Bales and Bales of Hay

In the previous blog post, you all viewed the newly cut hay meadow.  Well, the excitement intensified as the week progressed, because the hay was raked and baled by the time I arrived home from work!  Obviously, 100 degree temperatures speed up the drying process.

Oh, one important fact to note - the hay can not be baled when it is wet.  The hay must dry first.  So, farmers are often peeking ahead at the forecast before they cut the hay.  Farmers often rake (or move and turn) the hay to further speed up the drying time.  The baler wraps the hay so compactly, that wet hay will rot.  Wet hay then can not be fed to the cattle, and the farmer loses food for his livestock as a result.

These bales though, are likely to make any bovine animal smile!  Which is good, because the winter months get kinda long without green grass to eat.

Saucer Spinny Toy Thing

Baby "K" was introduced to a fun, new toy by Aunt B.  He was not quite sure of it, especially the rolly rattle.  So, we took a toy break, and tried it again a week later.  The rolly rattle was quite enticing this time. Baby "K" figured out that if he jumps, kicks and smacks his arm on the toy that the rattle will make lots of noise!

He is still trying to figure out the spinning trick and lots of the other toys on the activity saucer.  We look forward to more discoveries and fun as Baby "K" gets familiar with his new-to-him toy!

Hay Cutting

One of the sure signs of the impending season change, is when the Brome grass hay meadow is cut - and, well, that day happened this week!  Mr. Fixit and I left for work with our neighboring meadow full of uncut grass.  We returned to find windrows, ready for raking!

The light rainfall this summer definitely caused the patch of 20 acres to yield less than other years, but there will still be some good bales from the cutting.  I am sure the cattle will think it is a delicious treat on some cold January day!  After the hay dries and is raked, the hay will be baled and stored in a hayshed until feeding.  Mr. Fixit and I predict that baling will occur soon!

Bubbling Hole

Mr. Fixit rose at his usual 5:30 a.m. time yesterday morning, and discovered that there was not a drop of water available!  He instead encountered a hissing air sound in place of water at the tap.  I awoke to the sound of paper rustling, as Mr. Fixit was searching for the phone number for our rural water district.

Mr. Fixit then decided to head out for a little eagle eye investigation.  He discovered a small sink hole near the north edge of our property -- approximately about 100 feet east of our water meter.  He believed the break to be on the district line, and not our line.  Ok, maybe this would not be too costly of a repair for our bank account!

A construction company was called in to do the repair work, and it took most of the day.  Mr. Fixit stayed home to help answer questions, and even helped locate the phone line for the crew.  I came home at the end of the day to discover a big pile of freshly dug dirt, and of course, water once again!  Side fact: Did you know that there are about 5 or 6 breaks a day, during summer months, on the rural water line?  The shifting soil, due to rainy and dry periods, cause the line to move - and eventually weaken.

A Leadership Thing

This weekend was the "Genesis," or beginning of a 2 year journey in Kansas Agriculture & Rural Leadership (KARL).  I embarked upon this journey with 29 class mates.  I was anxious, excited and nervous too.  Would my 5 month old and husband survive without me for 3 days?

The first workshop involved meeting the other class participants, exploring team challenges on a low ropes course, delving into personality styles, learning styles and taking in life experiences from a variety of presenters.  My brain is still trying to wrap itself around all the information and experiences!

This photo was snapped of our class as we balanced and supported each other across a suspended cable wire - two feet off the ground - and anchored to several trees.  I think I felt like a circus tightrope walker for about a minute!  After an energy packed weekend, I can honestly say that I look forward to working with my new team.  So class mates until we meet again in three months: Step out on that wire and get ready to go great places!

Meeting Time

The last week was spent hanging out with 103 kids + parents, so about 150 total folks from around the United States!  Kansas was host to this fantastic meeting which involved a special program track just for the kids.  I was one of the committee members for this program.

Our committee team, and additional volunteers, made the week awesome for our visiting guests.  We played games on Sunday night, visited Deanna Rose Children's farm and Schlitterbahn on Monday, hung out at Worlds of Fun on Tuesday, and made our way to Shawnee Misson Park and Moon Marble Company on Thursday.  Our grand finale included a child's dream buffet and game extravaganza at Power Play.  Wow, what a week!  All this fun wears an adult, and Baby "K" out!  Thanks volunteers for making this week fantastic!  We loved hosting our little guests!

House Renovation?

While Baby "K" and I headed east for a work conference, Mr. Fixit took the week off to work on the house.  Things on the list included trim work, finishing the bathroom, wainscoating the kitchen, constructing baby gates for the openings in the living room, outside tin work, garage finishing and some yard work odds and ends.

When Baby "K" and I arrived home at the end of the week, we discovered that the master bedroom had been sided, one opening to the dining area in the kitchen had been closed off -- but now features a door, a new opening had been created from the living room to our bedroom, a hallway addition had been created, and some wiring had been moved.  The first paragraph of items are still on the list =).

Needless to say, Mr. Fixit was busy -- remodeling the new addition!  We are still anxiously awaiting the baby gates and trim work -- well, I guess, I am anxiously awaiting these items.  I would love to move from a state of construction to finished house.  All in favor?

Family Reunion

We traveled up north a few weeks ago for a family reunion for Mr. Fixit's Dad's family.  That would mean Mr. Fixit's grandparents.  Which, by the way, there are 337 direct descendants -- and this does not even include the spouses!!  Four of the remaining siblings of Mr. Fixit's Dad are still living.

The family reunion involved nametags, a delicious catered lunch, family pictures, and reconnecting (of course) with branches of the family tree.  There were about 200 folks in attendance.  We all hung out in the church basement of a small unincorporated community for the afternoon.  The community is about 4 blocks by 5 blocks.  I think we informally voted to have another reunion in about 3 years.  Oh, by the way, Baby "K" was not the youngest family member.  Two babies were just born in July, and they were present for the day too!  Baby "K" is the youngest great-grandchild though.  Hope you enjoyed some summer family outings too!

Hangin' with G'ma

Some of my most fondest memories growing up were with Grandma!  So, we thought we should start Baby "K" off early in that memory-making department.  Baby "K" enjoyed a little play time with Grandma F recently.  The weather was so hot, that we decided diaper attire and sleeveless shirts were perfect.  Hugs and kisses to Grandma!

Car Hop

Cruise Night proved to be a spectacular night to view some classic cars.  For those that have a love for classic cars, beware -- this photo might make you drool!  The night involves driving Main Street and taking in the sites of cars from back when.  This was the perfect nostalgic throwback evening.  Enjoy!

Five Months

Chillin' on the couch and enjoying some cooler summer weather was the story when this five month photo was snapped!  Baby "K" has learned some new tricks this month too, and is jabbering new sounds each day.  Some of the latest accomplishments include:

*Sucking on his big toe.
*Spitting - favorite thing to spit: cereal!
*Lots of drool, which means teeth are on the way.
*Rubbing his own head.
*Flipping himself and the bouncy seat while at daycare.
*Now officially wearing 6-9 month clothes.

We are looking forward to enjoying more cereal, more family visits, teeth appearance and, hopefully, rolling over from back to tummy in the next month. Who knows, crawling might just be around the corner?  Mr. Fixit better get to those baby gates on that to-do list!

New Chair

The weather has been atrociously hot, and Mr. Fixit has been looking for some indoor projects to keep cool.  I suggested that he work on the highchair assembly project.  Mr. Fixit did a fantastic job, and our sturdy little chair is ready for a very active baby boy!

We sat him in the chair for a test run, and then served him a meal of cereal.  He enjoyed sitting up and watching all the activity.  I stashed some towels on either side, by each arm, to keep him seated up straight.  As the picture shows, Baby "K" needs just a little help to sit.  It won't be long though, and he will have enough muscle development to keep himself balanced.

This week will be filled with more cereal practice, visits to the homes of many family members and friends, and a busy work schedule for Mr. Fixit and I.  Blog posting will be a little sparse for awhile, but we will be back after our jam-packed work schedule has been completed.  Stay cool!

Wave from the Window

Ready, set -- cruise!  Mr. Fixit was excited to finally take his finished '58 Chevy out on the town for annual Cruise Night!  His Mom was ready to mark the occasion with him, and is ready to roll in the passenger seat.  The weather was hot and sticky, but the town was still buzzing with activity.  Have fun!

Cruise Night

Mr. Fixit was itching to take the '58 Chevy home for Cruise Night.  This is an annual event during which folks with "old" cars can take them down Main Street for an hour and a half.  For those of you with high school memories of dragging Main -- this is pretty much the picture!

Entries pay a $2 fee, and then, well, you just drive up and down Main Street to your heart's content.  It was hot this year, around 100 degrees.  Even when we were driving at 8:00 p.m., the temperature was still quite warm and sticky.

Mr. Fixit loaded up his Mom, and headed down first.  Baby "K" and I hung out at Grandma's, but I snapped a picture first before they headed out.  Later Baby "K" and I joined him for a few rounds down the street.  I also snapped some shots of cars we saw along the way.  Lots of folks sat in their lawn chairs and just watched the cars go by.  I would describe the experience as a never-ending parade!  We had a great time, and are glad that the calendar allowed us to participate this year!

Pig Spotting

I am not exactly sure where this pig came from, but in my eleven years here, it has certainly made its rounds throughout the office.  I honestly can not tell you who started hiding this wooden piggy.  I also am not certain what the original purpose of this pig was.  Perhaps a cutting board?  Maybe a stall card holder?

Anway, the pig was spotted, by our receptionist, on her desk when we returned from fair.  She decided to do a little cleaning, and that is when the pig was spotted.  She gave it back to our ag co-worker, who chuckled and really did not say much.  Aha!  Guilty - of being the pig "hider!"

Our receptionist left, for the day, and we (my ag co-worker and I) decided that it was time to hide the pig once again.  So, because it was such fun the first time, the pig went back to the receptionist's desk.  Giggle, giggle, smirk, laugh!

Just for the record, it had been hiding on her desk for four months before she found it.  I wonder how long it will take her to find it this time? =)

Daycare Digest

Think your day is interesting?  This is a roving report from a day at daycare.  Your roving reporter for the day is Baby "K."  Well, he is not really roving too much yet, but he does flip over every now and then!  So, back to our story.

Today we arrived the same time all other daycare buddies arrived.  Four cars were parked in front of Sweet "J's" house, and we were sure the neighbors were wondering what was going on at 7:45 a.m. that morning!  Today was a big day - it was the last day that two buddies would be at Sweet "J's" together, because one buddy was starting preschool next week.

Once we entered the house, we discovered that Baby "L" was sleeping in his carseat, Sweet "A" was showing off her new earrings, CL and CA were talking about cars and Baby "K" was taking it all in.  Sweet "J" started frying some bacon, the boys started squabbling about whose turn it was to play with the cars, Sweet "A" was crying because she did not want to share the puppy toys she brought, Baby "L" received a chin tickle from one of the boys and was contemplating waking up, and Baby "K" spit up. 

It was at this time that Sweet "J" put up the baby gate, flipped the bacon, moved Baby "L" (still sleeping) a little further away from the action, cleaned and placed Baby "K" in the bouncy seat, handed a book to Sweet "A" and turned on some type of educational show on public television.  All with one hand.  And she didn't even burn the bacon!

Baby "K" was so mesmerized by all this excitement, that it required a nap.  So, I am not certain what happened next!  Stay tuned for the next issue of Daycare Digest!