Along the Way...

I could totally bore you by telling you how ridiculously hot it is outside, but chances are you feel the heat.
Instead I am going to share with you fine people, a few things that are on my mind...

1.  Baby thievin' is an epidemic.
The last post, "A Conundrum", described one instance of such ridiculousness, however it happened again yesterday.
This time they got me...at least for a few hours.

2.  When bad weather strikes, you realize who is watching you.
I have received a few emails and messages with ideas for staying cool in this heat.
I appreciate each and every one of you for caring:).
You have some excellent advice too!!

3.  For some reason it seems like people are too consumed with how hot it is here to pay much attention to the raging wildfires in Colorado.
The tragedy is so sad.
Please pray for them.

4.  I saw 4 skunks in the road(alive) this morning...2 solid black and 2 solid white. 
The end of the world?  I'm not sure, but I swerved just in case.

5.  I have had 15 calves the past 2 weeks and not one of them is in a hutch due to the unbearable heat.
Know what that means?
They are ALL in the calving barn...with 4 mommas.
I have a few by themselves that I feed because they aren't pushy enough to get in there and get milk, but the rest are being raised by 4, very good, mothers.
The calving barn is the place to be...straw bedding, unlimited hay, water and feed...a fan...shade...
I love cows.

6.  Today is Chuck's last day on evening shift and I think he will be missed.
He goes back on days(YAY!!) next week, which means I get to see him more.

7.  I have only been once, but I think I LOVE wake boarding.
Ohmygosh how fun is it??
I look at it as a challenge and stress reliever.
Hopefully we can go after work during the week, now that we both work days:).

8.  Theys gold in them there hills!

For real, we have corn!
Stan, my Purina rep, came by this week and forced me to go and look at the corn.
I have been actively avoiding it since we have had zero rain, thus causing me to think there would be no actual ears on the corn.
I was wrong!
We have about half a crop that looks really good, considering.
The other half...Idon'twannatalkaboutit.

9.  I have seen more pictures of temperature gauges this past week than I care to count via the Facebook.
My personal favorites are the ones where you can tell that the person taking the picture was driving, going above 50 mph, and posting to the Facebook all atthesametime.
Awesome.
Way to be safe people.

10.  When the sun begins its ascent each morning, I look out into the fields and see this....

...and I too think they are dead.
This is the most un-cool way to start the day.
Then I get a little bit jealous and wish that I too could be laying there broadside snoozing away.
I can't...too much to be done!

Have a wonderful day and stay cool:).

Love,
WiltedCowLady

P.s. Please pray for those in Colorado, may we never have to go through such devastation.
P.p.s. Say a little prayer...or do a little dance..for rain while you're at it:).

A Conundrum

Part of my job is being able to solve some of lifes mysteries as they arise.
I am faced with at least one a day, each being very different.
Tuesdays' conundrum was not a let down.

I start each day very much the same way...as you well know.
On my morning visit to the close up dry cow lot, I was so busy sliding into a deep depression over the lack of green on the horizon, that I almost didn't notice them.
YOU see them, right?

Ofcourseyoudo.
These two...or three as you can tell upon closer inspection.
I have trained you well.

What we have here is UNO baby-o and DOS mamas.
6690, on the left, is a crossbreed whom I bred to a Jersey.
7403, on the right, is annoying.

Suuuuuuure 7403, you want the glory without the work!
Every time I got close, both mothers started pawing the dirt and crowding the baby.
Then finally, they walked off.
...buncha biddies...

I let them go, since the baby was by no means in any danger of being mother-less.
Can't even see the baby in there can you?

Then, 3 hours later this happened.
6690's like, See? What did I tell you?  You will have your own!
She did.
7403 had a baby girl as well.

She's a cutie huh?

I have more pictures of 7403 than I care to have, because she's one protective mother!
Sheesh!

Who?  Me? 

That's me, just a problem-solver.

I hope you stay cool and solve lifes mysteries today!

Love,
NancyDrewCowLady

P.s. They are predicting TRIPLE digits the rest of the week.
Pray for me....

Five Reasons Why We Should Have a TV Show

...but it would have to be on the Discovery Channel..obviously.

Chuck, my love-muffin, has really gotten into watching the Discovery Channel  and History Channel here lately...which sort of rocks my world, considering he walked out of the bathroom the other day with a 6-inch "boom box" on his shoulder blaring Kylie Minogue.

I believe some things in life are better left untouched.

Atanyrate, he watches shows about turtle-hunters("LIVE ACTION!!!"), duck-callers and people who voluntarily live in the middleofnowhere and forget to bring their knives.

These shows have caused me to wonder how we missed out on this golden reality show opportunity?!

I am well prepared to write my letter to the Discovery Channel, lobbying for our kind of crazy to land a spot in the midst of such quality programming.

I have come up with 5 compelling reasons why we deserve a place in the spotlight....

Reason #5:

-Two words: Wacky-wacky.
I would love to be a fly on the wall while my workers and I are having a conversation.
A 'wacky-wacky' is a weed eater...in Spanglish.
IknowIknowIknow..it is embarrassing.  The thing is, I could call it a 'weed eater' until I turn blue in the face, but they only know it as a 'wacky-wacky'.
They could show these episodes to kids when the "Why do I need to learn Spanish??" questions arise.
I don't envision having much of a multicultural television following.

Reason #4:

-Movie deal...."Planet of the CATS".
We could make millions.
You know it's true.

Reason #3:

-I feel like Chuck and Gus should have their own episodes.
Something along the lines of "Learning to cowboy:  from behind the wheel to behind the horn", or maybe "Why you should be up front about your equine ability BEFORE you get married".
These are just some thoughts.

Reason #2:

-Mercy devised a scheme to catch a groundhog with raspberries AND pulled off a sophisticated goatee made from soap suds....allinthesameday.

Reason #1:

-The number one reason why we deserve a television show of our very own?  That's easy, Skip.
Who is Skip?
Skip is the enormous cyst on Eddie's forehead that he STILL hasn't had removed.
For the past few months I have taken to giving any and all of Eddie's instructions to Skip instead.  He passes them to Eddie for me.
Skip demands attention and is scary-big.
I feel confident that one day Skip will give me winning lotto numbers and I might be able to hear the ocean if I stand close enough to him.
I love the ocean.
When Eddie does get rid of Skip he will probably have to have a good sized skin graft...more than likely using skin from either his rear or his wife.
...he told me that.
This could possibly land us a spot on National Geographic as well.
Fingers crossed!

Oh, and in case you are looking for 100% gas...it's "in the rear"....
Yes, I'm eleven.

Have a wonderful (and much cooler) day!!

Love,
FuturePrimeTimeCowLady

Easy Summatime Pasta Bake!!

So listen, here lately it has been rather warm out, like old-man-saggy-tractor-bottom-jeans muggy.
Ya dig?
That is precisely why it has taken me a whole week to post this...ugh so.busy.

Anyway, after a long day of working in the heat, cow manure, dust and hydraulic fluid the last thing I wanna do is fire up the oven when I get home! AmIright?
I hear ya!

I mean, I love to bake, and that doesn't normally make me as hot as roasting/broiling/sauteing supper, so I am much more inclined to make something sweet and wonderful after I have gotten cleaned up.

See, the thing about that is that while I am perfectly fine with eating Cheerios everysinglenight of the week, my husband is partial to a meal.
I don't know where he gets that.

Hey, in the cooler months I am crock-pottin', roasting, frying, sauteing and braising away!
In the hazy, hot and humid weeks I am worn out by the time I peeeeeeeeel my jeans off in the evening.
What can ya do?

Hey!  Here's something you can make!!

It is my own version of an easy summatime pasta bake.
Chuck loves it and it is soooo not fussy.

I had it done the other night, start to finish, in 30 minutes.
One of the things I love about this dish, other than its versatility, is that the leftovers are great as well!

Before I get into the recipe, I would like to say that if you are a "noodles and sauce" person, then by all means throw some sauce in before you put it in the dish!
I am generally looking for a more light, and simple dish after a long, hot day, so this is very basic.

Here goes!

Summatime Pasta Bake

Ingredients:

-1 box of pasta noodles(13.25-14.5 oz) cooked al dente' and drained.
(I prefer whole wheat because I have a guilty conscience, and I think a rotini or penne work best).

-1lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts sliced into long, thin strips..(I got the pre-cut strips but ended up halving them lengthwise anyway).
-1 small-medium zucchini or squash, halved lengthwise and cut into thin  pieces.                              
(You can use any veggie here, even cut green beans or asparagus).
-1/2 yellow onion, sliced thin
-1 pint cherry tomatoes
-salt and pepper
-1 teaspoon Herbs de Provence(optional..I ran across mine while rummaging through my spices).
-4 cups shredded Fontina cheese (or whatever cheese you prefer)
-1 tablespoon butter
-1/4 cup white wine, or chicken stock.
-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Oregano Vinaigrette
-1/4 cup white wine vinegar
-3/4 cup olive oil
-1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
-1/4 teaspoon black pepper
-1 tablespoon dried oregano (if fresh, use 2 tablespoons finely minced)

Method:
-Preheat your broiler and set the top rack in the upper third of the oven(not the closest to the top).
-If you don't care for roasted tomatoes then you can ignore this completely...butyou'remissingout.
-Place a metal rack over a sheet pan, and dump your tiny tomatoes onto it.
Like zeeessss...

-OK, You can totally drizzle some olive oil on them but you don't have to...I didn't.
-Now place them into the screamin' hot oven, shut the front door and fugheddaboutit.

(You will hear them pop occasionally but roasting them will take some time, so ignore them for the first ten minutes them commence to impatiently waiting).

-While the tomatoes are roasting, drain your pasta and dump it into a big bowl.
-Set it to the side.

Making the vinaigrette...
-In a small-medium bowl(not to be confused with medium-small), pour in the vinegar, oregano, salt and peppa.  Whisk it to combine.
-While whisking, slowly drizzle the olive oil into the bowl so that it combines and doesn't separate.
-Once the vinaigrette is finished, pour it over the pasta and toss.

-Check the tomatoes.
There should be some deflation, but they aren't done til they look like this...

Once they do, toss them into the bowl with the pasta.
-Turn the oven to 350 degrees and grab a 13x9 inch oven-safe baking dish and butter/spray it.

-In a heavy-bottomed skillet, drizzle some olive oil and heat on medium until it becomes shimmery, that's when you know it's hot enough.
-Season your chicken with salt, pepper and Herbs de Provence, and place it in an even layer in the skillet.
-Don't touch it.
-! I mean it!
-It needs to cook and get brown, and the more moving you do, the less browning it will do.
-You make it anxious.

-Once mine begins to turn white and cook around the edges, I flip it.
-Cook it all the way through, but don't suck the life out of it:), then toss it into the pasta bowl!
All aboard!!

-Place the skillet back on the stove and melt a tablespoon of butter in it, sort of swishing it around and scraping up and chicken-goodness left over.
-Now, pour the wine in..or chicken stock if you prefer.
-Once the liquid has reduced by half, throw in the veggies!
-Cook until the onions are translucent, then throw the mix into the pasta bowl.
-Take 3 cups of the shredded cheese and mix it in with the pasta, then pour all of it into your baking dish.
-Top with remaining cup of cheese and slide it into the oven.
-Bake at 350 until cheese is melted and bubbling...about 10-12 minutes.

Voila!

No fuss summertime pasta bake!

What's your easy summer dish?

Love,
CowLayday

P.s. Sorry it has taken me a WEEK to post!  I have been very sweaty.

BossMan

Before we get this Father's Day thing started I need to tell you I almost died this morning.
There I was, standing in the kitchen reading the Facebook paper, while waiting on my steel cut oats to become palatable when out of the corner of my left eye I saw it.
Picture 1 inch long, skinny with FIVE THOUSAND legs crawling across the floor.  AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!

Chuck and I shall discuss exterminators when he awakes.
This cannot happen again.
Luckily, for him, I have jungle-cat reflexes and an (almost) inaudible squeal.
Almost, like not at all.

Happy Father's day to all the dads, step dads, grandads, and...other dads out there!
I hope you have a wonderful day:).

I know I don't spend a lot of time, if any, talking about my dad here.
When I do it's normally because I am frustrated with him, or because he has instructed me to do something so ridiculous that I just have to tell you people.

You want me to carry 25 lb buckets of blackstrap molasses through the barn, 3 times a day, and pour it on top of the cows feed?????  Really???

Well, OK then.

Welcome to my world.

I think the reason I don't talk about BossMan much is because we have never really had a great relationship, and over the past few years it has become more strained.

Maybe it's me, his age, the fact that I work for him, or just the way the cookie crumbles, whatever the reason it is simply what it is.
He is hard to get close to.

When I was growing up, Malinda and I were totally mom's girls.
We went everywhere with her.

Dad was normally having to work late at the hospital, or doing some other type of work so he missed out on a bunch of happy times, therefore we didn't have much of a friendly relationship with him.

He has always been the hardest working man I have ever known, or heard of for that matter...and for that he is to be commended.
We grew up comfortably and never wanted for anything, other than maybe not so much yard work:).
He taught us to work hard for what we wanted and was not going to be the kind of parent who spoiled his kids...I think he was successful.

When everyone else was going places and doing things with their dads, we were out working and he was on the tractor.

He always believed we could work harder or do more and pushed us toward that goal.
Hence the person I am today.
The down side to that being when your best isn't good enough, even for you.
Such is life.

It wasn't all work though.
We grew up fortunate enough to have had a great education as well as having been able to vacation to wonderful places.
Oh man, the places we went!
Inside me live memories of sailboat trips around the Caribbean where we had bonfires on remote beaches, climbed coconut trees, hiked mountains for "treasure" and occasionally got seasick.

BossMan lived for vacation, especially the beach.
No one could say he didn't work hard for it either.

Now that almost all of his 9 kids are grown, with 2 still under the age of 21, you would think he has finally slowed down.  You would be mistaken.

BossMan turns 76 today and is still practicing orthopedic surgery.
He works in the office/hospital 5 days a week, making rounds on Sunday, but comes home each evening and gets on the tractor.
He is quite a worker.
He does what needs to be done and doesn't let anyone stand in his way.
That's my dad.

To say he was a "hard man" to live with would be an understatement, and to say he was always hard would be unfair.
I can remember him riding us around the sunroom on his back playing "horsey", and being at all of our dance recitals.

and he has always been there when I have really needed him.

When I felt alone and thought all hope was lost he sat beside me on the front porch and said, "I love you, and I'm going to take care of you for as long as I can".
I can remember that day as clearly as I can remember my wedding day when he gave his toast and said that, "...she needs me as much as I need her".

No matter how strained our relationship becomes, and how tense it can feel, I remember those times because when you love someone it's not supposed to be easy.

Happy  Birthday and Father's Day, BossMan.

Love,
YourCowGirl

Our House (Part 2)

Hi!
I'm back from our short, yet informative, trip to a Purina meeting and a few farm visits.
One of the thing I love about my job is that the dairy industry is constantly evolving and there is always room for improvement and learning.

I like to learn.....now that I don't get graded for it.
Funny how that happens huh?

Anyway, Chuck went with me and I absolutely loved that:).
Our dairy is the only one he had ever been to, up til Monday and Tuesday, so it was really nice for him to see how it works elsewhere...and on a much larger scale!

He was great:).
Everyone thought he was the farmer and I was just the wife tagging along, which is more than fine with me.
It made for a lot of interesting looks when people found out what he did...
Oh! You're the police?!  How'd you get wrangled into this??

There were also some...
The police huh?  Well, one of your brethren almost got me on the way here....
Those stories are always interesting...

Long story short, we had a lovely trip and I was so glad to be back at work yesterday morning.

Now that I have caught you up on my life story, I believe I owe you the second part of the tour de mi casa...

I like to give the people what they want, therefore I bring you....

The laundry room!!!

If you will take a hard left there you will go up these stairs to the...

MAN CAVE!!!!

The man cave is outfitted with all of my furniture..

But really that's OK because I got the good closet.
(See how that works?)

There is also a Foosball table on the left and a fabulous surround sound for the tv wedon'thaveyet.
Baby steps.

If you will descend the cave-o-wonders you will come up on this room...

 The guest room, but most commonly referred to as "Chuck's changing room".
...I change in the garage...

If you find yourself needing to use the facilities,

 Then the guest bath will suit your needs.

The next stop is Caden's bedroom...

But really just his bed...I did a fantastic job photographing.

Here is another picture of his room and the ghost in the corner...

 She's harmless really.

On to the master!

The master bedroom is beside the family room.

 Ahhhhhh! Snake!
Just kidding.
It's my phone charger.
Had ya goin though, didn't I?

Another picture of the master...

We have a ghost in our room as well.

Last picture of the master.
Please ignore the cow on the top of my jewelry box with the 3D glasses on.
...and the guard dog holding the bedroom door open...

OK, so from where you're standing now, just turn around, open the door and...

 

 Boom!  Master bath.

My closet, to the right...

Don't judge, just love.

My sink to the right...here again ladies CHOOSE your battles.
The tub, that I have never been in...

..and from another view.
Please note Chuck's "boom box" on his sink....
We call him "Boom box Bobby".

Now that we have reached the end of the tour, and I feel like everyone has been in my house...I bid you farewell.

Have a wonderful day!

Love,
CowLady

P.s. Can you hit the light in my closet on your way out?  Thanks.

Our House (Part 1)

Is a very very very fine house!
...with NO pets:(.

Heyyyy!  Happy Monday to ya!
Did you have a nice weekend?
Go anywhere?
Do anything?
Do nothing and love it?

I had a lovely weekend.
Worked Saturday and half of Sunday, then Mr. CowLady's family came over and threw us a post-wedding/new home shower!

They went to so much trouble and I cannot even begin to tell them how much it meant to us:).
They are so much fun!

Anyway, since I had my house all spotless for the shin-dig I decided to take a few pictures and share them with you fine people.

This is fulfilling a request from a nice lady we will refer to as "Hammer"...youknowwhoyouare.

I have broken it up into 2 parts, this first post being the kitchen/dining areas/sunroom/entryway.

Please excuse the lack of furniture/things...I have a allergy to clutter.
Also excuse the quality of the photos...they were all taken with my phone.

Heeeerrre we go!

This is the entry to the house...there is an arch and columns on the right leading into the family room.
I really don't know what's in that closet...I forget it's there.
The light fixtures that came in the house are incredible!

This is from the entry looking into the family room.
There's Chuck!  Hey honey!!
Anyway, tall ceilings throughout and the see-thru fireplace.

 From the family room looking back to the entry.
Just call me Ansel Adams...photographer extraordinaire.

 To the right of the entry is the formal dining...and the garage through the windows...nice.

Occasionally I like to take a saucer of...an egg...and dine on the enormous table we have.
It's...cozy.

 Family room!

More family room!

Fireplace, and behind it is the sunroom as you can see from the inferno of light blasting from it.
 

Sunroom!
This is where I get my tan on...heh.

 

Informal dining area adjacent to kitchen and family room.

  

My room.....uh...I mean...the kitchen.

 More kitchen, cuz who can get enough of that???
Not me...not me.

I could really do a whole post about how much I love my kitchen, but I won't.
Youcanthankmelater.

 Hallway...I like that I turned the lights on for this one.

 Look who I found in the hall!
Hey guys!! Great wedding!!
What a lovely couple.

 

 Hallway to Caden's lair.

 

 The loves of my life hangin out in the hall.

That wraps this segment up!
Stay tuned for part 2...the "bedroom" segment..where the "magic" happens!
Hehehehehehe...I kid.

But really, you should come over!

Headed on a couple of farm tours today...have a great day!!

Love,
CowLady

P.s. Hammer's my hero!!

Being Different

Sometimes when you're different, things can be hard.
Things that others find easy, can leave you quite scarred.

Maybe you're smaller, or slower, or need help more than some.
You could look different, or be quiet and your peers think you're dumb.

You grow up feeling like the underdog, always the last one picked.
You pray to be the same, hoping prayer will do the trick.

It seems like forever you plead, finally getting mad.
"Why can't I be the same? Why must I be so sad?"

He hears all of your whispers, and  He waits for the time.
After all the world cannot change on a dime!

What if everyone's prayers were answered right then?
Our lives would be a mess, just think of the sin!

It seems like you're in a dark place.
Your heart feels broken and you want to hide your face.

Time goes by, and each day it's still the same person in the mirror.
"Did I pray for the right things? Do I need to make it clearer?"

Eventually you stop trying to be like the others.
You embrace yourself, throwing off the covers!

"Why would I want to be someone I'm not?"
"I'm perfect just the way I am!  Different is hot!"

You sit down and realize that nothing you asked had been given.
Change happened from the inside, from your heart it was driven.

He taught you to love and accept yourself for who you are.
All of the years of trying to fit in had left no scar.

Be proud of being different, proud to be you.
His love is everlasting and it lives within you.


Love,
CowLady