Still loving technology.

Today I was looking at craigslist and saw the following ad:
We have baby calves for sale, still on the bottle for $75 OBO. If you are interested call me at 706-237-XXXX
or call/text at 706-313-XXXX. Can send pictures.
So, I sent a text message asking for a picture.  Here was the response a good looking Charolais, bull calf.

I forwarded this message to my brother-in-law, Jon Waldron, explaining I should be able to bottle feed and wean as I am usually home during the month of December (not a busy month in the boiler business).  I explained to the owner, I was discussing the purchase with Jon and it would take a little while to get back with them.  Three or four hours later Jon got back with me and we worked out a good plan, as I was walking through the grocery store (texting) with Jen…Jon will buy the calf, I will take care of getting it, castrating, weaning, and then take it to his farm in Murfreesboro, TN.  He will feed hay until the pastures are green, and when we are ready to slaughter…we will split the processing cost and beef. 
Technology is great while Jen was purchasing beef at the Fresh Market, I was buying in bulk for next year. 

Been preoccupied with Pop

I have not blogged in a couple of weeks because instead of taking care of my farm I’ve been taking care of my granddad.  Pop had a heart attack on November 21st, the day before he turned 84.  He spent a week in the hospital getting stable enough for open heart surgery in which he had:

• Maze procedure (to correct atrial fibrillation)
• Quintuple (5) bypass
• Mitral Valve repair

Pop did not become my Pop until 30 years ago, I was 9 when he married my Grandmother and he is the only granddad I have ever had.   He had no children before he became a widower but he quickly figured out the role of a granddad  to the point.
I have said many times  IN THE FUTURE, when I become a granddad my goal is to be as good at it as Pop is. 

Here is an idea of how funny and supportive Pop can be.  When I get a new animal, I always show it to Pop (my granddad) in April, I had just picked up new chicks and stepped to show him and Granny.  He asked why I did not get any ducks.  I responded saying I did not have any water for them.  In a very matter-of-fact tone he looked at me and said “dig a hole”.  

So for the past two week the farm has some what suffered, I did make sure everything had food and water but Pop comes first.  I have spent many hours at the hospital and enjoyed being able to be with him.  It made me feel good tonight when I walked in the Surgical ICU to visit and the nurse said he had been asking for me. 

Thanks to all the people who have been praying for Pop and please continue to do so, he had a serious surgery and is 84 it could be a long recovery. 

Wacky Wednesday!

A Turkey's Lament...

When I was a young turkey, new to the coop,
My big brother Mike took me out on the stoop,
Then he sat me down, and he spoke real slow,
And he told me there was something that I had to know;
His look and his tone I will always remember,
When he told me of the horrors of ..... Black November;
"Come about August, now listen to me,
Each day you'll be thick, where once you were thin,
And you'll grow a big rubbery thing under your chin.
"And then one morning, when you're warm in your bed,
In'll burst the farmer's wife, and hack off your head;
"Then she'll pluck out all your feathers so you're bald'n pink,
And scoop out all your insides and leave ya lyin' in the sink,
"And then comes the worst part" he said not bluffing,
"She'll spread your cheeks and pack your rear with stuffing".
Well, the rest of his words were too grim to repeat,
I sat on the stoop like a winged piece of meat,
And decided on the spot that to avoid being cooked,
I'd have to lay low and remain overlooked;
I began a new diet of nuts and granola,
High-roughage salads, juice and diet cola,
And as they ate pastries, chocolates and crepes,
I stayed in my room doing Jane Fonda tapes,
I maintained my weight of two pounds and a half,
And tried not to notice when the bigger birds laughed;
But 'twas I who was laughing, under my breath,
As they chomped and they chewed, ever closer to death;
And sure enough when Black November rolled around,
I was the last turkey left in the entire compound;
So now I'm a pet in the farmer's wife's lap;
I haven't a worry, so I eat and I nap,
She held me today, while sewing and humming,
And smiled at me and said "Christmas is coming..."

Borrowed from a fellow member of http://www.sufficientself.com/forum/
Happy Thanksgiving!

Wacky Wednesday

Starting today I will be posting a ‘Wacky Wednesday” post. 

This will be a funny or wacky something related to farming. 

ENJOY!

Check out these chicks

I’ve been talking writing a lot about Thanksgiving coming up, lets switch gears a little.  Here is a series of pictures of some cute little silkie chicks.  I found these locally from a breeder and wanted to add to my silkie population to one day be able to breed my own.  The two adult chickens are Scarlett and Rhett they are currently raising these; they will soon be on their own but they still need the adults to keep them warm at night.

Here they are on the first time out of the nursery, it was a warm afternoon.

I think the picture above is awesome, dad is making standing watch as other big chickens are nearby.

 

They love bread left over from meals or the concession stand.

And

Of course I had to save the best for last. 

Check out this little fellow, smiling for the camera.

Have I come full circle?

According to the free dictionary http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/come+full+circle
come/go/turn full circle: if something or someone has come full circle after changing a lot, they are now the same as they were at the beginning .
I have mentioned my Great Uncle Hoolie  before in my blogging, he is the person who planted the crazy idea in my head to be a farmer.  I used to visit his farm as a child and he would teach me things about cattle, tractors, equipment, etc as well as let me play.   His son John Glen, my cousin was one of my best cousins growing up we would spend hours playing on the farm.  Well last night instead of going to the football game Maddie ( my third child), Chris, and Cassidy (John Glen’s second and third children) all spent the night with my Grand Mother.  This morning I was out feeding my animals when they all three walked over from Granny's.
Take a look.
   
Maddie and Cassidy with a turkey feather.

Cassidy petting Lilly.

Cassidy petting Bunniculla and Chris and Maddie looking at the eggs that were collected.

Cassidy collecting eggs, she washed then and carried them to her mother.

Chris hand feeding Sally.  The leash is because she was being walked by Cassidy to get fresh green grass.

Kenzie and Maddie showing them the pigs.

Feeding the pigs, bread.
This was so much fun watching them play on my farm.  It meant a lot to me.
So let me explain this again: I played on my Great Uncle’s farm and today his grandchildren played on mine.