Monday, March 16, 2015

Long winter's nap

I just realized that I have not written down anything all winter long.  Now that I am looking towards the end of the week and the calendar start of Spring I realized I have had a long winter's nap from my blogging.  That does not mean there was nothing to report, just never thought about it.

So let's get up to date. . . .The pumpkin patches did wonderfully and I sold out of pink pumpkins faster than I expected.  I roasted all but 2 chocolate pumpkins; 1 of which is still hanging around since cows don't seem to think that pumpkins are very tasty.  Christmas time was filled with family and friends and a very emotional Christmas eve church service a year after my grandmother passed away.  January and February found me traveling every weekend to the Tien farm so that I could go to beginner's dance class with Larry.  I know how to dance; so it was so he would have a partner to learn to dance with.  That was fun and culminated with a dinner and dance for both the beginner and advance classes on March 14th.  I am so glad I remember how to dance from my teens and 20s and have not forgotten; it is just challenging to not lead and dance backwards even when trying to teach someone the moves.

Some of the winter weekends found me coming home with kindling or small loads of firewood as we started to clean up around the farm.  My car seems to think that maybe it is a small pickup.



March also brought out the sleeping gardener in me.  I have my seeds ordered and have plans already of a big garden at the Tien farm with pumpkin patches in both Rawlins and Phillips counties.  I am also working to partner with the Rawlins County High School FFA chapter and some local 4H members for growing the pink pumpkins.  Trying to figure out how much seed we all need is proving to be the biggest obstacle right now.

Daisy dog is having a great time at the Tien farm.  She helps with the cows when she is allowed.  She is sometimes a bit more zealous than what they need.  She helps me when we are trying to get them in one part of a feed lot so we can open the gate on the other end for the hay bales to be delivered.  She is so fast and she can jump fences if necessary.  She is also very smart and can look at the different fences to figure out if she needs to crawl through or just jump.  She loves to ride in the tractor and on the 4-wheeler.  Of course, riding in the pickup is always fun.  She can even run up the side of the big round bales and likes to sit up there while the hay grinder is on the yard for grinding silage.
Daisy helping me feed fall cows.
Daisy watching over silage grinding

Daisy looking for the cows


Riding along in the pickup

Warm sunshine means naptime!

Larry has chosen a location for him to build his house on.  I am being helpful as we are currently working on pulling up fencing and posts, moving buildings or taking them apart, and have even had a tree person stop by for tree removal.  That is the big project for the rest of the year is getting the spot prepared for digging of a basement and ultimately building a house and garage that he can call his own home.  It will be great when all the family is at the farm because with the extra house there will be extra bathrooms and bedrooms for everyone to have a little room to themselves.  Some of this clearing and cleaning up includes my garden area so hopefully we will have that ready for planting by the 2nd weekend of May.



So as spring has sprung and the trees start to bud out and the flowers start to emerge from their long naps under the dirt, it is time to think about trimming back the pampas grass, spray the weeds which are always the first to wake up, trim back the flower beds and get them all cleared of last years dried mulch and such so they can bring their beauty forth.  So I am going to be getting the smaller garden spots in my care ready for planting of a pink pumpkin patch, get the mowers ready for the mowing season and try to clean up from winter's drying out.  All we need now is a whole lot more moisture than we have in the ground or it could be a growing season cut short by Mother Nature's design.

Calving season has started with Franklin being the first calf born.  He is all black with a white face.  Black calves are not supposed to show up in the Tien herd so we were wondering who had an unauthorized visitor.

I have been lucky enough to be around for a few of the calves arrival to the farm.  Lucy and Linus showed up on a very cold afternoon and had to go to the warming box for the night.  The next morning we took them to mom in the barn to see how everyone was going to get along.  Linus and mom are back out in the pasture and Lucy was adopted to another mom who lost her calf.  They are doing great as well and back out with the cows too.
On March 15 I helped Larry deliver a very large bull calf who is now being called Pig Pen.  He was HUGE - over 100 pounds.  Mom and he got moved to the barn and it took both Larry and I to lift him up into the trailer.  Mom was working on getting him cleaned up and is patiently waiting for him to get with the program.  As I am writing this I got a text letting me know that Pig Pen is now standing up and doing better as the day progresses.  

I promise to do a better job of writing now.  I guess I just lost the creative juices for the winter or they needed a rest or something.