Friend in Drought

During this drought and triple digit weather, I'm watering the plants on the porch and around the house to keep a little color and enjoyment in the yard.   A couple of weeks ago when I found my beautiful caladium plants  shredded and the impatien plants riddled, I thought a terrible disease had struck. I sprayed for bugs, put snail bait around the pots and went to the garden center for advice about what I should do to save my plants if all those methods didn't work. The pot looked so bad that I decided to add a couple of drought tolerant  vinca plants to fill in the holes. In two days after being planted, the plants were mutiliated and one was pulled out of the pot.

Last week when I looked out the window in the heat of the afternoon, this is the "disease" I found resting in the pot with his paws hanging over the edge.  He was so hot, I could see him panting. When I realized that he was just preparing a nice cool place for himself, I felt guilty for all my bad thoughts about what or who had destroyed my pretty flowers. 

 

  Every afternoon around three o'clock in the heat of the afternoon, you can find my friend lying in his pot.  Just seeing him stretched out in the cool dirt and enjoying his spot brings a smile.   I wonder if he realizes that I keep watering the  pot  everyday  just for him !!

Dairy Farm Nursing

Last week was a scheduled  appointment for Dr. France, our veterinarian, to come to the dairy farm for herd health examinations. My favorite part of  any herd health  check-up day is finding out if the cows are pregnant. I'm sure this is because I worked as a nurse in a women's clinic and cared for many pregnant women before working full time on the dairy farm! Proper management of the cow's health and pregnancy status is important to the production of high-quality milk and the sustainability of our family dairy farm.

After being milked and before entering  the feed barn, ten cows are walked into the  management area that allows Dr. France to examine the cows with as little stress as possible for the cows. As soon as the group of ten are examined, they will walk on to the feed barn to eat and then to rest in the pasture.

Even though I don't wear my nursing uniform to work anymore, as the dairy farm nurse I prepare for herd health and the doctor's arrival by gathering the breeding and health information about each cow from our computer records. During the herd health exams, I am looking at each cow as they enter the exam area, providing information about each cow to the doctor and then recording the exam results that will be added to the computer records to manage the care for our cows.

As a dairy farm nurse, I  love  caring for  these pregnant mamas....

and their babies...

 

 and providing  high-quality milk for you!

Rural Community Treasure

Although the Vaughn School has been closed since 1960,  classmates who attended the rural community school in Northwest Arkansas gather on the first Saturday in  August every year  to share a meal and celebrate their treasured  lifelong friendships. Even though Ryan and I didn't attend school at Vaughn, we are connected to the school because of our parents and grandparents who grew up in the Vaughn  community.

Vaughn classmates would tell you that the Vaughn  Presbyterian Church and the Vaughn School were the hub of the community during their school days. The  church was built in 1889, followed by the school in 1913.  In 2010, church members and classmates erected a monument in the church yard to commemorate the importance of both school and church to the community.

It was great seeing Ava and JoAnne today--they've been friends for at least 80 years!

My life has been enriched by their friendship to me and my family.

Attending today's Vaughn reunion was a great reminder that--

 Friendship is one of life's treasures!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Late in the afternoon, you can find these cows resting in the shade provided by the trees on the edge of our driveway. As we    deal  with the stress created by the effects of drought on our family dairy farm, I'm  thankful for my faith, family and friends.

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Rejoice always.

Pray without ceasing.

Give Thanks in all circumstances.

For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

I Thessalonians 5:16-18

Dairymom's Beat the Heat Strategy

Perfect for any hot day in July or
August, especially these 106 degree ones,frozen dairy treats continue to be  a summer tradition  in our family. My childhood  favorites were  fudgesicles,vanilla ice cream and  sherbet.  Last week when grocery shopping, I couldn't resist buying a tub of Hiland's Rainbow Sherbet as part of my beat the heat strategy.

Whether you say 'Sherbert' or 'Sherbet',  you are eating the same delightful frozen dairy product. Sherbet is a fruity flavored frozen dairy product. Butterfat is the distinguishing difference between ice cream,sherbet and frozen dairy desserts. When comparing the amount of butter fat, you will find:

• Ice cream contains 10% butterfat.
• Frozen dairy desserts contain between 2 to 10% butterfat.
• Sherbet contains between 1 to 2% butterfat.

While browsing through a Southern Living cookbook, I found the perfect recipe to try for our beat the heat strategy  in August !

Creamy Pineapple Sherbet
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup boiling water
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup crushed pineapple
1 cup milk
1 cup whipping cream,whipped

Combine sugar and boiling water,stirring until sugar is dissolved. Add lemon  juice,pineapple,and milk.Freeze until slushy; remove from freezer, and fold in whipped cream. Return to freezer, and freeze until firm.
Yield: about 6 servings

I'm planning to beat the heat with dairy delights. How about you?

Happy August!!

Farmer's Favorite Game

Just a few days ago, it rained! Even though it rained only a quarter of an inch on our farm, it was a needed positive reminder that --It Can Rain!  As you can tell, it doesn't take a lot to get us excited when we're in the middle of a severe drought. Although that little bit of rain was just enough to settle the dust, it did give us the courage to play in the dirt and replant a field of sorghum that hopefully will receive another bit of rain to grow feed for our dairy cows.

Drought hasn't changed my role as the bring-it-to-me assistant when planting or other field work is happening on the farm. As I approached the field this afternoon with an extra bag of seed and the air pump for the planter's low tire, all I could see was a cloud of dust. It was the farmer playing in the dirt!

Just as the seed was poured into the planter and the tire aired up, we looked up to see a cloud of dust and the beef cattle jogging across the field. Someone forgot to close the gate  (and it wasn't me)!

 Luckily for us, they were going for the grain that had just been put in the feed bunks and  on to the pond for a cool drink. It made my assistant job much easier to just shut the gate!

Then it was back to the farmer's favorite game---

playing in the dirt and planting a crop!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Drought, no doubt, is bringing new challenges to us every day on our  fourth generation family  dairy farm.   I'm thankful for all the lessons learned and taught  by previous generations of family farmers, technology, and science based best management practices that will enable us to restore what drought has destroyed.