Marching On

March 1st, the first day of a new month, National Nutrition Month, National Pancake Day, the beginning of March Madness...  There are so many things to celebrate &/or recognize this month, where does one start?  As a dairy farmer, I'd like to think March is going to bring me warmer days and the beginning of green pastures, budding trees and spring flowers.  Occasionally March brings snow to the Ozarks, but I'm cautiously optimistic that Mother Nature will be kind this year.  We've had enough snow, thank you very much.

On the farm, we've had a few new babies and the green grass is emerging in the pastures, much to the cows delight.  Robins and toads have been spotted, spring peepers have started to serenade us and the teachers tell me the kids are getting cabin fever at school.  Spring is definitely arriving...thank goodness.

Every month seems to have a celebration theme and this month is nutrition.  As we start to give way to old habits and forget our New Years Resolutions, we can begin eating healthier meals and snacks.  There are wonderful resources at http://www.midwestdairy.com/ to help you find tips, recipes and information to get you back on track.

I'm thinking my family might enjoy celebrating National Pancake today with pancakes for supper, and an ice cold glass of milk! 

Trip to the Grocery Store

Lately I've noticed that some of my most interesting conversations happen in the grocery store or feed store.  Everyone is so busy these days that it's not uncommon to run into friends that we haven't seen in ages and catch up...even in the grocery store.  I don't know how many times I've told hubby that I was going to make a quick trip to the store, only to be asked what took so long when I finally make it home. 

I learn all kinds of interesting things at the store; activities going on in the community, an illness of a neighbor, new businesses, upcoming events, etc...  Sometimes the feed store is the place to be.  Farmers solve all kinds of world problems at the feed store.  It's really not much different from a bunch of parents waiting to pick up kids at school or ball practice.  We all know our ideas won't go much further than our conversations, but it's almost like therapy finding out you're not alone in your ideas and opinions.

Inevetitably, the price of fuel, living expenses and groceries comes up.  I'll be the first to admit that going to the store to buy groceries isn't the most favorite chore on my list.  Sometimes I have a hard time getting people to realize that we have the safest, most affordable food supply in the world right here in the United States.  Americans spend less disposable income on their food than any other country.  Still not convinced?  Try taking out the non-essentials and tally up what you consume as food.  It might surprise you. 

Here are a few facts that I received from Missouri Farm Bureau:

Americans spend approximately 10% of their disposable income on food.
58% of food is purchased for consumption at home; 42% away from home.
Amount of income spent on food in other countries: Pakistan 50%, Philippines 38%, China 32%, Japan 14%.

Remember that dairy products give more bang for your buck by providing essential nutrients needed in the daily diet.  You can find more information and recipes at http://www.midwestdairy.com/ or http://www.dairymakessense.com/.  Be sure to Thank A Farmer for the safe, affordable we enjoy here in the United States...after you get caught up with all the news while at the grocery store!

Cookies & Milk

We're finally digging out of some of the ice & snow here on the farm.  The guys were kind enough to let me get caught up on some of the chores here in the house today.  I was almost excited to get the laundry & dishes caught up!  My only problem is that once I get the kitchen clean, I get the urge to cook something.  Kinda defeats the whole purpose of cleaning.

Cookies.  We hadn't had cookies in awhile.  So I made cookies...3 batches.  No-bake, snickerdoodles & something new called soft pudding cookies.  My biggest problem was that I didn't have the right kind of pudding mix, so I improvised.  They turned out okay, not quite what they were supposed to be, but good.  If you're wondering why so many cookies, well, I'm just like that sometimes.  My family is spoiled and I enjoy it (most of the time).  I wonder if they know how lucky they are...

Tomorrow may be one of those hectic days and I may not get to fix them anything special, but at least they'll have plenty of cookies to go with a glass of milk for a few days!

Spring Teased & Winter Smacked

We were teased Friday (just 4 days ago) as we enjoyed unseasonably warm temperatures.  I'm talking t-shirt weather in the January - almost unheard of in winter around here.  Saturday was almost as nice and we were relieved when the cow we'd been monitoring had her calf on such a beautiful day.  We started the pre-storm preparations by bringing more hay in for easier access, moved cattle around and I made my much needed trip to the grocery store Sunday evening as temperatures started dropping and the winds picked up.

The vet clinic was unusually busy yesterday with appointments and prescription refills.  I was glad I didn't need anything at the store as I made my way home in the evening; the Wal-Mart parking lot resembled the day after Thanksgiving and the grocery store lots were more like the day before.  I saw a picture of the bread shelf and there wasn't a loaf of bread to be found; I just wonder what the milk shelf was like.  I made it home in time to help with the last of the chores and final details of getting ready for nasty weather.  The other cow we were keeping an eye on had her baby and was tucked away in the barn.

New addition from Friday.  She's a cutie!

I just couldn't make myself post a picture of the winter wonderland we're experiencing right now.  Instead, my mind keeps wondering back to our wonderful Spring-like weather just a couple of days ago.  After 6 hours of sleet and a day filled with snow & high winds, I keep hoping Spring will hurry up and get here.  The weatherman said we could expect "blizzard-like" conditions all day.  Personally, I prefer my blizzard with oreos, strawberry cheesecake, or maybe cookie dough...

Magic Mom & Supper

We've all heard the cute stories about the things kids say or do.  I've told my fair share and was beginning to think my cute story days were over.  Then out of the blue, my 13 year old whipped out a remark that has still left me speechless.  I'd had a long day and the evening chores had about drained me of whatever energy was left. 

He was the only one who didn't have plans or wanted leftovers so I asked him the age-old question: What do you want for supper?

Kiddo: I dunno.
Me: I kinda need to know.
Kiddo: Whatever, I don't care.
Me: I can't fix that; there's no recipe for it.
Kiddo: Can't you just, you know, go into the kitchen and do that magic stuff you do and fix something and it's "poof" there and you tell us it's ready?
Me: ...(stunned silence)...Um...I'm out of magic.  What do you want to eat?

I'd love to tell you what he had for supper, but I honestly don't remember!  So to all the cooks in the family out there: If you find the recipe for "Whatever", "I don't care" or "Dunno", please share with the rest of us.  Our magic only lasts for so long.

COWS ARE OUT!

Growing up on a farm there aren't many phrases that will get everyones attention like "Cows are out!"; and I do mean everyone.  Fortunately it doesn't happen very often, but when it does, there's a scramble to find a pair of shoes (any shoes usually) and we're out the door.  This can happen at the most inconvenient times to say the least.  It's like survival mode kicks in and we head out the door without coats in the winter, sometimes no shoes in the summer and occasionally half-dressed.

I know some might think this would be a fun prank to pull on someone, but it would be like yelling "fire" in  a crowded room of people.  It sends panic through a farmer when the animals get out of their secure environment and honestly, it's just not a joking matter.  We're talking serious stuff. 

One of our former feed representatives who retired from the dairy business loved to tell stories on his visits.  When his son was accepted as a full-time fire fighter for a fairly large city, he couldn't have been a more proud papa.  One thing that I will always remember is that one of the reasons his son got the job was because he grew up on a farm.  Apparently the fire chief (or whoever did the hiring) felt that this "farm boy" would do a good job because of the work ethics he'd learned growing up on a farm.  More often than not, farm kids find themselves in a situation that requires them to think fast, solve whatever problem they're faced with and get the job done...right the first time or your going to do it til you get it done right.  I just wonder if the fire chief knew the farm boy could already get dressed & on the scene in record time without additional training.  Hmmm...

Wait! I'm not ready for January!

I didn't update my blog in December...at all.  What happened?  It's now January and I had some ideas of what I wanted to write about for December, Christmas and the holidays.  Life happened.  Just like everyone else, I had a full schedule and Christmas blew in and left just as quickly.  Thankfully it was uneventful...just like I wanted.

I worked extra hours at the vet clinic, had Christmas shopping to do, holiday baking, appointments, the cold weather gave us extra chores...well, you get the picture.  To top it off, our son got a puppy on New Year's Eve.  Yep, we've been a little busy.  Blogging just didn't get top priority.  I've talked with other people and they seem to have similar problems.  Maybe not the blogging part, but they've been busy and haven't done one thing or another that they had planned.

I did manage to get the Christmas shopping done on time (I shortened the list).  I found it easier to find gifts at farm & supply stores than fighting the crowds at the mall or even Wal-Mart.  I went through about 5 pounds of butter baking goodies to hand out to our neighbors, sales reps and the milk hauler.  (If you didn't get anything...please don't be mad; I didn't bake near as much as usual).  Cold weather always means longer hours caring for all of the animals because their comfort is a top priority.  There's always chores to do on a dairy farm and they seem to multiply when the temperature drops or the weather gets nasty. 

Then there's the puppy.  She's as cute as they come...and just as stubborn and independent.  It had been a few years since we'd had a puppy, so we're relearning everything that goes along with training.  I'll get a picture up as soon as I can.  If you don't see me on here as regularly as I was, don't worry...we're just busy.