The View from my Window

This is the view from my kitchen window.  Sometimes they come early in the season.  Sometimes there are cow calf pairs and sometimes there are heifers.  I enjoy all of them. 
The County Fair is going on most of the show that involve 4-H were moved to the first part of the week because of school starting.
We have had a second cutting of hay baled and in the barn.  One thing this rain does is make hay grow should be a good year for those who have to buy hay. 
The Great Indiana State Fair starts this Friday always exciting time for all who participate and our visitors.
Tomorrow I will take several gourds to the FFA Country Market for them to sell and then share the profits with the members that way we both win.
Better go take my canine for their walk.  Take care maybe we will meet at the fair

Summer Flowers

Well we survived the monsoon  this last month.   Oh we are in Indiana not the Indian ocean.  We are like all those who were under water  didn't get a field or 2 planted the White River is finally back in its banks at least at our farm. We need to remember God is in control the last time I checked. Had to write about these flowers they are beautiful but also intoxicating to walk through them.  My phlox usually gets mildew this year I started thinning it early and what is left is beautiful and no mildew.  I have started milkweed seeds to grow some plants and with the cold weather and rain they are just now coming up   I have roadside milkweed but these are different and the monarchs love them they are perennial so once I get them started I hope they will return
Enough for now I know I have been absent maybe I can work on that I am on facebook but I don't twitter and all the rest of that media
Enjoy this beautiful weather  and take care

Squirrel's

 I know they are cute to watch play but they are planting all my gardens even vegetables garden with sunflower seeds    Last winter Jim would put out ears of corn that he picked up in the field or would use to check for moisture.  I have now greased the poles going to the feeders so I am anxious to see what will happen.
Love this cooler weather but not all the rain.  We have some lakes like a lot of other farmers.  We are thinking about the replant but the river need to go down  this is the second time in a week this time it is bigger and will do more damage.
Have a good week and take care

Bats

 Bats are part of the I69 highway study.  This is the 3rd time the biologist have come to visit our farm to see what bats we may have living here.  As you can see they carry nets in those containers on top of their truck.  The nets are raised in the air on both sides of the creek to catch the bats.  They band them check their sex and I believe they weigh  and record their species.  I watched the first year they were here I found it very interesting.  Bats are insect eaters and will consume 1/3 of their body weight in insects every night.  The biologist  will follow the bats for a few days with a radar system to find out where they are living.  I used to have one living in my garage attic I only would go up there during the day he would just stay put hanging on the rafters.

This is where they did their work

Installing the nets it was getting dark

US 40 Sale

 Yes this is the weekend of the great US 40 sale the longest sales in miles that is  I started at Plainfield and went west.  This fellow I ran into walking his goat down 40  and since I was curious about why  I had to stop and talk to him.  Thought it would make a good story  He has been on the road since May 2 2012 and his destination is New York City  He has a story if you go to Website www.needle2square.com you can find out a lot more . 
We got all our crops in but need rain to activate the chemicals to keep the weeds down.  I have read that  north and south was too wet to plant we have been dry for a while.  Praying for RAIN
All is well keeping busy.   Next we will be cutting hay  nothing smells better than new mowed hay.  One of the reason I love to farm.
Take care be good to each other.

This photo I took today on US 40 feeding the goat a cupcake

Corn or Milk

I am not worried about the name of this snake but I smelled something different around where I keep the dog food.  It is what I called a wild smell.  I found some small 1 inch of Poop on the rug under the dog food container and couldn't figure who might of done that?   I ask Hubby he agrees it wasn't a mouse.  I ask him if he could pull out the refrigerator and he obliged.  Nothing to see Jim went in the other room  I screamed and a foot of this snake was crawling from under my refrig.   Well my grandson likes snakes so as I am standing on a chair I called and said I have a snake in my kitchen.   After some searching the area under my dishwasher and cabinets  he came out with this snake.   No I didn't sleep very well  was on the look out for another one.  I hope this is the end of the story.
Take care and watch where you walk

Mothers Day

 Since today was Mothers Day  I figured my son was running the sprayer and that is one piece of equipment I haven't ridden  in so I ask if there was room for 2 and he said yes.  I am sure he didn't know I was going to blog about this ride.   We came after weeds and there is a picture of them.  My surprise was the Auto Tracking  I had  heard talk about it but hadn't seen it, so it was something new to learn.  Farming has changed so much in the last 5 years but like everything else I am sure it will continue to change.
We are suppose to have a great weather this  week, I hope you all get to enjoy.    Take care and be careful 

Auto Tracking  it follow the straight line it will come around until it is straight.   It knows where it has been 

These are the weeds that were sprayed this will be a Soybean field

Coming home

Planting and Hummers

 The Hummers showed up 3 days ago.  Always look forward to them coming for the summer  and when they bring the babies their feathers stick out like me when I have a bad hair day. 

 My garden  is about ready to plant but I am afraid to start too soon so that is on hold until warmer weather.  Below is our first field planted always like to start close to the shed in case of trouble.  Everything work when the set up fellows are here but when you go to the field it sometimes is another story.
We have had a couple of more calves.  Jim found a few cow /calves to purchase.  They are just waiting on the bulls to be released for the summer.  The bulls are still singing their song.
Not sure what the weather is like for the week but today is perfect.
Take care and be nice to each other.

It is a start

Red-Bellied Woodpecker

 This bird works for hours getting seed to feed her family.  She is a beauty

 I need help to identify this bird the only name I can come up with is a female Red-winged Blackbird but it doesn't fit the description in my bird book   Joni James can you answer this question  Joni  is a naturalist expert Birds and all living things.

Farm report:  Had a couple of calves this week maybe a few more to come.  I quite counting.  Good grass pastures   The Bulls are ready to go out they hum all the time that low noise I guess their motors are running.    The cow and calves have all had their shots. 
The field work is coming right along  I hear there is rain in the forecast for tonight  hope we don't get much.
Take care and be kind to others

Woodpecker

Dreary day compared to yesterday.  Saw this little guy at the feeder and he had one foot hanging on while he ate from the feeder.  Maybe he was tired like me wanted to take a nap all day but here it is 7:45 can't nap now too close to bedtime.  I am going to watch the music awards  didn't see anything else on TV.
Our store has been doing well we have lots of new merchandise stop by some time.  Also we have a new facade on our building  windows and double door.  We will have a new awning ours was destroyed by an ice burg in Feb tore a 18 inch rip and poked 2 holes.  There is still painting to be finished but we are please to have been a part of this grant.
Another week ahead take care and be kind

Vulture Time

 I always hate to see these birds they are ugly to look at but that head is for a reason.  They eat dead animals, road kill and afterbirth from our cows that is left.  They are the clean up birds.  Their heads are like that so they don't pick up disease.  I came  upon them while I was checking on the Eagles a couple of weeks ago.  They are very large when they are in the road eating something they don't want to move and you have to drive around them.
Farm report  Moving right along with all work  getting a lot done.  Cows are good a few more to
calf. Pastures are growing.  The hay field is beautiful hope there is some grass in there looks like a green carpet.  
Take care and be kind to everyone.

I love this old windmill used to pump water. 

New Bird

This is a new bird for me to see below my feeder.    He was digging with that bill of his, the way a woodpecker digs at a tree getting bugs.  Sorry for the way the pictures look just wanted to share I was afraid if I went out he would have been gone. He has the stripped breast and the yellow eye and is a Brown Thrasher

Love the weather not so much the water but we will get in the field in due time.  

There is a time for everything  we just need to learn patients.

Take care and be kind to others.

Eagles 2015

 This is the second year for this pair of Eagles.  I love to watch them fly majestic they are.  This nest is closer to the White River by at least a football field, they also chose a bigger tree.  The other nest from last year is gone nothing left where it was before.  They have been on this nest for maybe  6 weeks  the guys have been clearing some land and they spotted them . 

Farm report  I think  half of our cows have calved.  The guys are busy putting on Anhydrous,  spreading fertilizer playing catch up because they still have to check the cows.  Hope the weather holds out a few showers are OK no flooding.

Have a great week and take care

the eagle is in the top left of picture just the back side

Calving Season

Most cattlemen  have a lot of the same problems.  For this farm we would always have to move by Gator or carry a  slow moving calf and her Mommy across another grass pasture and then through the corner of my  yard and cross the county road.    A couple of years ago they came up with building this pen to corral them, bring in the trailer and load them up.  Does a great job when the ground is frozen.  We have just started to calf in this back pasture and will continue for 30 to 45 days depending on how well the bulls did their job.

Still don't know anything about the heifer they tell me she is getting closer everyday.  This is our way of  life everyday cows are our business now and all year long.

The weather is going to get better each day  hang on I think spring is just around the corner.

Birds and Flowers

 A year ago I wrote about this little guy because I was worried about the red on his back side.   After reading just the other day I found out those are his red feathers and that is what makes him a Purple Finch.  Problem solved

This orchid decided to bloom for Valentines Day.  I received it on Valentines Day 5 years ago and it has only bloomed 3 times he thinks he is a biennial plant and he maybe but I have had some that bloom every year.
Farm report  We have number 11 tag on my kitchen table  you know every thing is done on the kitchen table even marking cattle tags.   We have a Heifer in the barn that Mike swears is going to have twins.  Jim says she is  a day late because he knew when she was breed.  OK the story is to be continued maybe the rain will start her labor. I always said when the barometric pressure drops we have calves, that is when it rains and snows so the story goes

Sure sign of spring

 This little bird is a sure sign of spring.  I saw him trying to dig in the snow and ice below my bird feeder he got a real surprise.  I couldn't shovel the snow myself  as the saying goes  hard as ice I was sure he couldn't.  I did put some seeds out for him on a board.   Every year he comes to visit I hope he makes it through this cold spell.  Minus 10 this morning and now it is 29 above

I am going to an I69 meeting this evening at the high school.  Just to see what is being said don't know if they have any maps of the alternate routes but I am a bit curious since we are near the 67 and 39 junction.  I always thought I would be too old to drive on the new  highway but they are going pretty fast with the construction.  I may just have to take Old 37 to Bloomington  it is a pretty drive by the forestry and the small lake, not too many people travel that way, leave the highway for all the truckers that are suppose to use it from Mexico to Canada

Farm report:  believe we have had some heifers calving about 9 of them  we have a few more to go then the cows start.   We have been praying for them to hold off until the weather breaks so far so good.
The guys are clearing out fence rows and tree lines.  Mike saw the Eagle in the river bottoms but last years nest is gone and there is a huge one in an old Oak tree not to far from where the old nest was. So what happened to the old nest,  did they move it,   did a storm with high winds destroy it just curious??
Does anyone follow the same eagles to know what they do??  Driving down 67 south of the light saw 2 of them fighting locked together in free fall thought they would hit my car I had slowed down,  they broke apart then flew away.

This is an Orchard Oriole or an American Redstart  the redstart is suppose to have a white breast which this has

Cold Weather

Goldfinch sometimes called wild canary is a female or male in winter outfit

 Happy New Year so far so good  I know it is cold but remember the snow from the last couple of years was no fun.  It is dry or sort of the ground is hard and no mud except in certain areas where the cattle keep it stirred up.  I have been going out with my 2 little dogs and they enjoy the snow  at night is the quietest the wind is calm and it seems warmer.  
I am going to sign off stay warm and take care until we talk again.

I try to keep sunflower seed out at different locations around our house.  We had a Hawk come by the other day he wants birds for his food   

Purple finch