The case of the disappearing cows

As you might remember, we have had an on going battle with keeping the cows in their pen.  We have managed to annoy a few, other's find it to be humorous and joke about it. There is little we can do until we have enough money to get better fencing. Glad a few are so understanding.

My boys have had to babysit the cows. Twice a month they get out, so this past week, our boys have been keeping an eye on them. The cows have been putting an unimaginable amount of stress on me. Not wanting to make enemies because of them, I sleep badly, nervous when my phone goes off, just general stress.  Well, the boys allowed the cows to slip passed them. It took them a few hours to get them back down. However Murrial wouldn't go home. This is a first, usually she is the first one back home. Instead she ended up walking up the driveway to her boyfriend's house. Yes, Murrial found a boyfriend and this is basically why the escapes were happening. She hasn't calved in two years, and now she is desperate about it. Neighbor put her in his field and texted me.

Husband went to talk to him. He laughed about it, and now Murrial will be staying with her boyfriend for the week. We actually think she already took by the second day. But will give them time. He told us no worries about our cows invading his field. He understands. I feared he would be angry. He even offered to help with our fencing needs. He offered up a bunch of t-post for cheap. He has offered to house the cows in the past, we shouldn't have declined. With Murrial pregnant, this should slow down the amount of times they escape until we can put the top fence up. 

We shall see.

A prognosis and looking like a bit of country drama

I must say that I have been feeling better. Not just with the physical pain of my leg, but the neurotic drama of self blame, new phobias, and woe is me.

Don't get me wrong. I still throw myself a pity party on occasions. One must not neglect ones self you know.

There has been some drama behind the scenes. One week after I was sent home, I attempted to call the bone doc to make an appointment for my post op. This appointment was to take place three weeks after surgery. But no. I am Phelan and I am determined to have the worst year yet. Got to beat the previous years.

I digress, I spoke with the receptionist. Turns out this was the same place I went when I broke my arm as a child. She updated my info and informed me that she would be unable to make my appointment, the nurse did that. I was transferred, left a message and waited. One week, no return call. I call back and repeat what I had done the previous week. It took four weeks to get the nurse to call me back. Then she informs me that I was to go to trauma for my post op not this doc. I call bs, and read my release papers verbatim. And then I proceeded to cry as she told me again to call trauma.

I had been without pain meds for three weeks at this point, and was two weeks late on getting my sutures removed. Husband called trauma and left a message. They returned the call the next morning and I had an appointment. As I sat talking with my new doc, she informed me that this isn't the first time there has been a problem like this, and she didn't think the other doc new it was happening.

So, now to the leg and my future.

I'm broken.

No, I am really broken. So much so that every nurse or doc that walked past me in trauma, sucked air through their teeth. Several verbally reminded me that I was very broken. But up until this point, I didn't realize how bad it it. This is one of the worst things you could have done to your leg. Was what I was told, I assume its less than fully crushing it or cutting it off.

New doc pretty much ignored the break itself. Bones will heal (as I wrote that primus' "dog will hunt" popped into my head). It's the rest of my leg she was interested in.

The break down is this. After one month, nothing has changed. However I am now allowed to bend my knee 20 degrees. Yes, that seems like nothing. But after a month at zero, it makes me cry and scream obscenities in my sleep. I start my first 12 weeks of physical therapy, 3x a week. Just so I will be able to bend my knee 45 degrees. No pressure on my right leg for that 12 weeks. I will be reassessed at that time. They say that it will be a year before I will be able to walk unaided. Let the games begin.

On the country drama front. As I sat, playing "Rear Window" from my bedroom, a truck pulls up and honks. I sat, he sat. No one moving toward the gate. He waited a long time, then left. This happened again the next day. I asked Husband to put out a sign that said "manual gate, honking will not open".

Last night, as Husband trolled the fields he met up with the honker. He bought the place behind us, and wants to have us graze the cattle on it. That would be fine, but the chicken wrangling, attempted sheep abductors have a gate that leads between their fields. A new game is afoot!

No foolin today

It's early evening as I write this to you. I am exhausted, sunburnt, and there could possibly be blood dried somewhere under the caked on mud. I am sitting under a rapidly leafing maple, trying to cool off from this absurdly summer day visiting us so early in April. I hear it told that we will see 60's in a day. An actual spring would be most welcome as I am tired of living in a famine time.

The farmers around me say they too are done with this struggled survival we have had to live in for a year now. Many will lose everything if more rain doesn't arrive soon.

Winston ( bull ) put on a show for good neighbor, enough to scare the scream out of him. I see good neighbor running through the field, yelling and Winston trying to get him to play. I told good neighbor not to chase him like that, and I got a scowl in return. Winston is by no means out to get you. He wants to play, he gets all excited and kicks his heels up in the air. His head swing is because they have a blind spot directly in front of them, he has to, to be able to see where someone is. I had to save good neighbor. Winston, my spoiled baby, bellowed as good neighbor walked away, then licked my face and waited to be scratched. I think he really hoped that good neighbor would have been his new playmate, but it was not to be.

I spent several hours yesterday, hot fencing the field. A quarter of a mile worth of wire later, I have a very upset Urth (cow) and a sun burn. Urth walked right up to the wire. She has seen it before, but not this shinny, brand new wire, and zapped her. She has stopped talking to me, for now.

Before I forget, Yart, your namesake (calf) has warmed up well to us. And now follows us around, bellowing, wanting to fist bump. ( her nose to our fist. She bumps we wait) no scratching yet however.

I sit here and begin to drift off. I have to stay awake however as I have more work to do before darkness swallows the yard.

We planted several trees, and propagated several apricot trees. Strawberry beds are done, and the garden is ready to be sowed. The onions were replanted and fenced in to keep the free rangers from pulling them up yet again.

I have dug, and fenced, been stuck in the mud and lost a shoe, I have tended to delicate plants, and been bitten by a chicken. Been rabbit kicked, and bum rushed, sunburned and calloused. Bee buzzed, tangled, smoked out, and pooped on. And I couldn't be happier that it's spring.

An exhausting weekend

Saturday, the boys and I did a bit of garden work. Planted some more cool weather veggies in the ground, since our last frost isn"t until April. I don't care that it has been in the upper 70's, we have seen it before and a killing frost has moved in. For all those people putting in there summer veggies now, locally, I do hope things are different this year. When it warms up like this, people tend to forget, but really, you shouldn't plant heat seakers until after your local frost date.

Things are blooming early however. All my fruit trees are in bloom. I am enthusiastic that they will fruit before a possible killing frost. If not, you might just find us in the orchard with several fires going to keep the freeze off the blooms.

And grass is finally growing.

We also managed to dress out the pig over night, Saturday night. Took us only 3 1/2 hours to do so. A record I think. Missy was pushing 300 lbs. No more screaming pig is a burden lifted. She is curing in a friends fridge right now, and we will break the meat down to certain cuts later tonight. Poor horse neighbor's wife. She was afraid she was going to hear Missy make a racket. Horse neighbor said she had turned the fans on and turned the tv up just in case. But it was a clean kill. Remember our farm hand? He came out to lend a hand. He asked to do the shooting, and did a great job of it. Missy had no clue what happened, it was fast and clean. I always assumed it would get easier, emotionally, as time went on and the more butchering we had done. But I still have trouble watching it all go down. I can clean the animals with ease. Husband still must do the killing. Or in this case, the farm hand.

We are meeting with a lawyer today to attempt to stop a fired client of Husband's from libeling Husband on public forums.

The woman who was accusing me of starving my cattle, her husband showed up Saturday evening. It was a strange encounter indeed. He was very very drunk. Cross eyed drunk. He approached us as a friend however, and didn't show up to spout accusations as his wife had planned to. He admitted to having an affair with another neighbor, he wanted to buy us hay as a friend, he complained about the Mexicans in the neighborhood. Did I mention he is from chihuahua, Mexico? And is heavily accented? Oh but how he did go off about the ungrateful Mexicans here. Even brought up bad dog neighbor. Apparently he did a bunch a tractor work for bad dog neighbor, and when he only asked for gas and some oil for payment, bad dog neighbor told him he was asking too much. Oh did that set him off, and he went on and on for what seemed like an hour. He told me he is not like the Mexicans around here. Honestly I wasn't sure how to respond to it. Was he saying these things because we were white, or because he was drunk?

He then offered to purchase 3 of our calves. At a discount of course. I told him I would think about it. Then he said the funniest thing I heard all weekend. Of course me laughing at it makes me a bigot, but don't care. It was one of those moments one had to laugh. "if I said to you, let me write a check, you would say heck no because I am a Mexican. . . But I would say heck no too because I'm a Mexican." now come on, how would you respond to that. I stared at him for a moment, and just started laughing at the ridiculousness of it all. He was impressed I could cuss in Spanish though, and we laughed about that. He stood out here for about 2 hours, ranting and joking about all the neighbors, but not once accusing us of anything. Let me amend that, all the Mexican neighbors. He did mention how he wanted to help us as neighbors if we needed the help and that he too was interested in raising cattle, then drifted off into telling us how a Mexican who he was training and boarding his horse didn't pay for feed or anything else for several months and he sold the horse. The owner showed up wanting to know where his horse was, and he asked the man which horse was his? Then he got upset with us for selling and butchering some of our herd last summer. Aw drunks. They can be entertaining.

Let's see if he shows up here sober. He didn't arrive yesterday with the hay he promised, but we weren't expecting it. However with all the rain, our hay guy has yet to deliver our feed. So I had to drive 40 minutes yesterday to pick up some brome because she was the only person answering her phone on a Sunday. Nice lady. Brome was still green, which makes my girls happy.

We have been seeing good neighbor a great deal more lately. Which is nice. With the weather change and our zombie moat doing it's job, we should see him more and more. He is planting a peach orchard near the fence line. Looking forward to that myself.

Husband and I are taking a nice long motorcycle ride today. After this weekend I think we really need it.

Can you tell the difference?

Are both these cows healthy?

I have a woman in the neighborhood that would tell you that the bottom cow is being starved to death, and we must intervene. I would say that both these cows are indeed healthy.

Dairy cattle, like the Brown Swiss above, are slimmer than beef cattle, like the Angusrind at top.  

My darling Murrial has become a point of debate.

The woman has decided to take it upon herself to tell my neighbors that she is going to confront me about starving my cows. Now how did this come about?

She was visiting the bad dog neighbors, and has awesome eyesight, as she relaid to good neighbor's mother, that she was concerned that my cows were not being fed. She said she could see large bales, but the cows had no access to them, and that they looked skinny to her.

Only ones that would look skinny are Murrial and Courage. (And Courage is going through a lanky growth stage right now). The Kerries are as fat as a cow (haha).  After I received several calls from neighbors about this woman, not about my cows and their worry (interesting) but about this woman, I waited for her to show up and confront me. The longer I waited, the angrier I became.  As you all know I have sacrificed a lot to make sure they had food. We did get some light stuff, however they have never gone without food. Ever.

The house where she spied on us from, doesn't have a full view of my fields, she spread the rumor that there was no feed out there. My house and barn block the view to where the hay ring is at this moment. 

I got the calls on Sunday. No one has said anything to me about the condition of my cattle, as they can all see the feed, and know this woman is off her rocker. She still has yet to come over. And I have a feeling that even though my neighbors told her that they were milking cows, she will be calling Animal control on me.  I am tempted that if she does, to pass the information on to them, that she has too many horses allowed by law on her property. But I probably won't. I have done nothing wrong, and county is more than welcome to look. 

The lesson I guess, make sure you know your breeds of cattle before you spread accusations. Because it makes you look bad in people's eyes.

Maybe even, if you are concerned, offer some friendly help. Find out what is happening.  It's better than spreading rumors.

One for the Are you Kidding me File

First off a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Medium and Wallene!


Yesterday I was making cupcakes for Medium's school party when the phone rang. "your horse is stupid" Came the voice of good neighbor "bring a lead rope, she's hung up in the fence." I grabbed the pink lead rope that good neighbor had first brought her over in and walked to his house. He was standing next to the fence petting and cursing Sam. I was expecting a leg through the fence like she has done twice before. Instead what I found was half her body over the fence and one rear hoof tangled in the fencing. "You're Kidding me Sam!" I exclaimed. Good neighbor shook his head at me. Bad Dog neighbor stood outside with his dog watching us.

Good neighbor didn't want to cut the horse fence, I suggested cutting the wire that secured it to the post and pushing the fence down, as I had to do with her last time. So we worked on it, and a few moments later Sam was free. Good neighbor told me that he has a shot gun for her. I laughed. Good neighbor gave me Sam because she threw him. I have not had a problem with her, except for this fence thing. As soon as we were finished Bad Dog neighbor walked over with wire cutters, saying "guess I was too late." But as he was walking over Good Neighbor mumbled, "of course when all the work is over he comes." I bit my lip in a smile.

I lead Sam home and tied her. Finished my cupcakes and went to see Medium. Turns out Medium is a head taller than all the kids in his class! I knew my boys were big, but didn't realize monstrous!

Home again, then Husband came home. We walked out to the garden chatting when Uma came running through the ditch next to the road. She was out of Good Neighbor's field! All together now "Are you kidding me!?!"

I ran into the house and grabbed the coffee can o' cookies and went to the road. I called "Yup yup" Uma looked at me then ran across the road to Bad Dog neighbor's. I yelled for Large as Husband jumped the fence. It is Husband's cow. Large came running and I gave him the bucket. I didn't have shoes on. I ran in to get them and another bucket to bring in the cows that were still in Good neighbor's field. There was little need for that, because they had all heard the yup yup and came home on their own. As I went back out, Large had gotten Uma back into our yard, Husband was laughing.

Turns out that Uma did to Large what all the cows do to me. Came running, skipping and clicking heels together high in the air as fast as possible, then suddenly slams on the brakes just before hitting you. Large has never been on the receiving end of this treatment and had flinched as though he was about to get trampled. I laughed and told him just wait until you have all of them coming at you like that. I have yet to get run down.

This morning I have to go out and check fencing and re-secure everything before the cows can be let out.

We had dinner and I went to read for a bit. All the boys and husband were passed out on the couches in the living room, I in my own bed. Buckets began to bark the intruder alert. I sat there a moment listening. Then I heard a man's voice scold Buckets. I grabbed the rifle and ran into the living room. "Husband! Husband!" he sleeps like the dead "HUSBAND!" told him someone was out there. I took the rifle and went hunting. I am sure they heard me yelling at husband and left quickly. But I searched, rifle ready. I didn't find them. I told Husband next time I am not waking him, but just heading out. He didn't like the idea but understood that he isn't easy to wake.

So how was your Friday?

Just when you thought it was safe to come back here

I whip out another long story.

I get a phone call Saturday night, horse wife had just dropped horse neighbor off at the airport, to head back to Afghanistan, when she got a phone call. Her s-i-l was talking to a vet that had a colt that was going to be put down. She thought horse wife would take it.

The foal's mother was very sick. She gave birth to the little boy and then out right rejected him. Now from the story I got, it sounds like the vet rejected him as well. Didn't feed him for the first 24 hours of life, didn't even clean him up. When horse wife said she would take the baby, he placed an iv for plasma into the tiny neck. The colt weighs maybe 15 lbs. He is a miniature breed. When horse wife got him, he had managed to beat himself up trying to stand. His eye was bloody and swollen shut, he was still covered in birth. And the vet gave her PET (evaporated milk) and told her good luck, he has a 10% chance of making it.

That's when she called me about goats milk. Oddly enough, Patch had (after months of not milking her) swelled up with milk. I got almost 2 quarts from our goat-a-corn, and passed it on to horse wife. The poor colt is having issues. I showed and informed her the best I could. Telling her I have never dealt with a foal before, but goats instead. Next morning enema and her personal vet was called. The foal is on an IV and is receiving antibiotics. If we can get him to live another day and continue to eat, he should make it.

Yesterday, we went to the farmstead. We got water going again, and finished up two sides of the corrals with barb wire. And I became ill. Head hurt, stomach rolled. I told husband we have to call it. I can't do it anymore. Husband begrudgingly agreed. He wasn't feeling well either, and there is so much that still has to be done. We loaded up and head home. Husband decided to go the backside of the property when I asked about a chute in the back 47. No permanent chute, the was a mobile one sitting there as the people that lease it are getting ready to take their cos to market. Husband decided to drive on, taking a different route out of the Flint hills.


We ended up in the Ghost town of Cedar Point. A sign on the bridge called for help, to save the Flour mill on the river.
We don't see a lot of these here in Kansas. The Chase County Historical Society has nominated it for a historical site. Which it should be. You can't park on the bridge where you can see it, but you can stand a little ways off. This part of Kansas is gorgeous by the bye. The Historical Society is trying to raise money to keep the mill standing. Husband and I were talking. Thee have been several small ghost towns in Kansas saved by bikers. I know, odd, but here how it works. 1 small restaurant, 1 historical place, 1 decent but scenic drive out of Wichita and VIOLA! You have a saved community. Wonder if there is a way to talk to the historical society about something like this. Plenty of abandon buildings in that town to sustain a weekend restaurant.

The ride home was pleasant enough. The air helped cool and relieve the headache. Once home I turned on the news, and wouldn't you know it the temperature was 100 F. Have no idea what the heat index was with the humidity, but that would explain why husband and I were getting so sick.

Just got a phone call from the Horse wife, the foal died earlier this morning.

Farm Stay USA

I probably wouldn't have found this site, if they hadn't of mentioned me. But it is similar to what I hope to do on the farmstead someday.

Farm Stay USA is where you can find farms that let out rooms or cottages for your vacation. Go check it out.


Homestead news, even though I am giving back most of the sheep, I sheared the one wooly. I knew she would never be sheared by the neighbor across the way, so yesterday in 114F heat index, I spent an hour shearing. She isn't the prettiest looking thing right now, but will be cooler and alive. Sweat really burns when it drips into your eyes. Maybe sweatbands should make a comeback.


Going Green in Illinois is having a Choose Your Homesteaders Adventure contest. She's giving away homemade soap and bath salts!

Ok off to process cucumbers, peaches, and tomatoes.

With friends like these

Husband came home from work with a jar of sand plum jelly from Pastor Mike (remember the gentleman that taught me to make soap) That reminded me that there was wild sand plums at the farmstead that need to be taken care of.

Pastor Mike managed to kill all his tomato plants. Goats ate my fruit trees. Pastor Mike would like tomatoes, at least a bushel. Of course you know what is coming next.

It has been slow, but we have started harvesting a few tomatoes. A bushel before high summer really starts going won't be a problem. He already has peaches ready, and a lot of them. He told husband that he will take what he wants, but there will still be a lot left.

oh the things I can make with peaches.


The Bad Dog Neighbors have locked their 2 remaining dogs up. When this happens, we get about 2 weeks of quiet before they are freed again.

We took our Buddy Hooter to El Dorado yesterday (40 minute drive for us) he had to take a class at the courthouse. Small, Medium and I waited at one of the parks there. The boys were thrilled. The parks there are newer and have more shade trees then the ones in the town close to us. They have both been begging to come back, and that started before we even left. I told them we will see if we can find a nicer park closer to us. But the thrill of playing on things that were built just for that purpose was a novelty. You mean these things don't have another purpose, like moving hay?

When I got home, I went searching for husband, who turns out was in the barn. When the cows saw me, they began to moo. Soon I had a loud chorus of cattle, sheep, goats and turkeys. I felt loved.

Then what happened?

Husband and good neighbor met at the fence under the cover of darkness. It was 3 am, and one would think that this meeting was a conspiratorial secret society meeting. But it was as innocent as that. Bad neighbors dos woke us up, woke good neighbor up as well, as the dogs tried to attack our dogs through the fences. Back and forth they ran. From neighbor to neighbor, barking and growling, trying to eat fencing.

Day light arrived, and husband was off to work. Alas! he forgot something at home and made his way back. As he rolled his motorcycle down the road, the bad neighbor dogs came running out of the concealment of the neglected yard and started attacking the bike. They didn't stop until I screamed at them, and husband was already stopped in our drive way.

I called the county. The men they sent out could have cared less about what was happening. He was bored. Husband wasn't bit, so no foul. BS! Obviously this man has no idea what can happen when a dog is attacking a moving motorcycle on a sandy dirt road. Those dogs, or even husband could have been hurt.

The flooding washed up about 4 lbs f potatoes. Because of the clay content of our soil you cant just cover them back up. When the soils wet, it sticks to your fingers and not to the ground. I went a head and pulled them up. mmmm... baby potatoes.

And Happy Name Change day to Large! He will still be known as Large, but no longer known as my 12 tear old. From Hence forth he will be also known as my 13 year old!

FYI, If it has holes, it won't hold water

I am utterly exhausted right now and the day isn't over. Take a break and cooling off right now.

Some days I don't like that my husband has a day or 2 off work, because he wants to do things in the heat that well, I simply do not want to do. I would rather wait until the sunsets and do it by moonlight.

We have managed to snag 10 of the sheep and bring them over. I was not happy to discover that the water troughs they left for the animals actually had holes in the bottoms and sides. No wonder the animals were going through so much water. Husband fixed one of them yesterday, and will be fixing the other one today or tomorrow. Despite the neglect, they are relatively healthy. The one woolie girl needs to be sheared something awful, she can't be comfortable in the heat with it. All their hooves need to be trimmed, and one of the lambs has a running nose. Eyes are clear, and seem to be worm free. But it is easy to be worm free when your pen has no vegetation in it.

Last night we went to round up a few sheep. Small runs through the pen and WACK! a full grown ram jumps in the air out of fright from my husband and lands on Small. It was an America's funniest Home Video moment if I ever saw one. Small was fine a little lump on his head. He mumble childish curses and stomped home. He has declared that he doesn't like that ram.

Dinner was refreshing last night, fresh chicken in home grown and made BBQ sauce, homegrown and made baked beans with last years bacon, fresh home grown peas with raw butter, and canned mixed fruits from last years gleaning. It was delicious. After dinner we spoiled the boys with some processed sugar, with the camp fire roaring we enjoyed 'smores. Husband and I slept out under the stars again. It's evenings like these that remind me that the days like those are all worth it in the end.

That's why I'm easy, easy like Sunday Morning

I spent the last few days at my mother's house in the city. She was having a garage sale, and I hung out to keep her company. The sale went horribly, hardly anyone came around. She made a few dollars anyway.

Someone decided that my mother had a potty mouth. My friend Hooter had come over and we were all talking in the kitchen. Mom got down a glass, got some Ice and filled her glass with some pop. I really don't recall the conversation at the time, because suddenly my mother was spitting the pop out into the sink. I asked her what was wrong. Turns out someone had filled the pop bottle with soap! Hooter and I couldn't stop laughing for a very long time. My side still hurts just retelling this.

Mom had a sad story to tell as well. She and her husband were at a McNasty's having lunch when a man walked in. He went straight for the trash can. He pulled out some fries and went outside. Mom and stepfather were talking about him a bit. He hadn't approached anyone in the restaurant about food. Mom looked around, and saw him on the sidewalk, he had found a partial cigarette and was smoking it. When he finished, he came back into the restaurant and went through the trash again. This time he pulled out some more food and a bit of something to drink, then sat down at a table. My stepfather approached him, and asked if he wanted a meal. The man looked at my stepfather (and this is when my mother starts crying in the story) I will be honest, he tells my stepdad. I have twenty dollars in my pocket. It is all I have left. I have lost everything, and I am scared to spend the last of y money. Stepfather didn't care, told him to come on, he will buy him a meal. They got to the counter, and stepfather told him to order what he wanted. The man never once asked anyone for any money in the restaurant.

.

In other news, the garden is doing well. Harvesting a bunch of peas, making jellies, growing the best grass this side of Kansas! Weeds. . . gggrrrr. . .

We have a date set to move cattle, 4th of July. How fun will that be? Not like I have a few other things I have to do that day.

oh and yeah You want to tick me off? Then pull this one on me. Neighbor across the way called. We made a deal that I could exchange some labor for a few sheep well she reneged on that offer. Instead I get a phone call, I am handing the care of all the animals over to you. WHAT!?! I don't have room for them here yet, not until the cattle are moved. There is no power at the house across the way, so I have to lug water over there. I am livid that she would do this. She is being neglectful and putting me in a bad position. Husband and I are slowly moving the animals over, so that we don't have to keep doing this all the time, dragging water and feed over twice a day.

Does anyone know a good way to move a ignored and neglected donkey? You put a bridle on her and she freezes. She was trained when they got her, and they never did any work with her after that.

A couple of the woolies are males, too many males. So looks like soon I will be posting a How to butcher your Lambs.

a mystery on our hands

We found one of our turkeys dead this morning. She only had a couple of puncture wounds on her back. This leads me to believe that a puppy had something to do with the death.

Sprocket (our 2 year old hound Shepard mix) avoids the turkeys like the plaque. As they have shown her that a peck to the eyeball hurts a bit. Buckets (our 5 year old Staffordshire) hates the rain and would have been hiding somewhere all night long.

In summation, I believe that the bad neighbors dogs have once again penetrated our defenses and was running amok in our yard last night.

It's bad enough to wake up with yet another migraine, but to be ticked off as well. . .

a mystery indeed. Could have been our dogs or bad neighbors.

edited to add, just found out some one threw a brick threw another neighbors window.

Not saying goodbye

How do you say see you later? Goodbye sounds to final.

Horse neighbor is being shipped off to Afghanistan on Monday. Yes, on Memorial Day. He will be there for a year.

I will miss him dearly.

But what to say.

We are going over for a bbque tomorrow to say our goodbyes.

Maybe I should say "Heard it was 115F there yesterday. At least there isn't the Kansas humidity to go with it"

More than likely hand him a beer and thank him. Thank him for being our neighbor, for being a good friend for almost 10 years, thank him for sacrificing his everything to keep us safe and Free. And when he returns in 1 year time, with the greatest tan ever seen, I will thank him again, and buy him a cold beer.

Hail, Microbursts, Tornadoes and all my neighbors

Small and I walked out to other end of the driveway. We were waiting for the afternoon school bus. The breeze was pleasant and the air was warm and humid. Rumbling could be heard off to the south west. I looked up and said to Small, I think it might rain on us. Just then I noticed that Good Neighbors goats were walking to the barn, and then a fat white rain drop fell hard to the earth.

Small, RUN HAIL!

He looked at me for a moment because hail was not falling, but everyone has learned here, that if mama says hail is about to fall, then hail is about to fall.

I opened the gate and Small started running to the house. Dogs ran, Zombie ran, and the turkeys scrambled under the truck. Half way to the house, hail began to fall from the sky. It ended within a few moments of us getting inside.

Small made it onto the bus with no damage.

I checked the weather reports, and of course, once again, nothing was mentioned. I kept an eye on the sky and an ear to the radio and went about my business.

Just like on Monday, the tornado warnings erupted at the same time the Small and Medium were on the school bus headed home. Large gets home an hour and a half earlier than them. Tornadoes don't worry me too much, as long as my boys are at home.

I snagged my phone off the counter and ran outside to tell the neighbor across the way that there were tornadoes spotted to the south and west of us, headed in our direction. The neighbor across the way, doesn't actually live there, and I knew that he didn't have a radio or tv going. He was merely feeding the sheep. We chatted a bit while I watched the sky and the Sheriffs that were at the neighbor with the bad dogs house. My phone rang, it was good neighbor wanting to know why the Sheriff was in front of his house. I really didn't feel a need to go ask them why they were here. I have my guesses of course, but nothing I shared with anyone else.

The bus finally arrived with the storm still looming in the distance. It moved just north of us, the tornado was too far to affect us.

The house moved, and thunder shook the ground. A micro burst had hit us. I went out to check on the animals, everyone was fine. Then I called Husband at work. He took the motorcycle and I wanted him to stay down south rather than getting caught in yet another tornado while on a bike. He said he was leaving work. If he hurried he might just miss it. I waited for him on the porch. I figured I would hear him as he approached and could run and open the gate before he arrived.

However once I heard him, I saw him. He had cut though the neighbor across the way's fields and yard, trying to outpace the impending storm. I couldn't help but laugh as I ran to the gate.

Then it only sprinkled.

Horse neighbor saw the boys and I taking a wagon load of hay to the cows. Our truck wouldn't start and they needed to be fed. Horse neighbors were good enough to help us out and came over with their truck. As I went to get the field gate, I spotted something at the far end of the field, black and white, laying against the fence. "Betty." I shook my head.

The goat had managed to tangle herself up in two layers of fencing. And as husband and the horse neighbors brought the hay out to the field, I was wrestling with a goat. She was not very cooperative about it. And of course, the downpour came, and I fought with a goat, getting angry that she could get her head in there but not out. She gets stuck daily! I was very soaked when I marched back into the house.

"The drama" was my husband's reply to my nasty look.

White Trash at their finest (pic heavy)

The Hay Spike Trailer will be hence forth known as The Husbands Bale Spear Dolly

This is the core of the project. It is not finished, but it is at it's primitive yet functioning level. To get to this point you will need

a detached truck bed trailer
Hay spike
Pipe
couple pieces of angle iron
Harley Davidson front axle 3/4 inch (any solid of that size will work)
piece of chain
3/8 inch bolts to hold chain together
BFH (Big Frickin' Hammer)
Saws all
welder
come-along

A torch if you got em' other wise heat up the corners and whack it with the BFH

First remove the bed from the frame of the truck bed. Make sure that it is below freezing outside and it is only you and your wife. Yell at her when she complains that the bed just fell on her hand, tell her to suck it up and ask her if she's a PIONEER WOMAN!?!

Place the hay spike on the frame, calculate the approximate center of your bales (5 foot bale, theoretically 2 1/2 feet from the ground) The lower it is the better leverage you could have. You might have to lower your rails on the frame. Our frame has zero suspension, all the springs have been removed, so it is sitting on it's bump stops. Blink bars have been welded to the sides of the frame then down to the axle in a V shape to stabilize the axle to the frame, welded directly to the bump stops.

Take two 3 inches of 1 inch steel pipe, heavy gauge, we used the HD axle spacer, cut 4 pieces 2 1/2 inches long out of 3 inch angle iron. Weld the pipe using two pieces of angle iron, opposing in an S or lightening shape, welding it square and flush to one end of the top outside of the angle iron. When done it will look like a P with a tail. Stand it up , clamp it down and weld top and bottom. Take the other piece of iron and box in the P to make it look like inverted T with a dot on top, creating a pivot point with two flanges going forwards and back. Clamp to another piece of angle iron for alignment, weld the top side, cool, flip and weld the bottom side. Now you have an assembly that can be mounted to a flat rail of the frame. Do that twice, to create pivots for both sides.







Calculate your height at plum, make sure your frame tongue is level with the scars on your knees, to get that height. (level to your hitch). Slide your spear lower to points or the pivot pins into your newly made pivots. Clamp down your pivots and weld them onto your frame at the predetermined spear height. Use corner gussets that were cut scraps, 3"x4". Put vertical gussets in the center of the angle iron pivots, weld them.

Ladies, go out and take a photo, while it is snowing and he is welding. Call him silly and run away.


Next, measure for a 4x4 "kick stand" up to the bottom side of the top mount to a frame structure to buck it, wrap a chain around the cross member and link the top mount, come-along to the chain. From there, double check measurements for the 4x4. Measure twice cut once, give yourself a little room to cut again. Then cut the wood, put under the mount wedge in the cross member, then pull everything tight with the come-along. Spear should be relatively horizontal, come-along tight, board wedged in place. At that point you are ready for application.



On the weld, turn it up and burn it in.

Now for the photo part of our show, because the above is all Greek to me (more like very bad English). This is why Husband doesn't run this blog, but he said you should understand. If not, he is here for you.

Get your Good Neighbor's truck to try it out on first (This should hook up to our tractor as well)



Line it up and . . .


Shove it in



Start ratcheting it up











oops, it's sitting on the tires. But it took less then 30 seconds to get it there.




Place the "kick stand" under the spike. Re-bar should fix this.



Now put your Good Neighbor to work, that is after all why he lives next to you.

Kansas Wins by 4 seconds

Because I realize you are all dying to know, Liberal Kansas won the International Pancake race by 4 secs.

A gym teacher ran the 415-yard course in 63 seconds, while an Olney woman ran it in 67 seconds.

This is the third year in a row that the same woman in Liberal has won, she can not race next year. So England, you've got shot. The AP has a small blurb about it here.

Well someone still loves me out there in blog land. Pacy Crochets awarded me with the Sunshine award. Thank you Pacy. ( I am unable to leave a comment on your blog, the security code keeps cutting off)

Medium confronted Husband the other day. Medium demanded to know if it was true that he had clown blood in him. Husband was confused until Medium told him the Large had claimed to witness me being attacked by a clown. Husband laughed, and informed him that I was indeed bitten by a clown, now Small is worried that he is a wereclown.

It is a nice change to having our only major concern with the Neophyte Homestead and our family is that we keep cotton candy and circus peanuts away from Small. Unfotunately the Horse neighbor isn't so lucky right now. He was just informed that he will be deployed to Afghanistan in May, for a full year. Horse wife is worried, but she told me that all the animals, including the horses, will all know stupid pet tricks when he returns. As with all the other times he has been deployed, we have a standing offer to help with the ranch when they need it.

And my mother, she managed to break 2 ribs in 4 places. Don't make her laugh.

Forget the Bar, Hit a Bale

What hicks do on a Friday night

Good neighbor poses for the ladies

see how flat that is?

I'm Sorry I called you Meatloaf Jack.

I can 't find the treat, so it must be a trick, husband has Saved by the Bell on. hhmmm. . . I'll figure this out.

Good neighbor came over yesterday to show me how to trim up the goats hooves. They have been kept relatively trim just from running and jumping all over the rocks and cinder blocks, but Patch is an old lady, running and jumping just doesn't have the appeal it once had. Plus if my breast dangled like hers, I don't think I would go any where near anything jagged.

Trimming hooves is rather simple, I just like to see it done at least once before going for it. I don't want anyone coming up lame. He showed me on 3 of them, and I did the 4th. Not bad if I do say so myself.

As Good neighbor started to leave I asked him if he had ever trimmed up cow hooves before. I got that wonderful bewildered look. "Never even heard of that. Who told you. . . " just about every cattle care book, and a lot of people advertising on craig's list talks about their for sale cow needs hoof trimming. I was standing their with our bull Undies, who by the way was dead set determined for me to love on him so much, that my finger would be protruding from my shoulder, he is a rammer. I told good neighbor that right now everyone's hooves looked good. His brother runs cattle, and he thinks that his brother has never done a thing like that. I shrugged, just thought I would ask. A good slab of concrete right inside the barn should solve any issues, but there is no way I will be attempting to trim any ones hooves. These gals will kick if they aren't in the mood to be scratched, can't imagine trying to hold a leg up. oh, hurts just thinking about it.

Wah wah wah wah

The garden is not quite put to rest. Yes, we have had freezing temperatures, but I still have peanuts to dig up. As soon as it stops raining, I will get on that.

I will try to get some photos taken today. Winston's horns are coming in nicely. Winona is filling out nicely. And Undies is getting close to butcher. I just hope he can get everyone pregnant before then. I have yet to see him try to mount Murial. He is so much shorter than she is, and I keep asking husband if he'll reach. Of course the guy answer is a lurid, oh yeah. ha! I just keep reminding myself of my dog, Satan, a very large chow. She would lay down for the neighbors wiener dog, and she managed to get knocked up. Those were some cool looking puppies.

I think Good Neighbor is upset with us. Ever since I told him that it wa settled and the horse neighbor would be buying our property, he hasn't been around. It's hard losing good neighbors. When one of our neighbor's died, and then the family moved, it was difficult for our family. The new people are not social at all, and we still don't know them very well. But this isn't like good neighbor will have to make new friends, he knows the horse neighbor. Good neighbor says he will be moving down south, where he has some acreage, once we leave. We still plan on staying in contact. I should go talk with him today, just to be neighborly if nothing else.

I still have about 30 lbs of tomatoes to process. The garden did rather well this year. I lost track over on the side bar, but I still have dried beans, corn and pumpkins to weight as well.

Hay of any kind has been difficult to find. Our hay guy wants $50 more now than what we were paying last year It isn't like we had a drought. It has been a great year for the stuff. But finding it has been a challenge. We were informed that a lot of it was sent to Texas. This has been causing a major issue for us, and other small hobbyists that can't afford to buy more than 1 or 2 bales at a time. One of husband's customers just happens to know a couple of people. He showed up here yesterday with a truck bed full of small square prairie hay bales. He and I threw them in the pouring rain. He told me that this round was on him, and that he was going to talk to another friend of his and see if we can get a hook up on his stuff.

Other than that it has been pretty mundane around here. Oh, the cats. . . do you remember playing that game as a kid, the one were the floor was hot lava (you have to say the word hot, or you ruin the game!) or water, and you couldn't touch it so you jumped from furniture to furniture? Well, the cats have picked up on that game. For some reason they have decided that they can not touch the floor. It gets annoying because you will be sitting on the chair, and cats will be jumping on your lap, scrambling on your chest and jumping from your shoulder. It's the claws coming out that really get ya.