I am not a goal setter.

I think it is because I am like most people and peter out after a few weeks or months.  Then I am a failure because I didn't complete my goal and a failure at goal setting.  

It just doesn't help the momentum or ego.

But, I do enjoy looking back at the previous year to see what I have accomplished.  

I call it reverse goal setting.  

Looking back at all we have accomplished, just motivates me to keep plugging along.  

On the first day of Christmas
My true love gave to me:

​An Eby stock trailer

Santa made an early stop on the Farm.

It was a surprise to me...

But the 3 Wiley men are over the moon!

Nash is an 8 week old full-blooded German Shepherd

We have talked about getting a puppy off and on for a while now.

Daisy is almost 12 years old and really slowing down. 

We really  don't want 2 dogs, but we know that sometimes it is better to get a puppy when the older dog is still around to help train.

Daisy is the best dog ever!  

She stays home and is Daniel's shadow.  

We are really hoping she will train the puppy to stay home.  

Having a farm dog that you can trust to leave out and about, but not run off is priceless.  It allows the dog to be a part of your family and farm.  Following along as you do chores and "helping" herd the cattle when you need an extra hand.  

Daisy was a surprised as me and the boys were.

Of course Nash is getting lots and lots of attention, but we have made a special point to give some extra attention to Daisy.

We live on a farm and have "farm" dogs.

A.k.a. they roll in manure, mud, dead animals and any other gross thing they can find.

So...all dogs stay outside around here.

However, we do occasionally let Daisy come in the house to sit on the rug.  But, now that she is pretty well deaf, it is hard to tell her to stay on the rug. 

What Santa did not warn me about was that Nash is too small to stay out in the garage, which means Nash is a mud room puppy for now.

Daisy is pretty much over the puppy.  

She only stayed inside for a few minutes and was more than ready to go back to her rug in the garage.  

Too much commotion.  She would rather just sleep.

Santa delivered Nash on Friday and then Nash made his first trip to a cattle show to unload cows and equipment.  

When he got home, he got his first bath.  

He wasn't amused.

That's a little better.  

He had a busy weekend and spent most of it being held and taking naps.  

We want to expose him to as many people as we can, and what better place than a cattle show to meet all kinds of new people and experiences. 

Of course, he was the star of the show.  

At one point, someone asked us if he could walk.  

​What can I say...he is spoiled already.

He loves to snuggle in to take a nap.

Except that nap didn't last very long.

Nash is not a fan of the cold just yet.  

He is going to have to grow a thicker skin to survive around here.

But for now...we are spoiling him rotten.  

The next show is in 4 weeks and I am pretty sure he is going to be a lot heavier and won't get as much cuddle time, so we are taking advantage of it now.  

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Never get me down.

I love rainy days.

​And I especially love rainy Sundays. 

Why?

Every cat needs a barn...

Or maybe it's every barn needs a cat.

Either way....

Every farm needs a cat.

I am not a cat lover.

Maybe that is because I am allergic to cats...

The weather turned cold this week.

There is no denying that winter is coming.  

Before the snow starts flying, there are several things we always do to make sure the cows are ready for the cold months ahead.  

Halter Break Calves

Show season is just around the corner, so fall is always a good time to halter break the calves.  We try to handle the calves as much as possible from day one, but with fairs and hay duties, we don't always get to spend as much time with them as we would like.  

They must be ready for the show arena by November, so it is now time to really get to work and fine tune the calves.  

We prefer to halter break with the tractor to save our backs, and then always put in a good amount of ground work and show stick practice.  

It is fall in Ohio...

Or is it summer?

I don't know...but I am confused.  

The last few weeks have been inching towards cooler fall weather, lots and lots of rain....

And then 86 degrees.

What in the world?

I know come the middle of January I will be looking back at these days and wishing I had spent every waking moment outside.

But, I am really in the mood for some soup...

The radar apps on our phones were our friend last week...

Or maybe our enemy...

But anyway, we spent a lot of time looking at the radar.

We had hay down, and had to check and see how Florence was moving and if/when we were going to get rain.  

Weather forecasts can change by the minute.

Most weather apps have the ability to zoom in so you can see exactly where the rain is falling. 

Living in the country, it can be really important to zoom in. 

You see, our neighbor 2 doors down sometimes gets half the rain that we do.  Our next door neighbor on the other side of us may get twice as much rain as we do.  

Why?

They may be neighbors, but from the edge of our field to the far edge of the neighbors field can be more than half a mile away.  

And believe me...a half a mile can make all the difference in the world.  

Last week, Daniel was looking at his radar once again.  

And he zoomed in...and then zoomed in a little farther...and a little farther.  

Do you know what he saw?

Full time job.

Weekend blogger.

​One computer household.

I have been busy lately...

Busy buying stuff.

School supplies, uniforms, books, pencils, pens, shoes...

All the stuff kids need for the first day of school.

Then...

They come home from the first day of school with one more item they need...

And then one more thing...

And then one last thing.

So, I have been busy at my computer ordering all these "things" on Amazon.  

Because we all know how much I love shopping in real stores.  

I fill my cart with all the "one last things" and I find I am just a few dollars short of the $25.00 minimum for free shipping (yes, I know shipping is free for Prime members...but I am too cheap to pay for a Prime membership).

But I got the greatest e-mail from Amazon recently.  It is a list of some of those inexpensive "filler" items that I can add to my cart to get to the minimum amount for free shipping.  So being the nice person that I am, I thought I would share some of my favorite "cheap" finds with you, so you don't have to stare at the computer trying to remember something you "need" to fill your cart.