Fall is coming Fast!

A week ago I thought harvest was never going to come. The corn was as green as it could be and the weather has been perfect for us but terrible for drying corn, but a lot has changed on the horizon in that week. Fields of corn and beans are drying up quickly and the weather is feeling more and more like fall. I would say we will be chopping within a week and harvest will start shorty after that. I think Will is feeling the pressure to get things ready for cattle to come home as we spent all weekend digging in posts and working on barns. The winds we had in May really did a number on our bull barn and wind break. Our contractor is about done with the bull barn repairs and Will and my dad worked on the wind break this weekend. I am not looking forward to Will going into the fields for harvest. Even though he really isn't home a lot now, he is a least able to do chores, during harvest that responsibility falls onto me. Last year Lyndin did not see him for 38 days. I am hoping since she is a little older maybe she will be able to spend some time in the semi with her dad this year. I learned last year that I really rely on my family and friends to help me get everything done during this busy time. As Lyndin gets older she likes to do her own thing instead of helping me and she doesn't like to sit still long enough to enjoy the tractor.

With this cooler weather it gets me thinking of Christmas and how busy our schedules can get so I am trying to pre-plan this year as we also have a family wedding during the holiday season. So if I ask about Christmas plans don't think I am crazy. I am just trying to squeeze everything in.

Shortly we will have feeder calves for sale. With the corn prices so low, now would be a great time to feed out some cattle. If you are looking for any, let me know. We also have a few show calves left if anyone is needs some quality show stock!

We made our own "high"

After all the lows we have had this year, Will and I decided to make our own high. Will has always talked and dreamed about owning an Australian Shepherd, but we never quite found the right fit until a Facebook post popped up in my news feed about a family looking to re home a 9 month Australian Shepherd male. I immediately sent a message to the lady and went and found Will. It was like it was meant to be. He quickly fell in love with just a few pictures. After talking to the lady they were looking to re home due to his anxiety when strangers came into the yard. He was great with their 2 and 3 year old daughters and other dogs and animals, but didn't like strangers, especially males. We decided to take the risk and made arrangements to meet in Austin, MN to pick him up. Well, after a few days of anxiety that the deal would fall through, we got to meet Sully. They asked that Will and Lyndin hide while they introduced him to me first. Sully jumped out of the car and right into my arms. He was full of kisses and love. Lyndin couldn't stay away any longer so she came running over and Sully greeted her will a million kisses. They both were in love. Then it was Will's turn. Will walked up and Sully sniffed him and went back to kissing Lyndin. The previous owners were happy with that response to him because normally he becomes aggressive. We loaded Sully into his kennel and off we went. We had planned to stop at a park about 30 minutes out of Austin to let both Lyndin and Sully run. Sully jumped right out and played on the playground with Lyndin and went right over to Will. They instantly had a great connection, so much that Sully road in the front seat with Will on the way home. It was great to see Will smile when he would look at Sully, I knew his heart was full once again.

Once we got home we introduced Sully to Aspen and Ahlee. After a few battles Aspen and Sully turned to playing. Ahlee is still a little unsure. We left Aspen and Sully in the garage overnight and moved Sully to the shed this morning. We noticed he liked to run after cars as one went by last night so we will need to teach him his boundaries before he is free to roam.

Sully has already started working on sit, stay, come and kennel and responded very good to those with us. He did chores with us last night and never once was aggressive towards any of the animals. I think he is going to be an excellent fit and a big highlight for our family. Our dog Aspen who is half german shepherd/half blue heeler has started showing some aggression towards the cows and other animals so we are hoping Sully will help calm her down. Will is hoping to work with Sully more to train him to watch gates while he is doing chores.

What a great "high" we had yesterday. Lyndin woke up saying "Ahlee Out" to put him outside and then "where Ully" as she wanted to see the new family member.

Bad News, Keeps Getting Worse

I am almost afraid to pick up my phone when I see the realtors name pop up. Once again closing was delayed....15 MORE DAYS! Will and I have personally been funding the house renovations and his dad's care since July 5, 2017 and we are broke because of it. Closing was originally scheduled for August 18, but here we are with another extension. Unfortunately there isn't much we can do to fix it except wait.

There are a few positive things going on in our lives tho....We found out that his Godmother and cousins are planning to spend the weekend with us at the Big Four Fair in Nashua. What an awesome honor to have them take a weekend out of their busy schedules just to spend time with us. Due to estranged family drama they unfortunately didn't get to grow up together but me being the loud mouth that I am, brought them back together and it has been the best thing for both parties. Will's godmother/cousin, Michelle, is the 4H advisor in Fayette County and grew up raising cattle. Her husband Galen and kids, Travis and Amanda, have opened their arms, expertise and home to us numerous times. You would think that Travis and Will are brothers as they walk the same, talk the same, and act the same. We are so honored they we get to be apart of their lives and they want to be apart of ours. I can't even count the number of times I have called them last minute to watch Lyndin and they always jump at the opportunity. It reminds me that we are doing something right in this world. Travis has a way of calming Will down in the stressful world of showing cattle. I must admit that showing feeders is a lot less work and a lot more fun. I think we found our niche.

I will wait to share the other positive thing that we are looking forward to in case it doesn't work out. (NO, I AM NOT PREGNANT).

Closing the book....

After spending countless hours cleaning out my father-in-laws home to sell we picked up the final load this weekend. Will's father is suffering from memory loss and we made the decision to put him into assisted living. Thankfully he was more than willing to go to one. After looking at a few places we found Cobblestone Court in Sumner, Iowa and he fell in love and so did we. The day after we got home from our trip to Africa we moved him into his new home. Since then we have seen improvements both physically and mentally and are indescribable. In order to afford this next chapter in his life we starting the process of selling him. Thankfully he has a beautiful place and perfect location so it didn't take long to sell, but then came the hard part....getting everything out. Will and I spent endless hours there throwing away and giving away belongings. My father-in-law already had the things he had wanting as he had been staying with a friend a couple years prior to this decision and we even rented it out for awhile, so the house was the easy part. The outbuildings on the other hand were an organized mess. Dumpster loads and scrap metal loads consumed most of our free time this summer, but we are officially done. With fingers crossed closing will be held this Friday.

When we moved Will's father in he was down 24 pounds from 2 months previous, he could barely walk and his memory didn't last beyond on couple minutes. I am happy to say that he has gained 5 pounds in a month and takes daily walks and he can remember things beyond a couple days. What a great change. He often asks about his bothers and sister with whom he doesn't have a relationship with as I think he is starting to realized how alone that makes him. We do keep his siblings updated on his life as best we can, but our hope is that they will pay him a visit and hopefully they will have a future together for the years that are left.

Here is a picture I received last night of Will's dad dance on "main street" at the assisted living. He is happy to be able to do what he loves once again!

Reality is HARD!

After the last month of working cattle and going to open shows, Will and I took the weekend to go watch the Simmental Show at the Iowa State Fair. Unfortunately, we did not show cattle down there this year, as being in Africa would put us too fair behind. We learned that it is a lot more relaxing watching for the bleachers but we also know that we can't sell cattle from there. Working, eating and sleeping farm is hard work on its own, but add in a full time job and a sassy 2 year old and the days are really wearing on me. Doing anything takes 4 times as long with a girl on your hip. Don't get me wrong, I love all the farm has to offer, but I need to learn how to better manage my time. I am always expected to take care of everyone else. Making appointments, running errands, going here, running there, do this, do that, along with make supper, do laundry, bath night. No where in there do I see, take care of yourself. Will always asks me to make a list of things that I need done that he could help me with. Needless to say I made a list 4 months ago and the only things crossed off are the things that I did. Frustrated is my favorite word anymore. I know we are both busy and he is handling what he can, but multitasking is something he can't do. I find myself spending my half hour lunch break doing errands for everyone else that most the time I don't have time to eat.

The Chickasaw County Extension Office is sponsoring a workshop about well being and I am really working hard on trying to establish some boundaries to improve my well being. I am learning that I need to say "no" more when people ask me to help them out, especially the ones that don't like to return the favors when I need them. I am learning to take time to myself in order to 'reset' from the day and prepare for the new one. I am a work in progress that's for sure!

We have a 2 year old

Where does the time go? On Friday we woke up to a 2 year old in the house. Although she has already been in the "terrible 2" phase for quite some time, it is crazy to think she is 2. Lyndin is so full of spunk and attitude but with her smile she can move mountains. Friday night we took a break from cattle and hosted a birthday party for her. She had a great time playing with her cousins and opening her new gifts. She is so loved by everyone around her and has no idea the impact she makes with her smile. We are blessed parents.

Back to work we go.

Today we all went back to work and daycare. Lyndin about jumped out the car in excitement when we pulled into daycares driveway. I had a pile of jobs to work on but got caught up by 4. Will left way before I even thought about waking up and won't be home to late. Back to reality.