Very long, but covers the last 2 days… So we did have a good vacation, it was just shorter than we wanted. We visited Shipshewana on Tuesday. It was nice but the flea market was mostly junk. I heard it is a lot better earlier in the season. The little shops were neat to visit. I thought it would take 2 days but we were ready to leave well before lunch time. We stopped by McGrew Tractor Parts. Brian walked around and looked at tractors and equipment for quite awhile. I was happy as a clam knitting in the truck. I even found the Dave Ramsey Show on the radio. We drove over to Michigan City and somehow drove right past all the hotels, well within a block of them, without realizing it. We ended up downtown and then we drove along the coast for a long time. We were having fun but it was like something out of a movie. There was nothing for miles. Then we found a sign for the town of “Dune Acres”. It was more like Green Acres. There was a nice little town clerk in a sheriff type uniform and you couldn’t even get
Continue readingCategory: vacation
Vacation: Days 2 and 3
After the tractor pull on Friday night we followed my cousin and her husband in to Indiana. We had enjoyed the pull with them and had made plans to visit some friends together for the weekend. Our friends in Indiana moved there a couple years ago to join their family business, McCoy Dairy Farm. Brian and my cousin’s husband had fun talking to the guys, touring the farm, and helping out where they could. Since my cousin is due to deliver her first baby in October and our friend recently had her 4th child us girls had plenty to talk about too. It was really refreshing to see a dedicated Mom in action who manages to balance work on the farm with parenting. She’s my new role model! 🙂 I was really interested in the farm too. That barn in the picture is new – can you believe how wide it is!? Here’s the very best part…those of you who have read about my desire for a milk cow will understand. They. have. a. miniature. jersey. cow. Her name is Elaine and I’m in love. First I got to pet her – and then I got to milk her!!! I
Continue readingVacation: Rough Start
We worked and worked and stayed up late on Thursday so we could get out of here Friday morning. We planned to leave by “10 or 11” and pulled out of the driveway at 11:05. Typical! We left separately, me with the horse trailer and a ewe we were going to drop off at the breeder’s and Brian with the pickup we were dropping off to be worked on while we were gone. I went to the bank, he made a few stops, and we met up at his uncle’s (he is our mechanic). I parked on the road and got out to check the ewe. I opened the side door on the trailer and was surprised that the ewe didn’t startle and jump up. It took me a few seconds to realize why. She must have put her front feet up on the manger (4ft tall) and got her left front foot stuck in a big gap where the manger had rusted out. To make it worse, she tried to get down and ended up in an almost sitting position, essentially hanging from her foot with it way above her head and her toe pointing at the ground, thus
Continue readingA Weekend’s Work
This is what I accomplished over Saturday and Sunday… 33 quarts of pears in all. They are chuck full of pears too since I hot packed them, the only one with much free space is that one there in the front since it was my last jar. Yesterday was my Grandma’s birthday so I took 3 quarts back to her (they’re from her tree!). When pears were finally done I literally ran to my knitting…I was having withdrawals. I whipped up this little booty for my friend Maria. One more to go and I can seam them up and they’ll be done. I hope you had a great weekend. Back to work today for me. We’ll be busy getting things done around here all week and then Friday morning we head out for vacation!! Wahoo!
Continue readingIt Has Begun…(drumroll please)
What is IT? Canning season that is. And no, that’s not why I’ve been missing. I’ve been missing because my blogging addiction has given way to a Ravelry addiction which has led me to begin knitting everyone’s Christmas presents now, while I’m still motivated and sort of have the time. I promise to post more soon. My order of peaches came in tonight which will lead directly in to apple and tomato seasons which might clash slightly with the vacation to who knows where that we’re taking the week of Labor Day. That will all keep me busy but it will give me lots of blog worthy material too. I leave you with this. Anyone who can tell what it is gets an imaginary pat on the back from me. 🙂
Continue readingHoneymoonin’ (again, but where?)
So in honor of our fast approaching 1 year anniversary Brian and I have planned for a week off work in the fall. On our honeymoon we went down around Chicago to Moline, IL. We went for the John Deere tractors of course! While we did not get to tour the factory there were some good sights to see and we took a ride on the river (umm, the Mississippi? I don’t know my geography…). Then we went through the bottom of Iowa and up to Wisconsin. We stayed in the Wisconsin Dells and visited some of the many water parks there. Then we rode the car ferry back across Lake Michigan and drove home. We got a late start and weren’t gone the whole week but we had a great time. I thought I’d share some pics since no one has ever seen most of them… It is always hard to get away when there is so much to do on the farm. I’m tempted to just throw in the towel and say let’s stay home instead. However, I know how we are and we WILL NOT relax and spend our time together if we’re here, we’ll find a
Continue readingI Wish I Was A Cow…Or A Cat!
Can you see them? What about now? This is how our two calves spend their days. They aren’t real interested in eating their corn or picking at the hay. They don’t even go wild for the lush green grass like I expected. They mostly lounge around the pasture and sleep in the sun. It is a beautiful sight, and I’m jealous. We don’t have any set plans for the weekend yet. We may head up to the beach tomorrow and get Brian’s Mom’s camper settled in to her lot for the summer. I can hardly wait to get back to the farmer’s market in Port Austin. It is the best one around by far, especially on holiday weekends. Then we have a lot of work to do around home, as usual. What are your plans for this weekend? Is the weather supposed to be nice? I’d love to hear about it. P.S. This just in…he’s trying to help me type with his back feet I guess.
Continue reading