The Fly

I don't know why but I get a bit into Halloween. For the past few years we have had a theme the kids dress up in and this year happened to be "There was an old lady who swallowed a fly". This is a story the kids and I have read a number of times everyone found a character that fit them. Since we spend out Halloween evening trick or treating at the grandma's and great grandma's houses we decided that we would have them play the "old lady" for us. As you can see we had the cute little fly (Luke), the spider (David), the bird (me), the cat (Rose), the dog (stuffed), the cow (Paul), and the horse (Mary). Now you might wonder why medical personal is present for this theme. The old lady story ends with her dying since she swallowed a horse and Simon didn't like this ending. So to solve this he decided to be the surgeon that would save the old lady's life by taking all the animals our of her. What a thoughtful young man.

 Here are the pictures we gathered through the night with all our "old ladies".

 

One final group shot hanging out on the quad track. What a good looking bunch.

 The day after Halloween is my youngest Luke's birthday. He made such a cute little fly for Halloween and at our last stop for the night at my in laws he got his first birthday present. His own loader tractor and it is red like dad's. Luke was ecstatic to have his own loader. He has been using his big brothers tractors and had all but worn them out.

Here is a  collection of cute Luke pic from over the year. He has grown up so fast and become such a little man. Happy Birthday Luke. I love you.

The Bountiful Harvest of 2015

Some how the fall as just flown by. Here it is already the end of October and I have neglected connecting with you and letting you know what we have been up to. In an attempt to catch you up on what the fall held for us on the farm here is a "photo story" for your enjoyment. Thanks mom for all the great photos which document our busy life.

The major event here, as it is every fall was that harvesting of the crops that have been growing all summer. We were blessed this year with rain when it was needed so the crops produced well. On the farm we are ever dependent on Mother Nature and the Lords good graces. We are so thankful that both smiled on us and we were able to have a bountiful harvest.

After the corn had been taken out of the fields it was time to get the rake and baler out to make the many corn stalk bales. These will be needed for bedding and feed for the cattle throughout the winter months. It was my job to run the rake and Paul followed with the baler. The was fun spending time with him in the field waving at him as we passed. We had to stop after the field was complete for a quick picture.

After the baling was finished it was time to pick up the bales. This required many trips back and forth to the fields. The bales were then carefully stacked for storage until needed.

 

Pretty an one of my favorite fall sights.

 

After all this time spend helping us make and pick up bales, Luke spent much time at home moving his bales. A Popsicle stick taped into his loader and a bunch of toilet paper rolls were all he needed for hours of play farming fun. Too cute.

 

While the men were busy out in the fields, us women spent many hours in the kitchen doing the last of our seasonal canning. We spent a big day making applesauce out of 14 pails of apples. We don't do anything small scale when it comes to canning and have gotten the process down to a science.

My sister Nancy and my daughter Rose put the hot apples through the colander to make the sauce. The little ones love to be part of the action and we make sure to find little jobs they can do to help out. I think it's important that the kids learn it can be fun to work together to get these big jobs done.  

We ended up with about 200 quarts of applesauce that day.  On a later day we made apple pie filling making about 60 quarts on that day. It sure is tasty and will be enjoyed by many.

 

One of my favorite summer time events is eating meals on my wrap around porch. The kids and I had to enjoy this for the last few warm days of fall. The weather had turned cold, we actually saw the first few snow flakes last evening, so I fear our outside meals have come to an end for another year. Good memories.

The fall also included working with the cattle. The cows have been brought in from pasture and put in the corn stalk field surrounding the farm. The eat the corn husks and any corn left by the combine. They will stay out there until the snow starts to fall. The market animals had to be put through the head gate and treated. It is important to keep an eye on them and make sure their vaccinations and treatments are up to date.

As you can see it has been a busy fall but that is the way we like things here on the farm. Being busy means that it was a productive growing season and we are so grateful for the bounty of blessings we have received this year.





Taking the voice of Farmers to DC

   This last week Paul and I had the honor of traveling to Washington DC so we could visit with members of congress and bring forward concerns of farmers here in Minnesota and across the country. We were accompanied by 25 other Young Farmer and Rancher members of Farm Bureau. We were able to get into all 10 of Minnesota's congressional offices. Paul and I have made this trip to DC in years past and each time I am impressed to see the increasingly positive reception and understanding we have with our representatives. This is due to our continued presence and communication with them.
   We had many issues we talked to the elected officials about. For more information on what these issue are I would direct you to http://www.fbmn.org/ Our main goal was to help the representatives here our stories and see that there are farmers in their state who need there help so we can continue growing food into the future.

 

      Another great part of the trip was getting to see my sister and her kids who are currently living in on the east coast. They took the opportunity to come and see Washington DC and had a great time. I was able to  see some of the Smithsonian Museums with them during our free day.

      We took some time to enjoy the grass and open space on the mall and had some fun with the Washington Monument.

       It is always energizing to visit new places and spend time with wonderful people sharing the experiences we are blessed with here on the farm. We feel strongly that organizations like Farm Bureau are excellent advocates for agriculture and we appreciate all the support and opportunities it provides. It is important that even though farming makes up only a small portion of the population our voice is heard and our businesses supported because 100% of the population needs to eat.

The Great MN Get Together

It is the first day of that great event every Minnesotan looks forward to all year long.

The Great Minnesota State Fair.

    If you have never been to the Minnesota State Fair, make every attempt to get there this year and you will find a wonderful experience that you will not soon forget. The Minnesota Fair is truly the Great MN get together with more people going through it's gates each day than go into Disney Land on a daily basis. The MN State Fair is the 2nd largest state fair behind TX. There is truly something there for everyone.

     One of my favorite places at the fair is the Farm Bureau Booth located at 1305 Underwood St, across the street from the food building. My husband Paul and I have volunteered at this booth for the last 4 years. We enjoy visiting with the people who come to visit the booth and help them learn something new about agriculture. If you have visited my blog in the past you may have noticed that Paul and I have a passion on educating other about the great things agriculture is doing in todays world. At the booth visitors are invited to take a quick quiz about MN agriculture (all the answers are on the wall displays). They then get to talk to one of the farmers who are volunteering in the booth and learn what they raise on their farm. When complete with this they are given a great lunch bag and this year they are also giving out a ice cream scoop. On the back of the quiz is a Pico de Gallo recipe they get to take home and try. There is also a combine simulation that the kids/adults can try out. Lots of fun.

        Take some time and come to the Great Minnesota State Fair and make a point of stopping by the Farm Bureau booth and I promise you will leave with a smile on you face, a new appreciation for the farmers raising your food, and a awesome lunch bag.