PMS to Fall Decorating...go figure

Can't explain it - not even gonna to try. Woke up PMS'n and in a few`short hours...just plain MS'N (don't believe that is a network) which led to today's "fall decorating". Yes I know it's not fall. We're barely out of spring but something had to give. This oppressive heat is killing me and there's just something about the color of fall that lends a feeling that cool weather is on it's way. When I went out into the container to get my oakleaves and pinecones and such, it was all I could do to stay out of the Christmas decor. I do believe my family would have had me committed.... but as long as there is refigerated air I really don't care. Gotta go....I think my carpet is dry enough to start putting my furniture back....yes I even shampooed the carpet. Have heart, my sanity is due back Saturday morning about 9:00 a.m. and only Ranch Wife knows why! Till next time...adios

Hay - it's what's for dinner - if you're a milk cow!

Got up froggy-eyed and bushy-tailed, ready to give ya'll a glimpse of a typical day in our hay-hauling lives - grabbed the camera, my coffee cup and out the door we went! It's a twenty mile drive from our house at the ranch to East Grand Plains, a farming community east of Roswell. We park our hay trucks at a farmer friend's barn so they'll be handy. Thought I'd snap a picture of a hayfield to start this adventure. Lo and behold - no battteries- I literally asked the Lord to please "show up" with some batteries - AA to be exact. After searching high and low in the other trucks, I jumped into my truck disgusted at the thought of no batteries, no pictures and no blog. Well ain't that a cottonpicker! No kidding - I looked on the dashboard of the truck - and there's two AA bateries sitting there.....no way.... crazy awesome thing to happen. Never saw them before. Didn't look a gift horse in the mouth - thanked the Good Lord for my batteries, loaded 'em up and headed to the field.
Our family started Carpenter Custom Hauling over ten years ago. We started off with two trucks, hauling triticale silage in the spring and corn silage in the fall with a cow haul and a little hay hauling mixed in there for good measure. With the passing of each year, our hay acreage increased to the point that after nine years of "chop hauling" we decided to sell our silage rigs and focus on hay hauling. We now haul hay and oats for twelve different farmers in the East Grand Plains and Dexter area, delivering these loads to several of the thirteen dairies in our area. There are generally six cuttings of hay each year and we've hauled up to thirty-one loads in one day. Alfalfa hay is New Mexico's #1 cash crop and averages $200.00 per ton.
Today we're hauling hay to Three Amigos Dairy in Dexter. It is one of of the largest dairies in the area, milking 4,600 cows each day. They feed 66 bales a day of hay, barley and oats, along with corn silage, and all the goodies from the commodity barn. Most of the milk in the valley goes to Laprino Foods, one of the largest mozzarella cheese factories. They receive 90 to 120 tanker loads of milk each day, and each tanker carries 6,000 gallons of milk. Leprino is also the largest US exporter of whey products.
Well, there you have it folks! Next time you pour yourself a tall glass of cold milk, remember somehow, it all started in a hayfield! Till next time, adios!

Whew! Hotter 'n hell?

No, it probably wasn't hotter 'n hell but when you work in 106 degree heat with a steady wind blowing, it sure makes you glad you're saved!! I look at all the beauty the good Lord puts in front of me everyday and wonder how people miss the love of God. Then I haul hay all day in this blistering heat and wonder how people miss the judgement of God. I guess Christians just naturally pick up on all this symbolism and see the spiritual side of everything. When you work in agriculture, God just shows up. He may be found in a beautiful sunrise or a rainbow after a good rain. I see Him when a mother cow licks her new baby off, or in a wheat field waving in the wind. Looking up at the sky on a moonless night never ceases to amaze me. Can't imagine how anyone could think this world showed up by chance. Well, cottonpicker is plumb smooth wore out so I'm calling it a day. Till next time, adios.

Five generations

Well, it took an act of Congress and a small miracle to gather this bunch long enough for a picture. Hard to believe the matriarchs of our family grew up without the luxuries of running water and electricity - not to mention central air and a satellite dish....internet, microwave, cell phone....the list could go on and on. It was a different world indeed and I think in some ways better. It seems we spend more time working for the things that make our lives easier. Makes no sense does it!! I expect my coffee to be done by 7:00am, after I roll out of my sleep number bed {my number is 45}, I set our central air on 72 degrees and my dvr receiver records my favorite shows during the night so they're ready to watch at my convenience. I enjoy my hot baths, washer, dryer, and all the other conveniences we Americans are accustomed to. If I could somehow be thrown back in time about a hundred years, I'm not sure I could manage myself, much less a family. By the same token, if these saint of old were to come visit us, I'm not real sure they would be too impressed with us either. Makes you wonder what the world will be like during the thousand year reign when Christ is the "Commander in Chief"! Will this world hold the simplicity of ages old, or am I going to have my sleep number bed in my mansion?? Just wondering.....till next time, adios.

A few of my favorite things!

A while back, Ranch Wife challenged us all to post a few of our favorite things. It's not that I chose not to participate in this group effort, but like a good stew, you must throw a few things in the pot occasionally and let them simmer a while. As good as that sounds, the truth of the matter is, all I had to throw in my pot was hog jowls, possum and greens. A bad attitude had absolutely nothing to do with my lack of recognizing the blessings in my life...well, maybe I was a bit short sighted. However, I am happy to report that the scales have fallen off my eyeballs and I am ready to return to my normal sweet self. { You can wipe the smirk off your face at any time Ranch Wife} Not to sound overly sentimental, but the past two weeks have allowed me to appreciate what is truly important in this life and I am investing my time and efforts more wisely. Karli has absolutely nothing to do with that either. {You can quit gigglin too Dirt Scrapper} I believe with all my heart that a woman's first and only priority is to rock whatever baby is in their home at the time. It is only when this baby no longer wants to be rocked that we invent hobbies to take the place of this most wonderful but short lived task. Rocking tends to get a little difficult however, when they are 6'4" and weigh over 200 lbs. but it can still be done with a little finagling . Another favorite thing is sitting on the front porch with my husband in the cool of the evening and just visiting. In this day and age with all the busyness and such, we tend to become preoccupied with life and living and we neglect those we live with. I tend to do that on purpose occassionally, but we'll pick that one up another time. I also love the sound of thunder, flashing lightning, the smell of an imenent rain storm and the sound of rain running off the tin roof of the house . I love road trips with special friends.....as long as they behave themselves. I love to watch puppies play, homemade icecream, swimming in a stocktank, the dust boiling down the road of a kid coming home for the summer...... and at times the dust boiling the other direction as they make their way back to college. I love New Mexico sunrises and sunsets, snowstorms and everything about Christmas. I've even been known to play Christmas in July. I love riding in the tractor with my brother, the smell of a hayfield, the satisfaction of a job well done. Last, but not least I love the Lord for all He has blessed me with and the opportunity to fellowship with the sweet souls that I have met through this blogging adventure. Till next time, adios.

Kids, Cows and More

So there I was girls, one arm behind her head and the other under her leg, counting down from ten with each contraction.......cheering her on and fussing at her to push harder. I've birthed a bunch of critters in my day, but never one of my own. And for all you potential grandmothers out there, it's best not to joke about having ob chains and prolapse needles out in the pickup. Really.... nobody will think it's funny but you. { Don't ask me how I know.} Honestly, nobody has a sense of humor these days. I must say, my last blog was a bit sentimental.....I think I was lactating at the time. Speaking of lactating, I believe Katie's milk has finally arrived. The past few hours of tears and frustration explains much of the bad behavior of my favorite milk cow Abigail, {may she rest in peace} after she calved and I milked her for the first time.... only Katie hasn't kicked me or stepped in my milk bucket yet. The hormone hell we endured two months earlier pales in comparison to what we are experiencing now. And this too shall pass..quickly I hope. It's been three days now and I believe I am regenerating the loss of active brain cells. With each bottle washed, diaper changed and kiss given, I am slowly getting back to normal... whatever normal is. With that said, I believe Karli needs another kiss....and probably a diaper change.

Mamaws ain't not cool

Got a new perspective on the title, word, meaning and responsibility of the word "Grandma", or "Mamaw" as I have chosen to be called. Used to when I heard this word, a little fragile blue haired woman with a cane, a cat and the smell of "tonic" came to mind. Now however, after enduring twenty-seven of the longest, most heart wrenching, wonderful hours of my life, I see "Mamaw" as great strength, wisdom, agility, endurance, compassion and tireless sacrifice. How this little seven pound bundle no bigger than a sack of sugar can capture one's heart so completely in the matter of minutes is a complete mystery to me, but I'm here to say, it's worth it all!