Mark senior night and leg

Time keeps passing week by week chock full of events and activities. A few weeks ago for the last home game the football moms put together a nice Senior night tribute. There are 14 senior guys on the team this year. They are seasoned and tough players. Unfortunately the scheduled opponent was too injured to come so the game was forfeited. The moms scrambled for a plan B. The players banners were hung outside the main entrance of the high school. 

After receiving their goodie bags the players were asked to take more pictures. Mark and Evan by their posters. 

Skylar, Gino, Damick, Mark, Evan. 

After the pictures, we joined other families at the fire hall for a potluck dinner. The firemen were happy to show the kids the new city fire truck. 

Af family picture. we sure love this guy. I think Bruce and Reed must have been left at home wtering cows? 

The next day I got some time with Mark after beet harvest to go look at some other farm ideas. This lady does events on her farm. She also offers cut flowers. It was so hard not to take some of the dry flower seed pods. 

On our way out we saw a bump in the road and realized it was a man. We hurried over and found a man we knew semi-conscious on the road with his brother helping him stay down. A young lady was on the phone with the paramedics. I stood over him offering shade and asking him questions for the girl. We waited with him and his brother. He had a large hole on the back of his head and complained of chest pain. Finally, they came Mark was needed to help load him on the stretcher. 

It was a humbling experience to be able to help someone who is injured. He had wrecked somehow off the 4-wheeler he was riding. We found out later he had 14 stitches in his head and 6-8 broken ribs. Poor guy. HE is about 6'6" and over 300 lbs. The paramedics could never have got him on the stretcher without assistance. It's always interesting to me how time and space collude to allow for certain people to be in the right place at the right time. 

And Sunday evening we went to Sues for scones. Mark came later. He was running up and ran into a picnic table. He cut his leg but didn't know as there were no nerves in that part of his body. Sue taped him up and he found he was bleeding an hour later. 

I was pretty worried about it so we went to the Urgent care the next day. They were impressed with the bandaging job Sue had done and told us just to watch it. So we did. 
 

And then it looked like this on Sunday after the game and a week of healing. 

 

Pretty swollen open and angry. I was angry and worried. Mostly we just didn't know how to take care of it. We did put antibiotic ointment on it that night and we had been wrapping it during the day leaving it open at night. I took Mark toward the doctor's office the next morning knowing that only the plastic surgeon understands this sight. Finally, a little over halfway there Mark said "Did you call the office? " I said no and did. I had texted the doctor pictures earlier that morning but understand the surgery he does takes a long time so was patiently waiting for a break. The receptionist took my information and promised to send it to the nurse as no doctors were in the office that day. The nurse called and gave me instructions to send pictures to an email. We did that and continued to wait and go grocery shopping. The doctor texted a while later with detailed instructions and kindness. He has superb bedside manners or respect for patients. I remember that distinctly about him how kind and understanding he was. Same today. 

He advised us to not let it dry out to keep it moist to use the antibiotic and soap and water on it. He said it is not more likely to get infection and is not less likely to heal. That was so good to hear. So we are being more diligent to keep it moist. 

Happily, the swelling had gone down last night and the wound looks better. It is hard not to know what to do. I'm thankful for the direction and teaching. It was good to be with Mark to continue researching and deciding on cover crops we want to incorporate. So it wasn't wasted time just a prolonged business meeting. 

Mighty hunters and the Rodent invasion

Hands down one of my favorite skills Greg is so good at is killing rodents. He encourages his children to also be hair-trigger hunters. So far they are about half as good. I asked Greg to set a trap in my truck as I was pretty sure a mouse was alive in there. Thankfully I never saw it just lots of mouse reminders. YUCK! But harvest had to happen and I was fully covered from close-toed shoes to long pants it wasn't a problem I dwelt on. (After hearing Gregs cousin share the sad tale of a young woman who wrecked her car and died over a spider scaring her we have to be real about fear. Rodents or spiders are not things that should be causing loss of control when driving to the point of death. The woman's mother was riding with her and survived the wreck. How tragic!)

He obliged in setting the trap late one night. The next morning I opened the door to take a load in and there was a dead mouse. 

Now objectively it was a very pretty mouse. Light tan and white underbelly, blue eyes, and wee whiskers. It had a very delicate face. This was a mouse to have its picture drawn. I DID NOT! But I was impressed with its features. It must have been a country mouse? Bruce came and emptied the trap for me. I told him I was so thankful that he would protect me from mice!

I was very startled to find this first thing in the morning. That was after finding one in a bucket outside my door a few minutes before. Bruce also killed that one. So he made $2.00 dealing with mice for me.

I've heard stories from 3 other people about trapping mice in their houses. The two women had to empty the traps themselves. YUCK!! I'm so thankful to be so pampered to not have to touch rodents alive or dead!!!

And the grey kitty aka Pack Rat was also caught this weekend. Greg and my nephew set the trap one more time this time using a smaller nickel and wham that rat was caught a few hours later. They are so gross and big. And messy. Their distinctive piles are intriguing and gross. It was also stealing eggs as shown in the picture. We are so brave to get jars from this place.

I'm thankful to have a few less mice. 

We also have several owls back at our place. Mark was out riding the pivot as it moved watching and waiting for problems and heard the air moving above him. This great horned owl landed about 6 feet above on the top of the tower support. It started hooting, A few seconds later another joined on the opposite tower. They sat for a while then took off. Truly people pay for the experiences with nature and animals we get. 

 

While at beet harvest I watched the seagulls gang hunt the abundant mice. Two would corner the mouse then another would join and finally one would snatch the mouse. A bald eagle was also hunting. It is strong and able but the other birds gang up on them too pecking and pestering and sometimes getting their mice. There are so many mice this year we truly do need a hard freeze.

This morning Bruce found live mice in a bucket outside our door. He dumped them out and only stomped one. They are learning. So far we have no mice in our house that I am aware of. And we are thankful for all the extra predators. 

Addie and flowers

The weather changed suddenly from 80 degrees to 50. It was so cold. We hurried to see her last close-to-home meet and were stuck in traffic. We saw her runners gather at the line and take off. I was appalled at how many were in their normal running clothes. A normal problem of XC sweat to death in August-September then October through November shiver and needed more layers.

 I was so happy to finally locate the correct Addie at the end of the race. She was in the top ten or 12 finishers. There were some very fast girls. She ran 20:03 but more importantly did not throw up. I caught her at the chute and started her breathing deeply. This helped get more oxygen to her organs and body in general stopping the gag reflex. It is interesting how being a 4th year runner there are different challenges each season. The kids didn't free although it was chilly. We were thankful to have Grandma Corn along for the ride with us. And really enjoyed her peanut butter balls post race. It was just too cold for ice cream. 

Knowing the weather was turning and summer was ending Andrea and  I harvested the last nice Zinnias. We already have plans for next year and are working to save all the seeds we can. 

It was so cute watching this lady work she knew exactly what to do and how to do it. 

We shared a few more bouquets with friends and family. 

Addie had District Ag Sales. She was very worried and made some preparations. She even asked me to practice selling with her. I was not an easy customer. She sure is a beautiful lady. 

Third place wasn't what she hoped for but it was a banner nonetheless. Greta, Addie, Trent, and Taylor. Jackson in the previous picture was the high Beginning salesman from Vale. 

 And I was so happy to read this about John's first birthday away from Home. Mission presidents are so on top of all 150+ young people they serve with. They are truly amazing. I sent John protein powder as per his request. I need to get a shirt ordered for him as he lost one or two to pen leaks. 

Life is good, its so good to be done with harvest to be making plans for next year. Learning all I can about natural solutions to the problems we have, learning about business, thinking about other options that would work with our abilities, space, and resources think pheasants. Although flower farming really tickles my fancy. But composting and cover crops are the main focus right now along with repairs. The never-ending list of repairs. Life is good and we are so blessed with all we take for granted. Health, nature every day, working together, industry, enough to provide what we want and need, peace, and learning. 

Fall fun run

Addie had another home race where she was the first girl and almost set a season record but due to some choices earlier in the day didn't feel well and actually puked on me and the ground right after she finished. She came onto the track with 300 meters to go at 19 minutes but then puked. And had to rest a second, she gagged again about 100 meters later and then made it to the finish line. These big events that require massive exertion must be prepared for. Eating right at the right time, hydration again amount and timing, and sleep in the bank all matter. As much as doing what you are asked when you are asked. So we continue to experiment and find what is necessary for success. 

After her race and we were both cleaned up there was a fun run for families and friends. These kiddos were doing a 1/2 mile. 

Then the three boys got told they were doing a 2 mile run. 

Millie on her half mile run. 

Alia kept going the whole distance. 

Sweet Jeb in costume as per advised in silly shoes. He fell down so many times because of those pointy toes. But he got back up time and again and kept going. 

A side note about Jeb. He texted me last week offering to come work for us anytime we needed anything. I was surprised and wasn't sure what to respond so I didn't. Well the next day I was getting after Bruce for not helping with the dishes. He said just text Jeb he said he would do anything he can do the dishes. Oh, I told him that was not happening he could do his own chores. 

Uncle Bryce ran like this with Myla the whole 1/2 mile. 

Millie also tired at the end with Addie. 

1,2,3 kid finishers. 

Lia still smiling. 

Bruce the number 2 boy finisher. 

Millie and Afton running to the finish with him. 

Refueling at home. Our favorite apple additions peanut butter as a dip or cheese slice on the side. 

This was a fun little activity for our family. We don't know who our next runner will be but I'm pretty sure we will have one or 5 more. We are thankful for these runs that inspire smiles and confidence that they can run far too. Life is good. 
 

Another week of harvest

One of the responsibilities preparing for harvest fest was gathering potatoes. We went early one morning to pick potatoes with friends. Farm fields are so abundant. 

Bruce had a great time with the boys his age that came to work. 

The picking crew Addies cross country teammates also showed up to help. We gathered about 1500 lbs the kids killed some mice and we headed home in time for general conference. 

While harvesting that day I took a look at one spot of our covercrop experiment. This was grown and baled before we planted. The leftover straw was a nice mulch to help with water retention. This corn was taller than it has ever been and had a decent ear. We are very happy with how this section produced. I was surprised to see so much residue. That's great. 

Where we planted straight into the standing barley mix the corn had a hard time emerging past that growing plant and did not produce well if at all. Where we strip tilled the plants did very well and there was some weed pressure as we didn't spray there but not bad. All in all we are leaning toward more strip tilling very soon to drill in cover crop and let it over winter then strip tilling especially our hillsides that struggle so much to hold water. 

At the feedlot where the grain is dumped, there is a lot of corn brought each day. It is staggering how much these thousands of cows eat in a year. 

These kiddos had the long-awaited chip day. Chips can buy time in the truck. They will sit contentedly for quite a while with some chips. 

Millie has been our cook feeding us each night. She made lasagna one night. We were all happy with the result. I think time to learn independently is so important. She had a recipe and just had to be self-disciplined enough to put down her book and make the meal. Other nights we ate burned stuff as she got too engrossed in her book. But there was food and after all the hours working, we ate what was offered. 

The dirt is thick. Everywhere the ground is so dry. We are starting to pray for rain as we really need a cold wet with snow winter. The cold to kill bugs and the increasing rodent population and the snow for the reservoirs that are filling with silt almost as fast as they fill with water. With all the burn damaged to the hills and mountains this will be a real issue come spring run off. 

My resting spot while the combine opens up another swatch. The combine eats through the corn making trails that I am to follow and know how to maneuver. Again some instructions were really helpful in knowing how to navigate this. Monday was a rough day of anger at little information and having to be a mind reader to my husband. 

And this cute lady who turned 6 before we were done. She was so happy that she is now old enough to play Ticket to ride as the game box says for 6 and up. She is smart and helpful. She is loving and interesting. We are so thankful for our Li-Li. She is the oldest at grandma's when they play so she helps set the tone and Andrea to be ok. Older siblings are a real blessing.

This year the harvest lasted three weeks and we started another field for a neighbor today.  I don't want to be gone everyday it is so nice to be able to do what I need to at home. But I'm thankful for the harvest and that it was safe. We had a decent crop and everyone is still healthy. We all learned and grew. Life is good.