Knolltop Farm Wife

I now have the official Pinehurst Dispersal Sale Average! Dallas Burton just called and quoted on 57 lots the average was $7281.34. I'd say that was another successful sale for Burton-Fellers Sales, Inc. By the way, this picture is at the Bull at Pinehurst Farms Golf Course, the site of the sale. I can't wait to hear all about how the cows were presented and the really fun and important stuff, like who was there, what the sale staff wore and how the ring was decorated! You know, the stuff that makes a successful sale and sets it apart from all the other run of the mill auctions! More details as they come!

Imagine my surprise when begrudgingly I went into the Senior High awards ceremony yesterday and JW received the Citizenship award just like his brother Luke! Wow....I've got to citizens in my household! I was so very proud of both of them. JW also won a Spanish award and the top grade in History! We had a busy night last night with JW in the play again, Luke and Sarah had practices and Jake had a game. I tell you what, I don't know what we'd do if it weren't for great parents who are more than willing to give our kids rides here and there! Jake rode with a team mate to the game while Bobby and I finished up chores. Then we headed to Jake's game where they tied (don't ask)and then got back to the school just in time to see JW sing his song one more time. Then we made our exit and came home to stuff bags with got milk? erasers, pencils, magnets and other fun stuff to give away to the kids at school today. Yes, today there is a field day at school and it is ...

It's one more beauty of a day here on the Knolltop. This morning has been too busy already! After I came in from chores, we had to get cleaned up for Jake's student of the month assembly. Then after we heard about what a great kid he was, we went down to the other gym and watched the Jr. High achievement awards. As the awards progressed I was surprised at how many Luke received. When he handed me the bundle of certificates and pins I looked them over and saw that he got an award in every subject! But the one that means the most to me was the citizenship award. One boy and one girl from each grade is picked and voted on by the teaching staff based on the kids attitude, their success as a student and going above and beyond in the school whether it be helping with something or just being cooperative. Luke received that award last year too. This is the award that makes me the proudest. It's so important for our young people to be responsible citizens in their community...

Good Morning from the sunny, 40 degree Knolltop! Let me address the skidsteer comments from yesterday and then we'll get into today's ranting and raving by the redhead! First, P and F.....what are you going to do with two skidsteers when all the cows leave the farm this fall? Open your own landscaping business? Give free rides to the neighborhood kids? Use them as gardening tools? And threecollie...you said you're too chicken to learn to run the skidsteer...this is good, very, very good. NEVER learn to run that piece of machinery and you'll save yourself from taking on another workload! Besides, what did we have kids for if it weren't for working on the farm? (JOKE!) Now, on to my latest venture. A couple of weeks ago, I was told of a Christian writers group where they discuss how to get published, how to write books, where to search for publishers, grammar, style, everything a writer loves to learn about. There were two groups, a beginners group and an adv...

Is there anything better on the farm that a skidsteer? It's a cloudy morning here on the Knolltop and getting cooler by the hour. I just came in from witnessing one of the best inventions ever created for the farm: the skidsteer! Cleaning a calf pen was an essential task this morning so we could take back control of pen maintenance! Bobby runs the skidsteer and I stand by and move gates, clean out the corners and help put the calves back where they belong. I'm really just the support crew. It was sheer delight as I watched him come in to the pen and leave with a big scoop of manure! And the best part was, I just stood there. I didn't have the back breaking task of pitching the whole thing out by hand like we used to do when we first moved on the farm! And in a matter of minutes I had a clean pen with calves bouncing around on clean shavings! It is a glorious sight and a very good feeling knowing your livestock have a clean, dry place to live! And for those of you wh...

Another beautiful, yet cool here on the Knolltop. It's been a busy day today, I'm working on a story for Holstein International and I've run up against some roadblocks, but they are slowly getting ironed out! I usually don't have trouble like this, but I guess I needed the challenge. NOT! Last night JW's team traveled to Burr Oak and they mercied them! It was great! Bobby and one other set of parents were the only two there for our team. I guess the gas prices are starting to keep people home. I was glad Bobby went, but the interest rate on the second mortgage to pay for the tank of gas is a little high. Jake had a scrimmage last night too and he did really well. He got picked to be on an all-star team tournament for next weekend. So next Saturday, Sarah will be playing volleyball in Detroit, JW will be playing baseball in Tekonsha and Jake will be playing baseball in Hudson. Hmmmm....with only two parents I think we'd better rent another mom or dad! Bet...

It's a cool morning here on the Knolltop where we are stirring up the neighborhood with unauthorized personnel on the lawnmower. Our lawnmower has been giving us trouble this spring. Usually I bug and bug and bug til it gets fixed. But this year I decided on the "hands-off" approach. Plus, I've got so much writing to do, I hardly have time to mow. So, two weeks have gone by and the yard is beginning to look like.....well....a jungle. Getting lost on the way to the barn is a regular occurance...at least that's what I say when Bobby asks why I'm late. Apparently, the long, upkept look was getting to Bobby too and he started to look at the mower. Three "mechanics" later, the mower was fixed and Bobby had taken over as the greenskeeper. This was all too strange to the rest of the neighborhood and the phone lines started heating up. I received a call from a neighbor who was inquiring about the new lawnboy I had hired. She said another neighbor had ...