My Crystal Ball Is Cloudy

There are dozens of sunrises and sunsets between now and Wheat Harvest 2015. Time will tell what kind of crop we'll harvest this coming June.

Last week, before the latest round of winter weather came through the area, some meteorologists predicted that a third of the nation's wheat belt would be affected by winterkill caused by sub-zero temperatures and wind chills.

Most of the Kansas crop was thought to avoid the damage. Winterkill was anticipated in eastern Nebraska, southwestern Iowa, northern and eastern Missouri, south central Illinois, southern Indiana and southern Ohio.

Adequate moisture this fall helped establish a good root system for our crop here in South Central Kansas.

We had snow cover on most of our wheat, which helps insulate it somewhat from the sub-zero temperatures.

The tip ends of the plant always show some damage from freeze burn, but as long as the main part of the plant has ample moisture below the surface, the wheat isn't damaged by the surface "burn."

The National Agriculture Statistics Service reports that 49 percent of Kansas wheat is now in good to excellent condition, with 42 percent fair and 9 percent in poor to very poor condition.

My personal crop adviser doesn't think our crop was hurt with the temperatures. He is, if you'll recall, one of the most optimistic people I know.

Two years ago, we had several episodes of freezing rain during April and figured the wheat crop was lost. Instead, Harvest 2013 was the best wheat we'd ever harvested. For our 2014 wheat crop, a dry fall, winter and spring negatively impacted our yields.

My crystal ball is a little cloudy right now. We'll see how things add up when the trucks cross the co-op scales next June.

The Pied Piper of Bovines

It could have gone better.
It could have gone worse.

That was my farmer's review of our snowy cattle-moving excursion last week.

As for me, I happily drove the pickup instead of the 4-wheeler. I usually like the 4-wheeler job. But on a day where the mercury didn't even make it to the freezing mark, I was just fine with a job inside the pickup cab.

We moved 27 cows from the sudan field where they'd been dining since November.

It looked a bit different on a cold January day ...

... than it did in early November when the cattle first arrived. They had lots of good eating, but the snow and cold temperatures, along with two months of chomping away, meant we needed to move them.

I was the Pied Piper of Bovines. The square bales of hay in the back of the pickup were supposed to entice the ladies to leave the field behind.

Randy took a bale out of the back of the pickup to tempt them.

Then, kind of like prompting a toddler to walk toward you by holding a much-loved toy as a prize, the hay bale went back into the pickup bed. Randy lowered the electric fence, but it still took a little coaxing to get them to follow the pickup.

With the snow cover, Randy hoped they would just follow the pickup down the road. But, of course, that would have been too easy. Instead, they took sojourns into a wheat field on one side of the road and a CRP field on the other. The guys on the 4-wheelers kept urging them back toward the road and the pickup.

I kept honking away on the horn to keep them focused on the pickup. The sound seemed to carry in the cold winter air. Thankfully, no neighbors came to investigate what the racket caused by all that incessant honking was about. 

I tried to gauge the optimal speed to keep them moving south. But, let's face it:  I didn't have the hard job. I wasn't driving through snow-filled ditches, while my fingers and toes got numb.

During the 35-minute excursion, I took a photo or two using the rearview mirror. (Yes, it really took that long to go a little more than a mile!) I tried some side mirror shots, too, but I think I'll need to use a little Windex next time to have those photos turn out.

A cow or two made a quick side trip to my front yard on our way by the house, before Randy herded them back on the road. 

We finally arrived at the pasture just south of our house. Our heifers - first-time moms - should begin calving at the end of this month. But these cows (and the other experienced mamas) will likely begin dropping calves around February 10.

Until then, the guys will be bringing them silage and hay to keep the maternity ward well fed and satisfied.

Spiced Tea Mix

I start my day with coffee - and lots of it. I'm not sure whether the raging headache I had early this week was a side effect of a pesky 24-hour stomach virus or caffeine withdrawal, since coffee didn't have its usual appeal. Maybe it was a bit of both.

But, on these cold afternoons and evenings, I switch to other hot drinks. Among my favorites is Spiced Tea. It's a concoction I've been drinking since I was a child.

My Mom used to concoct the mix each winter. When I'd get home from school, I'd go to the Lazy Susan and spin it until the glass jar of mix was revealed. A little hot water and a little mix: Pure perfection on a cold winter day.

The recipe is from an old Byers United Methodist Church Cookbook, where the names attached to the recipes provide a flashback to the ladies who sat in the church pews each week. My cookbook is literally held together with a rubber band. Through the years, I've multiplied the recipe so I would use a whole jar of Tang and lemon-flavored tea.

My mom used to share the mix as gifts for teachers and other special people during the holidays. This year, I included some in my grab bag gift for the Moore family Christmas for a touch of nostalgia. I also poured some in a decorative tin and sent it to my Christmas in the Country pal. Sometimes, decorated jars have a place on the goody sale table at our annual church bazaar.

Cinnamon and cloves are the fragrances of wintertime. It's the perfect beverage to drink while burrowing under a fleece blanket reading a book and trying to forget there's snow on the ground and a north wind blowing. Enjoy!

Spiced Tea

From the Byers United Methodist Church Cookbook

1 jar Tang (19.7 oz.)
1 jar lemon-flavored instant tea (4.4 oz.)
5 1/4 cups sugar (or equivalent amount of sugar substitute)
4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground cloves

Mix all together in large bowl. Store in covered jars. Use 3 heaping teaspoons full per mug of hot water (or more or less to taste).

Note:  The ounces in Tang and tea change throughout the years, but it's not like baking a cake. This mix isn't an exact science. 

A Party Fit for a Princess

It was a party fit for a princess.

Kinley turned 3 years old on December 30, but we didn't get to celebrate with her until last weekend. For Kinley's 1st and 2nd birthdays, Mommy picked the theme. This time, Kinley channeled her love of "Frozen" and all things princess. It doesn't hurt that "Frozen" seems to be down every aisle of every store.

As I said in my Christmas letter, my son-in-law has had to "Let It Go" that their home will be a princess-free zone. (When they were expecting Kinley, we were told no outfits that said "Daddy's or Mommy's Princess." We still don't buy those shirts, but it doesn't keep "princesses" from the Ladd Castle.)

Kinley picked out the napkins and the decorations. Then she helped Mommy decorate the homemade cupcakes for both her preschool and her family party. Grandma made some snowflake cookies. Jill also made some hot chocolate cookies and decorated them with snowflake sprinkles.

Jill made tags for the food that went along with the theme. The baby carrots were Olaf noses. There was Elsa's Snow Dip, Reindeer Salad, Troll's Tossed Salad, Magical Fruit Wands, among the cute labels!

Kinley got a bike fit for a princess, though it will probably be better to ditch the princess dress before attempting to ride it for real. There's even a royal carriage basket to transport a dolly.

We got her a dollhouse. It was such fun to listen to her make-believe conversations while having the dolls do everything from dance at a wedding, to going to bed, to going to the potty (on a toilet that actually makes a flushing sound!

Kinley and her cousin, Hannah, spent time in the owl tent that Grandma and Grandpa Ladd gave her. I see camping in their future (their future - not mine)!

Listening in on the conversations and giggles between Kinley and Hannah, who is just a month younger, is another fringe benefit of the birthday festivities.

She got a boatload of other presents, too, including the costumes and accessories the two young models are wearing. (Grandma neglected to record all the gifts in photos for posterity.)

Grandpa Randy did a magic trick before we all sang "Happy Birthday" (TWICE), and Kinley blew out her candles.

Brooke did not sing or blow. But just wait until next year.

All in all, it was a lovely day at the Ladd Palace.

Kinley and Hannah weren't the only princesses.

She may not sing or blow out candles, we did give Princess Brooke some pretty wings, even though Kinley thought she was too little. (It probably won't be the last time Brooke hears that either!)

Brooke supplied her own rattle wand for the occasion and seemed to like the wings just fine. 

Christmas in the Country Reveal

I admit it:  I love mail. I realize in this fast-paced world, people are much more inclined to Tweet or SnapChat their friends instead of putting stamps on an envelope or box and sending their greetings via snail mail.

So it was a real pleasure to participate for the first time in Christmas in the Country. Four country-based bloggers coordinated the 2nd annual holiday event. Robyn Goddard (The Ranch Wife Chronicles), Jamie Rhoades (This Uncharted Rhoade), Laurie Link (COUNTRY LINKed) and Erin Mullins (Diaries from the Dirt Road) were the hosts for 70 participants. 

I got a little love in a box from MaryBeth Schwartz from Conway, Washington, who blogs at Small City Scenes of Stanwood. I didn't know MaryBeth until I received her box of goodies and letter. But, ironically, her daughter Cheri, who blogs at My Ranch Life from Ritzville, Wash., and I were already blog friends across the miles. It is, indeed, a small world that MaryBeth ended up being my Secret Santa.

MaryBeth's rural landscape is far different from mine in South Central Kansas, where grain and beef cattle are the predominant agricultural products. In her area, dairy farms dot the countryside, along with small vegetable farms and large potato operations. In the past, the area was known for logging, but that has transitioned to fishing, farming and ranching.

I loved seeing a glimpse of her area through her beautiful handmade cards that feature Washington scenery.

MaryBeth also sent me several products from Washington, including this Snow Day coffee and raspberry-chocolate spread. The Snow Day blend proved to be especially apt, since we've been in deep-freeze mode for weeks now. A cup of coffee paired with toast and preserves was a great winter morning breakfast. (She also sent me a few Christmas tree sugar cookies. Yes, I admit they got eaten before I took a photo of them. I wasn't the only one to blame though!)

She also sent some lavender soap made in the area, along with holiday cards/tags she made herself, which she sells at a little shop in Conway. I also got a keyring and a personalized cloth bag that tucks into a little package and fits inside your purse. (It's perfect for someone who never remembers her "green" shopping bags!)

Since I'd revealed that blue is my favorite color, she had her sister-in-law make a stocking cap especially for me. I wore it yesterday when we moved cattle on a day that didn't even crack the freezing mark.

I discovered that MaryBeth has quite a sense of humor, as evidenced by this homemade weather forecaster. (Click on the photo so that you can read the whole thing.)

She also made me smile with this magnet ...

... and this cowboy bubble bath.

My Christmas in the Country box went to Lindsay Chichester-Medahunsi in Lincoln, Nebraska, who blogs at Agricultural with Dr. Lindsay. She was raised on a cattle and sheep ranch in northern California and has since transplanted to the Plains. She has a background in microbiology, meat science and food safety and loves all things ag. How could I not like her already!? She has been blogging for a year now and is a great ag-vocate. Be sure and visit her blog and become a follower. Or connect on these other social media platforms:
Website (http://food.unl.edu/ag-and-food)
– Twitter/Instagram (agwithdrlindsay)
– Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/agwithdrlindsay)
– Pinterest (Lindsay Chichester-Medahunsi)

I didn't take any photos of the things I sent Lindsay, so she bailed me out when she posted photos for her Christmas in the Country link-up. I've now been following her blog, and it's fun to make another rural connection.

The Christmas in the Country was a way to meet some new blogging friends. Other bloggers participating can be found here at this link-up. Now that the holidays are over, I need to spend a little more time clicking on those links, and I invite you to do the same.

Fresh Start

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! II Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)

A Time to Think

Since the new year will not be any newer than you are,

 make up your mind that you are going to be new.

 –Norman Vincent Peale, pastor and author

As the snow fell, I walked to the road and peered southward, squinting my eyes against the bracing cold and trying to see beyond the snow-obscured horizon.

The new year can be a beautiful blank canvas, like that blanket of white snow that stretched as far as I could see.

I can map out a plan for my days - and I often do - with my first-born attention to detail and to-do lists.

But, despite my best intentions, the days can become as twisted and meandering as the branches of the old cottonwood tree that sits just south of our driveway.

A Time to Act

Remember that detours are opportunities to experience new things.

A Time to Pray

God, thank You for all of the blessings in my life and the vision with which to recognize them.

The quotes in blue were taken from a Guideposts devotional I get in my email inbox every day. They arrived just in time for the new year.

Happy New Year as we get in the swing of 2015! (Now, if I can just remember to write it on my checks!)