Knolltop Farm Wife

It seems like it's been a long winter here on the Knolltop.  With the snow earlier and last week the tremendous ice storm, the folks in this neck of the woods have had enough winter.  The kids were off the entire week last week because of ice! Thankfully we didn't lose power at all, oh my such a blessing from God! Having a farm is truly a test of patience on a regular basis.  With so much equipment to keep running and livestock to keep healthy, some days you just think what else can go wrong? A couple of Sunday's ago, we were finishing up chores and like he's been doing since he was in fifth grade, Luke backed the tractor and manure spreader under the gutter cleaner....well, almost. I was milking at the time when I heard the tractor making noises that weren't normal to just backing it down the hill.  No, I heard it making sounds like it was trying to get out of a bad situation.  And when a disgusted Luke walked into the barn (I could tell by his walk) I kn...

It's been a very icy week here on the Knolltop!  The kids had the week off from school simply because a bunch of frozen water...who would've thought? I had the privilege of speaking last week at the Michigan Farm Bureau Young Farmers group in a session called, Roles of Women in Agriculture.  Needless to say, I had a ball sharing with these ladies and getting to know a few more women in agriculture.  While I was away from the farm, I had my own young lady in agriculture filling my shoes at home.  My daughter Sarah took over my role to make sure everyone had something to eat and then headed to the barn to milk the cows.  When I pulled in the driveway, I hurried out to the barn to help Sarah finish the chores.  While milking, she asked how my day went and then began asking what I shared with women.  I told her that women in agriculture are a very unique group.  They are determined, hard working and tenacious.  Then she asked what tenacious m...

Good Morning from a cold Knolltop.  It was 5 out this morning....but NO WIND!  YEEHAW! I just wanted to alert you to another Knolltop Blog that is now available for your reading pleasure.  My son JW has created a blog called Knolltop Farm Kid . I've listed it on the right of this page. While I'm here, let me give a Christmas update.....no tree...no fudge....no cards sent.....YET!  We will get the tree this weekend, I hope and then shopping next week.  Tonight the kids have their Christmas concert and tomorrow night Luke will have a basketball game. Sarah's birthday is Sunday and I've yet to get her present.  I know what it will be, just haven't gotten it yet.  I hear the tractor so I'd better head out to bed the barn!

Good afternoon from a cold, windy Knolltop.  Let me get this off my chest first; it's cold outside and I don't like it. I belong in the south. Actually, I think I was mis-born.  I should have been born in the south where you stay warm all the time and in the heat of the day you sit on the wrap around porch sipping iced tea or a Coke with the gentle breeze blowing, listening to the heat permeate the world around you feeling the humidity creep down your neck and trickle down your spine. I know, that was way back before air conditioning.  Now everyone sits in the house and doesn't go out until late at night when it cools off.  Nonetheless, I think my parents were supposed to be living down in Dixie but defiantly they chose to live in Michigan instead and have sentenced me to a life of bone chilling winters!  How's that for blaming my parents for the weather?  HA!  Just joking mom!  Please don't send my Christmas slippers back!!!!! Her...

Driving through rush hour traffic in Chicago, on our way home from World Dairy Expo, my phone rang, it was my son. He was calling to tell me his girlfriend had just been in a car accident and it was bad. I comforted him as well as I could from 150 miles away and told him we were coming home as quick as we could. But the most important thing he needed to do was pray. Much to my dismay, my son called back and told me she had died. It was a shock for all of us to absorb that this young, vibrant, freshman nursing student at U of M was gone. She had just posted on Facebook that she was going to the fair with JW. She was home for the weekend and was looking forward to hanging with her friends. She was on her way to pick up her best friend but would never arrive that afternoon. When I finally arrived home that evening, I sat down with my son and we both cried. I felt like the mother of a young boy again, like I could fix it all, but this time there was nothing I could do. No words would m...

It's a typical fall Sunday afternoon on the knolltop.  A little cloudy, a little cool and quite lazy! Normally at this time we would be loaded up and headed into the Hillsdale County Fair for a week of fun, but this year, instead we are going to World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin.  We've been planning this trip for a year now and to say I'm excited is an understatement.  I have not been to expo since I was pregnant for Sarah! JW was 4 years old and Luke was 2. I can't imagine what I enjoyed about having two toddlers to keep clean and out of everyone's way at such a show in addition to having a big belly and an appetite to match.  Let's just say the cream puffs were my mainstay! But now Sarah is 14 and Jake is 13 and JW and Luke are old enough to stay home and milk cows!!!! Life just keeps getting better and better! Right now, JW is in Madison getting ready to participate in the judging contest tomorrow morning.  They left on Friday and will be back som...

It must be the mohawks that are doing the trick!  Good morning from a cool morning here on the Knolltop! Last night Luke's team won their third consecutive football game!  Not only did they win, but Luke and his buddy, Dewey both scored touchdowns! In addition, the game was on the radio and so their names were announced over the radio waves! Dewey ran the ball while Luke caught a pass and ran it in for the score. So I asked myself the question, why are they doing so well?  Is there extreme athleticism?  Is it because they are savvy football players?  Is it because they practice hard and have a great team this year? Nope. Although all of those are great thoughts, I'm giving full credit for their football prowess to their stylish haircuts --the Mohawks! A couple of weeks ago, our good friend and hair stylist, Sue, came over to walk and brought her trusty scissors with her and ended up giving Luke and Dewey a mohawk.  Now some folks don'...