Catch up

Tonight our post will include our Wednesday Wonder from yesterday and move on into the happenings of today. As life is often entwined, yesterday's Wonder actually works into today's happenings. Our funny classified ad from the paper mostly made me laugh due to it's play on words. See for yourself. " Don't Make An Ash of Yourself, have your chimney cleaned." Really? That's how they want to portray their business? Ah, small towns, where you can get away with almost anything. Another classified ad that caught our eye was about a dog needing a new home. Guess what? He found one! Meet Ranger, our Chocolate Lab/Chesapeake Bay Retriever. He is 11 months old and was sent to the pound because his size proved to be too large for his previous family. Thankfully, he was rescued from near death by an amazing woman who runs a rescue a couple towns over. And then, even more thankfully, he came to us. And we love him already.

Ranger And I

In other news, around 40 calves have been born in the last 48 hours. It is so great to see the fields just blossom out with these adorable creatures. I have been blessed to watch a few births in entirety. Wow. Those Mama cows are so resilient. The two older kids and I were able to go out in the field today to witness ear tagging of the newbies.

T got a haircut today. I love those baby curls, but his were more like baby dreadlocks. He was not very pleased with this during the process, but we are all pleased with the end result.

S received his Boy Scout Bear badge and a gold arrow point this evening. What this means is that he worked very hard to complete certain requirements for the Bear badge and then went beyond that to receive the gold arrow point. We are very proud of him and all of his hard work. He is quite proud of himself as well.

                                                                          

Ahhhh!

Last night our computer and our internet were not communicating. Lovers quarrel, I guess. Unfortunately, that left me out in the cold with no ability to blog. And now I must get on with my day. Have no fear, loyal readers, tonight I will do a double post. Until then, have a beautiful day.

Burnin'

For the past 9 years or so, recycling has been a natural part of our lives. From a very young age the children have learned how, why and what to recycle. We have even hauled our own recycling in areas that don't offer curbside pickup. S has been known to bring scrap paper home so he can recycle it and even convinced his art teacher to start a recycling bin for the paper waste from class. With chickens, we were able to reduce our waste even more by feeding them our food scraps. Thankfully, that will again be a part of our lives soon. So imagine our disbelief in learning that there is no recycling here. Or in the next town, or the next. I mean, we can't haul it anywhere. The first couple weeks we were here I couldn't actually throw recyclables away. Hubby had to do it for me. It gives me an actual pain. I know it's ridiculous. I can't help it. If I have to have a "crazy" I suppose a deep need to recycle isn't so bad in the scheme of things. We have slightly appeased this burden by burning our paper waste. Which, yes, is probably worse since it adds to air pollution, but not any more than a fireplace does. Now if only I can figure out what to do with the rest...




I can't figure out if we're dorks or pyromaniacs!
Burning was so exciting!

 

Rain

It was a beautiful day in ranchland today. It rained softly, on and off all day. Rain in March is a wonderful thing. On the other side of the state where we have spent the last 5 years, it generally just snows this time of year. As I write this I can hear the rain falling on the tin roof of the barn and it makes me happy. What a soothing sound. Rainy days keep kids and Mommys inside, so to counteract the boredom, I cleaned, they played. Oh wait, they do that every day. So, I cleaned house, got bored anyway and decided to start sewing on my blanket again. My Mom came over as I was starting and helped me pin it together and think through the sizing part of it. Tomorrow it should be finished and I am really excited. My Mom, aka Meme, also brought her wheat grinder over and we all helped grind wheat. Which is good since my bisquits yesterday took the last of my flour. It is amazing to me how things that we take for granted, like buying flour, can be so simple and inexpensive to do in your own home. Now if I could just grow enough wheat to provide for my family all year, things would be perfect.



S measuring out the wheat berries

 



From wheat berries into...

 




...flour!

  



Very fascinating apparently.

  Liza showed back up in the middle of the night, much to my relief and happiness. She is still a bit grouchy and growls if we get too close, but at least she is still here tonight.









Ice Cream

Today I bring to you our second installment of Sunday Creations.
There are many things that were created in our home today. I am in the process of sewing a blanket, but thanks to my youngest being such a big "helper" and my gift of completely not understanding math, that will most likely be next weeks post.

Things that were actually accomplished today were just as exciting but more tasty. I may have the oven figured out since last week. I baked drop bisquits and they turned out absolutely delicious.

They were paired with my Dads' homemade meatloaf and some green beans to make a perfect dinner.

 For dessert, we made ice cream in our ice cream ball. This is a fun contraption that was brought to us by Santa one year (he's so smart). It is a ball with a hollow cylinder inside around which is empty space. You fill the empty space with ice and rock salt and fill the cylinder with whipping cream, sugar and whatever other ingredients you wish. Tonight we chose vanilla and chocolate chips. Tighten the lids and then you start rolling. We like to sit in a circle of sorts and push it back and forth between us. After about a half an hour, taadaa!, you have ice cream. You really should scoop it out and put it in the freezer for a bit, but no one is ever able to wait that long.

I should add that Adam is taking to his new home perfectly. He met the dogs today and they all get along. He also killed a mouse already. Good boy, Adam!
                                                             

Adam

We got a new mouser today. After not seeing the last one since he streaked out of his cage, compounded with finding rodent droppings in the dog food scoop, I decided today was the day. T and I went to the Animal Control building and picked up a mouser. Well, two to be exact. A male, Adam and a female, Liza. Liza seemed to want to hang around, but unfortunately after a couple hours, she, too, has vanished into thin air. Adam has stuck around and hopefully will continue to do so. Adam is a funny name for a cat, but it's the name he came with and we thought he should keep it. You would think it is every cats' dream to be footloose and fancy free with all the mice you could ever want. An occasional scratch behind the ear and some kibble to round things out and you would be set. Let's keep our fingers and toes crossed that he is still around in the morning.




Liza, who looks very much like our old cat, Violet, who now
lives with some very generous and sweet friends of ours.

 



Adam




Adam

And, just because I can, here is one of  my
 very amazing and sweet Hubby



Late

Sickish kiddos lead to late nights for Mom. This used to be no big deal. I have been a night owl all of my life. But since we moved to ranchland, I don't want to stay up late. I don't want to miss most of the morning while I am catching my zzzz's. I want to hear the meadowlarks' morning song. I want to see the morning mist rise off the grass. I want to feel the brisk almost spring air against my face. This makes me feel like a traitor. To whom or what, I do not know. Late nights are making me loopy. This late at night I want to write about how amazing the water here tastes coming straight out of the faucet. Or about how there is the slightest green haze over the land as spring creeps closer. I want to write about the way the birds find their way into my barn at night and then panic trying to get back out to see the sun. Or the way my kids never seem to want to leave here, unless it means a trip to the soda fountain. But none of these things are a full and interesting blog. None will hold your attention. So, tell me, if you are reading this, what do you want to read about? What subject should I cover next? Leave a comment below. Even if you have no ideas, please leave a comment so I know someone beyond my family and J is actually reading this.

Hindsight

I believe last nights' post was meant for me to write. I hope you got something out of it. I know I did. Today was one of those days that I had to constantly remind myself that life is beautiful. Despite the many times I actually said, "Life Sucks." I do not want to turn this into my own personal whine fest, so I will not fill you in on all the many reasons that statement was muttered, cried and hollered today. Just one reason. Because it's kind of funny. Now.
Meme and I went to pick up our new mousers. We thought this would be an easy task. Kitties who rub against your ankles must be easy to catch, right? Right??? An hour later and a few wrist and hand lacerations later, we decide that maybe we actually like mice. Maybe mice aren't the vile creatures we think them to be. Maybe feral cats are. Decision is made to let the cats decide if they want to get in the carrier. We leave to give them some space. Go home. Bandage self. Amuse baby boy with how many Toy Story Band-Aids Mommy has on her arm. Glad someone is amused. New decision to leave cats where they are and keep searching for mousers elsewhere. Phone call from lady with aforementioned mousers. She has successfully captured one. I pick it up, bring it to the barn, open carrier, cat zips out faster than I can blink. Maybe we will see him in the morning.



This post is lovingly dedicated to the memory of Grandpa Schurkamp who died peacfully this morning at home surrounded by our loved ones. We rejoice in his 90 years upon this Earth and are saddened by our loss of his presence here. We know that you have "gone home" as you so gracefully put it. We will miss you and we will love you until the end of our days.

Wonderful World

Wednesday Wonder is here again! This week our paper brought nothing humourous to share. Which is really a shame.
On a side note, one thing that made me laugh out loud came unexpectedly from my firstborn. He usually has such an amazing grasp on the way things work. He has understood things from toddlerhood without me having to ever explain in great depth. He just gets it. So tonight at the dinner table what came out of his mouth caught me offguard and I lost it. I mean, there were tears. Although that could have been partly due to my total lack of sleep last night with having the other two be sick and them sleeping in my bed. Anyway, we were talking about pickling and how I want to try my hand at that this year. Some of us were eating pickled okra at the time and trying to convince S to try a little bite. I said, "You like pickles, pickled okra tastes just the same." He said, "But pickles are just cucumbers that have shrunk." I know I'm crazy but like I said, I lost it. My mom had to explain pickling cucumbers while I doubled over. Maybe that's not as funny to you now that I have written it out and you have had to read it. But forgive my Mom moment, because I promise they won't happen too often. Just sometimes.

On to our Wednesday Wonder. We truly live in a beautiful place. I'm sure you do, too. If you think you don't just wait until sunset and listen to the birds while the light fades over the horizon. Or after the next rainstorm, take a deep breath and absorb fully the cleanliness that lingers. Run your hands over a trees' bark that has been warmed by the sun. Sink your fingers into some rich, brown earth. Even if you live in a great big city full of traffic and noise and grime, stop and watch a parent play with their child or a couple holding hands as they walk down the street. Be aware of the flowers as they start to emerge this time of year. Look up at the sky, do I need to say more? There is beauty everywhere. The beauty here is more apparent. But I have seen grasses wave in the heart of Chicago and loved the mix of nature and metal. Open your eyes and your heart to it and try not to fall over when you finally realize it. Our world is a Wonder.



Chicago above the grasses





Wild grasses in Fort Collins




Rocky Mountain National Park. Do you see the Bighorn Sheep? 








Above Ouray, Colorado in May

 



Somewhere in Utah





View of our Barn from the road between
the ranch and Fruit Growers Reservoir



Lessons

Today taught me a few things.

First: Don't make plans when you live on a ranch. They will inevitably change before your very eyes.

Second: Watch where you are going.

Third: While pictures are amazing, they cannot capture everything.

As a final note, for anyone wondering, the Momma cow and her calf from Saturdays' post were moved from the hospital to the field the very next day. I just kept forgetting to mention that.



Meme with the new calf out of this bunch.



Papa moving the next group through for ear tagging,
pregnancy testing (more interesting and not as gross as you would think), and vaccinating



To expound upon these revelations I will only add that waking up thinking you are going to town leads to working with cows which leads to falling through a hole in the catwalk around the holding pen which leads to completely sidetracking you from taking more pictures which leads to a completely exhausted family at the end of the day. As a bonus, it was one of the best home educating days that we have had in a long time. 



It hurts much worse than it looks.