Just a quick note…so many things to do today!

Luke’s team remained undefeated with their last win against Pittsford. Luke was high scorer with 16 points!

JW’s team racked up another win against Tekonsha. JW had 6 points and 4 fouls. Yes, you know we count his fouls.

Today we’re getting chores done and then off to shop then I’ve got play practice at church. So it will be another busy day, but hopefully I’ll get all my shopping done today!

Off to the barn….

Good Morning from the Knolltop. the sunrise is beautiful this morning and if I didn’t look at the calendar I’d think it was early March. You can smell the warmer temps coming…it just feels like a typical spring day.

Well, today is the last day of school for the kids. Jake took cheese and crackers for his party, Sarah said she doesn’t get a party…just work ….all the time! Luke has a party in third hour…that teacher must be a party animal and I have no idea about JW…JW doesn’t have any idea about JW…..he couldn’t find his backpack this morning and when he went to start his truck, it was dead…he came in and I told him to just wiggle the battery posts, the clamp thingy probably came loose… he did and it started! Yes, just give me a master mechanic certificate!

After school today, Luke and Jake will ride the bus to Pittsford for their final game of the season and JW will head to Tekonsha. We will start chores early, run to Pittsford and pick up Luke and Jake and go west to Tekonsha for the last half of JW’s game. Because Luke’s game is at 4 pm, we won’t make it. They just didn’t think about dairy farmers when they set that game up! 🙂

Well, I’ve got baking, wrapping and running to do today…better get going!

One more thing…my column finally ran in the Farmshine…Bobby read it last night, I didn’t believe him until he showed it to me. I sent that column in back in July….I guess they just didn’t have room until now.

So Beth from PA… now you can email them and tell them how much you enjoyed it and how you want it to run every week!

It’s foggy on the Knolltop this morning.

Yesterday started out just fine…but as I got to the end of chores I was trying to decide which direction I should go to do my shopping. I wanted to go to Adrian…but it was getting late, so when the van just started driving to Hillsdale…I just rode along.

I did somemore Christmas shopping and feeling very satisfied as I went over my list because I only had a couple of more things to get, I checked out and headed out to my van. The van came into my sights and so did the flat tire on the front. We’ve needed new tires, but I just thought I could hold out til after Christmas…NOT!

Normally I would be happy to spend more time shopping while the service center put new tires on my van…but since it was Sarah’s birthday I had to get her birthday treat to her class…they were expecting it! Asking how long it would be, the young, unenthusiastic mechanic just mumbled about an hour an a half. AAAHHHHH!!!! I gently said, “Oh, well, I guess I’d better call my daughter at school and tell her that I won’t be bringing in her birthday treat.”

As I walked away I began to pray that somehow, some way, God would make this go quickly. A few minutes later they called me back to the service counter…they needed me to tell them where my van was parked. I thought this was strange since my van was the only one out there with a flat tire….but I did it anyway…and then when the guy saw the van said, “Oh, that tire sure is flat!” I shook my head and then said, “Did you think I was lying? Or are there relative degrees of flatness?” He didn’t respond.

To drown my sorrows of not getting Sarah’s treat to her, not getting my gifts wrapped and not getting Sarah’s cake made, I bought a sweetroll and sat and ate it while I watched people hustle in and out of the store. That helped. No sooner did I get the roll eaten, they called me and my van was done! Praise God! I quickly drove to the school and dropped off Sarah’s treat and boy were they happy!

Then I rushed home to start dinner, hide the presents and put away the groceries. I picked up the kids from school and when I got home I put everyone to work. Luke made coffee, Jake put some groceries away and Sarah started making her birthday dessert…which wasn’t a cake but a torte. Oh was it good. We ate dinner, birthday cake and watched Sarah open her presents.

After chores we watched Luke’s team win again and came home to collapse with a bowl of popcorn and watch MSU slaughter San Jose State! It was a good day!

I was reminded this morning that while I was writing about Bud…I forgot to tell you about the calf. Krissy, the heifer in yesterday’s story had a bull calf. Bobby went out to check on her at about 10 that night and he ended up pulling him. He’s healthy and happy in his spot next to Molly…another calf.

It’s a warm 20 degrees out on the Knolltop this morning. Lot’s of snow, but it’s all cleared out so now I’m cleared to head to town today for some shopping.

Okay…I’ll admit it, I’m a last minute shopper and I hate that about myself. If I see something in July that would make a great Christmas present, I can’t wait to give it, I have to give it right away. If I don’t give it away I hide it somewhere never to be found until well into the next year. So with that kind of track record, it’s no wonder I haven’t bought a Christmas present yet.

Today I will get started because tomorrow is Sarah’s birthday. That will get me to the store and I will hopefully be inspired to buy some gifts. I also have to get her some black slacks for her Christmas concert tonight.

Last night we had a pictionary tournament. Jake and I won. We were in the last round against the two biggest competitors of the tournament…JW and Luke. We had to win…we just had to…and we did. But I have to come clean…we cheated. While they were up doing their shuck and jive thing getting psyched for the last play of the game…..being really loud and obnoxious, I quickly told Jake the answer. Yes, it was wrong…totally wrong…and I’m feeling really guilty, not only did I cheat but I taught my 10 year old how to do it! I’ll have to confess at dinner today….oh the pain of conviction!

Better get to breakfast!

I finally made my way to the computer today. With the kids off of school because of the snow, it’s been a full day with not a whole lot of quiet time on the computer. The weather is clear and the snow is beautiful. I think they will have school tomorrow…but no one had it today.

Last evening, JW and I milked while Bobby plowed more snow and Luke mixed feed. While they were working, a car got stuck down the road so they were busy pulling the neighbor out of the snow drift. Before Bobby left the barn he instructed me to get the heifer in who is in heat and to get the other heifer in who was calving. I left JW with the milking while I started on my orders.

The heifer in heat was easy…for some reason she was very willing to get real friendly… 🙂 So with her in and tied up, I went back out in the deep snow for the calving heifer. All the heifers and dry cows were up at the bunk eating. With flashlight in hand, I started checking behinds. Nope, not her, nope, not her….nope, not her….where was she? After looking through the bunch two more times, I noticed the horse wasn’t up at the bunk. Now that was strange. So I headed out through the snowy pasture to the steer barn to look to see if the heifer was in some corner having a calf. I walked in and their was Krissy, laying down trying to calve with Bud standing right next to her. I laughed at him, asking him if he thought he was the “midwife.”

I got the heifer out of the barn and headed her towards the barn. Bud was right next to me as if he and I were a team….as if I needed him. He walked every step right next to me and we got her up to the barnyard. When she stopped for a snack, I yelled into the barn for Sarah to open the barn door and watch the gate while I headed her in. As I stood there and waited for Sarah, I felt a nudge on my shoulder, I knew it was him…I turned slowly and Bud just looked at me as if to say, “What are we waiting for?”

I rubbed his neck and played with his soft nose and we put the heifer in all safe and sound out of the snow.

Now, I know in last week’s column, I discussed the idea of putting human feelings on an animal and how I don’t approve of elevating pets to human level….and I still don’t. But, I also know there is a certain level of communication between animals. I think Bud knew there was something up with this heifer….and maybe he was just trying to figure it out….I don’t know. I do know that I like that horse and he has made me laugh many times and made me wonder on many other occasions.

Now, I have to go milk!

Yesterday was absolutely crazy! The kids got up early and helped finish up chores. Then we dashed up to East Lansing for the Top Ten sale while Luke went to his scrimmage. (Luke’s team is still undefeated) We had a great time at the sale and I even got to get in the auctioneer’s box and do a little selling, actually fund raising for the spring jackpot show. More on that later. After we drank lots of eggnog, provided by Mooville Creamery and ate lots of free donuts and visited with lots of great cow people…we headed back home to milk the cows and head to JW’s game. It was snowing pretty good on our way to Jackson Christian and we knew we would probably get the 12 inches they were predicting. After watching JW’s team beat Jackson Christian and the varsity team lose to them, we ventured home through the blowing snow.

Back home in our warm house we visited about the events of the day and analyzed the games of the day and then we all burrowed under our covers on the blustery winter night. We woke up to a bunch of snow and it has continued to snow ever since. At the moment, all the kids are outside playing in the snow and having a good time. I think I’d better get on hot chocolate detail.

By the way…there wasn’t a church in the area that had services today…well except a handful had services for the town folk who can walk to church.

Well I’ll post a few photos for you to see what it’s like outside and give you a glimpse of yesterday’s sale and then I’m off to bake a few Christmas goodies and make some cocoa for the kids! I love being snowed in!

Mark up another win for Dub’s team. Last night they beat Waldron and JW only had 2 fouls. I have to laugh at the dads who sit up there and everytime a foul is called they’d yell…”Good Foul! That was a good foul!” Since when are fouls good? I really don’t know much about basketball.

We have a night off tonight…no basketball, Christmas programs, rehearsals…nothing! We can come in from chores, relax by the fire, enjoy the Christmas tree and eat popcorn. Now that sounds good, but I’m sure Luke and Jake will be playing basketball in the livingroom while Sarah yells for them to stop and I’m in the kitchen packing a lunch for a busy day tomorrow and making sure all the uniforms are washed.

Tomorrow is the Top Ten Invitational Sale at MSU. Burton and Fellers are putting it on and Aaron Jorgenson is hosting it. This is more than just your average Holstein sale…this is an event in the Holstein world. Anyone who is anyone will be there to see and be seen and spend lots and lots and lots of money on high profile cows. This is an annual sale and is one of the more prestigious events. So of course since it’s only an hour away, we will go and I will take pictures and notes and try to get a good story out of the deal. I spend most of the time asking Bobby, “Who’s that, he looks familiar? Do you know him? I want to meet him, come introduce me….Oh, that’s her?”…and on and on and on. I love to watch people at these kinds of events. And no, we won’t be taking our checkbook!

While we are at the sale, Luke has a scrimmage with Climax…so he will go with our friends to that. Then on the way home, we will drop JW off at our Pastor’s house. Our Pastor’s son, Brandon, is on the Jackson Christian basketball team and we play them Saturday night. So JW will ride with Brandon to the game and we will come home, do chores and drive back up north to the game. I think I’m tired already. This game stuff on Saturdays is new…we’ve never had to do this but since girls basketball is going at the same time as boys this year, they’ve had to really work in games where they can because the gyms are being used so many time. Used to be the girls basketball was in the fall and volleyball was in the winter but not now.

Well, today I’ve got to get some groceries and make sure all the uniforms are clean.

Thanks so much for your Christmas memories…they will make a nice column….a long one…but a nice one.