Farmlife

Beautiful Words

2012-01-18T18:38:00.000-08:00

I had to share these words from my one brother Ken , who lives in Florida. His daughter was up for a visit for a few days to see her Grammy and Papee . ( many of you know my Dad had a stroke this past summer and has had a rough time and it has been very hard on my Mom also ) . Kareen took this picture of them and posted it on facebook. My brother had these words to say about them.
" You are looking at the most honorable man I have ever met in my life , who has never done anything but respect everyone he has ever met and treated them accordingly and the most caring woman I have ever met who would give you the shirt off her back , if it would make you feel better . I have been truly blessed . Love You Mom and Dad , wish I was able to help you out more ." I thought those were the most beautiful words you could say about your parents. And I know all 4 of us kids feel the same way about them.

A Sad Day for Friends

2012-01-12T15:24:00.000-08:00

I recently got an email from some farm friends. They are selling their dairy cows after struggling to recover from the low milk prices of 2009. It is such a sad time for them . My heart just breaks to think of them having to sell their girls. I know exactly how they will feel. We sold our dairy cows on Friday, May 13th , 2011. They will be selling their cows on Friday , January 13, 2012 . She said they could maybe have continued to " rob Peter to pay Paul " . But the stress was getting to them both. I know so well that awful stress you have ,worrying how are you going to buy feed , gas, seed, fertilizer and on and on. It wears on you year after year . It still is a very hard time for many farmers and I see no end to the stress and worry for so many of them . She said she doesn't think she can bear to be there when the cows are loaded. That feeling of seeing your barn family being loaded up on a trailer and being taken away , it is awful and so absolutely heart breaking . There are many , many tears and as hard as it is to see them being loaded....that is nothing to when you go out to the barn the next day and it is empty and quiet. There are no cows in the stalls , the milk pump no longer is running and there are no milkers to carry into the barn . Like us, she knows it probably is the best thing to do for them . But it is still so very hard to see them go. Janice, you will be in my thought and prayers tomorrow . I wish I lived closer so I could come be there for you and give you a hug . And tell you it will be ok , things will work out . Good luck to you and Todd !!!

back to work

2012-01-02T15:36:00.000-08:00

My husband actually had a PAID ( !!!!! ) vacation since before Christmas . But tomorrow he will be going back to work at the Township . Maybe he will have to plow some snow. They are calling for some snow , but not a lot. The western part of PA is getting a lot more. Up near Erie they could get 12 " !! I am so glad after years and years of milking cows every day, twice a day that he can have days off and is actually getting paid for it !! Never before in our life did that ever happen . When you have cows the work does not stop for the holidays . The animals still needed fed and milked and taken care of. But we did not have the milking this year, but did have to feed the heifers and calves .... oh, and the cats ! LOL ! This was our first Christmas without the dairy cows. It was different and in some ways nice not to have to rush in from the barn like we used to. I can remember when our girls were small and we would be at the barn for hours. I started making a big stocking for them and I would leave it outside their doors. They would get up and open the presents in the stocking til we got in from doing the barn work. They still remember that . We had very nice Christmas and hope you all did too !!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

2011-12-16T14:18:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it is almost Christmas ! Can you ? Where did the year go ? It has been such an eventful year for us . To start off we made the decision to sell the dairy cows. We sold them on Friday , May 13 , 2011 . It was a sad day for us to see our the cows leave . To be sold to someone else. I still wonder how some of our favorite cows are doing ? Did they have a heifer or a bull ? are they giving lots of milk ? Are they doing well in their new barns ? It was the right decision to sell the cows. It was the right time. Dairy farming is such a hard life in many ways. There are many wonderful things about farming, but it is hard on your body and sometimes your spirits . It can be very stressful . Worrying about paying the bills , the health of your cows , your own health and more. So many people have remarked how much my husband has changed since we sold the cows. He is so much less stressed and seems so much happier. I know he loved farming and being his own boss. He had to adjust to working for someone else . He has adjusted to working for the Township. Except the funny part is that he now gets up earlier for work than he did when we had the dairy cows ! We both seemed to have adjusted to living a different way of life. We still crop farm and still have some heifers and calves. So we haven't left farming completely. Which is good.

In August , when we were the Centre County Grange Fair we received ( finally !! ) our Century Farm Certificate . Also at the Fair my Dad had a stroke . We spent most of the rest of the Fair at the hospital . Luckily , it was a mild stroke. It seemed to only affect his eyes and his left arm and hand. ( He already had a weak left hand from an accident with a table saw 25 years ago . He almost cut off his whole hand . It was amazing how they fixed his hand up and he was able to use it .) He was in the hospital and then rehab. He came home and was doing very well. But then he had to have an operation on a blocked artery at the end of September and it did not go well. Then he had many complications with the surgery . He was in the hospital for almost 3 weeks. He went to rehab again. Now he has been at home with my Mom . He has done very well physically . But mentally he has some problems. He can't figure out the computer anymore. He has trouble with dressing himself. He still has weakness in his left hand and arm. Hopefully , that will get better. He is a very strong person, super smart and has done so much with his life , that it is hard sometimes to see him all confused and not able to do things himself.

After Dad's stroke a lot of our family came up from Florida to visit. It was WONDERFUL ! It was the first time in years all my three brother's and I were together. I know it was so special for Mom and Dad to have us all there. Of course we had lots of picnics and lots of good times !

It has been a sometimes hectic ... sometimes long ... sometimes sad ... sometimes such special times that you cry year that I won't forget for a long time !

Family

2011-10-16T17:44:00.000-07:00

We had such a great time while my 2 brothers and other family were here visiting for a week . We did so many fun things. Had lots of picnics and ate way too much food of course ! Mom and Dad had a picnic at their place the one night. It was nice enough a bunch of us sat out on the deck to eat . We sat there for hours just talking and enjoying our time together. This is the first time in years and years we the bunch of us were together. There was my brother Ken, his daughter Kareen, her girls Michaela and Layla , her friend Jake, Kens daughter Keena , her husband Adam and their son Brock, Kens boys Kyle and Kole and Koles kids Kayden and Khloee, Kens daughter Kalley and her husband Brock. My other brother from Florida , Terry was up too. It was so nice for us to be able to sit and visit and talk about when we growing up and sharing so many memories. It was such a very special time. The one Sunday we went to church and my one niece took our picture.And this isn't even all of us . There are quite a few more !

Things are meant to be

2011-10-16T17:16:00.000-07:00

Things are sometimes meant to happen a certain way sometimes. More and more it was meant to be that we sold our dairy cows when we did in May . This year when we planted our crops it was very dry and they did not produce the best crops. So our hay was below our usual amount . Jim just filled our big silo and it has very little silage in it. Our corn for silage was less than out usual amount too. He said just the other day to me: If we had kept the cows , we would be out of feed by January. I don't know what we would have done. We still miss the cows and our barn work. We probably always will. But it was meant to be this way . I am just thankful we are still able to keep our farm and just crop farm for now. Maybe in the future we will rent out our ground . But for now we still farm it ourselves .
My one brother was up from Florida with his 5 kids and grandkids. We had a big picnic at the farm . There were about 40 of us here with lots of food.We walked up to the mountain and let them see the how pretty it is up there. The view up is gorgeous and you can see the valley .

Century Farm at Centre County Grange Fair

2011-09-13T08:29:00.000-07:00

We had our special night at the Centre County Grange Fair on Aug 29 ,2011. We were presented with our Century Farm Certificate . Most of our family was there to share with us in the pride and joy of making this milestone. When the milk prices were so low the other year we could not even pay our bills , we really thought it would come to the point of having to sell our farm. But with the help of many family and friends we made it through the tough patch and were able to keep our farm. We are so very thankful for all our blessings . We are very proud of our farm being in the family for 100 years. Especially with so many dairy farmers getting out of farming and sometimes selling their farms . Joining us was Rep. GT (Glenn ) Thompson (PA) . GT has been a very good friend and has listened and tried to do all he can to help dairy farmers in PA. We were very honored that he took time out of his busy schedule to be there at the fair on our special night. Also the PA Secretary of Agriculture , George Greig was there to help present our Century Farm Award . We were very thankful to have all these people share in our joy and we will never forget it .

Hublersburg Big Event

2011-08-01T08:15:00.000-07:00

This Saturday will be the big event of the year for Hublersburg , the small town we live in. Every year we have our big parade and festival . The Fire Co. runs all the stands . This could be the last year it is held. That would be such a shame. I can remember going to the festival as a child . We had such a wonderful time, running all over and eating lots of good food and playing games. Our children have memories of going to the festival too. It is such a tradition in Hublersburg. I just hate to think it could end. Mostly it is the life long residents of Walker Township who continue to come to the parade . I rarely see people there , who have moved to the township and live in the housing developments . It is the people who have lived in Walker Township all their life and still remember coming to this as a child . You walk around and visit with people and see their kids and the grandkids. I really hope it will continue and not end a life long tradition in Hublersburg !

GIFT BASKET GIVEAWAY !!!!

2011-07-27T04:59:00.000-07:00

I am having a Gift Basket Giveaway . It will be from July 20 to September 3. When you make a purchase from any of my sites , your name will be entered in the drawing. The Gift Basket will have a Primitive Candle Holder with a Grubby Candle and Berry Ring., Grubby Fixins, Berry Rings, a Grubby Doily, Tarts, a Christmas Bowl Filler, Hand Painted Tags , Ornies and Much More !!! Also as a Bonus , if you win the Basket and are signed up for my Mailing List on my EZ Shoppe , you will receive an extra gift ! The drawing will be Sept 4. You will be notified by email. Good Luck !!

summer time

2011-07-09T12:49:00.000-07:00

Can't believe it is July already ?? Where did the summer go ? We have been busy baling hay and straw and unloading it. Of course it is always the HOTTEST day when we do ! LOL !! Our usual helpers have been helping to unload. Our friend Mark, his son Nick and his soon to be son-in-law Jimmy, me, my husband, Glenn (our retired farmer neighbor and wonderful help for my husband) and my brother Stan. I just keep thinking of it as wonderful exercise ! My husband has adjusted by now to working for the Township. They work from 6am to 4 pm 4 days a week . Most of last week he was busy mowing berms ( not sure if that is how you spell it ?? ) . He is almost done with that . But there are plenty more jobs to do around the Township. We had a picnic here at the farm on July 4th. He kept telling everyone this was his first paid holiday in 39 years . I think it made his day !! We only have the small calves at the barn now. We put the heifers down in the meadow. When the grandkids and I take our walk the days I have them , our " little farmer " , Lexi has to stop and give them a pet. They come right over to her and wait to get petted. Now my husband is thinking of getting some pigs to raise. We raised some quite a few years ago and then butchered them . It was great having our own ham , bacon and pork chops. And the scrapple , fried up and covered with apple butter , yummy !
Soon , it will be Grange Fair time, once it gets to that time the summer is over. This year the Fair will run from Aug. 25 to Sept 1. The Grange Fair is such a unique place to see. It has 950 tents ( large tents people pay to stay in, usually in the same spot they have had for years and years) and about 1300 RV's ( also in the same spots for years ) . The price you pay for your RV spot depends on the size of the RV. Anyone who is interested in reading about the Fair , here is the website address : http://www.grangefair.net . This year will be a special year with having GT ( Rep. Glenn Thompson ) giving us our Century Farm certificate . They are hoping to have someone from the PA Dept. of Agriculture there too. They are planning on having this on Aug . 29 , it will be a very special day for us !

I keep saying ... we still are not adjusted to our new routine. I have come to the conclusion we never will be . I think for the rest of our life we will feel the need to go to the barn and do work .

New things to do

2011-05-27T13:54:00.000-07:00

Well , it has been 2 weeks since the cows left. Our lives are definitely different. It isn't quite as hard to go to the barn and see no cows. But we do miss doing the barn work and working with the animals. The barn is so quiet now and seems so empty. We do have about 21 animals left. There are 12 calves inside the barn . The rest are down in the extension. So every morning and night we still go out to the barn . But it is only for a very short time . It takes only 10 or 15 minutes to do the barn work we have now . A lot less time than it used to . We used to be at the barn for at least 4 hours or more. We miss that routine of putting out the cows, bedding them , feeding and milking them . It was part of our life for so long. But like many people have told us....you will find a new routine. We are enjoying many things we could never do before. The other day we ran to the store at 4 pm together . My husband had a meeting at 630 pm the other night and we didn't have to start barn work early for him to get there on time. We are eating supper at 7 pm instead of 9 or 930 . We are able to go away and don't have to be back exactly at 4 pm. What little barn work we do can wait til a bit later . We were able to get to the grandkids field day today when it started , instead of 2 hours after it started. So there are lots of good things to enjoy. But the new routine is not here yet ..... maybe soon !

Cedar Street Craft Mall: Baskets

2011-05-18T18:13:00.000-07:00

Cedar Street Craft Mall: Baskets: "The Farmlady's Cupboard"

Thank you !!!!!

2011-05-16T07:22:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all of you who have called, emailed and sent best wishes to us .... it has meant so much to have so many people ( some who we have never even met ) tell us they were thinking of us and wishing us the best. It has warmed our hearts and has helped with the sadness of selling our cows. When I get on Twitter or Facebook and see a message that we are being thought of or that they hoped our day was going better, it makes my heart smile ! It is still very hard to go to the barn and not see the cows. We did a little work at the barn yesterday. Sweeping up and moving things. We gave our one farmer neighbor some of our soap, etc. we had left. We think the calves that we kept at the barn are missing the cows too. When we go out they bawl and we think they are wondering where did the rest of our herd go ? This has been like a death in the family to us. Some might say what ??, these were only cows. Our cows were like family to us and we hope they are happy and well cared for in their new barns.

the cows are gone

2011-05-14T13:46:00.001-07:00

Well it is done. The cows were loaded yesterday in 4 trips and taken to the sale barn in Centre Hall. I really thought yesterday would be the day we would be the saddest.And it was a sad time and hard to deal with. We went over to the sale early , with our family for support, and it was hard seeing our cows being sold. But it turns out today is even harder . My husband said it feels like you have sold some one in your family. I don't think I can describe the sorrow and sadness we feel at the loss of the cows. It is very, very, very hard. I went out to the barn to help move some calves and we were both crying. We knew it would soon be barn time and we are in the habit of going to the barn and have done it for all these years . It is like what do we do at barn time ? We are going out for supper tonight at the time we would be going to the barn. We just need to get away and not be able to see the barn and know our cows aren' t there anymore. We know this feeling isn't going to go away for awhile. But I want to end this post with a good note.... we are so very thankful that we did well at the sale and are going to be able to pay off a lot of our debt . And for that I thank God for once again looking out for us !

letter to the CDT

2011-05-10T16:23:00.000-07:00

Dear CDT,
( I know this is longer than normal, but I think people need to know how it affects a family when they have decided to sell their cows and give up being a dairy farmer !)
The other year there was an article about us in the CDT . We told the reporter ( Nick M. ) how the low milk prices were affecting us and many other dairy farmers. We were close to being a Century Farm and just hoped we could hold on long enough to become one. Well , we are in the middle of filling out the application now and we did hang on long enough. It is something we are very proud of. But, after 39 years of being a dairy farmer , we have decided to sell our dairy cows. It was not an easy decision and it is going to be a sad time . On Friday , May 13 our cows will be loaded and taken to Centre Hall to the cow sale. For 39 years we have gone to the barn morning and night . We have milked the cows, fed them , tended to sick animals and were at the barn all night if there was a problem . Our cows all have names , mostly picked by our grandkids . Names like Miley, Hannah, Jones, Chocolate and Bluey. It is going to be hard to adjust to suddenly no longer go to the barn and do our barn work after doing it for 39 years every day . Friday morning we will feed the cows and milk them. They will be loaded in our friends trailer and taken to the sale. Saturday morning there will be no cows to milk or feed. The stalls will be empty . Our 18 month old grandson goes to the barn with us in his stroller. He knows in the morning we get our barn clothes on , get him in the stroller and go see Pap and the cows. He is going to be too little to understand why there are no longer any cows in the barn. A friend on Twitter ( JPloves COTTON) said it best : "The image of a grandson and granddad no longer having that reason to put on their boots and head to the barn may permanently reside on my eyelids." I am sure there are going to be tears when the cows are loaded and heading out our lane. To many farmers this isn't a job , it is a way of life .

closer and closer

2011-05-09T08:34:00.001-07:00

It is getting still closer to the day our cows leave .It is now 5 days til they will be loaded on our friends trailer and hauled to the sale in Centre Hall. The cows are staying healthy , which is good. I worry one of them will get sick and then I don't know what we will do with that animal. I am sure the cows are wondering why we have not put them down in the meadow. Usually by this time of the year they are out there and running . But not this year . Last night after milking my husband went back up to the fields . It wasn't dark yet so I took a walk. I was thinking about how this time next week it will be all over and there will be no dairy cows in the barn . Just the small calves we are keeping. How we won't have to be home at a certain time for barn work . That we don't have to leave somewhere early to get home for the cows for milking. I guess that will be a good thing ? I am not sure.

FATHERS DAY

2011-05-03T15:45:00.000-07:00

I also wrote a poem for my Dad . He wanted to be a professional ball player , but it didn't work out. One night I was watching FIELD OF DREAMS . And the words for this poem just came to me. Again, like I said I am not a poet ! LOL !

THE BALL PLAYER

When he was in his younger days he wanted to play the game
He was a wonderful player and everyone knew his name

People came from all over just to see the man play
They loved to see him catch the ball and run the bases away

There was no doubt that when the ball was flying through the air
His glove would be open wide and the ball would land in there

The balls would come rolling low and over the grass he'd fly
He'd scoop it up with his glove and then he'd hold it high

When he was at the base getting ready to swing the bat free
He'd look around the ball field and knew this was where he wanted to be

To feel the wind racing by him as he streaked towards the base
And knowing he would make it was written all over his face

His whole life was ahead of him there would be many games to play
He lived and breathed for this , these glorious , exciting days

He believed in his dream that someday he'd be there
With all the men he admired , the ones who were so rare

He had his dream so close , it was almost in his hand
But things didn't work out the quite the way he had planned.....

Now the memories are of long ago and of those cherished days
When he was young and had his dreams and hoped there'd be a way

He never fulfilled the dream , but it will always be there
In his memories ......... somewhere......

And now today the four of us Diane , Ken, Terry and Stan
Know he's a wonderful father...He is the BALL PLAYER....
a quiet and honest man .

Mothers Day

2011-05-03T15:34:00.001-07:00

Years ago , for my mother I wrote this poem. I am not a poet so don't look too close ! LOL !

THE HEART
When you were young you had your dreams of what you wanted to do
They included lots of trips and plenty of fun too

The dreams were all changed when the kids were born
There were chores to do and your hands became worn

As I stroll down memory lane and think of all you've done
All the times you would go to see the boys make a home run

In our family there's always been a special closeness and giving
We're always together , in our hearts, no matter where we are living

As the years go by and we grow older I know we'll always treasure
That special bond between us all that we could never measure

We have a feeling in our hearts that will hold us all together
And any problems that we face we'll always be able to weather

And now the four of us Diane, Ken, Terry and Stanley
Know you are the greatest , our mother ....the heart of our family !

11 days and counting

2011-05-03T12:12:00.000-07:00

It is now 11 days to the cows leave. The last couple of days have not been too bad. I think maybe it is the calm before the storm. My husband has finally been able to get into the fields and do some plowing. It has been so wet here in central PA. We will still do some crop farming and will keep a couple of calves and a few heifers. Just no more milk cows . We have vaccinated all the cows and heifers to get them ready to sell. We are getting copies made of the cows records for buyers to look at. Our daughter is making the copies for us. So everything seems to be moving along to the day the cows will be loaded up in the trailer and taken to the sale. A friend of ours , who hauls animals , will be taking our cows over to Centre Hall. It will take a couple of trips over the mountain. Hopefully , all will go well and they will be loaded without problems. But with cows , you never know ! LOL !

Getting closer

2011-04-22T08:19:00.000-07:00

It is getting closer to the day we will be loading up the cows to leave.( 3 weeks ) I think God is trying to help us feel not as sad about them going. We have been having problems at the barn . Constant problems with the gutter cleaner , the chain keeps coming off, it is a struggle to clean gutters every time.We get so frustrated with our old and worn out equipment. The other night cows broke water cup, were at barn til 1130pm . Guess God is trying to keep us from feeling so sad ! LOL ! We will sure not miss the headaches and stress that go along with farming. But we both are under a lot of stress right now. Every day we think about how our lives are going to be so very different . Like I have said again and again , I realized this was going to be hard on us . But I didn't think it would hit us as hard as it is. Many times at the barn the last week or so, I find myself in tears . I know my husband feels the same. It is like losing someone . But what we are losing is a way of life we have had for all of our marriage .

The Cows

2011-04-12T16:30:00.000-07:00

We had some one come and look at the cows yesterday . He was very interested in them. He thought they looked great and were in great shape. So all that was good. He wants to have our cows at his auction in May. He felt we could get a good price for most of the cows. Some , being older we won't get that great of a price. We have talked about it and we think we are going to go with this choice. Our cows will more than likely be sold to a local farmer. Which we like. The sale will be May 13. Friday the 13th ! but our family says that will be good luck ! So more than likely the cows will be gone by the middle of May.
Last night my daughter and I were talking about the person coming to look at the cows. Our "little farmer " was listening and she tells me " I don't want you to sell the cows ! Can't you at least keep Bluey ? " Bluey is the cow who she brushes and pets every time she comes over to the farm. She is her pet cow. Our grandaughter started to cry . About broke my heart . My daughter told her Mamma and Papee have to sell the cows. I told her , how about we name one of the calves we keep Bluey ? How about that ? That made her feel better . I thought maybe I can take a picture of Bluey and our grandaughter and she can keep it in her room. My other daughter said we will have to have the grandkids come and say goodbye to the cows. I hope they don't get too upset . Probably we will all be standing there crying our eyes out ! As I said before , this is going to affect more than just my husband and I when the cows leave .
Today I was telling my parents and my brother and his wife about the cows probably leaving in May and I start crying. The thought of the cows getting loaded and leaving made me sad . Although I won't miss the tail in the face, the kick in the leg and so on ! LOL !

so bittersweet

2011-03-12T15:57:00.000-08:00

As I have said in a previous blog posting , we are a Century Farm. Actually it would be in April we are an " official " Century Farm. That is such a special feeling and one we are very proud of. And I am glad the cows will still ( probably ) be here on our farm that day . But it is also a sad feeling that one month we have finally made it to Century Farm status and the next month our dairy cows will probably be going out the door. We are a small family dairy farm , all these years it has been my husband and I and also all girls have helped when they can . We have also had help from family and friends when we needed it . But in the middle of the night if there was a problem , it was my husband and I out there at the barn or in the c0w pen. Maybe that was our problem , " they " say you need to get big or get out! We never got big and never wanted to . We have had some of our cows for years . A cow that is due in the next day or two is 9 years old. Nina is her name. We name all our cows . We have lots of cows named by our grandkids. Names like Jones ( from our grandson for Indiana Jones ) , Bluey ( named by gr.daughter for Blues Clues ) , Miley and Hannah ( named by our other gr.daughter for Miley Cyrus ) , Alexis and Kirsten ( named for our 2 gr.daughters ) and more. Our cows are part of our family. When the new people buy our cows are they going to give them a new name ? or just give them a number ? It makes me sad to think Bluey won't have our grandaughter to brush her down anymore. Will the new people treat our cows the same way we do ? The day our cow family leaves will be very hard on us. It brings tears to my eyes now to think about it . It also makes me so mad that because of the poverty level of the milk prices in 2009 we have come to this . The milk prices are improving but still are not where they should be . And all the politicians do is ---- lets study this and hold hearings ( which will take years and years of course !! ) . I know when our neighbor out the lane sold his cows , he also had a hard time. He told my husband he never slept at all the night before. And I am sure that will be the same for us. You don't live this way of life for all the years we have and not have a hard time with the life style change that will be coming .I don't know how hard it will be for us ..... seeing the cows loaded in the trucks and hauled away , but I think it is going to be a sad day for us and I know my husband and I both will have tears in our eyes and running down our face . I plan on keeping a day to day blog on here as it gets closer to the day our cows leave our barn and our life .

Snow and More Snow

2011-03-07T08:43:00.000-08:00

Boy , did we get some snow last night. It started about 1 or so in the afternoon. By this morning we had a foot of snow ! It was a really heavy , wet snow. We kept hearing on my husband's scanner about power lines down. The roads were really bad. My husband went out and plowed for the township for awhile in the late afternoon. Then got up at 3 a.m. and went out and plowed again. He got home at 730 a.m. We never got done at the barn til 10 . The snow does look really pretty all over the trees. But we are to warm up and later in the week get rain. So it won't last very long. But we will enjoy it while we have it !

Sale on my Etsy Shop

2011-02-19T15:33:00.000-08:00

I am having a sale on my Etsy Shop. There is 20 % off every item in the shop. There is a code to put in at checkout. Check out all the goodies . I want to clear out a bunch of goodies and add new spring and summer things. So I decided to have this sale. Hope you find something you would like !!

We are a Century Farm !!!

2011-02-08T11:38:00.000-08:00

We knew we were close to being a Century Farm. My husband talked to a guy last week and he said as far as he can tell we are a CENTURY FARM now !! We just have to fill out the paper work. For those who don't know what that is ----- you are a CENTURY FARM if your farm has been in your family for100 years. And that is us! First my husband's grandparents , his parents and now my husband and I . With so many farmers losing their farm, this is something to be very proud of and we are !!! To know 100 years ago our ancestors were farming this same ground and their families were growing up on this same land we now are on. My husband grew up on this farm and has gone to the barn since he was little. So for him he has worked on this farm for at least 57 years . We will be married for 37 years this March. We both love living on our farm and think it is so beautiful. We live back a lane and have an old farmhouse with a spring in front of it. It usually is full of ducks . Anytime someone comes back to our farm , if they have never been here before, they always say " This is so beautiful ! I never knew this was back here ! " I have always felt we were so lucky to live on this farm . Behind our farm is a long lane up to the mountains. If you walk up to the edge of the mountains and look out you can see the valley and it is amazing ! It would be a wonderful place to have a cabin , except in the winter ! To have your farm in the same family for 100 years is a wonderful feeling and we are very lucky !!

New Year , Same old Thing !

2011-01-07T16:01:00.000-08:00

I say the same thing every year, I hope this year is a better year than the one before. Well................. this year started out the same as always ! First I got the stomach flu going around our family, the very same day I find out my Ford Explorer's transmission went !! Wonderful ! Another expense that I have to worry about ! Plus we only have my Explorer and my husband's old ( and I mean old ! ) dump truck . So I will be without a car for 2 to 3 weeks. That will drive me nuts !! Maybe they will get it done quicker than they think ?? ( not likely !! ) Today we needed groceries and we needed to get coal. So we went to the grocery store in the old dump truck. My husband called us The Clampetts going to town. LO L!!!!!!!!! Could just imagine what we looked like ! The truck is all rusted up and has holes in the sides of the bed . Husband did some patching here and there so it would pass inspection. We piled all the bags in the front seat with us. Then went and got our coal. The price of the coal has gone up since we got it about a month ago. Now it is up to $204 a ton. Guess it will keep us warm for another month !( a pic of the Clampett truck, in it's better days, plus my husband's pride and joy he shot the other year )

Our Life Will Be Changing

2011-01-02T15:19:00.000-08:00

My husband and I have been married 36 years and we have been Dairy Farmers for those 36 years. My husband took over the farm from his parents in 1972 , 2 years before we got married. But with the low milk prices we have been hit hard with bills that have backed up. Milk prices got up to $19.00 but that still is not what the Dairy Farmer should be getting for their milk. The Farmer does all the work and gets screwed in getting a decent milk price .The months you get a half way decent price for your milk is not enough to get caught up on the backed up bills.We have been hit very hard because we are a very small family Dairy Farm . We only milk 28 cows. I guess it is amazing we have gone on as long as we have.We own our Dairy Farm, we have no mortgage payment.So in that way we are luckier than some other Farmers.When the milk price was down to $9.00 some of those Farmers could not pay their mortgage payment.We have talked this past year about selling the cows. We just don't think we can keep getting deeper and deeper in debt.We realize it has come to the point where money wise , we can't go on the way we have been . As I fed hay last night I thought to myself....in a couple of months I will no longer be doing this. For 36 years we have gone to the barn morning and night , milking the cows, feeding silage, chop and hay, feeding the calves, tending to sick animals, washing the milkers every morning. Sometimes we would be at the barn til 10 or 11 p.m. if there were problems. That was life as a Dairy Farmer. In a couple of months that will all change.There will be no reason to go to the barn every morning and night, no cows and calves to feed and tend to, no more milkers to wash. And as much as it was sometimes hard to be so tied down ..... I think it is going to be as hard ( or harder ) to cope with the loss of not being a Dairy Farmer any more ! A life of a Dairy Farmer is tough and it is very stressful. But there were also many joys. And as hard as it was sometimes ...I know my husband and I are going to miss very, very much going to the barn and the work that goes into being a Dairy Farmer.Being a Dairy Farmer wasn't a job, it was a way of life. Many people who follow me on Twitter know how all our grandchildren love coming here to the Farm and going to the barn. Like I said before , our 15 month old grandson is too little to understand why we are no longer going to the barn and seeing Pap and the cows. JPlovesCotton wrote a piece on her blog (http://jplovescotton.wordpress.com ) that was wonderful and touched my heart . She wrote.... " The image of a grandson and grandad no longer having that reason to put on their boots and head to the barn may permanently reside on my eyelids." That is what I may miss the most , the loss of such a simple thing .

Christmas

2010-12-27T15:51:00.000-08:00

Well Christmas is over for another year. It went so fast . Right now we are having cold and windy weather . But no snow. Guess that is good, since a lot of places are having lots of snow . I am enjoying doing nothing ! I have been sitting in my recliner , working on my cross stitch and reading. I just finished a book by Iris Johansen. Such a great writer ! Now I am starting a book by Karin Slaughter. Also just finished a book by Beverly Barton. Another WONDERFUL WRITER and a very, very nice person ! Last night I finally watched THE EXPENDABLES with Sly Stallone and all the action stars. Loved it !!! Tonight is my night to watch THE CLOSER on TNT . One of my favorite shows ! After it is over then I watch HAWAII FIVE O . I can remember watching the old one with Jack Lord. I never missed that show! The new one is great too ! Usually in January I tend to hibernate . I like to take it easy after the hustle and bustle of the holidays and working on crafts . I hope to get back to my walking again. I always feel so much better when I walk a couple of days a week. I will try and do better ! LOL !

Christmas Time !

2010-12-10T09:22:00.000-08:00

Christmas is almost here . I can't believe it ! It is one of my favorite times of the year . I LOVE to decorate all my trees and put out all my decorations. I have a 7 1/2 ' tall , thin tree in the dining room and a 9' tall , thin tree in the living room. Also other small trees all over the house. Right now we are getting some snow . It really makes it look like Christmas ! The grandbaby is taking a nap so I am getting things done on the computer . I have listed lots of New Goodies on my ebay auctions , my Etsy Shop and my EZ Shoppe. Hope you take a look ! Our granduaghter's birthday is next week. I have most of her birthday shopping done. But I still have more Christmas shopping to do . I was going to go today after the grandbaby leaves , but with this snow I may just stay put ! I do not like driving in snowy weather . We have a 7 ' 0r 8 ' Star that lights up on our shed and I put lights out on our big porch with Pine Garland and Bows. It looks so pretty and festive. Hope you an your family have a MERRY CHRISTMAS !!

Gift Basket Giveaway

2010-11-30T21:39:00.000-08:00

Well , It is that time of the year . I am having a Gift Basket Giveaway again. Like I did last year. If you make a purchase on my EZ Shoppe, my ebay auctions or my new Etsy Shop you will be entered. I have added lots of New Goodies . I have New Angel Ornies , Santas , Snowmen , Candle Lamp Arrangements , Candle Boxes , Pans and Paddles with Grubby Candles and Fixins ,Grubby Snowman Ornies , Barnwood Boxes with Fixins , Wreaths , Baskets , Grubby Tea Stained Doilys and More ! This year the Basket will contain a Candle Pan with a Grubby Candle and Fixins , Tarts , Hand Painted Ornies, Jingle Bell Fixins , a Grubby Tea Stained Doily, a Santa Ornie and More !! The Drawing will be December 21 . Good Luck !!

Putting the Cows Out !

2010-09-09T16:09:00.000-07:00

We put our cows outside into our fields or our neighbors fields every morning and every night. The other day I started thinking of all we have to do to put the cows out. A person who isn't a farmer sees the cows in the field and probably thinks : A farmer just lets the cows go down to the field. Not quite !! LOL ! A farmer knows what all goes into that ! First , we clean out the troughs of any hay . We sweep the trough . Then use the shovel to get any small pieces. Then get all the cows up that are laying down. In the hopes they will poop in the gutter ( I know we can hope ! LOL ! ) and not all over the walkway . Once the cows are up , I unhook them and my husband chases them out the door. And of course most of them poop all over the walkway ! We get all the cows out the door . Then we have a heifer who we don't trust yet to not go through the fence. We put her out in the pen . My husband gets the cows down to the field. Hooks all the fences. I start scraping the floor of all the poop . Then sprinkle lime to help dry it up. I feed the calves and the heifers hay in the barn. My husband feeds the heifers and calves in the extension. My husband and I rebed the cows with straw for the morning. I feed the cats their milk . We turn out the lights and head into the house for supper. So when you see cows in a field , think of all that goes into getting those cows into down there !

Walking up to the Mountain

2010-09-09T16:05:00.000-07:00

On Monday we had a picnic here on the farm. The grandkids and our one daughter walked up the lane towards our mountains. She took this picture . I thought it was so beautiful !

Counting my Blessings !

2010-09-09T15:41:00.000-07:00

We are so lucky to live where we do. Hublersburg is a very tiny town. There are about 40 homes, a Firehouse, a Hotel , an Elementary School and a Church. Two of my grandkids go to the School. It is the same School I went to and our two girls went to. Our farm is the only working farm in the town. There are a couple of other farms but they no longer have animals. The other night I sat outside under our very old tree . We had finished supper. I got myself a cup of coffee and just sat and relaxed. It is so quiet and peaceful back here. No one else around. I can look up in the sky and see all the stars . There is nothing like it , to sit and feel such peace and contentment. When I see on the news about people who live in the city and live with violence every day , I count my Blessings ! I sometimes think how did we get so lucky to be put on this beautiful farm to live every day . I take a walk about every day . I go out our lane and cross a state road . Then go back our neighbors road. On my way back home I can look across the field and see all the mountains behind our farm. It is breathtaking ! Fall is my favorite season. Soon the trees will be in vibrant colors of gold, red , rust and orange. It will look even more beautiful. This past year ( 2009 ) was such a stress filled time. With milk prices so depressingly low , it was all we could do to hang on to our farm. But I know we are lucky in many ways . Like having our farm to work, live and enjoy ! Yes, I do count my Blessings !

First Cutting of Hay

2010-07-21T13:20:00.000-07:00

Our first cutting of hay is done. We had a great first cutting. We unloaded 6030 bales. Usually it was myself, my husband and our retired farmer neighbor unloading . Sometimes my brother helped. A couple of times we had 5 to 7 loads in one day . Then a friend , his son and soon to be son in law came and helped too. We filled the one hay mow, part of a another , one of the over hangs and some of the back wall where we keep heifer hay . But the second cutting has not been good at all. We desperately need rain. Everything is drying up. Our yard is starting to turn brown . Most of our sweet corn is done for. We may get a few ears but not many. I will miss that . Usually I freeze a bunch of sweet corn. It has been very hot and humid ! Yuck ! The older I get the more I mind the humidity. Guess I am getting old ! LOL ! They are calling for hit and miss thunderstorms the next couple of days . Hopefully some of them will get to us and help the dry fields .

Things Should Be Better !!!!!!!!!

2010-06-07T17:58:00.000-07:00

By now I really thought things would be better . That we would be doing ok. That there would be enough money to pay our bills. That someone would do something to see that dairy farmers were paid an honest (!!!) and livable price for our milk. But I was wrong , it hasn't happened and I don't think it is going to happen. Dairy farmers are being ignored. Dairy farmers are being told there is too much milk . They are being told we are going to hold hearings and hear testimony about the dairy farmers troubles. They are being told ....Yes, we are going to study all this and we are going to help the dairy farmer ! Really ?? When , in the year 2095 ??????? Dairy farmers need a decent price for their milk and NOW ! But , like I said NOBODY is DOING ANYTHING !! And we do not want a handout or a BAILOUT !! All we want is to be given a decent price for our milk that we deserve ! At this very moment , we have exctly $ 50.00 in our checking account. And this week we need FEED ($ 200) , we need GAS ($ 500) and we have our HOUSE INS. ( $ 450) . Oh, yeah , that doesnt include all the other bills we also have due this week . We do not recieve our next milk check til June 17 or 19. My husband and I are so sick and tired of trying to operate our dairy farm with a milk check that doesn' t even cover the essentials of farming. Tomorrow we have 5 to 8 loads of hay. I just pray we don't run out of gas before the hay is all baled.
We are trying to figure out what to sell to pay for these essentials of farming. Which does not include any groceries for us. What is this country coming to, when a farmer who feeds the world can't afford to feed his own family ???
I sat out on our front porch this afternoon before barn time and cried . My husband said he doesn't know what else to do. Neither do I . Because .... NOBODY IS LISTENING !

Our Little Farmer

2010-04-22T19:29:00.000-07:00

Our 6 year old grandaughter was here this afternoon and she helped us at the barn. She is our little farmer. She loves being at the barn and helping. She says she wants to be a vet someday. She probably will because she just loves animals. When we have the vet here for one of our cows and Lexi is here , she stands by the vet and watches everything she does. One of our mother cats just had 6 kittens . Lexi went right to their box and was checking them out . She asked if it was ok to pick them up yet . We told her she could. So she walked around the barn carrying a kitten . She gave them all a turn . She went with Papee while he went to get the wheelbarrow to feed the heifers in the extension . He brings her back up to the barn in the wheelbarrow. He fills it with silage and Lexi fills the bucket with chop. Then down the two of them go and get their feeding done. Lexi has a couple of pet cows. One is Bluey who she likes to pet. Then there is the cow named after her, ALEXIS . Her cow just had a heifer calf. We told her she could name the calf. She picked CUPCAKE . She was outside at the pen looking her calf over . If she was old enough I know she would take over our farm and run it .

Spring Time

2010-04-09T15:40:00.000-07:00

Well, spring was here for a bit. We had a couple of beautiful days. Now winter is back. We had left the coal fire in our furnace go out . But this morning my husband had to start a new fire. Our old farmhouse was getting kind of chilly. It feels pretty nice in here now.

My husband has been busy plowing the fields. But we owe the seed and fertilizer company money from last years seed,etc. And we don't have the money to pay the bill , so we can't buy new seed and fertilizer for this year. My husband is very disgusted with farming right now. He keeps saying he is going to sell the cows and get out of dairy farming. But we don't think we will get enough for our cows to help pay off all the bills we owe. So we keep struggling along.

Farm Aid has a link for people to contact the USDA and let them know dairy farmers need help immediately. Click this to help .
http://FarmAid.org/FairPrice
They need to realize the situation has not improved for many dairy farmers. We heard just the past 2 weeks of 2 or 3 dairy farmers selling their cows in our area . Many of the dairy farmers in our area are struggling to make ends meet . Many are ready to sell out and are very disgusted with the politicians and their hearings and studies . Dairy farmers do not need studies , they need REAL HELP !

Listening to the Dairy Farmer

2010-01-25T12:29:00.000-08:00

I just sent a Letter to the Editor of our local paper. I had seen the tragic story of the New York dairy farmer who recently killed his 51 cows and then killed himself. I can't imagine the grief his family must be feeling. My heart goes out to them . This is what I said in my letter.

Dear Editor,
No one listened when the milk price dropped to below a 1970 level . No one listened when farmers began losing their farms . No one listened when farmers were pleading for a fair price for their milk that could actually pay their bills with. No one listened as dairy farmers were asked to send their cows to be slaughtered , even as cows were being imported to the US. And no one was listening as a dairy farmer in New York , out of desperation and depression , killed his 51 cows and then killed himself . Is someone going to listen now ??

Loss of Sandy

2010-01-14T15:04:00.000-08:00

A New Year is here. And like always I hope and pray each start will be better than the year before. But it usually isnt. And this year has not started well. First my husband,Jim, got sick. He ended up at the Doctor's . They found he had bronchial pneumonia . He has had it a couple of times over the last couple of years . Before he went to the Doctor he had a couple of coughing spells that were so bad he couldn't breath . We almost ended up at the ER . He had to get presciptions filled that were not cheap. They seem to be helping. He seems to be getting better . Then , one of the best cows in our herd went down with hot mastitis. She went down last Thursday or Friday. We called the vet and she came numerous times ( adding to a vet bill that is rapidly growing since we can hardly afford to send them anything on our bill ). She still didnt get up . Her leg was across the gutter and she was part way out on the walkway . Jim couldnt clean stables til we got her leg up and got a grate under her. So we , along with a couple others , worked to get the grate under her . We finally got it done. Jim was able to clean stables. We had the vet come again. But " Sandy " did not get up and didnt even try . We were never able to get her up again. Today we lost Sandy . She was one of my husbands pets. She would never go out of her stall til Jim would pet her and rub her head. When I would feed chop on the other side of the barn, she would stand in her stall and look over at me , like she was saying get over here and feed me my chop . Sandy will be missed !

Peggy Sue Got Married

2010-01-04T16:12:00.000-08:00

This weekend I watched the movie Peggy Sue Got Married. It is probably the 6 th. or 7 th. time I have watched it . I love this movie. It makes you think. If you could go back in time , like Peggy Sue does , would you want to ?? She gets to see her grandparents again. That part I would like. The year I got married my parents and 3 brothers moved to Florida. My Mom wasn' t here ,so Grandma C. was like a second Mom to me. We were very close and did so much together. It would be nice to be able to go back in time and let her know how much I loved her and how much I wish I had told her how much she meant to me . To go back in time knowing what you know now. Back in High School , the things you thought were so important , you now realize meant nothing. Back in High School , there were kids who you thought were so great and you wanted to be like them . Now you would know to be yourself. I don't know if I would want to go back in time or not. Would you ??

My Heart was Touched

2009-12-18T15:48:00.000-08:00

I had such a wonderful surprise in the mail today . I got a package from someone .I have no idea who it is from .There was no name or card. I opened it and found a gift card and a wrapped present. I was so excited by the gift card. And then I opened the wrapped present. And I cried . I had my Christmas Wish list on here and one of the things I wished I had the money to buy was the big box of Triscuit crackers . Someone sent us a big box of Triscuit crackers. I know it is a silly thing to cry about , a box of Triscuit crackers. But that someone took the time to send this to us , it was so special . It really touched my heart and I wish I could thank them for this so special gift . It made my day . And I plan on opening a bottle of wine , having myself some of those Triscuits and some cheese. So thank you to someone for caring and sending us this very Christmas gift. Bless You !

Christmas Wishes

2009-12-09T16:14:00.000-08:00

This Christmas I have a couple of wishes.

#1 ~ I wish I had the money to replace my light above the stove , instead of moving a lamp beside the stove every time I cook.
#2 ~ I wish I could go to the grocery store and fill the cart with anything I want , instead of only buying what I absolutely need.
#3 ~ I wish I could buy that big box of Triscuit crackers , instead of putting it back on the shelf because I can't afford it.
#4 ~ I wish for a month of not having to worry and stress about how to pay the bills on the disgusting milk price we recieve.
#5 ~ I wish for another coat for when I take my walks ( to help deal with stress ) in the mornings, instead of having to safety pin it shut.
#6 ~ I wish I could turn on the heater in the milkhouse when I wash the milkers, instead of worrying it will make our electric bill higher .
#7 ~ I wish we could fill up our gas tank on the farm , instead of only buying 100 gallons.
#8 ~ I wish for a fair price for our milk , that we could actually live on and pay the bills with.
#9 ~ I wish I could enjoy the beauty of all my Christmas lights, instead of worrying how much higher our electric bill will be.
#10 ~ And while I am wishing ~~ I wish I was a size 8 !! LOL !

Decorations

2009-12-06T12:22:00.000-08:00

Every year I decorate the archway in our dining room and the doorway to the living room. I have a pine garland with red berries that I bought at least 15 years ago. I add some white lights and a bow at each corner. The long shelf above the archway was a Christmas gift years ago. It was handmade to match the woodwork in our old farmhouse. You should have seen me in the car the day I picked up this long shelf at the shop where it was made. It would not fit in the car. I had the one end in the front seat of the car and the back end was hanging out the one side window. I love this shelf. I filled it with old jars, milk bottles and tins.

My Santa Collection

2009-12-06T12:18:00.000-08:00

Pics of my trees

2009-12-06T12:11:00.000-08:00

Here are some pics of my trees I decorate for Christmas.

Christmas is Coming

2009-12-06T11:44:00.000-08:00

Wow, I didn't realize it had been so long since I was on here. I can't believe it is December. Christmas will be here before I am ready . Also our one grandaughter has a birthday in Dec. She will be 7. I can't believe she is going to be 7. I remember when I was keeping her before she started school. Seems like so long ago. Now she is in First Grade. Also my birthday is this month too. But I am nowhere near 7. LOL ! Way beyond that . This year is the first year I won't buy my Thomas Kinkaid Christmas cards . I won't be buying any cards at all. I will only be sending cards to family.I have cards from other years I will use. Just can't afford the stamps . I will also be cutting back on Christmas presents . Mostly I will give family craft things I have made.
Last week I finished putting up all the trees . I have a 9' tree in the one living room, a twig tree in the other living room, the 7 1/2' tree in the dining room, a 2' tree in the kitchen, an 18 " tree in the downstairs bathroom and a 1' tree in the upstairs bathroom. The 7 1/2' tree is my primitive tree .It has all primitive ornies on it and white lights. The 9' tree has ornies I have collected over the years , some antique ornaments from my mother-in-law, ornies with the grandkids pics in them and ornies people have given us over the years . I didn't start putting out all my decorations til 2 days ago. I just couldn't get into the holiday mood. Probably because the milk prices aren't any better . Paying the bills isn't any easier . And we have pretty much sold about all we can sell to help pay the bills. Not sure what we are going to do. Can only pray God will help us out, like He has always done.

Getting Nowhere !!

2009-10-12T16:33:00.000-07:00

Well , I have written another Letter to the Editor of our local paper,the CDT www.centredaily.com .I said in the letter that I have written to my politicians and I am getting nowhere . They have their hearings and do all their studies and hear from dairy industry people. The dairy industry people they should be hearing from are the farmers. Farmers who are in danger of losing their farms to these ridiculous prices we are getting for our milk. A dairy woman , Alice Allen, has filed a class action lawsuit against Dean Foods alleging monopoly pricing. Dean Foods and Kraft are showing record profits while dairy farmers are struggling to survive. There is something rotten in the wood pile !! Farmers are writing and telling their stories. We need to keep it up and keep the pressure on . My husband and I are still struggling. We are so far behind on our bills now , it will take years to ever catch up . If we ever do .

Harvester Died

2009-10-09T14:48:00.000-07:00

Well , the new ( very used ) harvester has died. The whole time hubby was trying to fill the silo , it kept breaking down. That should have told us something right there ?? Yesterday , hubby and the neighbor were in the field and suddenly the harvester let out this big boom and crash . Something vibrated loose and went thru the harvester. It can't be used the rest of this year . Hubby has to try and work on it this winter and get it in shape for next year. That is if it can even be fixed. He doesnt know yet, til he starts to tear it apart. Luckily, we have the very best farming neighbors. They came over today and are helping us fill the rest of the silo with their harvester. I don't know where we are going to get the money to pay him for his time. But we are so lucky they are helping us out. We so appreciate it ! We have a 50 ' concrete silo and a small metal silo ( this one has to be an antique !! ) . We are working on the 50 ' silo right now. Hubby wants to fill the metal silo about half full. This week in our local paper www.centredaily.com a farmers silo , full of silage collapsed .It hit part of their barn and also killed 15 of their animals . A very big loss for the farmer and his family. Luckily no people were hurt. The farmers were 15 minutes away from going to the barn to start their work . I worry about our old metal silo falling down .I will worry the whole time they are filling it til they are done . I will say a prayer to keep them safe .

Forage Harvester

2009-09-21T15:45:00.000-07:00

We will soon be filling silo .But we had a little problem this year. Last year we borrowed a harvester from another farmer . About 2 weeks ago my husband goes out to see if we can borrow it again this year .The farmer tore it apart , he didnt have it .He said I meant to come and tell you. So we were at a loss what to do . We don't have the money to pay our bills, with these lousy milk prices, let alone go buy a harvester. We asked around everywhere to see if anyone had one . We are a small farm , so all we needed was a 1 row. No luck anywhere . There was to be a sale of machinery on Saturday ( 19th ) . My husband decided to go and try and get one. No idea where the money is going to come from. But it is something we had to have or there was no way to fill our silo. He went to the sale and did get one . We were so glad . But to pay for it , we are going to have to send 2 cows out tomorrow . Which of course will mean we will ship out less milk. So we will be making even less money to try and pay the bills. It is a vicious circle. There doesn't seem to be an end to the low milk prices . And I keep reading where Dean's Food and Kraft are having record profits . At the farmers expense ! Oh yes, we got our huge raise in our milk prices ,thanks to Sec. of Agriculture Vilsack .We got a whopping $12.00 a hundredweight instead of $11.30 . Wow , what to do with all this money ! It is a joke! A joke on every hard working farmer , who struggles every day to pay the bills. How much longer are we to take these insults ?? Something needs to be done and now ! The milk price has to be raised immediately to at least $ 17.00 .So farmers can try to at least keep the farms they have worked and struggled over for years ! I read in one of our farm papers there were 250,000 farms in the US in 1980 .Now in 2009 there are only 50,000 . And there are going to be even less if something isn't done NOW !!!!

Bonnie Hunt Show

2009-09-17T12:33:00.000-07:00

I saw on the Bonnie Hunt Show they were talking about Twitter . I sent an email to the show to tell them about the great bunch of farmers who are on Twitter . How we help each other with support and letting other farmers know they aren't alone . While we all are so stressed out worrying about hanging onto our farms. And worrying how to pay the bills from a milk check that isn't even enough to cover a third of your bills. There isn't enough in the news and papers about the farmers daily struggle to hold onto their farms. We just have to keep hoping there is a light at the end of the tunnel .

The Best Daughters

2009-09-16T16:46:00.000-07:00

We must have the best daughters in the world. Our 2 daughters have helped us pay some of our bills and paid off a loan we had. I keep thinking at the age hubby and I are at , we should be helping out our kids .Not them helping us out. There is something wrong with this picture. When because of corruption in the dairy pricing system , we can't even afford to pay our bills and feed ourself. It makes me feel bad we can't do more for the kids and help them out. We are so lucky to have our girls and the grandkids . Family means so much . They help you through the tough times and are there for you when you need a hug . Or when you need a good cry !

Farming Lesson

2009-09-16T16:23:00.000-07:00

I recently had a mammogram . I had to give a farming lesson to a lady there . We were talking and I said I live on a farm . She told me she would love to live on a farm . I said things aren't good right now if you are a farmer . I told her how our milk prices are really low .How we can't even pay our bills . She says ~ Why don't you just raise your prices ?? I told her we don't set our prices .If we did , we sure would give ourselves enough to pay the bills ! And not have to sell some of our belongings to pay the bills the milk check won't pay . And a lot of the time that isn't even enough . Last month all I could send to our vet bill was $ 20 .00 .Other bills I can only send $ 10 .00 . Our bills are getting way behind because of the low prices . When ( and if it ever does !! ) the price does go up , we are going to be so far behind on all our bills . I don't know how much longer we can hang on. I have sent a letter to G.T. ( Rep. Glenn Thompson ~ PA ) again. I have sent him farm articles from our farm papers . And I know he is doing what he can . We really appreciate all he is trying to do to help .

Grandbaby Doesn't Want to Come Out !

2009-09-11T11:25:00.000-07:00

Our oldest daughter is due Sept.21 with our 5th. grandbaby . She called last night and said she had been having pains all day and they were getting worse. She just wanted to warn me. If they have to go to the hospital in the middle of the night, I will have to go over and stay with the other 2 grandkids and get them off to school. So I pack a bag and have my stuff all ready for a middle of the night call. I called her about 9 p.m. to see how things were going. Well , the pains had stopped . So no new baby yet . Our other daughter says he doesn't want to come out , he wants to stay where it is nice and quiet ! LOL !

Milk Prices

2009-09-05T13:01:00.000-07:00

Our milk prices haven' t improved . I keep sending farm articles to G.T. , Rep . Glenn Thompson. Articles about the crisis many dairy farmers are facing right now. Many farmers are in danger of losing their farms , cows and their home. Most can't afford to pay all their bills. And are hanging on by a thread. Most farmers don't have weeks and months while politicians figure out what to do about the insulting milk prices we are getting. Something has to be done and now , not in a couple of months . Recently my husband and I were interviewed by our local paper . They wanted to do an article about how the low milk prices were affecting us and our farm . They put a picture of us on the front page of the paper. You can view the article by going to www.centredaily.com . I hope people who read the article thought about farmers and what they are going through ,when they bought that gallon of milk at the store. I read in North Carolina there used to be 1300 farms and now there are only 300 . What will we do when there are hardly any dairy farms left ? Buy our milk from China ??

Grange Fair Pics

2009-09-05T12:57:00.001-07:00

Grange Fair

2009-09-05T12:43:00.000-07:00

We had a great time at Grange Fair. There are about 950 tents and 1300 campers who stay for 10 days . We ate way too much. Pork sandwiches by a local farmer , peach dumpings with home made cinnamon ice cream( could have ate one a day ~ they are so good ! ) , chicken and waffles , buckwheat pancakes, fruit cups, hoagies, cinnamon rolls . I could go on and on ! My Mom and I stayed in the camper together . Dad came over a few days. My one daughter has her own camper and stayed with the 2 grandkids . The other daughter came over a couple of days with the 2 grandkids . She is due with our 5 th . grandbaby in a matter of weeks. It will be another boy. We got home from the Fair yesterday . I had a lot to unload from the car and put away . Next year I am not taking so much stuff ! I say that every year and I still take too much along . I take books to read and cross stitch to work on. Our camper is right by the Cow Barn . Our youngest grandaughter loves to go over and look at the dairy cows. You would think she would be sick of seeing cows after being here on the farm when I babysit her . Guess the cows at the Fair look different ! I know ~~ they are cleaned up ! Our cows are dirtier ! I can't believe the Fair is over . It went really fast . Soon it will be fall . Fall is my favorite time of the year . When it gets a little cool and you need a sweatshirt . There is nothing more beautiful than taking a walk with the leaves all turning colors and a gorgeous blue sky.

Sweet Corn Ready

2009-08-18T00:28:00.000-07:00

Our sweet corn is ready . Our sweet corn is the best I have ever eaten. I went up and picked some to freeze. Worked up a sweat doing that , too ! I froze 10 quarts . Hope to get more done tomorrow. It will taste pretty good this winter . Mom is going to do some and our one daughter hopes to get some done . All the grandkids love to go in the field and help to pick it. When they were small , they were afraid they would get lost in the cornfield. The corn was high and they were so little . They aren't so little anymore. The oldest is 12 and almost as tall as me . I think I used to be taller ! As I get older I think I am shrinking ! LOL ! Of course my butt and hips aren't ! Oh well , joys of getting older !

Hay Making

2009-08-18T00:19:00.000-07:00

We just finished the 2nd. cutting of hay . So no hay to unload for a bit. The last couple of days unloading has been really hot and humid. Yuck !! Sweat just drips off of you. Two of the grandkids helped on the wagon. But not too long, they got pretty dusty and hot.
My hubby and I were on the front page of our local paper . They came to talk to us about how the low milk prices were affecting our small farm. Then they came another day and took some pics . And wouldn't you know they put a big pic of me on the front page feeding hay . Told our girls , if I had known I was going to be on the front page , I would have gone on a crash diet ! It was a very nice article. It can be seen @ www.CentreDaily.com . Hope it makes people think about all the farms that are being lost . I hear about farms being lost every day . Just hope something is done and soon about the milk prices . Kraft and Dean Foods have had record profits . Well , not dairy farmers !!

Baling Hay ~~ NOT

2009-07-31T13:05:00.000-07:00

We started the 2nd cutting of hay .But we aren't making much progress . We have only had 2 loads so far. It won't stop raining. We get one sunny day and than it rains again. The hay needs lots of sun to dry so we can bale it. But the sun isn't cooperating . By this time we are usually on the 3rd. cutting. I don't think we are going to even get a 3rd. cutting this year . Guess we just have to be glad we did get some hay.

the view from our upper fields

2009-07-17T20:06:00.000-07:00

The grandkids and I walked up to some of our upper fields to see Papee baling hay . They got to pick a few raspberries . We walked to the fields closest to our mountain . They got a bit tired . But they enjoyed it . I told them the next time they came, we would pack a lunch and take it up to the field and have a picnic . They were all excited about that . The view from these fields is beautiful. You can see down the valley . It would be wonderful to have a small cabin up in the woods and have that wonderful view.

the farmers tears

2009-07-10T16:08:00.000-07:00

It isn't getting any better for the dairy farmer . Prices are still not good. I was very depressed and wrote this the other night.

He sits at the table and his heart is breaking
The banker came today and said your farm we are taking .

He walks to the barn with tears rolling down his face
Today is the day he feared would take place .

He has tried and tried to hold onto his land
All he ever wanted was a bit of a helping hand .

The cows have left and the farm is up for sale
What else can he do he feels like he has failed.

He has pleaded for a fair price almost all this year
But those pleas have fallen on a deaf ear .

Let's bail out big business when they come crawling
But no help comes for the family farmer when he comes calling .

Unloading Hay

2009-06-16T11:08:00.000-07:00

Hay season is here ! So far we have unloaded about 1000 bales . Yesterday 2 of the grandkids were helping. Our grandson was up with Papee stacking the hay . He did a great job. Our grandaughter was on the hay wagon with me and our neighbor tossing the hay off. I think she was more interested in having her Mommy take her picture on the wagon. She did push a few bales to the front of the wagon , though . They both did great !

Farm Aid

2009-05-29T16:06:00.000-07:00

Our milk prices have not improved much . I had written a letter to Farm Aid about the problems we are facing. I recieved an email from Joel at Farm Aid . He said they have had so many farmers email and call about how they are also having a terrible time trying to pay their bills. Last week I got another email . Farm Aid wanted dairy farmers to write to the Sec. of Agriculture and tell him what they are going through . So I wrote a letter . You were to send it to Farm Aid and they would forward the letters .

If you go to www.farmaid.blogspot.com , my letter is printed there . Farm Aid printed my letter on their blogspot.

Cows out in the Pasture

2009-05-15T12:32:00.000-07:00

The cows are finally out in the pasture. The first time we put them out, they usually go through some fences. Especially the younger cows. But this year we were lucky ~~ Not one cow went through the fence ! Once they get to the pasture the first time , they run all over the field . Just like they were little kids.

My hubbie has been busy in the fields. At least he was and than the corn planter broke down for a couple of days . We had to order the parts and that took awhile. But now it is fixed and he is busy again.

We have a garden plowed and ready to get planted. Our one daughter is going to plant some veggies . And the other night we planted a couple of rows of potatoes. Our grandaughter and grandson helped to plant them and cover them up . I had told them how years ago when their Mommy and Aunt were little we used to plant about 5 long rows of potatoes. It was nice to have all those potatoes . Now we will have some again.

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-11T11:59:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone had a great Mother's Day ! My girls went together and got me diamond stud earrings . I love them and have them in now. I took a walk and got my yard mowed ~ again . And watched 2 of my favorite shows last night. Cold Case and The Unit .

Some of my Crafts

2009-04-23T12:37:00.000-07:00

I thought I would put some pictures on here of some of the crafts I have painted and made. Many are on my ebay store or on my booth on The Prim Market . Hope you take a look.

New Calves

2009-04-04T11:26:00.000-07:00

Well , it is that time of the year. The cows are having calves . We have had 4 cows freshen ( have a calf ) . Out of those 4 they had 3 bulls and 1 heifer . Since September we have had all bulls and no heifers. And of course heifers are what you want . You sure can't milk a bull ! But when the cows freshen they sometimes have problems. Like milk fever . We had a cow last week with that . It is a calcium defiency . They go down and can't get up. They are too weak. We had the vet here 3 times for that cow. Luckily she got up and has stayed up. But we have to still give her pills . My husband has to climb in the stall with the cow . And get a halter on her and then I help give her the pills ( they measure about 3 " long ) . Then this morning we had to get the vet here again. We had a different cow get mastitis . The quarter where the mastitis is will swell and the milk gets clots . And of course you have to treat the quarter . You have to throw all her milk away . And right now with the milk prices we need every ounce we have . We can't put her milk back in the milk tank til it passes a test . The test shows if there are antibiotics in the milk . There are very strict rules for antibiotic milk .
Also last night the one water cup in our extension barn broke. We got done milking about 8:00 p.m. My husband had to tear the water cup apart to get it fixed. He got done about 9:00p.m. So it was a late night for us. We don't have any more cows due til the end of April . But Lexi , our grandaughter was all excited about finally getting a heifer . She thinks she will name it " Annabelle " . She climbs in the pen and pets it and helps feed it with the big bottle. She is definitely a little dairy farmer .

Telling our Grandaughters Class About Farming

2009-03-27T11:52:00.000-07:00

Our one grandaughter is in Kindergarten . Yesterday we went and gave a talk about farming to her class . We had pictures of the farm equipment , the cows , the barn , the calves , the milk tank with milk in it , the barn with hay , a cow getting milked , the milkers and a picture of the cow named after our grandaughter ( Kirsten ) . The kids seemed to enjoy it. They asked if it hurt to milk a cow by hand. Which we almost never do . We use the milkers . And most cows don't like being milked by hand . They are used to being milked with a milker. We handed out cow erasers . Plus since my husband is also a Forest Fire Warden he talked about Smokey the Bear . And handed out Smokey the Bear pencils and coloring books. I think our granduaghter was very excited to have her Papee come in to her class.

Hay Baling

2009-03-21T11:17:00.000-07:00

Last summer we baled loads and loads of hay . We have the old type baler . It bales the rectangle shape bales . Not the great big round ones a lot of farmers have . We baled about 6300 bales of hay . Our barn was full . But soon we will be running out of hay. My husband , myself and a retired farm neighbor unloaded most of the hay . Once in awhile my brother helped or a friend . Between feeding the cows , small calves , dry cows and heifers we use about 24 bales a day . I usually feed the hay at the barn . Depending on the size of the bale , one bale usually feeds 4 cows.

When the hay is baled Glenn ( our neighbor ) brings the full wagon of hay down to the barn . My husband is still in the field baling more hay . Glenn pulls the wagon close to the barn .I unhook the pin holding the front of the wagon to the tractor . Then a guiding pole is inserted in the back of the wagon and is attached to the tractor. Glenn pushes the wagon in towards the barn and I guide it inside . Sometimes we start unloading the hay right away . If we have a couple of loads to bale , we have to unload the hay to get the wagon back up to the field. There were a few times last summer we had 6 loads to unload in 1 day . Boy , does that wear you out ! I try and think of it as good exercise !

It gets pretty hot in the middle of the summer unloading hay . And those humid days are really bad. I am usually on the wagon throwing the hay into my husband to stack . Once in awhile some of our 4 grandkids like to climb up on the wagon and try and push some of the bales off to their Papee . They are our little helpers . And of course we tell them we couldn't have got all that hay unloaded without them .

Soon my husband will be starting the field work for spring. Plowing and planting. Sometimes he works in the field all day , comes down to milk and then goes back to the field after milking and works til sometimes 9 p.m. or later. Never gets to eat supper til almost 9:30 or 10:00 . Farming is a lot of hard work and it takes a toll on your body . My husband just turned 60 in January and he a lot of back and leg problems.

Most of our farm equipment is antique. Almost all of the tractors are the ones my father-in-law used when he farmed. Most farmers can't afford new tractors or other equipment . The only ones who can are those " Pretend Farmers " . That is what I call them . The ones who use their farm as a tax write-off . And aren't on the farm to actually farm it.

Well ~ need to get going . Almost time to go to the barn adnget started !

Milk Prices

2009-03-17T12:13:00.000-07:00

We got our milk check and the milk price is even worse than I thought it would be . We are getting $ 12.00 for a hundred pounds of our milk and it cost us $ 30.00 to make it . This might be the month we give it up. Just don't know what else we can sell to get more money . If farmers were getting paid what we should be we would be ok. Farmers are getting ripped off big time . All the work my husband does and to get this insulting amount for our milk is awful ! Guess I better get my letters to my Congress people sent out again ! Not that it seems to do much good.

Our farmhouse at Christmas

2009-03-12T18:27:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of our farmhouse this past Christmas. I always decorate everywhere . I put lots of pine branches and Santa's and Snowman all over the porch . I have an old chicken crate hanging on the wall .I have it filled with some of my prim goodies. And I have some crocks , old boxes and old tools around the porch . I have an old wooden shutter by the porch . It used to be on the house years ago . They were stored up in our barn . We found them the other year . So we brought them down and I decorated with some of them . They are a really neat aqua color . When everyone comes for the Craft Open House they love to look over everything on my porch . Usually they want to buy stuff that is on the porch . But I tell them it isn't for sale. At least not yet !

Calf prices

2009-03-05T12:55:00.000-08:00

One of our cows had twin calves the other day . They both were bulls. Usually we send bull calves out and only keep heifer calves . But we learned we are better off keeping them . We were told they were only worth $5.00 !! We are charged a hauling fee and other fees. So til they would take all the fees off our price we would end up with nothing. The other week a farmer sent out a bull calf and he got $5.00 .They took off the fees and ended up sending him a bill ! Even cow prices are awful . We used to get from $ 400 to $ 700 . The last cow we sent out we got $ 300 .

There are only about 59,135 dairy farms left in the whole US . The number of dairy farms drops about 5000 per year . 2009 could be the year to beat that number if the farmers milk prices do not improve quickly .

Dairy Farms Going Fast

2009-03-04T17:14:00.000-08:00

Dairy farms are going fast . Farmers are getting lower and lower prices for our milk . The milk check is hardly enough to pay the bills. As the price falls there are going to be fewer and fewer family farms. And the price people pay at the store is going to go up and go up high . Could it go as high as $10.00 a gallon ? Who knows ? It seems the milk processors have more influence over the Congress than we farmers do . We have had to start selling some of the things we hold dear . I am selling an antique dry sink to try and get some money to help pay bills . My husband is selling some of his guns. We used to have stock . But the last of it was sold last year . You sometimes ask yourself ~ how much do you sacrifice to hold on to your farm ? Farmers don't want a bailout . We just want a fair price for our milk !