Please pray for the Bismarck area...

Mother, Andrew and I were in Bismarck today and saw the reality of what is going on there, with the river rising (due to them letting out water from the dam upstream which was getting too full to be safe) and everybody scrambling to get sandbags around their homes and places of work. Please be in prayer especially for the people whose homes are in danger, and who've consequently, had to evacuate. I've included links to a couple websites with more information/pictures:


http://www.northdecoder.com/Latest/bismarck-flooding-2011-volunteering.html

http://www.bismarcktribune.com/news/local/article_5e940c5e-8bc6-11e0-8af4-001cc4c002e0.html


Also, here's a video that I found on You-tube of a sand-bag filling station:





And here's another that someone took outside their home by the river!




As Mother noted, one good thing that may come of all of this is that the residents of this city may become more united and neighborly as a result of needing to work together to accomplish the jobs that need doing to preserve their city...


Meanwhile, here in the country, our water levels are higher than usual also! The road South of our farm has been under water for some time now, and today, my dad went up to see how the pasture (and fences) faired the Winter and he found the water level greatly increased there... The flowing well is completely surrounded by water and the tanks there are just floating (probably a 4-5 foot increase in water levels from last year.) What used to be several small lakes in the different cells of the pasture is now one big lake! Also, our hunter friends found their drill (which they left in the corner of a part of the pasture last Fall) completely under water. Dad had to pull them out again today too (this time it was their 2 pickups that were stuck and not the tractor.)

So, if you would say a prayer today for those of us with too much of a good thing (that wonderful, and yet in ways, terrible liquid), that would be greatly appreciated!

Remembering...

I thank the Lord for the people who have fought over the years, and for those today who still are fighting for the freedom we have here in America. Both of my grandpas are war veterans...




Not everyone can or should be fighting in the physical battles of this day, with guns and bombs and such, but there are many battles needing to be fought every day! Battles to: keep families together; to raise up Godly children; to educate people in the ways of the Lord; to maintain parental rights; to stay healthy with an ever increasingly dangerous food supply; to get our government to adhere to the constitution so we may always be a great country under God; to be a smallish farmer and not get squeezed out of business by the big farmers of this day; to show God's love and peace and JOY to the world!; and the list goes on and on!

May you be strengthened to fight whatever battle the Lord has for you to fight at this time in your life.

And remember:

~Psalm 91:1-7

"He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.

Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.

He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;

Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.

A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee."

FYI:

I've just updated the Prairie Days 2011 website with more details!

Please visit HERE to learn of some special contests and more general information...

Hope to see you there!

"We'll gather lilacs in the Spring again..."

As the song says, we did gather lilacs this Spring again! Actually, in all honesty, it was Dad who picked this deliciously sweet-smelling bouquet. :)

Dad and Andrew dug out the motorcycles they fixed up (they haven't sold them yet, obviously) and went for a ride in the fresh morning air.

I did not get any more sewing done today, as I helped Mom clean up the kitchen and worked on some outdoor projects (hanging laundry on the line; opening the greenhouse doors; doing the chores...) before heading to work in town for the rest of the day. This was what I worked on yesterday though:



I cut all the cute little square fabric pieces (that I got from my dear friend, Rachel,) in half,






...then I sewed one triangle together with another triangle that matched it and made all these squares. Later, I sewed all the squares together in one long line. I also cut out the dress material, so now when I have some time, I can really do some sewing. :)





That's all for now. It's late and I should really get some sleep! I'll leave you though with a few fun quotes that arrived in my e-mail Inbox today:

• Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is not
  putting it in a fruit salad.
  
  



• The early bird might get the worm, but the second mouse
  always gets the cheese.
  
  



• Dolphins are so smart that within a few weeks of captivity,
  they can train people to stand on the very edge of a pool
  and throw them fish.
  
  



• When tempted to fight fire with fire, remember that the Fire
  Department usually uses water.
  
  
  and last, but certainly not least:
  



• Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than
  standing in a garage makes you a car!
  

We rested...

...and it felt so good to just do-----nothing. :) Now, after a good nights rest, we'll be all ready to start again with a new busy week!

I confess, I did sew a bit on my dress today, and I took a few pictures, but seeing as loading them sounds like work, they will have to wait for another day.

Thank you to all of you who've recently commented on my blog posts. It's been so very nice to hear from you!

Until tomorrow night then,

~Cora

I burned the butter!

But, it was OK, because I wanted it to burn. :) I made mashed potatoes for supper and we all (except Dad) love pouring burnt butter over the top of the spuds. It's something Grandma B. taught us.... Does anyone else do this to their butter or is it just a Bornemann family thing?

This afternoon, I asked Jacob to drive down to the field and get a picture of Dad seeding so I could post it here. When Andrew inquired why I didn't just hop on the 4-wheeler and go take the picture myself, I informed my brothers that I was in the middle of pie making, after which statement, Jacob quickly hopped on the 4-wheeler and said, "Oh, I'll go! I'd do almost anything to get pie." :) He took this picture of Dad, seeding the brown flax (we planted Golden Omega flax earlier in another field). We're praising and praising the Lord that he was able to finish that field and we are now done with seeding, except Dad wants to plant lentils in the former water holes so the weeds don't grow there! We are so happy and tired tonight!

I baked an apple and a blueberry pie this time. I decided to make a lattice top for the blueberry pie, as I'd never done one before but saw a picture of it done on top of a blueberry pie, and now I wonder why I've waited so long to try it as it was really quite simple and the end result looks so homey.

Mother spent her morning finishing up working the field with the vibra-shank. The boys then spent a good part of the day picking rocks.....

I dug out the colorful paint cans from the basement and repainted 3 of the 6 colors on our swing-set boards; the teeter-totter board; and the merry-go-round. The other 3 colors will have to wait for another somewhat still and sunny day.

While the pies were baking, a vehicle containing 3 men drove in the yard, 1 gentleman being our dear hunting friend (he's also the man we rent our pasture from) from the southeast part of the country, Gaylin. As Dad had just finished seeding and the boys were done picking, we were all able to visit for a little while and Mom and I showed Gaylin our greenhouse, which he liked a lot. Gaylin and his friends had come to borrow/rent 2 of our tractors to do some food-plot projects with (they plant crops for the deer and pheasants to eat.) Gaylin said they have a nice sized group of guys here this time and that, if we have any fencing projects that we need help with, be sure to let them know. I wonder if we'll take them up on that offer? I'm sure there's fencing that needs doing before we move the cows up to pasture!

Those were the out-of-the-ordinary things that happened today. Mother, Jacob and I also cleaned the house and prepared a feast and weeded the front flower bed. Oh, and Andrew took the bush-wacker machine around the farm and buzzed off a lot of weeds and grass. It is so good to have him back home again!

.....And now, we are at the end of our work week and are at the beginning of a day of rest and are we ever ready for it!

~Shabbat Shalom---to all my Sabbath keeping friends, and Shalom (peace) to the others. :)

What Mother realized...

(A picture of our farm that I took today while waiting for Jacob to get to the end of the field so I could pick him up for lunch.....)



Tonight, as Mom was talking to Andrew (after he called saying that he was done with helping Dave now,) I overheard her say that, as she was discing this afternoon, she realized that our whole family was driving a tractor today at the very same time!


Robert: Seeding

Dawn: Discing (the last field!)

Cora: Picking rocks

Andrew: Plowing

Jacob: Harrowing



How's that for cooperation? :)


I also took some pictures of Jacob, doing some "Real" farming. You know, I don't think he's played Farming Simulator for a few days now. He says he likes the real thing a lot better!

It was a really windy day, (see the dust?) but the harrowing needed to be done before the corn pops up...

If you look closely, you can see a couple of the Laughing Gulls that follow the tractors whenever there's new ground being worked up. (They love the bugs/worms that they can find in the newly turned soil.) Their call really does sound like someone laughing. :)

I also took a couple pictures of Mother, working the ground with the Wishek disc.

Mother's spent countless hours in this tractor over the years and, though the brakes and the air conditioner don't work currently, which can be frustrating and hot, they get along pretty well. :) Mom later went over the same field with the vibra-shank to break up some of the big clumps that the disc leaves behind.

As I noted already, I picked some rocks today: 2 buckets full, or nearly full, to be exact. The ground Mom was working is the field that we broke up a couple years ago, so there are still lots of rocks that pop up each time someone digs there....

Once my bucket was full, I dumped the rocks in this big hole that we had the railroad men dig with their big backhoe while they were getting our rocks last year. Once this hole (it's about 12 feet deep!) is nearly full of rocks, Dad will push the pile of dirt over the top and we won't have a rock pile to deal with. :)

In between everything, Jacob got the lawnmower started for me (it was being temperamental) and I mowed the playground area across from our house. I also made bread, as we were completely out again.

Once Dad was done seeding over by Hazelton, he brought the tractor and drill home and had Jacob and I empty the drill of alfalfa and then fill it with white wheat seed for our last field, while he welded something on the hitch and fixed a hose that had burst. He wasn't able to start planting though, as about this time it started to sprinkle and he and Jacob scrambled to get all the seed/grain in the Quonset. Then it was chores time (it was actually 9:00PM already by that time,) and then we had a very late supper.

Oh yes, I forgot to say that Jacob and I took down the electric fence that was around last years' corn field. It was in the way of the tractors...

Those were the highlights of the day. Now I think I'll turn on the no-lights and get some sleep as my legs, arms and eyes are very tired and sore tonight! The others are sore and achey too (bouncing around in a tractor all day for days on end gets pretty old, so I'm told.)

Praise the Lord for a time each day to sleep and be refreshed. May you also be renewed in the morning.~

A hop, skip and a jump...

...is what our kids do all the time, but especially when we set the pails and troughs up for them to have some fun jungle-gym time! My little "Calamity Jane" (the brown kid on the white pail) especially loves pail-jumping and will go back and forth between the blue and white pails for several minutes before tiring of that and deciding to go push her sister off the trough instead. :) We discovered 2 more kids this morning when we went out to the goat barn! Nearly all of the goats are done kidding now. We've been milking a few of our best milkers, as they produce more than enough for their kids. Goat's milk shakes anyone?
This next picture is for you, Miss Linda. :) The pattern I'm kind of following is called "Women's Panel Dress" and is from the Common Sense Patterns company (http://www.commonsensepatterns.com/csp_main.htm) . The fabric is mostly cotton, the majority of it (the blue/green dots part) being some that I purchased with my graduation money several years ago, but have never used! The colorful squares of fabric where a gift from a very dear friend of mine for my birthday this year, and the lace is from a lady who gave me all of her sewing supplies many years ago....

Well, I know you're probably tired of reading me say this :), but I'm really tired as I just got home from, yes, working in town at the nursing home. Thankfully, I'm done now for the week and can work on projects at home! The grass really needs mowing, although thankfully the guys were able to get one rider-mower repaired this morning and Mother mowed around the house, so we've got a start on it.

Andrew is off helping farmer Dave again today and tomorrow, (he, Dad and Jacob cleaned our oats seed this morning before he left though), so I'll be milking in the morning. :) Dad, Mom and Jacob worked in the fields all afternoon and evening (except Jacob came back and did the chores), and we can now see the finish line in site. If only there weren't so many rocks to pick between here and that line though, right Jacob? ;)

Sew it goes...

After a busy morning of milking the cow and goats (and making sure the new kid got some milk); getting Mom on the road with the quarters of beef to deliver to customers in Bismarck, and after making Dad and Jacob lunches, as they were heading for the fields (Andrew was still gone helping farmer Dave, but did come home tonight), and after weeding some more in the greenhouse, I dug out my fabric; sewing patterns; sewing machine; and scissor and got started on sewing a dress for Prairie Days. I didn't get too far, as I also had to get my clothes ironed before heading to work in town again, and I watered some plants and ate lunch, but I did get started, which for me is always the hardest part. Now to decide exactly what I want the end result to look like...............

I'm tired again tonight, but am so glad that God has brought us all together again under the same roof of the same house on the same farm in the same county in the same state in this country on this continent in this wonderful world in our solar system in this galaxy........that we live in! :) Good night everybody. ~

Bupkis...

This day was filled with usual things, so I will not go into detail. Let's just say that "Bupkis" (yiddish for "Nothing") much happened. I am very tired as it was a constantly busy day at the nursing home for me, so I think I'll do "Bupkis" more tonight and go get some sleep!

Sweet dreams~

PS. Oh! I just remembered something that wasn't "Bupkis" at all! Jacob did all the chores by himself tonight (including milking Sally for, I believe, the very first time!) Dad and Mom were over working in the fields by Hazelton and Andrew's off helping that farmer friend again, so the chores were left to Jacob to be done, and so, he did them. :) Good job, brother!

I'm a "Sharp-Shooter!"

This morning, I got a call from the nursing home, wondering if I would come in and do a "P1"---the first half of the PM shift, or the 3:30 to 9:30 shift. As it's very wet here and there's not a lot to be done until things dry off, I told them I'd do the P1 shift and then, if they didn't find a 3:30 person, I'd switch over to those duties at 6:30. However, "They" did find a 3:30 to 9:30 person, so once 6:30 rolled around, I was free to go home. :) I was glad too, as it was so lovely outside tonight! After a quick supper, we all went out to do the chores and to round up our 5 remaining geese for someone who said they were coming to get them today (and that person never did show up and now we're wondering if it was a prank call, due to the strangeness of the several calls we got from this person who kept seeming to be lost all over the state today....).

After chores were done and the greenhouse was closed up for the night, Dad and Andrew agreed to help Jacob and I sight in our new rifles. Andrew grabbed some AQTs and a blanket to lay on and we headed for the large square straw bales to set up our targets and to do some shooting. With our new guns, after quite a bit of sighting in with our scopes, Jacob and I both met the Sharp-Shooter qualifications, which we were very excited about, as we had both only mastered the "Marksman" level before! Now to practice some more so as to be able to be a "Rifleman!" Thanks again, Andrew, for the wonderful presents..... Do you need any more chores done? ;)

Company!

We had a very nice time with the S. family here today! They arrived around 11:00AM and we visited for a while before sharing the noon meal. Then Mr. S. talked about his calling in life and shared some materials that he's found helpful. It was great to visit with people who think along the same lines on many key issues of the family and home! The S. children are very sweet and thoughtful and it was truly a delight to have their family here. (We met the S's briefly a couple months ago at the "Home school day at the capital".)

Later this afternoon, we headed out of doors, to see the baby animals; to play in our "Park"; and to dig up some rhubarb plants (they didn't have any!).

The Dads, visiting...


The Moms, swinging... :)

The younger people, teetering...!

All 4 of the S. children loved the goats! Here they're all trying to catch themselves a kid... We had to help the littlest girl, Pristine, catch a kid several times, as she kept letting them go. :)
Andrew, playing with a kid on the ground, while Liberty and I rock our babies to sleep... :)

It was truly a delightful day, except for the hail that came this evening, along with 70 hundredths of an inch of rain. It made me glad that we don't have our garden planted yet!

A tulip picture...

....as promised. :) (You can also see the partially mowed lawn, which is still partially not mowed, as it rained all day today!)

Want to come help me puuuushhhh?

Mother left early this morning to continue working up the fields over on the land "Up north". Dad, Jacob and I did chores and then Jacob headed over Mom's way too. Before Dad took off, however, he said he'd get a mower going for me so I could mow the lawn for the first time this year.... We have 3 rider mowers, but we knew for sure that 1 was not working (Andrew has ordered a motor for it, but it hasn't arrived yet.) My dad fired up my favorite mower, but when he engaged the gears, a terrible racket was made and he quickly turned it off. He said he was pretty sure there was something wrong with 1 of those 2 mowers last Fall, so that must have been the one. He then dug out the white mower (my least favorite) and got it cleaned up a bit and running. I took it out for a test mow and everything was working fine. Dad left then and I made a few rounds before, CLUNK, THUD, KATHUNG-----something broke on that mower too! I seriously did think about getting out the push mower, but there were some things I wanted to get done before heading into town to work the rest of the day, so I went and did them instead. We are getting company on Saturday though, so if the guys aren't able to get a mower going tomorrow without running to Bismarck for parts, then I may be doing some serious push-mowing..... :)

Well, my one picture-guesser guessed pretty close to correct when she guessed "Gomer Pyle", as Jacob is playing the part of Barney Fife!

Should be fun! I'm now trying to figure out how to make a hat that looks like Barneys. Hmmmm....

Our tulips are really blooming beautifully now. I'll try to remember to get a picture of them tomorrow to share here. We also have had a kid explosion on our farm with there being 2 more new ones this morning and 1 new one last night. I'm not even sure how many kids we have now. It must be time to count our blessings! :)

One blessing that I am very grateful for is that of Andrew being home tonight! He said though that, if it doesn't rain over night, he may go back and help that farmer some more tomorrow. I sure am glad that Jacob's been helping in the fields more this year than he ever has before!!!

Well, I'd best get to bed so I can feel refreshed when my alarm clock goes off in the morning.

Sleep well~

Have YOU ever had a shoe full of flax?

This has been a very busy day on the farm, one that, at the end of the day, it seems like yesterday when the happenings of the morning transpired! I thought at least 5 times over the course of the day that I'd like to have a picture of this or that, but the day went on and, alas, I only got pictures of the fun Jacob and I had this evening, so that will have to do I guess. :)



Here's a quick overview of our day:

• Did morning chores (milking, taking care of baby goats and bottle calves, feeding hay, water and grain)



• Dad fixed the hitch on the big seed-drill



• Jacob worked on working up the South field with the big white tractor, pulling the vibra-shank



• Mom and I went to town and picked up our beef from the 2 steers we had butchered



• Dad helped us get the freezers filled up (I'm so glad I got the big freezer cleaned out yesterday so it was ready to go this morning when the meat locker lady called...!)



• Opened the greenhouse (it was 90 degrees inside before noon)



• Made beef stew with dumplings



• I headed out to the field on the 4-wheeler to pick up Jacob for lunch but ran out of gas half-ways there and walked the rest of the way. When my brother and I walked to the 4-wheeler again, Jacob showed me that the ATV has a reservoir tank, "For such a time as that", so we rode home the rest of the way and then filled the tank with gas!



• After lunch and dishes, Mom went out to finish the field.



• Dad and Jacob finished welding the hitch and getting things ready to go again



• I made a batch of bread and a pizza crust



• Mom came in the yard for fuel, then headed West to "Fern's up North" (about 10 miles away) to began working up that ground so Dad can seed there tomorrow



• I dug some dirt from the garden and filled up our many flower pots, then planted the Petunias and Pansies Mother had purchased while in Bismarck...



• I also raked up the pine-cones that were under the pine trees, and raked off some of the excess goose-droppings across the road on our playground lawn



• Dad and Jacob headed out with the tractor/drill and the truck with seed on it and asked me to bring the 4-wheeler down too



• We filled the huge drill using buckets, Jacob and I being in the truck, up to our knees in flax, filling the pails for Dad who then took them from us and dumped them in the drill (thus the shoes FULL of flax--a very funny feeling!)



• Dad planted the whole field



• Jacob and I ate a quick supper; worked on getting Jacob's outfit ready for a play he and Andrew are possibly going to do at Prairie Days; and then worked on chores



• Dad came in the yard with the tractor and drill once he was done and said Jacob should go get Mom as she was done with that field and it was getting close to dark



• Dad held the goat I needed held while I helped get the kids in the right place to nurse (while we were doing this, we noticed Jacob's goat, Jane was in labor and she later had one huge buckling)



• While Dad fed the cows some hay, I started working on emptying the drill (yes, again with buckets for the most part, except then Dad got out the handy vacuum "Thing" that sucks the grain out and spits it into the truck)



• Dad came and helped when he was through with feeding and we were almost done by the time Mom and Jacob returned home



• Jacob helped Dad then, fueling up the tractor and getting things ready to go in the morning



• Closed up the greenhouse



• Mom and I made hamburgers with our meat--hooray for "Real" meat!



• Listened to Andrew's message on the phone, saying he may be home tomorrow night, especially if it rains



• While Dad and Mom ate, Jacob tried on the outfit we'd put together earlier

Do you have any guesses of who he's acting like??? :)

I praise the Lord for the safety He granted for us all this day and for the many, many seeds that went in the ground! If you would, please join us in praying for the rain to stay away for a few more days so all the farmers can get the crops in. It is getting late already and is high time to get the seeds in the soil.... Jacob told me yesterday of something he read about some farmers paying to have their crops planted by helicopter as the ground is just too wet to drive on with equipment! How does that old saying go?: "When there's a will, there's a way"....

The corn is done!

It is all planted, I mean....

Jacob spent the day in the red tractor, going back and forth and back and forth, working up the ground ahead of Dad so he could plant the corn in the newly turned soil.


Mother was in Bismarck most of the day, doing sessions for clients and getting farm supplies.


Andrew headed for our Organic farming friend, Dave's place to help him for a few days, so I had the farmstead to myself most of the day. I watered the greenhouse thoroughly; checked the cows; cooked and did dishes; and I defrosted the big deep freeze so it will be ready for the beef we had butchered a week ago. I also dug out some fabric and ironed it so, if I find some spare moments, I'll sew a prairie dress. :)



Speaking of the prairie, I spoke with Mrs. Dagley today about Prairie Days plans and she updated me on some of the things that they're planning. One very exciting presentation on Saturday (June 18th) will be a reenactment of George Washington by Mr. Mark Collins (a pastor from TX). Click HERE to watch a video of him in action! Also, Mr. Simplify will be coming back to P.D.s this year. Also, I learned recently of a trapping demonstration that will be done... It must be time to update the Prairie Days website again! :)


Back to farming though.... I think I've shared this song before, but it was quite a while ago, so I thought I'd share it again. We heard this on a computer CD Jacob had when he was just a little tyke and we memorized it and have sung it off and on ever since. It is indeed a big job when you're working on a farm!!!

"Well we're up with the sun and out in the fields,
Raising up the crops for their highest yields.
Plowin' and a plantin' and a balin' up a storm.
It's a great big job when you're working on a farm.

Got a tractor out here and he's working all day
A pullin' and a pushin' and a towin' things away.
Then it's in from the fields and back to the barn!
It's a great big job when you're working on a farm...


(chorus)
...When you gotta be big, and you gotta be quick,
And you gotta watch out that the plow doesn't stick,
And you gotta be tough, and you gotta be strong,
'cause this is one big job that lasts the whole year long!

In the Spring we plow, in the Summer we grow,
In the Autumn we harvest it, row by row.
In the Winter we've got to keep the animals warm.
It's a great big job when you're working on a farm!

...When you gotta be big, and you gotta be quick,
And you gotta watch out that the plow doesn't stick,
And you gotta be tough, and you gotta be strong,
'cause this is one big job that lasts the whole year long!


Well we're up with the sun and out in the fields............"

After all the work is done, it sure feels good to lie your head down on a nice soft pillow.... Speaking of which, I have 2 new ones tonight, thanks to Mother who said my pillows were nearly non-existent (very old feather pillows) and who bought me new ones! Thank you Mother! :)

Birthday pictures and good news!

I'm finally getting around to posting Dad's birthday pictures!

Mother took this one of Jacob holding a picture of (what he says is) the ideal alarm clock! :) He then used the paper to wrap up the cap he bought and gave to Dad...


She also took this one of me wrapping one of the gifts I gave my dad, a couple of "Food" videos: "King Corn" and "Food Inc.".
And this is the beautiful birthday cake that (*blush*) I didn't make.... Mother knew I wasn't feeling up to baking a cake this time, so she bought this one at Sams. The guys said the bow tasted like glue, but other than that, the cake was pretty tasty. :)

We didn't have enough candles, but Mom wanted a few on there, so she made a little circle of candles, one candle for each person at the birthday party.

I had brought these tulips inside the night before Dad's birthday so they would open up and be looking their beautifullest. :)

After feasting, it was gift opening time....

Andrew, taking pictures, while Jerome is in the background, looking at the new nature book that Mother gave to Dad.

The big present (one we all bought together) was a 3/4" air wrench. Dad was pretty happy about that one, as he can use it to take his semi tires off with, amongst other things, instead of having to borrow Tobys' down at Titan Machinery. :)

It was truly a nice day!

The good news I mentioned in my post title is that we cleaned 2 totes full of our Organic spring wheat this morning. Andrew used his cleaner which has a gravity table on it, which can get the grain cleaned to food grade. Dad and I held open the totes while Andrew adjusted his machine to make sure it was doing it's best job. We now have wheat we can sell!!!! ;)

While we were cleaning, Mom was busy in the house and Jacob was driving the big red tractor in the field, working up the ground so Dad could plant corn later today. Hooray!

Then I went to town and mailed some packages and then worked all afternoon and evening at the nursing home. I'm sure much more happened around the farm today that I am unaware of, so if it was anything earth shattering (Jacob's job today really was earth shattering!), I'll tell you all about it tomorrow night.

Until then,

~Cora

6 less geese!

When Dad's cousin, Jerome left this morning, he took 6 geese along with him to deliver to a fella that lived not too far away from where Jerome lives. He also took a lunch Mom packed for him; a dozen of farm fresh eggs (actually, half fresh and half hard-boiled); a big piece of birthday cake; several VHS tapes that Mom found that he'd loaned to us many years ago (oops!); and our old grinder-mixer machine that he wanted to try and fix up and use for his sheep. It was nice having Jerome here, as he's been a big part of our family for as long as I can remember.

The kids that slept in the kitchen pulled through the night well. PTL! Mother fed them in the middle of the night and they drank really well. Now they're out with the herd again....

I planted the replacement dwarf orange tree that Gurneys sent me (the first one that came was broke in half, the stem not having any leaves on it at all and the leaves being all dried up.) This one looked much more healthy and alive! :) Someone asked a while back what kinds of dwarf fruit trees I'd planted, so here's a list:
1 Tangerine
2 Oranges
1 Lemon
1 Lime
2 different types of bananas
2 Fig trees
1 Cherry tree and 1 Blueberry that didn't ever get going :(
and 2 Kiwi plants, which aren't dwarf and which I have planted in the house currently
We've tried growing dwarf bananas before, all to no avail, but I'm hoping with the greenhouse, they'll do better....?
I also ordered a Hops Vine which grows to 20+ feet long. I/we've not decided where to put that yet, so for now, it's getting going in the greenhouse too. :)

Well,
I'm tired (I worked in town today) and so am going to post this and leave the birthday picture posting for another time....

There are 2 kids sleeping in our kitchen!

Goat kids, that is. :) They were born this morning and just weren't getting going, so we brought them inside so as to be able to give them special attention and care during the night.

Outside of the goat troubles, it was a very nice day. Jerome came (he's spending the night too!) and we ate good food (and some cake); played Apples to Apples; Dad opened his gifts; the guys visited for quite a while and tonight we watched a movie. At evening chores, Mom discovered that 2 more kids had just been born and they both seem to be doing well....

I pray that you all have a wonderful week!

Look for birthday pictures posted here soon,
~Cora

Tomorrow is a special day....

.....as it is my dear dad's birthday! :) Dad's cousin, Jerome is coming to join us for the day and the B. grandparents were thinking of coming, but now they've decided not to, as I still have this cold and Grandpa has to be so very careful about not being exposed to illness as he's not very strong.....

Today was a special day, as another kid was born! Also, Mom and I got our house cleaned (fish aquarium included) and a feast prepared and the greenhouse watered, and the guys worked most of the day on the corn planter and other things in the shop.....

Yesterday was a special day too! (I was going to write last night and tell you all about it, but Blogger was having complications, so I wasn't able to get on.)

While I was working at the nursing home yesterday afternoon, our Administrator, Mr. R. walked up to me and handed me a booklet and some papers and told me that I'd been nominated for one of the "Caregiver Awards" and thanked me for the good work I do. How exciting!!!!

I remembered then how I'd sat in the staff lounge last year, paging through the 2010 Caregiver Recognition book, wondering if my name would ever be there under the Napoleon listing. Now indeed, it is. :)

My prayer and goal, while working with the elderly, has been that they would feel God's love shining through me as I help them with the every day tasks of living that are now difficult for them to accomplish on their own. The following (by the lady who nominated me), which was written by one of the residents' wives (a mother of 14, whom I've come to know well and love!), was encouraging to me, to see that she is feeling some of that love.....

"She (Cora) is so kind and gentle; she is soft spoken and polite. She always makes you feel like she has time to spend with you and that she enjoys that time."

That really made my day and I still smile when I think of it! :) Isn't it amazing what a few encouraging words can do for a person? Let's remember to pass out some encouragement to someone else today!

Good night!

I'm heading for bed with my friend, the Mustard Plaster! Will I be totally well by morning? I hope so. :)

Surprises!!!

There were two highlights to this day, well, maybe more, but for sure two!

Mom and Andrew went to Bismarck, Mom to do sessions for clients and Andrew to run around and get some supplies (seed, the Quonset door spring that the guys had special made, ammunition for the Appleseed shoot at Dagleys, computer parts at State Surplus and a thrift store, etc...).

Meanwhile, Dad and Jacob spent the day working on making sure the farm machinery is ready to roll. They had to go to Kintyre and Napoleon for parts/supplies also...

I kept the home fires burning, so to speak, (made "Indian Fried Bread" to go with our vegetable soup at lunch and then tried a new recipe which produced a very dense chocolate cake...) and also took a nap (thank you for your prayers for my quick recovery from this nasty bug!) Then I went out to the greenhouse and weeded and watered for an hour before supper.

While out there, I found one of the two surprises----an Indian arrow head! This is a pretty small one, so I'm guessing it was used for small game, perhaps gophers? :) This is the first time I've ever found one, so I was excited and had to go show the guys. (For those of you who may not know, this rock was probably fashioned by a native American many years ago for the purpose of inserting in the end of an arrow--a stick--binding it there, and using it to hunt with.)

At chores tonight, we caught ourselves another bottle calf! That sounds funny, I know, but that's what we did. To explain, there's been a little calf (we're not sure who the mother is) who keeps crawling in with the milk cows and it drinks from Andrew's young milk cow, Suzie. We caught it the other day and put it back out with the main cattle herd, only to have it be back in with Suzie the next morning, stealing milk. So, we've decided to put it in the barn with our other bottle calf and raise it that way.

I checked on the kittens tonight. Their eyes are open now and they are so roly-poly! So cute!

While Jacob was out feeding Lydia some grain and Dad was still feeding the cows their hay, I played with my kids. The girls fell asleep in my lap while one of the boys drank from its mother and the other one chewed on my finger and jacket. :)

When Mom and Andrew returned, we learned that Andrew had a surprise for Jacob and I. Of course, he hauled in everything else from the vehicle before the "Surprise", which only served to make us more curious! Finally, he said he was bringing it/them in....


He told Jacob and I that he wanted to give us something in appreciation for all the times we do chores for him while he's out grain cleaning (and also for when we'll be doing them all the time when he's gone for a week helping our organic farming friend get his crops in soon....)

He walked in with:

2 gun cases! He said, smirkingly, that he thought we'd like to have something to store our guns in. As he handed us the cases... (thank you, Mom, for taking pictures!)

we were suspicious, as they were quite heavy for just being cases! Upon further investigation...

...we each found a brand new, 10/22 semi-automatic Ruger rifle, with a scope and everything!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Andrew's 22' is pretty similar to these and he really likes it, so he knew we would too! Jacob was hoping to buy a semi-automatic before the Appleseed event, but his brother did it for him. Pretty nice, eh? :)

As Mom noted when she saw the smile on Andrew's face, "It truly is better to give than receive"...
I must say that receiving is pretty nice too though! ;)

"I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive. "
Acts 20:35

Thank you again Andrew, ever and ever so much!!!

Heading for bed!

I drove home in the fog tonight. I'm trying to get over a cold right now and am very tired, so I think I'll go get some sleep...

Happy Mother's Day!

I hope that all mothers who are reading this had a truly wonderful day! Here is my mama, enjoying the new game we children gave to her. :) (Has anyone else played Apples to Apples--Bible edition? It's quite fun!)

(Love you Mother!)
Since I last wrote, there are a few more mothers that are enjoying their KIDS. :) My goat, Tulip had twin bucklings today:

Playing with my adorable new kid:

Also, yesterday, my goat Fay had triplets! This time, I got some girls, 2 girls and 1 boy. :) I'm hoping Fay will be able to provide enough milk for all those hungry little mouths, although they'll have to take turns drinking!

Yesterday my order of dwarf fruit trees came, so I planted them in the greenhouse today...

As I headed for the greenhouse, I snapped this picture of the guys, discussing something in their very busy shop!

Thankfully, they came over to the greenhouse then, as there was a robin who obviously got locked in over night and it wasn't finding the open door to get out. Andrew had to climb up on the barrels to catch it and then he released it outside. The following two pictures are of the animals we're "Doctoring". This calf must have got stepped on, as its shoulder seems to be out of place. It was scouring and dehydrated when we first noticed it, but now it seems to be doing well health-wise. We're not sure yet what to do about its shoulder?

This is Lydia, the cow that got stabbed with the loader bucket tooth... She's lost a lot of weight, but she is up and moving around more now, so we're hoping and praying that she'll pull through yet!

And to end: Here's a picture of Mother, enjoying somebodyelses' kids. :) (These 2 doelings were the first ones born this year.)

I wonder if there will be any more new babies in the morning???