Good sunny morning from the Knolltop!
I’m sad today, football practice has started and that means the kids will be headed back to school and it seems like I just got them home! I hate these short summers! Luke had practice last night from 4-8…yes I agree, a little excessive, but then again, I think everything with high school football is a little excessive, but I”m not getting on that soapbox this morning! Anyway, Luke didn’t play last year in Junior High, so he missed a year and is now back out on the gridiron. And his first practice they put him in as quarterback. Now, that makes sense to me because he’s got the smarts for a quarterback and the arm for a quarterback. But I’m sure the parent’s who’s kids have played that position in the last couple of years don’t agree with that move….it should prove to be an interesting season.
Now, on to the topic I’ve been waiting to write about and this might have to be my column for next week. But…..last week when we were out touring the countryside of Wisconsin we stopped at the farm of Eddie Bue’s in Alma Center. He and his very, very, very special friend, Mandy (I think she’s special because she’s dedicated to those cows and she’s a sweetheart) have a place where they own some cows and they also board some really good cows for people like Jeff Butler. Surely you remember Jeff, he hosted that record breaking sale, Parade of Perfection in March. And Norman Nabholz a Jersey breeder from Iowa who saw the light and is now dabbling in Holsteins has some high end cows there as well.
You can see here in the picture, Mandy, the blond and Eddie, the male(duh) and their two employees, I won’t mention their names because I don’t have their parents permission, but I will say they are pretty special too!
Anyway, Mandy and I were comparing notes about the life consuming work on a dairy farm. As we shared stories we found we faced the same obstacles on a daily basis….bad hair days, short, unpainted fingernails, no make-up and a masculine wardrobe that would make a cross dresser shriek.
A couple of days later I was sitting in the kitchen of Mandy Nunes..same story, different wife. And then again at the Summer Event sale, Annie Hulle, same story….different wife. Then yesterday I got an email from Amber Price of Jonesboro, Indiana. I had interviewed her and her husband Joe for a story I did for Holstein International. She emailed me to let me know how nice it was to be included in the story and that having that opportunity was like a “fresh drink of water” for her and Joe. Why? Because the dairy business consumes the men and women who rise every morning to milk, feed and care for the cattle that put food on their kitchen table. We breath, eat and sleep cows so much that sometimes we forget their is a world outside the farm that sees what we’re doing, respects us for our hard work and it’s nice just to have a bit of recognition.
Thus….I think I should start a blog just for women! Just for women who long for the fellowship of other women in the same boat(farm). For women who can just get a drink of fresh water on a daily basis. For women who need some encouragement. For women who need a fresh idea or who need to vent or who need a pick-me-up. Or for women who want more expertise on how to merchandise cattle or want to be on the cutting edge of the purebred cattle industry.
It’s a work in progress and when I get it up and going.. you’ll be the first to know!
Now, it’s time for the real work of the day, feeding, cleaning, washing and nurturing.
When we got done looking at the cows we headed for a tall glass of ice cold lemonade….okay, it was a short plastic cup, but it was cold and good. Besides, as cute as these little girls were, it could’ve been warm and tart and the men would’ve chugged it down and asked for more.
Patty, left and Francis 
And you can’t have a purebred Holstein sale without Mr. Holstein himself, Max 
And finally, Dallas’ partner in crime, Ed Fellers, in the black, was visiting with potential buyers before the sale when I snapped this picture.
“Angel”