Marathon Over

The Christmas gathering season is officially over for us. Friday was our last family get-together. It was an all day food, fellowship, talant show, gift opening, game playing, and more food marathon. Now we can bring in the new year by cleaning out and getting rid of old unused stuff, finding places to store the new stuff, eating the dregs of the Christmas cookies, losing a little of the weight gained, reading the new books we received, and spending gift cards.

One of the highlights of Christmas is our family Christmas meal that the old farmer's talanted wife prepares for our family. It started with appetizers; stuffed mushrooms, spinach puffs, bacon wrapped smokies, and sparkling cider. The main course was cornish hens with; stuffing, baked onion casserole, brown sugared carrots, "Jumer" rolls, and jello salad. Dessert was a choice between fresh cherry pie or key lime pie. We don't move too fast after that one! And of course you never get too old to enjoy opening presents - especially the random, unexpected ones.

We were Blessed again this year with the opportunities to gather with family and celebrate the birth of the Christ Child. We were up late several nights with out of town family staying with us, and our schedules really get messed up. Unfortunately, I get a little lazy as a result of the holiday activities and now its hard to get back in full motion. But I will, and I look forward to what God has in store for the new year.

Christmas Shopping

I think I have finally completed my Christmas shopping! I like to shop(I know guys, I'm strange), but the older I get, the more I dislike fighting the crowds. One problem I have when Christmas shopping, is that I see all the neat stuff available out there and I end up buying stuff for myself. Shopping is fun when you know what you are looking for, or at least have good ideas. But shopping for my lovely wife when I don't have a clue(she would agree with that) what I should get her is the problem. Now I know what I would like to get her, . . . but I learned the hard way that what I would like to get her and what she really wants are far, far different(venus and mars?)! You see, about this time of year Farm & Fleet always puts their 18 quart roaster on sale. Every good farm wife needs an 18 quart roaster, and I would love to buy her one. But I've learned that practical isn't desirable as a gift for the ladies. So I shop and shop until inspiration( or my daughter) comes to my rescue - - and they finally have. So I'm done.

One of these years I'm going to be brave and buy her that 18 quart roaster.

And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.

Mud

The warm, mild weather that has moved into central Illinois has resulted in mud here on the farm. Lots of mud. And the hog lots are full of deep, soupy, slop. The snow and ice has all melted and has created muck everywhere. Everything we do, causes ruts in the barnyard and driveways. I don't like mud. I like hard ground in the winter. Frozen ground actually allows us to get much more work done. But now we mostly make big messes.
Do I sound like I'm complaining?
I don't like mud in the winter.

Wildlife

After the storm, the patterns of wildlife are disrupted. We have seen flocks of pheasants out in the open searching for food. They get braver as they get desperate because of the snowcover. Yesterday we had a flock of 10 cocks and hens in the field out around our farmstead. Today, we had a nice big cock pheasant sitting on top of our garage! The rabbits are also very visible on the snow as they forage for food. Why do we have so many rabbits and squirrels around when we own a dog? Because ol' Hank (Dufus) spends most of his time cowering in the garage, afraid of most foreign animals. A large opossum was seen raiding the cat's food dish this week. Coyote are easy to spot after a snow. In cold weather, they will be active in the daylight and stand out on the white fields as they hunt. Dove pairs will sit on the roads, because they tend to hold more heat, then fly up at the last second as your vehicle approaches. We have a pair of Cardinals that are beautiful sitting in snow covered evergreen trees. Winter really can be a beautiful and interesting time of year here on the farm.

Consider this

A friend sent me this. I thought it was interesting.

Consider This
If you consider that there has been an average of 160,000 troops in the Iraq theatre of operations during the last 22 months, and a total of 2,112 deaths, that gives a firearm death rate of 60 per 10,000 soldiers. The firearm death rate in Washington D.C. is 80.6 per 10,000 for the same period. That means that you are about 25% more likely to be shot and killed in the U.S. Capitol, which has some of the strictest gun control laws in the nation, than you are in Iraq.

Conclusion: The U.S. should pull out of Washington immediately.

Snowstorm

Its been years since we had a real old fashioned snowstorm.

For several years now everytime snow has been predicted, the news media has cried "wolf". We have been warned with dire predictions of an impending blizzard. We are told to stay off of the roads, make all neccessary preparations, and get ready for the big one. And then we'd get some snow flurries, a little wind, and excuses. Well, thursday night into friday morning it happened! It started with rain, turned to sleet/ice, and then a full scale blizzard. Here where the old farmer lives we received a couple inches of ice/sleet, followed by about 8 inches of snow coupled with high winds. We were snowed in for the first time in years.
On a livestock farm you need to start to clear snow as soon as possible to make sure everything has feed, bedding, and thawed waters. So we spent the last 2 days trying to get tractors started, pushing snow, blowing snow, chipping ice, delivering feed,and hauling bedding to hogs. We work all day in the cold with not much more to show for it than the chores done and gates, doors, and driveways open. But, it's a good feeling to come into a warm house in the evening, windburnt and tired from the "man against nature struggle", knowing that all the livestock are fed and cared for. We were fortunate not to lose our power in this strorm. It blinked off, but came back on and stayed. We did lose tree branches due to ice.
With winter here, life will be different for the next few months, but we will adapt and life on the farm will adjust.

God thundereth marvellously with his voice; great things doeth he, which we cannot comprehend.
For he saith to the snow, Be thou on the earth; likewise to the small rain, and to the great rain of his strength. Job 37:5,6