AGRICULTURE - IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE!

(Boyd and Jon finishing up fall work at ranch)

     As I write this i am looking out the window on the mornings of our first snow of the season. it is cold, as can be expected, and the path to the garage will be slick. i will have to be extra careful walking to the car, I don't want to fall! the snow is beautiful as it clings to the tree branches, as if afraid of falling just like me. right now there are no tracks, vehicle or animal, in the snow. it is almost like being on a new planet ready to be explored.
     Just a couple of mornings ago I enjoyed another beautiful morning with all pastel pinks and blues. a couple of weeks ago we drove to the top of Dan Creek and enjoyed the fall fashion show the aspen and other trees presented. i can't help but be thankful for the opportunity to live where we can enjoy these natural beauties!
     Agriculture and our life involving around it is another thing I am thankful for. Farming and ranching are hard work but they create a good life. do those of us living this life really appreciate it? Are we sharing our feelings with our family and friends? It seems so much of our time is spent complaining about the price of gas and fertilizer, the weather, and anything else we can think o. Do we take the time to really enjoy the simple things that agriculture has to offer us or are we always so busy that these things pass us by?
     Summer days with this good life are long with no such things as an eight-hour day. By necessity we get up early and go to bed late. there is usually a good feeling of accomplishment at the end of each day unless it has been a time of constant breakdowns. Then the feelings might be of frustration. We may not get everything done that we want or need to, but we can always see that we did get something done. And we can sleep well at night because we are tired from the labors of the day.
     We can set our own hours, although the sun seems to have a big control over that. It seems if the sun is up we need to be up and usually are. We do have the privilege of making appointments during the day time to see doctors, dentists, get haircuts, etc., except at harvest time. The knowledge that the work needs to be done and we are the ones responsible to get it done weighs heavy on us.
     Farming and ranching are forms of gambling. Everything we have, from financing to labor, is put into the work that we do with the hope of gaining a reward at harvest time. That reward doesn't always come like we wish it would. Some years with drought, our grain harvest will not be as good. If we have a rainy fall the grain may sprout while still uncut in the field. The calves may not be gain as much weight during a summer of drought, due to less feed, and they may suffer and even die of dust pneumonia because of so much dust in the air. But we seem to make it through those bad years, always praying for a better one to come.
     I always love to see the shorter days this time of the year. We seem to be able to slow down some. Of course having the fall harvest over helps with having less work to do. And, the big plus for me, having the shorter days and it getting dark earlier is that Boyd is in the house for the evening and we can enjoy the evening together. I think maybe I have some chicken blood mixed in with mine as I want to "roost" when the sun goes down, necessarily go to bed but get a good book to read, or some handwork while Boyd watches sports on TV.
     As we are getting older we recognize the fact of restrictions on what we can and can't do with our farming life. But we can always look back on it as a wonderful life, one we were blessed to have, to raise our children in, and to see the changes come in agriculture.
     Even with natural problems such as drought, rain during harvest, early frost, small harvest returns, low-weight calves, this is a good life, a productive life, and a love we love. We are happy to be farmers and ranchers. We have not regrets! We have a lot to be thankful for!

A WEEK OF RELAXATION AND REST!

Boyd on the lake in a rented kayak

Sitting here at the kitchen table looking out the big window at the lake is most relaxing. ‘I’ve been at this spot since 6 a.m., off and on, and feeling like I could be here forever and still love the peace and serenity I feel. But this is a one week out of the year experience I have the opportunity of indulging in laziness. I love being in the mountains among the pine trees, off the beaten path. We are at Big Sky Montana in a time-share condominium that my father-in-law gave to Boyd and me before he passed away

            Boyd is cooking breakfast, our friend Ken is lounging in the living room waiting to be told it is time to eat.  What an ideal life even if it is only for a week. We have been coming here for probably 15 years and love the time we are able to spend here.

            I have found that it takes me a few days to calm down and relax. Even then I’m up and going early, but I don’t feel the pressure that I have at home. I will admit that most of that is self-imposed pressure but pressure is pressure!

            I can get up early, about 6 in the morning, sit at the computer wearing my pajamas, and put in a good couple of hours writing. I love that. Boyd and Ken have been sleeping in so I don’t have to visit or be nice to anyone, just type away. It’s a good time to do it.

            We only eat twice a day unless you consider the fact that there are cookies, licorice, nuts, and chocolate on the counter to nibble at every time we walk past them. Breakfast is usually about 10 and our evening meal around 5. A few times we go out to eat, other times we fix something simple here at the condo.

Boyd did rent a kayak for an hour and went out on the lake just outside our condo. That is an unusual event for him as he rarely wants to get in the water like that. We have had a bald eagle come every morning and evening on a dead tree branch where we can watch it. We spend a lot of time feeding the ducks and fish in the lake from from off our deck. We haven't seen other wild animals this year, but there is always a chance we will yet.

            It’s a simple life we lead here, no irrigating, no cows bellering, no lawn to mow and water, no garden to water and weed. There are no meetings we have to go to, no appointments, and very few phone calls. And after a day or two we can ignore the nagging reminders that come into our minds that we need to check to make sure those things are taken care of.

            This is a time of renewal and rejuvenating that we look forward to each year. We take road trips during the day, ride the chair lift up and walk around then ride back down. We’ve found a place to buy an ice cream cones.

            I don’t think either Boyd or I could live this kind of a life for very long, but it is relaxing and calming and we always go home feeling rested! Yes, we love doing this one week out of the year and hope we can keep it up for a few more years. We are building memories to sustain us when the time comes that we can no longer do this type of thing.

             

THE RIGHT TO STAND UP FOR ONE BELIEVES

     I've been looking at Facebook and all of the comments about the NFL and kneeling during the presentation of the colors. There are many different postings concerning this so I decided to add my feelings to those others in my blog.
     I believe in standing, having my hand over my heart, and singing "The Stars Spangled Banner" and/or reciting the Pledge of allegiance when the flag of the United States is presented. However, I respect other's rights to not do so.
     The thing that I find so interesting, is that these football players were respectful in their protest. I didn't see any of them swinging posters, using microphones to be able to be heard, using guns to show their strength. I didn't see any fighting  because of a disagreement with those not kneeling. I didn't see policemen being called in, dressed in their combat uniforms, swinging billy clubs and spraying participants with pepper spray, because that wasn't necessary. I didn't see anyone breaking windows on shop windows, turning cars upside down, starting fires on police cars, and being hauled off to jail. From what I could see, there was no shouting or shoving or trying to get anyone else to do what they were doing.
     Are we so enamored in violence that we have to criticize a peaceful demonstration? Do we want to create violence by insisting that all players by fired, that we put up protests outside of the playing field?.
     Maybe we all need to take a step back and think about our reaction to this. Are we being drawn into a crowd mentality wanting more action, more excitement, more deaths, more media coverage? Is social media helping to incite these types of feelings? Are people in authority helping to incite these destructive behaviors?
     I respect everyone's right to their opinion, even if it differs from mine. I respect their right to protest and I especially admire those who protest peacefully.

NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS

          Ah, that time again when we make our new year’s resolutions. By this time in January I’m usually breaking most of mine anyway. But it is fun to listen as people talk about what they are going to do. The most common resolution seems to be that of losing weight. Yes, I’ve had it on my list for many years, until I quit making resolutions that is.

It seems to me though that the week after Christmas would probably be a good time to implement that goal whether as a New Year’s resolution of just a goal. We personally get so many gifts of candy, cookies, cakes, and nuts at Christmas time, that I can’t resist them. I’ve tried to hide them but that doesn’t work because I know where they are hidden. Leaving them out makes them a bigger temptations.  And I love to get them at Christmas time because I’ve never been one to make candy. Tried it a few times and failed.

So I’ve been listening to others as they discuss their resolutions, especially losing weight and thought I would share some thoughts. It seems there are a lot of ideas of how to lose weight from impossible to starvation. These include:

·         Grow taller. This will spread the weight further. Now if we only knew how to do this I think it would work. Just two or three inches for me would definitely diminish the need to cut out chocolate and desserts.

·         Be aware of the foods that you eat. I think this might be one that I can work on. I hereby resolve to not eat any meat from animals that have been given growth stimulating hormones. Because we are ranchers and sell a lot of our calves to feed lots, we are aware that growth stimulating hormones are given often to increase the weight quickly on animals. I wonder if that hormone works with humans when we eat the meat of the animals that have been given it. Sure sounds reasonable to me. We don’t use this hormone with our animals so when we take one to be butchered I know it doesn’t have any residue of growth stimulants in it. I will have to watch labels and do some research for any meat I purchase.

·         Be aware of other products which I use. I listened to a conversation the other day that got me thinking. These women were talking about their favorite shampoo that “adds body.” Now if I didn’t wash my hair when I showered I probably wouldn’t be concerned, but the shampoo runs down my entire body when I wash and rinse my hair that way. AND I certainly don’t need to “add body” to my body. I will definitely read labels more closely when I buy shampoo from now on! And I think I will check lotions and creams too.

·         Calorie counting is supposed to work but it never has for me. I always figured that calories were a measure of heat, so if I eat my food cold there shouldn’t be any calories. Apparently I’m wrong on that assumption.

·         There are always weight loss groups you can join but a few years ago I did join one such group that must have been a fly-by-night bunch because it folded up before I finished the time I had paid for. And of course I didn’t get any money back from them. However, I did get the weight back that I lost. I don’t think that was a real selling point of that group.

There are other resolutions that are just as challenging to me to work on: get organized; keep up with the bookwork for the farm; keep a journal; face each day as a joy not a challenge; and lots more

I know we all go through something similar to this goal setting this time of the year. You know that every morning is a “new beginning.” So I don’t think we need to feel like we fail if we can’t follow through on yearly goals. Daily goals and resolutions are going to be my aim for this New Year. We’ll see how that works.

BEAUTIFUL SNOWY DAY

     We are having a beautiful snowy day. I decided to walk outside and take some pictures before the dogs and birds covered the snow with tracks. It's been a year or two since we have had a storm like this. Everything looks so pretty dressed in white.

The wind is supposed to blow this afternoon, which will probably

cause problems, but I'm enjoying it now.

 Boyd and Jon will have to go out and work with the cows, and I should feel guilty about being in the house, keeping warm and dry. They may end up needing me though to help with gates on this stormy day, and that's ok because I have warm clothes and boots to wear.
     When a storm comes in like this it causes me to be grateful that I canned last summer and that we have a freezer full of meat! W also purchased a generator a year ago so don't have to worry about getting water for the cattle if the electricity goes out. Life is good! It might be cold and things might be inconvenient, but it is still good!

CHRISTMAS LETTER 2016

Christmas letters seem to be the way a lot of people keep in touch, and letters can be more personal than Christmas cards. We always look forward to receiving these Christmas letters from friends and family. They give us news and updates on jobs and new babies, weddings, deaths, and other information that we may not have had a chance to get any other way. However, these letters sometimes seem to be a little “braggy” and I wonder if things are really as rosy as the letters make them look. Because of that I decided to share a letter that I would love to send out to our acquaintances. 

Dear family and friends:

It is that time of year again when we look back and marvel at the things that have gone on in our lives. I know you are interested and I will try to keep it short, but we have had some great experiences:

I noticed in some of the news letters that we have received that many of our friends and families have been on cruises this past year. It’s so fun to read about your trip, all the places you went to, and to see some of the pictures you shared. Boyd and I had the opportunity to go over to Driggs not too long ago. The fall colors were beautiful, but we didn’t stop to take any pictures. The road going up over the Pine Creek Pass is not one you can use the cruise control on, so I guess that wouldn‘t be considered a cruise.  However, it was an enjoyable trip.

Last winter Uncle George got the flu and was really sick. One day, while leaning over the toilet and sending his dinner down to the septic tank, his false teeth popped out and went down with everything else.  Well, he and Aunt Mabel called the plumber. It was a weekend and night time, but the plumber came right out, took pipes apart and was able to find Uncle George’s teeth. Aunt Mabel told Uncle George he couldn’t put those teeth in his mouth until they were sterilized, so she put them in a pan of water and set it to boiling. Uncle George still hasn’t forgiven her for ruining a good pair of false teeth. He wasn’t real happy about the bill he got from the plumber either, but his new teeth look good.

Just about Easter time I was reading a story about rabbits to some of the grandchildren. After the story, Grandpa and I got them in the pickup and took them for a ride. I noticed four-year-old Chantelle really looking Grandpa over, and all of a sudden she gasped and said, “Grandpa! You are turning into a rabbit. You have hair in your nose and in your ears.” We enjoyed that moment as we wondered if this was evolution or just us getting older.

You all are aware of the challenges Fred has faced the last decade. We are pleased to inform you that he was released from jail a few weeks ago. He said the food was a lot better this time than when he spent time there last, which made his stay more tolerable. And he was able to get his GED while there.

Joan is going to try to get a job at the Youth Training Center as a cook or janitor. She figures if she can do that she will be available when little Johnnie is committed, as she is sure he is working toward commitment.

Arnold was in a fight and knocked a fellow out. The fellow hit Arnold hard in the jaw, knocking two teeth out which Arnold swallowed. At the hospital they gave him something to help him pass those teeth, and sure enough he did. They gave the teeth back to him and he had them implanted. He claims he now has a reason for his language as I’ve always told him he had a dirty mouth. He loves to tell everyone about this, but I don’t think his girlfriend has let him kiss her since the implants were put in.

At church recently a speaker talked about the importance of positive thinking. It made me look back and think of challenges this past year. We are so pleased with the upbeat and positive way each member of our family is facing the challenges they have.

We sure hope all of you have a Merry Christmas and look forward, as we do, to a wonderful New Year and more exciting happenings.

DIVERSITY

What is diversity? I think we probably live around a lot more of it than we realize. This past summer we, as a family, met at the ranch for a Boyd Schwieder family reunion. As I look back on the good time we had, the fun and play we enjoyed and the wonderful meals we ate, I marvel. We are quite a diverse group of people.

            In this group there are:

• ·         Two old fogies, (Boyd and I), then our children, their children, and the great grandchildren. That’s diverse in itself:
•          We all have our own interests and activities we participate in.  Some are sports minded, some love the outdoors with camping, hiking, and hunting. We have seamstresses, those who work with wood, a glass blower, and a few runners. We have those who are active in our church, those who are inactive, those who claim to have no religious affiliation, and those who don’t care.
• ·         We have addicts, recovering and active. There are those who smoke and drink and many who don’t but respect the rights of others to choose. We even have those who have spent time in jail.
•          We have talents such as music, art, glass blowing, photography, computer technology, crafts, yard work, and many others.
• ·         We have a member of the LGBT group,
• ·         We have tattoos, body piercings,
• ·         There’s a big difference in education from one granddaughter who is an attorney to another one who is studying to get her GED. We are as proud of one as of the other. We have college graduates and those who are self-taught. We have two with master’s degrees in psychology and are working as counselors. We have a CNA, a CPA, and a graphic artist. We have Doug who travels to Antarctica to work for six months out of every year and Jon who works with us on the farm. We have farmers, builders, a bar tender, and workers at INL. All of our family are good workers and have no problem finding jobs.
• ·         We also have witnessed members of the family struggle through divorces, seen children torn because of that.
• ·         We have members who have struggled with cancer, some are diabetics. There are those with high-blood pressure, others on antidepressants and anti anxiety medications, some cases of autism and autoimmune diseases. Mental illness is not a stranger to our family. There are those of us who are overweight, and then some who could use a bit more weight. We have had one son die, which affected all of us.
• ·         There are those who have served in the military and one who is still serving in active duty.
• ·         There is one Native American in our group and an African American child and also an African American significant other. But you would never know of this diversity to be in the group who met at the ranch this summer. Our African American child and SO weren’t able to come, but when the child came to a wedding a year ago he was accepted along with everyone else.
• ·         We have Democrats and Republicans and those who don’t like either party.
• ·         We stretch from Boston, Massachusetts to Vancouver, Washington to Antarctica. Right now, our grandson who is in the military is state side, but we don’t know how long that will last.

Not everyone is able to attend, but we get a good group when we have these reunions. When we
get together, we are a family who cares and loves each other. I know that if I ever needed any one of them, they would do what they could to help me. And they would do the same for other members of the family. It is interesting as our family gets together how we blend. No one ever complains when we pray before each meal. No one brings out another’s difference or problem. Nearly everyone sings along when son’s- in-law Asa and Ken get out their guitars in the evening and start to play. There were no restrictions when we had a water fight. Everyone was treated equally and got to be doused with water, except for Boyd and me. There are hugs as people show up to the reunion, and hugs as we leave. There are words of encouragement toward each other, questions about what is going on in other’s lives.

We have been blessed with a good family of hard workers who love us even with our imperfections. We pray for them as they struggle, encourage them as they try, and are proud of them as they succeed.

What would the world be like if we could all accept diversity and love those who are different from us? Maybe looking at the diversity in our own families will help us realize our family is no different than the world we live in. At this time of the year when we are looking for things to be thankful for, I especially appreciate our family and all of our diversities!