I Have Proof!!

I know I have mentioned a few times how much I love PW!!  It's true, ask my family and friends!  

I love her blog.  I love her recipes.  I love her cookbook.  Honestly I heart PW!  

Way back in March my good friend J and I traveled many miles to Great Falls to go to one of  PW's Book Signings.  It was so worth the miles.  I left my babies at home, but her son Colter John made the trek with us across the state of Montana.  It was the first road trip J and I have ever take together, and I can't wait until next week when we take the next; but that is another story.

Anyway, however you look at it I love PW.  I bought a few new cookbooks for her to sign.  No, I did not have her sign the cookbook I use, as it is falling apart.  Both Dana and I have used that cookbook so much it is falling apart.  

The pages don't even stay in anymore.

I wasn't kidding, its falling apart at the seam!

Falling out all over.  And you can't even see the stains from splatters from our cooking!

See the broken seam??  This is the first cake I have ever baked from scratch in my whole life!

OHHHH...cinnamon rolls.  To die for.  And so simple I can do it.  

Since Dana stayed home with the babies, and  he enjoyes PW's recipes as much as I do, I had Miss Ree sign a cookbook for my husband!

*the pictures aren't the best, as my four year old insisted on taking them.  Though she might have taken better ones than I would have!*

Dirtwork with Daddy

Slowly the amount of mud in our yard is getting less and less.  And with the disappearance of the mud, big old ruts appear.  So the other night, D fired up the little tractor and him and T did a little dirt work in our driveway.  There is still water and mud standing, so he couldn't get it all the way, but he didn't get quite a few ruts knocked down.  T was having a grand time on the tractor.

Farming Widow

It's that time of year already. That time of year where I become a Farming Widow.

The time of year when Big D starts his schedule of early mornings, late nights and being home whenever T and I are not.

My widow status is a special thing at that, it doesn't stop when seeding is done. It lasts through irrigating, swathing, baling, custom farm work, fencing, and harvesting.

Big D and I do wave to each other as we pass each other on the road!

Big D loves what he does. So therefore I have no problem becoming a Farming Widow. Besides, while Big D's schedule has his driving in circles, irrigating, and putting out fires, T and I will spend our time gardening, riding horses, branding, rodeoing, taking swimming lessons, road tripping and enjoying our summer to the fullest.

Sugar Beets

The only day I talked a bit about Big D's new farming venture, Sugar Beets. My knowledge level is still quite low, but I have learned a couple of things.

1. The sugar beet planter they searched and searched for and finally purchased looks a whole lot like a corn planter to me! I plan to get to the bottom of this and find out what is different, because to my untrained eye there is nothing different. So therefore I am wondering why we had to buy when? I am sure there is a reason, right?

2. Planting sugar beets is freakin' expensive! I saw the seed bill. The bill is more than what I make in a year! No joke. I felt faint when Big D showed me the bill. Real faint.

3. Sugarbeeters will be able to plant roundup ready beets this year. Yep, that was new to me. Of course, I have never even gave any of it a thought before. I recieved the following email about the good news:

“U.S. District Court Judge Jeffrey White has denied the plaintiffs’ request for a preliminary injunction that would have prohibited planting of the biotech sugar beets that growers planted on 95 percent of their acreage last year.”

“We are pleased that the court denied the request and recognized the significant negative impact that an immediate ban on planting would have caused to growers, processors, rural communities and the U.S. sugar supply. This decision allows sugar beet growers to proceed with planting this year’s crop. The court will decide at the July 9th hearing what will happen in 2011 and beyond.”

“We look forward to the next phase of the court proceedings where we can present evidence about potential choices for our growers and processors.”

Married a Farmer

I know I have mentioned it before, but I shall say it again: I Married A Farmer. Now don't go a'hatin' on me or get the wrong idea; there is nothing wrong with farmers. Farmers are great. We need farmers. I heart farmers. But I am a rancher. I grew up pulling calves, not ditches.

As a kid growing up, I really never had to help with the farming side of the operation my father worked for. Yes, I would have to help load square bales, and haul hay, but that was about it. All aspects of raising cattle I was great hand. Pulling calves. Fixing fence. Sorting, calving, feeding, breeding...well you get the picture.

But now I am married to a farmer. A farmer that irrigates! I knew absolutely nothing about irrigating. There wasn't much for irrigating where I grew up. I sometimes wish I still didn't know anything about irrigating. And truth be told, for all that I have learned, I pretend to be dumb about it. It keeps me out of trouble and I get sent fencing instead of irriagating. Yes it's true, I would rather fence than irrigate. Well, as long as I am not fencing with Big D, but that's another post.

Now Big D is starting a new farming venture: Sugar Beets. I definetly know nothing about that! When we first got together most of his farming was alfalfa that he sold for dairy hay, and some wheat. In these last few years, he has had his alfalfa, his wheat, then some durum, and the last two years was corn. And now sugar beets.

They have been busy searching for sugar beet planters, attending sugar beet meetings and talking about planting and all the prep before they get to start seeding. It seems that our river bottom land is already set up pretty well to accomidate sugar beets, so that is good. I don't know if the beets will be under pivot or on the flood irrigation. If it's on the flood ground, will that take more work irrigating than corn and or aflalfa? I have all kinds of questions about this new adventure of Big D's.

But I am carefully considering how and when to ask my questions. I don't want to be loaded with too much information to where I might be of some use and help! I mean, someone has to stay behind and take care of the cows, kid and dogs!