Chirp Chronicles - Round 2

We have started round two with new baby chicks in the coop! To read about our first batch you can start by checking out PV The Chicken Farmer! (It was only a 2 years ago and PV looks SO YOUNG! Yikes!)

The Chirp Chronicles are back and hopefully we can keep all 15 safe and well!  We bought Rhode Island Red and Buff Orpingtons this go around.  Only two breeds verses three.

When I went to check on them this morning they were running about in our their little stall.  They were chirping away and hanging out like good buddies do.  












I did notice one particular chick that I think is either going to be the "mother hen" or the "naughty chick".  Still out for debate - too soon to tell.  She was pecking at the others way more than she should have been!

Ok honesty she's took cute right now to be mad at!

They all found the gold shiny items in the corner of the cardboard very interesting.  They would take turns pecking at it, I guess it was entertainment for them.  Either way the chirping of these little chicks made my morning better and brought a smile to my face.  

They probably won't lay any eggs until fall but until then we will watch them grow, keep the dog at bay (and other critters) and care for them!  We hope you will join us for this second round of chicken raising!

On a side note, corn planting has began. 

We have been able to sell our old combine and some other farm equipment. Spring cleaning is happening on the farm! I should probably get started on the house in the near future, huh?


Thanks for stopping by!
Julie

Corn Chopping 2014

It's that time of year when the scene  from my kitchen window changes . Some of the  tall corn stalks that I normally see , as I do dishes will be gone by noon today.  The field of irrigated corn that we raise behind our home with my 
father in law is chopped for feed for our cattle.  

We hire Luke Fensky Harvesting to chop the corn for us.  The corn is chopped and then dumped into a silage pit. Normally Milton would run our tractor to smooth out the pit, but since they are using large semi trucks this year, the crew is also doing this part for us.  
Their tractor can keep up better.  It's a very quick process and interesting to watch!

The silage pit is in my view as well from my kitchen window, but I notice it a lot less than I used to. Some might call it an eyesore as I used to, but I know it won't be there forever 
and it provides nourishment for cattle that will feed our family and others someday.  

We are growing something that feeds another product we are growing.  

As with any business, using your own resources is beneficial to the bottom dollar.  

Milton got up close and personal and took a photo for me of the cutter 
actually chopping the corn.  

We now have silage to feed the cattle. 

The rest of the corn will be harvested by us as usual in the future.

Thanks for stopping by!

Julie

September & Corn Harvest Continues

With my new status of being home more than away, it gives me an opportunity for me to remember why I love what my husband does for a living.  Not because he helps feed the world, provides for our family, or works physically and mentally hard, but because I get to see first hand the impression he is leaving on our child. 

Tonight they were able to get back in to the field to continue corn harvest, so supper was served in the field to Milton.  It was his first night back from his hunting trip, so I had planned a nice meal of Pork chops, rice, and carrots.  Well it's a good thing I have a handy plastic compartment plate with lid!  I need to find some more of them! Send me links if you know of a place I can get some!

The little farmer and I headed out to the field in the mule.  Milton was unloading and then came to sit with us to eat his supper.

His Dad returned with the semi truck from unloading at the farm.  There was an issue with the elevator leg, specifically one of the downspouts.  So Dad jumped in the combine, and we took Milton back to the farm so he could see about repairing it!

There was an area, straight in front of him on the downspout that was worn and corn was shooting out of it.  So he had to make a temporay repair!  It's funny what a farmer will find in the sheds to repair something!  Tonight it was belting and zip ties.

It's amazing what will entertain a six year old on the farm too.  While waiting for Dad, this is what PV talked Grandma into doing!  85 degrees out and she has the snow sled out!  Gotta love this little farm gal!  Don't worry, I did give Grandma a break and took my turn pulling! NOW, to just train Charlie to pull her!

Once the repairs were done, I took Milton back to the field.  When we arrived we climbed into the blue farm truck.  It was ready to unload, Dad was down the field, so we took her home to unload!  Milton did visit with me about shifting gears and pushing a red button, and how to lift the bed.  I'm just going to leave it at that for now.....

This. This is what I love.  These are treasures my friends! Sweet memories in the making!  Take a gander! Love love love them!

Once it was unloaded, Milton and I headed back to the field.  PV stayed with Grandma to finish cleaning up the corn and sweeping it into the pit.  And of course play with Charlie!

When we returned to the field, as we waited for Dad to make his way back to the truck to unload corn, Milton checked out the soybeans.  Before we know it, we will be harvesting these non irrigated soybeans.  

Grain sorghum/Milo is my favorite fall crop.  I think it is just so pretty when it starts to turn red.  I plan to go look at those fields this weekend, I have plans to use some of the milo for decor.  Our annual Landlord's dinner is coming up in October, and I think it will make a nice centerpiece.

To end this post I will leave you with this photo.  I love generation photos, especially when in the midst of what both these two individuals love to do in life.  Thanks for stopping by!

Julie

Corn Harvest 2014 & a few other things

It felt so good to be able to take photographs yesterday of my family farming!  It brings me joy and I didn't realize how much I have missed it.  I wish I would have recorded Milton's conversation with our daughter today.  He was teaching her about the header, and how it picks the corn, and how there are different headers.  She is six and I think she is starting to remember things from one harvest to another.  She mentioned today, "Dad, do you remember when we saw a bunny in the field (while they were cutting another year)?"  I know that isn't much to others, but that's what family memories are made of, and it makes my heart swell!

Before harvesting today, Milton decided to update a few things on the corn header.

Here he is putting new gathering chain on the header. He will put the rest on today as we received rain this morning.  

Milton's view for the day!

Heading to unload!

Unloading.

Yesterday morning,  PV and I cleaned the chicken coop, I think the chirps were pleasantly surprised when they got to get back in to lay their eggs!  When we were gathering the hay for the coop, Charlie was with us.  I got this photo of them! I love it!  She really has taken to this pup!  I'm glad she has a friend here at the farm!

Today she started first grade so I am home alone attempting to get a routine going.  The past month has been a roller coaster so perhaps I can catch up on some things.  I do miss her already though, and she has only be gone for about 30 minutes!  :)  She was VERY excited to start school though, which I am very thankful for!

I hope your summer is winding down in a good way.  Our Fall harvest will include harvesting corn, milo, and soybeans.  It is spread across a few months, so you will be hearing about the different harvests here and there!

Thanks for stopping by!
Julie

Growth, Damage, & Livin This Dream

Last evening after our daughter's tball game we decided to go check the mulberry trees in the fields.  They should be ripe in the very near future, but we were disappointed to find that most of them must have gotten hit by the frost this past winter.  

We only have one tree with some on them.  

I will go check them again this weekend, to see if there is enough for one batch of jam.

The trees sit next to a wheat field. 

 This year, the wheat is not very tall at all, and is currently quite muddy in the fields. 

The combines will probably be running slower through the mud and muck.

We are grateful for the rain, but it does make a difference when harvesting.

We traveled over to the corn field to inspect it. I had not been there since it was about 2 weeks planted I think. 

 I was amazed at what some rain will do for a crop!

Over at my friend Nicole's blog,  A Kansas Farm Mom 

she has this great series she is writing.

Her son won some corn seed and she is telling the story of it from start to finish!

His corn has "brace roots" already, ours doesn't.  His was planted before ours. 

Go check it out here! It's pretty interesting!

This particular field was hit by the last hail storm. 

You can see the damage on the leaves of the corn stalks in these photos.

We will watch the corn to see how it grows!

 Here Dad is teaching PV about

the hail damage on the leaves.

There is an old silo that sits in this field.

It takes me back to my childhood, we had one 

on our farm when I was PV's age.

One of our favorite things to do as a family is to go for a ride on the UTV 

and just tour what we call our "community".  

The fields we farm, the ones our neighbors farm, 

and just enjoy the rural Kansas life. 

Laughter and lessons can be heard if you listen as we ride. 

 It's all about our rural living,it's all about sustaining

 the dream our family has built for four generations.

Thank you for stopping by today!

Julie

Joys, Photos, & Corn Harvest

The past couple days have been rough ones for me.  Those thoughts of doubt and no results coming from my phone calls or connections is the reason this is true.  But towards the end of the day I was fortunate to have an appointment with someone that has been a client of the office I work in for many years.  After leaving the appointment I felt uplifted and hoping to make this a "go".  I felt "this is why I want to do this", and "this is how I'd like to feel on those first appointments". I am thankful for that meeting today.

The joys of the day didn't end there.  Tonight I was lucky enough to:

• See my daughter sitting on Daddy's lap "driving the combine" and pulling up to our backyard so she could come in the house.
• Generations  working together to harvest the corn.
• Cooking an entire supper for my family.
• Doing homework with my 5 year old.
• Having a husband that knows how rare it is to have dinner together these days, and comes off the combine just long enough to eat with us.  And I didn't tell him to, but because he knew it would make me happy.
• Stroll over to the chicken coop to watch my little girl gather 7 eggs with excitement and deliver them to Grandma, because we have way to many at our house!
• Have my "not so little" girl, sit on my lap while I read to her about lions, tigers, and cats!
• Congratulation cards in the mail from someone that I know truly means it when they share how proud they are of me.
• People who care, people who give others chances, offer advice, and open their door to me help me move forward.
• Long pep talks from my biggest cheerleader. :)

Life is good.  It's always good, but sometimes I/we get so wrapped up in the fear and the "yucky" of life we forget.  I treasure this day, it's ended lovely.

Here are a few photos I snapped this evening.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I did taking them!

Thanks for stopping by!
Julie

And this is why we chose....

 

In Between the Sunsets of Life

 

as the blog name!

 

Harvest Sunset

 I love these two so much!

Silly Farm Kids!

 

And just for fun, when we went to get the eggs, I notice

 I was wearing my apron still from cooking supper. 

So I had PV take a photo, cause I wanted to

 document I really am a Farmer's Wife Apron and All! :)

Evening Views & Irrigation Repair

Some evenings are spent around the dinner table together, some are spent playing in the yard, some are spent watching tball games for our family, some are spent doing farmwork,  or reading a book while little ones swim.  
This last one is how PV and I spent one evening until Milton got home. 
He was finishing up planting milo until about 7:00pm.

It's amazing to me that a tired looking, dirty, and somewhat worn man can be walking across our yard and as soon as he hears his little girl yell  "Daddy", his face lights up. 
Makes my heart warm, how about yours?

I didn't have a picture of Milton's face, so I'm sharing hers from this evening! :)

This evening Milton's brother stopped to visit, 
we ate sandwiches on our back deck,
 and then headed to check on the chickens and see Grandma. 

The ladies are doing well and they really enjoy 
when PV pulls the grass and feeds it to them.

It wasn't long and RV came searching for Milton for assistance, 
we had irrigation issues!
PV & I decided to tag along to assist in the situation!
The irrigation center pivot had some wiring 
 come loose in one of the electrical boxes. 

 

PV jumped out of the mule to "measure the wheat heads."  
I laughed thinking to myself, you don't hear little kids say that on a daily basis. 

She was anxious to tell her Dad, but I told her to wait until he was done.   
He was up high as you can tell, we didn't want his 
attention anywhere but where it needed to be!

She did eventually get to show him.

Then she was off to check the corn for bugs.  
Grandpa decided to take a gander too!

It's not often I get a view from the backside of our home.
It basically sits in a field!

I'm glad I went along for the ride tonight!

Sometimes living on a farm, one of the best things are the views.

Of course here at our blog, we truly love and appreciate the sunsets.

Sometimes, they just stop you in  your tracks.

Thanks for stopping by!

Julie