Knolltop Farm Wife

Good Morning from the Knolltop! It's 40 out this morning and supposed to be windy and about 60 this afternoon. It will be a good day to get some work done outside to get ready for winter. I think these warm days are escaping us and pretty soon we will see the snow fly. Yesterday we got word that Holly is clear to go to Louisville. Here in Michigan we have to test everything for TB before we leave the state. I don't even think a fly is allowed to leave without health papers! Well, it's not that extreme...it really only applies to cattle. We had to have a clear TB test and all the health papers in order for Holly to go and we finally got all that accomplished yesterday after a bit of a scare. The first test we had done on her, she reacted to it. So that meant she had to have blood drawn by a USDA Vet. Thinking that would take weeks we gave up hope that she would be going south. Our deadline for the vet coming to draw blood was last Wednesday. On Tuesday night when Luke was g...

It's cool here on the Knolltop this morning. I think the thermometer read 40 this morning when we went to the barn. Boy, yesterday was fun and exhausting. I picked up my cohort from Knolltop Morgans up the road and we headed south....way south....deep in the south....almost to Kentucky. I know, that's not the deep south, but from the way the waitresses talked in Bob Evans, we might as well have been in Mississippi. I took my atlas to help us find the quickest route to Mohrfields in Pleasant Plain, Ohio. The map of Ohio was on two pages, the first page was northern Ohio, the second was southern Ohio. Because Pleasant Plain is just northeast of Cincinnati , it was on the second page of Ohio. So naturally when we got through the first page of Ohio I expected my navigator, Lori, to turn the page and we'd be in Cinci ....wrong. We had another 10 inches to go! We finally got there and with my phone ringing I pulled in and parked and answered the call from the boss. His only qu...

Good frosty morning again! Ever have one of those days where you're late and you are frustrated cause you're late? That's this morning...I'm waiting for the shower while I stew about being late. I'm headed south to Ohio for the Mohrfield Sale today. I'm taking my neighbor so it should be a good trip...if I ever get out of here....shower's empty! Have a good one!

We finally have frost out this morning. I don't think I've ever been able to go out and pick fresh tomatoes for a salad in late October. I was even getting peas again...my second volunteer crop! But that's all over with the thick frost out there all over everything. It's clear and sunny out and if I don't get some pictures snapped today the opportunity to show you autumn in Michigan will be completely gone. By the way, I want to wish my sister a belated happy birthday, she turned .......one year older yesterday! We called her yesterday morning and by the time all the cousins got done catching up we had been on that phone for 2 hours! I had gone to town to run an errand and when I got home they were still talking! Happy Birthday Ginny!

It's amazing to me when you begin researching something you find out just how much you don't know. Take radio for instance: Ashley Messing our Michigan Dairy Ambassador is now doing a radio program called "The Scoop." Since I was the one who came up with the "brilliant" idea to do a radio show, I told her I would be here to assist her in any way that I could. So, when she couldn't come up with a title for it....I helped her out. When she couldn't come up with an intro describing it...I helped her out. When she couldn't come up with music for the intro for it...I took a smoke break....and I'm on my fourteenth pack! (Joke) Who would've thought picking music would be that difficult. Just pick a song you like and go with it. Oh no, not that easy. Three weeks into this project I'm thinking the radio program has been completed and ready to be listened to by all of America. Then I get an email from the producer, Trent Loos, who by the way is...

Good Morning from the knolltop. It's breezy and considerably warmer than yesterday. I was hot in my turtleneck and sweatshirt this morning. The moon is still big and bright and making things much lighter at 4:30 am. Last night I went on a moonlit tractor ride. Well, it was actually a tractor race. I brought my "A" up from the tractor barn because I hadn't started it in a while and all the mechanics say you need to start your tractor regularly to keep it running right...okay...I'll go along with that. After my walk I went down and slid the doors open to the barn. The smell of oil-soaked dirt and gas poured out of the doors and I was again taken back to my younger days in Grandpa Peckens farm equipment dealership, otherwise known as "the shop." It's a great smell! I started the ol' girl up and she sounded just as wonderful as the last time I drove her. I drove her up to the barn and parked it right outside the stable so I could see her whil...

I asked and I received! I didn't realize what great informants you blog readers were! I was sent descriptions and pictures of the devastation on the Larry and Sandy Place farm in Perry. It doesn't look good. So today, I hope to find out more details on where the cows are being milked because it sure doesn't look like they could be milked in what's left of the barn. If any of you know that much...please let me know. Yesterday I was in a dairy supply place, J&M Dairy visiting with Jan and Marv Sober...yes, they both hail from my home town of Fowlerville and Jan was a Copeland, just in case anyone was wondering. Anyway, we were discussing the BST issue and what the dairymen are saying down on the farm. As we visited Marv stated that he had heard there was a test being developed at Cornell to detect rbst in the milk. I disputed that fact and swiftly came home to check it out with the rBST guru, Terry Etherton of Penn State. After reading some research I found out...

It's overcast and 45 here on the Knolltop. Turtlenecks and sweatshirts are the appropriate clothing for milking on these cool mornings. I haven't had to break out the red union suit yet....but I hear that weather may be coming soon. It's been scrapmania around here lately. The other night I was reading and heard some banging around outside. At 9:30 at night I looked out and saw JW out there loading up his truck with scrap metal by the light of his headlights. The next morning he was headed to town with a load of scrap before school. Just in time for breakfast he walked in the door with cash in his hand and a smile on his face. The combination of elevated scrap prices and a teenage boy who needs gas money for his new truck that he also wants to get repainted makes for a really clean farm. The list of things to do today includes a trip to the glass place to replace a storm window...just in time for cooler weather. I heard a Jersey farm up near Perry was devasted by t...

Yes, I'm late this morning...it was a two hour delay for the kids this morning....so my attention was on them instead of this blog. I just got done cleaning up from a breakfast of pancakes with walnuts and bacon with homemade syrup. They love it when I cook a big breakfast on a school day. It just seems to put everyone in a good mood. We had a miracle this morning on the Knolltop. Last evening Jake and I came in from the barn and Bobby was still out there feeding TMR. The other three were at the school for a volleyball game. Bobby called and asked us to come out and help with Jackie...she had split out and couldn't get up. We headed out to help with Jackie who also happened to be one of Jake's favorite cows. She is a nine year old cow who is on her seventh calf. She is the only cow in our herd that had 165 pounds on a test day...yes, that's not a typo...I couldn't believe it myself but I milked her and we all just stood there while she cranked out every drop...

I was in from the barn early this morning to take Luke to the doctor for a sports physical. I should've gotton this done last summer, but I forgot and just didn't get to it. So last Friday I was scrambling around to find a doctor who would give him a physical before tomorrow because tomorrow is the start of basketball season for him. So...I got it done and we're good for another year. Sarah is still at a friends, she spent the night with Sidney and Brad spent the night here. Right now they are chowing down on my favorite food....donuts! Yes, I was hungry when I stopped at the store after the appointment. Well, I'd better get on the day...we've got conferences today...thus the kids have the day off from school...which also means they get to go clean their own heifer pens this morning instead of me! I've got to go hunt down the fence stretcher...they couldn't find it on Saturday when they were working on fence and it seems I'm still the only one wh...

The fall colors that I wrote about last week being so slow in coming are finally here! If you look across our backyard you can see the most beautiful fall colors in the woods that borders the corn field. They are not quite at their peak...but they sure are pretty. Although the colors are nice...the weather is still unseasonably warm. It was 70 yesterday and will be in the mid 70s today...what's up with that? No, I'm not complaining....I love doing fall work in short sleeves! The galloping gourmet was at work on Friday...this was so funny! I had to use up the roast beef that was left over from Monday so I made some beef stew on Thursday, it was wonderful stew, but not very thick. Everyone knows stew is always thicker and better the next day. So on Friday morning when I was getting ready to head to the draft horse show for the day, Bobby, the gourmet chef that he is, commented "If you put that stew back in the crock pot and add a little brown rice it would probaby thic...

Well, I it's a beautiful afternoon here on the Knolltop . A warm, sunny, breezy fall day. The only bad thing is that at this moment, MSU is losing to OSU , but we won't dwell on that. I had a great time today ministering to women at the SPA event here at a local church. We had a great time worshipping, laughing, crying and eating...don't forget the eating! Tim Hampton, my cohort in crime...aka my accompanist, was wonderful as always....we did a duet together that was recorded by the Gaither Vocal Band and we had the best time. The ladies were clapping and some were even dancing in the back row...where no one could see them. We just had a great time and Tim was awesome! He was also good at being on the losing end of my jokes...he was a good sport about it. Now, it's back to reality as I take Sarah to a party and then out to the barn to milk the cows. Everyone survived here at home while I was gone...they usually do better when I'm gone because Big Daddy ke...

This morning when we stepped out to head across the road to the barn we heard a strange noise. We both stopped dead in our tracts to listen for it again. Even Sadie stood frozen. We listened carefully and heard it again....it was the coyotes playing out in the woods. Boy is that an erie sound first thing in the morning with the wind howling around us. Last night was a wild night in the midwest as tornadoes touched down in several places. Last evening I called my mom to ask if she wanted to go to the draft horse show today at the pavilion and the first thing out of her mouth was..."Are you okay?" I didn't bother to tell her JW was 30 miles south of us in the path of some bad weather and possible twisters at a volleyball game with his buddies. She would've worried all the more. I just have to say thank God for cell phones. I called JW and all I could hear was screaming in the background with him saying, "I can't talk right now...I can't hear you, ca...

Well, it's raining and blowing this morning and we're supposed to be in for some stormy weather today. You know what that means....more attention to indoor projects like laundry. That seems to be the only thing I do. If I didn't have laundry to do in a day I think I would be absolutely lost! Like not heading out to the barn to milk cows morning and night. Although I could get used to sleeping in...very quickly...not going over to the barn every evening would be very disorienting for me. So, what makes your day normal? What do you do everyday that gives you routine in your life? Yesterday was a busy day, Bobby and I ventured into town in JW's new truck. Yes, he finally earned enough money to pay for his truck and it's sitting in the driveway right now. I'll get a picture later...I know you just can't wait to see that gem! As I said, we headed to town for a round of errands. While he didn't intend on doing as many as I had in mind, he didn't ...

Good Morning from the Knolltop ! It's foggy and a little warmer yet, I think the aged thermometer reads 60 already. I say the thermometer is aged because it is. It's one from the local hardware store in Hillsdale and the phone number on it is only two digits. How many years ago did we have two digit phone numbers? I can remember party lines and not having to dial the area code if you were calling a number that was in the same area code...but two digit numbers? Can anyone tell me how long ago that was? Okay...now I have to let you know you are reading the blog of a "cool mom." That's according to the girls over at the school. A couple of weeks ago, JW came home telling me that the girls in his class think I am really cool. They also said, I was so beautiful and they hope they can have that kind of natural beauty when they get to be my age....oh those little girls are so precious, I just love them! But seriously, what they don't realize is they are al...

Does the fall color seem a little slow in turning this year? I don't know why, but it seems like fall has been here a long time and the leaves are still green around here. I don't mind a slow turn...it means winter in a little further off...I hope. While I used to enjoy winter when I was younger because the snow was pretty and fun to play in...now that I have to be out in it every morning and night...it's not as fun as it used to be. Coming in out of the cold into a warm house is much more enjoyable that it used to be. We've had our corn stove running for a week now, but with the temps getting into the 60s there isn't much need for it today. It sure is nice to knock the edge off the cool evenings after coming in from the barn. I've yet to dig potatoes...I think that should be on the top of the list today...especially since roast beef is on the menu for dinner today. What is a roast beef dinner without potatoes and good, smooth, dark gravy? Coffee's read...

Here it is on Monday and we're starting another week already. It's a little overcast this morning and warming up nicely. I had to take my sweatshirt off halfway through chores this morning. Yesterday's women's retreat went well. We only had one screw up, but it was minor in my eyes. My singing partner was having a cow, but she's an only child and has to have everything just right. In my eyes, it wasn't a big deal and we dealt with it. The sound guys made a mistake and listened to my instruction....they shouldn't have listened to me! That's why they are the sound guys and I'm the singer...I don't know how to run sound and they don't know how to sing. I also re-learned yesterday that it's better when you don't try to fix things and that when you get more than two women together, no matter where, there's going to be conflict....and there was. But in the end it was a great afternoon and God was honored with what was said and do...

Good Morning from the Knolltop! It's overcast and 48 out this morning. I think it's supposed to be warmer today. Yesterday the neighbor came down and wanted to borrow a tractor for a hayride. After figuring out he had never driven a tractor with a hand clutch, I decided there was no way he was getting on my tractor. Selfish and protective...yes...that was not a proud God moment, I'm sure. He borrowed Luke's tractor instead, it's prettier anyway. In order to get Luke's tractor out of the tractor barn, I had to back mine out first, so I thought I would just put it on display for the afternoon under the Maple tree. The hayride was successful, no accidents, no broken tractors, just a nice fall hayride for a bunch of little kids. After chores, Luke and I still had to put our tractors away. ...that's when he started talkin' smack about my tractor. He began by telling me his tractor was bigger than mine. "Whatever!" was my intelligent reply. S...

Jake is off and running this morning with the neighbor who is combining corn. He will help with unloading, moisture testing, lunch eating and CB chats today as he and his best farming buddy, Rodney Schoenberger take in the "cheap corn" as he refers to it. I will be cleaning up outside today, digging sweet pototoes and some white potatoes and then hopefully decorating the porches with some pumpkins and mums. I've got the orange orbs already, just have to pick out my mums. This afternoon we have a mess to clean up in heifer haven. Someone, who will remain nameless, left the hose running in the heifer water tank last night and flooded a couple of pens. We all make mistakes....it's just a little water. Yesterday I had a wonderful time rehearsing with Tim. What I thought would be a two hour time stint turned into three and a half hours of constant singing. What a riot we had just going from song to song...he's amazing on the piano. IF no one dies late next wee...

The end of the work week is here...but I've noticed when you live and work on a farm Friday doesn't mean much except the next day you'll have more help because your kids aren't in school! I get to do one of my most favorite things in all the world this morning...rehearse. I will be leading worship at a retreat this weekend and next and so I get to go practice with one of the best accompaniests in the world....Tim Hampton. Not only is he a talented piano player....playing mostly by ear, he is also the local funeral home owner. We practice at the funeral home in Hillsdale, it's always so dead around there! (Sorry, just had to do it!) I will run some errands while in town and then head home to prepare dinner, do chores and head to the football game. Bobby has to do his civic duty and run the chains so we will milk without him. It might even be cold enough to warrant a winter coat tonight. I keep forgetting to announce that we have another flute player in the fami...

It's been a couple of days since I blogged and my mother even called to see if there was something wrong with her computer because she couldn't get today's blog to come up. She was mighty relieved to see it was not her computer it was MINE. I finally got sick and tired of the way my computer was acting and I took it in to get it repaired. It was so bad I couldn't even hear anything on it...and if I can't get my daily dose of Rural Route Radio with that wild and crazy Trent Loos then my day is just not complete! Actually the real story is that Amanda Nolz, the host of Chewing the Cud, interviewed me a couple of weeks ago and I was curious to hear how it came out. Well, now it's time to get dinner on the table and get the kids from school....better get...I've also got two columns to catch up on...and one of them actually has a pretty stiff deadline:(

A cool breeze drifted in on the Knolltop this morning. It's finally down to where it should be....55 degrees this morning. And it's going to be cool today only in the low 70s. That's more like it! Holly the Hottie , as Jerseyboy likes to refer to her, is entered in the North American. I will believe she is going when I see her loaded on the truck and headed south. Until then I will not get my hopes up about this pretty young cow traipsing the tanbark trail. She will most likely go with Delbert Yoder from Ohio, one of Bobby's buddies from his cattle fitting days. Last week Delbert won the prestigious Mackenzie- Klussendorf award at World Dairy Expo. The exhibitors call it the "barn award." It's basically an award that goes to one of the old faithful cow care takers, the ones who put their lifeblood into a good cow. The one who sweats over getting her topline just right, the one who gets just the right amount of milk in her, the one who does all the wor...

Good Morning from the Knolltop! We are in the dog days of August here with heat and humidity. Wait, I just turned the calendar to October but that's not what the weather says....what's up with all this heat? Complaining? No....I shouldn't complain...afterall I don't want to be running the furnace any sooner than I need to and I don't know what the seed corn supply is like right now for burning in my cornstove...so no, I'm not complaining a bit....just sweating. I think I'd better get one thing straight this morning. It was brought to my attention that some of you reading this blog were under the misconception that the "Sarah" I was writing about earlier who came to help me with chores and brought her byfriend was my daughter Sarah. NO, NO, NO...that was not my daughter, it was another gal named Sarah who is 17 years old and shows dairy cattle in 4-H. My daughter is only 11 and according to her father will not be able to date until she is 35 ...

Okay, it's been fun, but it's time for the boys to get home. I don't mind doing the chores, with my helpful crew, it's been a breeze...it's all the socializing that's done when all the work is through. Yesterday at 11 am...I got the great idea to meet a girlfriend for lunch. We sat for two hours and caught up on things. I skidded into the school parking lot just in time to get the kids and made a date with another girlfriend who's husband was going to be gone for the evening. After getting back home and starting chores another girlfriend stopped in to drop off her daughter for the afternoon and I invited her along for the girls night out. When chores were through, we headed to the restaurant and I got home promptly at 9 pm....I started yawning during dinner and we all decided I needed some sleep. I hit the hay after visiting with the kids and when the alarm went off this morning I just couldn't move. I got all the chores done and had planned on headi...

While the big boys are in Madison, us younger ones are left to keep the cows milked and fed. All went well yesterday. When I got in from milking, Sarah had breakfast on the table and the coffee made! It was wonderful to come in a sit down to eat without having the get it on the table myself. After I got the kid to school, I started the rest of chores. No breakdowns, no melt downs, no hitches...just routine chores. When I got done spreading manure my neighbor called, so I pulled up the lawn chair and just sat and talked on my cell phone. When our called got dropped, I just sat there and enjoyed the sunshine. Boy was that nice just sitting there with no immediate chore pushing me to get up and go. Then I pulled out the lawnmower, considering the lawn hadn't been mowed since before the fair...it was in bad shape! A trip to town was a sure bet since I needed a new belt and some string for my weed trimmer. So after a shower and a short nap, I headed to town. When I got home, I ...

It's a beautiful cool morning here on the Knolltop with a sunrise beyond compare. Yesterday I was visiting with my mom, who happened to be at World Dairy Expo, I think everyone has gone there but me. Anyway, she and my dad were there to deliver an Ayrshire cow. My nephew in Montana, the one with the very lucritive "dairy ranch" had such a demand for milk out there that he needed another cow. Because he already had an Ayrshire and he's convinced they have better milk, another Ayrshire will now call the hills of Joliet, Montana home. She will awaken to a sunrise in the east that will splash light on the Rocky Mountain Range that is just to the west of her pasture. She will bask in the dry climate and never have a worry of running out of companionship with her new herdmate, BetseyLou and the brood of Missouri Foxtrotters that also call this ranch home. Imagine, way out there, two dairy cows producing a product so high in value the city dwellers are willing to pay $7...

I ask that question sarcastically because I have a great friend of mine who is crazy not only about the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Tornonto but who also seems to find redeemng qualities in the Jersey cow. Russell Gammon, Executive Secretary of Jersey Canada, otherwise known as the "Big Guy" of Canadian Jerseys, or as he likes to refer to himself as Jerseyboy , is a big... no huge fan of the Royal and I wanted to share with you the comments he sent to me this morning about their big event coming up. I think we'll all be ready to hop in the car and cross the border after reading his description of one of the best ag expositions in the world. It has been thirty-one years (November 1976 while I was a student at the U of G's Ontario Agricultural College) since my first memorable visit to " The Royal ." I've been back every year since then and certainly every year since 1981! More than an autumnal rite of passage "The Royal" is sheer m...

It's windy, cool and spitting rain. It feels and smells like a storm moving in. But I think it's supposed to clear off. I'm feeling a bit more normal now. We've had a couple of nights of popcorn eating and homework doing....so we're getting back into the routine. Tonight Bobby has to run the chains at the Junior High football game and I'll stay home and milk. JW is still getting up and milking for the neighbors. He's in a better mood in the mornings after he's gone out and done something. I don't know if he's content because he's making money or just the physical activity makes him feel better. We've been getting on the internet to see who won what classes out at Madison. It's my only way to be connected to the show...they have lots of pictures of each class so that's fun. So far a Michigan Jersey owned by Greta Koebel of Three Oaks won Junior Champion of the Junior Show and I saw that Craig Martin of Springport was 10th i...

Well, this week is Madison and farm women all across the country are saying goodbye to their counterparts and looking at doing chores alone on the farm. Whether it be one cow our 200, those left home to keep things together for the family farm are happy to do so because they know that husband needs a few days or hours away just to get a fresh perspective. My husband will be heading out this week as well and he's taking our two best hands with him. While I would love to be in the car riding along as they head through the traffic of Chicago and then look across the fields and fields of corn in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin, I'm happy to stay home and keep the cows fed and milked. They will have a great time as Bobby is able to take his two older boys who haven't been to World Dairy Expo since they were 3 and 5 years old (they don't remember it). He will them story after story after story of all the years he spent fitting cows at Madison. They will finally ...

Good Morning from the Knolltop. It's kind of overcast and 60 out this morning. A very pleasant morning to milk. The kids are back in school this morning ad we're back to the real world today. Today I will be playing catch up with the laundry, I will bale up the straw chaff scattered through the house from last week, I will make a few phone calls and send out some email responses that have been waiting. I'm leading worship at a couple of ladies retreats this month and I've really got to get that music all wrapped up. After a week of express eating....I finally cooked a good meal yesterday. We had baked ham, brown rice, stir fry veggies, homemade rolls an apple crisp for dessert. It sure did feel good to sit down at the table after everyone being scattered around last week. Off I go...coffee is waiting!