Happy October !

Change is the constant factor in life down on the farm.

I was shocked when I looked at the date of the last time I posted on the blog.

Summer has come and gone and now we welcome fall

and all the beauty October will bring.

Here's a sampling of what went on this summer on the farm 

and in the family. 

We don't milk cows anymore but we are still raising dairy heifers

and beef cows,

 

we opened a coffee trailer on a corner of the farm,

we shipped a group of bred heifers to a farm in Florida,

we celebrated Casey's 33rd birthday,

and 

we welcomed Truitt Anglin to our family.

                                           Now you know why there was so little blogging time!

                                                               Happy October!!

February's Farming and Fun

                                               Can you believe that February is almost gone? 

                             We did manage to have a little fun mixed in with the  daily work

                                             down on the farm  of feeding cows and calves.  

                                                It was a little challenging walking around on

                                     the layers of sleet and ice that took a week to melt but  we 

                                               took our week without any bad falls as a win!

Here is just a sampling of a little fun in February:

Farm dogs are always loyal and would

never stay too far from the action.

Papa Ryan made a trip to the local hardware

store to purchase a sled  so that Hattie and Breck could enjoy the 

sledding experience from the hill at the barn.

Memories for a lifetime made down on the farm.

Valentine Pie was the perfect treat for my farmer Valentine!

With spring just around the corner,

Breck finally managed to get his tractor charged

up for a chilly ride.   

February is still holding on 

but  we are seeing the signs that spring is not too far away.

                                         I'm not really wishing February to hurry and be done

                                                but I do look forward to the promise of spring!

January Reflections

January is in full swing...

freezing weather and high winds,

 a little fog,

lightning but no rain,

a little sleet,

 single digit  temperatures followed

by 

70  degree days...

 

but what can you say?

It's crazy January!

The calves are handling crazy weather better than the 

farmers.

I will say, January also gives time to reflect on some

of the fun times of the holiday season...

and a special Christmas gift of a visit from 

my friend Nancy.

Life on the farm just can't get any better when you 

have the love of family and friends.

It's that love that keeps us going on the 

toughest days.

 

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!
 

A Mother's Love

What's not to love about this day of celebrating mothers?

Down on the farm, we celebrate all mothers!

A Mother's Love

A mother's love is special

It's present every day,

A gift that came from heaven

That God has sent our way.

Her job is never ending

She's there all day and night,

To be there for her children

And be their guiding light.

Her thoughts are with them always

Even if they are apart,

Her children have a special place

Deep down inside her heart.

Mother's are a special gift-

A gift from up above,

This world would seem so empty

Without a Mother's love.

                             --T. Entzminger

 

Happy Mother's Day!

Thankful Thursday

April brings more than showers!

We welcomed this new calf just after the showers

and a cool down in the temperature.  

As you can see, the calf found a cozy spot on the 

hay as her Mother continued to eat before going to

the milk barn.

I am thankful for all the blessings of spring--

new life on the farm,

celebrating our precious Hattie's 6th birthday,

                                                                              and 

                                                 to live in a country that gives us the opportunity

                                                     to seek election  to serve our community.

Thankful Thursday

Conversations in the last few weeks, no matter what the subject, often ended

with "I'm just 91,you know!"

It is hard to believe that my Mother is now 91.

Our party was a sweet celebration with family and friends.

Our expert candle blowers were ready for the task even though

the total of only  10 candles represented the big 91.

I celebrate not only the fact that my Mother has made this 

91 year milestone, but that she has lived her life to the 

fullest.  Her life has been full of working and serving 

others in the community through church and civic involvement,

 caring for her family, and cherishing her many friendships.

I also find it a fitting time during Women's History Month

to celebrate a few of the  achievements of  my Mother, Mary Baggett.

Mother has always loved her home town, Bentonville.

That love led her to become involved in the local politics.

She was the glass ceiling breaker for Bentonville becoming 

 the first woman elected to the Bentonville City Council in 1972.

and the first woman elected to the Benton County Quorum Court in 1982.

I am proud of the investment she made of her time to 

make Bentonville an even better place to live for all of us.

Most of all, I am thankful 

for all  the love Mother  gives so freely to me ,

my family and  all those who know her.

Thanks from Down on the Dairy Farm

                                                Before November slips into December,

                                      I wanted to share a little bit of  thankfulness

                                                     from down on the dairy farm.  

                          I'm thankful for the new calves that we welcomed to the farm

                                              during this season of Thanksgiving,

for celebrating 37 years of marriage to an 

Arkansas dairy farmer,

for the opportunity to take my Mother to visit

her 93 year old Uncle Max in Alabama,

to watch my grandchildren lick their ice cream bowls clean,

to celebrate the beginning of Advent with my family,

and 

to share with you  about life

down on the dairy farm.

                                        

                                                     

Happy Mother's Day

Mother's Day is a day of celebration and making memories with

those we love most.  My earliest recollection of today's celebration 

would be the cards we often made in Sunday School accompanied by

the flower in a paper cup to be given to Mother.

My heart is full of gratefulness for the love that has

been showered on me by my Mother and the women in my family.

It seems fitting to share the poem from a  Mother's Day

 ribbon I received at 

church when my boys were little. 

Two Temples

A Builder buildeth a temple,

He wrought it with grace and skill;

Pillars and groins and arches

All fashioned to work his will.

Men said as they saw its beauty

"It shall never know decay;

Great is thy skill, O Builder!

Thy fame shall endure for aye."

A MOTHER  builded a temple

With loving and infinite care,

Planning each arch with patience,

Laying each stone with prayer.

None praised her unceasing efforts,

None knew of her wondrous plan,

For the temple the Mother builded

Was unseen by the eyes of man.

Gone is the Builder's temple

Crumbled into the dust;

Low lies each stately pillar,

Food for consuming rust.

But the temple the Mother builded

 Will last while the ages roll,

For that beautiful unseen temple 

Was a child's immortal soul.

 ---Hattie Vose Hall

  Happy Mother's Day!

 

                                             
                                     

                                                
                                       

                                                             

                                       

                                           

                                            

                                 

Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

One of the greatest joys of family farm life is

sharing  everyday activities with our children and

grandchildren.  

Hearing the sweet little voice of Hattie was all it

took for me to abandon my farm bookkeeping task,

 throw on my coat and head to the calf 

hutches with Cody and Hattie.

The afternoon was perfect for the job of placing 

ear tags that we use to identify each heifer calf.

This identification number is used as a name and is

entered into a computer data base. The  information about

each heifer calf is used for the care  of each calf

 as they grow and mature and eventually become part

 of the milking herd.

Hattie's job was to entice the calf out of the hutch.

She obviously had the job she wanted!

I'm thankful for each moment we have together

and 

                                                and for  the memories we are creating

down on the dairy farm.

Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

It's a dreary, chilly last day of 2020. Today we received a load of oat hay from

somewhere in Kansas to add to the dairy cow ration.  We still have plenty of hay that 

we have raised on the farm but with the drought we experienced in the late summer and

early fall, it was decided to purchase hay to stretch our supply.  No matter how

well you plan, the plan seems to always change !

The hay has been sampled and will be sent for a lab analysis

to give us the best information on how much hay to include in the daily diet.

We're hoping the milking cows are going to appreciate this addition by

producing a little more milk!

In the last few weeks, 2020 has brought us some very sad experiences.

We have lost several friends in our community due to complications of CoVid.

I am thankful for each of these special friends that made such an impact on 

my family and our community.

Intertwined in our sadness, I am thankful for those

that we have celebrated in a big way when you turn 2,

family time that we 

enjoyed during the Christmas holiday,

and 

for Mac that was 

added to our family roster!

                                                  

Blessed Americans

Regardless of living in the middle of a pandemic and

the unrest in our country at this time,

we are blessed to live in this great nation and call ourselves 

Americans.

July 4th gives us the opportunity to celebrate all that 

we are as a nation and to appreciate all those that

have worked, struggled and sacrificed to bring us to this point in time. 

We are not a perfect nation because we are an imperfect people.

It is our duty to strive to be better on every level.

As we work today down on the dairy farm, 

we are celebrating the fact that we have the 

freedom to farm,

                                                   
                                     freedom to work everyday to provide food for Americans,

                                                       
                                                                                and
                                              the freedom  to  celebrate what July 4th means
                                                    with the next generation of Americans.

                                                           God Bless America!

Happy Father's Day!

                                   Ryan and I cherish the memories we have of our fathers.
                                Father's Day reminds us of all the ways our fathers loved us,
                               taught us and continually supported us as we experienced life.

Although our sons will have different experiences than us,

it's our hope that they too will have many memories to cherish.

We already know they are storing up all the times of 

funny experiences and crazy ideas we have shared  in life so far.

                                                                           
                                                            From down on the dairy farm,

                                                        Happy Father's Day!         
                     

Dairy Farmer's Thankful Thursday

 

      Although life on the dairy farm this week  has been much the same with

milking and feeding the cows and performing the daily chores 

 required in caring for our animals and the land everyday,

we have all been impacted personally by the impact of COVID-19

on our families and communities.

As each day this week has unfolded with a new request to 

change our schedules or conveniences to protect our 

families and communities,a new awareness for what we 

 easily take for granted has been exposed.

Change can create a lot of chaos but it also brings to light 

those things we hold most dear.

I'm thankful for the opportunities during this stressful

time of change like  the moments of fun and silliness

with my grandchildren

and 

the joy  in  celebrating  my very sweet and special

Mother's 89th birthday!

                                   "whatever is true, whatever is honorable,whatever is right,
                                  whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute,
                                  if there is anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these                                                          things."
                                                                                         ---Philippians 4:8