Knolltop Farm Wife

Good Morning from a cloudy kind of rainy knolltop! I've got writing to do, so I will make this quick, but yesterday Sarah and I were busy most of the day making jam. It was Sarah's first stab at the process and she did a great job! She made a batch of strawberry and a batch of blueberry. She will enter her jams in the fair this year, so we have two more kinds to make. She wasn't to excited when I told her what we were going to do, but then after she took over and I just watched she enjoyed the whole process. We made cooked jam, just like my mom used to do. And this morning I had the skimmings of the Strawberry jam on a roll and I told everyone else we coudn't touch the jam until the snow flies! I was most impressed with the fact that the fruit in the jam is evenly spread throughout the jar, this has never happened to me, it always floats to the top. I guess Sarah has the secret touch! The little homemaker then made a blueberry crisp for dessert and finished up the home...

It's a cool, clear, breezy morning here on the Knolltop! What a week last week! I'm so glad to have things back to normal. It's fun to go but it's so much fun to come back home and settle back in. The kids were extremely tired when we got home Friday night, but they still had to unload the trailer and then JW and Luke went and unloaded straw for a few hours Friday night before it rained on Saturday. I posted a couple of pictures from last week and I will post a few more today for fun. It was so funny this morning, when I got up and posted the news on Dairy Agenda Today, like always, I finished, made the coffee and went back into bed to drink coffee and eat my toast before we head out to the barn. When I finished my coffee I heard a cow that was way too close to be in the pasture! So we jumped out of bed, got our clothes on and looked outside only to see Melinda in the middle of the road looking at the house mooing as if to say "WAKE UP!" I got my boots on...

This is my next favorite picture from Dairy Days. Bobby and Shelley Hardy following Parker's heifer to the ring to make sure she doesn't get dirty. Flash back 20 years and this was where they were, together, "Pre Melissa" days with the two of them following Gregg with a cow to the show ring with Bobby carrying the bucket with straw and paper towels to wipe the cow's behind when she got dirty and Shelley walking along side in her sparkling "show day wear" chatting the whole way. Twenty years later they have a few more grey hairs, well, maybe not Shelley, they've added a few more wrinkles, have a little more wisdom, and still enjoy a very special friendship.

This is my favorite picture from Dairy Days last week, me an my three teenagers. Where's Jake? Not winning showmanship!

Good Morning from a cool, cloudy and busy knolltop. As you know we're at the show this week, but I wanted to take a minute and post something this morning. Yesterday was the 4-H show and the kids did okay. Let's just say I won't have to make two trips with the truck and trailer, one for cows and the other for trophies. But they had a good time yesterday. I'll post a few pictures after this post. But really, you need to go to Dairy Agenda Today and check out the pictures on my blog over there. Jake out did himself yesterday and he doesn't even know it. Luke and I had a great time watching him in the ring...and of course I took a bunch of pictures. Just go look! I'm headed back for the great dairy adventure today! Daycare centers from all over Lansing will bring their kids in to learn about the dairy industry....oh so much fun!

Good Morning from the sunny, cool Knolltop! I know, I know, I haven't blogged in a while, sorry about that! Everything and everyone is fine, just keep forgetting to do it after all the other tasks are done! We are headed to East Lansing this morning for the Summer show, Jake and Sarah will be taking a heifer each, Luke is their transportation back and forth to Grandmas and JW and I will drive back and forth to be here to milk morning and night. Busy? YES But oh so much fun! I'll try to keep you updated as the week progresses!

Good Morning from a cool Knolltop! It's be so nice the last few days, cool at night, sunny during the day! I love it. I haven't been blogging because there just hasn't been time. When I get done blogging on Dairy Agenda Today I have a million other things waiting. Like yesterday we painted the milkhouse....and it's waiting for a second coat today! I had all the kids out there working away, some are better than others at painting, but we got the job done and will have to go at it as soon as I get done here. Jake had his final game last night and they lost to Pittsford. He wasn't feeling all that well and you could see it. He's got Sarah's cold and cough and just doesn't have the energy he needed. But it was a nice night of baseball. Today after the kids get done with the milkhouse, I'm headed for a perm....and OH MY HEAVENS IT'S WAY OVERDUE! Can you tell I'm sick to death of my hair? I stick it in a pony tail everyday and don't ...