Sorry 02/17/2012
 
I know I have not been updating as much.  I am so sorry but you are welcome to complain to the IRS.  Have you ever tried to do farm taxes or heck even have everything ready for someone else to do them?  If you have then you know why I am getting gray hair.  If not let me just tell you it is insane.  Espacially when Daddy Deere has a tendencey to hide reciepts. 

I will be back if I don't lose my mind.
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“protect the town's natural beauty, promote local agriculture and small business and control development.” - Malcolm Brown

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Strange Kansas 01/27/2012
 
Today we are continuing the celebration on the Sunflower State.  Here are some strange facts about Kansas:

 The Long Branch Saloon does exist.  It was operated in Dodge City, Ks.  The saloon can still be seen at the Boot Hill Museum in Dodge.

Goodland, KS has the world’s largest easel.  Vincent Van Gogh’s sunflower painting is up for display 80 feet in the air.

Salt is mined and shipped from the “Salt City” or Hutchison, KS.  There is also an underground salt museum.

The Geodetic center of North America is outside Lebanon, KS.  It is the reference point for surveying in North America.

Pizza Hut first opened their doors in Wichita, KS.

The Red Light Bordello in Dodge City, KS gave us the phrase Red Light District.  The door of the building was made of red glass which produced a red glow.

We have the Garden of Eden made of concrete.

Atchison, KS is the most haunted town in Kansas.  They give trolley ride tours of haunted homes.

The Prairie Nut Hut is located in Altoona, KS and specializes in mountain oysters.  Here is a review on the place.  I have eaten there, but I can’t eat mountain oysters.  The hamburgers are great!

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A big holiday is coming up and I bet you all are preparing right?  You aren’t, you don’t know what I am talking about?  It is Kansas Day, Sunday, January 29.  Kansas was admitted into the union January 29, 1861.  I was born, raised, and lived in Kansas my whole life except for a brief time I went to school in Kansas City, Mo.  I am a proud Kansan.  I walk her soils everyday and breathe her fresh air.  She provides for my family and welcomes us with open arms.  In honor of Kansas day I will have my posts somehow Kansas related through Kansas Day. 

Today’s post is notable Kansans.  I am not going to list celebrities though.  Too boring.  Remember in my intro to you I said I was nerdy, geeky and dorky?  Well today I will prove that with my notable Kansans.  The following people all have an association with Kansas and science in their lives. 

1.        Benjamin Franklin Mudge:  He was a lawyer turned geologist and teacher from the east coast.  He taught at what is now Kansas State University (Go CATS!) and was the first official State Geologist in Kansas.  He was the director of the first Kansas Geological Survey.  He found many fossilized specimens and have three named after him.

2.        Elam Bartholomew:  He was a botanist from western Kansas.  He was a successful farmer and mycologist (fungi).  He was internationally known for his work with fungi and was the curator of mycological museum at Fort Hays.

3.       Clyde Tombaugh:  He lived with his family on a farm in Western Kansas until being asked to go to Lowell Observatory in Arizona where he discovered Pluto!!

4.       George Washington Carver:  On a personal note I love Mr. Carver.  I have done numerous reports and read many books about the man.  Mr. Carver spent his teen years and early adult years in the state of Kansas where he became known as the plant doctor.  He of course later moved to Alabama to work for the Tuskegee institute where he did his famous work on peanuts.  He also invented a way to turn soybeans to plastic along with many other inventions involving plants.  Maybe I love Mr. Carver so much because I adore peanut butter.

I am proud of these men but am a little sad I could not come up with a woman scientist from Kansas.  Also this isn't a whole lot of scientists to tie to Kansas.  I am thinking maybe our state needs to up their math and science standards.

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John Deere Green 01/25/2012
 
I was able to stay home today.  This was the first time I was able to go to library Rhyme Time with Boy Deere.  I work a full time job outside of the farm and so Boy Deere goes with his nanny (my sister).  This was a big deal to me.  It was a lot of fun.  They did a lot of activities in about 35 minutes.  They read a book about farming so Boy Deere was all excited. There was a picture of the farm tractor.  It was an oldie Allis Chalmers.  The  library teacher asked Boy Deere if he has ridden in a tractor and pointed to the  Allis.  Boy Deere looked her in  the eye with a disgusted look and said “No I John Deere”.  The boy bleeds green already.  


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National Pie Day 01/23/2012
 
The American Pie Council has declared January 23 as National Pie Day.  In honor of this I will come out with my favorite pie.  I like savory pies more than sweet.  I know so strange.  My favorite pie is good old fashioned chicken pot pie.  I use the recipe from The Baker Chick http://www.the-baker-chick.com/2011/03/mini-chicken-pot-pies-on-pi-day.html  I make up a couple of batches and put them in the freezer.  They heat up great.  What is your favorite pie?
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Having Martin Luther King Day off of work totally threw me for a loop.  I have been a day off all week.  Here is the post for my normally wordless Wednesday.
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We plowed the prairie and never knew what we were doing, because we did not know what we were undoing.  – Wendall Berry, Farmer Poet

Anyone who had read even a little of my blog this summer knows we have been in a drought.  It has been lessening but we are still not to our average rainfall.  We aren’t even close.  This summer I had the pleasure to work a Dust Bowl exhibit for our local conservation district.  I knew I didn’t know enough about this time period so I went on a research expedition.  I read books, watched videos and looked at a lot of pictures.  I went from feeling sad, mad, and pride for the people who lived through these times.  They are made of stronger stuff than I.  One of my favorite books I read during this period was The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Eagan.  His book tells the tale of the people during these times.  You  can picture the “Black Blizzards”  blowing across the prairies while learning the facts of history.  I would recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in the Dust Bowl, history or just wants a good read. 

I will be part of the Dust Bowl exhibit again this year.  I will probably periodically have a post of the time period or my plans.  The most amazing part of last year were the kids.  They loved the information.  They were little sponges and wanted to know more and more.  The adults who came in also stayed and wanted to know more.  I probably sent a lot of business towards Mr. Eagan and the bookstore.  Another great part was the stories from my visitors.  A few survivors from the period were there and told me their tales.  They were very young during the storms, but could remember the dirt and dust.  Thank you for your time and your stories.  I so enjoyed them. 

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Snow 01/12/2012
 
Snowmen fall from heaven... unassembled.  ~Author Unknown

 

This morning I woke to a small amount of snow.  Last night the wind blew and shook and the world to leave spots of glittering wonder in the yard.  What does snow mean for the farm?  This small amount doesn’t mean too much difference in our world.  The biggest problem for us is it has put a stop to working ground.  We can’t work with frozen soil.  We will have to wait to finish when it warms up. 

We have been building a new corral.  Well we poured cement early in the week so we had to put construction blankets on the new cement since it isn’t cured yet.  If the cement freezes it will seriously weaken our structure.  Keeping them from blowing off was a pain but we found enough heavy items to put on top.  Well I believe so; I haven’t been out to check today.

The cows require more feed in this cold and Grandpa Deere will spend most of his day feeding cattle.  We have already been feeding but the process will take longer today.

Well the girls will be disappointed.  You will remember from my earlier post about prepping chicken for winter that snow is despised by the girls.  I will be throwing some more straw down in front of the coop so they will wander a little today.  This is the only way to coax them out the door when there is snow on the ground.

Boy Deere has been asking every day since Christmas to build a snowman.  He has wanted snow so badly.  I hope he is able to just take in the joy of finally having snow this year.  There is nowhere near enough to build a snowman.  The first snow that sticks to the ground, no matter how small, is always magical.  I hope Boy Deere feels this exhilarating magic today.

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