Well, the day has been set when Major will leave. It won't be permanent, but it will be for about 6 weeks. I am not sure how I will handle it when she comes on Saturday to pick him up.
Of course, he is not my horse. Of course, I have known that he will be leaving at some point.
But it doesn't make it any easier.
He is such a good friend. He challenges me, he argues with me, but we always part friends. He has his quirks, which I have taken the time and effort to figure out-- and vice versa.
I will miss seeing his face three times a day, hearing his voice each time I enter the barn, and dodging his gaping jaws as he attempts to take a hunk out of my arm about 6 times a day. : )
If you are an Iowegian (that's what they are called here), come and see him at the Iowa State Fair on August 17. That is why he is leaving-- M is going to enter him in both driving and riding, and she will be working with him for the next few weeks up until the fair.
If you are not an Iowegian, and watching the Major General is not enough to draw you to Iowa, consider that our fair is the best in the country!
P.S. While I was researching a link to prove this claim of being the best fair in the land, I came across this information from the Iowa State Fair website:
In 2004, USA Weekend magazine named the Iowa State Fair as the number two place Americans go to have fun. The Fair followed Las Vegas and bested New York City’s Times Square, Cedar Point Amusement Park Resort in Sandusky, OH, Cape Cod, MA, and Disneyland in Anaheim, CA, on the Top Ten list. The June issue of Esquire magazine included the Iowa State Fair as “best state fair” in its list of “15 Superlative Things to Experience Before Labor Day.”
Additionally, the Fair, which has twice been named Tourism Event of the Year, was named one of the Top Thirty Things Every Midwesterner Should Experience by Midwest Living magazine. Plus, our event has been featured in the New York Times best-selling travel book, 1000 Places to See Before You Die. The book is described as “an around-the-world, continent-by-continent listing of places guaranteed to give you the shivers.” The Iowa State Fair is listed as the only Iowa destination and the only state fair in the country as one of the world’s must-see events. In May 2003, The Wall Street Journal ranked the Iowa event among the top three fairs in the U.S. and Canada. Attendance last year topped 1,053,000.
Thursday, June 30, 2005
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
Breaking News.
Breaking news here at the farm:
After an exhausting collaborative summit, the goats have names.
Ernie
Bert
Our work here is done. Time for bed.
After an exhausting collaborative summit, the goats have names.
Ernie
Bert
Our work here is done. Time for bed.
Monday, June 27, 2005
And XX was his Name-O
Yeah. We don't have names for the goats. Any good suggestions? Too bad they aren't llamas, we already have some good names for them.
The people from whom we got the goats did not name them, either, in anticipation of selling them, so we don't even have names we inherited.
I want to name them Chaos and Havoc, but nobody else likes those names. The kids are voting for things like Lightning and Sunshine, which seem boring to me.
So bring on the suggestions!
The people from whom we got the goats did not name them, either, in anticipation of selling them, so we don't even have names we inherited.
I want to name them Chaos and Havoc, but nobody else likes those names. The kids are voting for things like Lightning and Sunshine, which seem boring to me.
So bring on the suggestions!
Sunday, June 26, 2005
I'm Tired. No time to blog. Must.... have.....sleep......
Click on the photo below to see what transpired this long, busy, exhausting weekend!!
Friday, June 24, 2005
There it is folks. In Black and White.
This statistic was quoted from an article published 8/23/2004 regarding the Coalition to Support Iowa's Farmers. I alluded to similar numbers before, which I just gleaned from conversation regarding farmers. Now I have some statistical evidence to back it up.
Also, FYI, I live in Madison County, but Dallas County is just north of me a few miles. Our counties in Iowa are very small. So this is "my neck of the woods."
"The median household income in Dallas County is $48,528. A farmer must sell 1,427 head of 750-pound feeder steers or nearly 6,700 farrow-to-finish hogs annually to equal that income, based on the 10-year average return for each commodity."
Folks, do the math. Even I, math-challenged as I am, can see that it works out to:
1 cow (profit, in 2004)=$34.00
1 pig (profit, in 2004) = $7.25
Firstly, if you have a "feeder steer" that means that you keep the momma cow, and she has a baby. That baby costs you nothing to buy. So here you are with this baby. You feed it until it's fat enough to go to market-- that is usually from the spring until the fall. Your costs are vet bills, any feed you need, the cost of keeping the mother healthy, shots, etc. Secondly, the acreage required to keep those two cattle-- the momma and baby-- is about 2 acres (conservatively) per pair. So you are going to get 1 feeder cow per 2 acres. Which means, for those 1,427 feeder cows, you need to have about 2850 acres on which to graze those cattle. That is a LOT of land.
Never will I complain about the cost of meat again. That is a killer way to make a living, and such a tight margin.
Let's all have steak tonight!!
Also, FYI, I live in Madison County, but Dallas County is just north of me a few miles. Our counties in Iowa are very small. So this is "my neck of the woods."
"The median household income in Dallas County is $48,528. A farmer must sell 1,427 head of 750-pound feeder steers or nearly 6,700 farrow-to-finish hogs annually to equal that income, based on the 10-year average return for each commodity."
Folks, do the math. Even I, math-challenged as I am, can see that it works out to:
1 cow (profit, in 2004)=$34.00
1 pig (profit, in 2004) = $7.25
Firstly, if you have a "feeder steer" that means that you keep the momma cow, and she has a baby. That baby costs you nothing to buy. So here you are with this baby. You feed it until it's fat enough to go to market-- that is usually from the spring until the fall. Your costs are vet bills, any feed you need, the cost of keeping the mother healthy, shots, etc. Secondly, the acreage required to keep those two cattle-- the momma and baby-- is about 2 acres (conservatively) per pair. So you are going to get 1 feeder cow per 2 acres. Which means, for those 1,427 feeder cows, you need to have about 2850 acres on which to graze those cattle. That is a LOT of land.
Never will I complain about the cost of meat again. That is a killer way to make a living, and such a tight margin.
Let's all have steak tonight!!
Thursday, June 23, 2005
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Shameful Case of Animal Abuse
And all my talk about Bubba.
Poor Rocky. I should be reported for being a bad dog mom. Every year I shave his fur in the summer. He has that coarse lab coat, but underneath he has the wispy, thick, fleecy hair that must be really hot. It's also the kind of fur that travels in packs, banding together in herds of dust rhinos, plotting to gang up on my vacuum.
So I shave him.
It works for both of us. He has to be hot with that fur, especially today, when it's 95 degrees and we don't have a/c.
Usually I use a 1/4" guard on the clippers, but it just "combs out" the fleece and gets in the way. This time I just did without the guard, but I didn't expect his fur to grow all kinds of ways. Some hair was cut short, other hair was cut bald. He is a MESS! He looks like a brindle dog, like he was bred that way.
The funniest thing was that when he was finished getting shaved, he ran all around, really fast, attacking Raven like he was some sort of superhero with special powers that he didn't have before! It's like when you used to get new shoes as a kid, and you were convinced that you could run really fast!
Here are some photos of the carnage. Call the SPCA!!
Poor Rocky. I should be reported for being a bad dog mom. Every year I shave his fur in the summer. He has that coarse lab coat, but underneath he has the wispy, thick, fleecy hair that must be really hot. It's also the kind of fur that travels in packs, banding together in herds of dust rhinos, plotting to gang up on my vacuum.
So I shave him.
It works for both of us. He has to be hot with that fur, especially today, when it's 95 degrees and we don't have a/c.
Usually I use a 1/4" guard on the clippers, but it just "combs out" the fleece and gets in the way. This time I just did without the guard, but I didn't expect his fur to grow all kinds of ways. Some hair was cut short, other hair was cut bald. He is a MESS! He looks like a brindle dog, like he was bred that way.
The funniest thing was that when he was finished getting shaved, he ran all around, really fast, attacking Raven like he was some sort of superhero with special powers that he didn't have before! It's like when you used to get new shoes as a kid, and you were convinced that you could run really fast!
Here are some photos of the carnage. Call the SPCA!!
Trauma
I just hung up from a dramatic emergency and rescue call. M called, and it seems that Bub got her head stuck in a peanut butter jar.
Now, lest you think we have dirty peanut butter jars lying around our home, you should know that this particular jar's purpose is to carefully measure out the exact amount of dog food when feeding the dogs. While I have asked for it to be kept IN THE DOG FOOD BIN, apparently it is better kept in the kitchen. FOR CATS TO GET THEIR HEADS STUCK IN!!
So there I am at work, a fair distance away, mid-project, talking my child through emergency extraction procedures. She keeps telling me that she can't get it off, she doesn't want to hurt her. I am envisioning myself having to tell my boss that I have to leave to remove the cat's head from a jar. Or to tell the police that I am speeding home to save my cat from suffocation. Or to have to pick up a dead cat with its head stuck in the peanut butter jar.
Thankfully, I calmly talked her through the procedure like a seasoned 911 operator. She extracted the kitty and PUT THE JAR BACK IN THE DOG FOOD BIN!
Where it will STAY. Right, B?
Now, lest you think we have dirty peanut butter jars lying around our home, you should know that this particular jar's purpose is to carefully measure out the exact amount of dog food when feeding the dogs. While I have asked for it to be kept IN THE DOG FOOD BIN, apparently it is better kept in the kitchen. FOR CATS TO GET THEIR HEADS STUCK IN!!
So there I am at work, a fair distance away, mid-project, talking my child through emergency extraction procedures. She keeps telling me that she can't get it off, she doesn't want to hurt her. I am envisioning myself having to tell my boss that I have to leave to remove the cat's head from a jar. Or to tell the police that I am speeding home to save my cat from suffocation. Or to have to pick up a dead cat with its head stuck in the peanut butter jar.
Thankfully, I calmly talked her through the procedure like a seasoned 911 operator. She extracted the kitty and PUT THE JAR BACK IN THE DOG FOOD BIN!
Where it will STAY. Right, B?
Monday, June 20, 2005
Sunday, June 19, 2005
R&R Sunday
Yesterday we baled nearly 6 tons of hay. Yep, that's right, even my math-challenged self can calculate that 239 50-pound bales of hay equals 5.975 TONS of hay.
We baled and stacked it on the hay racks, then brought it into the shed and restacked it all on pallets.
Michael Knight came over and helped-- what a friend! When you ask your friends to help you move, it's kind of that "dreaded favor." You know you'll sacrifice your weekend to be paid back in pizza and beer. But this, THIS was a HUGE sacrifice for any friend. And he volunteered!
B and MK worked their butts off, and though I worked hard, they worked circles around me.
Surprisingly, none of us are sore today. We are all feeling fine, but just tired. That's good, I think we were all bracing ourselves for the pain and stiffness to remind us that while we think we're young, we are really too old to be out in 90 degree weather for hours straight lifting TONS of hay.
Actually, I think it was the roast and potatoes I fixed for supper that made our bodies forgive us. : )
In the greater scheme of things, our tiny 6-acre hay field is nothing compared to some farmers' operations. I can't imagine square-baling any larger of a field, yet there are people who do it quite often.
***
Happy Father's Day! What did you get your dad?
We got B some car wash stuff. I have been driving his car a little more lately (for various reasons) and he doesn't like me to drive fast on the gravel in the morning (like over 20 mph) because it makes the dust stick to the dew on his car.
Well, for a perpetually late person like myself, driving under 20 mph is just not possible.
So, hopefully this will help him and his dusty car out!
Off to the hammock for some recuperation!
We baled and stacked it on the hay racks, then brought it into the shed and restacked it all on pallets.
Michael Knight came over and helped-- what a friend! When you ask your friends to help you move, it's kind of that "dreaded favor." You know you'll sacrifice your weekend to be paid back in pizza and beer. But this, THIS was a HUGE sacrifice for any friend. And he volunteered!
B and MK worked their butts off, and though I worked hard, they worked circles around me.
Surprisingly, none of us are sore today. We are all feeling fine, but just tired. That's good, I think we were all bracing ourselves for the pain and stiffness to remind us that while we think we're young, we are really too old to be out in 90 degree weather for hours straight lifting TONS of hay.
Actually, I think it was the roast and potatoes I fixed for supper that made our bodies forgive us. : )
In the greater scheme of things, our tiny 6-acre hay field is nothing compared to some farmers' operations. I can't imagine square-baling any larger of a field, yet there are people who do it quite often.
***
Happy Father's Day! What did you get your dad?
We got B some car wash stuff. I have been driving his car a little more lately (for various reasons) and he doesn't like me to drive fast on the gravel in the morning (like over 20 mph) because it makes the dust stick to the dew on his car.
Well, for a perpetually late person like myself, driving under 20 mph is just not possible.
So, hopefully this will help him and his dusty car out!
Off to the hammock for some recuperation!
Thursday, June 16, 2005
473,372,370 Seconds
473,372,370 seconds ago (or fifteen years and a few hours) I made a promise to my best friend that I would be there for him until the day I died. We have been through so much, and I can't imagine, as all the shit came our way, holding anyone else's hand through all of it.
He has a strong hands, ones that fit my hands perfectly. He has a great shoulder, and I lean on it often.
He supports me in my crazy ideas, like selling our suburban house and moving to the country. He's my hugest fan, he's always interested in my work and does whatever he can to make things easy for me.
He is the best dad any kid could ever have. My kids are so lucky to have him as their father.
I'm just so glad he's put up with me for 473,372,370 seconds so far.
He has a strong hands, ones that fit my hands perfectly. He has a great shoulder, and I lean on it often.
He supports me in my crazy ideas, like selling our suburban house and moving to the country. He's my hugest fan, he's always interested in my work and does whatever he can to make things easy for me.
He is the best dad any kid could ever have. My kids are so lucky to have him as their father.
I'm just so glad he's put up with me for 473,372,370 seconds so far.
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
Four Legged Toddlers
I was home today, enjoying the cool air-conditioned-less home (not being facetious, it was cool) and M came running in, "Pecos is eating a cord!" What??
So I went outside, and sure enough, those brats had torn off the cover of the waterer, snatched out the heat lamp and smashed the light bulb to smithereens.
I have decided that "farmer rigging" is really not such a bad thing. When I first moved in, I was mortified at the amount of things that were tied together with baling twine, wired together, or just cobbled in some fashion or another. Well, I have since realized that it's about getting things done. Have you ever set out to do a project, and then couldn't find your supplies or tools? And then, after rounding up what you needed, you went to do it, and something else was wrong or missing? And by the end of the day you didn't get anywhere near finishing what you set out to do?
Well that happens here a lot. And it's hard, because the nearest hardware store is 20+ minutes away (and the selection is limited), so you could waste a lot of time if you had to run back and forth for your supplies. So, you just grab the nearest fix (and most of the fixes are free or nearly free) and you move on so you can get something done!
Anyway, I digress. But you have come to expect that from me.
So we had this waterer farmer-rigged. It has a heat lamp on it, which keeps it from freezing. I found this handy gizmo that is an outlet converter with a thermostat on it. So if the temperature gets below 35 degrees, the outlet comes on, thus turning on the heat lamp. I left it plugged in over the summer, as I don't expect it to get below 35, so it should be just as we left it until winter.
OR SO I THOUGHT! I didn't count on some overgrown toddlers with hair trashing the cover, tearing out the cord and stomping the light to bits.
As if there isn't enough to do with 3 acres to eat!!
We really, really need some llamas. Or at least some goats. Somebody's got to eat all of this pasture. I bet the goats would eat more than the heat lamp, though.
Now, back to enjoying my cool house.
So I went outside, and sure enough, those brats had torn off the cover of the waterer, snatched out the heat lamp and smashed the light bulb to smithereens.
I have decided that "farmer rigging" is really not such a bad thing. When I first moved in, I was mortified at the amount of things that were tied together with baling twine, wired together, or just cobbled in some fashion or another. Well, I have since realized that it's about getting things done. Have you ever set out to do a project, and then couldn't find your supplies or tools? And then, after rounding up what you needed, you went to do it, and something else was wrong or missing? And by the end of the day you didn't get anywhere near finishing what you set out to do?
Well that happens here a lot. And it's hard, because the nearest hardware store is 20+ minutes away (and the selection is limited), so you could waste a lot of time if you had to run back and forth for your supplies. So, you just grab the nearest fix (and most of the fixes are free or nearly free) and you move on so you can get something done!
Anyway, I digress. But you have come to expect that from me.
So we had this waterer farmer-rigged. It has a heat lamp on it, which keeps it from freezing. I found this handy gizmo that is an outlet converter with a thermostat on it. So if the temperature gets below 35 degrees, the outlet comes on, thus turning on the heat lamp. I left it plugged in over the summer, as I don't expect it to get below 35, so it should be just as we left it until winter.
OR SO I THOUGHT! I didn't count on some overgrown toddlers with hair trashing the cover, tearing out the cord and stomping the light to bits.
As if there isn't enough to do with 3 acres to eat!!
We really, really need some llamas. Or at least some goats. Somebody's got to eat all of this pasture. I bet the goats would eat more than the heat lamp, though.
Now, back to enjoying my cool house.
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
The Answer
Well, it's a darn good thing that Michael knew the answer, since he was the ONLY one who posted a guess! I can't believe that all of you other 45 people that stopped by yesterday didn't even give it a try!
The noise I heard the night before last was a Barn Owl. Actually, I thought it was a Screech Owl myself, but come to find out, Screech Owls don't really screech! Barn Owls do. They are endangered in Iowa, so it is nice to know that one is living at our house. He is quite welcome here, though I wish he would contain his screaming to daylight hours.
It really sounded like some sort of crime had been committed outside of my window.
The noise I heard the night before last was a Barn Owl. Actually, I thought it was a Screech Owl myself, but come to find out, Screech Owls don't really screech! Barn Owls do. They are endangered in Iowa, so it is nice to know that one is living at our house. He is quite welcome here, though I wish he would contain his screaming to daylight hours.
It really sounded like some sort of crime had been committed outside of my window.
Monday, June 13, 2005
Belmont
Did you watch the Belmont Stakes? I hope you got to see Afleet Alex win! B and I were busy trying to get the kids' rooms done, but we took time out to watch Alex go. And go he did!
I wore my cool t-shirt to the airport.
Go Alex!
I wore my cool t-shirt to the airport.
Go Alex!
It's been too long.
Yes, I am still around! Forgive me for being so bad about blogging? Please?
The kids visited grandparents in the southwest US for the past couple of weeks. It was bittersweet-- B and I enjoyed some amazing time together. He is truly my best friend in the whole world. : ) We had so much fun, and wish the time had gone on forever.
However, we missed the kids terribly. I know they were having a great time, so that part was easy. But we missed them not being around. So it was difficult not to wish the time away.
Of course, we picked them up at the airport, and the bickering started all over again. Then I remembered those words, "Be careful what you wish for!" But all is back to normal at our house, and that's a good thing!
One of the things we did at home while the kids were gone, was to re-do their rooms. We tore out the gold carpeting to reveal some really cool (albeit scratched) hardwood floors in L's room. He told me yesterday he hated the floors because they weren't nice and finished like the downstairs. I reminded him that each of those scratches were from a boy or girl playing with toys, or a dog settling down to lie by his boy's bed, or a mom stepping on a lego when she tucked her kiddo in. He decided he liked his storytelling floors.
M's floor has a "Congoleum Art-Rug" on it. ( 1, 2, 3 ) It doesn't quite match the pastel pink walls and sheer drapes, but it doesn't look all that bad. We have a little more work to do-- scrubbing the carpet padding off of some areas, pulling staples, etc. I will definitely take photos when it's all done. And Mike, I haven't forgotten about the photos of the house I promise to post! I will do it...
I haven't ridden in quite a while. Our pasture grass is long, and Major is spooky-- which makes me spooky even before I get on. When I'm spooky, he's spooky, and then he's doubly spooky from the grass and from me. So I need to just get over it and get on his back. : )
It has rained so much here! Our crops are not doing well. K was supposed to put soybeans in our hayfield, but first he baled the hay and was going to put roundup on the field. He hasn't yet put the roundup on-- it's been so rainy. I don't know if it's too late or not for the beans. We may have to wait for next year.
And we will be having our other hayfield baled in square bales this year. We will pay for it, but it's worth it. We can store the bales inside (making much more of the hay usable), and small bales are so much easier to handle. Even paying to have it baled we will save so much money. The only hitch is that the man baling it just had back surgery-- he will drive the tractor, and that is all. We will do the rest of the work. Can you say big, big pain in store? I think we will be totally exhausted after stacking 200 bales (and that is a small field!!). We'll stack them on the rack, then unload them and restack them in the barn. I'll have biceps of steel next week! (or mush)
Happy Monday. Mine's manic-- hope yours isn't!
The kids visited grandparents in the southwest US for the past couple of weeks. It was bittersweet-- B and I enjoyed some amazing time together. He is truly my best friend in the whole world. : ) We had so much fun, and wish the time had gone on forever.
However, we missed the kids terribly. I know they were having a great time, so that part was easy. But we missed them not being around. So it was difficult not to wish the time away.
Of course, we picked them up at the airport, and the bickering started all over again. Then I remembered those words, "Be careful what you wish for!" But all is back to normal at our house, and that's a good thing!
One of the things we did at home while the kids were gone, was to re-do their rooms. We tore out the gold carpeting to reveal some really cool (albeit scratched) hardwood floors in L's room. He told me yesterday he hated the floors because they weren't nice and finished like the downstairs. I reminded him that each of those scratches were from a boy or girl playing with toys, or a dog settling down to lie by his boy's bed, or a mom stepping on a lego when she tucked her kiddo in. He decided he liked his storytelling floors.
M's floor has a "Congoleum Art-Rug" on it. ( 1, 2, 3 ) It doesn't quite match the pastel pink walls and sheer drapes, but it doesn't look all that bad. We have a little more work to do-- scrubbing the carpet padding off of some areas, pulling staples, etc. I will definitely take photos when it's all done. And Mike, I haven't forgotten about the photos of the house I promise to post! I will do it...
I haven't ridden in quite a while. Our pasture grass is long, and Major is spooky-- which makes me spooky even before I get on. When I'm spooky, he's spooky, and then he's doubly spooky from the grass and from me. So I need to just get over it and get on his back. : )
It has rained so much here! Our crops are not doing well. K was supposed to put soybeans in our hayfield, but first he baled the hay and was going to put roundup on the field. He hasn't yet put the roundup on-- it's been so rainy. I don't know if it's too late or not for the beans. We may have to wait for next year.
And we will be having our other hayfield baled in square bales this year. We will pay for it, but it's worth it. We can store the bales inside (making much more of the hay usable), and small bales are so much easier to handle. Even paying to have it baled we will save so much money. The only hitch is that the man baling it just had back surgery-- he will drive the tractor, and that is all. We will do the rest of the work. Can you say big, big pain in store? I think we will be totally exhausted after stacking 200 bales (and that is a small field!!). We'll stack them on the rack, then unload them and restack them in the barn. I'll have biceps of steel next week! (or mush)
Happy Monday. Mine's manic-- hope yours isn't!
Monday, June 06, 2005
Did You Sing?
Did you have a spring in your step this morning on your way to work? Do you usually?
Do you sing in the car? If you do, do you sing really loudly with no regard for how horrible you might sound (like I do) or are you one of those self-conscious singers who just silently mouths the words? I have to be a silent singer when I am riding with someone (unless I can enlist them to "sing with me!").
Michael said he was seat dancing and was caught on a cell-phone cam by a passer-by! Do you seat dance? Do you worry that people will see you? (or take photographic evidence of your insanity?)
I got a new iPod this weekend. I spent the weekend transferring songs over to it, and I played it this morning on the way to work (with the FM transmitter gizmo I bought). I was seat dancing, singing along, as I enjoyed my breakfast of wheat thins and pepper jack cheese, washed down with a Coke. (Breakfast of champions, don't you know?)
Happiness is contagious, so I'm trying to spread some of it around to you.
What is new at our farm? Hmmm, lemme think:
1) I have decided that having children keeps clear boundaries between adults and children in the home. Friday night we didn't go to bed until 2 am, we slept until 10:30 am, and only did what we wanted to do on Saturday. Dishes were dirty in the sink, junk was left around the house, it looked like a bunch of kids lived there! Thankfully, on Sunday I got the cleaning bug and tidied up. When M&L get back home, we'll get back to that routine!
2) The horses are sick. They had their vaccinations on Saturday, and moped around yesterday, and are still not well today. It hurts me to see them in such pain! : (
3) It's going to be 90 degrees today! B said he would open the windows in our house (they have storm windows that have to be removed and replaced with screens). He didn't. So maybe he'll have to take me to a movie this afternoon! I think we are the only people in Iowa with no a/c. No, I take that back, Bubba has no A/C.
4) Speaking of Bubba, did you know that he got a new dog? That's right, when you kill your first dog because of neglect, be sure to run right out and get another. Shameful. However, I do have to say that he tidied up his yard, put up a hammock, put in a garden, and for the first time in a while, his dogs have not chased my car. Maybe he HAS turned over a new leaf?
I promised pictures of all of our adventures, I know, I know. But the ones didn't turn out (no, not because of naked deer!), and we really haven't been anywhere adventurous to take photos! I'll be sure to post some if we do go somewhere photo-worthy.
Happy Monday. Be sure to sing loudly on the way home! Think of you and me doing a loud, off-key duet. : )
Do you sing in the car? If you do, do you sing really loudly with no regard for how horrible you might sound (like I do) or are you one of those self-conscious singers who just silently mouths the words? I have to be a silent singer when I am riding with someone (unless I can enlist them to "sing with me!").
Michael said he was seat dancing and was caught on a cell-phone cam by a passer-by! Do you seat dance? Do you worry that people will see you? (or take photographic evidence of your insanity?)
I got a new iPod this weekend. I spent the weekend transferring songs over to it, and I played it this morning on the way to work (with the FM transmitter gizmo I bought). I was seat dancing, singing along, as I enjoyed my breakfast of wheat thins and pepper jack cheese, washed down with a Coke. (Breakfast of champions, don't you know?)
Happiness is contagious, so I'm trying to spread some of it around to you.
What is new at our farm? Hmmm, lemme think:
1) I have decided that having children keeps clear boundaries between adults and children in the home. Friday night we didn't go to bed until 2 am, we slept until 10:30 am, and only did what we wanted to do on Saturday. Dishes were dirty in the sink, junk was left around the house, it looked like a bunch of kids lived there! Thankfully, on Sunday I got the cleaning bug and tidied up. When M&L get back home, we'll get back to that routine!
2) The horses are sick. They had their vaccinations on Saturday, and moped around yesterday, and are still not well today. It hurts me to see them in such pain! : (
3) It's going to be 90 degrees today! B said he would open the windows in our house (they have storm windows that have to be removed and replaced with screens). He didn't. So maybe he'll have to take me to a movie this afternoon! I think we are the only people in Iowa with no a/c. No, I take that back, Bubba has no A/C.
4) Speaking of Bubba, did you know that he got a new dog? That's right, when you kill your first dog because of neglect, be sure to run right out and get another. Shameful. However, I do have to say that he tidied up his yard, put up a hammock, put in a garden, and for the first time in a while, his dogs have not chased my car. Maybe he HAS turned over a new leaf?
I promised pictures of all of our adventures, I know, I know. But the ones didn't turn out (no, not because of naked deer!), and we really haven't been anywhere adventurous to take photos! I'll be sure to post some if we do go somewhere photo-worthy.
Happy Monday. Be sure to sing loudly on the way home! Think of you and me doing a loud, off-key duet. : )
Saturday, June 04, 2005
What Freaky People Do When They Have Too Much Time On Their Hands.
Most young couples sit around and pine for children, dreaming up names for their sweet babies.
Not us. Being the freaks that we are, we are dreaming up names for our future llamas. Llamas are cool, and we hope to own them (or, more accurately, be owned by them) someday.
We have come up with the following names:
Yo Llama
Como Se Llama
Dalai Llama (or Dolly, if a girl)
Nacho Llama
Do you have any suggestions?
Not us. Being the freaks that we are, we are dreaming up names for our future llamas. Llamas are cool, and we hope to own them (or, more accurately, be owned by them) someday.
We have come up with the following names:
Yo Llama
Como Se Llama
Dalai Llama (or Dolly, if a girl)
Nacho Llama
Do you have any suggestions?
Friday, June 03, 2005
Feeling Naked
I feel like I forgot my clothes, or my purse, or something else important. L left Tuesday for a visit to B's parents, and M left on Saturday. So we are "temporarily child-free by choice."
It's a weird feeling, the house is quiet, there is not an abundance of dirty clothes, dishes, shoes, toys, computer power supplies, or all of the other things I am usually complaining about! Thank goodness for the animals, because if it was any quieter around here, I think I would have to stay at work until B got home!
We went to Roseman Bridge on Wednesday evening. We saw about 25 deer on the way, a relatively short drive. Deer are everywhere! I took pictures of the deer and the bridge, but it was dusk, and none of the photos turned out, even after attempting to work some iPhoto magic on them.
Last night we got steaks and stayed in. I am not sure what our plans are for this evening. I would like to go to Prairie Meadows (a racetrack) to see some live horse racing. But there are a million other choices for things to do as well.
And as much as I hate to admit it, there's something to be said for hanging around here and saying to each other every five minutes, "Hey! Listen! Hear that? Me either! It's quiet!"
Happy Day! TGIF!
It's a weird feeling, the house is quiet, there is not an abundance of dirty clothes, dishes, shoes, toys, computer power supplies, or all of the other things I am usually complaining about! Thank goodness for the animals, because if it was any quieter around here, I think I would have to stay at work until B got home!
We went to Roseman Bridge on Wednesday evening. We saw about 25 deer on the way, a relatively short drive. Deer are everywhere! I took pictures of the deer and the bridge, but it was dusk, and none of the photos turned out, even after attempting to work some iPhoto magic on them.
Last night we got steaks and stayed in. I am not sure what our plans are for this evening. I would like to go to Prairie Meadows (a racetrack) to see some live horse racing. But there are a million other choices for things to do as well.
And as much as I hate to admit it, there's something to be said for hanging around here and saying to each other every five minutes, "Hey! Listen! Hear that? Me either! It's quiet!"
Happy Day! TGIF!
Wednesday, June 01, 2005
Please people!
Come on! Vote Early, Vote often! and let me know if you think my kids should read my blog!! click here
and let me know if you think my kids should read my blog!!
and let me know if you think my kids should read my blog!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
