Hart Communications

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  • The family that ump’s together….

    It’s another beautiful morning here on the Knolltop. I love summer time in the morning. The sunrises are so beautiful. I don’t think there is any better time of the day than just before the sun comes up and the eastern horizon is orange and you know another day is dawning. There’s just something really satisfying about a new day.
    Yesterday while sitting poolside watching the boys swim I fielded a call from the local summer rec department leader. He was hunting for some umpires for the pony league game and remembered Bobby saying to him, “If you ever get in a tight spot and need an ump, let me know, I’ll be glad to help you out.”


    Here’s a picture of the hot-looking umpire getting ready to call balls and strikes!

    Yep, you guessed it, we spent the evening at the baseball field watching the pony boys play, not because I had any kids in the game, but because my husband was behind the plate, JW and Luke each took a turn out in the field and Jake, dear Jake, dear-slip-in-anywhere-I-can-to-be-on-the-inside-of-what’s-going-on-Jake ran the score board and assisted in sweeping off homeplate for his daddy. That was a sight in itself as Jake hauled out a kitchen broom to sweep off the plate because the unprepared ump didn’t bring his own pocket-size homeplate sweeping broom.

    Thank goodness there was only one close call for Luke. He was stressin’ because he didn’t want to make any mistakes on a close play and have all the parents yell. Big Daddy told him that if anyone wanted to yell at his kid, they were going to have to answer to him. Yes, this mama bear didn’t have to worry, papa bear had it all handled.

    Jake’s birthday was a success. He said it was the best one yet, while he was discing his field with his new disc and cultipacker. Although the friend he had invited over got sick and couldn’t come celebrate, we had a good time swimming and eating lots of cake and ice cream!

    It’s another work day, calves to walk, lawns to mow, columns to write and oh yes, we’re out of clean socks so I guess laundry would be on that agenda too.

  • It’s Jake’s Birthday!

    Happy Birthday to Jake!

    Yes, my youngest is now eleven years old. It’s hard to believe that 11 years ago, I was sitting at JW’s T-ball game having contractions getting ready to deliver my final child. Oh how we’ve come a long way!

    Today we will celebrate by going to the pool. This time I’m wearing my suit so I can hop in the hot tub then into the pool then lay poolside and sip lemonade! I love the pool!

    Then we’ll come home and have dinner, cake, ice cream and open presents. Jake wanted a certain piece of farm equipment and on the way home from the cancelled baseball game on Sunday we tried to find it. But we couldn’t. Much to my surprise, Luke found it at Liechty’s Farm Equipment in Archbold, Ohio when he went to Hookers and Skinners, …oh…I mean Yoder and Frey’s with Mr. Kyser the other day. So now he will get exactly what he wanted! Plus a few other items. It’s great to have Luke help with the shopping, he knows the farm equipment inventory so he knows what to buy!

    It’s a gorgeous day here on the Knolltop. I’ve already been out in my garden this morning and I’m about to go on my walk to clear the cobwebs out of my brain!

    Oh, for those of you who get Farmshine, if you’ll notice, my column is in there this week thanks to Rebecca Long Channey from Maryland. She called Dieter, the editor, several times bugging him about using my column. I jokingly call her my agent! Thanks Becky!

    At the present time the birthday cake is cooling on the counter, the show heifers are tied up and I’m between jobs. So it’s time to walk!

  • Proof of wicked weather!

    It’s a misty kind of morning on the Knolltop. I guess it’s suppose to rain on and off today, boy my garden loves this and of course with this kind of weather you can hear the corn growing!
    Okay, before we go any further, I want to answer the question that was posted yesterday about airsoft guns. An airsoft gun is a gun that shoots plastic pellets. They don’t really hurt when they hit you, they just kind of zing you a little. when the boys first got their guns I told them to shoot me so I could see how much it hurt. That way, when one of them comes to me with a sob story about being shot I can just say, “Suck it up, it doesn’t hurt that bad!”
    Last night Jake had a game in Waldron lasting only two innings when the lightening brought it to a halt. It wasn’t really a game anyway, Waldron only had 7 players so we gave them two of ours. There wasn’t much action, but it was good practice for everyone.

    I mentioned the bad storms that rolled through Michigan yesterday and was sent some pictures by some folks in the Byron area. I can’t ID who’s was what, but you can still see what happened.

  • Wicked weather

    It’s a clear, humid morning here on the Knolltop and we’re in for a hot day!

    The weekend was a bit stormy we got a lot of rain on Saturday night and yesterday a storm blew through the whole state leaving it a wreck! But here on the Knolltop we just had a little bit of wind and some rain.

    While on our way to the double header in Sturgis, the boys and I drove into a wild storm. To the north it was black, to the south it was sunny and we were smack dab in the middle! We were almost to Sturgis when the coach pulled into the Dollar Store parking lot and said the game was cancelled. What a bummer. I had gotten the night off from chores, we had the cooler packed and we were going to make a night of it!

    So, instead we turned around and went birthday shopping for Jake! It’s amazing the bargains you can find when you’re not hunting them down!

    Tonight the boys will do the chores while Bobby and I go to Jake’s game, together. Right now the boys are supposed to be doing a job in the barn, but through the window here in my office, I can hear airsoft guns being used quite regularly. I wonder who’s doing the work?

  • Internet Auctions…

    It’s been hot here on the Knolltop. I think we topped out at 91 yesterday, but there was such a strong wind, the heat was inconsequential. I loved it.
    The show heifers are getting their daily workout, while I was mowing, I watched Sarah work with her little March calf. She seems so small, I hope she’s not as small as I think. Although I watched the Kingsmill sale last night on the internet and those March calves were a bit bigger, but not that much.

    It was fun to sit and watch the sale, Bobby and I came in from chores, plunked down in front of the computer and watched good cow after good cow sell. Chris Hill cried the sale and he’s very enjoyable to listen to. Horace Backus and Dallas Burton read pedigrees. An unofficial average was around $10,000. That’s what I heard Dallas mention during the sale and he also said they cleared the million dollar mark for the gross. So…another successful sale for Mitch Hockett and the Burton-Fellers team.

    Bobby watched it for three hours, I only watched two hours, I had to take the kids swimming so I was gone from lot number 34 to 92.

    I took this picture the other night before everyone went different directions, JW wasn’t cooperating, he has his game face on, I guess.

    This morning Jake has a game in Camden, the boys are working and I’ve got to head back out to the barn to help with chores so we can get to the game.

  • Baseball Galore

    It’s a beautiful sunny, breezy and warm morning here on the Knolltop. I have the window open by my desk and the breeze is heavenly as I listen to the birds outside singing up a storm.

    The big boys had their first game last night. For the first time ever they played in a color other than green and white and boy was it strange. They donned their orange Jerseys and black hats with a J on them for Jonesville and debut on their Mickey Mantle team. JW played short the first game and pitched the second game. Luke sat the bench the first game and played second the second game. Sitting the bench is not something Luke is used to, but it will give some incentive to step it up and work a little harder. They are an unknown quantity on this team and that can be good and bad. It was fun to watch them play together again even though they lost. I only saw the last two innings of the second game, Jake had a game in Waldron. As soon as they won their game (they mercied them) we flew up to Jonesville.

    Today I’ve got to write more and mow the lawn. Jake is going to Kalebs, Luke is gone with Mr. Kyser, JW is gone with Rodney and Sarah is stuck home slaving away for me!

    Tomorrow Jake will play in the morning and the boys have a double header on Sunday night in Sturgis.

    So much to do! So little time….it’s a good thing, I only get things done when my back is against the wall!

  • Spinning Plates

    Have you ever felt like you had to keep a bunch of plates spinning on top of long sticks? That’s what I feel like today. Only my plates are my kids.

    It’s summer break and the last thing I want is for my kids to veg out all summer in front of the TV. So, to keep that from happening we had a family meeting to discuss the summer projects and the daily expectations. The only problem is when you have three procrastinators and one self starter with a girlfriend, it’s a full time job to keep them busy. Hence the spinning plates.

    So, this morning the boys are out working with their dad, Sarah has been doing dishes, folding clothes and is now making granola. While I write today, I will be listening for vegetative children and keeping them from sitting too long in one spot. It’s a good thing I have ADD, I welcome the interruption of having to get up and go assign jobs. It keeps the creativity going!

  • School’s Out!

    It’s a foggy morning here on the Knolltop and now I’m getting very anxious! First off, the folks at Pryorvu have the mega garden! And it’s all planted…well…almost! That makes me very jealous! Plus, they live in a dry climate where water is precious and I live in the middle of lush green fields with water all around me and my garden doesn’t even compare to his!

    Secondly and closer to home, Lori at Knolltop Morgans up on the other hill has her garden in. I don’t think she’s ever had her garden planted before me….ever! I think I might have to go do some garden inspecting, I think she’s writing fiction again. Now it’s really time to get busy.

    We just came back from the elementary awards ceremony where Sarah graduated from the sixth grade. It’s very nice, but I just don’t see the point in sixth grade graduation. They don’t even go to another building to Jr. high school, they just go down a long hall and there they are…in Jr. high and Sr. high school. Yes, it’s a very small district, we only have about 450 kids K-12.

    Anyway, Sarah kept the run going on citizenship awards by getting it for the sixth grade. I was so proud of her! But Jake broke it, he’s the only one in the family who didn’t get it. I’ve got the summer to get him into shape and then we’ll go at it next year!

    JW and Luke have their first summer baseball practice tonight in Jonesville. And their first game is tomorrow night. I can’t wait to see them play together again. Jake also has a game tomorrow night, I just don’t know how that’s going to work, but one thing is for sure, I will be sitting at a baseball game!

    The kids last day was today, they should be home shortly and boy are they excited!

  • Blowout!

    It’s a rainy morning here on the Knolltop. We need the rain, but, the neighbors hay got wet and that’s not good!

    Last evening Jake’s game was a blowout. They won 17-3 in four innings. Jake caught most of the game and then came in to pitch and had three K’s to end the inning. He was on fire. But then it started to rain and we were so far ahead, they decided to quit. And I almost forgot Jake’s double and a triple with an error that brought him home. While it’s great to see him have success, he tends to strut around like the lone rooster in a hen house. He needs to stop that and I think his brothers have decided to help him quit his cocky habit.

    Today I will work in my flower beds since the rain has softened the ground. I still have to get the rest of my garden in….now I’m getting a little anxious. Does anyone else have their garden totally planted?

    And I’d like to address a comment left by a Wisconsin dairy wife about my writing. I so appreciate your kind words about this blog. I’m glad you find this a good place to visit and while we are isolated on our farms, we can still be a “community of farm wives” here. I love to read about life on other farms and how they compare. So, don’t worry about this commentary changing too much, this is where I can just write with reckless abandon. I don’t have to proof it as much as I do when I write for the papers! This is fun writing! Thanks again for your kind words of encouragement!

  • Shopping mall deprivation

    Summer has arrived, I guess we’ve just forgotten about spring! It’s supposed to be in the 80s this week.

    While trying to get details about the Pinehurst Sale I came up with very little. My “Source” was is done with that sale and has flown across the country to North Carolina for the Kingsmill Sale or what they’ve named it, “A Night at Kingsmill.” The sale will be Friday night and if you want details on the cattle you can go to http://kingsmillfarmii.com/ and get all the latest updates.

    Although my info is skimpy, I did find out they had to have a change in venue for the sale. I guess the health department didn’t like the thought of live cattle inside the country club where there was food being prepared. So they moved the sale ring outside under a tent. I guess they’ve never been to a county fair were you walk into a cow barn with tack areas filled with crockpots full of food.

    Okay, now for the Knolltop update. I’m proud to say I have one more nephew who has graduated from High School. Tom, out in Montana, the dairy farmer extraordinaire is now out of school! His mother, my sister, has successfully homeschool three kids through graduation with two more to go! With only two in the house to homeschool she’s on easy street. Now she can sleep in til 10, eat bon bons til noon then think about school work! Just joking…she’s busier than I am, that’s why she doesn’t have a blog! I should write a story about her sometime….it would be a good one.

    Saturday was a very busy day, Sarah and I left for Dearborn, a Detroit suburb, for Volleyball and were gone all day long. The advantage to this was, the tournament was right across from a huge shopping mall, so of course I felt obligated to show her the shopping ropes. The girl had been deprived, she’d never been to a shopping mall with more than one level and “those really cool couches in the middle” as she put it. So we took a spin around the mall and found a couple of bargains but she was too tired to stay very long. I was just hitting my stride when she complained of her feet hurting and being tired. Oh, boy, does that bring back memories, my mom could always outshop me and my sister! We’d be dragging behind with blisters on our feet because we wore fashionable shoes instead of comfortable shoes. She had plenty of pep in her step and was on her second wind while we were total wimps! Funny how history repeats itself!

    JW’s team played in Tekonsha, they won their first game but lost the second. Then Jake played in his tournament with the same results. On Sunday, the kids and I went to church while Bobby and Jake went to Hudson for one last game. They lost, but it was a pretty day for a ball game.

    Today I’d like to get some work done in my office then head out to the garden. I need to get some more things planted before the rain tomorrow!