Wordless Wednesday

My Prize

Here a few posts ago I wrote that I had won a giveaway from The South Dakota Cowgirls blog. Well I received my prize in the mail the other day and its awesome. 

 I received the journal that she published that is full of her wonderful photography and lots of pages for me to write down my thoughts, dreams, prayers, and lists.

The South Dakota Cowgirl also has a 2013 calendar, collection of note cards and Christmas cards for that feature her photography from around the ranch.   I've been following her blog for a long time now, and enjoy her writing, her photography and her jewelry.

I apologize for the photos below and they are just taken with my phone and don't do the journal justice.  My internet is down, again.  The day I have reliable internet service I am going to dance like noone is watching!

Defoliating Beets

We have only been growing sugar beets for 3 years.  I have learned alot in those 3 years, and have plenty more to learn.  One question that is asked quite frequently is 'What is defoliating beets?'.  Well, I happen to get some close up pictures of the defoliater last week as the guys were opening up a new field.  

Basically, the defoliator has a bunch of paddles inside and whips the tops of the beets off.  This is the first step.  After the beets have been defoliated, the diggers come and and scoop those suckers up and load them into the trucks. 

Sugerbeet Snap Shots

Yes, I know we are done with sugarbeet harvest, but I actually got some pictures taken this year and I want to share them with you.  So bear with me!

Digging beets and loading trucks

We got some rain during harvest so we had to use a pull tractor on some fields

Pull tractor at work

Digger waiting on a truck

This sugarbeet harvest is hard on everyone!

Waiting to get loaded back up.  

That's a wrap boys!

2012's sugarbeet harvest for us is in the books! We finished last night. And as soon as the last truck was home, and the last tractor was parked everyone let out a big sigh of relief.

All in all harvest went pretty well. We only had 2 major breakdowns. First major breakdown put one of our semis out of commission. Thankfully a friend of ours let us borrow one of his so we could keep our moving along. Second breakdown was this past Sunday when our 12 row defoliator broke down. It slowed digging down tremendously. The 6 row defoliator couldn't keep up with 3 diggers, so we had to shut down 2 diggers as repairs were being made.

The biggest thing that effects how, when and where we dig beets is the weather. And Mother Nature threw everything at us this year. First it was too hot, then it was too cold. Then we got rain and it was too muddy. It was 19 days from our first day of digging til we got the last beet dug. Of those 19 days we only dug about 9 1/2 days. But we got it done!

So it's a wrap on sugarbeet harvest for 2012. Now on to combining corn, fixing corrals, fall cow work, weaning calves and getting hay hauled home. The fun never stops at this cow camp!!

I did it!

With a little research and a little luck I figured it out!  Yep, I designed my blog header for this little old blog!  It may not be the best blog header ever, but for me its a big step!  And I am kind of proud of myself!

Hopefully I can keep stumbling across tips and tricks to make this blog a little bit better and easier to read!

This is where I found the instructions on hot to use Picasa to build your own header blog:  http://www.migonishome.com/2012/03/designing-blog-header.html#

In Need Of Blogger Help

To Whomever May Actually Be Reading This,

Help!!

I have some blogger questions and need some help!  On one hand I know my way around the computer quite well.  On the other hand, I don't.   I would like to customize/design my blog background.  Is that even possible?  And if it's possible, am I capable of doing it.

I just want something simple.  Arrange the header differently.  Different color background.  Just simple things.  No, I don't want to leave blogger for a different host.  I like blogger, good, bad or otherwise.  It's what I am used to.  Just want some creativity freedom.

So, can you help me?  Do you have any suggestions.  Or am I just stuck?

Sincerely,

In Need Of Your Help

Picking Sugar Beets with Daddy

Crashed!

Finally! After a year of fighting, cussing, pulling my hair out and having day dreams of running my computer over with my John Deere loader tractor my computer has crashed.

So new computer has arrived and is being worked on to get me ready. Hopefully my computer gal will have it all set up and me online in the next few days. I can't wait.

After church we spent the remainder of the day helping out in the beet field. Slowly we are getting those sugarbeets dug!

What a Great Hump Day!

Yesterday was a great day!!!

* It rained! All day it rain! There are puddles of water everywhere and the roads are muddy! I actually put my pickup on 4 wheel drive yesterday! What a great feeling.

* I won!! The South Dakota Cowgirl had a contest over on her blog to celebrate 2000 fans, and I won! I was one of three lucky winner and recipient of one of he writing journals! I can't wait I get it

* My dad called Leroy (an Amish friend who happens to also be a saddle maker) and got my name on list for a saddle. That's right! I'm biting the bullet and getting myself a saddle built.

* It was youth group night at our church and I am helping with that again this year. Hanging out with those kids and making plans for the year was a great way to end the day. They always seem to reenergize me and get things on focus and remember what's important.

Yep! I do declare yesterday as a great day!!

Enjoy your Thursday!

Good Morning!

It's raining! Woohoo!! *insert happy dance*. It just 7:00 am and it's been raining for quite awhile!

We need the moisture so bad I'm not even going to complain that this rain has shut down beet harvest for the day already. We need to get those beets dug. BUT we need the moisture way more.

So here's to a great hump day! Hope it's raining on you today too! Thought I'd share a picture with you just because!