Shopping for Steers

Some people like shopping in malls. Others prefer the online world of commerce.

And a couple of 4-Hers liked the merchandise at the County Line.

Even though our own kids have "graduated" from the 4-H program, we still help out our local 4-H program. Randy is the beef project leader for the Corn Valley 4-H Club, the club we spent a dozen years serving as community leaders.

The Dealy family has gotten several bucket calves from us. The last one was a twin that Aubrey took home in February, and then showed at the Stafford County Fair. But the boys have also purchased bucket calves when they were younger.

In other years, they've taken the calves back home and used them for market steers or breeding beef the following year.

But this year, they wanted a couple of feeder calves for John and Jesse. Randy had written down possible contenders when we worked cattle in November.

They flipped for the first chance to choose. (There were more than the ones in the photo above. The photographer was late to the "party.")

John got first choice. We'll see if his pick pays off at fair time.

They ran the cattle through the chute so Randy could get a halter on them. The calves had been given their shots in November when the veterinarian was here.

Before the Dealys took the calves home, Randy went by the Zenith Co-op to get a weight on the scales.


By averaging the load, he estimated that each calf weighed about 650 pounds. They'll have to weigh a minimum of 1,000 pounds to go through the auction ring at the Stafford County Fair in mid-July.

The reason for the halters became apparent once the calves were at their new home at the Dealys. John and Jesse have been used to working with cattle they'd raised from the time they were bucket calves.

They discovered that these new inhabitants of their corral were not as accustomed to life around humans.

But, with a lot of work before fair time, they'll get them convinced otherwise.

The whole cattle selection process brought back a lot of memories for this old 4-H mom and dad. I pulled a couple of pages from Jill and Brent's 4-H books. It looks like I just interchanged kids with the one shot.

The Dad stayed put and we shuffled a different 4-Her in! In the record book, Jill wrote:

"During Thanksgiving break, I chose my market steer from about 50 my dad, brother and I had sorted from my dad's herd. We put a halter and an ear tag in before taking the steers down to their new home, where we could work with them."

Those photos were from 1999.

The photos below were from the year before. Jill wrote:

"This was the first year I didn't use my bucket calf from the previous year. We sorted twice because one went over the fence. That wasn't the one we chose."

She appears to be laying down the law to Midnight while they had him in the chute.

And I guess it worked. The photo at the bottom of the page was taken in December, and he was perfectly content to let Jill lead him around only a month later or so.

Let's hope the Dealys have the same results.

Leave It To Beaver

I was one of those kids in the 1960s who loved watching the Beav and Wally on Leave It To Beaver. Even though it only ran from 1957 to 1963, reruns introduced the Cleaver family to other generations of television viewers.

But the County Line has another kind of beaver. Even though he's elusive, and we haven't seen him in person, we've seen evidence of his work.

If we were to catch a glimpse of him, he'd probably look something like this:

(I got the photo from Wilderness Classroom.)

We have cattle in a pasture on Peace Creek. It's also where the guys go every day to load up silage to feed the cattle.

As Randy was driving into the pasture, he noticed the gnawing marks on the tree.

Then, he saw the hole in the ice where the beaver had broken the surface of the creek to get to his chewing station.

And, even though it was about 10 degrees at the time, he came back to the house so I could see it, too. That's true love, isn't it?

The beaver probably lives on the other side of the creek, beyond the bend. When we still farmed that land, we took a 4-wheeler ride and saw the beaver dam along Peace Creek. We don't farm the ground anymore, so you'll just have to take my word for it.

And while it was interesting to see the well-chewed tree and the broken ice, I got distracted by the beauty of the sun reflecting on the ice.

It was worth bundling up in three layers of clothing to see that.

A New Chapter

I watched Brent drive away one night last week. He was going back to Manhattan.

That isn't anything new. Since he graduated from high school in 2006, he's driven away from his childhood home many times.

But this time was different. This time, he was starting the first leg of a journey that would take him beyond the familiar landmarks of the County Line and Manhattan and on to a new adventure.

On January 10, Brent will begin working on his master's degree in sports administration at the University of South Carolina in Columbia. It's a 19-hour drive from Manhattan, but it seems lightyears away for his mother.

On New Year's Eve, we loaded a dresser and night table from his childhood bedroom into the U-Haul. We added the TV stand he'd made in high school shop class and a few other boxes. On January 2, we went to Manhattan to load his possessions from his house there. Then we took off for South Carolina.

But it was his driving away from the County Line earlier in the week that caused tears to flood my eyes.

When I hugged him, he knew I was struggling with the moment.

"It's not like I haven't left before," my practical guy told me.

No, I admitted to him. But it's different this time. Instead of seeing a fully-grown man taking off into his future, I was seeing that little guy with the K-State backpack, ready to begin another year of school. But this time, he wasn't boarding a school bus. He was taking off for an unfamiliar life, halfway across the country.

Before he left, he went outside to say goodbye to Ralph, his dog.

"I'm going outside to hug my puppy," he told me. Well, Ralph hasn't been a puppy for years and the black coat of his youth is now speckled with gray.

So maybe, just maybe, my big guy was thinking just a little bit about the past, too.

He drove away after dark. That's nothing new either. My night owl is at his best in the twilight hours. As his headlights disappeared from view when he passed the northern shelterbelt, I looked up at the sky.

Yes, it will be different not having either of my "babies" living in their home state. But the same sky and stars that blanket a winter night in Kansas will be twinkling in South Carolina. They shine above Jill in Nebraska.

So when I look up at the sky, I know those same stars are shining down on them. They may be in a different position in the sky.


But they will be twinkling nonetheless.

EMAW

Kermit said it isn't easy being green.

It's not easy being PURPLE in Big Red Country either.

Eric has been subtly cheering for the Wildcats with his work attire. Every Friday during football season, he wore a purple shirt to work. I'm not sure anyone at work knew about his plan to overtake all those Husker fans with one purple shirt, but it made him feel better.

But enough with the subtlety. They wanted a flagpole and K-State flag so they could fly their Purple Pride on game days.

Most of all, our Nebraska newlyweds wanted a limestone rock for Christmas. They didn't figure they could find any stone cutter in Nebraska who could craft a Powercat, and since the other parents live in Iowa, we were their best hope.

But they didn't want just any stone. They wanted an EMAW stone. And their wish came true.

It wasn't easy wrestling it into their trunk.

The EMAW stone went on a Christmas adventure from Kansas to Nebraska to Iowa and back to Nebraska.

They are just waiting for an unsuspecting delivery guy or a clueless neighbor to come up to the door and say, "Hello, there Mr. EMAW. How are you today?"



And our Wildcats in Huskerland will smile and say, "Very well, thank you!"

A New Beginning

A new year dawns. It's a blank slate.

It's like the excitement we felt as little kids, when we opened that big 64-crayon box at the beginning of the school year. There was a whole carton of possibilities. No blemishes. No broken crayons. All the colors were there, just ready for us to create.

It's another chance to begin again. We tell ourselves we will make better choices. After six weeks of holiday eating, we will choose more healthful foods. We will commit to exercise each and every day. We will vow to develop a spiritual discipline - read our Bibles more, pray without ceasing, find God all around us. ...

Head on over the the Lovely Branches website today to see my January post. Thanks for taking the trip!

A Pizza Christmas

You don't have to have ham or turkey to honor holiday tradition. We did have spiral ham for our own little family gathering. But at our Christmas Eve celebration with my family, beef brisket is always on the menu.

Our celebration with Randy's side of the family is less predictable. After his parents passed away, we have often celebrated Christmas with Mexican fiestas at Kathy's house.

And when we are here on the County Line, I often opt for pizza. And it's still all about tradition.

Randy's mom, Marie, was known for making pizza. When the kids were in high school, I'm told she made dozens of homemade pizzas to serve kids who came for youth group, for game nights and other gatherings.

She had a signature gift which she gave to young brides during church showers. She would wrap up a pizza pan with all the spices and seasonings needed to make their own pizza. She also included a box of hot roll mix, which she used to make the crust.

For Jill & Eric's bridal shower at the church, my sister-in-law, Kathy, wrapped up a pizza pan gift - a tribute to her mom. It was perfect, since Marie was so central to happenings like that at our church.

I make my own dough, but the sentiment - and the memories - are still there. It's a way to pay homage to my in-laws. Even though they aren't here to celebrate with us, it kind of feels like they are.

Marie, Jill, Melvin and Brent at a long-ago Christmas

This year, I made three different pizzas - a hamburger (pictured above), a cheese and a pepperoni. The other two were gone before I remembered to take a photo.

Kim's Homemade Pizza Dough

1 pkg. active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees)
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour or whole wheat flour or combination

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir in remaining ingredients. Beat vigorously 20 strokes (If you need to, knead briefly to get it to form a ball.) Let rest about 5 minutes. Makes 2 crusts.

Divide the dough evenly and spread onto two pizza pans. I prepare the pans by rubbing with shortening and I have my hands well-greased with shortening to spread out the dough.

I don't really have a recipe for the rest. I use canned pizza sauce and just add hamburger, pepperoni, cheese, etc.

Once you have your toppings added, bake in a 425-degree oven for 15-20 minutes (or so), until cheese is light brown and crust is nicely browned. My oven bakes hot, so I always check it early.

Marie's Pizza

1 box hot roll mix
Salad oil
Onions, to taste
1 6-oz. can tomato paste
1 8-oz. can tomato sauce
Oregano, to taste
Basil, to taste
Topping of your choice (mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, hamburger, veggies, etc.)

Prepare dough according to directions on hot roll mix package. Using greased fingers, spread dough on well-greased pizza pans.

Brown onions in small amount of salad oil. Add tomato paste and sauce and seasonings. Stir until well blended; simmer. Spread on pizza dough. Add topping and bake at 425 degrees for 15-25 minutes until cheese is bubbly and crust is crisp.

***

My sister-in-law continued the pizza theme with the dessert she brought to the party. She made the treat with a little help from her cute assistants.

And here are Emily & Amanda, who at that point, had filled up on savory AND sweet pizzas and were ready for the main attraction - opening presents!

Fruity Brownie Pizza

1 pkg brownie mix (8 in. size)
1 pkg (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/3 c. sugar
1 can (8 ounces) pineapple tidbits
1 small firm banana sliced
1 medium kiwifruit, peeled and sliced
1 c. sliced fresh strawberries
1/4 c. chopped pecans (opt.)
1 square (1 ounce) semisweet chocolate
1 T. butter (no substitute)

Prepare brownie mix according to package directions. Spread the batter into greased 12 in. pizza pan. Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool completely. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Spread over crust. Drain pineapple, reserving juice. Toss banana slices with juice. Drain well. Arrange banana, kiwi, strawberries, and pineapple over cream cheese layer. Sprinkle with pecans. In a microwave, melt chocolate and butter. Stir until smooth. Drizzle over fruit. Refrigerate for 1 hour. 12-14 servings.

One Sweet Song

I love the brightly colored piano they've added to the decor at Cool Beans, a restaurant at the depot in Hutchinson.

And, as we start 2011, I think it's a good reminder:

Life is one sweet song.
So start the music.

The music of 2011 is cued up and ready to go. But it's up to us to decide whether the music is a dirge or a dance tune.

My sister sent me an email about attitude. Though I'm usually one to clear out my in box promptly, I've saved this one. It's a good reminder to me. I hope you will take it to heart, too:

***

There once was a woman who woke up one morning, looked in the mirror, and noticed she had only three hairs on her head.

'Well,' she said, 'I think I'll braid my hair today.'
So she did, and she had a wonderful day.

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and saw that she had only two hairs on her head.

'H-M-M,' she said, 'I think I'll part my hair down the middle today.'
So she did, and she had a grand day.

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that she had only one hair on her head.

'Well,' she said, 'today I'm going to wear my hair in a ponytail.'

So she did, and she had a fun, fun day.

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that there wasn't a single hair on her head.
'YAY!' she exclaimed. 'I don't have to fix my hair today!'

Attitude is everything.

Be kinder than necessary,

for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

Live simply,

Love generously,

Care deeply,

Speak kindly,

and pray continually.

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass...

It's about learning to dance in the rain.

***

And that's my prayer for you as you begin 2011. Let the music begin!