Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

"Give thanks unto the Lord, call upon his name,

make known his deeds among the people.

Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him,

talk ye of all his wondrous works."

I Chronicles 16:8-9

As a child I only thought about Thanksgiving as   the one day of eating at Grandma's 

house and the few days out of school but thankfully,

I have lived long enough to understand and enjoy 

this  season of Thanks that brings me to be more aware

 of all the blessings

in my life, many that I easily take for granted.

.

I'm thankful for our home,

the dairy cows that provide nutritious milk for my family and yours,

                                                                   
                                                                             and
                                                    for family life down on the dairy farm.

                                                       Happy Thanksgiving!
                                                           

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Even though I have been serving in this position of Justice of the Peace

 for nearly six years,this was the first year I had a campaign.

From the filing day in February to November 6th,

I have gained new appreciation for the entire process of a campaign.

The best part of campaigning was meeting new people that live in my district.

I appreciate all those who allowed me a spot for signs on their property, 

for the politeness of those who answered the knock on their door

and accepted my card or took a moment to talk about how I could

represent their interests.

I'm thankful the campaign is over and grateful for the opportunity

 to continue serving the citizens of Benton County.

Most of all, I'm thankful for the blessings I receive daily

as a citizen legislator in Benton County,

                                                     
                                                                       a dairy  farmer,
                                                                              and
                                                                       

                                                             Sheriff Callie's Grandma!

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!

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

I've been to Baker Elementary for many different volunteer programs but

this time I was a speaker for Career Day.

Actually, I found out, I was the first farmer that had ever come to 

their Career Day event. Needless to say, I felt pretty special.

It's not every student that is invited back to where their school career began!

I'm thankful for modern technology that allowed me to 

carry our farm from classroom to classroom on a power point

showing  what we do everyday

 to care for our animals and the land we call home

and produce the milk they enjoy everyday at school or home.

                                       Many thanks to our dedicated teachers and counselors
                                      providing experiences like Career Day for every student.
                                       

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

As fall progresses, the time clock is ticking to get the crops harvested.

We planted sorghum in the late spring hoping it would make 

a crop in case drought might not allow the survival of our corn silage crop. 

So, you might call it our farmer "just in case" insurance policy.

I'm thankful for this crop that will be added to our dairy cow's feed ration 

for producing high-quality milk

                                                                         
                                                                                  and
                                           for the third and fourth generation dairy farmers
                                                  working together till the end of daylight

                                                     
                                                to harvest the crop down on the dairy farm.

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

                                                             
                                           
                                     Everyday is an adventure when you are two years old.

I'm thankful for every "Grandma"  moment I 

spend with Hattie down on the dairy farm

looking at the calves,

picking crab apples to feed the squirrels,

or

playing hide and go seek on a crisp fall day.

We are blessed in so many ways to share our family

 farm experience with the next generation.

Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

I'm thankful that even though the view across the pasture of

 our 4th generation  dairy  farm has changed dramatically this past year,

                           
                                our family farm values of providing high-quality milk by
                                             caring for our animals and the land has not.