Beef: It's What's For Dinner

Dear vegetarians, that's your choice and I'm cool with it. But please stop the attacks on beef.

Are We Home Yet? (Home Sweet Home)

We left Minnesota at 7am yesterday. We drove straight through Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and finally Pennsylvania.

Are We Home Yet? (The Badlands)

In one of my favorite songs, Jason Aldean says to "take a ride across the badlands," and that's what we did.

Are We Home Yet? (South Dakota)

We left for home Sunday morning, making it through Wyoming and into South Dakota.

Are We There Yet? (We Are!)

Buffalo! We're finally here! I know my last post mentioned Buffalo and the movie theater, but that was only in the evening. Today was the big day.

New Boots

Before leaving Cheyenne today, the family and I stopped at a Wrangler & Boot Barn store with the intention of purchasing a new pair of cowboy boots.

Are We There Yet? (Thermopolis)

Sorry for skipping a few days, I thought you guys could use a break, and I had a massive headache last night that kept me from doing anything. Today (Thursday) we didn't do much, just drove a ton. So I'll catch you up on the excitement of Wednesday.

Books!!

I thought I'd give you guys a break from my vacation posts. =)

I LOVE reading. Love it, love it, love it. Since I've spent about 5 days in the car so far, I've finished two books cover to cover, and have three more waiting. I finished book 2 & 3 of The Hunger Games, which I will again, recommend to readers. It took a little self-convincing to pick the first up but I haven't regretted it.

Are We There Yet? (Colorado & Wyoming--New Truck?)

"Found On Road Dead" is a popular phrase used to describe Ford trucks. A phrase I can't argue with currently. The trailer spent the night in the Ford dealership parking lot last night in Denver. Our lemon truck is in the doctor's office.

Are We There Yet? (Kansas & Colorado --Truck Troubles)

Half of the day was spent passing the rest of the way through Kansas. The eastern part of the state was pretty orange with stark contrasts of dark green wheat fields. Then it began to flatten out and take on more of a desert look, turning into Colorado.

Are We There Yet? (Missouri & Kansas)

We made it out of Illinois this morning and stopped in Saint Louis, Missouri to visit the Gateway Arch. Navigating the city hauling the 30 ft trailer behind was a challenge, but Jeff pulled it off. As much as I hate being a tourist, it was pretty cool looking out across the city from the top of the arch, 630 ft high.

View from the arch top.

I got to touch the Mississippi River on the way back to the truck. By the way, St. Louis is not a rather clean city...it makes Pittsburgh look like a bunch of germaphobes.

Afterwards, we drove in a straight line for hours and hours. Tons of cows and wheat fields to look at. We made it to the Land of Oz (Kansas) and passed a gorgeous farm that made us all envy the owners.

And now we're staying the night in Junction City, Kansas. I don't think Kansas is the state for me, it's constantly windy, which I hate. Oh well. Mom and Steven have been banned to the trailer for the night because they're the snore-ers in the family. Jeff and I are kicking back in the hotel room. But it's back on the road bright and early tomorrow morning.

Does anyone have a favorite state? Any photo requests? I'll post again tomorrow!

Are We There Yet? (Ohio-Indiana-Illinois)

That's as far as we got today. Most of the day consisted of corn, corn, and more corn. We went straight through Columbus and Indianapolis, and we got to see the Lucas Oil Stadium where the Colts play. Although, when we passed there was some kind of motocross event going on and my brother pouted since we couldn't stop.

Laundry Change

I strategically do the laundry every couple of weeks. Normally my mom does it, which is super nice and I love her for it, but every now and then I'll do a load or two of my own stuff. This way, I have a legitimate reason to run around with my nose to the floor and pick up all the loose change. Today I made $3.61 in just a handful. Jackpot!

Are We There Yet? (Part 2)

The decision was made to not rent a nice big Suburban with plenty of room for my brother and me, but to take the F350 with only one back seat. Oh and haul the giant horse trailer with living quarters.

I am not happy with this decision. Maybe if we were going to a show, and my boy was in the back happily eating hay, I'd enjoy the thought more. But I have ten days of "Mom I need more leg room, she's taking up the whole seat!" to look forward to.

Bon voyage.

Are We There Yet? (Part 1)

We're leaving for vacation bright and early Saturday morning. Well, probably not bright, but very early. Where? Not the beach.

Blog Class Activity

We had to do this writing activity in blogging class tonight. We were to write past and present obsessions on notecards and shuffle them, then pick one of each and write a post about the topics. My two: Danica Patrick and Spongebob.

It's Official...Spring is Here!

The absolute best sound one could hear from her bedroom window (and anywhere outside) is the Spring Peepers. I told you I'd post when they came, and tonight marks the first night of Peeper songs. They signify the arrival of Spring. There's no going back now ladies and gents, we're officially out of the woods! If you have never heard this magnificent sound, I found a great video for you. Check it out even if you have heard it.

Tonight, I'll be falling asleep to the sound of Spring showers and Peeper frogs. Happy Spring everyone!

The Bird of a Thousand Songs

I never fully realized how much I pay attention to the birds around the farm until I started blogging. Ha. Anyway, I was walking back to the house from the stable yesterday and I heard my good friend The Mockingbird singing on my neighbor's rooftop.

This bird and I have a long standing love-hate relationship. I love to listen to him during the day. I hate to listen to him at 2am in the summer. He's pretty cool, because he sings non-stop for hours, changing his song every few notes. He'll sing one call about twice, then switch to a different one, like this:

But I swear, my bird goes blind halfway through summer. I'll be awake late at night and listen to him calling away at the moon. He echos against the hills because he's the ONLY one singing. I'm convinced he's the bird from Failure to Launch with Zooey Deschanel.

"What kind of devil bird chirps at night?!"

Dirtbike Pets

Who says dirtbikes are just for humans? We disagree.

The Instigator

Fire is an instigator. And yet, every single person in the barn feels the need to take him home. Why? Because he's so fluffy and cute!

My other cat, Marius, is Fire's best friend. Fire loves to tease poor Marius though.

Does anyone else have a mischievous pet?

The Moo Cows

I've said before that we raise beef cattle. Well last week when it was gorgeous outside, I dusted off Baby Bike and rode all over the farm. I stopped to see the cows, and after a few minutes of uncertainty they let me pet them.

I don't usually deal with the adult cows, just the babies that we have to bottle feed in the summer. But even babies cows grow up. Cool enough though, one of my favorite bottle babies remembered me. Or at least he remembered humans. Studly was the first to stick his nose out to my hand.

That's my boy!

By the way, moo cow tongues are like giant cat tongues--sandpaper.

Dog Fights

If anyone has ever had more than two dogs at one time, chances are they've experienced a dog fight. Although until yesterday, when my neighbor's dogs fought, I didn't realize some things I know about dog fights aren't common knowledge. I spent four years working with a dog breeder who had about 20 dogs, so I learned these things, whereas most people without that opportunity haven't.

Dog fights are very dangerous, to you and your pets. Here are some things it is essential to remember if you ever find yourself in that situation.

1. NEVER put your hands in between dogs fighting. Dogs can't recognize a 'helping' hand when they're fighting and they will bite your hand as if you're the enemy also, no matter how much they love you.

2. If you have more than two dogs, separate the ones fighting as quickly as possible from the rest. Dogs have a pack mentality, and will gang up on one another, resulting in a pack fight.

3. The absolute quickest way to break up a fight is water. Grab a hose or bucket of pool or pond water--anything. Splashing the dogs will surprise them long enough to break up the fight. Dogs don't generally continue fighting after they've broken it up already.

These three things will guarantee your own safety first, then the safety of your pets. Remember that no matter how much you and your pets love each other, a dog bite is almost a sure way to get the animal put down. If you have two dogs that fight more than once or twice, it's probably best to find a new home for one of them. You can't force dogs to like each other anymore than you can humans.

Welcome back, Killdeers!

One of the best sounds I ever hear besides the Spring Peeper frogs, is the call of the Killdeer birds. They have this loud annoying squawk, but it means spring and summer are just around the corner. They sound like this:

Video taken from my bedroom window.

They love to roost in the wetlands and our pastures, so they squawk all summer long. You grow to love it after a long winter. Although, the crazy little things make nests on the ground, and love to make their nests from the stones in our outdoor riding arena. Then when you get close to their eggs, they puff their orange under feathers and chirp at you. It's kind of cute.

As annoying as they seem, I absolutely love them!

Country Humor

Ha.

Hello, Mr. Owl

On rare nights we're lucky enough to hear owls hooting outside. On more than one occasion, I've woken up in the middle of the night for no apparent reason, until I hear the owl outside. I believe he sits on the edge of the roof, right above my window. His call is a little spooky but I love to listen to it. After some googling, I found out he's a Great Horned Owl. Pretty cool huh? He sounds like this:

Not my own video.

Animals, wild and domestic, are my favorite part about living away from the city. Please share your owl stories, even if it's seeing one at the zoo!

Just Another Month

The beginning of March only means one thing to me: one more month until Spring and my birthday. My birthday this year will be awesome because I'm finally turning 21. But right now I'm more focused on Spring. I love Spring. Who doesn't? Warm air, birds, less layers--it's fantastic.

Last year around this time, my brother and I visited my grandparents' farm to go fishing. All we had were two old fishing rods that were my granddad's, but we didn't care. We just wanted to fish.

We didn't catch anything that day, but my brother had a few short conversations with an angry momma goose. Like any other goose, she hissed at him in warning to stay away from her eggs. Like any other teenager, it took the very angry papa goose to come chase him off.

I can't wait for March to be over with so I can go fishing again! What do you guys do at the beginning of Spring?

Chick Days!

Every spring Tractor Supply sells baby chickens and ducks. They are adorable!

Of course you need a coop and feed and whatnot, but still, how can you say no to a baby chick? My mom can. Each year I ask for a chick, and each year my mom says I have to buy and build my own coop. Maybe this year will be my year.

Although Jeff says we can't have ducks. Apparently they float in the pond all day then waddle out to sit on the warm road in the evenings and they get squished. I guess I'll have to wait until I have my own farm to get ducks.

If you're interested check out Tractor Supply's Chick Days!

Ps: Check out my friend's cool blog about country life and Tractor Supply's chicks.

Wash Your Hands

Farmers have dirty hands. It's unavoidable. Between vehicle fluids and just plain dirt, my brother's and step-dad's hands are now stained dark. So I really shouldn't have been surprised to find this in the bathroom when I walked in this morning:

That my friends, is Gojo, pumice hand cleaner; "for removing grease, tar, and oil." It's not really the product that gets me, it's the size of the container. Most people have dainty or sleek hand soap dispensers. We have a whopping 1.25 gallons. We'll probably have to buy a new one next week.