Fly Like An Eagle

Practically from the time they arrive, our children begin the march toward independence. From the day they begin crawling away to explore a world outside Mommy's arms or they take their first tentative, shaky steps, they begin that pulling away process.

The first-day-of-school bus photo evolves until they are driving their own vehicle to school. All too soon, you are the one waving goodbye from the driveway as they head back to college or head back home after an all-too-short weekend.

This past week, it was a Budget Rent-A-Truck instead of a school bus. Brent no longer packs a K-State backpack, but instead a leather briefcase with space for a laptop.

He will add another school to his allegiance. Yesterday, he began his job as the Media and Marketing Coordinator for the Morehead (Ky.) State University Eagles. It's his first job after earning his master's degree in Sport and Entertainment Management from the University of South Carolina in May.

Brent's office will be in this building. Maybe we'll get to see it next time!

As Randy drove the Budget truck and I helped navigate from Columbia through the hills of Tennessee and Kentucky, the Steve Miller Band song, "Fly Like An Eagle" kept drifting through my head.


Brent is going to be an Eagle now, but it was this part that had me thinking:

"Time keeps on slippin', slippin', slippin' into the future."

Indeed it does.

As I walked the Morehead State University campus on Saturday, I captured a mental picture of where my "baby" will be spending his time. I took a similar walk around the South Carolina campus when we moved him there in January 2011 after his graduation from K-State in December 2010.

The campus - and for that matter, the town - is nestled in the foothills of the Daniel Boone National Forest in Rowan County, Kentucky. The 2012 edition of "America's Best Colleges" by U.S. News and World Report named MSU one of the top 25 public universities in the South. Randy and I have already added some blue and gold to our wardrobes.

The bell tower on campus is inscribed with the words Love, Service, Wisdom and Justice on each of its four sides.

Those are all virtues with which we'd like to send our children into the world to make their own way. It's an exciting time as a parent to watch your child fly like an Eagle - a Morehead State Eagle, in this case.

Tomorrow: More from our trip.

To Market, To Market

With apologies to Mother Goose and other nursery rhyme folk:

To market, to market
To sell our fine calves
The 2012 drought
Cuts weights in halves.

OK, now you know why I don't write poetry.

We loaded 39 calves from the Rattlesnake Creek pasture Tuesday and hauled them to the Pratt Livestock sale barn for today's sale. 

This is the second year we've sold calves in the fall because we don't have enough feed to carry them through the winter. Traditionally, we've fed the calves and their mamas until spring. With feed supplies low in this second year of drought, Randy again made the decision to sell.

We are even earlier this year taking the first of the calves to market. The Rattlesnake Pasture's grass was depleted, and the guys moved them home last Friday. In normal years, Randy and his cousin leave the cows and calves on grass there until November 1 or thereabouts.

Last year, we sold calves in mid-October. We still have grass available in some of our other pastures. Time - and the forecast - will determine how much longer they can remain on grass before joining these first ones at the sale barn.

The cows stayed behind. We'll feed them through the winter, and the cycle will begin again with the 2013 calf crop, set to arrive in late January and February. Let's hope some good moisture arrives, too.

This group of cattle is in a pasture south of our house. These curious creatures came to look me over while I was walking by Tuesday morning.

***

I'm taking a few days away from Kim's County Line. I truly appreciate my faithful readers and will have big news to share when next we meet.

K is for K-State By Kinley Marie

K is for ...

By Kinley Marie

K is for Kinley. It says so right on my bedroom wall.

But this weekend, my Mommy and Daddy took me to my first football game, where I learned that "K" also stands for the "Kansas" in Kansas State University. And I also learned something about a couple of other letters on my bedroom wall border - the "S" and the "U." Put them all together and they spell K-S-U! Add some more letters, and we can spell K-State!

I heard those letters a whole bunch of times on Saturday. They will be a piece of cake when I get to kindergarten. My Mommy helped me learn the K-S-U cheer.

Willie the Wildcat led us in the cheer. Poor Willie has to do pushups after every touchdown and every field goal. Even though I like jumping, I was glad I didn't have to do 51 pushups.Whew!

My Mommy and Daddy are old friends of Willie's. He helped them celebrate when they got engaged at the first football game in 2008.

They have been doing this kind of dance called the Wabash Cannonball for a long time, so my Daddy helped me learn it, too. This is at the beginning when we turn side to side.

Before the game, I sat on my purple blanket and made lots of great noises on the seats. But it got too crowded. I guess there are a whole lot of people who like this thing called K-State football. 

Getting held by Grandpa gave me the chance to learn another K-State tradition:  "Good for another Wildcat - First Down!" We practiced during halftime.

This place we visited is called Bill Snyder Family Stadium.

It could be my family stadium, too. Besides my Mommy and Daddy, my Grandma and Grandpa Fritzemeier were there.

So were my Grandma and Grandpa Ladd, but I didn't get over to see them at the game this time. (But they all stayed at my house, so I got to spend some quality time with everyone.)

From another K-State game

My Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Moore and a bunch of other family members were there, too. See? They could name it the Kinley Family Stadium. I already have the "K!"

There was a whole lot of cheering, so it was kind of loud. But I didn't mind.

I liked watching the band ...

 ... and keeping time to the music.

All the action on the field made me a bit hungry. Grandpa tried to feed me frozen yogurt. Mommy said no. I thought the purple popcorn looked good. But I had sweet potatoes instead.

It was all very exciting, but I just got tuckered out singing the K-State Fight Song and the alma mater with Grandma and doing the Wabash with Daddy. So I had to take a little "Cat" nap. (That's what little Wildcats do.)

I didn't stay asleep for long. I had more people watching to do and the Wildcats needed me to cheer them on.

But, about the time the moon was coming up over the stadium, my Mommy and Daddy decided we needed to go home.

So I missed the big fireworks show, but my Grandma stayed around. Maybe I'll get to stay for the whole game the next time.

The Wildcats gave me a 51-9 victory over the Missouri State Bears for my very first football game ever. Good job, Wildcats!

The End

Once in a Blue Moon

Blue moon setting, morning of September 1, 2012

A blue moon arrived on the same day that Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, was laid to rest. 

When there is a second full moon within one calendar month, it's said to be a blue moon. This relatively rare event won't happen again until July 2015. The last time a blue moon occurred was December 2009. The moon remains its usual color, but the astronomical event is associated with the phrase "once in a blue moon."

Moon setting - August 31, 2012

In announcing his death, Armstrong's family requested that when people "see the moon smiling down at you, think of Neil Armstrong and give him a wink."

I remember staying up late to watch Neil Armstrong walk on the moon, July 20, 1969. I would just have turned 12 years old.  

I went by the Zenith branch of the co-op to fill my car with gas and thought this looked like the grain spout was dropping the moon into the night sky. 

I also watched it as it seemed to climb the "ladder" of the elevator.

I think the moon was a little bit purple on the night of K-State's season opener vs. Missouri State.

It was September 1, but the moon still looked full to me. It was the first Wildcat football game for Kinley, a fifth generation Wildcat. (More on that later.)

I think of thee, alma mater.

No Pie for Moving Day (But they did get cookies)

It's moving day for the cattle at the Big Pasture on the Rattlesnake Creek. Even with last week's rain, the grass is depleted. Randy and his cousin, Don, have been taking turns hauling hay bales to the pasture to make up for paltry pasture offerings in the past few weeks.

So today, there's a five-man crew ready to sort and move the cattle home. For the second year in a row, we will sell the calves instead of feeding them through the winter. This second year of drought has left us with enough hay and silage to feed the mama cows this winter, but not enough for the calves, too. The calves will go through the sale ring next week. 

Last year, we sold the calves in mid-October. In 2010, we finally moved the last pairs off pasture in mid-November. What a difference two years of drought makes!

Moving day was also different in the "olden days." (Now I sound like a real old-timer, don't I?) Back when Randy's and Don's fathers and grandfathers owned the pasture, the women would bring a hot meal to the pasture.

I've done it before, and I offered again. But, instead, I packed lunches for Randy and Jake this morning. Randy says it's easier since all five people aren't necessarily in the same place at the same time.

But I did pack an extra treat for all the guys. No, it wasn't pie, which was part of the Fritzemeier tradition. With me, they just got bar cookies.

I didn't make them look all pretty for the guys. I just dressed up some of the bars to show they are versatile enough to go in a lunch pail for a cattle moving day - or they can look pretty on an assorted cookie tray for people who won't be eating them with dirty hands.

The guys didn't get the pretty napkins either.

White Chocolate Blondies

Recipe adapted from Cookies and Cups blog

1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips, divided
5 tbsp. butter
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9- by 9-inch pan with baking spray. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine butter and 3/4 cup white chocolate chips. Melt them together, cooking for 1 minute intervals at 50 percent power until melted, taking care not to burn. Stir together as much as possible, though the butter will somewhat separate from the white chocolate.

In a mixing bowl, combine sugar, eggs and vanilla, beating until smooth. Pour in the white chocolate mixture and continue beating until smooth and combined. Add the flour, baking powder and salt; stir until just incorporated. Add in remaining 3/4 cup white chocolate chips.

Spread in prepared pan and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until set. Allow to cool completely before cutting into bars. If desired, drizzle with additional melted white chocolate. You can also add a Hershey's Cookies and Creme Drop to dress them up for a cookie tray, etc. Or serve them plain - without any additional adornment.

Note:  When I am baking, I want to get the most mileage out of the mess. So I doubled the recipe and baked it in a sheet cake pan. They baked in 15-20 minutes (but I have an oven that runs a bit hot.) 

Tailgate Time

Football season is here. For many, it's time to pack up the party and take it to the parking lot. Others may be gathering with friends around the big screen. Some will be passing snacks as they sit in the bleachers and wait for their favorite high school team's kickoff tomorrow night.

No matter the setting, snack mixes are a snap to add to an all-star tailgate line-up. Since Labor Day weekend is almost here, this Lemon Buddies snack mix says goodbye to summer with just the right combination of tart and sweet. And, if you're not a football fan, take it to pass around the campfire for summer's last hurrah.

Lemon Buddies

9 cups Rice Chex cereal
1 1/4 cups vanilla baking chips
1/4 cup butter (no substitutes)
4 tsp. grated fresh lemon peel
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 cups powdered sugar

Measure cereal into a large bowl. Microwave chips, butter, lemon peel and juice uncovered on high 1 minute. Sttir and then microwave for an additional 30 seconds or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated.

Pour into 2-gallon resealable food-storage plastic bag with powdered sugar.  Shake until well coated. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in airtight container. (If you want, you can throw in some unmelted white chocolate chips. Or, if you like chocolate and lemon, add M & Ms in your favorite team's colors.)

Need other ideas?

Click here for the recipes for both the Team Spirit Pretzel Snacks (above) and the Toffee Snack Mix (below.)

Below, it's School Spirit Munch. (It's rather obvious who we root for around here, isn't it?! But party supply stores and even some discount stores have colored M & Ms, so you can substitute your color of choice. For our Stafford Trojans, I would use white and red candies. You can also buy candy coating in a variety of colors.)

Or try this Peanutty Snack Mix. If you wanted to keep with the school colors theme, you could substitute colored M & Ms for the peanut  M & Ms. My family also likes this mix with Peanut Butter M & Ms.

Sunny Thoughts

We don't need more to be thankful for,

we need to be more thankful.

—Source Unknown

Approach today with a grateful heart.

Those were the "headlines" from one of my email devotionals yesterday.

Sometimes, I get bogged down with the broken things. I tend to see the barbs rather than the blossoms.

I see the best-laid plans that have fallen by the wayside as surely as fallen trees ...

... instead of the opportunities and blessings blossoming all around me.

 

It requires is a change of focus - a change in attitude. 

Yesterday, Ann Voskamp, the author of One Thousand Gifts wrote on her blog, A Holy Experience:

It’s those who have given thanks till they know their cup is full — who can then pour their lives out like a gift.

I don't need more to be thankful for,

I need to be more thankful.