Farming In Wintertime

We are between storms here at Down On The Farm.

We had a big winter storm last Thursday.  Lots of sleet, and snow, and freezing rain.

This is from the pond dam looking north. Those brown areas are hay on the ground, not areas where it has melted.

This is from the pond dam looking west.

Looking to the northwest.

Looking back toward our house. 

Looks cold and snowy doesn't it???

Another shot of some of our cattle, with one of our turkey barns in the background.

These pictures were taken a few days after the storm.  We really got hit.  Lots of sleet and snow.  Actually more sleet than snow.  And its not melting very fast at all.

In February our heifers start having calves.  Here are a few of our babies that were born during or right after the storm.

This one was actually in my basement getting warmed up.  Sometimes the mamas just can't get the babies dried off and warmed up soon enough.  And if that doesn't happen, well, they don't make it.  So sometimes, if we find the calf in time, we can help them out.  This one spent several hours in our basement in a little home made calf warmer.  It's doing fine.

This little baby needed lots of help.  The heifer had just given up, so we got her into the lot, pulled the calf and kept them in the barn overnight.  Again, the calf is doing fine!!

 

 

Isn't it cute????

Looks like another winter storm headed our way tonight and tomorrow.  We would appreciate your prayers for our livestock as we have LOTS more baby calves to be born over the next several weeks!  We have too many cows to get them all in the barn during a winter storm.  So God made a farmer . . . . .

February 20th Facts

 

If the weather forecast is accurate . . . we'll be seeing a lot of THIS here at Down On The Farm!!!

 

Today is Wednesday, February 20, 2013.

 

Right now it is CLOUDY outside and COLD.  The temperature is 28 degrees.

 

We are under a winter storm warning beginning late this evening and extending through 6 p.m. thursday night.  Here are the details:

A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR SNOW...SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN REMAINS
IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 6 PM CST THURSDAY.

* TIMING AND AREAS AFFECTED...SNOW AND SLEET WILL OVERSPREAD
CENTRAL MISSOURI AND THE EASTERN OZARKS LATE TONIGHT INTO
THURSDAY. A MIX OF WINTRY PRECIPITATION WILL CONTINUE MUCH OF
THURSDAY BEFORE ENDING FROM THE WEST LATE IN THE DAY.

* SNOW AND SLEET ACCUMULATIONS...TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS OF SNOW AND
SLEET WILL GENERALLY RANGE FROM ONE TO FOUR INCHES...WITH THE
HIGHEST AMOUNTS ALONG AND NORTH OF THE HIGHWAY 54 CORRIDOR IN
CENTRAL MISSOURI. POCKETS OF HEAVY SLEET WILL OCCUR WITHIN ANY
THUNDERSTORMS.

* ICE ACCUMULATIONS...TOTAL ICE ACCUMULATIONS OF A THIN GLAZE TO
ONE TENTH OF AN INCH ARE EXPECTED OVER AREAS NORTH OF THE HIGHWAY
60 CORRIDOR...WITH ONE QUARTER TO ONE HALF INCH OF ICE EXPECTED
ALONG AND SOUTH OF THE HIGHWAY 60 CORRIDOR.

NICE.

Honestly, Missouri weather is weird.  I mean, we could get 7 inches of snow, and the storm might miss us altogether.  No joke.  I've seen it happen. 

 

Missouri gas prices are NO JOKE.  Regular unleaded gasoline in Eldon is $3.69.  It was $2.99 back in November.  The prices just seem to keep going up every couple of days, and for no apparent reason other than we will pay it so they will charge it.

 

Today is the day our heifers are to begin calving.  We have already had 2 baby calves born today.  Could be a long night tonight, and a long day tomorrow if those heifers start having babies in the snow and sleet and rain.

 

So God made a farmer . . . . . .

 

STAY SAFE EVERYBODY!!!!!!!

Nothing But the Blood!!!!

For the past few days I've had a song on my mind.  You know that feeling when you just can't get a song outof your head??  Well, I've got THIS SONG in my head.

You remember that old hymn "Nothing But the Blood of Jesus?"  Well, Andy Cherry sings a more up to date version of it.  Click on this and have a listen!!

I love the old hymns.  I grew up with them.  And for most of them, I know every verse, not just the first verse.  But I also love contemporary Christian music. And I really love this song.

"What can wash away my sin, NOTHING BUT THE BLOOD OF JESUS!  What can make me whole again, NOTHING BUT THE BLOOD OF JESUS!"

Folks, the blood of Jesus is the atonement of our sins.

Feeling guilty is not asking for forgiveness.  Doing good deeds doesn't bring forgiveness.  Confessing your sins to an individual doesn't bring forgiveness. Going to church doesn't bring forgiveness.  Only the blood of Jesus can cleanse us from our sin.

We sin every day.  I sin every day.  And I have to ask my Savior for forgiveness, EVERY DAY.  And it is that simple.  Ask Jesus for forgiveness and He will forgive.  Now we have to repent, and repent means to TURN AWAY from our sin.  We don't sin just because Jesus forgives.  We strive NOT to sin so that our lives bring glory to Him.

In John 14:6,  Jesus said "I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No man cometh unto the Father but by me."

He did not say I am one of the ways to come to the Father.  He said I am THE WAY.

I am so thankful that I know Him.  He is my Savior.  And I am thankful for forgiveness.

What can wash away my sin?  Nothing . . . . . but the blood of Jesus.

Mardi Gras

This past weekend we took a trip to Thibodaux, Louisiana to experience Mardi Gras and to visit family.

I can tell ya one thing . . . this Missouri girl has never seen anything like it.

Queens and bands and floats and Beads.

Beads.  Beads.  Beads.  Beads.  Beads. 

Check this out!!!!

It was incredible.  The floats were gorgeous, and they threw beads by the handfuls!!!  I would definitely go again. 

Our family in Louisiana is fantastic!!  They hosted a crayfish boil.  Here are the raw (live) crayfish.

And here they are, perfectly boiled in cajun seasoning, with potatoes, onion and corn on the cob.  DELICIOUS!!!!!

There is an "art" to eating crayfish.  Here I am trying to get the tail meat from the crayfish as fast as my cousins.  I never COULD do it as fast and easy as they could!

And after lunch, we went on a swamp tour.

It was cloudy, so we didn't get to see any alligators in the swamp.  However, we did get to hold a baby alligator that the tour operator brought along.

We had a FANTASTIC time.  I would highly recommend Mardi Gras in Thibodaux, Louisiana.  Even my cousins say they never go to Mardi Gras in New Orleans.  There really is nothing like it in Missouri.  And it was so good to visit with family that we don't see very often.

 

Alex holding a baby alligator!!!

 

And this, well, this is my husband the farmer with beads he caught.  How about those black and gold MIZZOU beads!!!

And the beads . . . . well, here are pictures of just a SMALL AMOUNT of the beads we caught!!

We left a lot of the beads in Louisiana.  We didn't know what to do with them we caught so many. 

Mardi Gras is fantastic!!!

Winter, or Spring?????

Missouri has the weirdest weather.  I mean seriously.  Here is the weather for the PAST week:

This past Monday and Tuesday, January 28 and 29, the temperature was in the 70s.  Monday was simply gorgeous.  Tuesday we had about two inches of rain.  There were strong winds and thunder and lightning.

On Wednesday the 30th, it turned colder, highs in the 30s and we had snow flurries.

Yesterday, the 31st, it was COLD.  Highs in the 20s with a few snow flurries.

This morning it is 9 degrees and sunny, headed for a high of 30.

By next week it is supposed to be back in the 50s.

I mean, seriously.  Is it winter, or spring???

Only in Missouri can you expect this type of crazy weather.  Extreme swings in temperature are the norm.

Last summer we had a drought.  We have never recovered.  Oh, the grass is green in the yard so people think the drought is over.  It isn't.  Our ponds and creeks are as low as I've seen them.  And while I am so thankful for the two inches of rain we got earlier this week, we are still several inches below normal.

So we're praying for a warm, very WET spring here in Missouri.

And just to keep the facts and figures coming . . . . gasoline is $3.28 per gallon, up from $2.92 at election time . . . . .

Have a BLESSED DAY!!!!!