Mid-Summer Update 2017

Mid-Summer Update...2017

7/10/2017

The middle of July...

How did that happen?

The summer has gone so quickly...

And it will be over before we know it.

All lot has been accomplished.

The boys have been working hard this summer.

They have helped just about all the neighbors with hay.

It was Walker's first full experience unloading a hay wagon. We weren't sure how much help he would be (short people problems), but he did a great job unloading the wagon and keeping up with the 5 guys in the hay loft.

They even acquired a couple of dog sitting jobs.

Each day starts with washing and working cows.

They started with 2 and are now up to 7 cows a day.

They have finally started listening to Mom and Dad, and are figuring out if they work quickly and not take breaks, they get done early and have some time to play.

We thought they would never figure this out.

A few afternoons of fun...

Pretty good motivation to get the work done.

After many, many years....

We finally had a short staycation.

We spent the long 4th of July weekend working on house projects.

This may not seem like a big deal to most, but for us it is huge.

Sixteen years ago, we bought a serious fixer-upper...

Then we had kids...

Then we bought cows.

Do I need to say any more?

We haven't done anything to the inside of the house in over 4 years.

We had plans...

Just never had the time or money all at the same time.

Daniel and I finally got motivated at the same time.

We ripped the carpet out of our bedroom to expose the original wide plank floor boards. Underneath the carpet we found newspapers from exactly 70 years ago.

Our house is over 110 years old, but unfortunately, most of the history had already been ripped out of the house. We are glad to be able to bring a little of that history back.

The project wasn't hard or expensive.

We were just scared of the unknown.

Luck was on our side and we didn't run into any huge hurdles or holes.

We absolutely love the results!

There is one more room with this floor.

Once our sore muscles recover, we will sand and refinish the other room.

The end of the upstairs remodeling is within our grasp. The new doors have been ordered. Just a little more drywall work and the mess should be done.

Now to get myself motivated for lots and lots of trim staining.

It is amazing what you can do when you have a couple of weekends without plans.

One of our hay wagons had become a place to pile junk. It needed some work, but there just wasn't time.

The time came....

But, the tongue was completely frozen and wouldn't move. Amazingly, our neighbor started on the same project at the same time, and had the same problem. Nothing like checking in each night to see who could get the axles torn apart and moving first...and how they did it.

We won that race....with hours of sledgehammering.

Moral of the story...there are grease fittings on the front axle of a hay wagon. Find them and use them!

Once you start a project...it always grows.

I think Walker went to church with red paint in his hair.

The boys had a great time learning new things and using all their tools.

There is another hay wagon that needs to be repaired next year.

Maybe the boys will be able to do that one themselves!

4-H book judging is today, so they spent the weekend finishing up their books.

Walker leaves for camp today, and Isaac goes next week.

Oh, the laundry!

The fair is only a couple of weeks away and they are busy getting buyer letters sent out...

And the finishing touches on their animals.

We had our last calf about 2 weeks ago.

We finished the season with 4 heifers and 4 bull calves.

The weather has been perfect! Plenty of sunshine and plenty of rain.

Lots and lots of popsicles and ice cream sandwiches have been consumed.

I saw school supplies in the store this weekend, and I am in denial.

This has been a great summer of learning and growing, getting a lot done and enjoying our time together.

I love summer for the laid back pace and time outside. A chance for us to enjoy what we work so hard for.

This is Us - our life, our story, our farm