, everything was out of it and I have done floors before. WHAT WAS I THINKING!!!!. Anyway the new sanders that you rent are much easier than the old ones and I had the floor sanded in 2 hours. I put two coats of varnish on it and it looked Amazing! Dave took the metal bed frame to work to paint it white, and I found some Country French like bedding I could live with without breaking the bank.

Next it was on to our room. We have slept on a water bed for over 22 years. It had many patches on it...and it was time to go. It took me a full day to drain it, dismantle it, carry it out of the house and clean up the floor and set up the new bed frame for the new King Size bed!

Well during all of this I have gone back to work, so what ever project I am doing has to be done or finished to a point where I can leave it so I can go to work at 5pm.

Then on Monday I get the call from Mick, that he was hurt and on his way to Medina Hospital. I left work immediately because I wanted to be there in case there were any medical decisions to be made. Medina Hospital and I do not get along very well, in fact they scare me! After a few

x-rays, we were sent home with drugs and a sprained knee....so we thought. On Tuesday we made a few calls, pulled a few strings and got him into an orthopedic surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic. We scheduled a MRI for Thursday and a followup on Friday. The preliminary exam is leaning toward a torn meniscus and an ACL tear. We will know more Friday.

And on top of all this excitement, there was the storm on Sunday. One of our old trees went down and through the roof of the barn. It missed the cars that are stored in there, but it will need to be fixed. Thank goodness it missed the chicken coops and the chickens! The call went into the isurance company, but there is a 10 day wait for claims adjusters. We were in no hurry. Others have greater damage than we do. I have a friend on the next road over and she still does not have power!

So if you were missing me, I was missing you too! I love to blog here and hear all your stories. As soon as I finish the "spare" room I will include photos of it. Until then, I will keep working on the house things until I can do no more. Next week will be very different around the house with me down for the count, until I can get back up and running again. Hopefully I can still type and get to the computer after the surgery.

Nana & Poppy's Humor

2008-09-04T23:24:00.002-04:00

My mom and dad have always supported everything I do. Dad has always been the biggest help with my chicken coops. Mom spotted this cartoon the other day and sent it to me. I am always trying to explain to people the difference between store bought eggs and my Organic Free Range Cage Free chicken eggs.

Well mom thought this was funny! Just another joke about chickens!

Shoe Shopping

2008-09-02T07:59:00.009-04:00

I have boys. Grown boys. They are not into shopping for shoes or anything else for that matter. The closest thing I get to a girl is my nieces and my DIL Tiffany.

Each year I have the exciting opportunity to take my niece shopping for her birthday present. Yes, I take her brother too! One stop shopping.

Lexi loves Cowgirl boots. I can't remember how old she was when she got her first pair, but I can tell you, the girl sleeps in her boots. Thats how much she loves them. One of the other things you have to know about Lexi is that she lives in Strongsville. Not your run of the mill country location. More of a yuppie kind of town, full of townies and fashion aficionados, not really into the cowboy scene.

We always visit Valley Tack in Valley City for our boots. The staff is quite helpful and patient, and they have a great selection of children's and adult boots.

This year we made our annual trip, first stopping at Cozumel's for a Mexican lunch then off to Valley Tack.

We looked at several options in boots and also perused the SALE rack. Frankie was pretty easy. He is 10 now and his choices are different and lean towards grown up boys Cowboy boots. After finding his style and size, he made his choice.

But Lexi was having trouble.....there were too many choices for a 7 years old girl to make. Which ones were pink, and which ones would go with her outfits and which ones were the most glittery.

She narrowed it down to 2 pairs of Fat Babies. Fat Babies are the modern style of Cowgirl boots, a little more chunky in style with a crepe sole vs. the traditional pointed toe and the slingback heel. And the COLORS!!! Blue, pink, red, teal...... We asked her to make a choice for the two boots she selected and she just turned to me and said BOTH! Well, she is my niece and I am the over indulging aunt and of course women understand shoes.......no matter what, shoes always fit and of course we need one in every color to match our outfits.

Imelda Marcos has nothing on me.
I said yes she could have both. Her mother dropped her teeth! What she didn't know is that I looked at the price tags and I saw the SALE price and we couldn't pass up a SALE!

So Miss Lexi walked out with 2 pairs of Cowgirl boots! And not to leave Frankie out, he got his boots and a very neat book on Space.

Crossing the Border ! YIKES!!!

2008-08-19T15:56:00.002-04:00

Somewhere in my head I had the bright idea that we needed a relaxing weekend away. The guys work 70+ hours a week at their job and they are also farming after work and on weekends. They are exhaused.

Lunch in Canada, overlooking the Falls

We had received an invite for a 50th Wedding Anniversary for one of my MIL's cousins in Rochester NY. The invite said to be at the Bar & Grill at noon because it was a surprise. It said it would be finished at 5pm. There were a block of rooms reserved at the Hampton Inn for those of us who were traveling from afar. Here was my chance.
I booked the room, RSVP to the designated person and set the plans in motion.....let the guys know what weekend to plan to take off of work, visit AAA for maps, and get our Passports ready. We were close enough to go to Niagara Falls and do a little gambling. We are not big gamblers, but any distraction right now would be good.

Dave ( Also known as Mr. Crabby Pants)and his second cousin twice removed, Raymond

We left at 6:30am on Saturday morning, and thought a stop in Erie, PA would be a good place for a potty break and breakfast. Well, this was my first mistake. Chris was driving, and being a professional truck drive with a CDL, meant we only stop when necessary.....and the rest of us were sleeping and Chris drove right through Erie, and the next thing we knew, we were at the entrance to the NY Expressway. there goes breakfast, but not to worry, Tiffany and I are well prepared travelers, and we had snacks!

MIL Irene, cousin Kathy & Marissa

After a few confusing moments with the GPS and similarly named streets, a fuel and potty break, we arrive at our destination. On the shore of Lake Ontario. Beautiful.

The party was a complete surprise, the lunch was terriffic and we continued the celebration into the evening at the couples home. Then it was off the the hotel. We enjoyed a nice swim in the heated indoor pool and hot tub. We went to bed. At 3:30am, my DIL, Tiffany woke me up to say that there were loud noises from the next room. we called down to the front desk and notified them. the hotel has a noise policy, and the next room was definitely in violation. Security came up, spoke to the party and returned to her post at the front desk. It remained quiet for all of about 10 minutes and then it resumed.

There is a saying about letting sleeping bears lie. Well they woke the bear, the Momma bear(me), and she was growling.....she put on he flip flops, pulled on a shirt over her jammies and marched down to the front desk. Now when you don't sleep in your own bed, you have a little trouble sleeping, plus I always look a fright in the morning. You can imagine what the front desk person and the security guard saw when I stepped off the elevator!! They were on their feet and most apologetic. The police were called ( according to the hotel policy) and the party was escorted from the room. No more noise!!! Well once you are up, it is hard to go back to sleep easily, and 7am came oh so early! We went for breakfast in the lobby, and then hit the road to Buffalo. The Hampton Inn was gracious enough to comp our room. So we stayed for free because of the noise incident.

As we approached the bridge to Canada, there was an extra Border Patrol Security check point. They asked a lot of questions, just to let us OUT of the USA. We showed are passports and had to describe where we are from, what we did for a living, and what we planned to do in Canada and for how long. We should have known we were in trouble then. We all enjoyed the gambling and didn't lose too much cash except in the exchange rate. We had the most enjoyable lunch and then we headed back home.

When you enter Canada through Buffalo, there are 2 bridges to cross the Niagara River. One north of Buffalo and one about halfway down. Both bridges were packed going home, so I suggested we take the next bridge about 20 miles south in Fort Erie. I just figured that the farther we were from the falls, the less congested it would be. WRONG. We sat in traffic for 1.5 hours, went through all the questions, and headed for home. We were going to stop in Erie, PA for more gambling, but at that point we all wanted to get home.

So for for your information.....stay here in the good old USA, but if you feel the urge to venture across the border, make sure you have a passport in hand, even though they are not yet required, it makes the crossing so much easier than the driver's license and birth certificate. those were the people that were holding up the check points.

And for the next trip, I think I will take my girlfriend.... she is not at all like Mr. Crabby Pants, and Mr. Crabby Pants Jr.

Here we go again

2008-08-13T12:43:00.004-04:00

Monday night Tiffany and I drove out to Homeville for the produce auction. This all started because Tiffany's brother was an auctioneer there on Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings. Since I am off work, I can do things like go to the auction in the evening. I wanted to get some tomatoes, so asked Tiffany if she wanted to ride along. She has been after me to do salsa. I did one batch, but we needed more.

We were actively bidding for tomatoes at the auction and then something else would catch my eye. Zucchini! Beets! Onions!

Tiffany kept telling me focus, focus! Tomatoes!!! Tomatoes!!!

Well, needless to say, 5 pecks beets, 4 pecks onions, 4 pecks zucchini and yellow squash, and
12 pecks roma tomatoes, 4 pints yellow pear tomatoes , 6 pints blackberries, and 1 dozen sweet corn later we headed home!

Tiffany said she would help cut up the tomatoes and help make the salsa.
We started at 5:30am Tuesday morning and I didn't finish until 11:30pm. I am still not done. I finished 2 batches of tomato sauce this morning and the beets are just on to boil now.

We made over 60 pints salsa, 14 pints pizza sauce, 8 quarts spaghetti sauce, and 10 quarts tomato sauce. I must be nuts!
The problem is where do you put all this stuff while you are making it and where do you store all of it when you are done?

As you can tell we set up extra tables in the living room. Even with the new kitchen counters, there just wasn't enough room to put everything.

Thank goodness I bought the big stove with the POWER burner. It brings the hot water bath up to temperature rather quickley and keeps it at a rolling boils during processing!

Now I understand why they had summer kitchens or stoves out on the back porch in the old days. My kitchen was so hot, even though there was a beautiful breeze. It was silly to put the air conditioner back on, just to keep the kitchen cool, when the rest of the house was chilly. Now all I have to do is finish the beets, shred and freeze the zucchini and get to my hair appointment by 5pm. Then I am going to rest!

Time flys by....

2008-08-10T16:56:00.004-04:00

Pickles, Pickles and more Pickles

Pickles Galore!

Where do all those summer days go? I can't believe that some children go back to school in as little as a week. Some will go back a little later, but I still think they need to start after Labor Day.

And how was your summer? Mine was short.... I did alot and accomplished nothing, or so it seems. i did wood working projects, attended fairs, canned and pickled fruits and vegetables, maintained the gardens and mowed grass. I played with the dogs, and raised some more chicks. Now I am in a panic because all the things I wanted to do...didn't get done. There is the basement to clean and all the stuff left in my son Chris' room that he left when he moved into his house, the living room needs to be painted and the floors need to be sanded. And not to mention the bathroom needs a complete remodel. And I am out of time.

So today I made a mad dash through the fruit cellar and cleaned that, and on my way I through a few load s of laundry in, then I stopped along the way to organize all the canned goods I just put up. I felt like I was running on a treadmill and getting nowhere! I must have gone up and down the stairs 100 times. I think that will count for my exercise for today.

Tomorrow is another day, lets see how much I get done!

Fair Week

2008-07-30T20:33:00.003-04:00

Ellie Siedel with Duchess and Johnny
Grand Champion Heifer and Bull calf

Mick helping with the grooming

Well, it is fair week and I am kind of sad. The boys are all grown and we don't have any animals to take to the fair to be shown, boohoo! Just kidding.....I'm glad we are in the slow down phase and we don't have to participate in fair week.

But we did attend some of the fair activities. The Sheep Show, and the Cattle Show for the
4-Hers. Awards were won and ribbons are displayed. We even survived the rain.

Alison with her sheep

I looked at my blog today and realized that I haven't posted a comment in 2 weeks. I guess I was just busy. I was canning pickles, and doing some other things and I guess I just didn't have time to sit down and type. I am still walking and going to exercise at the pool.

And I did walk all over the fairgrounds Monday and Wednesday. Does that make up for the corn dog and lemonade and the slushy?

I'll be there on Saturday for the livestock auction. We need some pork for the freezer!

Exercise

2008-07-14T20:12:00.002-04:00

Dave had an appointment at the Cleveland Clinic to start Cardiac Rehab. If you know Dave, there is no time in his life to add anything else. But he has to do this. He has to exercise 20 minutes a day and increase it by 10 minutes over the next few months. Well in a effort to encourage him, I told him I would do the same amount he had to do, and if he wanted, do it with him when we can. Today we were up at 5am as usual, and Dave left at 6am for work, no exercise. So I gathered up the dogs and headed to Plum Creek Park. The sun was just peeking through the trees and there was still a mist in the air, but we did 2 rounds around the path, one downhill and one uphill. It took us exactly 30 minutes. I forgot the camera and there were some nice shots. I went back home and changed into my swimsuit and picked up my friend Gail and we headed to the Community Pool and did our water exercises for about 75 minutes. So I did my time today. Now if I can keep up the momentum I will be happy. I decided to add a chart to my blog so that I can keep track of the days I walk. My goal is 60 days, after that I can add more. I will still go to the pool twice aweek and Yoga once a week. Let's hope Dave can keep up with me. Just a note...it is 10pm, Dave still isn't home and I don't think he got his 30 minutes in!

Wells,Septic Tanks and Wildflowers

2008-07-13T21:35:00.005-04:00

If you are like most folks that live in Medina County or any other rural area that is not serviced by public utilities, you either have a well or a septic tank or both. Both can be a challenge. With a well, laundry is usually grey or rust colored and there are times that you wonder if you are going to run the well dry washing all those clothes. The sinks and toilets have that rusty stain on them. There is that ever present sulfur odor, or that "taste in the water. People wonder why we drink bottled water! My sister was a city girl and always swore that she got Montezuma's revenge when she visited and drank the water. It never seemed to bother us.

Other other side, you may have a septic tank. In the older homes of our area, we have septic tanks, aerators and filter beds. New construction in non-utility served areas have "mounds" where their run off goes. Most of us have these unsightly covers sticking out in the yard. Some have them in the front yard, and some have them in the back yard. Wherever it may be, we do the best to "disguise" them in various means.

We have the septic tank in the back yard. I think it is better in the back than the front yard, where it might be more obvious, but ours seem to be right at the end of the drive and smack dab in the middle of the yard, just off the patio! We are diligent in maintaining it's proper working order, having it cleaned regularly by the "honey dipper", so we don't have an odor problem. But I still hate to see those tank lids sticking up. They are also a bother to mow around. We have tried various disguises, wine barrel planters, mulch, and flower beds. Everything we plant seems to grow well because of the underground warmth from the tank. But nothing has ever suited me. I have always been looking for that perfect disguise. Well I think I found it. Marc's had some bags of wildflower mulch. Seeds and mulch in one step. Just spread it over an area and water. After the seedlings sprouted, I had to cover it with chicken wire to keep the chickens from scratching it all to pieces. My hard work paid off. The septic tank lids are now invisible! and the wildflowers are awesome. The only thing I don't know is if these are annual or perennial wildflowers. I am hoping for perennial, if not I will be on the hunt for more of the wildflower mulch come next spring!

Funny Things

2008-07-08T20:07:00.003-04:00

My dad always sends me funny jokes he cuts out of the paper. most of them have to do with farming or chickens and cows. He usually hits it right on the funny bone when he finds one! Well I found one today and sent it to him via e-mail. I just thought I would let you in on some of the chicken humor around here!

4th of July

2008-07-07T10:00:00.004-04:00

On the porch
Neighbors and friends

Somewhere I read that the middle of the summer is the 4th of July. Does it really feel like summer? Not here. The garden is way behind and Dave has just cut his first hay. He cringes every morning as he watches the weather report. He would love a week of no rain and hot, windy conditions. With this little hay cut, some of the cows have to go to market. No hay, no feed. That also means the prices will go up come winter. Not a very good prospect if you are feeding hay to animals. The corn made it to "knee high by the 4th of July" but just barely. Corn likes the hot humid days to grow. It has been a little wet and some of the crop is behind.

We had a 4th of July Celebration at Chris and Tiffany's house. Everyone had a good time, even though it was cloudy and it was too cold to go swimming. But it was nice to sit on the porch and not be fried by the heat and eaten by bugs.

Patriotic Fred

Aunt Jean

The flowers of summer, hydrangas, were grown by one of Tiffany's cousins. The vase was a wedding present. They were not sure of what to do with the vase. They were afraid it was too expensive to use and they weren't quite sure where to put it. Some of the time it lives in the curio cabinet, but most of the time, Chris brings wild flowers home to Tiffany and they put them in the vase and enjoy it!

Summer flowers and the Versace vase

Thanks to Dad and Mom!

2008-07-03T13:57:00.006-04:00

I reminded my Dad today to check out my blog. He has just gotten High Speed Internet, and is navigating his way around. He was reading my blog, and commented that he didn't think he was mentioned enough when I described my chicken coop building projects. While I did acknowledge his help with the projects, perhaps I didn't say enough about Dad and his help. My Dad is an ANGEL! He has helped me with more cockamamie projects than you can shake a stick at. From waterlines to chicken coops, he is versatile! I can call him anytime and he comes right over. We called him this week on the eve of the 4th of July Holiday and he came to the rescue and installed the ice maker in Tiffany's fridge, even though he had some other pans on the fire, so to speak. He lives about 13 miles from me and he is more than willing to come and help any time. He can fix just about anything and figure stuff out that you can't even imagine. I can call him and if he is available he can come to help or being the stubborn one and I want to do it myself, he will give me directions and advice over the phone. Recently I called him for advice on a bathroom sink faucet installation. I was having a little trouble getting the water connection tight enough. He said that sometimes you have to crank down on the fitting a little harder than you expected, but if I gave him a minute, he would be right over. I told Dad I would love to have him come and help me, but I was in Florida, on vacation making the repair, not at home. We laughed quite a bit about that, but I told him the plane leaves from Cleveland several times a day and he could be in Florida in about 4 hours and I would love to have him come down.

Here is Dad, who we lovingly call Poppy, and my mom, who we call Nana. She has always been a big help to me too! We love to go to on adventures and to lunch together as often as we can.

So here's to you Dad and Mom! Thanks for all you do for me and the boys and Tiff! We Love You very much!

Favorite Creative Item

2008-07-01T00:54:00.002-04:00

Pot Tower

Weekend Adventures

2008-06-30T22:53:00.009-04:00

What did you do this weekend? I enjoyed one of the most incredible weekends! We went Drag Racing. For those of you who know us, you understand, for those that are just getting to know us...well let me tell you a story. Long ago and far away, in another time, we went drag racing. It all started with my husband Dave and his friends in High School. We would all run out to Dragway 42 or Norwalk to race cars. Nothing fancy, just the cars they drove everyday to school or work. Sometimes we did well, and sometimes we had to tow the car home. Skip ahead a few years, and we were racing a Top Alcohol Dragster. It went fast, very fast. Both Dave and his brother drove over 300 mph in about 6 seconds down a quarter mile track. We did this all over the Eastern United States and Canada. We would hurry home Friday after work, drive to the race track,some were 12 hours away, race all day Saturday and Sunday, and then drive home and be at work on Monday morning. We did this before we were married and before we had children, then we did it after the children came and took them along. We took friends and relatives to help us drive and work on the car between rounds. We slept in strange hotel/motels and sometimes in the truck, but it was fun. We did this for about 20 years in all. After Dave's bypass in 1998, we slowed down a little. We still went, but the kids were growing and everything was getting more expensive. So we parked the car and trailer and went on to do other things. But our love for racing didn't stop there. Instead of a participant we became spectators. One of the best things as former racers, we knew a lot of folks that still raced and we were able to stay behind the scenes, so to speak and still to this day, we enjoy talking and interacting with the drivers and crews of some of the most famous drag racers today. I love to have the drivers sign my t-shirt or hat and have my picture taken with the drivers. Well Dave is not a photographer and he often chops my head off. Saturday was no exception. So instead of me having my picture taken with a famous driver, he only managed to have get a picture of me and Mike, the CAT salesman.

We travel out of state just to see races. Except for this weekend, it was right in our own backyard, Norwalk, OH! Even the drizzle couldn't keep us away. If you have never been to a drag race, it is very hard to explain. First two cars line up side by side, and wait for the Christmas tree to go from yellow to green, sort of like waiting for the stoplight to change. Then comes the thunder.It is awesome. If you have ever had Life Flight fly over your house and shake the China cabinet, multiply that times 10! When you are in the stands, it shakes you to the bone. The sound and the smell of burning rubber and nitrous is indescribable. But the day was cut short by rain, so we headed home, tired.

On Sunday, Mick brought home his new travel trailer. This was his $500 bargain. He said it was the next step up form his previous trailer/camper the Redneck Special.He was very excited and is getting it ready to go camping this weekend.He will go 4 wheeling with his friends in Wellsville.

On Sunday we visited the farm, and help Grandpa with his Farmall tractor. I took pictures of the cows at the farm and all the tractors and equipment to get some practice. We went to Mount Eaton to pick up a barn beam and then we ended up at Chris' house to help him with his barn. When I got home I threw a load of laundry in the wash and ran out to the chicken coop to pick eggs and close up the doors. When I got back into the house, Dave was comfortable in his recliner watching the highlights from the race on TV and all I heard was this sound like a squealing pig! I ran downstairs to find the washer smoking the belts. I shut the thing off and went upstairs to find out that Dave never heard it or smelled it! So needless to say I spent today at the laundromat, washing as many clothes as I could carry, in case there would be a delay in the washer replacement. After the laundromat, I was right on the hunt for a new machine. The old one served its time for 17 years and 2 boys and a farm, so I picked out a new energy efficient water saving model and carried it home. It has already done 2 loads tonight! Sorry for being so winded on this post, but I just had to share the exhausting weekend. I am sure I left something out.

If the photos are to small, just click on them and you will get a larger image.

The Cows

Chris and Tommy on the Barn roof!

Today's Project

2008-06-26T21:46:00.004-04:00

Most people know that I love to do crafty things. I am not limited to your usual craft store type crafts, but I go for the unusual and different craft. Some time back I was introduced to POWER TOOLS! Yes, my first tool was a cordless drill. Then Dave got me a chop saw, a table saw and a saws all. I was in heaven. I learned by trial and error and with my dad's guidance I learned how to use the tools properly and safely. I drool at Home Depot and I am a card caring member of the Craftsman Club at Sears. I am always waiting to see what new tool Dave will bring home for me. I love to have the latest tool on the shelf. Christmas presents always involve tools. Along with Dave, my son's friend Tommy brings me an unending supply of scrap wood from the job. I have an innate sense and ability to look at something in a picture or at someone else's home (yes, I steal ideas) and I make it. Sometimes I modify it to my needs, and sometimes the projects work all by themselves. I also have done some of the remodeling projects at home. (Some not finished yet) With my Dad's help I have built a chicken coop from recycled materials. (Casa de Pollo) I have built benches and flower boxes, nesting boxes for the chickens, and roosts. Today I made solar light posts. I saw them somewhere and decided that I could make them too. The challenge was finding the right materials. After finding materials that I thought would work, I had to recreate them from memory, and sometimes that is a little fuzzy. I remember taking a picture of them with my cell phone but that was a phone or two ago and who knows where that picture is now. And just in case you are wondering, no I do not sell my projects, I usually give them away to family and friends.

As a side note... I got a most welcome call from my friend Cindy in North Carolina. Cindy and I started off as pen pals more than 30 years ago through Teen Magazine. Some people say they have a twin somewhere in the world, and if you were to see Cindy and I together you would think we very well could be related. How can two people be so far apart in miles yet have so much in common? Cindy and I married out high school sweethearts. They are both farmers! So is her dad. We were married just a few years apart, and we have children all about the same ages. She has two girls and a boy, I have two boys. Cindy has one up on me...she has adorable grand babies! Any way, her call today brought the most wonderful feeling of joy to my heart. There will be months that we don't have any kind of communication, and when we happen to get together or call, it is like we never have been apart. So now the plan is in the works. We will both be 50 this year and I think it is time for another get together. I talked to Dave tonight and I will be working on a plan for a trip to N.Carolina in September. I can't wait to see her and her family.

Garden Update

2008-06-24T21:24:00.009-04:00

The rain has really perked things up around here. The Potatoes in a Bag are growing out of the bag. The tomatoes have really taken off in the bucket. They are doing better than the ones in the garden.I even have a few red cherry tomatoes that I have been eating. Todays project was for my daughter in law, Tiffany. A few years ago I saw a potting table/bench in a magazine. It was advertised for $150.00. The measurements seemed small for a potting bench, so of course I thought I could do one better. I figured and measured and Dave brought home some recycled wood. I sawed and drilled and screwed and I made the bench. I painted it with house paint and used it lovingly for a few years. Tiffany saw it and said she would like one. Well, I didn't use treated wood, and the weather took it's toll on my bench, and when I went to move it up to the barn to copy it for Tiffany, it fell apart :( I was sad, but I knew the next one would be better. This time Dave brought home treated lumber and something called Trex. It is recycled plastic wood. Cuts like wood, sawslike wood, but it doesn't rot. I set to work this morning, taking careful measurements of the old bench and began putting the new one together. I finished it about 4:00 this afternoon. And it is beautiful. Better than the first one. Now Tiffany and Chris can use it as a potting bench or Tiffany thought it would make a nice drink station on the porch when she BBQ's.

After all the rain on Sunday, here is what we saw as the sun set. It was the most awesome pink and purple sky I had even seen.

Jam, Jam, Jam, Everywhere

2008-06-20T22:21:00.003-04:00

Today I finished making some more jam. I made a batch for Gail and her family, I helped Tiffany make some for gifts, and then Buehler's had Blueberries on sale, so we just had to make a few batches of Blueberry. In all we made 95 pints of jam! We were really on a roll. If I had more fruit I would have made more.

Nature's Bounty

2008-06-19T22:30:00.008-04:00

My friend Gail and I went to Yoga Class today. We have been away too long and we sure felt the bones creak today. The best thing about class is the relaxation and stress relief we get. We also get to see all our other Yoga friends. After class we went to Buehler's for lunch. Then I got the CALL! Mr .Bill had located 96 quarts of fresh picked strawberries for $1.75 a quart. He wanted to know if I wanted them. I told him I could do about 50 quarts but that was my limit. He said he would call when he got closer to ome he would call. He brought home all 96 quarts! I took 24 quarts, my friend took 24 quarts and he managed to get rid of the other berries to friends and family. So now I had my work cut out for me. Get home, straighten the kitchen and start freezing! and that is what Idid. But after a while I got tired of freezing, so I decided to make jam!

My daughter -in - law stopped by and brought 4 more quarts.

We made 47 pints of jam.

And today's good news is the hens started laying again. Several of them thought they were on vacation and stopped laying, some went broody and hatched a few chicks, but now they are back to work.

I can't wait to see what tommorow's adventure will be!

Happy Anniversary

2008-06-13T16:48:00.005-04:00

Happy Anniversary. It was 27 years ago today I married my high school sweetheart. Today we spent time at the Cleveland Clinic with the Cardiologist. Dave has Coronary Artery Disease. It is hereditary and he had bypass surgery at 40 and stents at 50. We plan on holding onto him for a long time. What better way to spend an anniversary than with the one you love and helping him maintain good health. After a few tests and several suggestions from the Dr., we will adding some changes to his diet and exercise and he is going to try Yoga to reduce his stress level. After the Clinic we enjoyed lunch together and then came home for a relaxing afternoon. We are looking forward to another 27years together.

Another Day in the Garden cont......

2008-06-12T12:24:00.004-04:00

OOOPS, sorry, no text with the photos, new blogger mistake. Well I got the new camera, so I included the experimental gardening projects I have attempted this year. Tomatoes on a Bucket, Potatoes in a Bag, (regular and sweet potatoes) and Straw Bale Gardening. All seem to be successful. The last picture is of the new peeps. I could only take one picture because the hens are hiding them.These new peeps will go to my sister in Milan,OH. She has a grub and mole problem, and she heard that the chickens will eat the grubs and then the moles will move on to someone else's yard. So as soon as she gets her chicken house built, off they go. I also did a lot of container gardening with the annuals. i could add splashes of color without doing whole flower beds. The flowerbeds are mostly perrennials now.

Another day in the garden

2008-06-12T12:12:00.005-04:00

2008-06-11T22:16:00.002-04:00

Stampin'Cats asked who are the people in the photos. This is The Wedding picture. Taken at Buffalo Creek Retreat, October 2007. I am on the left, next to me is my oldest son Chris, his new wife, Tiffany, my husband Dave, and my youngest son Mick. In the cow photo, Chris is to the left with his prize winning heifer Bess, and Mick is on the right with his prize winning heifer Sweetie.

Wednesday's Adventure

2008-06-11T22:05:00.003-04:00

I didn't get to the garden today. We went on an adventure. My daughter in law Tiffany, my friend Gail and her husband Jim and I drove to Mount Hope for the auction. (Thanks for driving Jim!)Although we keep telling ourselves we are done planting for the year, we brought home more plants.... tomatoes, peppers, ornamental cabbage and some more flowers. We just can't help ourselves. Gail bought 10 dozen fertilized eggs so now Jim will set them in the incubator. We didn't learn our lesson last year with 100 chicks, so here we go again. Tiffany decided that she needed plants for her garden. A new husband, a new house and all summer off (she teaches kindergarten) she decided she needed a garden too! And since my son Chris tore up the yard this winter with his building project, she has the perfect spot to put in a garden. We just have to keep the bunny rabbits out.
Tiffany's dad was at a different auction and brought home 52 quarts of strawberries. So Tiffany and I froze them tonight. It was a busy day. I think I will need to rest tomorrow.

2008-06-10T11:31:00.003-04:00

What a welcome rain. Everything here was parched and needed a good drink. hoses and watering cans are OK, but a good soaking is better. No damage from the wind, but the rain sure made the weeds pop!. I guess I know what I'll be doing this afternoon.

Welcome

2008-06-09T09:15:00.000-04:00

This is my first entry to my blog. As soon as I figure out the specifics, I will update photos and such. Although my children are grown, one married, the other still at home finishing college and looking for his life's direction, they provide me with constant entertainment. I will include some photos as I go along, but someone else always has the camera. I think I need to get my own digital camera so I can update regular posts.

This is Our Family. This is probably the only time we are all together, cleaned and dressed up.

This is what we do. Farm. Cows, chickens, grain, corn and hay.

So this is my first attempt at making a blog page. Hopefully I can do better next time.