In the Face of Tragedy

A photo from our December 2007 ice storm. We were without electricity for 12 days.

The photos from the South Dakota blizzard are painful to see. One came through on my Facebook feed last night, showing dozens of cattle who had perished, revealed as the snow melted from a deep valley. 

I have a blogging friend, Robyn of The Ranch Wife Chronicles who had planned to go to the South Dakota Women in Agriculture convention last weekend. But her husband, J, whom she calls The Rancher, had a feeling. He thought that the predicted winter storm might be worse than anyone thought. 

This is one of those times when I'm sure The Rancher wishes he were wrong. They moved cattle around to try to position them as best they could for the coming storm. They were among the fortunate ones. They don't think they lost cattle, though they won't know for sure until they bring them off summer pastures and get an accurate count. But The Rancher's cousin lost somewhere between 15 and 20 cattle that they know of so far. Others of their friends, neighbors and colleagues lost that many or more.

In fact, some news reports say that ranchers lost between 20 and 50 percent of their herds. Besides the emotional toll, think about how that will impact their financial health this year and for years to come. 

Have you heard much about it on the national news? I haven't. That's a tragedy, too. 

The numbers will continue to evolve as the people of South Dakota dig out. However, as I heard from Robyn by email today, more stormy weather is forecast. So, ranchers are again racing around, trying their best to protect their herds and prepare for the unknown. 

Last weekend's blizzard was unseasonably early. Most ranchers hadn't moved cattle from summer pastures, which offered less protection than the winter counterparts.  The cattle hadn't grown their thicker winter coats yet, providing less protection from the elements.

Yesterday, I read a post by another South Dakota blogger, Just a Ranch Wife. She was not someone in my blog feed (though she will be now). She talked about the ridiculous comments that some people were making in the comment section of stories published in the Rapid City Journal and elsewhere.

There were comments that ranchers shouldn't have more cattle than they could house in a barn. There were comments that ranchers cared more about their big pickup trucks than their herds. 

The ignorance is astounding. The callousness of people who would rather criticize than commiserate is unfathomable to me. Why do people use a tragedy to push their own agendas?

Yesterday, someone from South Dakota shared a photo on Facebook. It showed the vastness of the South Dakota landscape, with fence posts barely peeking out of snow banks. It was from

Amber Bruce West's photo, along with this caption:  

Here's a picture of all the PETA animal rights people lined up to help out with finding, feeding, and helping our poor animals that survived the storm. Can you see them??? But by golly have a circus come to town and they are out in droves.

  As you can see, there weren't any PETA people in the photo - just miles of snow. 

Yes, farming and ranching looks easy when you are examining it from your computer screen. It's a lot tougher when you're again out on the 4-wheeler looking for cows and calves to save.

Tragedy has seemed to pile on top of tragedy this month. 

This week, I went to a funeral for a young man killed in an accident a week ago. He grew up farming with his family just to the east of us. He also left behind a wife and two little girls. I was struck by the words shared by his father-in-law during the message. 

"Our families want you to know that God didn't make this happen."

Also this month, my cousin's daughter, who is Jill's age, lost her husband and father of their 4-month-old twins.

It's not part of God's plan to take people away from loving families. It's not part of God's plan to harm animals and affect the livelihood of people who work so hard to care for His creation. 

But God is there to walk alongside us when we grieve and when we try to pick up the pieces of shattered lives. He weeps with us.

If you'd like to help the South Dakota ranchers, here's a link for a Rancher Relief Fund. 

***

For another blog from a South Dakota rancher, check out this one from Opened Door: Broken Dreams and Hearts on the Western Dakota Prairie. 

Sun Sets on Wheat Planting

God's canvas is as big as a Kansas horizon. As the sun sank into the west and tinged the clouds above with light, His masterpiece spoke of promise and hope. It's a good thing to remember as we come to the end of wheat planting.

As I've hauled people and meals to the field, the air has been heavy with dust as tractors pulling discs and drills run back and forth across dry land. Though we were blessed with some good rains in July, it hasn't rained appreciably since. And we are once again planting into dust.

This was a graphic I created last year, after reading the quote in The Hutchinson News.

It may not be as bad as it was last year during planting when we were in the second year of exceptional drought, but it still reminds me of the chorus of a Brad Paisley song:

And the tractor keeps rollin'
The dust rises high
Creating the only cloud in the sky
He's holdin' his ground
But it's gettin' tough
He's keepin' his faith
In the Lord up above
And prayin' for rain
Through a cloud of dust

We began planting the 2014 wheat crop on September 23 and finished yesterday, October 9. Wheat is the primary crop here on the County Line, with a little more than 1,400 of the acres we farm planted to wheat.

Here in Central Kansas, we plant winter wheat. It's planted in the fall and then goes dormant during the cold months of winter before coming out of its "hibernation" and growing again next spring, then maturing for a June harvest.

We saved some of our 2013 crop in bins on the farm to use as seed wheat. It's binned during harvest, and then we load it into the truck to take to Miller Seed Farms near Partridge for cleaning. They treat it with Cruiser, a fungicide, which helps protect the small wheat plants from disease. It's also treated with Vibrance Extreme, an insecticide which helps keep bugs at bay.

We also buy some certified seed in bags to plant for our own seed wheat for the following year. This year, Randy bought 1863, a new Kansas State University-developed variety, and Cedar, a WestBred-developed wheat seed. This gets new wheat varieties in our rotation and helps keep the purity in the seed.

 

Once we got home with the certified seed, it went immediately into the drill. We had to go back later to pick up the wheat in the truck, after it had been cleaned and treated. Randy then augered it into the drill for planting. 

As with every planting season, I think about the optimism that seems to be part of the fabric of every farmer. They put a seed in the ground and then wait like a kid on Christmas morning. They slow down as they pass a planted field, just waiting for that first glimmer of green. And then the miracle begins again for yet another season.

This year for the first time, we planted wheat in fields where we had just harvested corn. So, it's a different sight to see corn cobs lying in the newly-emerging wheat. And, some volunteer corn has sprouted along with the wheat. However, when we get a frost, the corn will die.

The corn is the rounded plant. The wheat looks like grass.

The wheat is coming up in the earlier-planted fields like little soldiers in a row. And the cycle of life continues here on the County Line.

Before the reward, there must be labor. 

You plant before you harvest. 

You sow in tears before you reap joy.

Artist Ralph Ransom

Coconut Zucchini Lime Bread

I know it's the season for pumpkin and apples. But our zucchini plants haven't gotten the memo. The early-summer enthusiasm for checking the garden is waning, falling off as quickly as those leaves are tumbling from trees in this brisk Kansas wind.

But, hidden among the weeds, we've had several zucchinis that have survived in spite of us. They are too big for preparing as a side dish, so I've been grating them down to size. (It's nothing personal - just necessity!)

Most zucchini bread recipes are heavy on cinnamon and spices. And I like those, too. But this Coconut Zucchini Lime Bread is different. While it may seem more summer-like with its tropical flavors, it's a nice departure from the norm. With the lime-infused glaze, it's a nice wake-me-up start to the day. I made it when Jill, Eric and Kinley came for Oktoberfest this weekend. Even though coconut isn't Jill's favorite thing, she liked this bread. Kinley, on the other hand, preferred Grandpa's scrambled eggs. You can't please everyone, especially a 21-month-old toddler. Enjoy!

Coconut Lime Zucchini Bread

Adapted from Jamie Cooks It Up! blog

3/4 cup oil
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp. lime zest
1 tbsp. lime juice
1 tsp. coconut extract
2 cups shredded zucchini
2 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp.salt
1/4 tsp. soda
3/4 cups flaked coconut
GLAZE:
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp. lime juice
1/2 tsp. coconut extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In mixing bowl, combine oil and sugar; mix well. Add eggs, mixing well. Add lime zest, lime juice and coconut extract. Add shredded zucchini (I left the skin on.) In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, soda and coconut, mixing well. Add to wet ingredients, stirring just until incorporated.

Spray two 8- by 4- by 2 1/2-inch loaf pans or four mini-loaf pans with cooking spray. (When you use cooking spray on the whole pan, you will likely get a "fry" line along the edge of the pan. That doesn't bother me, but if it bothers you, spray the bottom of the pan only. You could also use waxed paper or parchment paper on the bottom of the pan for easy release after baking.

For small pans, bake 20 to 25 minutes. For large pans, bake 35 to 45 minutes. Test doneness by inserting a toothpick in the middle. If it comes out clean, it is ready to come out of the oven. Put waxed paper or parchment paper under the cooling racks. When bread is done, immediately turn out onto prepared baking racks. Glaze immediately.

Glaze: While the bread is baking, prepare the glaze. Combine sugar and lime juice in small glass measuring cup. Put in the microwave for 1 minute; stir to see if the sugar has dissolved. If it has not, microwave for another minute. Add coconut extract. Set aside until the bread comes out of the oven.

After the bread is removed from the pans, pour the prepared glaze over the loaves. Attempt to get some of the glaze to stick to the sides of the loaves as well as the tops. Cool.

Notes:

• I used mini loaves rather than the regular-sized loaf pans.
• With other recipes that have a sticky glaze, I've tried to pour the glaze over the bread while still in the pan. While that helps the bread absorb all the flavors, it usually leads to having it stuck in the pan. If you're just making it for home, though, you could keep it in the pan and just cut slices from it. That would maximize the lime-glaze flavor.

***

Need other ways to use those large zucchinis that need to be grated to be tamed? Try:

Low-Fat Banana Zucchini Bread (or Muffins)

or

Zucchini Carrot Muffins

***

Today, I'm linked to Wake Up Wednesdays. Click on the link to check out lots of yummy recipes!

A Full Pantry

I grew up 15 minutes from a grocery store, so my Mom kept a well-stocked pantry. These days, a forgotten ingredient would also require a 30-minute round trip investment of time, energy and gas. So, my pantry is usually filled to overflowing.

I understood perfectly when Randy looked at the piled-high silo and said, "It's good to see it full."

From upper left: Our trench silo; our neighbor's silo (his doesn't have sides, so you can see it better); looking from the bottom up; a handful of the freshly-cut silage.

While we won't dine on these provisions set aside for winter, our cattle will.

Photos from Winter 2011 - (from upper left) Scooping out silage from the trench silo with the loader tractor; dumping it in the feed truck; the truck putting it in the feed troughs; the cattle enjoying their breakfast!

We hired Sallabedra Harvesting to bring their silage cutter, a tractor and three trucks to cut 25 acres of silage. They started cutting late Sunday afternoon after finishing our neighbor's silage crop. For years, Randy's family and that neighbor's family did the job themselves. When Randy was young, they had a one-row, pull-type silage cutter. Then they upgraded to a two-row, pull-type silage cutter. They each provided a tractor, one to pull the cutter and the other to use to pack the trench silo.

They each provided a truck to haul the cut silage from the field to the silo. And the wives provided a harvest meal for the four- to six-man crew. Randy says it took two days to get everything ready. It took a week to get both family's silage cut and in the silos. And then it took another two days to get everything cleaned up.

It took about 4 hours from start to finish for the Salladedra Harvest crew to get 'er done. This year, though, since they got a late start, they didn't get done by dark, so they had to come and finish up on Monday morning. Still, that's my kind of harvest ... FAST!

Randy's 6-foot, 1-inch frame was dwarfed by this year's tall silage crop. We grow the silage (also known as forage sorghum) for cattle feed. This particular variety is dual purpose: It has both grain and forage (or roughage), both of which are important to the cattle's diets as TDN - total digestible nutrients.

Silage cutting is another one of those choreographed farm "dances." The silage feeds into the cutter and is chopped. An auger carries the chopped silage into the truck.

All this happens "on the go," with the truck and the cutter continuing in sync through the field until they get to the end of the rows. They then move into position for the next swath down the field.

As they cut, another truck follows behind, ready to move into position when the first truck is full.

 

Once it's full, the trucker takes it to the silo. By design, Randy plants the silage in fields fairly close to the silo so that it doesn't have to be trucked so far.

My silo photos from Sunday night aren't the best because I was looking into the sun. I would imagine visibility for the tractor driver was a little questionable, too, as he pushed the silage into our own version of Green Mountain.

The photos below are from 2011, when the silage cutting was in the morning, rather than the late afternoon, so you can see how the silage truck backs into the trench silo, dumps his load and takes off for another load-on-the-go.
Here's a better photo of the tractor driver packing the silage down, also from 2011.

There are two goals for packing the silage. It allows more to be put into the "pantry," so to speak, and it helps the fermenting process. Once in the silo, the silage goes through an "ensiling" process. It goes through chemical changes, and the heat builds up. It raises the pH of the silage so that it doesn't spoil or ferment any longer. The top 6 inches of it will rot, then it forms an airtight seal, protecting the silage underneath.

After we bring the cows and calves off the summer pastures, the guys will start feeding the silage to the cattle. The mama cows will get the silage as is. For the feeder calves, Randy & Jake will add about 3 to 4 pounds of vitamin- and mineral-enriched grain per head, since they need the additional energy to grow to get ready for market.

It's good to get another harvest crossed off the books ... and to see the cattle's "pantry" full and ready for Old Man Winter.

In His Hands

I'm a get-it-done kinda gal. Give me a mission, and I'll give you a to-do list with bullet points toward accomplishing the task. Though my daughter and I look nothing alike, she, too, is strong-willed and goal oriented. So, is it any wonder that she was blessed with an independently-minded little girl of her own?

Kinley is 21 months old. Though she's a few months away from 2, she is moving into that toddler phase marked by the "I'll do it myself!" attitude. It seems such a short time ago that her tiny fingers were dwarfed by her Grandpa's big hands.

January 2012 - Just after her birth December 30, 2011

These days, she has definite ideas about how things should be. She has opinions about how best to cover up a dolly for a nap and which book in the mountain of reading material is the right one to read. At a park playground, she will spend the entire time swinging - even when there are fun slides and climbing stations from which to choose. 

 

A few weeks ago when I pulled into their driveway for a weekend visit, Kinley came up to the car with an ice bag on her head. She was playing outside with her Mommy and Daddy while they waited on me to arrive. Her feet got tangled up and she fell, head first, onto the cement driveway.

Kinley may have ideas about what she wants to do and the speed with which she wants to do them. But sometimes, she trips and falls. This wasn't her first scrape nor will it be her last.

And you know what? I'm not so different. Too often, I get to traveling at my own speed. I have my to-do list. I have an agenda. I have a plan. I forget that I'm not the one in charge. And I also forget that I don't have to do it on my own.

 There's a bigger picture.

Just like Kinley has someone nearby to pick her up when she falls, I have that, too:

Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

- Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)

I stumble and fall. I make the same mistakes, over and over again, it seems. And God keeps picking me up, dusting me off, and encouraging me to keep going. 

"The grace of God means something like this: Here is your life. You might never have been, but you are because the party wouldn't have been complete without you. Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don't be afraid. I am with you. Nothing can ever separate us. It's for you I created the universe. I love you. There's only one catch. Like any other gift, the gift of grace can be yours only if you'll reach out and take it. Maybe being able to reach out and take it is a gift, too."

Author Frederick Buechner

Too often, I shake off the Father's hand. I'm a capable person. I can do it. I don't have to bother God with this little thing in my life. Or I may lay a big concern at the foot of the cross through fervent prayer. But then I pick it back up again. Like a defiant toddler, "I can do it myself."

But my Abba Father is ready to hold my hand. The road may be clear of obstructions some days. Other days, it's filled with twists and turns and uncertainty. But, like the Loving Parent that He is, He grasps my hand. I just have to reach out and hold on.

I like the JJ Heller song called "Your Hands." The bridge says:

Your hands that shaped the world
Are holding me
They hold me still. 

Like the old Sunday School song goes, "He's got the whole world in His hands." As I look at the changing leaves and see the beauty all around me as we transition into fall, I'm amazed that those hands that created the world care so much about each and every one of us.

***

Today's post is my October blog post at Lovely Branches Ministries, where the theme for the month is "Hands." My friend, Keva, talks about a cherished photo of her late husband's hand in hers at their son's wedding. My friend, Suzanne, shares a hard concept (for me, too)  - "sitting" on her hands and "letting God." But she also talks about all the "handy" work she and others accomplished for her daughter's wedding this past summer. And there's a new blogger at LBM: Leslie McAninch, who is a personal and family counselor. Click on the links to visit!

 ***

Today, I'm also linked to Michelle DeRusha's Hear It On Sunday, Use It On Monday. Click on the link to read more from bloggers of faith. 

A Hint of Fall

The leaves are tenaciously hanging onto their summer green here in South Central Kansas. But change is coming. I see it in the glint of gold, peeking out of the canopy of cottonwoods down a dirt road.

I see it in fog-drenched sunrises, a gift on a morning when I follow a seed wheat truck to the next field. 

I see it dawning through a dirty windshield, far from my country roads, as we went to a wedding last weekend.

(This doesn't fit the photographer's manual on the Rule of Thirds since the elevator is smack dab in the middle of the photo. But I decided I didn't want to crop out any of that beautiful sky!)

A faithful sentinel witnesses the march toward autumn. Since 1915, nearly a century, the elevator at Rayl's Hill has provided a backdrop for all seasons.

Like a model on a runway, ahead of the fashion curve, the cottonwood at the end of our driveway is wearing this season's colors.

The sun is setting on summer.

Welcome fall.

(If you're in the Stafford vicinity, you are cordially invited to Stafford's 24th annual Oktoberfest on Saturday, October 5. Start the day with a walk or run at 8 AM to benefit the Stafford Education Foundation. There are downtown arts and crafts and food vendors from 9 to 4, a 10:30 AM parade, a book sale at the Stafford United Methodist Church from 9 to 4 and free entertainment on a stage at Main and Broadway, beginning at noon. Wiener Dog Races begin at 3 PM. Yep, more than 60 wiener dogs are already registered. We'd love to have you!)

Flower Power by Kinley Marie

Hi! You might remember me. I'm Kinley, and I'd like to introduce you to my cousin, Hannah. She is one month younger than me, which makes her 20 months old. I have been practicing counting, so I know that makes me 21 months old.

Hannah and I have a new skill to add to our resumes. We are now experienced flower girls. Our Uncle Drew and Aunt Kate got married last weekend. Drew is the younger brother to both our daddies.

Photo by Rose Wheat Photography, Manhattan, KS. See more of the professional photos at Emma's Facebook page.

Last Christmas, Drew and Kate asked Hannah and me to be their flower girls. We were only about a year old at the time, so we didn't have much information to go on. But since then, I've done some research. My Mommy bought me a book called Pinkalicious Flower Girl. It's important to do your homework for these things.

Last Friday, we went to a thing called a "rehearsal." Hannah and I decided that flower girls should wear flowers to get into the right frame of mind. So we did.

My Mommy said there was nothing to be afraid of. Everyone wanted us to do our best.

GG Harrison (that stands for Great Grandma, you know) thought we could do it. So did Grandma Christy.

Our job was to ride in a pretty green wagon. Now both Hannah and I have a great deal of experience riding in wagons, so I'm not sure why we had to practice that. A nice lady named Kari Lynne was supposed to pull us into a grove of trees where Drew & Kate were getting married.

 

Mommy and Hannah's Mommy, Aunt Jillian, seemed really nervous about us staying in the wagon. I wonder why?

Even though we were supposed to ride in the wagon, Hannah and I thought we would be excellent wagon pullers. We had to take turns. I heard a lot about "sharing" this weekend. So we took turns pushing and pulling the wagon. Then, if Kari Lynne didn't feel up to it, one of us could take over as wagon puller.

There is a lot of waiting around during a wedding rehearsal, we found out. So Hannah's Grandma, who also happens to be named Kim, helped us sing, "If You're Happy and You Know It." It seemed appropriate for a wedding. If the wedding singers developed a cold or allergy, we were ready and willing to perform. We could have even added dance moves to our wedding serenade. We wanted to be good helpers, ready for anything.

At the rehearsal dinner, Kate & Drew gave us a book, One Little Flower Girl. Wasn't Kate lucky? She was getting TWO flower girls. I had Grandma read it to me before bedtime and twice the next morning, just to make sure I was ready for my big debut.

Then, it was was Saturday. Drew & Kate were getting married! Hannah and I were so excited!

It was time to put on my fancy new dress and my shiny silver shoes. I love dressing up!

We looked a little bit like Kate, don't you think? But she was even more beautiful than we were.

Rose Wheat Photography, Manhattan, KS

We weren't the only ones in pretty dresses. Grandma Christy looked very pretty, too.

 

I had to help Hannah with her hair bow. Weren't they the perfect accessory? We got that from Kate, too.

 In all my research, I learned that some flower girls scatter petals when they walk down the aisle.

We had a pretty flower on our wagon, but they didn't give us any petals to sprinkle. So I just might have made my own. Shhhhh!

Since my dolly couldn't come to the ceremony with me, I decided to show her all the pretty stuff ahead of time.

Before we went down the aisle, we got some last-minute advice from my Daddy. He was in the wedding, too, but his job was as groomsman. I don't think he read a book about it, but he did a good job anyway.

I do have an itsy, bitsy confession to make. Maybe, just maybe, the professional photographer had a hard time getting photos of Hannah and me with the bride and groom. If I was cooperating, Hannah wasn't. If she was on her best behavior, I must confess that I wasn't.

I guess it's a good thing that the Grandmas and the Mommies were snap, snap, snapping away all day. Sorry, Aunt Kate.

I don't know whether Emma, the photographer, got photos of Hannah and me as we came down the aisle during the wedding. Hannah's Grandma waited with us at the back, and we sang songs and read books until it was time for our big debut.

My Grandma didn't get any photos of us in the green wagon when we were all dressed up. Her job was to wait where the ceremony was going to be.

 

When Kari Lynne brought us there, my Grandma came and took the wagon. We waited patiently for Aunt Kate to come down the aisle to Uncle Drew and then we exited - stage right. Shhhh! We had to be very quiet. Our big moment was over, and now it was Aunt Kate and Uncle Drew's turn to be in the spotlight.

After the ceremony, Hannah helped freshen up my lipstick so I'd be ready to party.

Finally, it was time for the dance. We were ready to boogie on down.

Hannah and I took a little break from the dancing to cool off outside (and maybe we plucked off a few more flowers. Sorry to the owners at The Barn at Schwinn Produce Farm. They may have just a few less blooms this week on their mums.)

All good things must come to an end, so the Grandmas and Grandpas put us in our jammies and we had to leave the party.

But, if you're looking for two flower girls for your upcoming nuptials, Hannah and I are available.We think we can get a recommendation from the bride and groom (until Aunt Kate remembers our behavior during the professional photo shoot).

But, in our defense, we did make it down the aisle in the wagon. (Please remember that when you're writing the recommendation, you guys!)

Until next time,
Kinley Marie, Professional Flower Girl