Goodbye March!

Look! An update! From me!

Amazing, I know.

How is it that time can seem so slow, yet go by so fast? I only have 4 weeks of student teaching left. 4 weeks! I'm still teaching a full load, but am hoping to drop a class next week. I am so ready for life to return to "normal."

I've missed being home. There are days when I wonder if I really want to work full time and at this point, the answer is no. I enjoy teaching, but being a farm mom is a full time job and one that won't go away just because I have a "real" job. We shall see what life brings down the road.

My farm chores have gotten a little bit easier. My Kubota calf feeder is up and running. We're still working out the kinks and trying to figure out the most efficient way to feed calves, but so far, so good. Right now my biggest time consumer is washing my pails. That used to be the quick and easy part of feeding calves. Once I'm done student teaching, I'm hoping to adjust the routine a little bit more.

The boys are doing great. We had Cole's parent teacher conference last week. He's made steady improvement throughout the year, which is great. He loves going to Mrs. O's room. She's the special ed teacher and pulls out 5 kids from his class. He does well in the small group and they also see it as a special treat since they get to go during rest time.

Tate is still 2. He's full of stories, most of them not understandable. His favorite phrase is "but, Mommy..."

March Mudness

Ok, so I stole the title, but it was too good not to use, especially with what I woke up to today. Last night's storm brought in a big nasty mess. Snow on top of slush on top of mud. It would have been really handy to have my Kubota this morning, but someone buried it in the shop this morning and then someone else caused a few more issues (that weren't totally his fault) so I can't use it tonight either. My wagon doesn't work very well in this junk.

I'm hoping this is winter's way of saying farewell, but you never know around here. Today was by far the worst commute I have had all winter. That's saying something compared to some of the junk I've driven in. Today was so bad I actually came back home. I drove through roads flooded with slush (not smart, but there was no way to turn around), a highway that felt like a field, a county road down to one lane of tracks. The best part of the trip was the gravel roads back home, and they were no picnic either.

This is what our farmyard looks like. There really isn't a way to clean it. The snow/slush is so heavy it's hard to move. Underneath that is soft gravel/mud.

Come on spring! We need a little heat and a whole lot of sun!

The Kid Who Failed Preschool

I remember talking about that kid and just this week my students were talking about it and asking how do you fail preschool?

Cole is going to be that kid. Kindergarten round-up was a couple of weeks ago, and we didn't go. I feel awful knowing that some day he may be teased for it, but on the other hand, it will be so much better for him in the long run, and that is what is important.

I've had a lot of people question our decision. Most of them try to do the "but he's smart!" comment. It's not about being stupid or smart. It's about being ready, and he is not. I've answered the questionnaires and we've gotten his spring progress report, and according to all the standards, he's ready. But he's not. He still struggles and I don't want school to be a struggle. I want him to be challenged, but I don't want him to struggle.

I'm sad to see this group of peers move on without him. He's not particularly attached to anyone, but I've known a lot of these parents since our preschoolers were babies. Some of them we'll meet again with Tate, but others will move on without us. It's the right decision, but a sad one too.

My New Toy

Sorry for the bloggy break. What can I say? I've been busy.

School is going well. Only 6 weeks of student teaching left. I've been teaching all of the classes for the last 2 weeks and will probably give up a class in the next week or so and work my way back down to nothing. It's been exhausting, but I'm having fun.

Life on the farm is much the same. I get up, feed calves, go to school, come home, feed calves, feed kids, sleep, and repeat. My calf barn is still a no go, but today we did go shopping for a new farm toy, for me! I never get any farm toys. So since they gave me a big NO on my calf barn, we've been coming up with other ways to make my job easier. Not that my job is tough, but there has to be a more efficient way to do it.

Currently, we mix all of our milk replacer in individual pails and haul it in a wagon to our calves. My wagon holds 13 pails, so it usually takes a couple of trips. The wagon was a new feature just a couple of years ago. Before that we carried everything, 4 pails at a time. That worked until I ended up making 5 trips and my fingers were calloused and sore, hence the wagon. The wagon works, but the plan is to move all my calves to the back side of the barn. Currently we have 8 pens in the front. That means up to 34 calf pails, or 3 trips with my wagon. I don't mind the exercise, but when there are a million other things that need to be done, time becomes an issue. Which brings my to my new toy: the Kubota RTV. The plan is to build a tank so I will mix up all of my milk replacer in the tank and then fill pails at each individual calf pen.

We had discussed this plan earlier and my father-in-law currently has a Polaris Ranger to drive back and forth. We thought we could just use that, until my FIL realized that it would mean losing his Ranger. Suddenly getting a new vehicle was a brilliant idea! Amazing how that works. So today Pat and I went shopping. We tested out the Kubota first, and then headed to check out the new Rangers. For our purpose, the Kubota was the better option. We aren't planning on doing a lot of off-roading with it, although in the spring, it sometimes feels like it.

The down side to our new toy is that we are getting rid of some of our other toys. Pat sold our 6-wheeler, which isn't a huge deal. It was only ever used for spot spraying and rock-picking. He's also trying to sell our snowmobile. We're both having a tough time with that. On one hand, we hardly use it, but on the other hand, the boys really love it. I imagine another one will be purchased in a few years.

At least this week I have something to look forward to on Monday: a new toy!

Spring?

The first sign of spring on our farm is almost always kittens. Unfortunately, I think our cat, Peanut, jumped the gun a bit this year.

These 3 greeted me with lots of crying early Sunday morning. It was not what I was expecting as I rushed to feed calves and go to bed after chaperoning our church lock-in. Digging them out of the calf hut and moving them inside, to a safer location, slowed me down a bit, but they are still living! It took Peanut a bit to settle down in her new home, our vet supply room, but she's adjusted now. We certainly don't need to add to our cat herd, but I feel bad just letting them die. Their chances may not be great, being born so early in the year, but at least now they have a chance.

My Beat Up Babe

After a trip down the stairs that ended with the train table, and discovering how hard a school cafeteria floor really is, this is how my baby fared.

What the HSUS Is Good At

A friend of mine recently forwarded this interview to me. If you don't have time to watch it, the article is most of what goes on. The interview itself is fine. The president of HSUS is very good at his job, which is to be a smooth talker. He really doesn't say anything of substance other than he wants to sit down with the agriculture community and talk. You see, that's worked really well for them in Ohio.

When I think Ohio and the agriculture community, my mind immediately goes to the Ohio dairy abuse video that perused the web last year. Now, the HSUS wasn't behind that video, but like-minded individuals were. I'm not about to sit down and have a calm conversation with anyone who treats their animals like that, or stands by and watches it. After negative media what choice do you have but to sit down with the most notorious group and try to redeem yourself? To me, it feels like blackmail.

There's been a big push for the agriculture community, particularly the dairy industry to fight back, promote ourselves, and assure consumers that our animals are well cared for, and our products are safe and healthy. That's easier said than done. We aren't just selling a product, we are selling ourselves. Our product is our life. It's what we do from sunup until sundown and beyond. We don't leave the office at 5 or take Sundays off. Most of us prefer to mind our own business and keep doing what we've been doing, but suddenly we are pushed into the lime light and have to answer to people who have no idea what a farm looks like, let alone the work it takes to run one. The industry hasn't had to defend itself before and isn't quite sure how to react. I'm not saying people don't have a right to question where their food comes from. Everyone has that right, and should question it, but you should also think for yourself.

I don't think we should have to sit down and have a conversation with the HSUS. If legislation on animal and food safety is going to be made, it should be made by the people who know what it takes on a daily basis. That process is happening. The CEO of our milk cooperative is currently sitting on a board in Washington, D.C., that is trying to figure out what is best for the dairy industry and our consumers.

So to the HSUS, we don't need to sit down with you because we don't answer to you. You are not the one who should decide what is best for our animals and our products. That is our job and I think we do it pretty well.