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?