Surprises Complete!

Well, it took me a little longer than planned, but my changes are finished. 

Well, finished enough to show you all.  I still have a few things I'm working on, but those can be added and posted as I complete them.

So, for the surprise. I have a new blog.  This will be the last post I put on Farm Girl.  LB  told me he didn't really like the name farm girl, because I'm not a girl.  So I have changed my Blog to:  thefarmerswife-jones.blogspot.com.  So, there's really not much change except for the title when it comes to my blog, but I have several new things that I will be adding over the next few days.

So, put The Farmers Wife in your bookmarks, and I'll see ya there.

Amy

Suprises!

LB talked me into going with him to check cattle tonight.  I told him I'd love to, but I had some pictures I needed to work up for my blog, so I couldn't be out too late. 

Well, I've gotten into the habbit of typing my blog on my ipod and e-mailing it to myself.  This way I'm not tied down to the computer.  So, while I was sittin' in the pick up with LB and typing on my blog he suggested a couple of things that he thought would be cool for me to do on my blog.  I thought they were some great ideas, so I ran with it. 

I won't tell you what they are, I think it'll be a nice suprise.  It will take me a little bit to get it done, but hopefully tomorrow night or early tuesday, I'll have those changes to show you. 

Until then...

Five A.M.

This morning while the stars were still twinkling and the coyotes were still singing and way before any sane person would be awake, we were working cattle.

 

At 5:00 this morning, we were up and on our way to the cattle pens. The morning was chilly and my eyes were very heavy lidded. This time of morning is a time that I rarely see; and I have decided that I have a lot of thoughts about 5 am.

 

1.) at this time I should still be snuggled up nice and warm under my blankets having sweet dreams about chocolate and fuzzy puppies.

 

2.). I only see 5 am on occasions when I have drank too much water.

 

3.) At five o'clock in the morning the world is still dark and scary! When you try to take pictures that early this is what you get.

 Spooky eyes! This is more like something you should see on Halloween night instead of a cool summer morning.

 

4.). I like to reserve my energy of getting up early for a couple of special occasions:

           a. Standing in line on Black Friday.

           b. Dragging various friends and family to the Wichita Mtn.

              wildlife refuge for hiking before it gets too hot!

5.) getting up at 5 am to work cattle is not considered a special occasion.

6.). Once you have become an adult getting up at 5:00 doesn't mean you get to take a nap in the afternoon. Life just goes on and the sleep you get becomes more precious.

7.) I married a farmer. 5 am wake up calls are inevitable.

 

8.) There is at least one good thing about 5 am:

Love Amy

A good verse

I came across a verse today during my Bible reading that I wanted to share with you.  I know that everyone goes through some hard times, or times where they are not sure which way to go.  And that gets a little scarry sometimes.  So, here's the verse:

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you:  not as the world giveth, give I unto you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

                                          - John 14:27 KJV

As long as you have a relationship with God and are in his will, he will take care of you.

Love Amy

Weanin' Calves

We weaned calves this weekend. 

Well, actually, I was in the mountains.  LB and the Mechanic are the ones that did the hard work.

Apparently there were some excitement when it came to separating the calves from their mamma's.

But, of course, I missed it.  I just got to see the aftermath of the event.  The poor little dears, they cried and cried

and cried some more.

But, by the morning, they were beginning to adjust. 

They were back to their curious little selves.

Isn't that a good lookin' man!

Oops, he caught me!

Love

Amy

This weekend

This weekend was wild and woolly right from the start.

I went here; The Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, first thing Saturday morning.  And when I say first thing I mean, I left my house at 5:30.  AM  not PM

It's a very beautiful place.  There is a large variety of things that you can see:  Wildlife -  deer, prairie dogs, elk, buffalo, longhorns, rattle snakes (I didn't necessarily want to see the snake) & Nature - wild flowers, water falls, lakes, rocks, I think you get the picture.

Why did I go so early?

Well, I went to take senior pictures.  I am a photographer, I hadn't told you that yet had I? 

Well, it was fun.  I enjoy going to the mountains no matter the reason.  It is a beautiful place and I never get tired of spending time outside.  Maybe sometime I'll post more pictures of the mountains.  I have a slew of them.

Next:  weaning calves

Amy

Favorite Quote #5

No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.
                              ~ Elanor Roosevelt

Calf Fries, Funnel Cakes and Lights!

Two days down, one day left!

Thank goodness!!!!

These last two days have been very hectic around here.  Aside from the fact that we live next to the fair grounds we also have various jobs over there.  I just had to sit at a booth for a few hours, which is easy work compared to LB's job.  LB got the fabulous job of cooking calf fries. 

If any of you are familiar with the smell of someone who has been frying things all day in the blazing heat, then you'll have sympathy for us.  Yesterday he cooked from 5:00 - 9:00 and the same for today.  That's eight hours and 700 pounds of calf nuts.  I actually felt sorry for him.  It was hot and stinky and therefore he became hot and stinky.  Needless to say, after the first day we didn't want to eat another calf fry!

Since my choices of meals were narrowed down due to over exposure to calf fries, I therefore was reduced to eating a funnel cake for dinner tonight.  I know, it's a shame to have to eat those fattening powder sugar covered delacies, but someone has to do it.  I was going to post a picture of my funnel cake, but unfortunately it didn't make it that long. 

Now, the second night of the fair is over all the rides are closed and the lights are turned off and everyone has gone home, and we finally have some peace and quiet. Maybe I'll be able to make it one more day!

Love, Amy 

Pears!

Do you like Pears?

Good, I do too.

Which is good, because I have a pear tree.  I already told you about my apricot trees and how our late snow killed the fruit.  Well, I have one pear tree; and let me tell you, I have plenty of pears.

I have so many pears, that my branches are breaking.  My poor tree is going to look so sad by the time this is all over with.  Next year I'll have to knock some of the fruit off before it gets so big so that the branches won't break. 

So, if anyone needs any pears let me know!

I charge $.25 cents a piece.

Just kidding. 

Unless that sounds reasonable to you!

No, I really won't charge anything.

But it was a good money making idea for a while!

Amy

The County Fair

Do you remember that house we bought back in the Spring?

The cute yellow one with the white trim and the red door?

Yeah, that one.

Well, there's one bad thing about it.

The county fair grounds are across the road from our house! 

So, for the past two days, I have been watching them assemble carnival rides.  And let me tell you, it looks like hard work.  Some of those rides come completely apart and are packed into semi trailers.  I'm glad I'm not having to work out there in the heat!

Now, I'm just dreading the next few days until the fair is over.  There will be too many people in my front yard, too late at night. 

Oh well, at least the funnel cakes won't be too far away!

My Birthday!

Today is my birthday!  Yes, I'm officially 28 years old!  I still feel like I should be 21 and discovering the world!  At least I'm not as old as my hubby!

I just keep telling myself that, it makes me feel better!

I had a wonderful day!

LB took me to the City, we had a few errands to run so we just made a day of it.  We don't usually get to do that because of work and the farm, but LB took a break today. 

The first thing we did was get my birthday from LB.  He told me last night that I wasn't going to get my presant from him until we get to the City.  So, after the errands were run and all the business was taken care of, he suprised with my presant.  He took me to buy a new pair of boots! 

Arent they pretty?

I was so excited!  I wanted to wear them out of the store, but I had worn sandals, so I didn't have any socks.  Luckily, the very nice store clerk gave me a pair so I could wear them home.  They are very comfy!

Next, I got a wonderful steak dinner from Cattlemans restaurant!  Cattlemans is my number one favorite resturant! 

I had salad, bread, steak, baked potato, and homemade apple pie with Ice cream.  Yum!  I'm liking my lips just thinking about it.  Although, I was so stuffed I thought LB was going to have to go find a wheel barrow to get me out of there!

Then I got this:

I told you guys before that I like reading her blog.  Well, now I have her cookbook.  LB's parents bought this for me and I love it!  I have already looked through the whole thing and am working on picking out something for breakfast.

I also got these:

Thanks to everyonoe who remembered me on this special day. 

They are all beautiful.

And finally, the best gift of all came from:

I got a big slobbery kiss, right on the nose from my baby!

All tuckered out!

This was too cute, I couldn't resist!

Moose loves his daddy!  As soon as LB comes home from work, Moose is right there with him.  This is how they always end up in the evenings; just usually in the recliner instead of the couch.

Amy

Bosley The Bassethound!

This is Bosley!

And this is what happens when you put a basset hound in the back of the pick up!

Bosley is a basset hound.  (You know, one of those dogs that can't jump over fences no matter how short they are!)  The above photo is one of my favorite photos of Bosley.  Bosley unfortunately is no longer with us. She was run over in 2008.  It was very sad, but that is what happens when you have outside dogs.

LB and I got bosley shortly after we got married.  We purchased her from a local pound.  She was to be up to date on all of her shots and neutered.  She was a very sweet dog, but not cut out to be inside, which was our original intentions. She did wonderful outside.  She kept all the critters away and let me know if someone was outside. 

Shortly after we had to move to town.   We were concerned about how she would deal with living in town, but she adjusted beautifully.  She followed LB to work every morning, stopping at all the local restaurants on the way.  Once she was thoroughly fed she would spend the rest of the afternoon asleep on the sidewalk outside the bank, or under LB's pick up.  Due to all the special snacks that everyone so generously gave her she began to gain weight.  I didn't think anything of it until one day, she began to look a little like she was making milk!  But, how could this happen?  She was neutered?  Or was she?

A few weeks later she gave birth to 11 puppies!  Being a basset hound means a very long torso, which is very hospitable to having large litters.  Oddly all 11 puppies were male.   

Once the puppies got older, we had to tie her up, because the puppies would try to follow her when she went to maker her rounds.  We were afraid they would get run over.  By 6 weeks we had found good homes for all of them.  Thank goodness!  You try finding homes for 11 dogs. 

Once I had the last puppy safely with his new owner, I loaded up bosley and drove her to the vet.  I was going to make sure this time that we weren't going to have any more puppies!

The Seven Dwarfs

Time's Up!

If you know you've got it, think you've got it, or just decided to wait for me to give you the answer, now's the time.

1.)  Happy                    2.)  Bashful                        3.)  Doc       

4.)  Grumpy             5.) Sleepy             6.)  Sneezy                      

    

               

And My Favorite

7.)  Dopey

Naming the Seven Dwarfs

Can you name the seven dwarfs?

For some reason, when I woke up the other morning I was thinking about Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.  I know, I'm weird.  We've already established that!

Now, I have learned a long time ago, that I don't question why I think about the things I think about;  I just go with it.  It's usually more fun that way.

So, I roll over and ask LB to name the seven dwarfs.

He looks at me and says:  "Name the Seven Dwarfs?  Where'd that come from?"

I said:  "I don't know.  I don't question these things.  Now what are their names?"

LB said:  "I don't know." Then he goes and takes a shower and leaves me there trying to remember their names.

I of course couldn't name all seven, so I had to go get out the movie.

Now, your job is to see if you can name them without looking!

Love, Amy

P.S. If you can't figure it out, I'll tell you tomorrow.

The Mountain View Fair

There's a little small town, that's in a little small corner of Oklahoma, called Mountain View.  And every year, on the first weekend of August, they have a fair.  And it's not like any fair you've ever been to.  It starts on Wednesday night and ends on Saturday night. 

It's great and I love going!

At this particular fair they do not have food vendors.  They have only two food stands that are run by the local high school.  One stand is ran by the Juniors and the other by the seniors.  All of the students make the food themselves.  And it's not regular fair food, it's good old southern comfort food.  They have Calf fries, Catfish, Fried Okra, Fried Squash, ribs, brisket, baked potatoes, Corn on the cob, smoked pork chops, homemade ice cream, hamburgers french fries  Lemonade and Ice tea.  The students use the money to fund their senior trips. 

Yum!  It's making me hungry.

The town owns their own carnival rides and they are all antiques.  They have a Ferris wheel from 1915, Merry-Go-Round from 1926, and a Pony Cart Ride and a Kiddy Car ride from the 1940's.  All Rides are run by the local business and fire departments. 

They also have games too, like a ring toss, skee ball, bingo and a basket ball toss.  They have an exhibit building for everything imaginable:  Cookies, quilts, finger paintings, photography, vegetables...  They also have a horse, pig, and goat show.  And a 4-wheeler rodeo.  It's a blast!

This all takes up about 25 acres and it's always packed.  There is so many people.  Not just people from the area, we don't know where all these people come from.  Every one just stands around and visits until they start turning the lights off at  midnight. 

I wish I had pictures to show you, but I haven't ever taken my camera because I've always been working at one of the booths or helping with the tractor pull. This year was mine and LB's first time to not have any jobs at the fair.  We were able to just go and enjoy!  Of course I forgot my camera.  I promise to take it next year so you can all see.  And if you're ever in the area around the first weekend of  August drop in and have a plate of calf fries!

Amy

Farming Update

I know I haven't posted much about farming lately, but it's because not much is going on right now.  Once harvest is over it's basically "work the ground until time to sew wheat". 

Working ground means -  plowing.

We plow for several reasons: 

     1.) To loosen up dirt.

     2.)  To kill weeds and turn straw under so it will rot.

     3.)  To make a good seed bed for sewing wheat.

The only problem with plowing in the summer is getting enough moisture in the ground to be able to plow.  And for those of you who know Oklahoma's weather know that sometimes that's difficult.  The ground can't be to dry or the plow won't go into the ground and it can't be too wet or you'll get stuck. We also like to do this in the early mornings or late evenings and night. Reason being it's just too hot. and sitting in a tractor with all windows is like sitting under a magnifying glass.

Once the ground has been gone over sufficiently, then it's time to fertilize.  We fertilize with anhydrous ammonia. Anhydrous actually means without water and Ammonia contains the nitrogen that is needed for plants to grow.  (And it's also what is found in manure!)  It is a liquid under pressure and it's a gas under atmospheric conditions that's why we put it under the top layer of dirt. We always just shorten it and say "puttin' down gas" or "puttin' down anhydrous."  I know, it's all very confusing.  To put down anhydrous the ground can't be too wet or it won't hold the anhydrous; because the anhydrous needs to be able to soak in. 

At this point in time, we have plowed everything.  Now we're waiting on a rain so that we can finish putting down gas.  It just can't rain to much!

Ok, before I get you any more confused I'll sign off!

Your Farm Friend

Amy

Pearlie Whites

It is recommended that you should have your teeth cleaned every 6 months.  And I agree with this recommendation. 

But I have a confession; today was the first time 6 years that I've been to the dentist!

I know.  It's terrible. 

It's not that I don't care about my teeth, or that I don't like brushing or anything weird like that.  I actually love brushing my teeth.  I like my teeth to be white.  I even drink coffee and other teeth staining drinks through a straw. 

 Ok, so I am weird.   Who drinks coffee through straws?

Anyway, LB and I both went to the dentist today.  He hadn't been in 6 years either.  I was nervous.  I knew I was going to have 15 cavities and gum disease and a bunch of other terrible things you get from not going to the dentist!  But, guess what?  Nothing was wrong.  The Dr. told me I had beautiful teeth and was surprised that it had been so long since I'd been to the dentist! 

I was VERY happy!  All that brushing and flossing and mouth washing paid off.

LB on the other hand had 2 cavities.

Well, better him than me.  Right?

Your Farm Friend,

Amy

Broken Caffeine Addiction!

I did it!

Hallelujah!

I broke my caffeine addiction!

On Friday of last week I ran out of Mountain Dew.  So, on Saturday there was no caffeine to be had.  I felt like it was a sign.  It was a sign that it was time to give it up. 

And besides, it was hot outside, which meant that it would be hot in my car, which meant I would be halfway to the gas station before it got cool.  And me being one who has become a lover of air conditioning and ceiling fans, decided that maybe I could be tough enough to withstand a few headachs.

But I didn't get a headach.

I went to sleep instead.

I know, that's lazy of me.

But I didn't get a headach.  And those of you who know me, know that when I get a headach it's usually a killer.  So, when I felt the headach coming on I just laid down and took a nap!

I already feel healthier!

I can even talk about it now without salivating!

Uh oh!  I'm thirsty, I better go get a glass of water.

Water, Yummy!

Amy

I am still here!

Ok, so I didn't forget about you, I have just had a whirl wind week.

1. I'm Caffeine free! (and no headaches)
2. I took dinner to the field twice!
3. I'm making stuff for the craft fair.  (I may regret that wild hair.)
4. I'm doing P90X every morning.
5. We're putting down anhydrous.  I'm using we very loosely
6. I gave the dog a bath.
7. I swept the floors.  (seems to never make a difference because as soon as I finish someone comes in and the wind blows the dirt back!)

I can keep going with this, but I think you get the picture

Love Amy

Cool Video

My husband LB is a Farmer.

Which should explain why I chose Farm Girl...

But, he is also the Vice President of one of our Local Banks.  And last week he had a commercial made for our town website.

 I thought I might share the video with you:  First National Bank & Trust.  (That's LB in the Blue and White Polo shirt)

Enjoy!

Sunday Sermon

When I was a little girl, my mother had me memorize this particular verse:

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.  - Philippians 4:8 KJV

Well, it's been on my mind lately and I've been trying to recommit it to memory.  (I started this even before what I'm getting ready to share with you.)

A couple of weeks ago, our preacher preached a message called thinking "God Thoughts".  That message definitely spoke to me, especially since I'd been going over this verse again.  I've been trying harder than ever to keep this verse on my mind and control my thoughts.  And I just wanted to share a few notes from the sermon with you.

Reference Verses:

     2 Corinthians 10 :  3 - 5

     Isaiah 55 : 9

*If we control our thoughts we will handle situations differently, we will understand how to pray more effectively, & our priorities will become clearer.

*Genesis 45 - Look how Joseph handled the situation with his brothers.  If he hadn't had good thoughts he would not have been able to tell his brothers what he told them.

I challenge all of you guys to pay more attention to what you think, listen to, read etc...  And see if you can start finding the good in everything.

Your Farm Friend

Amy

Favorite Quote #4

Wouldn't it be nice if we could give without remembering,

and receive without forgetting?

                                                                       -Anonymous

The Chandor Gardens

My nieces had been telling me about the Chandor Gardens ever since we arrived at their house.  They wanted to show Little Sis and me the really long fish (Koi) that were bright orange!  It rained the day we had originally planned on going, so when we finally got to go it was hot and humid and sticky, but it was worth it!

It was a beautiful garden.  It was built by Douglas Chandor of Weatherford, Texas in 1936.  After he passed his wife kept the gardens open to the public for the remainder of her life.  Then the care was passed on to the City of Weatherford.

The gardens were beautiful and well worth the trip to see them.

My nieces showing me the "really long fish"!

One of the two waterfalls.

If you're ever in the Weatherford, TX area, I suggest you take time out of your day to stop by here, I know you'll enjoy it; I did!

Your farm friend,

Amy

Shopping In Fort Worth!

Our next adventure, SHOPPING!

My older sister decided that she would take all of us girls shopping in Ft. Worth.  I for one, was very excited!  I live in a small town you see, and shopping is a planned luxury.  Now don't get me wrong, I go to Wal-mart and a few other clothing stores, but we have to go to the big city to get anything special. 

So, the next morning we get up, get dressed, tell the guys goodbye, and head out.

My nephew was not to happy about this. 

His Aunt, my Little Sis, thought it was funny, but we were determined to not let his pitiful face stop us.  We went ahead and left him with his daddy.

Our first stop was to be at a place called Sam Moon.  I had never heard of this place but I was rarin' to go.  We got in the car, and Big Sis, entered the name in her GPS thing (what are these really called?) and hit go.  That's when it all started...

It should have only taken about 30 minutes for us to get to Ft. Worth, but after 30 minutes we were still driving.  We got to our exited and when we went to exit it was closed.  Well, that just confused our GPS even more and took us all over, and under, and around and before we knew it we were in Dallas.  Dallas was farther East than we intended to go, especially since our starting point was West of Ft. Worth!  But lo and behold we made it to Sam Moon, just in the wrong town.

If you have never been to that store you need to go.  I could have spent thousands of dollars in there, but I practiced restraint and I made it out of there with $30 dollars less than I began with.  They have purses, headbands, jewerely, travel bags, and hair pieces.  All at afordable prices.  I bought 4 of the cutest headbands for only a $1.00 a piece.

Once we finish at Sam Moon, we head back to Ft. Worth to finish our shopping.  Next stop, Hobby Lobby.  Just as long as it is in Ft. Worth!  So, we are on the road once again, and this time our GPS is taking us to the right place.  We're all happy and talking and switching around our stuff into our new purses; all is good.  Then, suddenly, for no reason at all, the GPS turns off! 

Now, none of us has any idea where we're going.  We try everything we can think of to get the GPS to come back on.  Nothing works.  So, My Big Sister decides that we'll exit at the next exit and find someone to give us directions. 

We exit.  And as we're sitting at the stop sign, waiting for our turn to go, we see it.  The Hobby Lobby Sign!  Somehow or another we accidentely found the store.

So, good, we are not lost, we're at the store we want to be at, in the town we want to be in, but don't worry our crazy day isn't over yet.  The weather decides that it wants to monsoon rain on us!  Yes, you read it right.  We are sitting in the car trying to decide if we should wait for it to let up or not.  Big Sister is on the phone with her  husband who is checking the weather, he says it's just a small thunder storm and that it would be better for us to stay there and shop while the storm passes. 

Well, it doesn't look like it is going to let up any time soon, so we make a run for it.  My sisters each grab one of my nieces and we take off.  We were just a few parking spaces from the front doors and we still got soaked.  It was raining so hard, the water didn't have time to run off the parking lot so it was a good 3 inches deep, and the wind was blowing!  We were thoroughly soaked.  But we're girls and that didn't affect our shopping.  (What we go through to get a good deal!)

So, we shopped out the storm and decided that we had had enough excitement for one day.  We all loaded up in the car and headed back home.  Thankfully the rest of the evening was uneventful.

Tune in tomorrow and I'll tell you about the Chandor Gardens!

Your Farm Friend,

Amy

The Frank Buck Zoo

Our first adventure consisted of going to the Gainesville, TX zoo.  I really liked this zoo.  It wasn't a big zoo; there weren't any lions, tigers, penguins or elephants, but I think that is one of the reasons I liked it so much.  It was small.  You could make it through the entire zoo in one afternoon without having to rush to see everything and without being shoulder to shoulder with a bunch of people.  It was very enjoyable.  I highly recommend going to this zoo if you are in the Gainesville area.

Another reason I enjoyed this zoo so much, is because it was very hands on.  We actually got to feed the Giraffes! 

My nieces and nephew loved it!

There was also an elk the we were able to feed, but I accidentally had my camera on the wrong setting so those pictures won't be posted.

Then we made it to the goat pen.  Let's just say that this was probably the highlight of the day...

In addition to feeding all of the different types of animals; all the animals were close.  They weren't in such large pens that they looked like dots.  A few of the pens even had viewing points on platforms out in the pens that you get to by way of bridges. 

 

By the end of the day we were tired, sunburned, and hungry, but it was an evening well spent.  We all had a great time, but it was just the beginning of a fun packed weekend!  Check in tomorrow to hear about our shopping experiences.

The End!