I'm here to help...

[Mrs. Bubba 0]

Morning, no time to read everyone's posts yet, but wanted to post some pictures that DF's mother mailed me yesterday... So you can see my new "granddaughter", Bailey.... One is Mimi of course, and the other is all four of them... the new little family.... Gotta run over to DD's to let the guy in to put in a new Water meter.... The town is getting a new system so we don't have to read our own meters anymore..... Have to run to Bismarck after to help DD take Mimi to the dentist... Don't suppose that will be an easy job... Love you all.......... Julie

[FemmeOne 0]

I'll definitely take a 1 lb a week loss; it's just that I think I could be doing better. I've been exercising a lot, but have been eating too much too. Still a problem with the sweets.

Cheri, I'm an INFP in the Meyers-Briggs system. Just like you, only an introvert instead of an extrovert! When my husband and I took the test, it really helped me to understand a lot of our differences. It also said that less than 1% of the population has my INFP designation, so that explained why I always felt like such an oddball all my life!! I was sorry to read about your experience in choir. Hang in there. Most people do understand. Both my husband and son are ADD, and I know that saying things that "sound" wrong is something they do a lot. I've learned that no malice is intended.

Have a great day everyone!:smile:

[Apples2 19]

Haven't hit the road yet, LauraK. Waiting to hear which way I go today.

So funny on the farming thing, Jodi. I can just imagine the images you have in your head. Me on a little round stool under a cow pulling on teats. Separating cream, churning butter, feeding chickens, singeing and plucking the chicken, candling eggs, laying down bedding for the baby pigs, pitching manure. NO WAY IN HELL! Even though it was love at first sight with DH, I would have had to run as fast as I could the other way.

That LauraK is pretty smart. We farm just under 3000 acres of strictly corn and soybeans. We are conservations farms. We do not go out with big old plows and dig up the top soil. 31 yrs ago we became "ridge tillers". What that entails is...all those years ago (or when we pick up another peice of land) we built ridges 36" apart the length of the feild (usually 1 mile length). In the spring we go in with the corn or soybean planter and cut off a bit of the top of the ridge and planter drops the seed in and also covers it up at on the same pass. Doing it this way limits erosion and saves the top soil. We just let it grow.

At harvest time the corn gets picked and shelled out by the combine. It gets brought back to our farm, dried in the grain dryer and then transported underground to different grain bins for storage.

We usually "forward contract" which means we sell about 10,000 bushels at a time. Kind of a safety net not to sell all at once. Never want to have all your eggs in one basket...it actually all evens out nicely in the end.

Most farmers go in the feilds b/4 planting and deep plow the soil. Then again after harvest. We don't turn the soil at all.

DH has been farming since the late 60's, so been at it for a little over 40 yrs. It's a good life. We also have a custom agricultural tiling business which our 29 yr old son manages. We have very heavy rich soil in our area and it needs to be drained or it will drown out the crops. They have huge rolls of plastic pipe and dig about six foot deep trenches, lay the pipe, cover it up and do intakes every so often in order for the farmer to maintain the tile. They put in miles and miles of the tile every year. DH helps with the tiling when he is not farming.

As I explained yesterday, I am their "gopher". I run for loads of the tile, run wherever they need me to to get parts for repairs, etc. Our farms are up to 15 miles away from each other so I do a lot of running between. I will try to take some photos today of the bins and tile just so you can better see what I mean. Cannot take photos of equipment as it is all miles away out in the feilds being used.

As I said in a previous post, since hiring our son 4 yrs ago, a lot of my "farm wifey" duties have been taken away from me...OH NO!!!! Which I am fine with. The toughest part for me is going from the 24/7 thing to just what I do now. But, I take off for my lake place on Thursdays and come home Monday mornings. I just make up a bunch of food b/4 I leave. Guilt hotdishes, guilt sandwiches, guilt Cookies and I'm set to go!

[IndioGirl55 32]

happy birthday linda !!!!

[Apples2 19]

OMG Julie.... the girls look like they could be sisters. So cute.

Deb...know where you are coming from with the ADD. I was the odd ball in our little household with DH and oldest DS way off the charts ADD and youngest DS ADHD. Was tough sometimes but I had a rule....they could NEVER use it as an excuse. It was a lot of work with the organization thing. I really don't think I was that organized b/4 marrying DH. But, after raising the boys and living with DH for 30 yrs, I am the most organized person due to our daily routine and keeping everybody on task.

I found that the biggest factor in dealing with this disability was scheduling and being consistant. It worked but not without a lot of stress. I would not trade any of those years though for normalcy. ADD ppl are extremely innovative and new ideas every day. Nothing surprises me any more when I get a call from one of my sons explaining what they are up to. Always something new. What they have done makes me look boring.

[Apples2 19]

Thanks for the reminder, Janet...but I thought Linda's bday is tomorrow...Doesn't matter cuz then maybe she will get bday greetings for two days!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEAR LINDA (WE LOVE YOU)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU

[Charlene K 1]

Thanks for the reminder, Janet...but I thought Linda's bday is tomorrow...Doesn't matter cuz then maybe she will get bday greetings for two days!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEAR LINDA (WE LOVE YOU)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU

Linda, HAPPY BIRTHDAY FROM ME TOO!!!!!!

[llkb4me 1]

Happy B-day Linda...

Apples, sorry for answering for you. Got my days of your departure mixed up. lol

Laura K

[Great2BThin 5]

Happy anniversary to me!! I am all alone to Celebrate it as DH is in Atlanta today. 31 yrs ago today I married the most wonderful husband in the world!

Happy Birthday Linda too! and your DH as well!

How am I going to celebrate today? Why going to the hospital and having an upper GI of course. LOL Have to leave shortly. Actually DH & I did go out to dinner last night. I might have to hit McD's for some nuggets today on the way home from my GI LOL TIme for a nugget pouch test and see how my fill from yesterday is doing. LOL

Deb, congrats on the losing, a pound a week is great!

Cheri, I did that test before too but don't remember what I was, but it said a very small percentage was what I was as well.

Apples, loved hearing more about your farming. I couldn't picture what the tiling was, I was picturing them laying ceramic tiles some how in fields for something. DH's family does corn and soybeans too but also has cattle and I think grows alfalfa or some type of feed for them. They used to have pigs but got out of that a long time ago. When DH was young and spent his summers on the farm with his grandparents he has many stories about milking the cows, gathering the eggs, churning the butter etc. His face lights up when he talks about it. And then there's the stories of the trouble he and his brother would find themselves in, things like who's braver and can go touch the bull between the eyes adn then get chased down by the bull, etc.

Eva, you must be burning tons of calories doing all the cement work. I bet it looks great too.

Julie those girls are so cute, they must be close together in age as well.

[Apples2 19]

Happy B-day Linda...

Apples, sorry for answering for you. Got my days of your departure mixed up. lol

Laura K

Not a problem, LauraK...I was just surprised that you remembered what kind of farm we have.

[llkb4me 1]

Apples, I live in farm country. Many of my EX's family farm big time like you do. So I understand that kind of stuff.

Great, Happy Anniversary to you.

Laura K

[phyllser 3]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Linda!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, Lori!

:smile::party::drool::party:

Jodi, too funny about the farm and dumb NYrs. I'll answer for Apples, as she is traveling today. They have a cash crop farm, which means they grow crops. I don't think they have any farm animals at all. Dang that really limits you on where you could live if you have all those restrictions. Keep telling us about your religion, I am learning so much. Laura K

Yes, and she definitely doesn't consider her dogs to be "animals"!! LOL

Morning, no time to read everyone's posts yet, but wanted to post some pictures that DF's mother mailed me yesterday... So you can see my new "granddaughter", Bailey.... One is Mimi of course, and the other is all four of them... the new little family.... Gotta run over to DD's to let the guy in to put in a new Water meter.... The town is getting a new system so we don't have to read our own meters anymore..... Have to run to Bismarck after to help DD take Mimi to the dentist... Don't suppose that will be an easy job... Love you all.......... Julie

Nice pictures, Laurie!

Apples.... very much enjoyed your description of your farming! Interesting and informative. I didn't understand the "tiling" before either.

Janet, hope your day goes better today!

Still unpacking, but it's almost done.

I have way TOO MANY books!

I need to sort and get rid of a lot.

That will be a challenge!

I don't like to get rid of any books!

But I probably had close to 50 paperbacks in the RV and that's sort of ridiculous. Certainly need to get rid of those I've already read, and I need to get rid of those I probably never WILL read!

I like forensic novels, so I have a bunch of Tess Gerritson, Kathy Reichs. Then there's a whole set of Catherine Coulter, Dean Koontz and throw in a few J.D. Robb. Okay.. so I don't have just a hat, purse, shoe problem... books, too!! LOL

  

[Apples2 19]

Happy Anniversary, Lori. Nice to hear that your 31 yrs have been happy ones. I can say the same. 31 yrs in Nov. We all have a little quirks and I am sure there were times DH would have loved it if I just "poof" disappeared, and, vice versa. But, after all this time we still enjoy each others company. I still get excited for a date night.

Funny about DH and his brother. I raised two boys on this farm and they were also little DARE DEVILS. Their dad made them work and they did earn money for certain jobs. This allowed them to buy "toys" with their money. From the time they could barely see over the steering wheel, their dad had them out in the fields driving the pickups and tractors. I grew up in town so would tend to be a little protective (which I should have been). They had all kinds of go carts they built, dune buggies, snowmobiles, etc. with a lot of acres to test them out. Our oldest was in the snowmobile racing circuit for years.

Anyway...to get to one story brought to mind when you mentioned your DH on the farm....The one and only time we had any livestock was the summer the boys were 3 and 5. I kept a pretty close eye on them but I guess this time not close enough. I could see out all our windows and could see where they were at all times.

We decided to feed out 8 black angus that summer. Had a barn at the place we lived and just put up fence outside the barn. Well, looked out the kitchen window and there was a major stampede. The boys decided to "brand" the angus. They heated up sticks from a burning barrel that had some warm embers and were poking these HUGE angus on the hinder. Many, many stories of those two little risk takers.

Good luck with your test today. Makes me wonder why your doc would be so invasive with a test like that. Maybe just a cautious kind of guy.

[Apples2 19]

Phyll...I cannot get rid of books either. I am very protective of my stash. If friends borrow, I make them sign them out (embarssed). I do re-read some books. I have taken many journeys as I read those books and they mean something to me.

And...you are correct...my dog cannot be considered an animal. Like I said last week...he is a lab/human mix.

[Apples2 19]

1st photo is the little sunporch where DH and I have Breakfast each morning and watch the crops grow...we do crop rotation so soybeans will be out our back window this year.

2nd...grain bins where crop is stored. The largest one holds about 80,000 bushels where the smaller are about 30,000

3rd...more bins

4th...the space between these bins shows where we load and dump our grain. The semis drive in between the bins and dump their load into a big grate under the truck and is distributed to different bins. All I have to do is push a button in the control room and it goes to the correct bin (hopefully...have not screwed it up and put Beans in with corn yet)

Also...that funny looking upside down cone shaped overhead bin is where we transport the grain to when we are loading the trucks to take grain to town.

Edited April 21, 2010 by Apples2