to Minneapolis

This post won't have any pictures just a little up date on 'current events'! We went to Minnepolis yesterday for a dairy meeting. It is sponsored by the feed company we do business with and we go every year -- for the most part. We rode a bus with others going -- kind of nice to leave the driving to another especially this time of year when you never know what the weather will be like and traffic 'up that way' is a little different than Humbird! : )
The last few years they have added a little something to the agenda for 'spouses' -- and this means 'wife spouses' really!! This year it was going out to lunch at a restaurant on a lake front - the lake being frozen, of course this time of the year! It really was a nice setting and would be beautiful in the summer. From there on to Bonnie Mohr's studio for a tour and shopping. She has her establishment on their farm - which is still operating also - 90 cows - and they also have 5 children still all at home. Midwesterns might be familiar with her work - a lot of holstein cows. She really has become quite successful with her painting. She quit going to the barn after baby number 3! She is one of these very enthusiastic people with lots of energy - wish I could have brought some of that home along with the print purchases I made! : ) It really was quite interesting and I'm glad I went but kind of sorry for at least one of the parts of the meeting I missed. That was a speaker who talked about global warming and whether it is a myth or not -- seems -- well maybe I better not say much about it here!! The meetings were over a little before noon today so it was on the bus and home again except ... when the bus was about 3/4 loaded it became apparent something was wrong with the engine -- hummm glad it happened there and not on the freeway somewhere. So we sat for a while, while the driver figured out what to do. Another bus was found to come get us and a machinic found to come for the broken down bus. So an hour and a half later we were finally on our way home! With no further mishap!
Tomorrow we hope to go to Theo and Sarah's -- one of the projects for the weekend is make lefse! Sounds hmm good!

Thanksgiving weekend

Thanksgiving weekend is over for another year and like years in the past it was full and we are full!! Will and Becky got here late Wednesday evening, Shaun and Helen and the kids got here mid afternoon Thursday. Since Thursday was Helen's birthday (she was also born on Thanksgiving) we had birthday supper and cake for her (see video below! : )). Becky's family came Friday about noon.
Weather wise it was rather pleasant - cool but sunny.
Here are some of the things we got done over the weekend - a little deer hunting, a puzzle put together (the lost piece even got found), Will worked on fabricating a trailer and eating. Becky and her family left for Madison shortly after breakfast on Saturday and Will went back later in the afternoon so just Shaun & Helen and family here for the rest of the weekend. Theo and Sarah had Thanksgiving with her folks.
Now it is Sunday and we are getting a little snow. Hopefully it isn't causing problems for folks traveling today. Tomorrow it will be back to work!
Hope all of you had a good Thanksgiving! And yes, in our country we have much to be thankful for.
Here are pictures of our little prince and princess - ones before meeting and afterwards at Pizza Hut!

I'm sorry this is on 'it's side' -- try to view it pretending it isn't! Doesn't our family have a lovely way of singing! Helen's birthday was Thursday so had cake for her that evening. We had our Thanksgiving meal 'turkey and all' on Friday as that is when Becky's family was able to come.

Farm happenings

Kittie was having a bit of a problem here. But I did notice by the time I was back with the pail of milk and cat food he was at the head of the pack headed for the food dishes ... humm problem solving skills do come when needed. Is there a lesson in that??

One more post today!

Harvest is getting about wrapped up but didn't do much the last couple days because of rain. The goal, of course, has to be that the harvest is done so all who want to go deer hunting will be free to do so! (for you non- Wisconsinites that is the week of Thanksgiving, including the 2 weekends!)
And the weather the last couple days has definately had a feel of winter coming! Earlier this week the thermometer in the car said 73, yesterday it said 37!

Bunkers - full and partly full

Ground corn - not quite a full bunker but getting there! The tallest part of the wall is 12 feet! The lower one is 8 feet - a correction on that one from an old post!

Full and covered bunker - this is the one that was being filled on a previous blog - for any one interested and where I said the wall was 12 feet and should have been 8 feet. Still a lot of 'cow salad' for next winter!

I think the shelled corn looks so good you could eat it! Sure glad the cows like it!

Speaking of cows - Farmer Marv felt I should share this story from earlier this fall and it is a true story!
Once upon a 'morning' .... the phone rings at 1:30 a.m. - "Need to get Marv over here, can't get the calf out" Ok
the phone rings 2:30 a.m. - "Did the vet call back?" No! "Well, I can't get this calf out so I had to call the vet and I'm waiting for him to call back." Ok
the phone rings 3:30 a.m. - "I just got your call, do you need help with pulling a calf?" Yes.
4:30 a.m. Farmer Marv gets back to bed.
The cow was ok but the calf didn't make it. Glad this isn't always the 'story' down on the farm!

Harvest continued

Here are a few more videos from harvesting
1. New operator!
2. Soybeans - this always looks like the combine is on fire!
3. Combining corn - never looks as impressive as small grains!
4. Corn meal any one? Our nutrientist says we need our corn ground finer so here it is!

Riddle

Can any one guess what is going on here??

As you can see we had our workers here, which we thoroughly enjoyed. They didn't get here at all last year because of circumstances so they said they would come twice this year! We are looking forward to the second visit! : )
Tina and Ellen had a little misfortune when they went out for a walk one day. It was cloudy when they left but didn't think too much of that - that was the mistake! Before long it was raining and then pouring rain! Frances and I thought the 'rescue squad' should go out so off I went - not knowing where I was going! I went to all the places I thought they might be but didn't find them so came home thinking maybe I had missed them. But no, they weren't back. About that time I looked out the window and they were just up the road so I set out to get them. They were laughing and declined the ride, needless to say they were thoroughly soaked! So after getting back to the house they set about getting clothes washed and dried. They claimed it was a nice walk and one they would remember!