Tag: travel
A Look at What One Rancher is Cooking Up for His Cattle
Jonathan and I went on a Texas ranch tour after the American Farm Bureau Annual Convention on Tuesday. We toured Blanco County, which has been in a drought situation for a few years. Our tour guide for the day is also the Blanco County Farm Bureau president, Don Casey. Don came up with a way to remove the spines of the cactus, making them easier for the cattle to eat. He invited the tour to his cattle pasture, where he gave a demonstration on how the process works.
Prickly Pear Cactus are common houseplants in Minnesota, but in Texas, they grow in pastures and ditches. They have two lengths of spines, both of them very sharp.
To begin his project, Don took a boat trailer, removed the rollers, and mounted an LP Tank on the back to make it very portable.
He uses a long burner arm to be able to reach into large patches of the cactus. It sounds and acts a lot like our flame weeder, only it is made for walking around with.
He burns the spines one side at a time, giving the smoke time to clear in between passes in order to make sure he isn’t missing any plants.
Here you can see the spines that are on fire. This is a very quick, effective way to remove the spines.
Notice the difference in color between the cactus in the foreground, and those in the back. When the flame is applied to the plant, it is lightly cooking the plant as well. Don flames enough cactus for one or two days of foraging, otherwise it rots before the cattle have a chance to use it for food.
In this close up, notice how shiny the outside of the plant looks compared to the first photo.
This is what the inside of the plant looks like – moist, and ready to eat. Cactus has a high water content, and is useful for its carbohydrates. The cattle are also fed a pelletized feed and minerals to balance out their diet.
Don has 25 head of cattle in this pasture, and they all were just waiting for us to move a little out of the way so they could get at the plants.
One person on our tour asked if the cattle like to eat the cactus. It was pretty obvious that they do when they all ran over to the patch and dug right in.
It was fun and interesting to see someone else using flames for a very different purpose than what we use it for.
We appreciate the American Farm Bureau for lining up tours to showcase agriculture in a different region, and to help bring an understanding that while we all are different, our roots are the same.
Share this:
Wordless Wednesday – Thinking Warm Thoughts
Thank you, American Farm Bureau Federation, for holding your Annual Convention in warm places…and giving us an excuse to travel there!
Share this:
My Eyes May Have Leaked a Little
Jonathan, Anna, and I headed out west for a short vacation last week. Our real reason for heading to the Black Hills of South Dakota was to see Christina, who is spending her summer at the Black Hills Playhouse as a tech intern. We hadn’t been able to hug her since May, and we were missing her sweet face.
We stopped at a lot of the typical touristy places, and had fun. Seeing those sights with your 20-something offspring is much different than with your 2-something offspring. We stayed in Wall, SD the first night, so we were just over an hour away from our hotel in Keystone, SD. We arrived early enough that we went straight to Mount Rushmore.
The monument was beautiful. We had been here when the girls were in elementary school, so we knew a little about the area, and had anticipated the view. We were not disappointed!
We went through the museum under the observation area, and decided to sit in on the 14 minute film about the making of the memorial. This is where the “yeah, yeah, we’ve seen this before” turned into “wow, did you know that?” and “I wish I could get a copy of all the quotes!”
Maybe it is the times we are living in. Maybe it’s the climate of me, me, me. Maybe it is the feeling of disconnect between neighbors. Whatever the reason, I was struck by the patriotism of Gutzlon Borglum, and the reasons he gave for selecting those particular four presidents.
He selected Washington because he was the father of our country. He was not worried about his political ambitions. He was worried about building a foundation for a young country that would stand the test of time.
Jefferson was selected to represent the growth of our country. President Jefferson orchestrated the Louisiana Purchase, and sent Lewis and Clark on their expedition.
Lincoln represents the preservation of our country, after he was able to reunite the United States after the Civil War. Borglum greatly admired Lincoln, and made many pieces of artwork about him.
President Theodore Roosevelt helped to make the Panama Canal a reality. He also orchestrated peace between countries, establishing the United States as a world power. 200 million acres of National Parks were set aside during his presidency. His presence on Mount Rushmore represents development of our nation.
The story behind the sculpting, the selection, and the accomplishment of the monument is very educational. As we were leaving Mount Rushmore, Jonathan overheard someone talking about the evening lighting ceremony. We thought that sounded neat, so we decided we would come back the next night (parking is $11 per car, good for the rest of the year, so we could go as many times as our hearts desired).
We had no idea what to expect. We did know that we should get there early, and I’m glad we did. The amphitheater was full by the time the ceremony started.
The ceremony began with a 10 minute talk by a park ranger. She talked about the memorial, sharing quotes from each of the presidents that were represented on the memorial. After her talk, we watched a short film about the presidents and the carving of the mountain. It was very patriotic. The film ended with the singing of America the Beautiful. It was very dark at this point, but as we looked at the flag, during the song, we noticed the lights were starting to shine on the faces. By the time the song had ended, the faces were fully lit. That was my first set of goosebumps. Then, all the veterans were invited forward to assist with the lowering of the flag ceremony. This may have been the first time my eyes leaked. The 75 or so men and women on the stage were given a standing ovation. Most people sang the National Anthem…I was a little too choked up to get the words out.
After the flag was lowered and properly folded, each of the veterans introduced themselves and their branch of service. My eyes may have leaked a little at the presenting of the flag to the park ranger.
When the ceremony was done for the night, I couldn’t help but think about what this monument means, and how important it is to remember the ideals and sacrifices these men had made in order for me to be able to live in a country where I am free to worship how I want, free to make the choices I do, and free to help others has I see fit.
These men weren’t looking out just for themselves or their political aspirations. They were more concerned about their fellow Americans, and the country they led. They were led by the people, for the people. President Washington refused to be crowned king, because then America wouldn’t have the freedoms they longed for.
I left the ceremony thinking that every single American should be given the opportunity to attend the lighting ceremony at Mount Rushmore. Every Senator, Representative, and Presidential candidate should be reminded about the principles that our country was founded on in the Declaration of Independence – “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed…”
Days later, as I sit at the computer in the comfort of my home, trying to put into words the emotions we felt, my eyes may have leaked a little.
Share this:
Wordless Wednesday – Road Trip Through the Buffalo Ridge
Click on the photo to enlarge it. Can you find the remnants of the old windmill?
Share this:
Wordless Wednesday – Favorite Places
I love this little slice of heaven. In Minnesota, we just call it “the lake”.
Share this:
Blizzards and Caring for Livestock
We were hit with a blizzard warning this weekend, the first major snow of the season. Our forecast on Friday was for 3-4 inches of snow for the weekend, and no watches or warnings. That changed in a hurry on Saturday. Suddenly, we found ourselves in a winter weather advisory for Saturday night, and a blizzard warning for Sunday. Our 3-4 inches became 15 inches…and a lot of wind. We had wind gusts in excess of 40 mph.
This is one of our little trees on Saturday morning. I ran out in flip flops and a fleece jacket to take this photo since it was a beautiful 34 degrees.
This is what the tree looked like early Sunday morning. It was still snowing pretty good at this point. I wore my snow boots with my fleece jacket this time. The snow was coming in over the tops of my 10 inch boots.
When the winds picked up around 2:00pm, the temps dropped from 34 degrees to 16 degrees in about a half an hour. When trees and power lines are loaded with snow, and the winds kick up to over 40 mph, chances are good we’re going to lose power. The first time the power flashed, both Jonathan and I held our breath. Then, it was lights out. This meant a trip to our other farm site in a whiteout.
Our pigs are housed inside barns where they are warm and dry in the winter, cool and comfy in the summer. They have curtain sides that act like windows in the summer, and, when opened several inches, are emergency ventilation systems in the winter. The barns were built on the farm site where Jonathan and I lived for the first 10 years of our marriage.
When the power goes out, we hook up a generator that attaches to a tractor, keeping the barns running as normal. This means that Jonathan must bundle up and drive the tractor the 2.5 miles to the other farm. The tar roads were somewhat manageable, if he drove slowly enough. The turn onto the gravel road meant that all ditch edges were pretty much invisible. It really made me think about all the stories of people getting turned around in blizzards, and being found miles from home. This is the part where I did a lot of praying!
The kindly neighbor, who lives on the corner where Jonathan turned, said he would check on Jonathan when I called and told him the situation. That was a good thing! Jonathan had gone off the road, and had troubles seeing which direction he needed to go. He finally could make out the edge of the grove at the kindly neighbors, and headed back in that direction. That is where he ended up staying for the night.
Fortunately, the renters in our little house on the barn site were home. The husband agreed to check on the barns, and make sure the automatic curtains dropped for emergency ventilation. The power was out for just over 5 hours…the first time. It stayed on for about 20 minutes before going out for another hour. The last time we lost power was in the middle of the night, for about an hour that time as well. The outside temperatures were in the -14 degree range at that point. Our renter went out to the barns and adjusted the curtains to make sure there was plenty of fresh air, yet the pigs weren’t getting too cold.
This is what we woke up to. A gorgeous December day.
After Jonathan finally made it home, he went to work clearing out our yard with our little cab-less tractor. He cleaned enough snow to get the pickup out of the yard, then went into town to help his sister. After dinner, our friends went over to the other farm site with their big tractor that has a blade on the front. In the summer, this blade is used for pushing silage into piles. In the winter, we hire him to clear snow. When the barn site was cleaned out, they pulled our tractor out of the ditch, then they came over to our home place and cleaned out our yard.
While our yard was being cleaned out, Jonathan was over checking on things at the barn. There were a few things to take care of due to the weather, but thankfully, all the pigs looked good!
We are so thankful that Jonathan had a warm place to stay last night! This was the first time in 14 years that he hasn’t made it to the barns in a storm. He has driven over in blizzards, tornado warnings, and severe thunderstorms. To him, it’s the right thing to do.
Share this:
Power of Bundt Cake – final installment
It has taken me a lot longer to compose this portion of this little mini-series than I anticipated. Every time I start, I get distracted, and fail to return to the task at hand. So, without further delay, here is our culinary adventure.
We were given the choice of what type of restaurant to dine at. The girls chose Italian, since they like the Olive Garden. We were taken to Fresco by Scotto on East 52nd Street, which happens to be a favorite amongst celebrities like Regis Philbin. Sadly, no celebs when we were there.
There were 8 of us dining together, so we sat at a giant square table – two on each side. Joe really wanted the girls to have a great New York City experience, so he had his assistant, Even, sit near the girls and give them shopping locations. It was amusing, from my standpoint.
The waiters first asked if we wanted bottled or sparkling water. Bottled went into clear goblets, sparkling went into blue. That way they wouldn’t have to interrupt our conversation to ask what we needed for our refill. After the water was poured, Joe motioned for the waiter to come over, and gave him instructions on the appetizers he wanted for the table. He also asked for the wine menu, which was huge! I have no idea what type he ordered – the label was not in English. While we were waiting for the wine to be poured, the waiters brought out a basket of bread sticks in many different sizes and grilled pizza margheritas. We still hadn’t ordered our main course when the second round of appetizers arrived. It was Meat & Cheese Antipasto…wow. The waiters were instructed to put a sample of all the elements on each plate. We had Prosciutto di Parma, Parmigiano Reggiano, Mortadella, Fresh Mozzarella, Sweet & Spicy Sausage, Provolone and Capizola. They brought out French Fries for the girls, just in case they didn’t like the other food.
After all of this, it was time to order our main meal. We opened our menus, and to our surprise – the Schwan’s logo was in the center! (The headquarters is 10 miles from our home.) Jonathan ordered an organic Angus beef burger, two of the girls and I ordered the Ravioli Fresco, and one ordered the Spaghetti alla Chitarra. When our meals arrived, it was just like in the movies where a long line of waiters come to the table to present everyone with their food. Half-way through, Joe decided we should taste the Eggplant and Zucchini Pie, so he ordered that as well.
About the time we finished eating, Joe received a phone call and had to leave. Connie asked if we wanted coffee or dessert, when a waiter came over and said that dessert had been taken care of. They brought out coffee (which was also very good) and a dessert tray that was probably 2×3 feet…and filled with samples of many desserts to share. There was Banana Pudding with Vanilla Wafers (my favorite cookie), two or three kinds of gelato, two types of cheese cake, biscotti, and fresh fruit.
The food was all top-notch, the service excellent, and the company was unforgettable. We rolled out of there, and walked towards Central Park. I was very thankful that we were walking everywhere after the feast we were treated to.
We hung out in Central Park for a short time, then thought we should make our way over to Broadway. Connie ordered tickets for Mary Poppins for us. We were floored! She had us dead center – 6 rows from the front. We could see the sweat on the conductor’s brow…and when Mary Poppins got hit by a chimney sweep’s broom, we could see the blood trickling from her brow. The show was amazing – different enough from the movie that it seemed fresh, yet very familiar.
We headed for home the following day, taking time to see my brother and sister-in-law, Byron and Lois. They took us to Point Pleasant along the Jersey Shore. We walked along the boardwalk, ate at the amusement park, and walked on the beach and in the ocean. A great end to a very memorable trip.
Share this:
The Power of Bundt Cake – New York City (part 3)
We decided to stay in Parsippany, NJ and take the train into the City for the two days we had to sightsee. The first day was all on our own. The second day, we would be meeting at Chatham Imports before going to lunch with Joe and Connie.
The train ride into the City reminded us of the Polar Express, when the conductor came down the aisle to punch our tickets. We looked to see if he punched any words in them, but he didn’t. Our train destination was Penn Station, which is under ground. When we rode the escalator up to street level the first time, we were all breathless. The view was absolutely incredible. We were in New York City. On Fashion Avenue. Blocks from Broadway and Times Square. Un-be-liev-able!
We pretty much walked everywhere the first day. We ate at a McDonald’s that has appeared on Travel Channel shows, walked past the theater where we would be seeing Mary Poppins the following night, and walked into Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum to purchase tickets for our sightseeing bus tour. We figured the bus tour would be a good bet, since we could get a feel for the city without wearing Anna out. Unfortunately, their dry spell ended that day. We were given rain ponchos to wear while we were on the top level of the bus, but it was raining much too hard for them to keep us dry. Jon and I ended up sitting below, where the windows were fogged over, and there was little ventilation. Me, being claustrophobic, thought I was going to die. Every time the bus slowed down for a stop, water cascaded down the steps from the upper deck into the lower level. We eventually got off at a stop without knowing exactly where we were. We were just about to call a cab, when another bus pulled up that had a plastic cover over the front of the upper seats. It was the Brooklyn tour. The rain showers had let up by this point, so we jumped on and had a great tour of Brooklyn. When the tour was finished, we walked back to Penn Station to catch the train to our hotel. We would have to be on the ball the next morning so we wouldn’t be late for our meeting.
The weather was definitely better the following day, although trains were running late through the tunnel between New Jersey and New York due to flooding from the deluge the day before. We had to hurry from Penn Station to Chatham’s in order to get there in time. Thanks to the GPS on my Smartphone, we made it.
The office itself was pretty small, but everyone was very friendly. The secretary is originally from Iowa, and made us feel very welcome the way Midwesterners do. Connie brought us into the conference room, where Joe joined us a short time later. They asked the girls a ton of questions, just getting to know them, and making sure they were experiencing the City the way they were hoping to.
After hearing more about their company, Jonathan and I were invited to have a sampling of the vodka made from our corn. Chatham’s markets three flavors of organic vodka under the Crop label – plain, tomato, and cucumber. We learned the proper way to taste test without getting intoxicated before lunch. 🙂 It amazed me how the tomato and cucumber vodkas tasted just like fresh from the vine produce. We next tasted their organic gin, which is marketed under the Farmers Gin label. I had never tasted gin before, and I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. The taste of juniper was very pronounced, but when we did the “spit” part of the taste test, the flavor of lemon filled my mouth. For fun, we were given tastes of Joe’s favorite Biscotti liqueur, which tasted just like the cookie. We chatted for a few more minutes, then we were off to lunch.
Next… lunch!
The girls in their rain ponchos before hopping on the bus
Share this:
The Power of Bundt Cake (part 2)
Now that harvest is wrapped up, and traveling is done for awhile, I can catch up on my blogging!
A few weeks after the visit from Joe, Connie, and Jim, we received a package in the mail. It was a box from Joe and Connie, containing gifts for Jonathan and I…and Pongo, our rat terrier. They sent Jonathan an Hermes tie, and I received an Hermes scarf. They also sent a thank-you note with another invitation to visit them in New York. That really started the wheels turning in Jonathan’s head!
It is tradition in our family that the graduate gets to choose the summer family vacation destination before they head off to college. Anna chose the Iowa Speedway for the inaugural Nationwide Series race. (She was hoping to see Joey Logano, her favorite driver. Sadly, he was not there.) Christina wanted to go to Los Angeles or Hollywood, but I was trying to talk her into staying in the Midwest. Then we received the second invitation to visit New York. Christina, with Jonathan’s full support, quickly chose New York City as her family vacation destination. The first week of July we were still trying to find an open week in our schedules. We narrowed it down to the week of July 10 – 17. That gave us about 3 days to make all of our travel arrangements, and line up help for chores. Not to mention our town’s celebration, and my very first 5k attempt…
Jonathan contacted Connie, who was thrilled that we would be coming. She asked what we were planning on seeing while in the City, and gave Jonathan some ideas. Christina really wanted to see a Broadway show, and walk in Central Park. The girls all wanted a chance to shop a little, which was no surprise. Connie asked which Broadway show we wanted to see, which we left up to Christina. Wicked was sold out, so she chose Mary Poppins, since we all love the movie.
We packed up, loaded the van, and headed east. We put in a long day on that first day, getting past Chicago. Lessons learned…take frequent breaks to stretch and get the blood flowing, drink a lot of water, and don’t eat salty snacks.
Next up – our arrival and first day in New York City.
This is me, back home after my very first 5k at Cottonwood Coming Home Days. We left the following day for New York.
