Another Phone Call

Me: Hello?

Lady: Hi, this is Jill from the Department of Water Resources. I'm just calling to see if your irrigation well is still on?

Me: Hahaha...heeheehee... Oh good question. I have no idea what you are talking about.

Lady: Oh, okay then. (Chuckles). Is anyone there who would know?

Me: No, they are not, but I could call my husband and ask him for you. He would be the one to know. We just moved here, and I don't know anything.

Lady: Oh okay. That's no problem. Just give me a call back when you get the chance. I need to come out there and get a sample from your well.

Me: Oh okay. Sounds good. I will call you back then.

........

Me: Hey, hun. Is the irrigation well still on?

Him: Yeah, why? (Sounding a little surprised that I would ask a question I knew nothing about)

Me: Well a lady from the Department of Water Resources needs to come out and take a sample from it.

Him: (Understanding now) Oh, okay. Yeah it is. But tell her it's going to only be on for 2 more days.

Me: Gotcha.

And then I relayed the message to her.

But you know, I was thinking. There's going to come a point where I can't say, "I just moved here and don't know anything.." because sooner or later, I will NOT have just moved here. I'll just have to tell them, "Sorry, I just don't know anything." Being new to the farm won't be a valid excuse anymore!

Hay and Straw

Hay and straw, are not the same. Most of you probably already know that, but I didn't know that for the first 29 years of my life. I just found out, not too long ago, that straw and hay are different. They may look similar, but they are different.

I've explained the difference in a previous post, so for some of you who are new, hay is dry alph-alpha and straw is leftover stems from grains, such as wheat.

So today, I thought I would show you some pictures. :)

This, would be hay. You raise hay on purpose, to feed your animals.

And this, would be straw. You don't really raise straw. This is a wheat field. Planted and raised for wheat. Now, that our neighbor has harvested his wheat, the straw is left over.

And what do they do with the straw? Well, my husband said that they bale it. They bale it so that they can give it to the cows. He says they eat a little bit of it during the winter - it helps them to keep warm. Mostly, they just make beds out of it. It's got to be pretty good bedding, I mean, didn't we as humans used to make our bed matresses out of straw? I remember going to a museum and lying on a straw bed and thinking it was horrible. Too funny.

Our wheat is not quite ready to be harvested yet. Which I guess is okay, since they had to get our combine (the big machine that harvests the wheat) ready. You know, there was a dead cat in it, and some other parts they had to replace. I'd have to ask my husband, but I think it's almost ready to go.

And just for your viewing pleasure, he is another bit of scenery for you.

Gorgeous huh? This is on the drive from our little town to the next town. I believe that is a field of Safflower. They make cooking oil out of it. I had never heard of it before I moved here. I'm sure most other people have heard of it. It makes for beautiful fields too!

I also recently found out that potato fields and beautiful. Potato plants have flowers! Who knew? I didn't. I have yet to take a picture for you, but here is one off of the internet.

See what I mean.

Farming makes for some gorgeous scenery.

Our New Pet, Bear

We got a new dog! His name is "Bear." (For the time being...)

Because, what's a farm, without a dog, right?

I was totally on board with this idea. I know, it's crazy, but it's true. For some reason I decided I would like having a dog around. And I'm going to be so nice to him so he will protect me at nights when my husband has gone off baling or whatever. Him and my gun under the bed. I'm all set.

And, I think he already likes me. Yeah, it's working! He's such a happy, friendly dog!

We got a great deal on. My husband has always wanted a dog, so I asked him about it. Asked him if it was time to get a dog, and he thought that was a great idea. So I hopped onto Craig's list and found a family who didn't have time to care for their energetic dog anymore. They even posted, "He would be a great farm dog!" I told my husband that he was an Australian Shepherd/Blue Heeler mix and he said, "That's the dog I want, right there." So we called the owner and a few days later, he was off to pick him up. He came neutered, vaccinated, and with plenty of toys, a leash, and even a kennel. For free.

We brought him home and since it was late, we put him on a leash and tied him up for the night. He did not...stop...barking..all..night. The poor dog. Everyone else could sleep through it, but I had to go downstairs.

In the morning, he got to experience his first day as a farm dog and he seemed to love it. So did my husband. He went everywhere with him. They went to check on the pumps, the cows, change water, and whatever else they do. Then he hung out with him at the shop.

They found a dead cat in the combine from last year. Bear tried to eat it. Gross, gross, gross. But then he got to meet our real-life cat. Moley came over to check him out. I actually think she was trying to let him know who was boss.

She wasn't really afraid of him.

He kind of gave her a snarl. They sniffed each other and I thought that was that. I was pleased. And then Moley attacked his face. Bear chased her off. Hopefully they will get used to each other! The rest of the day, Moley gave him warning meows, but didn't bother him again.

Oh, and as for the name, "Bear," my husband doesn't like it. He says that he wants to name him something else. I pulled off a huge list of dog names from the internet. He didn't like any of them. I think of new ones and suggest them to him randomly. He still hasn't liked any. I keep saying, "Honey, this dog needs a name! You need to choose!"

I feel like we are going through the names for our children again. I swear, it was the same. He didn't like anything! The problem here, is that we don't have a deadline. I'm not leaving the hospital with "Bear" tomorrow and I don't have paperwork for his birth certificate to fill out. So I'm afraid it's going to take a LONG time for this dog to get a name. This is why, for our next child, my husband and I made a deal that I, yes I, would get to name it all by myself. :)

Climb Every Mountain

Guys...

I've realized that I have a schedule comparable to my husband during this "Hay Season" he is having.

You see, between getting buried in the sandbox, riding bikes, playing in the mud, pooping in pants (the little boys), feeding cows, riding with daddy in the tractor, changing water, etc, there are just mountains and mountains of laundry around here. I didn't know that boys could go through so many changes of clothes each day.

So after I have done my daily duties of feeding them breakfast, chasing them all over the yard, changing their clothes after poopy diapers that didn't hold up, sending them with dad to ride in the tractor, feeding them lunch, chasing them all over the yard, changing their clothes after the sandbox, sending them with dad to feed cows, changing their clothes, feeding them dinner, chasing them all over the yard...

it's on to gathering laundry, piling it, sorting it, applying stain remover....

AND .....realizing that it HAS been and STILL is 85 degrees INSIDE my house (because no one believes in A/C or even an evaporative cooler)...

It is then my only choice, but to do my laundry (as in run my washer and dryer).....in...the...middle...of...the...night!

So see, we are the same. It's a great partnership.

Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch...

A few things to update you on.

My brother asked about my lawn-mowing. What lawn mowing?

Yeah, that's right. I don't do it anymore. You see, have a (slave) nephew that I (demand) ask to come and do the job for me.

Until I figure out how to mow with two toddlers sitting on my lap. It's just easier this way cause you know. It's summer. He doesn't have anything else to do. (Besides his own chores, his own lawn, feeding his cows and pigs, swimming, etc.) Plus, these guys love to mow the lawn with a riding lawn mower. I have another brother that is begging to come up and mow the law for me. Why not let the kids have some fun? Heck, if they love it so much, they can do it. Cause I surely don't love it...

Doesn't he look great?

AND....

Moley had another batch of kittens. Yep, it's true! The little turd. We came home from our June vacation and she was fat. She had them a few weeks ago now.

Here's the story. I walked out into the garage and heard some teeny tiny meowing. I looked around and I found this.

Yes, that is Moley in a box of Christmas lights. How comfortable, huh? Strange cat.

So I got after her, put my gloves on, and picked her and her kittens up and put them in a box with towels. Much better.

She ended up with FIVE kittens. And they are pretty cute. There are only two kittens left from her last litter. It's interesting living in the country. It's has it's own pet control. Poor cats get eaten and run over very easily. Sad, but true. So the two that are still alive are at my neighbor's house catching mice, and she's grateful. And I might already have owners for four of these cats. Everyone needs a cat up here. It's cheaper than dozens of mouse traps in your house.

Scenery

So.. I'm pretty sure that Microsoft came here to take pictures for their screen backgrounds.

Don't you think?

I actually think it's pretty, pretty out here in the country.

The hubby works in the garden and I take the pictures. Again, a great partnership.

Here's a field of wheat in our backyard

And here is the view I can see from my window while I do the dishes....Actually, I haven't done the dishes for a while. I gave my husband dishes duty until he took me on a date. That was about 2 months ago and he's still doing the dishes. Hee hee hee. Try it ladies! It's wonderful!

I don't know why, but everytime I look out the window, (at this view pictured above,) I start singing, "Home, home on the range. Where the deer and the antelope play. Where seldom is heard, a discouraging word. And the skies are not cloudy all day."

Do you know that I just barely understood one of the lines of that song correctly? All growing up, I thought that the song meant, you shouldn't say the word "seldom" because it is a discouraging word. I think it was just because of the phrasing. It was like I was singing it, "Where 'seldom' is heard, as a discouraging word...." But now I finally get it. It means that seldom do you hear a discouraging word. Right? C'mon, haven't you ever sang a song incorrectly?

My cowboy was once singing Whitney Houston's "The Greatest Love of All" and he sang, "No matter what they take from me, they can't take away my LIBERTY!" in front of a group of us and everyone started laughing. Or you know that song that goes, "Don't go chasing waterfalls..." Well, my friend sang it, "Don't go Jason, what if all.." :) Funny huh?

Anyway, this fall, when the grain fields are ready to be harvested, I already know that I won't be able to get the song by Sting out of my head. "As we walk in fields of gold....You'll remember me, when the west wind moves. Upon the fields of barley. You can tell the sun, in his jealous sky, when we walked in fields of gold." Is it stuck in your head now?

(I actually had to look up the lyrics to this song, and guess what. I've been singing "You can tell the sun, in it's yellow sky.." ALL THESE YEARS! Yep, just found out it's "jealous." How bout that?)

(I know this was a totally random post, but that's just the way I am sometimes.) :)

Hay Fever

Wow, it's been a while. Things have been busy around here! I'm hardly getting any sleep cause they hay is up and ready. That means that after I've cut it, raked it and it's all dried out, I then have to bale it in..the..middle..of..the..night......

Wait, that's not me. That would be what my husband does. Of course.

Okay, so even though the husband does all of the manual labor, I have been involved in hay season. My cowboy cuts it, rakes it, and bales it, and I sneeze the whole time. It's a great partnership.

So anyway. Let me show you one of our fields. The other day, I saw this happening..

It looked like my nephew, so I called my sister-in-law and asked if her son was out plowing that field. She said, "Yes, that's him." Then she paused, laughed, and said, "Oh, that's cute. 'Plowing.'" I then realized my mistake.

"Ahh!" I said, "That's not plowing, huh?! So what's he doing?"

She said, "Well, he's in a swather, so he's swathing."

Okay. There you have it. "Swathing." or, "cutting the hay" as some others might call it.

So he swathed the field, then we let the hay dry. Like this.

Do you see our horse staring longingly at this huge field of freshly-dried hay? I don't think she moved for two days. I'm serious. Every time I looked, she was standing right there! She finally moved after the second day. I guess she realized she'd never get to it.

Anyway, after it dries for a little while, they go back out and rake it... so it can dry more thoroughly, I suppose.

(Don't you just love how this city girl tries to describe all the processes and happenings on the farm? Me too.)

And then, when the hay is dry enough, they bale it. Now, why don't I have a very good picture of them baling the hay? Well, because I was asleep. I sleep from about 11PM to 8AM. Lately, my husband has not been sleeping. He's been out baling. Usually with my nephew, so the nephew is not sleeping either. Anyway, I was lucky enough that this was an early-morning-baling day, rather than a late-at-night baling night. So when I woke up, I grabbed my bathrobe, ran out to my front porch, and hurried and snapped these pictures.

You see, it's okay that I stood on my porch in my bathrobe, because most people are too far away to notice. My front porch is too far away for anyone to really see what I'm wearing when I stand on it. That's why one night, I even dared to run out there withOUT my bathrobe, so I could save my potted Easter Lily. Now that was a weird feeling. Never done that before. But it was dark and remember, we have no close neighbors....nobody saw....

Poor horse. She went back to her spot to stare at all that hay...

And they load it up and drive it somewhere else... (Pretty good details there, eh?)

And finally, the baler. It's hooked up to the tractor. Yeah, the red thing. That's a baler.

And there you have it folks. It's hay season! Hip Hip, Ho-ray! Hip Hip, Hor-HAY!