Schools out for Summer!

Down by the pond early this spring. (S)

It has been out just over a week here and we are SO glad to be done.

S had basketball camp last week up at UW-Eau Claire. She came back a changed woman, or so she said. She improved her basketball skills and became very motivated.

N is off to Badger Girl State this week. It is a program in which she is selected by the women of the VFW and spend all week creating a government. She is running for the state attorney general of her fictional government.

The steers are being washed daily and lead around getting ready for the fair. They are big this year. VERY big. I will try and get some photos if possible. Usually I am helping wash, and don't want to get the camera wet.

Our horses had their hooves trimmed this last week and Dixie got a nice set of pads and shoes. We are hoping this alleviates some of the ring sour issues S was experiencing last year.

I hope this finds all of you doing well. I apologize for not updating more often. I am on face book more often than not these days.

prom photo

A bit late..

May

I should have at least one post up for May right?

N had a pretty good time at prom. It was a long day as predicted. State Solo and Ensembles first and then the prom. She did okay at state, but had problems with her asthma and having enough air to breath. Not good when you are playing the flute.

She enjoyed the pre-prom portion of prom. The hair/makeup/dinner. I enjoyed it too. We had a house crammed full of prom goers and their parents. I served them supper and we took turns taking pictures. It rained so there were no outside pictures. Prom itself was a a let down for her. Most of her class departed after the grand march for another party. On top of that she was exhausted, so despite plans of an all night wii extravaganza, she came home early and went to bed.

S has been playing basketball in a league in a nearby town. The league finished up this weekend. She learned a lot and improved certain aspects of her playing. I am continually amazed at how physical the game is. She has bruises and marks all over her body and spent a large portion of Sunday sleeping from sheer exhaustion.

My niece and god daughter is graduating from high school this weekend. Her parents held a get together up at the family farm, so we took the day to be with them. It was good to see my brothers and their wives, and of course my parents. I also got to see and visit with a cousin who I haven't seen in a few years.

Yesterday we attended a memorial day ceremony. N marched in the high school band parade leading up to the ceremony. I am extremely grateful to all those who have given their lives for our countries freedom, whether it was last month or 200 years ago. We are truly blessed to live where we do and enjoy the freedoms we enjoy.

Busy Two Days

A quick post today to give an idea of what's coming up in the next two or three or four days.

Today:

Shopping for Prom Supper to be hosted and prepared at my house tomorrow night. I received verification of the event on Wednesday. I'm off shortly to fill the list I have made. I want the group to have fun, so I asked N to ask if they wanted anything special. We are planning on preparing steak, steak fries, a veggies, salad and cheese cake. I got a request for hot dogs!

This is secretaries week, really it is. Therefor, it is also support staff appreciation week at school. I think it is kind of silly that I received flowers for my 15 hour a week job. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate that they appreciate me, it just seems a bit silly. So, what I am getting at, is that I need to go to work half an hour early so they can serve me lunch.

Post work S and I are saddling up and helping move cattle over at my brother in laws. I am going to take my small camera and see if I can get some photos while riding.

The house must be cleaned. I am sure the prom goers tomorrow won't care, but I do. Pride and all that. Then to top the day off I am altering Nicole's prom dress just a smidgen in the waist. She has lost a bit of weight and the spaghetti straps need to be adjusted as well. She just sent me a text message that a good friend of hers needs alterations as well. Oh.. and her dress for tomorrows state solos and ensembles needs to be shortened.

Tomorrow:

Arise early for the two hour drive to state solos and ensembles. N's first performance is at 8 am. I believe we are hauling two friends as well. Jack will stay behind and get S to her babysitting job. Then it's watch, watch, listen, listen to the five solos and ensembles she is competing in and rushing back home with a different load of kids so she can get her hair done for prom.

While her hair is being put up, I will be at home preparing the meal and putting some decorating touches on the house. Then dinner for kids, dinner for the adults and off to grand march. They are crashing afterwards at the neighbors house, thank goodness. I am extra proud that they are avoiding the 'huge drinking party' that one of their classmates is supposedly having. Underage drinking is pretty prevalent in the area, but my kid and her friends aren't into it.

Sunday is busy as well, but not quite as today and tomorrow.

I hope you all have a great weekend as well. I try to get around and visit your blogs as much as possible, although I admit facebook tends to eat up my time now. Kathy Cummings if you want to add me as a friend. My profile picture is of Gunner.

Today I am grateful for these two busy days. I love my daughters dearly, and despite not quite knowing how I am going to pull this off, I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Earth Day

Not much new since my last post except it is of course Earth Day. At school the classes will go out and do a little clean up work around the school. Raking of wood chips out of the grass, tending to the flower gardens etc. I myself, will stop at a local greenhouse after work and pick up a pine tree to plant. While I will never catch up to the trees my father has planted, I would like to add at least one tree a year to our property.

The other day a boy who attends my school from Bosnia asked me about the birch trees. He had never seen trees like that and wondered what was wrong with them. I told him what I knew, and told him how unhealthy it was to pick at the tree, but he, like the other kids can't seem to help himself. Nor could I at that age. Each of the Birch trees on the property have rings of bark missing just at kid height. I also pointed out a Maple tree as well and explained about Maple syrup.

When I was a kid, my older two brothers made maple syrup one spring. I remember gathering the syrup and the days of cooking the syrup out on a wood stove my parents put up for them outside. I honestly don't remember tasting the finished product although, I do have a remembrance of what Maple Sap tastes like.

I remember fondly my father taking me through the woods of his childhood explaining the different trees. He showed me the leaves and bark that distinguished one tree from another. He passed this love of flora and fauna on to my brothers as well. My youngest brother has started pine trees from seed and planted them throughout that same property.

My parents and grandparents always had us outside, in the woods, in the garden, where ever. My grandfather on my Mother's side, Pa Pa was a great fisherman, craftsman and gardener. He made jewelry out of silver and turquoise, panned for gold, made dandelion wine, and in his later years when he had slowed down, had a large garden of various berries and plants. His wife, my grandmother would spend hours making jams and jellies from the berries. She seemed to be happiest when she was busy, as has passed down to my mother.

So on this Earth Day I hope you all get a chance to get outside and enjoy our planet. Hug a tree for goodness sakes, they need love too!

Today I am grateful for my father for showing me the importance of giving back to the planet that has given us so much.

Spring

I love spring and all that it brings.

This weekend we were busy preparing the yard for summer. Jack did a lot of raking and even hauled a load or two of manure out to the pasture from the barn.

S and I tore the chicken coop door apart and rebuilt it. The girl is such a card. Half way through the project as I was struggling with the drill and a screw she says "Bob at Ace Hardware guaranteed this would work." in a deep voice. I had to stop because I was laughing so hard.

The door is now hung and operational again. I had been using a piece of plywood propped against the door to help keep it shut. Now it just needs a fresh coat of paint.

The mares are in full heat this week. It makes me think of Emmett, for it was just a little over a year ago that he was born. We still miss him, but life goes on and we enjoy what we have.

Speaking of what we have, we have 19 very healthy calves on the ground this year. Not only are they healthy, but we have just one cow that hasn't calved yet. Jack says it is due to a new supplement he started using last fall. We bought more just this last week. The cows had fuller coats over the winter and a much higher conception rate since we began using it.

My girls are busy with school, band, prom etc. S started a basketball league in a local town, and N is busy prepping for AP exams. Sadly that puts horseback riding on the back burner. N said it will be mid-May before she sees herself free to ride. S and I will start without her.

Today I am grateful for the color green and all the promise it brings in the spring.

Girls

Last night N was inducted into the National Honor Society. It is a prestigious award at her school for the members are chosen through a criteria of grades, teacher recommendations, and extra curricular activities including sports and community service. My rough guess is that seventy five percent of the new inductees came from the two parochial grade schools originally. So we were doubly proud that she was chosen and recognized for her achievements.

In the last few weeks my daughter has taken leaps and bounds to becoming an adult. She has come in to her own through leadership and it is a joy to behold.

Her schedule has become tighter and tighter between band, 4-H, FFA and school work. Mix in college visits and you have one busy camper. Thoughts of a summer get away to Arizona have dissipated. She promises that next summer she will be able to fit it in. This summer she wants to concentrate on her tennis and band. Of course we must throw in showing her horse on weekends that work and the fair where she exhibits cattle. Make that two different fairs this year. One with FFA and one with 4-H.

Her sister on the other hand has become the athlete. Gone are the days of running around outside with her dog. Now are the days she concentrates on basketball. She goes to practice, comes home eats, and heads back out for more practice at our own hoop. This summer she chose basketball camp instead of 4-H summer camp, and has also chosen to spend four weeks getting up early to hit summer school basketball. When she is not playing basketball she is practicing drums. While a lot of folks would shudder at the thought of the constant banging, Jack and I delight in the sounds of wipe out as they drift through the house. Last night she came up half way through practice for band aids. It seems wipe out has given her blisters!

In Horse News:

All the animals I am in charge of were given vaccinations last week. Meaning the dogs, cats, donkey and horses. Dixie came up lame two days before the vets visit. He looked her over well, and like us could find nothing visible wrong with her. All of our suspicions was an abscess because there were no visible hot spots or wounds but she was obviously favoring her front left leg.

Sunday her abscess appeared and we are now doctoring it as best we can. An abscess for those who don't know is an infection within the hoof. It can be caused by many different things, but basically what happens is an infection enters the hoof (possibly from a cut). The bacteria (pus) then looks for an area to exit the hoof. In Dixie's case it exited at the coronary band. The Coronary band is similar to a persons cuticle. It is a soft tissue that helps connect the hard hoof to the horse leg. The exit area of the abscess is about an inch wide. Due to the size of the exit and the mud in our region of the country right now, we are attempting to bandage it to keep it from becoming a bigger issue. She is already walking better, so it is good to know that that pain has lessened for the girl. We can tell she is not feeling well because her ground manners have become impeccable. She likes to crowd our space and is very pushy on the ground.

Today I am thankful for Spring. Despite the gloomy weather outside my window, I know this weather will only bring better things!