Tuesday, December 8, 2015
Practical Farm Kids
You might teach in a farming community if this is the snow boot of choice to wear to school.
Lost in Life
Sorry it has been so long since I have posted. As the title explains, I have been simply lost in life.
Having a nearly four month old little farm girl keeps me busy. I love her beyond what words can explain. I have had plenty of moments where I have felt like posting, but life just got in the way. I will never apologize for spending more time with Baby Farmgirl though.
As most of you probably know, our school was also busy dealing with a tragedy in November. When you sign on to be a teacher, you know that you are signing up for helping kids deal with all sorts of emotional moments throughout their time in your classroom. Whether it is the loss of a grandparent, divorce of parents or simply the loss of a pet...you learn to say what needs to be said and give the student love and support. In other words, being a teacher has served to somewhat prepare me for being a parent.
One moment I NEVER felt I would deal with, however, was the death of a student in such a tragic situation. I won't go into too many details because there is already enough that has played out in the media, but we lost senior Luke Schemm while he was playing a fantastic football game.
I can't say that I knew him the best. He hadn't taken my class since he was in junior high. But in such a small school you talk to all kids on almost a daily basis just because you see them in the hallways every day.
The day that we arrived at the faculty meeting after hearing the heartbreaking news will forever stick in my mind. It was silent. If you have ever been to a faculty meeting at our school, it is usually full of laughter and teasing. But this day it was just silence. Silence shattered every few seconds by sobs or sniffles of the teachers that were dealing with grief in their own way, while trying to wrap their head around how they would help their own students deal with this very personal grief.
There is so much to take from that day. A lot of sorrow, but I will also remember how we weren't bound by legislation or rules about how to handle the situation. We dealt with it as it came. Whether that meant bowing our heads together and praying as a staff or if it meant praying with or hugging students as the moment required. I have often been so scared to "overstep" boundaries in terms of my faith while teaching. But on this day it was what we needed.
As the first bell rang for the day to begin, students filtered into the auditorium to be addressed by the superintendent. He talked to them as sobbing and sniffling once again filled the room. But as the grief overtook us, he called our attention to the fact that clergy and counselors from all over the area had come to help us through it. As we turned around to where he was pointing, I nearly started crying from what I saw. There was a line of people surrounding all of us in the seats. All of these people had come to help us. Whether they knew us or not, they had taken that time to devote to us. While I fought back the tears, one thought and scripture ran through my mind...
That is what God knew we needed. We didn't necessarily need them to talk to, but we needed to know that they were there if we needed them. HE was there if we needed HIM...which we so desperately did.
I guess I am talking about this now partly so you might understand a little bit more about the situation. More about what it means to be a teacher when you might be so quick to criticize them about low test scores or mistreating your child. More about what it means to be a believer and what it has helped us to get through in the past month.
I'm so thankful to have my Savior with me everyday. And I'm so very thankful that Luke had him also. There is no way to explain how much that knowledge has helped during this time. Heck, Luke is getting to see Him face-to-face. Something I strive for everyday. If I can sum up this entry, it would be by saying this.
Having a nearly four month old little farm girl keeps me busy. I love her beyond what words can explain. I have had plenty of moments where I have felt like posting, but life just got in the way. I will never apologize for spending more time with Baby Farmgirl though.
As most of you probably know, our school was also busy dealing with a tragedy in November. When you sign on to be a teacher, you know that you are signing up for helping kids deal with all sorts of emotional moments throughout their time in your classroom. Whether it is the loss of a grandparent, divorce of parents or simply the loss of a pet...you learn to say what needs to be said and give the student love and support. In other words, being a teacher has served to somewhat prepare me for being a parent.
One moment I NEVER felt I would deal with, however, was the death of a student in such a tragic situation. I won't go into too many details because there is already enough that has played out in the media, but we lost senior Luke Schemm while he was playing a fantastic football game.
I can't say that I knew him the best. He hadn't taken my class since he was in junior high. But in such a small school you talk to all kids on almost a daily basis just because you see them in the hallways every day.
The day that we arrived at the faculty meeting after hearing the heartbreaking news will forever stick in my mind. It was silent. If you have ever been to a faculty meeting at our school, it is usually full of laughter and teasing. But this day it was just silence. Silence shattered every few seconds by sobs or sniffles of the teachers that were dealing with grief in their own way, while trying to wrap their head around how they would help their own students deal with this very personal grief.
There is so much to take from that day. A lot of sorrow, but I will also remember how we weren't bound by legislation or rules about how to handle the situation. We dealt with it as it came. Whether that meant bowing our heads together and praying as a staff or if it meant praying with or hugging students as the moment required. I have often been so scared to "overstep" boundaries in terms of my faith while teaching. But on this day it was what we needed.
As the first bell rang for the day to begin, students filtered into the auditorium to be addressed by the superintendent. He talked to them as sobbing and sniffling once again filled the room. But as the grief overtook us, he called our attention to the fact that clergy and counselors from all over the area had come to help us through it. As we turned around to where he was pointing, I nearly started crying from what I saw. There was a line of people surrounding all of us in the seats. All of these people had come to help us. Whether they knew us or not, they had taken that time to devote to us. While I fought back the tears, one thought and scripture ran through my mind...
"A great cloud of witnesses.."
That is what God knew we needed. We didn't necessarily need them to talk to, but we needed to know that they were there if we needed them. HE was there if we needed HIM...which we so desperately did.
I guess I am talking about this now partly so you might understand a little bit more about the situation. More about what it means to be a teacher when you might be so quick to criticize them about low test scores or mistreating your child. More about what it means to be a believer and what it has helped us to get through in the past month.
I'm so thankful to have my Savior with me everyday. And I'm so very thankful that Luke had him also. There is no way to explain how much that knowledge has helped during this time. Heck, Luke is getting to see Him face-to-face. Something I strive for everyday. If I can sum up this entry, it would be by saying this.
"Don't let this day be wasted. Tell others you love them. Pray to your Lord and Savior. Don't be afraid of what this world will say. It just isn't worth it."
Wednesday, October 21, 2015
Dad's "Sweet" Tooth
A tradition that has lasted at least four generations on our farm now is planting sweet potatoes. I think I've mentioned before that I don't even like to eat the things. But planting and harvesting them each year is something I have very fond memories of. As kids my grandpa would assign my sister and I jobs to help him with planting. We would either poke a hole in the ground with the stick so he had a hole to place the plant in, or we lugged a small cup of water to water the plant after he had placed it in the ground.
This summer, I was pregnant with my sweet Baby Farmgirl while I helped my dad plant them. However, I didn't get to help with the harvest because she was a little hungry. But she is the fourth generation in our family to help ;-)
But my dad is always quite proud and glad to share the bounty of his sweet potato crop. So here are some pictures of his crop this year.
We usually wait until after the first hard freeze to harvest the potatoes. But some pesky rats forced dad's hand this year. It is hard to know how big this potato would have been, but dad lost a big part of his crop to the rats. Dad doesn't remember ever having this problem before.
We should have some pretty healthy rats around our place. They sure did a number some of the potatoes.
I noticed something else different on the potatoes this year. I'm not sure if you can see it in the picture above, but the potatoes looked like they had veins running down the side of them. Weird.
This summer, I was pregnant with my sweet Baby Farmgirl while I helped my dad plant them. However, I didn't get to help with the harvest because she was a little hungry. But she is the fourth generation in our family to help ;-)
But my dad is always quite proud and glad to share the bounty of his sweet potato crop. So here are some pictures of his crop this year.
This is my hand holding the largest potato. I think Dad said it weighed 2 1/4 pounds.
That would be a meal in itself!
Some of them had some splits in them and you could also see the rat teeth marks on this one.
Dad also said the most potatoes he got off of one root was over 8 pounds.
Seeing how big these guys are almost makes me want to eat a sweet potato...almost.
Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Weaning Preparation
It is the time of year that is typically very loud around our household. This is about the time every year when we wean the calves from their mothers. This usually requires sorting the calves from the cows and then putting the calves in a corral while their moms are in the pasture right next to it. And both those corrals and pasture are within two hundred feet or so of our house.It is loud because the cows and calves are always looking for each other and it involves a lot of mooing and bawling.
This year my husband wanted to try a slightly different approach after hearing that it had worked fairly well for a neighbor of ours.
These are what I call nose flaps. I'm not sure if that is the correct term, but it fairly accurately describes them.
They look sort of ridiculous, but they have a very smart function. After these are placed in their noses, they can remain with their mothers to reduce the stress of weaning. However, the placement of the flap actually prevents them from being able to drink from their mothers yet still be able to drink water and eat grass.
Weaning is always a stressful event no matter if it is humans or animals. Yet, it is a necessary event to take place. That's why ranchers are always looking for the least stressful manner in which to do it. Along with the nose flaps, we also give them a couple of shots meant to boost their immune system during this time. If you are like me, you know that the most stressful times in your life are when your body and immune system take the biggest hits. It is necessary to keep the calves in the best health possible to allow them to get through the process of weaning and also to keep them gaining weight and growing like they need to.
Now, in theory, the nose flaps seem ingenious. However we did figure out some drawbacks. For starters, they aren't the easiest things to put in.
Some of the calves also lost the nose flap almost immediately after being released from the chute. We just kicked them out into the smaller corral and kept them all there together until we were finished. This created a confined space with the calves bumping and rubbing up against each other and created many opportunities for the flaps to be knocked out. Those that lost the nose flap had to then be run back through the chute again. Lesson learned for next time.
Sitting on the sidelines while working cattle is never easy for me. So Baby Farmgirl and I headed outside for a bit to check out the action. As soon as I got her outside she seemed right at home with all the commotion of the gates and mooing cattle. It is hard to decide when it is ok for her to be outside (there is usually a lot of dirt in the air along with it usually being pretty warm days when we work with cattle), but we also want to give her as much exposure to our way of life as we can. It's never too early to start learn what our family loves to do.
This year my husband wanted to try a slightly different approach after hearing that it had worked fairly well for a neighbor of ours.
These are what I call nose flaps. I'm not sure if that is the correct term, but it fairly accurately describes them.
Weaning is always a stressful event no matter if it is humans or animals. Yet, it is a necessary event to take place. That's why ranchers are always looking for the least stressful manner in which to do it. Along with the nose flaps, we also give them a couple of shots meant to boost their immune system during this time. If you are like me, you know that the most stressful times in your life are when your body and immune system take the biggest hits. It is necessary to keep the calves in the best health possible to allow them to get through the process of weaning and also to keep them gaining weight and growing like they need to.
Now, in theory, the nose flaps seem ingenious. However we did figure out some drawbacks. For starters, they aren't the easiest things to put in.
Casserole Kindness
It seems that I have been oblivious to a lot of things during my life. After having Baby Farmgirl, I have figured out that I was clueless about the western Kansas etiquette after someone has a baby.
You see, this photo might look like a lowly ol' casserole dish. But it is so much more.
During those first sleep-deprived weeks, my husband and I were just struggling to get from day to day and learn the joys and tribulations that come with having a child. It was all I could do just to keep her fed, let along figure out meals for the adults in the household.
This is where the casserole dish comes into play. I'm not sure if this is a custom in other parts of the country or world, but I have to contend that I feel like it is something fairly unique to small communities. You see, when we were barely functioning, we had neighbors, friends, and family members showing up at our house with meals! It...was...AWESOME! My high school friend actually sent us home from the hospital with one meal and breakfast burritos in tow.
It is safe to say that my husband and I were very well fed. My mother filled in the gaps when we didn't have a meal already supplied and she would call us to tell us she would be bringing us a meal. And if she wasn't bringing us a meal, she was bringing us dessert (which in my husband's opinion is probably better).
You see, this casserole dish represents so much more than keeping us physically fed. It represents love, thoughtfulness, compassion and so many more things. We were being fed physically and spiritually. I am horrible at writing thank you notes. I always intend to and then the moment gets away from me and months later I still haven't managed to write any. Then I just hope that my countless thank yous to them while receiving the gift will suffice.
So, in case any of you reading this are the people that supplied meals or showered us with gifts for our dear Baby Farmgirl, please know that you are not forgotten. We love you all so much and can never thank you enough for all that you have done for us. I only hope that we may one day be able to repay the kindness that you all have shown us.
Oh, and days after we had been receiving all sorts of house guests, I realized this was the sight that greeted them as soon as they exited their vehicles to walk up our front sidewalk.
Nothing says "welcome to the farm" like the dogs leaving a strategically placed jaw bone from a deceased animal in their pathway. Nice.
You see, this photo might look like a lowly ol' casserole dish. But it is so much more.
During those first sleep-deprived weeks, my husband and I were just struggling to get from day to day and learn the joys and tribulations that come with having a child. It was all I could do just to keep her fed, let along figure out meals for the adults in the household.
This is where the casserole dish comes into play. I'm not sure if this is a custom in other parts of the country or world, but I have to contend that I feel like it is something fairly unique to small communities. You see, when we were barely functioning, we had neighbors, friends, and family members showing up at our house with meals! It...was...AWESOME! My high school friend actually sent us home from the hospital with one meal and breakfast burritos in tow.
It is safe to say that my husband and I were very well fed. My mother filled in the gaps when we didn't have a meal already supplied and she would call us to tell us she would be bringing us a meal. And if she wasn't bringing us a meal, she was bringing us dessert (which in my husband's opinion is probably better).
You see, this casserole dish represents so much more than keeping us physically fed. It represents love, thoughtfulness, compassion and so many more things. We were being fed physically and spiritually. I am horrible at writing thank you notes. I always intend to and then the moment gets away from me and months later I still haven't managed to write any. Then I just hope that my countless thank yous to them while receiving the gift will suffice.
So, in case any of you reading this are the people that supplied meals or showered us with gifts for our dear Baby Farmgirl, please know that you are not forgotten. We love you all so much and can never thank you enough for all that you have done for us. I only hope that we may one day be able to repay the kindness that you all have shown us.
Oh, and days after we had been receiving all sorts of house guests, I realized this was the sight that greeted them as soon as they exited their vehicles to walk up our front sidewalk.
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
Baby Rookies
As most of you already know, we have welcomed our own Baby Farmgirl. That will be how I refer to her on here and I probably won't really post many pictures just to be on the safe side.
I wanted to do this post as a letter to Baby Farmgirl about what we, her parents, have learned during her first few weeks of life.
Dear Baby Farmgirl,
The following are just a few things we have learned in the nearly 3 weeks we have known you.
#1. Our lives are no longer our own.
I'm sure there are so many more things that I want to put on here, but here's the kicker....I'm sleep deprived and can only remember things so long.
For now we are enjoying the $30 purchase me made yesterday at Walmart. The cheap little bouncy chair is giving me the most relief since we had you. When I first placed you in it yesterday, you laid back, gave a little smirk and went right to sleep. Now, if we can only get that same reaction out of you at 1 in the morning when you are screaming at us that you don't want to go to sleep. One step at a time, Baby Rookies, one step at a time.
Love you so much,
Momma Farmgirl
P.S.
This is how your hair looks the majority of the time and we think it is adorable when it sticks up. I hope that you are still satisfied when it does this as you get older. This or a ponytail are about the only options your fashion-challenged momma will be able to handle ;-)
I wanted to do this post as a letter to Baby Farmgirl about what we, her parents, have learned during her first few weeks of life.
Dear Baby Farmgirl,
The following are just a few things we have learned in the nearly 3 weeks we have known you.
#1. Our lives are no longer our own.
- It took us a bit to realize this, but it was confirmed for us before we left the hospital. When you spend over 6 hours waiting on a four-day-old baby to pee, it is a humbling experience. The lights they had you on for your jaundice ended up dehydrating your poor little body and you had to pee before they would allow us to leave the hospital. The best words in the world that day were the words your daddy yelled at around 8 o'clock that night. "The line turned blue!" You see, the awesome diapers they had on you had a little yellow stripe that turned blue if you peed. There was a lot of checking the line that day, and your dad and I (along with the nurse on duty) were ecstatic when it finally turned blue.
- It was quite embarrassing to change your diaper for the first time at the hospital. Thankfully the nurses did not laugh at us and answered every ridiculous question I had. Your daddy stood there and told me how I should be doing it...but certainly didn't do it himself. We talk to you with excited voices the entire time we dress you. Things like, "Annnndddd, there we got the second arm!" This isn't really for your benefit. It is mostly to make ourselves feel good about the huge accomplishment we just achieved...and then you promptly spit-up or poop on whatever we just got you changed into.
- I think it is a man thing. I have problems seeing you cry (it breaks my heart when the tears start) and have a hard time stomaching it when we have to suction out your nose, but when it comes to cleaning up the mess you leave behind on the towel during your sponge-bath, I guess I have the stronger stomach. I thought your daddy was kidding as he was gagging and running out of the room. Long story made short and a lot of laughter later...he wasn't kidding.
- Your daddy and I still haven't figured out how 8 lbs. of sheer will can dominate two full-sized adults and render them useless.
- We made that mistake once...and won't make it again. And now that I said that, we will probably forget it the next time we go somewhere.
- From your fuzzy little ears to your beautiful little face, every last bit of you is a miracle and we are so blessed.
- Before you were born, I was scared senseless to be a mom. I'm still scared, but now I understand why it is worth it. People kept telling me all the negatives of having a newborn and that only fueled my anxieties. But when I see your beautiful blue eyes staring at me, or when you snuggle up against me, or when your tiny little fingers tap ever-so-softly against my skin while you are eating, you steal my heart. And don't tell anybody this...but you have stolen your daddy's heart, too ;-)
I'm sure there are so many more things that I want to put on here, but here's the kicker....I'm sleep deprived and can only remember things so long.
For now we are enjoying the $30 purchase me made yesterday at Walmart. The cheap little bouncy chair is giving me the most relief since we had you. When I first placed you in it yesterday, you laid back, gave a little smirk and went right to sleep. Now, if we can only get that same reaction out of you at 1 in the morning when you are screaming at us that you don't want to go to sleep. One step at a time, Baby Rookies, one step at a time.
Love you so much,
Momma Farmgirl
P.S.
This is how your hair looks the majority of the time and we think it is adorable when it sticks up. I hope that you are still satisfied when it does this as you get older. This or a ponytail are about the only options your fashion-challenged momma will be able to handle ;-)
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
Cuteness Overload
Since I have been talking about them this summer, I figured it was probably about time to include a few more pics of the puppies that have taken over our farm this summer.
They are cute as can be and very enthusiastic to greet visitors!
It is hard for them to contain all of their wiggles, so a picture of all of them is very difficult to get. I got all but two in this picture. Yep, that's right, there are 10 of them!
Hey there cutie!
"C'mon guys, don't you wanna come out here and have fun with me?"
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