Rest in Peace

 

This little guy survived the freezing cold of the winter of 2014.

Four of his "classmates" of the County Line Class of 2014 did not, despite Randy's best efforts.
Last week, we lost four baby calves who didn't survive the sub-zero wind chills and snow drifts. With one of them, Randy had it in the warm pickup and gave it warm milk, just like he'd done with the first one. But it still didn't survive. (For more on Randy's care of cold baby calves, click on this link.)

Another was a twin. His sibling survived, but he did not.

With two of them, the mamas were so riled up and protective that Randy couldn't get close enough to help. At some point, you have to determine the "price" you are willing to pay. With one, I tried to help keep the mama away while Randy helped the baby. Jake did the same with another. When a 1,200-pound mama is charging toward you, you can't stop and reason with her. It's hard to fault her when she's doing what nature prompts her to do: Protect her offspring.

But a human is no match for a charging cow. After several attempts, Randy said, "The emergency room bill is going to be more expensive than this is worth."

A baby calf is worth about $300 to $350 this winter, so it's not an insignificant amount of money to lose a calf. Last week wasn't a good one on the bottom line. But it's also not good on a farmer's spirits. Farmers want to do their best for the creatures and the land they are responsible for.

But life isn't always fair. Sometimes you try your darndest and things still don't work out the way you'd prefer.

To make matters worse, Randy also lost Boots last week. (He got run over when he was out and about on a hunt.)

Boots was one of Randy's favorites, second only to Big Cat in his affections.

He was one of the prettiest kitties we'd ever had on the County Line.

He was one of Kinley's favorites, too.

 

Now, Randy's mission is to further tame Boots' litter mate, Calico.

With warmer temperatures this week, the weather will be more fit for man and beast. And that's a good thing!

A Bird in the Bush

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. 

That's what the ancient proverb says. But Randy has been hoping for birds in the bushes underneath the old windmill tower in the backyard.

Last summer, he put up a hummingbird feeder. The bright red, flower-shaped feeder filled with sweet nectar didn't attract a single visitor. I was hoping for hummingbirds to visit, too. They remind me of my Sublette grandparents, who had a hummingbird feeder right outside their dining room window. The tiny visitors flitted and flirted outside the window that looked out onto one of my grandparents' perfectly-manicured gardens. The hummingbirds often joined my grandparents for breakfast.

We don't have perfectly manicured gardens around here. Perhaps that was the problem. As winter approached, Randy changed gears and added a regular bird feeder instead. He filled it with bird feed and waited. And waited. And waited some more.

You've heard the real estate maxim: Location, location, location? Maybe that was the problem.

The feeder is only a pounce or two away from the cat bowls in the backyard. I imagined the birds sounding a bit like Tweety Bird on that old Saturday morning cartoon: "I tought I saw a puddycat. I did, I did see a puddycat." The birds weren't falling for that.

But, with the snow covering the ground for days and days, we finally had a visitor or two to our backyard buffet. I belong to a Facebook group, Snapshot Kansas. I'm always admiring the beautiful cardinals and bluejays that my fellow Kansas photographers catch in pixel perfection.

Our visitors aren't dressed in colorful plumage like actresses walking the red carpet on their way to the Academy Awards. But we like down-home visitors at our house anyway.

I'm not a bird aficionado, so I don't know what kind of bird has come to call. (You are more than welcome to tell me!) But today, on this Valentine's Day, it's a love bird, since we love to see the birds stopping by for a quick snack. Let's just hope the cats don't make a quick bite of them. That wouldn't be a suitable ending for a Valentine's Day tale.

A Valentine's Bill of Rights

In the end, nothing we do or say in this lifetime

 will matter as much as the way

 we have loved one another. 

–Daphne Rose Kingman

I recently read an essay, "Courtesy is kindness in action," by Michael Josephson on his Character Counts website. (Click on the link for the whole essay.) It says, in part:

As a society we have become almost obsessed with identifying and asserting our rights – to think, say, and do what we want. That’s not surprising, given the history of our country and the prominent role the Constitution and Bill of Rights have played in shaping our culture. We have a right to be unkind, thoughtless, and disrespectful – but it isn’t right. 

Ralph Waldo Emerson pointed out, “Life is short but there is always time for courtesy.”

Wouldn't the world be a better place if we would remember Emerson's simple thought?

“Life is short but there is always time for courtesy.”

When we were in grade school, we had to give a Valentine to every member of the class. Even if "that boy" teased me unmercifully about my weight or my hair or my green tights, I was supposed to put a Valentine in his box. (I must admit that I would find the least sappy Valentine from the box I'd carefully selected from the dimestore at Pratt. I would adhere to the rules, but I didn't have to give him the best Valentine.)

My first grade class at Byers Grade School - all 5 of us. Some years, there were 3! I'm second from the left.

The same philosophy prevailed in Jill's and Brent's elementary days, too: Everyone in the class got a card dropped into their Valentine mailbox, carefully constructed from a shoebox, construction paper and doily hearts. 

 

What would happen if we treated each other with a little unconditional friendship - not only on Valentine's Day, but every day?
Maybe Robert Fulghum's All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten should be required reading for adults. I personally didn't learn anything in kindergarten, since Byers Grade School didn't offer it). But, whether you're a first grader or a more "mature" student of life, Fulghum has the right idea:

• Share everything.
• Play fair.
• Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.
• Be aware of wonder.
• Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.
• Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.

Isn't it worth a try?

Open your hearts to the love God instills . . . 

God loves you tenderly. 

What He gives you is not to be kept under lock and key,

 but to be shared.

 –Mother Teresa

***

If you want to try the whole warm cookie theory on this Valentine's Day, try these White Chocolate Blondies. A bar cookie is great for a last-minute gift to say, "Thinking of you," "Be my valentine" or "Lots of love."

***

This was first posted on Kim's County Line on Valentine's Day last year. I thought it was worth a repeat. Happy Hearts Day!

Snow Angels?

Angel wings left their tracks in the field across the road, or so it seemed to me as I trudged through the foot of light snow that covers the earth.

The wing prints were dotted in three places over the smooth surface of the snow, with no connecting walking tracks between. Though they weren't really angel wings (except in my over-active imagination), the snow cover on fields certainly has been a blessing.

It's a little hard to determine the impact of the foot of snow (or so) we have gotten in the past week. The snow has been fairly dry. And there is not an inch-for-inch correlation between the snow that falls and the moisture it leaves behind as it melts.

Randy estimates that the snow will eventually yield about 1 inch of moisture. The blanket of snow has helped protect the wheat crop from sub-zero temperatures.

Some people will tell you that farmers are never happy. They don't know my optimistic husband, I guess. As grain producers, we are thankful for the moisture. Last week's U.S. Drought Monitor showed that Stafford County primarily remains in a severe drought (orange color), with just a sliver in the moderate drought category (peach color). Northwestern and southwestern Kansas are still in an exceptional drought. Even though conditions have improved, the whole state could use a nice big drink of water.

Click on this link to be able to read the chart more clearly.

In Kansas, the state-wide average precipitation for January was only 34 percent of normal. Reassessment of drought conditions will be made after the aftermath of this February snow is tallied.

But any moisture we receive is beneficial to crop production. On the flip side, the snow and sub-zero temperatures have made calving a challenge. We lost a calf Monday night, despite Randy's best efforts. He tried to warm it up in the pickup and gave it a bottle of warm milk. But it still didn't make it.

Temperatures are supposed to make it above freezing later this week, so the cattle lots will be an even bigger mess. In any situation, you take the good with the bad, I suppose. 

But, there's been beauty in the snow, too.

People should probably not stand under these icicles today as the temperature rises, though they sure made for a spectacular "art" installation as I went to my accompanist job at school yesterday!

Cabin Fever by Kinley Marie

Cabin Fever

By Kinley Marie

After last week's snowstorm, my grandparents had a bad case of cabin fever. They didn't really look sick to me, but Mommy and Daddy said we could meet them at Exploration Place in Wichita to try and help them feel all better. Usually, my parents want to avoid getting me exposed to any sort of fever, but I guess we make exceptions for grandparents.

I am a good helper, so I was all for it.

After we saw all the fun things to do, I was glad I could be part of the cure for that pesky case of cabin fever.

My favorite part was the water table. I was not alone in my love of building channels for the water to flow through. Grandma says it was a good lesson in cooperation, too, because the other kids and I had to share only one ball. And there was only so much room on the steps, so we had to wait our turn.

It was even OK that I got a little wet.

I also liked my archaeological expedition.

My Daddy helped me uncover the treasures.

I had to show my Mommy the turtles. One was being very lazy. Maybe he was having a snow day. 

I love turtles, as you might be able to tell from my turtle barrette.

I am not always a fan of cows in person, but this one seemed OK. She didn't make as much noise as Grandpa's big cows. Grandpa and I pretended to milk her.

I watched some bigger girls go into a wind tunnel, and I thought I might give it a try.

My Mommy didn't think I'd like it. But I convinced Grandpa to go with me, and we survived!

We played all afternoon, and I didn't even have to take a nap. Score! I would never wish for anyone to be sick. But if the grandparents get cabin fever again, I'm the girl to help cure them.

Until next time,
Kinley Marie

The Guard Cat

Some businesses have guard dogs. They growl and gnash their teeth and drool on the floor as ferocious dogs are supposed to do.

But some locations have guard cats. There is less drooling, but more disdain.

When we parked on Stafford's Main Street to get the Sunday paper after church, I glimpsed the occupant of 109 North Main sunning herself in the window.  She must have been on break from her guard duties. I'll give her the benefit of the doubt and not jump to the conclusion that she was goofing off on the job.

Her glassy-eyed stare through the window dared me to stay away.

Let's hope she's giving that same attitude to the mice.

***

(These photos were taken February 2. That's why there is no snow. We got another 3 to 4 inches overnight.)

A Rancher's Snow Day

You know how you fluff up the fleece blanket and get nestled in with a good book and hot mug of coffee on a cold winter day?

We do the same thing for our cattle -- minus the book, of course. And the mamas take care of the warm drink.

After the snowstorm on Tuesday, the guys brought big round bales of straw to each of the locations where we have cows or heifers waiting to calve. On the front of the tractor, Jake carried one bale of straw. On the back, he hauled two better quality alfalfa bales for the cows to eat.

The guys had spread straw out earlier, but it was covered up by the 9 inches of snow we received. First, Jake used the scoop to scrape away some of the snow and level it out. They selected a spot south of a windbreak, in this case, the old barn.

After Randy removed the net wrap from the straw bale, Jake used the grapple fork to shake the bale apart.

He picked it up.

And put it down.

He continued the process until the bale was fairly well broken apart. I was focused on taking photos, so I didn't see any extra passengers - aka mice - scatter as the bale was spread out. Randy says that's a common occurrence, but I'm not a fan of the little critters, so I'm glad I missed that!

The straw gives a drier and warmer place for the cows to lie down. You always hope they are smart enough to have their babies in the straw, too, but it doesn't always happen that way.

These photos are from another year (and a different location), but it does show that the cows and calves put the straw to good use.

The snow also makes it more challenging to feed. The guys still load and feed silage for the feeder cattle. They haul alfalfa hay to all the locations. They also have to haul water to the locations where it's not available on site.

We have to keep the mamas "fueled" so the babies have plenty of warm milk to drink.

Everyone likes a warm drink on a cold day.