Good Sunday Morning! It’s clear and cool here on the Knolltop and the big boys are getting ready to head to FFA Regional Officer camp. All the officers from each FFA chapter in our region gather at a campgrounds and do training stuff for two days. Now, I’m not sure what 3 on 3 basketball tournaments have to do with officer training, but that’s all I’ve heard about for a week.

Luke is worried because the boys on their officer team aren’t the star basketball players and of course, Luke wants to win the tournament. It doesn’t matter if it’s the NCAA championship game or go fish…Luke wants to win! As I sit here listening to them talk about the camp in the other room, they are strategizing their game.

From what I’ve read, they will be electing their Region 2 officers at this camp. JW is slated for President, if he doesn’t get it then he will be Vice President. He doesn’t know that yet….it’s a secret…but like Bobby, JW doesn’t read this blog either! He went through the interview process last weekend to be an officer. I’m excited for him.

Yesterday was another busy day. After chores, Luke, Sarah and I left for her volleyball tournament, JW went to work for the neighbor, Jake stayed home so he could go to baseball practice while Bobby stayed home to go to the hay sale.

We watched Sarah play a few games and then headed back home so I could get ready to go to a Ladies Tea. I was the featured speaker. My good friend Sue and I, donning our bestest tea outfits headed for the event. It was a great time visiting with other women and enjoying their fellowship, not to mention the wonderful goodies. A table filled with pies, cookies, bars, fruit and chocolate was heavenly!

After the tea, we came back home, I headed for the barn and after chores, Sarah and I sat and watched “Sarah Plain and Tall.”

Today we have no basketball games, no volleyball games….we actually get to go to church and then home for a Sunday afternoon nap! But, right now, I’m headed to the treadmill….too many treats yesterday!

The first day of May and it’s gonna be a good one here on the Knolltop. It’s forecasted to be sunny and 70. I still have to get a new belt for the mower. I made the trip to TSC last night with my three boys…yes…all three of them were with me, no practice, no games, no parties, no nothing…they were all with me! And boy have I learned to appreciate the time spent with them. They are so much fun to have around!

After looking through 677 belts I came to the conclusion they didn’t have my size. So I have to go to a dealer today and get one which means it will be more expensive…of course. After TSC we headed to the grocery store and then we just had to get ice cream at the Udder Side. Life is good when you’re licking a scoop of Moose Tracks while driving down the road laughing at the antics of three boys that you absolutely love so much you would lay down your life for!

Where was Sarah you ask? She didn’t want to come…she didn’t have any money and really didn’t have anything she needed to get. Plus an hour without her brothers is an hour of total serenity!

Today is column writing day…and boy have I got some good news! I called Jim Massey, the editor at The Country Today, a farm weekly in Wisconsin and asked if he would like to buy my column. After much thought…and listening to all my best sales pitches….he finally relented to give me a try! He said he would try me for a few weeks and see if anyone liked it. So I’m hoping someone up in Wisconsin will read it, like it and contact him!

It’s a very sunny morning here, but looks are deceiving…it’s 29 degrees out this morning! I had to dig out my union suit to milk cows! It’s almost May for heaven’s sake! Al, this global warming is killing me!

It was a pretty typical day yesterday of trying to get things done, being interrupted and then not accomplishing what I had planned. After running errands, I was back home and gaining when I heard the front door open, that’s always a bad sign when the front door opens. That means whatever it is that I’m working on will be put on hold in order to solve a problem. Yesterday one of those problems was the need for a special socket that I guess he thought was in my tool box. Now tell me, how often do I use sockets in cooking or baking? I don’t remember the last time I even used a socket. But those tools have been known to grow legs and walk across the road and into my house. Nope…I had no socket. Sorry

As I got back into my work….a call on the cell phone. I hate cell phones! “Can you come help me a minute?” Of course, I can! I walked across the road, hopped in the skidsteer and began raising and lowering it at command. Up, just a little…..no….too much…what? What did you say? I can’t hear you…I said DOWN! GO DOWN JUST A LITTLE! Oh, okay….that’s good….that’s good….HEY! THAT’S GOOD! STOP! You know the routine.

By the time I got back in, it was time to hit the nonstop treadmill of making dinner, picking up kids, feeding kids, changing clothes, milking cows, changing clothes and finally getting to the baseball game in the 4th inning. It was worth it though, JW pitched well and they won.

Jake had baseball practice after the game…although I didn’t go, from what I heard from Luke and Bobby, it was an hour of comic relief. I guess you can attribute that to lots of little kids without a clue and a bunch of dads who think they are raising the next Derek Jeter.

Because my tractor hadn’t been run since Christmas day, it wasn’t feeling up to being started. So, Bobby pulled it out of the barn for me so they could stand around it for the pictures.

I had them all stand backwards so we could see the school name on their jackets. But now that I look at the picture…my tractor got lost in all the bodies!

Then we went down the Mr. Darvan’s house and took pictures in front of one of his big tractors. Now you can see why Jake loves to ride with Rodney and Mr. Darvan…who wouldn’t love to ride in that monster all day long?They are a cute bunch of officers are they? I love those kids!

Well, JW has a game today at home and Jake will start his baseball practice….he’s so excited.

Better get to work!

Good Morning from a cool and sunny knolltop.

Okay..now is the time for the contest results. It’s time to see who wins the 17 pairs of white pants, 23 pairs of mittens and 19 pair of pilot’s overalls! Are you ready?

Let me say first I had to laugh at the fact that the people who should’ve known this, those who are steeped in the dairy industry were the furthest away with their guesses. And for Matt Nunes who thought she was a steer….steers haven’t been that tall since the mid 80s Matt! In the beef industry today we are back to the belt buckle cattle of the 50s and 60s. Although dairy steers are pretty big these days. And Dallas Burton said the picture was doctored…well….I have no idea if it was or not so we’ll have to take Frank as his word since he’s never lied before.

According to Frank, Jo Dee Jetway Klondike is a little over 71 inches tall at the shoulder. She is owned by the Copini family who had champion Brown Swiss cow at World Dairy Expo in 2007. She is a four year old who resides in Tillamook, Oregon and has a sister who was named reserve All American two year old this year.

So I’m sorry to say…no one guessed it correctly! But my mom was an inch under and Lori from Knolltop Morgans was an inch over….they were close! But since close only counts in hand grenades, horse shoes and slow dancing…..there were no winners!

So…the white pants will have to wait for another contest! Thanks to all of you who participated, this was so much fun! Maybe Frank will send us another fun picture for a contest.

Now it’s Monday and it’s time to get to work!

And now we all have to guess how tall this Brown Swiss heifer is. So, get your guessers tuned up and wager a guess at how tall you think she is at the shoulders, in inches, and post a comment to me or email me, whatever you think. I’ll let you know Monday how tall she is. I really don’t have any prizes to hand out for the winner….well unless you want a pair of white dress pants or pilot’s coveralls.

Another beautiful day here on the Knolltop!

From yesterday’s post from Julie, my Chicago suburbanite girlfriend, I can see that you can take a girl out of the country but you can’t take the country out of the girl! I thought I was the only girl who loved the smell of diesel smoke, fresh turned dirt and grease! It’s wonderful to know that I’m not alone!

I was working outside yesterday, burning some brush and the wind was blowing slightly…no, my fire didn’t get out of control…I leave that to the neighbors! But the wind was carrying the scent of the fully bloomed Magnolia tree and boy did it smell lovely. I don’t think there are any better smells than those flowers and trees that bloom in the springtime. Lilacs, apple blossoms, magnolias, lily of the valley…does it get any better than that?

I’ve got to get a new battery for my mower this morning and try to get a column written before I head outside and mow. I can sense that Miss Stanna is getting ready to hop on her mower, I can’t let her beat me to it! She already rolled the lawn on Tuesday, so she’s ready to go. Actually, it’s not that bad, but since both homes are on the farmstead, we try to keep our lawns even throughout the summer, so we kind of consult each other about mowing so we look good for weekend traffic. Such silliness!

Better get going….so much to do!

Good Morning! It’s cloudy here on the Knolltop and we got a slight shower, but it’s going to be a very beautiful day!

Okay, let me address the comments from yesterday’s blog. First of all, thank you, threecollie for your kind words. Tim was very special to all of us, as you would expect, I’m just glad we’re past the really raw, difficult stage of grief. Secondly, Pat and Francis….you asked when Tim got his pilot’s licence….anyone who knew Tim at all would cringe at the thought of him as a pilot! Can you just see him being arrested by the government for flying his airplane over the White House or in a no fly zone saying, “Since when was this a no fly zone?”

He was constantly getting into fender benders with his trucks. He was an accident waiting to happen. The great thing about Tim was he wasn’t intimidated by much and was willing to try anything. Taking his courage in hand, he would jump in with both feet and then ask questions later.

So to answer your question… I don’t remember when he got his pilot’s licence! But I’m sure someone reading this blog does….mom?

JW’s team beat Jackson Christian last night. They took both games and let me tell you, it wasn’t pretty. Bobby didn’t make it to the game…now you know how sick he was. But this morning he’s on the mend. He’s taking on food and water! He’s just really tired.

So…I’ve got to head to the barn.

It’s a warm, sunny day today here on the Knolltop.

It’s been a rough twenty four hours for the birthday boy. Too much cake? Too much excitment? He’s getting old? Whatever the reason, Bobby has been flat on his back since yesterday morning, sicker than a dog. Poor guy! I think it’s a stomach bug that has just wreaked havac on his whole body. He is now taking on liquids and keeping them down, so that’s a good thing.

So with the boss down and out, the kids had to step it up….and they did. Working in the barn until 8:30 last night, the boys got in and I told them I didn’t know what I’d do without them! And I really don’t!

Twenty eight years ago today my family buried my brother Tim. He was killed in a car accident at the young age of 19. It was a very difficult time for the whole family, but I write about this not because I want to lament over it…but because I have now learned that time heals all wounds.

At that point in our lives, you could’ve told us that, but we wouldn’t have believed you. Today talking about Tim and remembering all the silly, stupid, risky things he did that made him who he was, is a joy. I really try to talk about him to my kids so they have some idea who he was. And now as I speak of him, it’s not with a lump in my throat or tears about to well up in my eyes, I can talk about him with a smile on my face on the edge of laughter.

So to those of you who have lost a loved one lately, be encouraged. Your sorrow really will turn into joy….in time. God says in His word that he will turn our mourning into dancing! That is a promise you can count on.