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  • Aussies and tractors

    It’s another sunny morning here on the Knolltop. We’ve had such beautiful weather and it was nice yesterday for the international delegation that stopped in.
    We had such a great visit as Patrick Buckley and Jason Hayes from Austrailia and Russell from Canada stopped in for some iced tea, sweetrolls and lots of story telling. Bobby had a captive audience as he spun his stories of his days on the road fitting cattle and they willingly listened to every word. While Russell knew every cow Bobby rattled off, (two peas in a pod–they know pedigrees back to the beginning of time) Jason and Patrick didn’t even have the first clue who Charity was…but they knew some of the contemporary cows so they could add to some of the conversation.

    We talked, ate, looked at the cows and then of course they demanded that I bring out the “A” to get their picture taken with it. I finally gave in and had Luke go get the little beauty. No, not really, I had Luke go get the tractor so I could show it off…I’m shameful!

    The aussie boys were curious about this old tractor, they said they don’t have those back in Austraila. They walked around it and gave it a good looking over and then when it came time to snap the picture Jason asked if he could get up on it…well of course I said yes, and then had to help him figure out how to get on….I snickered as I said, “No, not the front, there’s a step in the back, just hop up there.” It was so cute!

    They all piled back in the car and headed south where they are presently working for Budjon this weekend at the show.
    Russell couldn’t leave without giving us some Jersey propaganda, he left two JerseyCanada hats. I guess those would make nice Christmas presents for someone…or maybe door prizes at our local DHIA banquet….JUST JOKING RUSSELL!

    The boys left early this morning and should arrive in Louisville this morning sometime. In the meantime, JW, Sarah, Jake and I are heading back out to the barn to finish chores.

  • Aussies and tractors

    It’s another sunny morning here on the Knolltop. We’ve had such beautiful weather and it was nice yesterday for the international delegation that stopped in.
    We had such a great visit as Patrick Buckley and Jason Hayes from Austrailia and Russell from Canada stopped in for some iced tea, sweetrolls and lots of story telling. Bobby had a captive audience as he spun his stories of his days on the road fitting cattle and they willingly listened to every word. While Russell knew every cow Bobby rattled off, (two peas in a pod–they know pedigrees back to the beginning of time) Jason and Patrick didn’t even have the first clue who Charity was…but they knew some of the contemporary cows so they could add to some of the conversation.

    We talked, ate, looked at the cows and then of course they demanded that I bring out the “A” to get their picture taken with it. I finally gave in and had Luke go get the little beauty. No, not really, I had Luke go get the tractor so I could show it off…I’m shameful!

    The aussie boys were curious about this old tractor, they said they don’t have those back in Austraila. They walked around it and gave it a good looking over and then when it came time to snap the picture Jason asked if he could get up on it…well of course I said yes, and then had to help him figure out how to get on….I snickered as I said, “No, not the front, there’s a step in the back, just hop up there.” It was so cute!

    They all piled back in the car and headed south where they are presently working for Budjon this weekend at the show.
    Russell couldn’t leave without giving us some Jersey propaganda, he left two JerseyCanada hats. I guess those would make nice Christmas presents for someone…or maybe door prizes at our local DHIA banquet….JUST JOKING RUSSELL!

    The boys left early this morning and should arrive in Louisville this morning sometime. In the meantime, JW, Sarah, Jake and I are heading back out to the barn to finish chores.

  • International Guests

    Good Morning from the Knolltop! It’s a typical clear cool fall morning here with the sun just coming up over the horizon and there is frost on the windshield of the tractor sitting out in the field behind the house hooked up to the grain cart that is full of that gold stuff that is now worth more money than it’s been in a long, long time.

    Today is an exciting and busy day because we are hosting an international delegation here on the Knolltop. Yes, there will be people from Austrailia and Canada coming to the farm today to see the herd. They are due to arrive after lunch and I will have a buffet of cheese and crackers, apples and apple dip, grapes, fresh, hot sweetrolls and of course milk, iced tea and coffee.

    This all sounds so exicting doesn’t it? It sounds like something that would happen at Arethusa Farm in Connecticut or Mohrfields in Ohio on a regular basis, but really I have to come clean. Jerseyboy, aka Russell Gammon, the executive secretary of Jersey Canada and two Austrailian fitters who are here to work a couple of shows with Budjon are on their way down to Louisville and they wanted to stop in for a visit.

    But, they are international guests…and I will be feeding them all that stuff and they will see the herd…so while I made it sound a big deal, we’re really a good half way point for them to stop and stretch their legs and get a free bite to eat. I guess it’s all a matter of perspective, isn’t it?

    Well, I’ve got lots to do before the international delegation comes, I’d better hop to it! Don’t worry, I’ll take lots of pictures of them for everyone to see…people get so tired of being in front of my camera!

  • International Guests

    Good Morning from the Knolltop! It’s a typical clear cool fall morning here with the sun just coming up over the horizon and there is frost on the windshield of the tractor sitting out in the field behind the house hooked up to the grain cart that is full of that gold stuff that is now worth more money than it’s been in a long, long time.

    Today is an exciting and busy day because we are hosting an international delegation here on the Knolltop. Yes, there will be people from Austrailia and Canada coming to the farm today to see the herd. They are due to arrive after lunch and I will have a buffet of cheese and crackers, apples and apple dip, grapes, fresh, hot sweetrolls and of course milk, iced tea and coffee.

    This all sounds so exicting doesn’t it? It sounds like something that would happen at Arethusa Farm in Connecticut or Mohrfields in Ohio on a regular basis, but really I have to come clean. Jerseyboy, aka Russell Gammon, the executive secretary of Jersey Canada and two Austrailian fitters who are here to work a couple of shows with Budjon are on their way down to Louisville and they wanted to stop in for a visit.

    But, they are international guests…and I will be feeding them all that stuff and they will see the herd…so while I made it sound a big deal, we’re really a good half way point for them to stop and stretch their legs and get a free bite to eat. I guess it’s all a matter of perspective, isn’t it?

    Well, I’ve got lots to do before the international delegation comes, I’d better hop to it! Don’t worry, I’ll take lots of pictures of them for everyone to see…people get so tired of being in front of my camera!

  • She’s gone!

    It’s a cool clear morning on the Knolltop and at 5:30 am, Holly was being milked and then was loaded onto the trailer and was headed to Hardy’s to be loaded onto another trailer to head south. By now, she should be somewhere in Indiana and her crew awaits her in Kentucky. I told you before I wouldn’t believe she was going to Louisville until I saw her on a trailer headed south and now she is!

    For those of you who have never shown a cow, this all sounds like “udder” foolishness, (couldn’t resist) I know. But Holly is very special to us here on the Knolltop and wherever she ends up this weekend, on the top(highly doubtful) or on the bottom(I hope not) she will still be the same special cow when she returns home safely.

    Bobby, Luke and Brad will head out early Saturday morning and will stay there until after the she shows on Monday. The show starts at 11:30 am and I was told by Lori of Knolltop Morgans that you can watch the show on the North American International Livestock Exposition website.

    Of course now you know on Monday the only thing that will get done are chores as I will be glued to my computer screen watching every silly minute of a cow show that has no significant impact on world peace or lower gas prices! But my baby will be there showing at his first big show and that’s all that matters in my world.

    In the meantime, until I can get Bobby in a vehicle headed south, I have to put up with a sleepless man who spends all his time worrying about his favorite cow, making sure all the cows will be milked and fed properly while he’s gone and that Knolltop Farm doesn’t fall apart while he enjoys his time in KY. He is a special man…but really…we’ll be just fine….really….

  • She’s gone!

    It’s a cool clear morning on the Knolltop and at 5:30 am, Holly was being milked and then was loaded onto the trailer and was headed to Hardy’s to be loaded onto another trailer to head south. By now, she should be somewhere in Indiana and her crew awaits her in Kentucky. I told you before I wouldn’t believe she was going to Louisville until I saw her on a trailer headed south and now she is!

    For those of you who have never shown a cow, this all sounds like “udder” foolishness, (couldn’t resist) I know. But Holly is very special to us here on the Knolltop and wherever she ends up this weekend, on the top(highly doubtful) or on the bottom(I hope not) she will still be the same special cow when she returns home safely.

    Bobby, Luke and Brad will head out early Saturday morning and will stay there until after the she shows on Monday. The show starts at 11:30 am and I was told by Lori of Knolltop Morgans that you can watch the show on the North American International Livestock Exposition website.

    Of course now you know on Monday the only thing that will get done are chores as I will be glued to my computer screen watching every silly minute of a cow show that has no significant impact on world peace or lower gas prices! But my baby will be there showing at his first big show and that’s all that matters in my world.

    In the meantime, until I can get Bobby in a vehicle headed south, I have to put up with a sleepless man who spends all his time worrying about his favorite cow, making sure all the cows will be milked and fed properly while he’s gone and that Knolltop Farm doesn’t fall apart while he enjoys his time in KY. He is a special man…but really…we’ll be just fine….really….

  • Nothing is impossible…

    Good Morning from the Knolltop! It’s 40 out this morning and supposed to be windy and about 60 this afternoon. It will be a good day to get some work done outside to get ready for winter. I think these warm days are escaping us and pretty soon we will see the snow fly.
    Yesterday we got word that Holly is clear to go to Louisville. Here in Michigan we have to test everything for TB before we leave the state. I don’t even think a fly is allowed to leave without health papers! Well, it’s not that extreme…it really only applies to cattle. We had to have a clear TB test and all the health papers in order for Holly to go and we finally got all that accomplished yesterday after a bit of a scare.
    The first test we had done on her, she reacted to it. So that meant she had to have blood drawn by a USDA Vet. Thinking that would take weeks we gave up hope that she would be going south. Our deadline for the vet coming to draw blood was last Wednesday. On Tuesday night when Luke was getting the show halter to go work with Holly, we broke the news to him and told him she wasn’t going unless the vet came the next day and that was next to impossible. He hung his head then hung up the show halter…seemingly until next spring.

    I watched him as his faced turned red and his eyes started to get watery. I couldn’t stand seeing him to sad, but reality is hard to take sometimes and life is not fair.

    That night as we were munching on popcorn reading the paper, the phone rang. I answered it and it was a USDA vet. She wanted to schedule a time to test Holly! Anxiously I said, how about tomorrow? She said sure! I hung up the phone and ran into tell Luke and he calmly smiled a big smile.

    The next day she came and tested the cow and said she was awared that the cow was entered in the North American and she would put a rush on the test. Waiting on pins and needles to see if the cow was actually negative Dr. Cauley called yesterday with the good news.

    The trip was back in motion and now she will head out tomorrow morning on Gregg Hardy’s trailer. There is a white dry erase board in our barn and at the top of it there is a statement to remind everyone of us when we walk into the barn. It says, “Nothing is impossible with God” and truer words were never spoken.

  • Nothing is impossible…

    Good Morning from the Knolltop! It’s 40 out this morning and supposed to be windy and about 60 this afternoon. It will be a good day to get some work done outside to get ready for winter. I think these warm days are escaping us and pretty soon we will see the snow fly.
    Yesterday we got word that Holly is clear to go to Louisville. Here in Michigan we have to test everything for TB before we leave the state. I don’t even think a fly is allowed to leave without health papers! Well, it’s not that extreme…it really only applies to cattle. We had to have a clear TB test and all the health papers in order for Holly to go and we finally got all that accomplished yesterday after a bit of a scare.
    The first test we had done on her, she reacted to it. So that meant she had to have blood drawn by a USDA Vet. Thinking that would take weeks we gave up hope that she would be going south. Our deadline for the vet coming to draw blood was last Wednesday. On Tuesday night when Luke was getting the show halter to go work with Holly, we broke the news to him and told him she wasn’t going unless the vet came the next day and that was next to impossible. He hung his head then hung up the show halter…seemingly until next spring.

    I watched him as his faced turned red and his eyes started to get watery. I couldn’t stand seeing him to sad, but reality is hard to take sometimes and life is not fair.

    That night as we were munching on popcorn reading the paper, the phone rang. I answered it and it was a USDA vet. She wanted to schedule a time to test Holly! Anxiously I said, how about tomorrow? She said sure! I hung up the phone and ran into tell Luke and he calmly smiled a big smile.

    The next day she came and tested the cow and said she was awared that the cow was entered in the North American and she would put a rush on the test. Waiting on pins and needles to see if the cow was actually negative Dr. Cauley called yesterday with the good news.

    The trip was back in motion and now she will head out tomorrow morning on Gregg Hardy’s trailer. There is a white dry erase board in our barn and at the top of it there is a statement to remind everyone of us when we walk into the barn. It says, “Nothing is impossible with God” and truer words were never spoken.

  • What a day

    It’s cool here on the Knolltop this morning. I think the thermometer read 40 this morning when we went to the barn.

    Boy, yesterday was fun and exhausting. I picked up my cohort from Knolltop Morgans up the road and we headed south….way south….deep in the south….almost to Kentucky. I know, that’s not the deep south, but from the way the waitresses talked in Bob Evans, we might as well have been in Mississippi.

    I took my atlas to help us find the quickest route to Mohrfields in Pleasant Plain, Ohio. The map of Ohio was on two pages, the first page was northern Ohio, the second was southern Ohio. Because Pleasant Plain is just northeast of Cincinnati, it was on the second page of Ohio. So naturally when we got through the first page of Ohio I expected my navigator, Lori, to turn the page and we’d be in Cinci….wrong. We had another 10 inches to go!

    We finally got there and with my phone ringing I pulled in and parked and answered the call from the boss. His only question was…has she sold yet? I had no idea since I hadn’t even darkened the doors of the sale barn. So I went in and the sale was in full swing with ringmen taking in bids on a fancy cow parading through a mum decorated ring. I walked over to the clerks table and peered over the clerk. With that, I called the boss told him she had sold for…..$5300…yes, that September calf you thought was so nice with a deep pedigree….everyone else thought she was that nice too. I breathed a sigh of relief knowing none of the money from my Knolltop would be heading south today!

    With that, we sat back and waited for a heifer bargain for Lori’s daughter….it never came. There were no bargains to be had with farmers from Iowa and Bubba from Georgia bidding up everything that walked in on four legs.

    When all of our “business” was done, we went over to visit with Delbert Yoder for a few minutes, walked through their beautiful tie-stall barn, snapped a few pictures of the crowd to have here on my blog and bought a chocolate milk from the Goshen Athletic Boosters.

    We headed home on this beautiful fall day and enjoyed unending conversation about everything from cows to kids to college days. It was a great day full of laughter, crazy drivers, homemade horns and rich, vast, flat Ohio farm country.

  • What a day

    It’s cool here on the Knolltop this morning. I think the thermometer read 40 this morning when we went to the barn.

    Boy, yesterday was fun and exhausting. I picked up my cohort from Knolltop Morgans up the road and we headed south….way south….deep in the south….almost to Kentucky. I know, that’s not the deep south, but from the way the waitresses talked in Bob Evans, we might as well have been in Mississippi.

    I took my atlas to help us find the quickest route to Mohrfields in Pleasant Plain, Ohio. The map of Ohio was on two pages, the first page was northern Ohio, the second was southern Ohio. Because Pleasant Plain is just northeast of Cincinnati, it was on the second page of Ohio. So naturally when we got through the first page of Ohio I expected my navigator, Lori, to turn the page and we’d be in Cinci….wrong. We had another 10 inches to go!

    We finally got there and with my phone ringing I pulled in and parked and answered the call from the boss. His only question was…has she sold yet? I had no idea since I hadn’t even darkened the doors of the sale barn. So I went in and the sale was in full swing with ringmen taking in bids on a fancy cow parading through a mum decorated ring. I walked over to the clerks table and peered over the clerk. With that, I called the boss told him she had sold for…..$5300…yes, that September calf you thought was so nice with a deep pedigree….everyone else thought she was that nice too. I breathed a sigh of relief knowing none of the money from my Knolltop would be heading south today!

    With that, we sat back and waited for a heifer bargain for Lori’s daughter….it never came. There were no bargains to be had with farmers from Iowa and Bubba from Georgia bidding up everything that walked in on four legs.

    When all of our “business” was done, we went over to visit with Delbert Yoder for a few minutes, walked through their beautiful tie-stall barn, snapped a few pictures of the crowd to have here on my blog and bought a chocolate milk from the Goshen Athletic Boosters.

    We headed home on this beautiful fall day and enjoyed unending conversation about everything from cows to kids to college days. It was a great day full of laughter, crazy drivers, homemade horns and rich, vast, flat Ohio farm country.