It’s a partly cloudy day here on the Knolltop and it’s going to be warm again! Last night Bobby sprayed for flies in the barn and remarked, this is the first time he’d ever had to spray for flies in November! I love it!

We had a visitor last night while we milked. Remember the gentleman I asked everyone to pray for? He now has a job, thank you God, and was in the area so he stopped by to meet me. He’s a long time reader of my column, he even read it way back before I was married with children….so you know that was a long time ago! It was nice to have him visit, although the kids couldn’t understand why anyone would go out of their way to meet their mom…..boy they can keep you humble, can’t they?

I’ve had some interesting conversations this morning, one with a Dutchman who actually lives in Sweden, Jan Bierma, the editor of Holstein International. He called to confirm a new writing opportunity with me. I will be writing a monthly column in their magazine and I’m so excited!

Anyway, he brought up the fact of the importance of this day in the US. Frankly, I was amazed that he even knew it was election day and was even more surprised that he had an opinion on each presidential candidate. He shared with me the ins and outs of his political views and explained why the rest of the world is watching our election today. I was baffled, I never realized the importance of our country’s influence on the rest of the world.

In my little corner of the world, here on my hill with my farm and family I will go in and vote only once. My little vote will be among millions across the country that is counted. It seems so insignificant inside the big picture, but collectively we will make a choice today on a global stage while the rest of the world sits in the audience and watches the play unfold. Amazing….just amazing!

It’s a breezy, kind of sunny, kind of cloudy morning here on the Knolltop!

I’m so thankful for the nice, dry weather. This means the cows are back out on pasture and I don’t have to go back out to the barn in the mornings! I love that. So what am I doing today? Having coffee with my BFF Angie of course! After dishes, laundry, vacuuming and working in my office.

Saturday night all the kids were gone in separate directions. JW headed west and went bowling with some friends, Luke went east to an airsoft war, Sarah went north for a party with the church youth group and Jake headed south for a bonfire and hayride.

Later that night they were all back home each telling about their fun night. It was a good thing we had an extra hour!

Better get my coffee, so I can get my work done before I go for more coffee!

It’s a beautiful morning here on the Knolltop.

I have an urgent prayer request for Sara of Missouri. She and her family are having a difficult time on the farm and they are need of a miracle. If you would just lift them up in prayer…that would be great! I’ll let you know how God answers!

It’s sunny, breezy and quite warm out, now that it’s nearly noon here on the Knolltop.

I’m getting used to my new winter schedule. Now that the cows are staying in at night, my morning routine has changed and I have to go back out and help do some morning chores. I really don’t mind, that just means I do more work and I can eat more. I like that. Especially that Halloween candy that I bought to give out tonight in hopes that no one will show up on my porch! Yes, I plan on turning the light on….for a few minutes anyway! Then it’s an evening of pigging out on chocolate and popcorn!

We had a new calf born last evening during chores and it was a hoot watching the kids trying to bring the new mom and her baby in from the pasture. Jake had a rope halter, I guess in hopes of putting it on the heifer and leading her into the barn. Never mind that she’s not a show heifer and acts like she hasn’t seen white man since she was born! While he chased her around the older boys watched and Sarah gave directions.

The frustration ended with Bobby headed out to help. I continued to milk and pretty soon JW walked into the barn carrying a black heifer calf and then the rest of the crew brought in the new mom. She seemed quiet when we milked her last night and this morning. We’ll see if that continues!

Yep, it’s official, the flowers in the planters by the entrance to the barn are dead. I pulled them out and threw them into the field. Now I’ve got to think about what to put in there for Christmas……but I have time for that later!

The gutter cleaner worked so beautifully this morning, so now I’ve got time to watch the Autumn Opportunity Sale online where Tom Barrends is dispersing his herd in Fremont, Michigan. It’s fun to just listen to the sale while I work around the house. Actually I should be cleaning off my desk…it’s a mess!

I think I’d rather be out cleaning out my flower beds and riding my lawn mower, but then there’s that blasted laundress. She hasn’t shown up in weeks! I pay her good money and she’s still a no show…so I have to do all the laundry myself.

By the way, in regards to the comments:

Tom- You do not weigh 250! I don’t think you could ever weigh that much, so you’re not getting my treadmill! Not everyday is like yesterday, thank heavens!

SBH – You needed a nap and so did I, but as I was just drifting off to sleep for a quick slumber the neighbor hauling corn out of the field with his semi came by blowing his horn! Nap time was over.

Threecollie-You’re right…only farm wives could understand that, we are a unique group!

Sara – How is it that moms get so much done in a day? I think it’s because we just have to so we just do it! I think Nike stole our motto!

It’s a beautiful sunny morning here on the Knolltop. A cool 27 out this morning, I think all my flowers will finally be dead. I tried to keep the ones by the barn under protection, but I don’t think they made it. I’ll check on my way out to the barn…which is right now.

More later!

Finally, I’m on this computer. What a morning! It’s cool today with sun and clouds. This morning I remembered that the boys asked me last night to make something for their FFA lunch. Why not?

So I started some sweetrolls as soon as I got in from milking. Then we went through our normal breakfast but I had to take the two younger kids in to school because JW and Luke went in early to pitch. Actually, JW was pitching and Luke was catching. It’s basketball season you know….so it’s time to wake up early and practice pitching????? It makes sense to them…so I guess it’s all good.

After breakfast clean up we headed back out to the barn to let the cows out, bed, clean the mangers, put more feed out and let them back in. While I was sweeping I remembered I needed to roll out the dough and make it into sweetrolls so they could have time to rise. I ran in, made up the sweetrolls, put them in a pan and covered them with a damp towel.

Back out at the barn, the gutter cleaner decided to act up. This thing hasn’t given us a bit of trouble for months….this morning, when I have sweetrolls to make by 11:15, it decides to tangle up.

While elbow deep in fresh cow manure my memory sparked and I said, “I have to run in and put the sweetrolls in the oven, I’ll be right back.” Leaving Bobby holding the links, I made a mad dash to the house, slipped the beautifully risen rolls in the oven, set the timer and ran back out. We finally got the gutters cleaned and when I made the last stroke with the broom, I yelled across the barn to Bobby, “I’ve gotta go take the rolls out or they’ll burn and my kids will never forgive me!” Not waiting for a reply, I ran back into the house and the rolls needed a few more minutes, thank heavens. That gave me time to, change clothes, head to the bathroom, run the hair dryer through my hair to take some of the sawdust out, spray on some perfume and even slap on a little Marykay.

I delivered hot and I mean HOT sweetrolls to waiting FFA members and came home to start more laundry, clean up more of the house and finally get this blog post on! Now I’ve got to figure out what to have for dinner and clean up the rest of the house….but not before I catch a cat nap!

It’s a very cool 30 out this morning! Even the coons stayed in their warm nests this morning during chores. Usually they are bold enough to come right out and practically say good morning and put in their order for breakfast.

Yesterday the rain came and went. It stayed long enough for harvest to shut down. So the fields will be quiet today and the dealerships and cafes will be filled with farmers.

That rain was just in time, I have a Michigan Holstein meeting today and the odds are, most of the board will show up since they can’t get in the fields.

Better get to sipping my coffee before I head back out to the barn and then to the meeting.

It’s cloudy and dare I say…we had snow falling this morning during chores! I’m not that excited about snow yet. I’ve still got to mow the yard one last time and really, I don’t want snow yet.

This is a very special day at Four Dot Dairy in Joliet, Montana. The matriarch of that ranch is turning the big 50 today! Yes, my wonderful sister, Virginia Stene is now a half century old! She won’t mind me telling her age…in fact, she should be proud of it. She is a beautiful woman who is so accomplished. She has done more in 50 years than most do in a life time. She not only is a stay at home mom of five boys but she has homeschooled her boys and three of them have graduated. She is also a horse breeder and breaks and trains her own horses, she now has a dairy where she retails their milk and besides that she has a homeschool choir, plays the piano at church and does a whole host of other things. I should do a story on her, I could sell that story to any farm publication, the homeschooling pubs, a few horse magazines and any Christian outlet could use it as well. Just think how much money I could make off my sister!!!!!! 🙂

Honestly, she is an amazing person and I’m so lucky to have her as my sister!

And I almost forgot! MSU Beat U of M! That’s the best birthday present she could ever want!

The annual Legends of the Fall Sale, managed by the one and only (thank heavens) Burton-Fellers Used Cattle Sales team garnered another great sale at Gloryland Holsteins in Grottoes, Virginia.

When the last cow was struck off the sale averaged $14,964 on 68 lots. The high selling consignment was lot 1 sold to David Tait and Lawson Bennett for $150,000. Those are the sketchy details as of right now. Maybe I’ll have more later!