And that’s what happened. JW walked in the door and immediately took the pictures to his dad and they looked them all over. Here are a few of them.

This is Brookview Brightstar Hattie. I don’t remember her story…but look at how skinny Bobby is!And this is Brookview Kit Danelle. I’ve heard this name quite a few times but if you think I remember what her story is….think again! I’m lucky that her name rings a bell. But look at those tight jeans on Bobby!This is Brookview Christopher Cheer. Her name doesn’t ring a bell, I remember nothing about her. So that means she was just an average milk cow and must not have made it to very many shows. Look at that rump…who would want to take her to the show! (Sorry Eric)This is Brookview Valiant Honey-ET. I do remember Bobby saying he really liked this heifer. And I really like the guy in the picture.And this is Knolltop Aspen Honey. Yes, her name does ring a bell, I know her personally, I even take her for walks and give her a bath….she’s Holly’s daughter! We just got our pictures back from Frank and I had to share them…I’ll share Pontoon’s picture tomorrow!

Thank you, thank you, thank you for your prayers for Sara! She emailed me this morning and said things went so well yesterday with their situation it left people scratching their heads wondering how it all happened. Well those weren’t her words, but that’s what she described! So things have calmed down a bit, but she still needs prayer. God is so good to us!

I have to comment about the wonderful breakfast I just had. After I cooked the bacon on the griddle, I poured some pecan pancakes on and they just fried up so crispy and nice. Oh my, pancakes cooked in bacon grease is so unhealthy, but oh….sooooo goooood! And wasn’t I just saying yesterday how fat I was? I guess I’d better walk more!

Okay, this is what I want to ask today. Where on this blog does it state or even slightly imply that we have an organic dairy? Do I sound like an organic producer? Do I look like an organic farmer? Do I act like one? No, I don’t think I look, act, or sound like an organic dairy farmer yet the man who hosts the farm blogs website wrote that I had an organic dairy farm. My friends….this is the perfect example of how rumors get started!

Well, I’m off to walk and then the kids and I will go work with the show string. Yesterday we had a new recruit working with the cows. One of Luke’s best buddies decided he wanted to rinse all the heifers off. So he stood there with the hose in hand while we brought him heifers. This wouldn’t be so funny if it weren’t for the fact that he’s not from a farm. In fact, he’s the local athletic director’s son and his life revolves around….what else but athletics! So to see him standing in the barnyard rinsing off the heifers was quite a sight.

Tomorrow we will head down memory lane with Bobby and Brookview Farms.

Hey everyone, Sara in Missouri needs some prayer today….actually lots of prayer. She is facing a very difficult situation and needs a miracle. I don’t want to get into details, but I’ll let you know how God answers when she let’s me know. In the meantime, please pray for her! Thanks!!!

It’s a clear cool, almost fallish day here on the Knolltop. The sun is shining and it’s only about 60 out.

I’ve finally got tomatoes! I picked a few yesterday and put some in our stir fry, along with the cauliflower I picked and some potatoes I dug. It’s so much fun to eat a dinner made almost completely of things you grew in the garden.

This morning we had a surprise in the pasture. A calf was born from a cow that wasn’t due for a few more days. She didn’t even look like she was close to calving, but she did and I don’t even know what it is yet. I’ll find out when we head out to wash and work with the show string. It’s time to get back into the groove of working with the heifers again. And this year we are taking a couple of cows to the fair as well. Sarah’s 4-H project will freshen in the beginning of September and she wants to take her in the worst way. So I said, if we take one cow we might as well take two! So we’ll have right around 9 head at the fair. Bobby says, “You’re crazy!” I say, “Why not?”

JW will be working the Agriprize sale, a Burton-Fellers sale during World Dairy Expo. Because he’ll be gone for a week, he won’t participate in the fair with the cows, he’ll have to go to school…bummer!

Well, it’s time to head out for my walk…I’ve gained weight and I don’t like it one bit! I guess that nightly bowl of ice cream is catching up with me!

Good Friday morning from the Knolltop. Bobby and Jake are off to a cow sale. Bobby wanted Jake to go in the worse way, I’m not sure why….maybe because Jake talks non-stop and if Bobby gets the least bit drowsy Jake will keep him alert. He even called from the gas station in town to see if Jake was up yet and if he wanted to go. So Jake got around in the time it takes to get from town to the farm and they are off to drive north to a sale. He’s already called twice with instructions for me.

Did anyone see the comments from Pryorvu the other day? Oh my heavens….he makes me sick! With all the canning, preserving and freezing he’s doing…and I haven’t even gotten into full harvest yet with my garden! The worst part of it is, he lives in Montana…in the hills….where they get no rain! I’m sure he irrigates his garden…..FROM A RAIN BARREL! Here we are in the midwest with lush green surroundings, plenty of water at our disposal and I can’t even come close to his pace!

And Shady Knoll: You’re welcome for the memory…I think everyone can remember that favorite rocking chair from their past.

Well, instead of school shopping today, we are going tomorrow because Sarah doesn’t have to babysit. So today I will catch up on a few things that I’ve let go and prepare for tomorrow. I’m waiting to hear from the doctor about Luke’s ankle. They thought he might have a hairline fracture, so they took more X-rays and we will know more this morning. JW called from his judging trip and he’s having a great time.

Better get to my “To do” list!

It’s another picture perfect day here on the Knolltop. Although we need rain, it’s been a summer to remember.

Yesterday I had the chance to be on Rural Route Radio with Trent Loos and Kyle Bauer again. It’s so much fun when I get that chance to be on with those two jokers. Although yesterday I was the resident dairy expert and those of you who know me well….know that’s a stretch!

We can talk about kids, farms, farm families, communication issues consumer trends or anything else relating to humans but don’t ask me to sound intelligent about drug companies, land grant university research and dollars and cents relating to it. And that’s what I had to do yesterday. Boy was it difficult. If you listen, you’ll hear more of Kyle and Trent than me because no matter how I tried to wrap my brain around GMOs and research and the economic impact and public perception of those, I just couldn’t do it!

It’s always good to be challenge and no matter how I meet up with Trent, whether it’s on the radio, the phone or in person, he continues to challenge me and he enjoys every minute of it!

Now I’m off to the doctor with Luke to find out how is ankle is progressing. Tomorrow is school shopping!

I’ve got to share a God moment with you! Remember back a couple of weeks when I was complaining about not getting my rocking chair at TSC? I was waiting until the price dropped one more time and then I was going to snatch it up! But much to my dismay, my rocking chair was snatched up by another bargain hunter. I distinctly remember thinking that if I didn’t get that rocking chair, God had another one in mind that was better and most likely because God knows I like my stuff for free(remember the treadmill?)….it would be free.

Yesterday I was at a lady’s home and she was preparing to move into a smaller apartment. She’s a matriarch of a family in our church and she has to be as old as Moses! And she’s still has it together and was a pretty as a picture when I walked into her home!

Anyway, when I went into the room where I was picking up some things she had offered me, I saw this rocking chair. It was the rocking chair of my past… the rocking chair that sat in my childhood farmhouse kitchen. The rocking chair where my mom would comfort us when we had bumps and bruises. When we came crying(with earnest tears and everything) she would pick us up, sit down in that chair and hold us close. I can still feel that little chair rocking and I can smell her perfume.

I was amazed as I looked at this little rocker not ever thinking that there was another one in the world just like my moms! Not saying a word, I just kept loading some other things and then the Lady’s son who was standing nearby said, “You can have that rocker if you want it” Music to my ears, I snatched that rocker up, loaded it on my truck and brought it home.

As I sat in that rocker this morning, drinking my coffee I thought about how God had blessed me. Did I need a rocking chair? No. Did I deserve a rocking chair? Absolutely NOT! But that’s what’s so great about God, he gives us what we surely don’t deserve and absolutely don’t need simply because He loves his children. He knew deep down, I wanted a rocker, but I could’ve lived without it. And when he saw how my heart sank when the rocker at TSC was gone, he put another plan in motion for me to get an even better rocker. A rocking chair that I could’ve never imagined was out there. And the best part was….it was absolutely free…like only God can give.

Well, today on the Knolltop we are going to move some calves around, vaccinate the cows and I’ve got to run a couple of errands and try to get some writing done before tomorrow.

The biscuits and gravy are getting cold!

Where has the summer gone? We are talking about going back to school already! It seems like they just got out!

I’ve been busy this morning running errands and now I’ve got to stay home and do some laundry….it’s piling up and there is a limit to how many packages of new socks I’m allowed to get before I have to start washing them. 🙂

Luke is gone to Archbold, Ohio with Mr. Kyser to look at farm equipment, JW is gone to see a friend and then will spend the night as Grandmas and head out on a three day judging trip to Ohio and the rest of us are just staying home to play catch up. It seems like all I’ve done is run around!

Yesterday the neighbor and I had a meeting and then we stopped at the horse stable where three of her horses are in training. I love horse stables…they are a bevy of activity with so many people riding and grooming and doing……stuff. One of her foals is not good enough for the big show and will come back home, the other baby will be trained and head to one of their big shows…she told me the name but I can’t remember everything!

It’s back to work now!

Good Monday Morning from the sunny Knolltop!

Let me start off with the bad news….Luke sprained his ankle Friday evening at football practice. He came home shuddering in pain and I gave him some pain medication and put him on the couch for the night. Laying there wondering if it was broken, thoughts raced through my mind, “Should I take him to ER right now? What if it’s broken? My baby can’t lay on the couch with a broken ankle all night…I’ve never seen him in so much pain.”

The next morning he was so much better and my mind was put to rest. I let him relax for the day babying him as much as he would let me. People called to see if he was okay and everyone reassured me it was just a sprain. But in the back of my mind I couldn’t erase the thought of it being broken and him suffering through it. So I finally took him into Urgent care last evening and after an X-ray we found it was just a sprain and we left the hospital with him toddling around on crutches. So, if you could please pray for him!

In the meantime, Jake has taken over Luke’s spot at Walnut Lane Farms working for Mr. Kyser. That should be interesting to say the least!

I’m headed to a meeting today with the neighbor and Sarah will have to take over the house chores. Boy does she have the laundry to do!!!!