Stuffings ....

Z turned 24 on the 24th.

On the 19th he went to settlement on his 1st home.

I'm so proud of him.

Me and LN went food shopping with him yesterday to begin to fill up his pantry and fridge.

His birthday present he liked.

I love him.

He's taught me a lot by challenging everything I thought I knew about being a parent.

We crossed into the dark side more times than I can count but we are out the other side and it's a great feeling.

I say we because if I had parented him different and better earlier he wouldn't have had such a long haul.

He taught me how out of the box some kids are and it's normal.

I have been repeatedly told if I "disciplined" him more he would have been "a good kid".

Bull Snarkies!!!!

He needed me to NOT discipline him but learn how to understand then deal with him .

I love him just as he is.

He s my happy and he has my soul.

Each of my 3 have a piece of me and I connect with each in a different way.

It's the right way to parent.

LN has the benefit of my experience with Z so I hopefully choose the way she needs as my parenting choices with her.

LN want feeling well yesterday when she woke up.

After spending time with her bro and them hanging up on me she felt much better.

I picked up LN's hog from butcher along with our quarter of her steer.

Let's just say I have a full chest freezer.

And 2 full refrigerator freezers.

And a full half chest freezer.

And I gave Z some for his new house stock up.

And I'm thawing some to lighten the load and to make meatballs for supper.

I use 3 kinds of meat to mix them up.

Lamb and beef or venison burger and sausage ...

That's 3# out of the freezers.

A drop in the bucket so to speak but a start.

As busy as LN's schedule is I don't cook as often as I want during her fall and spring seasons.

Come winter I make up for it though.

 

Today is nascar race day in Dover DE.

I live just west of there about 10 miles.

I need to take LN to her travel soccer game directly behind the track .

Hopefully we get there early for 9:00am game and get out of there before too much craziness ensues.

7

7 yrs ago tonight ...

Everyone be safe ....

Busy Bee

Each night is consumed with activities for LN.

Still more she has to pull away from.

Popular kid gets grumpy about it but when asked what she wants to quit?

She freaks out and says none of it.

She is finally getting a rhythm to her school life.

Each morning she packs a bag for her practice after school field hockey.

Then she packs her travel soccer bag if its Mon or Wed for her practices after field hockey.

Monday is within a half hour but Wednesday is an hour away.

 

I pack her food and she eats in my truck and sometimes does homework also.

Home after practices she showers, eats more, homework and crashes.

Next day rinse and repeat.

Weirdly now after a few weeks of this she's actually thriving and looking happy.

Game days are Tuesday and Wednesday for field hockey with some Saturdays thrown in.

Travel soccer games are split of Saturdays and Sundays.

4-H jumps in when ever we can make it.

Otherwise calf is doing well.

Very independent little dude....

Flies still are horrible but weather is changing.

Ram is leaving girls alone so I hope he did his business well.

My son Z is settling on his 1st home this Friday.

I'm proud of him doing this at 23.

I think I'll go shopping and fill him up on pantry items and groceries.

Good housewarming gift????

I'll try to update as I can .

I think I have some free time in Dec 2018.

 

Wonderbar...

Yesterday the neighboring farmer cut enough corn silage to make an opening. 

What was he up too?

Well making an opening directly across from my driveway so he can pile chicken poop.

Yippee skippy!

Oh well it is price of living in the country.

Piling it all winter though is smelly right across from our house . 

Circle ...

The circle of life is coming back around.

This morning before taking LN to school we loaded her last steer to head to the butcher shop. After changing into workout clothes I walked to my truck with LN and saw this....

Cow - Gemstone was due in a coue of days. Shorthorns don't have large bags so looking at that doesn't give me much help. It seems Gem popped out a bull calf near dawn with no issues. I found him curled up near momma clean and dry. 

Flies are killing the cows this week with highs near 95* all week.

This afternoon I went looking for calf and momma just to check in while the water trough was filling up.

I saw all 3 cows laying together . I walked around Gem and saw nothing. The hunt was on for calf.

You see him?

Now?

Getting warmer...

I found him tucked away about 200' away from momma. She came over as I rubbed him while he was curled up. I haven't seen him nurse but he goes hunting so I'm confident he s ok. He went up and down the 200' arena several times and is panting but that's to be expected in this nasty weather.

A very nice surprise this morning.

Record Books

Finite, finished, put to bed, over and out!!!!!

All 11 record books for LN's 4-H year are finished and signed by me.

LN needs to sign and hand them in Wednesday night at her 1st meeting of the new 4-H year

They are due to her club leaders to be signed then handed it to be judged by Sept 8th.

1 General Information and 10 projects completed.

TADA...............

Clothing and Textiles

Leadership

Citizenship

Horticulture

Foods

Photography

Arts and Crafts

Sheep

Beef

Swine

 

Not actually hard just have to have a system and use online forms, print pictures, write 4-H story about her year and put it together.

More drudgery than not...

My rule has been with all the kids...

If you do the project or subject do the record book.

It teaches responsibility and experience in record keeping.

It makes Momma take a lot of pictures ever time she breaths.

No excuse not to do them.

All her projects are strong and she tries to add at least 1 a year.

Scholarships will be coming sooner than later.

4-H is a good source.

The Diamond Clover award is coming fast as well.