Idiotsville

More time on the tractor…more time to think about random stuff to ramble about.  I am so glad there is not a window into the brain… I would be in deep trouble. These are only some of things I think about:


1. I have never liked the taste of beer, but when I hear David Alan Coe sing it really makes me want one anyway. “It was all that I could do to keep from crying” .   (definitely a Smith/Coleman thing.)

2. Usher ain’t got nothing on Marvin Gaye.  Old school trumps new school every day of the week! (and he gets right to the point… no beating around the bush.!)

3. God was definitely “in the zone” when He made baby cows. They are completely adorable. Anyone that does not agree should be hit with a hotshot… in the face… at least twice.

4. When we get to Heaven all God’s favorite singing male angels will sound just like Vince Gill.

5. They should definitely do a remake of Dirty Dancing. Keeping all the original music.  That young, blonde, cutie-pie hot dancer from Dancing With the Stars can play Johnny.  I don’t care who plays Baby as long as “NOBODY PUTS BABY IN THE CORNER” !!

6. Note to Rascal Flatts: If you get out past the creek, lost in the woods, near a shack…hearing banjo music in NOT ALWAYS a good thing.

7. No matter how grumpy or tired you are...when you hear Elvis sing ANY song... you smile.

8. The greatest two words spoken after hearing I love you is by far “I KNOW”.  Regardless if you are hearing them or saying them. What better feeling is there…  that the one you love…knows it!

9. If you can praise Him in the storm you are guaranteed a happy ending!

I’M JUST SAYIN”    !!!!!!!!!  :)


And yes, I have safely entered the gates of Idiotsville.  And it is okay… they know me here.  Here’s to laughing really loud and smiling with your whole heart.

God’s Blessings to all who read these ramblings.

Black snakes, field mice, & ladybugs

I went back to work today.  I was mowing briars.  They are a nuisance and they grow fast and are hard to kill.  The cows and horses do not like to walk through them. So even as boring and unnecessary as it sounds… it is an important job and I got a lot done.  On the way to the tractor I saw a coyote.  Pug did not have his gun so this one got to live to see another day, might not be so lucky next time.  I also got to see many newborn baby calves.  Oh how my heart melts.  These babies were so new they still had part of their belly button cord.  All colors  but the same shape… tiny.  I love this time of year.  They are so sweet and cute.  They are cuter than a monkey holding a puppy and that is dang cute!!!  I think I may have seen my favorite one of the year.  It was a dirty white, kind of gray with specks and splashes of dark reddish brown.  It was “ugly”.  My favorite kind.  It was probably a boy because we don’t get to keep the boys, boys become steers and steers don’t make babies they make beef.  So I will have to get a closer look to see if it was a girl or boy.  And I will get a picture!!!

The tractoring went very well.  I got the hang of it quick and was mowing briars like crazy.  I saw a lot of critters during my work day.  The ones I have already mentioned and a few more.  I saw three black snakes.  Two of which just slithered along on their merry way.  But of the course the whoooooge one decided to hang around and watch my tractor techniques.  I am sure he was guarding either his home or a hole with a very tasty field mouse in it.  Either way we had a mutual respect for each other.  He kept well-seen so there were no surprises on my part and I in turn watched out for him so I did not scramble him with my large rotating sharp blades.  I did run one over one time with the lawn mower and I am still dealing with guilt issues to this day.  Do not need to add to that.  My new friend stayed the whole time I mowed “his” area of briars.  On my last turn I waved good-bye and told him I was leaving.  I am quite sure he smiled at me. 

I also encountered many field mice.  I call them mice because they seemed too small to be called rats.  I saw them as brown, furry and cute.  I am sure my new friend, we will just call him “Blackie”, saw them as round, plump and tasty.  Luckily I did not have to see what happens when they meet face to face.  Although, I would put my money on the snake every time.

I love mowing where the older mama cows graze.  I love to see them all piled up together in a circle with the new babies.  It reminds me of a play group or something like that.   I can just hear Bessie talking to Flossie.  Bessie says “you hear anything from that sorry man of yours?”  and  Flossie answers “no, not since they carried his tired butt out of here on that trailer, not a call, not a text, not even a tweet… nothing.”  Bessie comes back with “well I hear the Whitehursts are looking for new bulls… maybe we might get lucky and get us new husbands!!”  Ha! okay so it probably does not sound like that … but it could…


The older mama cows are so laid back that I had to keep going around one today when I was mowing a patch of briars.  She just gave me a look like she was thinking that I was not the ONLY one working there.  The big loud mower or tractor did not bother her at all.  She WAS working… she was taking care of herself and her baby… that is her job and she does it very well.  I just let her be and went on about my own work.  Happy cows have happy, healthy babies.


This kind of work really gives me time to think… too much time as a matter of fact, the end results are these ramblings.  I was thinking of how I always like to learn some kind of a lesson, or get enlightened, or pretty much just get affected by something in a positive way, as much as humanly possible, on a daily basis.  So today was no exception.  It all happened and I am now going to share… aren’t you the lucky one.  These are my happenings for today:


1. I realized that Marvin Gaye is the only man I know that can sing about a “booty call” and not make it sound dirty.  Thank you Mr. Gaye for your song Sexual Healing… old school rocks!

2. The cows DO NOT like it when I sing really loud “Who let the dogs out?”  what the heck was I thinking???????

3. I am completely certain Luke Bryan is NOT singing directly to me BUT he is SO convincing that I had to tell him NO I will not shake it for you!… I am driving a tractor and that would be very unsafe.

4. When you are out in the middle of nowhere and you THINK you are all alone and you are taking a much needed potty break and you see a face staring back at you through the woods… even though it is just a deer, it is STILL VERY DISTURBING.

5. Even if you are sitting up on a very large tractor when you spot ANY snake slithering in the grass, it does not stop that “gasp, heart stops for 1 second, I think I might tinkle in my pants” feeling… EVER.

6. I have GOT TO REMEMBER  to always have my camera with me… I am missing way too many cute babies and I could have had a picture of my new friend, Blackie. (if for nothing else… proof that I am not really as crazy as I sound)  :)

7. I now know that black snakes, field mice and ladybugs dwell, hunt, hide, and feed in the briars.

This has kindly turned into an “I’m just sayin’ “ post. This could be the start of something new!!!!  Normally I get dive bombed by grasshoppers while I mow or fluff hay.  Today was not the case.  I was dive bombed but it was by LADYBUGS!!! They were hitting me, landing on and crawling all over me and my tractor.  It does not get much better than that!  So my wish and prayer for you is that if you are getting dive bombed or crawled on by anything, whether physically, emotionally, or spiritually… I truly hope it is something ladybug-like!!! I’m just sayin’   :)

Be still

I have read many posts on face book and on blogs that have helped me tremendously in my “daily walk” in this thing we call life.  I am grateful that others can share their experiences and methods to deal with situations.  I love to ramble and I love to write so this is the easiest way for me to express myself.  If it can help someone through a situation or just give them a different perspective then that is all the better reason to share.  I also believe in accountability to someone or something and seeing things in writing is my way to validate that fact. So here is my story.

 

I had a situation last night.  No need to say what it was, that is not the point.  To many, it would be trivial.  To me, definitely not so trivial.  But if I have learned anything in my almost 50 years on this earth it is that one persons tragedy is another persons trivial and while we all have demons … they come in many shapes, sizes, and levels of destruction.  So the easiest way to get my point across is to tell you what I know for sure to be true after last night. (I have known these things to be true for most of my life but they kindly slapped me in the face last night)  And let me say that, yes,  there was a happy ending and no, my situation had nothing to do with the Gator game :(

1. when God is telling you something, SHUT UP, don’t just listen, HEAR HIM and BELIEVE HIM.

2. when He says Do not be afraid…  then by all means… DO NOT BE AFRAID!!!

3. I am my own worst enemy sometimes… my amazingly brilliant, daughter is my biggest fan and supporter ALWAYS---ALWAYS---ALWAYS !!!!!

4. my sweet precious granddaughter is very capable of making a self-inflicted, stressful situation --- bearable :)

5. crying SUCKS until it becomes tears of joy.

6. at times, even smart people make stupid decisions

7. while I am very sure that there is no prayer to big for God, I am extremely grateful and very confident that   there is no prayer to small for God, He answers all prayers and His timing is perfect.

8. there is a lesson to be learned in everything that makes us worry, makes us impatient, makes our stomach turn, or makes us angry at ourselves.  it is up to us to realize, accept, and utilize the lesson.

I am not sure why this has affected me this way.  But I can promise you I did learn from it.  And earlier today as I enjoyed a day with my daughter, cleaned up my kitchen while dancing and singing to the top of my lungs, and even now as I sit and do something that brings me so much joy… I am constantly reminded of last night and how miserable I was. I am reminded of how angry I was at myself and I hate to have that ugly feeling inside my heart.  I can promise I was in constant conversation with God.  I just was not opening myself up to Him in the right way.  Lesson learned, realized, accepted, and to be utilized. It is crazy how things can change in such a small amount of time. 

I am not one to re-live such negative situations.  But in remembering that particular or any other  gut-wrenching feeling, I am also reminded of that moment of peace and pure joy that only comes from our Father in Heaven.  And if not for those negative times how would we know how to celebrate and embrace the good in our lives.  Yes, just like the song says I will praise YOU in this storm.

I don’t do resolutions.  They are made to be broken.  I try every year to say that I am not going to cuss as much.  I never make it pass 10:00 in the morning on New Years Day.  I admit it, I cuss.  Mostly to myself, not so much around people unless I am very angry or for dramatic effect.  I know that even though no one else hears it… Jesus does.  I am sure He shakes His head and rolls His eyes.  I am particular about my cuss words and DO NOT use His name in vain or the dreaded f-bomb.  Even I have boundaries.  I have adopted a new outlook for 2013. Three words… SIT, HUSH, BREATHE.  This is a battle that I will win.  I will have victory and I will give God all the glory. It was only day two and the devil was on my back… but not for long.  I roundhouse kicked him in his ugly head… with some huge help from my God.  Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10.  I am going to prove that sometimes silence says more than the loudest of voices.  And who knows,  this old dog may even learn a new trick or two about being still and the life benefits that come with that.

SILAGE… It’s what beef eats for dinner

         
         
Sorghum is a cereal grass grown for grain and syrup.  We grow it to feed our cows.  We had it harvested two ways.  Some of it was combined for seed and the rest was harvested as silage. This is how it was done in my words and pictures.  I did get some help from Adam and Van on some of the correct terms.   And if you ask my granddaughter, Annabelle, what this stuff is, she will tell you it is CORN!!!
         
         
It is very pretty growing out in the huge fields.  When we decorate for fall… we go all out!!!
         
         
         
The seed of the sorghum is picked by the combine.
         
         
         
The seed is then dumped into dump trucks to be taken and used as feed for cows and chickens.
         
We had a celebrity truck driver… Brad.              Talking business while taking care of business.
         
We keep the seed in the big barn until time to sell it.  It just sits in big piles on the barn floor.  The reason we don’t feed it to our cows is because it has to be rolled and flaked first and we don’t have the equipment to do that. Some of this seed may even be fed to chickens.

The harvesting and chopping of the sorghum is the most interesting part of this whole process.  This step is done by this awesome machine.  It is called a forage harvester.  It looks more like a creature from a horror movie to me.  It is very intimidating up close and personal.  This one is a Claas Jaguar.
          
         
         
As the sorghum is harvested and chopped it is dumped into trucks. The interesting part is that the truck has to run right beside or right behind the harvester close and fast enough to catch the silage coming out of the dump chute.  This is really something to see.  I am not sure who the better driver is,  the driver of the harvester or the driver of the truck.  This is all done very quickly.
         
         
         
         
The trucks follow along so that as soon as one is full there is another to get in place so the harvester does not have to stop for very long.
         
              
                                    
The trucks wait their turn to fall in line and travel quickly over the harvested field, all the while keeping extremely close to the harvester.  The harvesters move so quickly that the trucks don’t have to wait around for very long.
         

The silage is then is taken by truck to one of two places.  For quick use feed, it is taken to the barn and to save for winter feeding it is taken to be bagged in huge, long plastic silage bags.
         
The silage is weighed before it is taken to the barn or to be bagged.

         
         
Some of the silage is dumped into the concrete hold up right outside the barn.  That makes it easier to get to when it is time to mix it as feed.  This is what chopped sorghum/silage looks like.
The other loads are dumped into piles inside the barn to keep them protected from the weather.  These piles are used up quick  in just a few days before the silage has time to rot. 
          
         
These dump trucks work different than normal dump trucks. They are called box wagons.   Instead of dumping there is a mechanism inside the bed that pushes out the load. It is a series of chains on the floor that work like a conveyor belt.


          
                           
The silage to be bagged is dumped into a silage bagger and packed tightly into this long plastic silage bag.  It can then be sealed and is protected from the weather until it is used to mix as feed. While inside this bag the silage will ferment. The fermentation is actually the silage going through a heat.  This process is beneficial. If not in the bag the silage would rot and be no good for feed.  The purpose of the bag is to keep out all oxygen. The silage is mixed with molasses and chopped up hay and is fed to the cows.  If possible we sometimes like to mix in either brewers grain (the by-product of beer) or citrus pulp (the by-product of orange juice).   Both of these have great nutritional value and are really good for the cows.   These are sometimes hard to find and get delivered but we we can get them the cows seem a little more happy… I wonder why.  FYI citrus pulp smells good, but brewers grain, also called milo, stinks to the high Heavens…yuck, yuck, yuck!!!!!   You can smell this stuff from really far away.
          
                             
Harvesting and combining sorghum is just another one of our many processes.  Just another thing we are fortunate enough to be able to grow.  This is the second year we have harvested sorghum.  As with everything we do, it is a learning process.  We learn what to do and not to do next time.  These processes never cease to amaze me.  The intricate steps that have to be taken in a precise order to get the desired result.  It is an amazing world we live in.  Anyone who ever said farmers are simple-minded people have never met my farmers.  And they would be smart to never say a negative word about them either, particularly within earshot of me.   I love farmers… especially mine.