An Old Farmer's Advice

* Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull-strong. *

* Keep skunks and bankers at a distance.*

* Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.*

* A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.*

* Words that soak into your ears are whispered...not yelled.*

* Meanness don't jes' happen overnight.*

* Forgive your enemies. It messes up their heads.*

* Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.*

* It don't take a very big person to carry a grudge.*

* You cannot unsay a cruel word.*

* Every path has a few puddles.*

* When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.*

* The best sermons are lived, not preached.

* Most of the stuff people worry about ain't never gonna happen anyway.*

* Don't judge folks by their relatives.*

* Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.*

* Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll enjoy it a second time.*

* Don't interfere with somethin' that ain't bothering you none.*

* Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a Rain dance.*

* If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin'.*

* Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.*

* The biggest troublemaker you'll probably ever have to deal with, watches you from the mirror every mornin'.*

* Always drink upstream from the herd.*

* Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.*

* Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin' it back in.*

* If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try orderin' somebody else's dog around.*

* Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply.*

* Don't pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he'll just kill you.*

Home, Sweet Home

My new home! :)


Beautiful, big yard.


The barn.


From the back.


Coal boiler shed.

Why Farm Trucks Never Get Stolen

I think ours qualifies! :)



The guys at the mechanic shop had some fun adding another special farm truck touch. :)



- They have a range of about 20 miles before they overheat, break down or run out of gas.

- Only the owner knows how to operate the door to get in or out.

- It is difficult to drive fast with all the fence tools, grease rags, ropes, chains, buckets, boots and loose papers in the cab.

- It takes too long to start and the smoke coming up through the rusted-out floorboard clouds your vision.

- The Border Collie on the toolbox looks mean.

- They're too easy to spot. The description might go something like this: The driver's side door is red, the passenger side door is green, the right front fender is yellow, etc.

- The large round bale in the back makes it hard to see if you're being chased. You could use the mirrors if they weren't cracked and covered with duct tape.

- Top speed is only about 45 mph.

- Who wants a truck that needs a year's worth of maintenance, u-joints, $3,000 in bodywork, taillights and a windshield.

- It's hard to commit a crime with everyone waving at you.

Rain

This was the rain that came over Monday and Tuesday.




This is the rest of the rainfall we had by Saturday evening.



Thankfully the sun has been out the past few days and finally starting to dry things up!

Interview from Tammy of tammysrecipes.com

1. How did you first start sewing? (Did your mom teach/help you, did you teach yourself, or...??)

I started to sew when I was around 11. I don’t remember what prompted me to pick a project and start but I did and found myself enjoying it very much and continued on from there. I pretty much taught myself by just following the pattern instructions. For quilting in more recent years I’ve taken a few courses to learn specific quilting techniques.

2. Would you rather be indoors doing inside stuff (cooking, sewing, scrapbooking, etc.) or outdoors (gardening, working with animals, etc.)?

I have hobbies I enjoy both indoors and outdoors but outdoors would be my favourite-going for walks, hiking, camping, gardening, hotdog and marshmallow roasts, playing volleyball, etc. and would love to go hunting. I do have indoor hobbies I enjoy for when the weather isn’t cooperating , during winter, or later in the evenings when it is too dark to do anything outside.

3. What's the best thing about being an aunt? The worst thing?

Seeing how thrilled my nephews get when I make time to play, read, or build something with them. They think you are amazing. : ) It also reminds me of what kind of an impact I can have on them. Can’t think of a worst with being an aunt. : )

4. What are your favorite kinds of gifts to receive?

Homemade gifts are certainly a favourite knowing that someone has put the time, thought, and energy into something specifically for me. Though I also enjoy when someone gives a gift (clothing, treat, etc.) they know I really like.

5. How is your weight loss going? Any special tips or encouragement to share with me along those lines? :)

It has slowed down the past several weeks due to moving and the weather not being conducive to outdoor exercise. :P The sun finally came out today so I was able to finally go for a walk again-yay! As for tips-don’t get discouraged! You can always start again and continue working at it.


If you want to play along:

1 - Leave a comment with your blog URL, saying you want to be interviewed.
2 - I will respond; I'll ask you five questions.
3 - You'll update your blog with my five questions, and your five answers.
4 - You'll include this explanation.
5 - You'll ask other people five questions when they want to be interviewed.

June 8, Tuesday

Today was one of those days. First woke up to find out that the propane had run out. Had to start my morning without coffee…:P I was out of milk so had toast instead of cereal. Popped the toaster on and then plugged in the heater since it was a little cooler inside the camper. Half way through toasting the electrical outlets stop working. It has happened a few times before but I wasn’t sure which breaker it was so I just left it.

So then I head out to chore at the barn at 7 AM to find water at the north end with more seeping in due to the rain. (It has happened a couple times this cycle but not to this extent.) We’ve had 2 ½ “ over the past two days not to mention the endless rain we’ve had the past several weeks. The ground is completely saturated and land fairly flat here so the water has decided to reroute itself up through the barn. Spent the morning bucketing water out. Darryl’s dad and cousin come over (yay for great neighbours! : )) to see the situation and what they can do to help.

I try and use a wheelbarrow to bring some gravel over to find out the wheel needs to be replaced. Back to using a 5 gallon bucket (what would I do without them! :D) to bring in gravel to build a dam in the barn around the opening where the most water is filling in. Beavers are not well-liked in this area but it sure would have been handy to hire one. Haha.

Anyways, the water finally slows down a bit so I’m able to leave for a quick trip to town to pick up a sump pump and also am going to get my propane tanks filled. Find pretty much the last sump pump in town at the CO-OP. Phone calls asking about sump pumps were coming in while I was there due to many basements in the area being flooded. I get the necessary fittings and hose and head off to get my propane tanks filled. The two girls at the ESSO spend a while finding trying to find the engraved dates on both tanks. They inform me both are past expiration and cannot be filled. I think one probably could have been filled but they were more scared of the $10,000 fine than me. Haha. They are a taller tank so I’m not sure if I should pick up a smaller 20 LB tank as it might not fit. I call three different numbers back at our other farm and cannot get a hold of anyone so head home as I need to check the water situation again in the barn.

That brings us around to about 5 this evening. Yeah, it has been a full day. It is still raining, water is still seeping in, and more rain is in the forecast. Dad and Mom have decided to come over since they can’t get any more seeding done due to the weather. I’m going to wait to use the pump until Dad gets here as I’m not sure that the float will kick the pump in at the low level we need. The guy at the CO-OP said it would but I’m not counting on anything seeing how this day has gone. LOL! Dad looks at the pump after arriving to find out that it won’t work.

So this is just one of those days that makes you appreciate the days when every thing goes smoothly and as planned. Wouldn’t life be boring though if nothing out of the ordinary ever happened?! We’ll have some vivid and amusing memories of our beginnings in this new adventure. :D

That all said, I am looking forward to some uneventful days ahead! :)

I'm back...

I’m back with a determination to revive this blog as it has been sadly neglected for too long. So much has happened over the past several months! I’m not quite sure where to start so I’ll give a quick recap since the beginning of 2009. Erin and I started working at a dairy, sold the last of my feeder calves, Graham sold his farm in AB and then he, Erin, and I started a company and bought land in SK, our whole family flew back to NS for Grandma’s 90th birthday, our family started farming in SK, attended the HSA reunion in CO and travelled back to IA with the Pauls for a week long visit, Graham and I drove down to FL for Graham’s wedding, travelled to Europe with a friend, had my first niece arrive, and now have moved to Eastern Saskatchewan and am buying a chicken barn with Graham and Erin.

I’ve been living here for a month now. Dad brought our travel trailer over so I’d have a place to live until we take possession which is the end of June. This current cycle of birds is not ours but I’m here getting a six week crash course in raising chickens. : )

With the barn under new ownership, we are required to comply immediately with new rules and regulations set out by the CFS (Chicken Farmers of Saskatchewan). All of our inlet openings on the barn needed screens so I bought some chicken wire and screws, cut some lathe and went to work. Using power tools is fun! : )