Friday, June 7, 2013

“The grass may be greener on the other side of the fence but you still have to mow it"




This year the backyard has served a different purpose--pasturing Carl’s horse, Bouncer. Carl reasons with gas prices so high it would be better to let the mower sit and opt to use it for grazing. Bouncer has grazed the yard down once already to a manageable height, but with all the rain we’ve been getting the grass has grown back rapidly, which has led to pasturing Bouncer in the backyard a second time. 

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

"Gardeners Know All The Dirt." Quote From Popular Garden Sayings

A Work In Progress -- Here are a couple of pictures of the garden bed situated in front of the house. You would never know it by looking at it, but in the past this area was used to plant perennials. This year, we decided it would be put to better use as a vegetable garden so Carl dug out the bulbs with the skid steer and added composted horse manure. The railroad ties were removed and replaced with stone. Next, Jon planted some cold weather vegetables and anticipates planting of warm weather plants in the near future. Needless to say, I’m anxious to see what produce results will be from this new venture. Thanks Guys!

Sunday, Jon volunteered to help out with planting the little vegetable garden in front of the house. He planted onions, radishes, leeks and kale. No warm weather plants yet.

Carl added some temporary fence to keep the puppy (Lady), goats and rabbits out. Before the fencing was complete though, Lady managed to sneak into the garden and grab the yellow mesh that was holding the onion bulbs. It was definitely a “catch me if you can” moment.










Saturday, June 1, 2013

Green Pastures at Last


A beautiful day to go out to the pasture and see the new calves. After the long hard winter, it was nice to see the pastures making a comeback and new life abounding everywhere 








Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Your Memory Lives On




My Dad used to log with a Percheron work horse named Toby. Toby was quite the horse and the memory of him was preserved all due to a picture my brother; Steve, took years ago of Toby in the pasture. The picture is proudly displayed in our livingroom and will always have special significance to our family.

Friday, March 15, 2013

The Fabric of Our Lives




The familiar song lyrics of the cotton commercial, “the touch, the feel, the fabric of our lives” causes me to reflect on the quilt pictured here.  Year after year as Carl has worked on the farm, he has worn out many pairs of jeans. And even though they are ripped and stained, I can’t bring myself to throw them out. So I cut and stitch them together with other pieces of fabric and throughout the years a quilt has evolved.

Many times I’ve looked at the old jean squares and wondered sometimes what all Carl must have done in a day to create their unique look. Was he fixing fence that day? Was he wrestling hay bales another? Was he cleaning out stalls or feeding feed? Maybe he was trimming a horse’s hooves or riding a green broke horse. I’ll never know, but I do know this quilt will have special meaning when it is completed for it will represent the hankies he uses in the summer on a dusty day, the livestock he cares for on a daily basis and the Wrangler jeans he wears when working.

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

“Happiness is a Warm Puppy" ~ Charles Schulz


I would like to introduce "Lady," our most recent addition to the Swingin S. Isn't she adorable? She was born Christmas Day and is the offspring of Mr. Peter's (aka Pete Peters/Expresso) and Lily (aka Silly Lily). We look forward to years of entertainment as she grows and becomes an integral part of our farm.



Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Will It Ever End?


Is it Just Me or Does Winter Seem as if it’s Dragging on Forever This Year? Carl is growing tired of going out and slugging through the snow everyday. He expects to have to contend with this every year, but the realities of farming are forgotten by many when not having to care for a farm 24/7 for 365 days a year. Yesterday, when feeding livestock, the skidsteer got hung up on some ice when Carl had to stop on a hill to open a gate. It is yet another reality of winter, you never know the where, when or how it’s going to affect your livestock or your chores. All you can do is try and be prepared. As for the skidsteer, thank goodness Jon was close by and could pull him off the ice with the truck. A little pull and “bazinga,” off we go again to contend with the weather another day or as Carl says to "go get stuck somewhere else." 

On the other hand, as much as I want the snow to come to an end, I know we need the moisture from the snow to provide us with beautiful green pasture for grazing the livestock this coming year. I have to admit though after the last snowstorm, it’s a welcome sight to see some sunshine peeking through the clouds today. A hint of optimism is in the air at the Swingin S Ranch and gives me a little bit of hope that winter is close to an end.