Spring's Celebrations

Spring has sprung down on the farm!

Just the day before the calendar claims that spring has begun

we were blessed to celebrate my Mother's 92nd birthday.

As you can see, it's a family tradition to help in the 

candle blowing ceremony!

Even the beef cows are celebrating the warmer days

of spring  and didn't seem to mind posing for 

a picture while hanging around the hay manger.

Spring finds us celebrating the birth of new calves.

Although most beef cows have plenty of milk for their 

babies, we do have an occasional calf that may need a 

little help when Momma doesn't have any milk or the baby 

is not trying to nurse for whatever reason.

That's when the farmer instinct takes over  and he  feeds the baby.

Celebrating spring with a farmer always brings

a smile on my face as you see the passion 

he feels for his farm and family!

Happy Spring!

 

Thankful Thursday

After the chores were finished, our family  gathered around the table for

our traditional  July 4th picnic supper in the cool of the air conditioner and

then made our journey to the pond for a fantastic fireworks display.

We all have a few mosquito and chigger bites but it was worth it

for the fun we had.

I am thankful for the many July 4th  memories we have

 made in this pastoral spot on the farm,

for the curious guests that joined in the fun until the first 

fire cracker was lit,

for the two inches of rain we received that 

allowed us to plant  part of our fall crop,

and

 for the freedoms we enjoy every day!

                                                            God bless America!
 

Easter Blessings

Our Easter blessings began  

with the  ordinary daily work

of caring for our dairy cattle ,

the opportunity to gather with our church family for the

first time in months due to the pandemic,

gathering around the table to enjoy a family meal,

the joy and excitement on the faces of the grandchildren

as they investigated the contents of their Easter baskets,

the beautiful weather that made hunting Easter eggs

one of the afternoon's  highlights,

and

the joy of sharing our dairy farming way of 

life with the next generation.

                                           Our greatest blessing is that we serve a  risen Savior!

                                           It's His great love that blesses us  on the ordinary and 

                                              extraordinary days of life down on the dairy farm.

                                          

                                                            

Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

                                                   Not all birthdays are celebrated with cake,

but

August is a celebration of  life down on the dairy farm.

This new baby was born after midnight and was taken to 

its own clean hutch, fed colostrum from its mother

and monitored   for  any health issues. Calves grow up to 

become the cows that produce milk, so we are committed 

to getting them off to a healthy start.

I'm thankful for the healthy calves born this month, 

the unexpected help bottle feeding the new August calves

and

                                      for the opportunity to celebrate  life down on the dairy
                                                        farm with the next generation.

Salute to Veterans

Thank-you to all veterans who have served in the military

in wartime or peacetime.

Your dedication to country is what allows the rest of us

 the freedoms that we enjoy everyday and often take for granted.

Veterans Day began as "Armistice Day" on November 11,1919, 

to commemorate the end of World War I.

President Eisenhower officially changed the name to Veterans Day in 1954.

According to Veterans Day Facts at www.history.com:

-16.1 million living veterans served during at least one war
-5.2 million veterans served in peacetime
-2 million veterans are women
-7 million veterans served during the Vietnam War
-5.5 million veterans served during the Persian Gulf War
           -Of the 16 million Americans who served during World War II,
 about 558,000 are still alive

Ryan and I appreciate the service of both of our fathers.

They were proud to serve  and instilled in us an appreciation

for all those who continue to serve our country.

                                                       Happy Veterans Day!

Labor Day Celebration

Our Labor Day celebration started early this morning with 

the arrival of three new calves.Welcoming new life on the dairy farm

 is always  a great way to start the day!

New babies are taken to their individual calf hutch where we can monitor 

them closely, make sure they receive good nutrition and are protected from 

other members of the herd and bad weather.

                                                   
                                              Caring for these babies is my daily labor of love.
                           It's a priority to make sure these calves get off to a healthy start because
                                  they will grow to become the cows that produce nutritious milk.

                                                              From down on the dairy farm,

                                                              Happy Labor Day!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter!

Christ the Lord Is Risen Today

Christ the Lord is ris'n today, Alleluia!

Sons of men and angels say, Alleluia!

Raise your joys and triumphs high,Alleluia!

Sing,ye heav'ns and earth,reply, Alleluia!

Lives again our glorious King,Alleluia!

Where,O Death. is now thy sting? Alleluia!

Dying once He all doth save, Alleluia!

Where thy victory, O Grave? Alleluia!

Love's redeeming work is done,Alleluia!

Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia!

Death in vain for bids Him rise, Alleluia!

Christ hath opened Paradise, Alleluia!

Soar we now where Christ has led, Alleluia!

Following our exalted Head, Alleluia!

Made like Him, like Him we rise, Alleluia!

Ours the cross, the grave, the skies, Alleluia!

       

                                ----Charles Wesley

Blessings to you and your family from down on the dairy farm!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

It was obvious from the full church pews last Sunday that the Vaughn Presbyterian Church holds a special place in the hearts of many people in our community. We not only celebrated 125 years of ministry but also dedicated a part of the original Vaughn High School sign that  is being

 added to the historical monument in the front yard of the church. From beginning to end, it was a perfect celebration. 

The Vaughn Presbyterian Church and the Vaughn School were a great partnership. If you lived in the Vaughn Community, this is where you went to school. School programs and church programs were often tightly woven together with involved families.

I'm thankful for the ministry of the Vaughn Presbyterian Church,

        the influence the school and church have had on so many in our community for the past 125 years,
                                                                                and

                                                              for the blessings of friendship!

Labor of Love

Yesterday we celebrated my Aunt Alice and Uncle Pete's fiftieth wedding anniversary with a fantastic gathering of friends and family. Our labor of love  was  a fun and memorable event  that  also  brought us together as a family throughout the last few months as we  planned  and implemented  details for the event.

I enjoyed watching Aunt Alice'  friend, Linda, prepare the cake. It was absolutely a work of art--edible art. A personal touch was the addition of brooch pins  from my grandmother and Uncle Pete's mother as part of the cake decoration.

My own love for blue probably started with my Aunt Alice wedding--that was her   color!

We were all amazed that our blue punch matched the cake and no one went home with blue teeth or lips!

I'm not sure you could make a more delicious punch than equal amounts of 7-Up and Blue Hawaiian Punch topped with a carton of pineapple sherbet!

When it was all said and done, 

these smiles were the greatest reward for our labor of love!

Ninety Years Young

As we drove into the yard by the Logan Community Building in rural Benton County this afternoon, it was obvious by the number of vehicles and the people standing in line to enter the building that it was one whale of a party for our special friend, Ava. Celebrating your 90th birthday is a very Big Deal!!

Ava is a cherished icon to many of us in the county--a retired dairy farmer,wife,mother,dedicated 4-H leader and supporter of all 4-H activities and Benton County Fair superintendent for decades. Ryan and I also have another special connection with Ava as she was a childhood friend of my grandmother and Ryan's mother. We've heard lots of stories about fun in the good old days! Ava is a perfect example of how farm families live and work in their communities for decades volunteering to make sure that the community grows and thrives.

 

Ava's enthusiasm for life is contagious and her family made sure that her 90th birthday would not only be a celebration but completion of an item on her bucket list--a ride on a motorcycle!

 

90 years young!!

 

Freedom to Celebrate

Happy July 4th! Our traditional holiday celebration begins after all the daily chores are done on the dairy. Our celebration will include a picnic this evening in a shady area next to our largest pond that we call Anglin Lake. Anglin Lake is actually a spring fed pond that we enlarged by joining two smaller ponds together several years ago. Our traditional picnic spot is perfect for watching fireworks from the surrounding cities of Centerton,Bentonville, Rogers and even a few from Springdale. With the rain we are having today, we can also plan to shoot a few fireworks of our own without the fear of setting a fire!

Today's celebration would not be possible without the dedication of the men and women who have served and are presently serving our country to protect the freedoms we enjoy today. Ryan's father,Bill, served in Japan during World War II. As a family we appreciate the sacrifice that members of our military make to serve our country. July 4th is not only the time to celebrate America but also to remind us of how blessed we are as a nation!