Knolltop Farm Wife

It's been way too long since I posted here. I can't believe it's taken me this long to get to the computer! Needless to say we had a great time at the National Holstein Convention and enjoyed ourselves way too much. Between meeting and greeting, shopping and eating...I had no time for anything! Now I'm back home with more than one woman should ever have to face on a Monday morning and I'm feeling very overwhelmed. So...if you could just pray a little for me...I would appreciate it. The convention was a riot and on the way home the kids were busy making plans for heading to California next year. I'm ready but I'm not sure the budget is. None of the kids place in any of the competitions over the week, well, at least none of them placed in the top three....but they are all first place in my book. I can't say enough about how wonderfully behaved each kid was and how enjoyable it was to be with them all. They were game for anything as you can see below with ...

Good Morning from Wisconsin...still. The convention is going well, everyone is having a great time and the kids have been the best group I've ever dealt with! Yes, you can take farm kids off the farm and they know how to behave, get along and enjoy their time away from the work. I'm so impressed with every single one of them....can you tell? This morning Brittany Westendorp and Keith Kramer were in the fitting contest, they did well and it was a great experience for them both. We will find out how they did today at the luncheon. So until then I will sign off and report the results this afternoon when I sit down to write my column. More later!

It's been a busy couple of days here in Wisconsin at the National Holstein Convention. As you can see I haven't had time to post anything. So let me give you the condensed version of the last two days. Sarah's speech went well. She is one of these people who has bad rehearsals and then when the spotlight turns on, she goes to town. She was great! She lost her place a couple of times because she was being so animated, but she looked like she was having a great time. I know she was nervous, but she did well. We will find out just how well she did on Thursday. Last night they had a Junior mixer and the band Catchpenny played. Since two of the guys in the band were from Indianhead, a Holstein farm in Wisconsin, I decided I would go meet them. So I sat down at the table with the band and started into my reporter interregation mode and found out everything I wanted to know. What I found out is that they are a great group of young men and are very talented. Today we tour...

Good Morning from a sunny Wisconsin Dells! JW , Sarah and I are on the convention trip in Wisconsin and having a good time so far. We got through Chicago without any trouble or even much traffic. In fact we were on the west side before I heard the question, "Are we in Chicago yet?" This morning we will head down to the convention where Sarah will compete in public speaking, Levi and CJ will compete in Dairy Jeopardy and we have a few other things on the schedule. While walking back from the fitness room I heard a familiar laugh and it turned out to be Patty Hyde. Rumor has it she's here with the president of the Michigan Holstein Association....in the same room! Don't worry, they're married! Well, it's almost time to go, please pray for Sarah today, this is the first time she's done this, although she doesn't seem nervous, I'm sure she is. And thanks in advance! Later....I have a great story about four farm boys and the hood of a van!

It's another beautiful morning here on the Knolltop ! Luke is gone to his last day of basketball camp, Bobby and JW are fixing fence and Sarah and Jake are doing housework and aren't happy at all about it! Oh well. Last night Jake's team beat Pittsford by a lot! And JW and Luke's team took both games of their double header last night. Luke got to pitch the second game and after he ran out of gas in the fourth inning, JW came in to relieve him, but he had the National Holstein Convention on the brain and had to be relieved in the last inning. At least that was Luke's rendition of the game. Actually Luke went into greater detail about JW's performance last night and I'll just say this; I'm glad I wasn't riding in the truck with the two of them on the way home from the game. It must not have been too bad, they were joking around by the end of the evening. Today we are scrambling around getting ready for to leave and to be gone for a week. Yo...

Fun was had by all who promoted one of natures most perfect foods....MILK! With our black got milk? background and our milk musctaches we donned everyone we could with a white sticker over their lip, snapped their shot and gave them a chug of milk before they went on their merry way to investigate other interesting venues all for kids. With Lori from Knolltop Morgans and her brood we had a great time giving away free stuff and providing keepsake pictures for those brave enough to stand still for a sticker shot. Of course the workers had to get in on the action with their own poses. Sarah shows off her muscles while Jake tries to pose for a serious shot. His giggling got in the way and his mustache kept falling off! Then I wanted JW and I to get our mug taken and he generously sat on my lap! Of course the story behind that is, when he was younger and actually fit on my lap, I would ask him if when he was 16 years old would he still sit on my lap and let me hug him. He promised me he wou...

It's a cool, clear morning here on the Knolltop . And it's going to be a great day! For those of you who have wondered and have been praying for my dad, I want to say a big thank you! He is headed for surgery on his back on Friday. I don't know what the procedure is called, some big long name no doubt, but it sounds like it should be successful. So, three weeks ago he was nearly comatose from pain and now he's out driving the tractor, in pain, but not as much. You know when a farmer has hay to bale there is no such thing as pain. Keep praying for him and I'll let you know how it goes. Jake's team won last night by a big margin. Needless to say he was thrilled. And University of Georgia beat Stanford last night too in the NCAA baseball playoffs. Since Big Daddy is an alum of UGA we have to cheer for the Bulldogs! Luke's first day at basketball camp was fun. When he got home we were headed to Jakes game so at 10 pm last night he was sitting on the k...

Anyone want to visit Finland this morning? Well come along with me and we'll go there, right now. Thanks to Frank Robinson, our friendly Bovine Beautician and photogenic Californian, one look at this Ayrshire cow and we're immediately transported to Finland where this horned beauty calls home. It's so fun to have a cow photographer send me pictures for my blog. We could call him the official Knolltop Farmwife photographer! Imagine the fame, fortune and extra credibility he'll gain with that addition to his credentials! No need to thank me Frank! HA! This is going to be a very busy week here on the Knolltop. Luke is at basketball camp, we've got a dairy promotion event on Wednesday, meetings, shopping, painting and getting ready for the National Holstein Convention are all on tap for the week! At the moment, I've got Sarah slaving over strawberries, Jake jerking his heifer around and JW is on trash detail. I'm not in charge of Bobby, let's hope he...

It's a beautiful father's day here on the Knolltop. I'm having a cup of coffee before the boys and I head back out to the barn to finish chores. Then we'll take Big Daddy out for breakfast! I wrote a Father's Day column last week and have had several comments about it so I thought I'd better include it here for those of you who don't read it in any paper. I even had a Pastor ask for a copy of it to put in his church bulletin and to share on his radio program. So here it is.... Truth From the Trenches By Melissa Hart He is tall and skinny, short and round. He wears shorts and tank tops and slacks with starched shirts. He has dirt under his fingernails with sweat dripping down his forehead and he is as clean and neat as a white sheet of paper. He’s a mechanic, a banker, a dairy farmer and a factory worker. He knows how to change a flat tire and some spark plugs and he knows the ins and outs of Wall Street investments. He’s good with his hands, has the bi...

It's a party sunny, partly rainy day here on the Knolltop. That's the way it will be most of the day, so they say. Last evening JW and Luke had a game in Jonesville. I arrived as they were winning the first game. The boys came over to report and JW said he was 1 inning away from pitching a no-hitter! He was so excited. I was happy for him, but sad because I had missed it...yes those cows had to be milked! But I got to watch the whole second game and they won that one too. Luke played center field and had a few hits. The fun part was, these parents don't know my boys or me, so when I sat down I kept my mouth shut and waited for them to talk about my boys. The best part was, I heard a couple of the dads say, "That kid from North Adams can throw some heat! WOW!" As my chest swelled up with pride, I continued to keep my mouth shut, which is a miracle in itself. Unfortunately Jake's team lost last night to Camden by one run. He wasn't happy, but the ...

It's another beautiful morning here on the Knolltop. I love summer time in the morning. The sunrises are so beautiful. I don't think there is any better time of the day than just before the sun comes up and the eastern horizon is orange and you know another day is dawning. There's just something really satisfying about a new day. Yesterday while sitting poolside watching the boys swim I fielded a call from the local summer rec department leader. He was hunting for some umpires for the pony league game and remembered Bobby saying to him, "If you ever get in a tight spot and need an ump, let me know, I'll be glad to help you out." Here's a picture of the hot-looking umpire getting ready to call balls and strikes! Yep, you guessed it, we spent the evening at the baseball field watching the pony boys play, not because I had any kids in the game, but because my husband was behind the plate, JW and Luke each took a turn out in the field and Jake, dear Jake, dea...

Happy Birthday to Jake! Yes, my youngest is now eleven years old. It's hard to believe that 11 years ago, I was sitting at JW's T-ball game having contractions getting ready to deliver my final child. Oh how we've come a long way! Today we will celebrate by going to the pool. This time I'm wearing my suit so I can hop in the hot tub then into the pool then lay poolside and sip lemonade! I love the pool! Then we'll come home and have dinner, cake, ice cream and open presents. Jake wanted a certain piece of farm equipment and on the way home from the cancelled baseball game on Sunday we tried to find it. But we couldn't. Much to my surprise, Luke found it at Liechty's Farm Equipment in Archbold, Ohio when he went to Hookers and Skinners, ...oh...I mean Yoder and Frey's with Mr. Kyser the other day. So now he will get exactly what he wanted! Plus a few other items. It's great to have Luke help with the shopping, he knows the farm equipment inventory so ...

It's a misty kind of morning on the Knolltop. I guess it's suppose to rain on and off today, boy my garden loves this and of course with this kind of weather you can hear the corn growing! Okay, before we go any further, I want to answer the question that was posted yesterday about airsoft guns. An airsoft gun is a gun that shoots plastic pellets. They don't really hurt when they hit you, they just kind of zing you a little. when the boys first got their guns I told them to shoot me so I could see how much it hurt. That way, when one of them comes to me with a sob story about being shot I can just say, "Suck it up, it doesn't hurt that bad!" Last night Jake had a game in Waldron lasting only two innings when the lightening brought it to a halt. It wasn't really a game anyway, Waldron only had 7 players so we gave them two of ours. There wasn't much action, but it was good practice for everyone. I mentioned the bad storms that rolled through Michigan y...

It's a clear, humid morning here on the Knolltop and we're in for a hot day! The weekend was a bit stormy we got a lot of rain on Saturday night and yesterday a storm blew through the whole state leaving it a wreck! But here on the Knolltop we just had a little bit of wind and some rain. While on our way to the double header in Sturgis, the boys and I drove into a wild storm. To the north it was black, to the south it was sunny and we were smack dab in the middle! We were almost to Sturgis when the coach pulled into the Dollar Store parking lot and said the game was cancelled. What a bummer. I had gotten the night off from chores, we had the cooler packed and we were going to make a night of it! So, instead we turned around and went birthday shopping for Jake! It's amazing the bargains you can find when you're not hunting them down! Tonight the boys will do the chores while Bobby and I go to Jake's game, together . Right now the boys are supposed to be doing ...

It's been hot here on the Knolltop. I think we topped out at 91 yesterday, but there was such a strong wind, the heat was inconsequential. I loved it. The show heifers are getting their daily workout, while I was mowing, I watched Sarah work with her little March calf. She seems so small, I hope she's not as small as I think. Although I watched the Kingsmill sale last night on the internet and those March calves were a bit bigger, but not that much. It was fun to sit and watch the sale, Bobby and I came in from chores, plunked down in front of the computer and watched good cow after good cow sell. Chris Hill cried the sale and he's very enjoyable to listen to. Horace Backus and Dallas Burton read pedigrees. An unofficial average was around $10,000. That's what I heard Dallas mention during the sale and he also said they cleared the million dollar mark for the gross. So...another successful sale for Mitch Hockett and the Burton-Fellers team. Bobby watched it for three ho...

It's a beautiful sunny, breezy and warm morning here on the Knolltop. I have the window open by my desk and the breeze is heavenly as I listen to the birds outside singing up a storm. The big boys had their first game last night. For the first time ever they played in a color other than green and white and boy was it strange. They donned their orange Jerseys and black hats with a J on them for Jonesville and debut on their Mickey Mantle team. JW played short the first game and pitched the second game. Luke sat the bench the first game and played second the second game. Sitting the bench is not something Luke is used to, but it will give some incentive to step it up and work a little harder. They are an unknown quantity on this team and that can be good and bad. It was fun to watch them play together again even though they lost. I only saw the last two innings of the second game, Jake had a game in Waldron. As soon as they won their game (they mercied them) we flew up to Jon...

Have you ever felt like you had to keep a bunch of plates spinning on top of long sticks? That's what I feel like today. Only my plates are my kids. It's summer break and the last thing I want is for my kids to veg out all summer in front of the TV. So, to keep that from happening we had a family meeting to discuss the summer projects and the daily expectations. The only problem is when you have three procrastinators and one self starter with a girlfriend, it's a full time job to keep them busy. Hence the spinning plates. So, this morning the boys are out working with their dad, Sarah has been doing dishes, folding clothes and is now making granola. While I write today, I will be listening for vegetative children and keeping them from sitting too long in one spot. It's a good thing I have ADD, I welcome the interruption of having to get up and go assign jobs. It keeps the creativity going!

It's a foggy morning here on the Knolltop and now I'm getting very anxious! First off, the folks at Pryorvu have the mega garden! And it's all planted...well...almost! That makes me very jealous! Plus, they live in a dry climate where water is precious and I live in the middle of lush green fields with water all around me and my garden doesn't even compare to his! Secondly and closer to home, Lori at Knolltop Morgans up on the other hill has her garden in. I don't think she's ever had her garden planted before me....ever! I think I might have to go do some garden inspecting, I think she's writing fiction again. Now it's really time to get busy. We just came back from the elementary awards ceremony where Sarah graduated from the sixth grade. It's very nice, but I just don't see the point in sixth grade graduation. They don't even go to another building to Jr. high school, they just go down a long hall and there they are...in Jr. high ...

It's a rainy morning here on the Knolltop. We need the rain, but, the neighbors hay got wet and that's not good! Last evening Jake's game was a blowout. They won 17-3 in four innings. Jake caught most of the game and then came in to pitch and had three K's to end the inning. He was on fire. But then it started to rain and we were so far ahead, they decided to quit. And I almost forgot Jake's double and a triple with an error that brought him home. While it's great to see him have success, he tends to strut around like the lone rooster in a hen house. He needs to stop that and I think his brothers have decided to help him quit his cocky habit. Today I will work in my flower beds since the rain has softened the ground. I still have to get the rest of my garden in....now I'm getting a little anxious. Does anyone else have their garden totally planted? And I'd like to address a comment left by a Wisconsin dairy wife about my writing. I so appreci...

Summer has arrived, I guess we've just forgotten about spring! It's supposed to be in the 80s this week. While trying to get details about the Pinehurst Sale I came up with very little. My "Source" was is done with that sale and has flown across the country to North Carolina for the Kingsmill Sale or what they've named it, "A Night at Kingsmill." The sale will be Friday night and if you want details on the cattle you can go to http://kingsmillfarmii.com/ and get all the latest updates. Although my info is skimpy, I did find out they had to have a change in venue for the sale. I guess the health department didn't like the thought of live cattle inside the country club where there was food being prepared. So they moved the sale ring outside under a tent. I guess they've never been to a county fair were you walk into a cow barn with tack areas filled with crockpots full of food. Okay, now for the Knolltop update. I'm proud to say I have o...