Self Employed

Being self-employed is great but it bites too.
I don't have a boss saying this needs done by this time.
I am my boss.
I'm tired of being responsible and feeling guilty.
I wanna read and goof off.
Ok I'm done.
Time to get back to work.

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Sometimes you're the hippo.

Sometimes you're the hay floating through the water he just pooped out.

I asked, it's true!

Farm Kid

I've been reminding LN for awhile that Johnny her 1st show steer was headed to butcher today.
Her responses were "he'll taste good" & "1less chore".
Gotta love a farm kid who understands cycle and gets it.
Steer is loaded and headed out.

Now lets see if she's as happy when her last hog and wether lamb go Friday!
She will be.
She gets it.
She's a farm kid.

Chesapeake Bay Bridge

LN & I drove through poring rain today returning from her soccer tournament.
In the poring rain. Low visability from DC to home.
I had to cross the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.
The bridges were built in 1952 and 1972? I believe.
This shows east bound original bridge spanning 4.3 miles across the bay.
There are only a few places to cross to our peninsula of Del-Mar-Va.
It crosses at Annapolis and Kent Island and is crazy at commute times M-F shuttling to DC/Baltimore areas.
It is scary to cross for some but LN & I think it's cool.
Course that's only if there's no traffic congestion at the $10.50 toll on west to eastbound side.
We're lucky in that most events we cross for are going opposite "tourist" heading to vaca time "on the shore".
We head west as they head east on Friday evenings and back east as they return west for work prep Sunday evening.

I get excited when I hit the bridge.
It's about 1 hour home and country roads sooner than that.
I had to take 6 lane 495 around DC to soccer tourn and back.
I figured (I don't GPS, I print out mapqwest) if I took 495N over, I should return on 495S.
Wrong, S took me long way around south side past toll bridge on Potomac river w view up to Washington memorial and Capitol building.
I should have used 495E , which goes between DC and Baltimore.
Mistake of 30-45 min. but I knew how to finish at least.
Turning around would have been longer so we "sceniced" it.
Let's just say I don't do urban/city driving well.
My friend, LN's teammate's Mom is the opposite.
As we drove between 2 sites of games we were in ritzy polo horse country on back roads.
She said she feels unsure and wary, like she can't see civilization.
I was happy to end up at polo fields for games beside a horse pasture.
I will admit I liked the Marriott hotel king size bed I shared w LN though.
Nice to have a bit of fancy to break up the monotony, right?

Tournament was a bust.
Bad all around except 1st game.
Not sure what to do but I definitely don't want to post about it.
I reek of competitiveness.
Home again, home again!!!

Lemon Cookies

This weekend LN & I head to soccer tournament in Maryland.

Because she has a 7:00am field time ea day and its over 2 hours away from here I rented a hotel room for Fri and Sat nights. She loves to stay in hotels, my wallet doesn't.

The next sleep away tournament in PA we 're staying in a camper with another teammate and her Mom.

Much more affordable.

But I digress...

Because we are not going to be home to help with the food booth LN's 4-H club has Sat.

I made Lemon Cookies as her contribution.

Everyone does a chocolate "something" so I try to give something "lighter"?

Or maybe less prone to melt in sun if booth has a hot day.

There are 4 ingredients as shown.

Beat 1 egg, mix in box of lemon cake mix (sue me, its fast and cheap) and 8 oz of Cool Whip (again shhh).

Drop tablespoon of dough into powdered sugar , roll to coat.

Put on parchment lined cookie sheet (very important, they'll stick horribly if not).

Bake 350* for 12-15 min.

Great in the summer with a glass of ice cold raw milk ;]

or in the winter with a hot cup of tea!

I used small ice cream scoop to portion cookies but I have a horrible time with the sticky mixture

so I have a mess everytime I try this.

Hope you have better luck if you try these yummy morsels.

Yea I know, homemade is better, healthier and etc.

I live in the real world.

I do healthy, homemade or do without alot but I am realistic too.

 I also made pasta salad and hard boiled eggs to take with us along to tournament with drinks and snacks , and sandwich fixings to lighten the cost as well as eat better than buying at take outs or restaurants.

There is hope for me yet.

8th and/or 1st

1st day of 8th grade.

She's excited.

Her alarm didn't go off because it wasn't turned on.

Mom to the rescue.

She ate an omelet and bacon.

This is a phenomenon, she doesn't do breakfast.

I made her , she did, she lived.

I realize I don't have a fancy camera but seriously it's not my fault.

It is really foggy.

And COOL.

I'm loving it , on the front porch in my pj's waiting on the bus.

Hidden from view because "I don't need my Mom waiting with me!".

Cept she always says , "Come talk to me ".

Thought this picture was cool with  some of her ewes and ram watching.

We leased a ram from a friend, he's friendly and always wanted petted.

Go breed you brat!

Hard to see but a 6 ft Spiderweb in the Dogwood tree.

There are ground webs behind it and all over front lawn.

Spooky , scary in time for fall.

 

 

 

 

Mom, Mom, Mom...

Hearing a high pitched shriek I didn't pay much attention to LN tonight.

I hear it alot and she definitely cries wolf mostly messing around.

I had just turned off AC for the night and opened windows to air out stale conditioned air.

I heard LN yelling, "My pigs out, come help".

Her "pig" is a small 275# market hog headed to freezerland at the month's end.

Picture shows him at 240# at fair few weeks ago.

LN let him out of his pen tonight to run around a few minutes as usual

 so she could retrieve his feed pan.

He actually was depressed after fair when we sold his pen mate.

He wouldn't eat , just laid around moping.

It took a few days of letting him out and hand feeding along with attention to turn him around.

I felt weird babying a hog but he actually was depressed.

Where the hogs were penned in the barn before fair they had 3 cows right beside the hogs sharing a fence and a horse they could see too.

After fair all the cows went into arena area to group feed and

horse spent few days in nother lot with grass.

Big adjustment I guess to come home and get stuck in pen alone and pen beside you is empty also.

Thankfully he recovered.

Tonight he headed for the 2 ft step up into the main barn and jumped.

LN said he vaulted higher, landed in the bag room and took off running.

LN chased him down, they are sprinters not long distance runners.

He went outside and munched grass in front of sheep pen.

He turned around and slowly meandered back the way he came jumping down the step as if it was nothing.

A blog I read called Sugar Mountain Farm has a picture of a very large sow clearing a

4 ft high I believe fence.

Pigs can jump but can they shoot baskets remains to be solved.

The weather has made a bid for fall thankfully.

I know it won't last but a few days and nights of 70's/60's I will enjoy.

School and 8th grade starts for LN Wed.

She's helping with 6th grade orientation Mon night as part of

 National Junior Honor Society Vice President's duties.

Since I have to get her there I will help PTA as well.

Another load of sweet corn for the cows so they are quiet and my hay budget is breathing easier.

 A pretty picture to end the post.

Enjoy!

Happy 13th

My  baby turned into a teenager on the 15th.

What a ham around cameras.

She was  treated to a shopping spree at the beach outlets for her present.

The beach was overcast and a storm blew in when we went into Rehoboth to kill an hour or so.

It was hilarious to watch "tourist" run as soon as 1st raindrops fell.

I was laughing but LN said it was rude so I did it quietly ;}

She had busted my wallet after taking a peek inside.

She took advantage of it too.

Some clothes, socks and a book!

She isn't a reader much to my dismay but she will find a book to eek out a few pages at a time.

Her Mama is a book a day if she can get away with it though.

I have/had quite a collection of books since childhood.

I am purging though.

Mostly read my kindle now ( free downloads only) and still visit library some.

I have Elsie Dinsmore series from early 1900's that I'm thinking of selling.

Sad to say none of my 5 (stepsons included) care about them.

I wonder why I hold onto stuff ?

When (not if) I move I'll have to purge so why not start now?

Waste not, Want not!

What's well bred cattle to do but wait patiently.

Hello, Mama our hay ring is empty...

Fill up on aisle 9!

We have 2 vegetable growers near us (within 5 mi or less) who grow sweet corn for commercial market.

This is "waste" corn. Didn't make size barrier or 2nd ear or top tipped off, etc.

My cattle love, love, love it.

I do too, and have frozen hundreds maybe thousands of quarts over the years.

Yummy!

Hurry up woman, we's hungry! Stop stealing 10 dozen ears for friends and family use.

Last one there is a rotten egg.

So not fair I'm only 5 months hold , you guys have longer legs.

Everyone sidling up to the buffet!

I love me some free food.

Now it's pouring here and they are NOT running for cover.

LOL, enjoy!  The season is almost over :/`

Feels Good

Goats are all gone to see new boyfriends...

Yea feels good...

Sneaky little witches don't stay where they are put.

I have a month of no "Crap where are they now" days and nights.

I didn't think this years (born in January) doe kids should be bred but S won't listen to me.

They are farmed out and see if they breed at all and watch them in late Dec and Jan to avoid issues.

Of course he won't be out there.

It's frustrating to have all responsibility for life and death but no say in the matter.

He has no say in sheep or cows though.

We only have goats because he wants them.

My kids say unless I'm willing to make change ie. the big d then I can't complain.

Dang brats are wiser than their Mama.

Unfortunately looks like 2nd attempt to breed Aggie the 2 yr old cow were unsuccessful.

Diamond and Gemstone seem to be caught though a blood test will confirm such.

Steer is sold and goes to butcher on 28th.

Weather may go into my freezer or to sale.

It s that time of year again. Time to reproduce and restock.



Soapbox

I am sick of being told what I can and can not say because if people disagree then I'm prejudice.

Doesn't that make the people labeling me prejudice?

Give me a break.

Every person on earth is prejudice.

If you have an opinion on others opinions you are prejudice.

If you don't have an opinion you're comatose.

Oops guess I am prejudice for saying that.

I AM PREJUDICE because I form opinions.

Do You?

I applaud Chick-Fil- A for standing their ground.

They are a morals based company something lacking in our "OMG be PC" world.

I have opinions on the presidential race and race in general as well as sexual preferences and a score of other things too.

If you don't like my opinion DON'T ASK.

I try not to express my views unless asked or if it involves my children.

If you judge me you ARE prejudice!

Think about it.

Own it.



Sweet Dreams

New Specs...

Cost a fortune...

Take some time getting comfortable with...

Need a Clairol day...

Not cool..

I look either bald or giant foreheadish...

IDK which

To make myself feel better

 I went and viewed Magic Mike...

with a friend who asked to be nameless..

Wow

Wow

Wow

I'm speechless almost

Wow

Good dreaming material

lol

Hope it comes out on blu-ray

lol