Sowing Wheat

The last few weeks has been another busy time on the farm. It was time to plant next year's wheat crop. This year the job was made a lot easier by our new seed cart.

In the past, we have used our little, old grain truck. This is much safer than lifting the bed of the truck and it works better for this set of drills since you can raise the spout on this cart. The cart will also hold more than the truck did.
Rodney and I drilled most of the wheat while Leon and the girls cleaned and treated the wheat and kept our drills filled. The whole cleaning, treating operation reminds me of the game Mousetrap with all of its round-about contraptions.

The wheat comes out of the grain bin via the auger and into the silver cart. Katie was in charge of keeping the cart filled. Notice the auger coming out of the cart. It carries it to the cleaner.

The red, round machine is the actual seed cleaner. The drum rotates as the wheat travels down and it is sorted. The clean wheat comes out the end while the chaff, straw, smaller kernels, etc. exit into a different tub.

The cleaned wheat travels into the truck. This truck is what we used to use to fill the drills. Emily was in charge of scooping the wheat to the back so it would run out of the door to be treated.

The wheat runs out of the back of the truck into another auger that is used to treat the wheat. We treat the seed to prevent diseases that can live in the soil and affect the wheat. It then runs into the auger that takes it into the seed cart.

After this process, the wheat is brought to the drills to be planted. We finished planting all of the wheat Monday. We have done all that we can. Now it is up to God whether we have anything to harvest next summer.

This is the tractor that I drive and I called it the Little Red Hen during wheat sowing. The drills are folded up for the last time and parked. Notice the wheat that was planted earlier is up! We will clean them out soon and put them in the shed for the winter.

Trash to Treasure

I love taking old things and turning them into something useful. At an auction this summer, I bought a dining table, chairs, hutch, cart, and end table that all matched. My mother-in-law wanted the hutch and it all went for such a bargain I couldn't resist. The end table had a nice size marble top and a drawer. I had already decided to use the marble top in my new kitchen for rolling out dough. I am going to build an island and make a place to keep the marble.
I took the legs off of the table and will use those to make an ottoman. The legs are still attached to a frame so I will make a new top and then upholster it. I took the drawer and sanded off the finish. The wood itself is not particularly pretty so I painted it a light blue. I just used a light coat and now it looks aged. I found some scrapbook paper to put on the inside and now I will hang it in the bathroom and use it as a shelf.

Old drawer

Handles removed and painted blue

Finished shelf - I just need to hang it on the wall!

Grout Nitty Gritty

I got the grout applied to one of the platforms today. I think I might need more grout than what I have left to do the other one so I will wait on it. Home Depot run! I love that place. The label on the grout said wait 4 hours to wipe off the tiles. My Home Improvement book said wipe off soon after it is applied. I followed the label. Next time, I will take the book's advice. We got the excess off but it took a lot of elbow grease! That is one thing I like about DIY projects...I am always learning something new. Even if it is the hard way sometimes!

The grout is actually a sandstone color and is darker than appears in this pic.

My First Tile Project

We have new propane stoves to heat the house. They are the type that look like wood burning stoves complete with fake logs! I like to have a heat source that I can back up to - a bun warmer! Leon built some platforms for them and I tiled the tops of those today. I learned how to use a tile cutter and how to apply tile adhesive. Tomorrow I will apply the grout.

The first tiles...

The first platform

The second platform

Tiling has turned out to be fun! In the past I had been intimidated at the thought but the more I read, the more I thought it was doable. Now I am thinking about what other projects I could tile. Maybe redo the bathroom counter? I would like to make some end tables and tile the tops.  I will post more pictures as this project progresses!

A Rainy Day

Today was much cooler and drizzly. I love this weather! Leon picked up some chicken on sale so I fired up the canner. I love to have canned chicken on hand for casseroles, soups, etc. We will start drilling wheat soon so it is wonderful having chicken ready to make a quick supper when we come in from the field.

A Snake in the Driveway

When the girls and I came home from 4-H yesterday, we found this little guy in our driveway. At first, we thought it might be a rattlesnake but upon closer inspection we found it wasn't. We are not really sure what kind it is but he was fun to watch. As long as it is not a rattler, it is welcome to stay around and eat mice, bugs, etc.

Cooler Weather

 First pot of chili for the season!

These past few days have been relatively cooler. Not the 110 degree days that we had! I put a pot of beans on this morning and made a batch of chili for supper. I love the cooler weather when we can have soups, stews, and chili.

Canned Pears

I canned another batch of pears a couple of days ago. This time I added a vanilla bean to the syrup and small pieces of cinnamon stick to the jars. I love vanilla and I love cinnamon so I think these will be tasty. I also made a batch of pear-cranberry sauce. It will be good with turkey for Thanksgiving.

Canning

The last few days I have had my canners going. I got brave enough to try canning last year and I am hooked. This week I have canned pears, chicken, chuck roast, and pear jam. We get pears from Colorado. I don't care for pears in a can from the store. They seem to taste like metal. I canned some pears last year and yum! I use a light syrup so they are not too sweet.

When I thought of canned meat, I thought "Ewww, gross!" But after trying some, it is fantastic. It is so handy to have meat ready for a casserole or soup. Last year, I used the hot pack method on some chicken and pork. It was good, but really time consuming. This time I tried the raw pack method. Easy! I had a jar of chicken that didn't seal so I used it to make chicken fajitas. The chicken is so tender it falls apart. We also tried some of the chuck roast I canned. I used it to make some beefy noodles. It was really good also.

I have made sandhill plum jelly, grape jelly, pear jam, and apricot jam. If I am able to make jelly, I will never again buy it at the store. Homemade jelly and jam tastes like fruit! I have some strawberries in the freezer and can't wait to try some strawberry jam. I had a few pears left yesterday so I chopped them up and made a batch of jam. I added a little cinnamon and it turned out delicious.

A Friend from South Africa

The driver from Machinery Link got here this afternoon to pick up the John Deere combine. Leon visited with him while he was loading the machine and found out he is from South Africa. He comes over here on a work visa for a couple years at a time. He was a police officer over there and retired. Then he went to night school and became a certified electrician. With the way their country has become, he can make 3 times more driving a truck in the United States than he can as an electrician in South Africa. He talked about the health care over there which is the same as what was passed over here. He said if he was in a car accident over there he would fight the paramedics with every ounce he had if they tried to take him to a hospital in South Africa. They are nothing but slaughter houses and if you end up in one, you don't make it out.

He had the combine loaded up and ready to go when we had supper ready. Leon grilled pork chops and corn on the cob and Lorena made mashed potatoes and gravy. Lorena went out and invited him in for supper. He gladly accepted and we all had a great time visiting over the meal. He told us a bit about the history of South Africa and what has gone on over there. It was really interesting hearing it from someone who has lived through it. We have it so good here in the USA and take it all for granted. For those who don't think this is a great country, you can pack your bags at any time and leave. Yes, we have some problems right now and there are a lot of things that need fixing but we are free. We need to remember that freedom is something we need to protect and it is being eroded away bit by bit. I really don't want the government telling me what kind of light bulbs to use, what kind of car to drive, what food to eat, etc. In fact, if people want to ride a motorcycle without a helmet, or drive around without a seat belt, then why shouldn't they be able to? Yes, I think it a lot safer with a helmet or a seat belt and I wear my seat belt always. But why should the government tell us what to do? If I choose not to and get hurt then I am responsible for my actions. Just something to think about.

I am really glad our new friend accepted the invitation to eat with us. I pray that he has a safe trip hauling those green beasts to different places for harvest. I hope we see him again someday, maybe next year before wheat harvest!

Wheat Harvest 2011

Wheat harvest has come and gone! It seems like we were just getting ready for it and now it is already over. It was shorter this year for us for a few reasons. One, we didn't have as many acres of wheat planted this year. We are trying to get more of our land in the rotation with milo and not plant wheat on it every year. That way certain weeds and diseases that inhabit wheat can be controlled. Two, the wheat was not very thick so we could cut a lot faster this year. And three, we had no major break-downs. Yea!
 
We were very thankful for the wheat we did have. Since January, we have only gotten about an inch or so of rain. It is amazing that we had crops do as well as they did with no additional rain. Someone made a comment to me that we weren't going to have any wheat if it didn't rain soon. I told them God could make it rain anytime He wanted to. Come to find out, God can make the wheat grow without rain!

It was really rewarding for me to be able to cut the wheat that I drilled last fall. I drilled some of the white wheat we had this year, then cut it. Soon I will clean it and grind it to make bread. I feel like the Little Red Hen!

Now we are cleaning up the John Deere that we lease so it can be picked up and taken to the next farmer who is going to use it. They don't want water used on it so we have to blow all the dirt, straw, and chaff off with an air compressor. It is a super dirty job! We try to get it as clean or cleaner than it was when we got it. Next, we will take the duels off. That always makes me a little nervous since if one fell it could crush a person. Taking them off is a lot easier than putting them on!

We can take more time cleaning up Bertha Belle. The girls can put on their bathing suits and play in the water while they are washing the combine. The grain cart and both semis will have to be cleaned out too.

We have gotten a little more done on the house since harvest. We got the siding put up on the walls that we had added. and replaced the other set of windows in the old living room. It did have a set of double windows and we replaced it with a big slider. The living room is so much lighter now! The only old window left is the set of two over the kitchen sink. Maybe we will get it put in soon.

First Sunday in June

Today was the last Sunday for Herb to be our pastor. He is officially retiring and we will have a new pastor next week. Luckily we know the new one, Max Whipple. He is our Farm Bureau insurance agent. Herb and Leora have been such a blessing to our church. They are great examples for us to follow and have become part of our church family.
Lorena taught Emily and Katie a song in sign language and they did that for special music today. Lorena played the piano and sang while they signed. It was really pretty! We plan on learning sign language this year in school. They are excited to get started.
Herb then had an excellent message. He talked about how stories of faith help people in tough circumstances. Those stories that have been passed down are sources of strength and hope. What kind of stories are we telling our children? Are we letting the TV or society tell the stories or are we directing them to the truths of God? Something to think about.
Since it was the first Sunday of the month, we had dinner after church. We had a great meal and even better fellowship with Herb and Leora.
It was a wonderful day!

New Window

Yesterday, Leon and Lorena tore out one of the old windows in the living room and installed the new one. We put in a shorter window and then an air conditioner below that. That way if we are not using the air conditioner and want to open the window, we can. Now my job is to figure out how I want it trimmed and finish it out.
The great thing about doing things yourself is you are not limited by someone else and their ideas or time table. It is taking us longer to get everything finished than it would if we would have hired someone. But we are enjoying the learning process and I love the smell of freshly cut wood! I have learned how to use several power tools and I have researched and found things like milk paint, soy gel, and citrus solvent. Great alternatives to the harmful paint strippers and thinners out there. The soy gel strips paint, varnish, and other finishes without any harmful fumes. You can use it inside the house. I tried it on one of the leaves of our dining table and it works great. After I get the table stripped I plan on refinishing it with pure tung oil. I remember my dad made some oak cabinet doors with a hand-rubbed finish. They were beautiful! With a tung oil finish, you can easily fix any dings or scratches by rubbing more oil into it. Check out the website here! Real Milk Paint
Anyway, I love my new window and I can't wait till we get the rest of them put in the old part of the house!

Plans and House

We were at the farm show in Garden City a couple of weeks ago when my daughter, Lorena, called me. She told me that Cody had proposed so now they are engaged! They are planning on a September wedding in 2012. We want to get our new kitchen and dining room finished before then and a lot of other work done on the house. Maybe since we have a deadline, we will get to work on it more.

We have been working on the roof. Right now we are taking one layer of shingles off and covering with roll roofing. Just trying to protect it until we have time to put on a metal roof. Hopefully after wheat harvest! The wind was blowing 40 mph with gusts up to 62 yesterday. Leon noticed some of our hard work was trying to blow away so up we went. It is crazy being on the roof when the wind is blowing like that! But we got everything nailed back down. 

Driving on the Farm

When you live on a farm you never know what you might be required to drive. I grew up on a farm and we all learned how to drive at an early age. Usually, you start out with an automatic transmission, then work up to a standard transmission, and go to driving everything from pickups to grain trucks to tractors. I learned how to drive a standard on my dad's old Chevy pickup that had the gear shift on the steering column. Then I learned how to drive the tractor. One summer I drove a small tractor without a cab cultivating 3 rows at a time. I loved it! When I turned 16, Dad had me drive the grain truck to the elevator. I was always a little nervous about running the PTO to lift the bed. The elevator workers were hard to understand in all the noise but everything always went fine.

I learned how to drive the combine the summer after Leon and I got married. I was 8 months pregnant with Emily and he had me on the combine showing me how to run it. We came to the end of the field and he jumped off. I was on my own! Once I got used to it, driving the combine has been one of my favorite jobs. We don't have little grain trucks anymore. Now we use semis to haul the grain to the elevator. My combine bin holds more than the truck I drove for Dad. I have said that I will not drive the semi. Well, never say "never!"

Leon called yesterday and asked if I would bring his semi with the water tank over the field for him. He could start spraying then the truck would be there when he needed it. I told him I would try. The semi he uses for this purpose is the older one that does not have power steering. The steering wheel is so big I can barely reach the far side! I only had to drive it 6 miles and only had one corner. It wasn't that bad but I still do not want to drive one to town!

I also got to ride in the pickup with Katie driving for the first time yesterday. She is learning quickly and doing a good job. She is even practicing her turn signals. Katie usually drives the 4-wheeler during harvest to help us move vehicles from field to field. Emily has been driving the pickup for quite a while and does a fantastic job driving the tractor with the grain cart.

Women of Joy Conference

My mom, Lorena, and I attended the WOJ conference in OKC this weekend. Wow! It was fantastic! Friday evening started with praise music from Charles Billingsley then Governor Mary Fallin spoke. The night was topped off with Sarah Palin. Sarah spoke mostly about her family and how she doesn't let the critics and the haters get to her. She is truly an inspiration.
Saturday morning we enjoyed the comedy of Anita Renfroe. She is hilarious! We had free time in the afternoon so we hit the mall. That evening we were blessed with a concert from Michael W. Smith. I saw him in concert many, many years ago with Amy Grant. He is even better now!
Sunday morning they honored those who died in the OKC bombing and gave a donation to a jail ministry the sheriff is working with and a donation to an officer who was injured trying to keep the peace while he was off-duty. Here is a website that tells Officer Peery's story. http://chadpeeryfund.org
Karen Kingsbury spoke to us. She has such a positive outlook. I love her books too! She also announced that she is starting up a project to help raise money for the officer that was injured. I will post more on that when she gets it put on her website.
This was the first time they have had a Women of Joy conference in OKC. Lorena and I preregistered for next year. I don't know who is going to be there but I know it will be great! If you get a chance to go, take it. You will be blessed, inspired, and refreshed! Check out the website for more information. Women of Joy

DOT Regulations

Leon and I went to Liberal and got a health card today so we would be in compliance with DOT regulations. No, I am not driving the semi! But, if I should happen to go to Liberal with the flatbed trailer and pick up anything for the farm, I am subject to DOT regulations. Which means I have to have a DOT number (on the pickup or Durango that is pulling the trailer) and a health card. If I take the same trailer to Garden City and get a load of lumber for the house I don't have to have one. Doesn't make much sense if the primary issue is safety. Anyway, we are trying to cover all of our bases and comply with the regulations. I need to order some magnetic signs so we can put our number and name on the pickup or Durango when we need to have them.

Sew What!

We had our second session last night. Carolyn has named the class Sew What! I like it! The girls did a great job on their projects. I taught them how to make a coin purse with a zipper. We were surprised that their new Singer sewing machines did not come with a zipper foot. The new Brother did and I had a couple of extra zipper feet that we shared. They have already bought fabric and started on projects of their own. I am so proud of them! Those of us that do sew keep lamenting how no one sews anymore. Maybe it is because they have no one to teach them. I challenge you that sew, find someone who wants to learn and teach them. You will find it to be a very rewarding experience. Now go help others catch the sewing bug!

Crock Pot Pork Chops

I found a recipe on my friend's blog and tried it today. The original recipe is called Crock Pot London Broil and can be found at  http://www.cooks.com

I used a package of boneless pork chops instead of the london broil.
1 pkg ranch dressing mix
1 pkg Italian dressing mix
1 pkg brown gravy mix
1 1/2 cups water

Put all of this in the crock pot and cook on low overnight. It has a wonderful flavor and the broth makes a yummy gravy.

Body Scrub

I have used a salt body scrub in the past and it seems to work really well. The only drawback is it seems to be insanely expensive! I found a couple of recipes and tried today.

Sea Salt Body Scrub
1/4 cup sea salt
2 - 3 Tbs oil ( I used grape seed oil - you could use apricot kernel oil, EV olive oil, etc.)
A few drops of your favorite essential oil for fragrance ( I used eucalyptus)

Coffee Body Scrub
1/4 cup ground coffee (a good way to use grounds that have become stale)
1/4 cup sugar - white or brown
2 Tbs EV olive oil
I added a dash of vanilla for good measure!

They say the caffeine in the coffee is good for your skin. Helps prevent cellulite and varicose veins. Both scrubs are good for circulation if you scrub in a circular motion.

Body Whip

Our fantastic A-Ha Secretary shared a recipe for body whip a few months ago. It is wonderful stuff! I tried a different version today. This is what I used.

1 large bottle of Vitamin E lotion
1 large tub of petroleum jelly
3 travel-size lotions (I used some I bought on sale at Bath & Body Works)

Combine Vitamin E lotion and petroleum jelly in a bowl. Whip with an electric mixer till fluffy. I split this mixture into 3 bowls. I poured a different scented travel lotion into each bowl and whipped again with the mixer. Each batch made about 2 cups of body whip.

The original recipe calls for a bottle of baby lotion instead of the travel-sized lotions. If you make just one scent, you can just mix all 3 at once. This is a good way to make your favorite lotion go farther.

Busy Week

This is going to be a busy week. I worked at the Adams post office today. Then I made a big batch of hashbrown casserole for tomorrow. Our church is providing the lunch at the MSC at Goodwell. We are serving ham, potatoes, green beans, fresh bread, and dessert. We usually have around 200 join us for lunch.
Tomorrow evening I have an election board meeting and a 4-H Federation meeting. Wednesday we may go pick up our planter. It is down close to Amarillo. We will take the semi, two pickups, and the flatbed trailer to get it home.
Saturday I work at Turpin post office. I would also like to do some more work on my kitchen and we need to get the green house built.

1st Sunday Dinner

Every first Sunday of the month we have dinner after church services. Everyone brings dishes of whatever they choose to make. There is always lots of variety and plenty of food! I took bierox, cornbread salad, and  cream puffs. That was my first experience with a vanilla bean. Thanks Amanda! Katie made chocolate pudding which we topped with the same whipped cream I used in the puffs. Then she put bunny-shaped marshmallows around the edge.

Sewing Class

This afternoon I taught a group of young moms how to sew. We made dresses along the same lines as the Little Dresses for Africa. You can read more about that project at http://www.nancysnotions.com/text/pdf/LittleDressesforAfrica_pattern.pdf The ladies were excited about making something that would help others. There were four students today and another one may join us next time. The classes are being held at the Oliver Warmer Memorial Library in Hooker. That library holds a lot of programs for the community and is a great place to find fantastic books.
It was a rewarding day for me. The ladies really seemed to appreciate the class but I enjoyed the afternoon and felt like I was the one that received the reward. I am looking forward to our next meeting. They want to learn how to install zippers and create buttonholes! Yippee!

The End of March

Started this morning helping Leon get the sprayer loaded. He got a couple of fields finished before the wind came up.

I made a batch of roll dough to make bierocks. I cooked the filling last night. I use my grandma's recipe but substitute freshly ground white wheat flour for part of the flour. The girls love to run the hand-cranked grain mill. I ordered an electric motor for it, but they are back-ordered for now.

I made some pastry puffs last night. Amanda told me about a recipe on the Martha Stewart website that I tried. They are so easy! I may make another batch and keep some in the freezer for a quick dessert or appetizer.

Leon went to go get our new bull. Before he could go, we had to go get the other pickup, come back for the trailer, change a tire, air up the other tires...

The girls went through some clothes of Amanda's and Lorena's. They were excited to discover a whole new wardrobe. :)

A New Blog

I decided to start a new blog. I have been inspired by others who write faithfully on their blogs and I want to try to do the same. This is also a place I can keep my thoughts and keep track of things that go on here in our part of the world. Thanks for stopping by!