Kim's County Line

Ad Astra Per Aspera

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 12:00:00 +0000

You probably wouldn't think about having a birthday party in a cemetery. But as Kansas celebrated 151 years of statehood yesterday, I thought about those pioneers who settled this land I now call home. On January 29, 1861, Kansas was admitted to the Union and became the 34th star on the American flag.

Peace Creek Cemetery is just a mile from Randy's boyhood home. Some of his ancestors rest in this quiet plot at the edge of a wheat field. Maybe a visitor or two who takes the wrong road to Quivira National Wildlife Refuge might happen across it. But, for the most part, it's off the beaten track. The chilly silence may be broken by the growl of a tractor or a pickup traversing the sandy road. But most often, the sound is just the breeze through the trees that stirs the music of a wind chime near one of the graves.

As we drove by one January evening, I asked Randy to stop. I watched the sun sink into the horizon of the western sky, and I thought about those pioneers who came before me. They may have marveled at a similar sunset sky, the velvet blue lightened with pinks and yellows and oranges - the vibrant colors that come only on a cold January night.

There were probably fewer trees then, but the same sun and the moon still hung from the sky. These celestial bodies defined their days - probably more so than they do mine since they would have lit their homes with candles or kerosene lanterns on dark January nights.

I wonder about the people buried there, some as long ago as 1879. There are mothers and fathers, babies and toddlers, neighbors and friends.

Were they adventurers? Were they dreamers? Were they looking to improve life for themselves and their families? Under the Homestead Act, any person older than 21 could choose 160 acres of land on which to farm or ranch. If the homesteader could live and farm on the land for a period of five years, they could own it.

Clearing the land of the tall, tough prairie grass was back breaking work. They had to figure out what crops would grow, often a process of trial and error. Droughts, thunderstorms, bitter winters, prairie fires and grasshopper invasions stood in the way of fulfilling their hopes for a different way of life.

The dreams they planted on the Kansas prairie took root like the trees they planted to block their homesteads from the unrelenting wind.

And they worked hard. They planted churches and schools along with the winter wheat.

They raised their families. They lived and they died on the Kansas prairie.

And as we celebrate 151 years of statehood, I am thankful for my ancestors and those of my husband who had a vision and worked hard to provide a future for their children and their children's children and beyond.

Kansas is celebrating its birthday. But we got the gift.

The Miracle of Birth: A Photo Essay

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 12:00:00 +0000

Jill - Delivery Room - 1985

I was not one of those women who had a video camera in the room when I gave birth. We had a still camera in the delivery room. But the lens cap stayed firmly attached until after Jill and Brent were whisked away, cleaned up and ready for their close-ups.

Brent - Delivery Room - 1988

Not that there's anything wrong with recording a baby's birth. If no one allowed video cameras in the room, then there wouldn't be opportunities for every expectant mother and father to watch the miracle of birth during Lamaze classes. (OK, maybe that wouldn't be such a bad thing, since by the time you see the film, it's too late to back out.)

Sorry No. 032. I didn't give you a choice about whether you wanted your birth experience recorded for posterity. Just consider it a teaching moment, like those Lamaze videos.

Actually, Randy also called it a teaching moment for Jake, who has helped with plenty of deliveries but usually takes the role of lead assistant. By the time he got done with his more active role, he may have been re-evaluating his decision to wear a white T-shirt for the day.

No. 032 is a heifer, a cow having her first calf. Randy checks the heifers frequently. He saw that the calf's feet were showing, but the labor didn't progress. He made the decision to pull the calf. This is done to save both the mama and the baby.

We put the heifer in the calving pen, my Christmas gift of 2010. Sometimes cows can be riled up with the birthing process, so having them contained in the head gate is a much safer option for both mama and people.

Since it's hard to see in the above photo, I thought I'd show you another heifer who calved yesterday. In this photo, you can see part of the amniotic sack, which showed before the hooves did in this instance.

(By the way, this heifer had her calf without intervention.)

But back to 032 and her birth story. Jake first splashed disinfectant on the heifer to try to keep the birthing canal as clean as possible. (We've been using the same Tupperware bucket for this job since Randy's folks were in the cow-calf business.)

Then, the guys got the chains ready.

They tie a chain above the ankle on each of the front hooves of the calf. Then they tie the two chains together.

They attach the chains to a calf puller, which is a long rod with a pulley on the end.

They put the leather strap of the calf puller on the cow's rear end.

Then they use the pulley to gently pull the calf from the mama's womb. Here comes the front feet and the head! (Click on the photos to make them bigger).

Welcome to the world, baby!

You can see the steam as the warm baby calf arrives in the cool barn. Randy used his fingers to clear amniotic fluid from the baby's mouth.

And now baby No. 2007 is ready for its close-up. (All our calf numbers this year begin with a "2." That indicates that they were born in 2012. This calf was the 7th baby calf born this year, hence 2007.)

Mama gets the job of cleaning off the baby by licking it. It's part of the bonding process for the pair.

Just one day later, mama and baby are doing well.
Chow time!
And there you have it: The miracle of birth on the County Line.

***

I'm linked today with Fresh from the Farm: Farm Photo Friday. Check it out!

Our Own Houdini

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 12:00:00 +0000

Swaddling wasn't in vogue back when my kids were little. These days, there are even newfangled wraps made especially for swaddling. Kinley has a couple of them.

But even if you get her all wrapped up in a tight cocoon, she finds a way to free her hands. I think she may have a future in magic.

See that hand starting to poke out?!

Magic is in her genes after all.

Her Grandpa has been called Fantastic Fritz on occasion.

He's done his fair share of magic at school, at 4-H, for community programs, for little girls' sleepovers and for children's sermons.

He hasn't tried the Houdini straitjacket illusion. And these days, he seems to spend more of his free time on the golf course than exploring magic.

But maybe it's in his granddaughter's future. She seems to have that escape artist thing down.

And she's already magic in our book.

Two Cute

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 12:45:00 +0000

Two calves.
Too many.
To a 4-Her.
The End.

C'mon now! I never give you the Reader's Digest version of any story.

One of our heifers (a first-time mom) had twins last week. Bonus, right? Two for the price of one!

But not so fast. Many times, mama cows just claim one of the babies. And that's what happened this time, too.

Randy is more into grandparenting mode these days. Hold the baby until said baby cries, then pass her off to the mama. (The joy of Grandpahood!)

Admittedly, there's no feeding possible in the Wonderful World of Grandparenting right now, as Mom is on call 24/7. But Randy got in on some feeding action with the unclaimed twin.

See, he has some commendable mothering skills, too.

Still, this little calf needed an extra dose of love and attention. Enter 4-Her.

This little lady will get lots of one-on-one time with a 4-Her who loves her and wants to take her to the Stafford County Fair in July.

Aubrey and her dad came and picked up the calf on Sunday. So Randy is out of his nursemaid job. He's OK with that, especially when he knows how the 4-H bucket calf program helps grow kids into responsible adults.

Exhibit A.
Exhibit B.

Year of the Dragon

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 12:30:00 +0000

I'm not a believer in the Chinese zodiac. Let's just get that out of the way from the beginning.

But what's a Kansas farm wife to do when she wants to use a photo that's not exactly the perfect illustration for calving season ... or harvest ... or planting ... or anything else having to do with a farm in Central Kansas?

So when she happens to notice that 2012 is the Year of the Dragon, you'll have to forgive her for remembering that colorful photo that's been hiding in the files since December 2010.

And then I found out that 2012 is the Year of the WATER dragon, so it's like it was meant to be, right?

The dragon is one of the lighted Christmas displays in Pratt's Lemon Park. I'm not sure what it has to do with Christmas either. But it sure makes for a pretty photo, doesn't it?

The Year of the Dragon started yesterday, January 23. If you want to celebrate with an American version of a Chinese meal, try Oriental Beef with Peppers, a meal Jill served us last May. (It was the same day I found out I was going to be a Grandma and then I couldn't tell anyone FOREVER!)

It may not be quite as colorful as that Lemon Park dragon. But it tastes better (especially when you find out you're going to be a Grandma! No guarantees to anyone for that happening).

I was going to post this yesterday. But Pie Day won out. What can I say? I have a sweet tooth.

I'll Take Pie, Not Pi

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:45:00 +0000

I'm not a mathematician. So Pi Day has never excited me. (For you people who like your math, Pi Day is March 14 or 3.14)

When you Google "Pie" Day, it's "Pi" Day that comes up for the first few entries on the list. Last week, a Facebook friend said that January 23 is PIE Day. Like me, she knew about the math celebration, but not the PIE party, until she wrote a feature article about pie. (How can I get writing jobs like that?)

But after I typed in "baking a pie day," I found a website devoted to pie. The American Pie Council has indeed dubbed January 23rd as National Pie Day:

Why is National Pie Day celebrated on January 23 or 1/23? Because celebrating the wholesome goodness of pie is as easy as 1-2-3.

I'm not sure I agree with that slogan, but I've had a pie photo and recipe rattling around, just ready to be shared. So what better day than National Pie Day?

The American Pie Council is "an organization committed to preserving America's pie heritage and promoting America's love affair with pies. Designed to raise awareness, enjoyment and consumption of pies, the APC offers amateur, professional and commercial memberships."

I think Randy would be thrilled if I would join. I don't make pie nearly as often as he'd like.

According to the APC website, pie has been around since the ancient Egyptians. The first pies were made by early Romans. Meat - not fruit - was the mainstay of early pies. Fruit pies have been around since the 1500s, when English tradition credits the first cherry pie to Queen Elizabeth I. Pie came to America with the first English settlers. And now the dessert is "as American as apple pie."

I made a Toll House Cookie Pie for our church's Sweet Tooth Auction last year. This pie is one of Brent's favorites, since he's not a fruit pie person. As pies go, it really is easy to put together.

Toll House Chocolate Chip Pie

1 unbaked 9-inch (4 cup volume) deep-dish pie shell
2 large eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened (no substitutes)
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1 cup chopped nuts (I usually use pecans)
Whipped cream or ice cream (opt.)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Beat eggs in large mixer bowl on high speed until foamy. Beat in flour and both sugars. Beat in butter. Stir in morsels and nuts. Spoon into pie shell. Put pie shields on crust to prevent overbrowning.

Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until knife inserted halfway between edge and center comes out clean. (If the top looks too brown before the center is set, cover whole pie with foil to prevent overbrowning.)

Cool on wire rack. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream, if desired.

If fruit pie is more to your liking, try this recipe for Blueberry Pie. (You can use frozen berries.) It has step-by-step photos for making and rolling out your pie dough.

And the American Pie Council has a link to pie recipes. So go ahead: Celebrate Pie Day. It will be tastier than Pi Day.

I'm linked to Two Maids a Baking. Check them out!

Aloha Quick Bread

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 12:30:00 +0000

When I have ripe bananas, I most often turn to my Byers United Methodist Church cookbook and make banana bread. Yes, I admit it. I sometimes get stuck in a rut.

But a new cookbook inspired me to try a different recipe. Aloha Quick Bread was in the PEO Incredible Food cookbook that my Mom gave me. And it happened to have a familiar name attached to the recipe ... my Mom's.

When I told her I'd made her recipe, she said, "Oh, I'd kind of forgotten about that one." After you try it, you won't want to forget to add it to your collection of quality quick bread recipes.

With these cold temperatures, we can take all the help we can get to imagine we're in Hawaii, right? Enjoy!

Aloha Quick Bread

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup mashed, ripe bananas
1/4 cup milk
1 tbsp. grated orange peel
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup flaked coconut
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup crushed pineapple

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in banana, milk, orange peel and extracts. Combine flour, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture just until moistened. Fold in coconut, nuts and pineapple. Pour into 9- by 5- by 3-inch loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted at center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pan to wire rack. Yield: 1 large loaf.

I used small loaf pans. It will take less time to bake them (though I didn't keep track of the time. Sorry about that!). I doubled this recipe since I had plenty of bananas.

If you'd prefer to make a different recipe with your extra bananas, try this one with bananas, pineapple, cherries and nuts. It's another good recipe from the same cookbook (even though it doesn't have my Mom's name attached.)

Enjoy your weekend!

Iron Man

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 12:15:00 +0000

There's been some iron man stuff going on at the farm lately. Nope, Randy and Jake aren't training for an iron man triathlon. But they have been building up some muscle as they've cleared the farmstead of scrap iron.

Randy says he feels a bit like an archeologist as he's uncovered equipment from the past. They've taken six full loads of detritus to a scrap iron business in Great Bend and have at least one more load to go.

It's given the guys something to do this winter. It's cleaned up the farmstead. It's provided a little extra cash. And it's been a trip down memory lane for Randy.

The pile has been growing since 1976. His parents built their new home as America celebrated its bicentennial. They built it on the spot that had been the scrap iron pile, so Randy was in on the first cleanup 35 years ago.

This time around, he's found parts of old equipment that his Dad and Grandpa Fritzemeier owned together. He's found parts for an old Massey-Ferguson combine and remnants of an Allis-Chalmers model. There have been V-blades and disc blades and old sickles and old feeders.

Even on chilly winter days, he's remembered the heat of summer as he looked at the parts and pieces of equipment he had to help repair as the thermometer's mercury inched upwards.

He's still trying to figure out how to get this one-way unearthed from the tentacles of the trees that have grown through it. Any ideas?

Early Arrival

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 11:30:00 +0000

Early arrival seems to be a trend. Our first baby calf of 2012 arrived Monday. Mom and baby are doing well even though the little heifer calf is 2 weeks ahead of the due date.

Little girls coming early seems to be a theme for the County Line these days.

Babies are miraculous. When you're the parent, maybe you're too tired to truly appreciate the miracle. But a grandparent watching a sleeping baby has another perspective. It's hard to explain. Grandparents are enthralled by the little squeaks, the facial expressions that shift as subtly as a wheat field in the breeze and the grasp of a little finger.

After spending a week with Kinley, I have a new appreciation for the miracle of a baby calf, too. Yes, this little creature has a few moments when its four legs don't want to work together. But within hours, it's running after its mother. The subtle steps toward independence begin so much more quickly in the animal kingdom.

The mama and baby have joined the other heifers on a wheat pasture near the barn in awaiting the arrival of pen mates for little No. 2001, the first calf of 2012.

Now if only the rest of the babies would arrive on sunshine-filled winter days. That would be a miracle, too! One heifer down, 31 to go.

New Baby = New Recipes

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 13:15:00 +0000

New baby. New recipes. They just seemed to go together.

When I arrived to start my week in GrandmaLand, Jill and I went through three magazines and chose several new recipes to try. After working my way through an unfamiliar grocery store, it was time to experiment.

Jill married a guy like her Dad. Eric is willing to try almost anything. That's a good quality to have in a husband. And in a son-in-law.

BBQ Chicken Pizza Roll-Up is from Taste of Home's Healthy Cooking magazine. Even though it was featured as an appetizer, I made it as a main dish. I served it with a green salad, and it was a hit for supper. And there was enough for Eric to take to work for lunch the next day. Bonus!

BBQ Chicken Pizza Roll-Up

From Taste of Home's
Healthy Cooking magazine
December 2011/January 2012 issue

1 tube (13.8 oz.) refrigerated pizza crust
1/4 cup honey barbecue sauce
1 1/2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
1 tsp. Italian seasoning (opt.)
1 egg white
1 tbsp. water
1/4 tsp. garlic powder

On a lightly floured surface, roll crust into a 12- by 9-inch rectangle. (I rolled the dough onto a piece of waxed paper and dusted it with flour. I then topped with another piece of waxed paper to roll out to the 12- by 9-inch shape. You can use the bottom waxed paper to make it easier to roll.) Brush with barbecue sauce. Layer with cheese, chicken, onion, cilantro and Italian seasoning (if desired).

Roll up jelly-roll style. Pinch seams to seal. Place seam side down on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. (I used foil to ease clean-up.)

Beat egg white and water; brush over top. Sprinkle with garlic powder. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool slightly before cutting.

Notes:
The original recipe called for this to be served as an appetizer or snack, so it had you roll up from the long side. However, I was serving it as a main course, so I rolled it from the short side.

The original recipe said it made 2 dozen. I cut it into about 8 pieces, allowing 2 pieces per person.

I used about 1/2 teaspoon of the Italian seasoning. I might back it off to 1/4 teaspoon unless you're a huge fan of Italian seasoning. I didn't use the onion because I didn't want to use it raw. The next time I make this, I will either saute the onion to soften it before using or use green onion minced finely.

To make the shredded chicken, I put frozen chicken tenderloins in a glass 13- by 9-inch pan and drizzled with additional barbecue sauce. I topped it with plastic wrap. I microwaved it until the chicken was tender and then used two forks to shred it. So it had a little extra BBQ sauce than what was called for in the original recipe, but it was a tasty addition. You could use leftover chicken or part of a rotisserie chicken (if you live in a place that has that sort of thing)!

I'm linked today to Two Maids a Milking's recipe blog hop.

See

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Lighthouses don't dot the landscape of central Kansas. My "skyscrapers" are windmills and grain elevators.

But I'm still thinking about the lighthouse we toured at Tybee Island, Ga., during the holidays. There's a mystery to lighthouses. We envision the beacon of light leading boats to safety.

We imagine the lighthouse keeper dutifully climbing the circular staircase to keep the light shining and protect sailors from crashing on rocky reefs.

Join me at Lovely Branches Ministries and my Food for Thought blog today for more photos and thoughts from a lighthouse. And while you're there, check out the other blogs at the Vine Press, including a new photography blog, Moments in Focus, from my friend, Adrienne.

***

I'm linked today to Michelle DeRusha's Hear It on Sunday, Use It On Monday.

A Week of Ks

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0000

January 12, 2012

My week has been filled with Ks.

1. Kinley

2. Kitchen

3. Kale

Kale? How does a vegetable I've never even used before get thrown into a list with important things like Kinley?

Well, "kale" ended up being part of "kitchen" this week. Though my favorite "job" of the week was holding Kinley, I also spent some time in the kitchen making meals. I used several new recipes from Taste of Home's Healthy Cooking and from Simple and Delicious, two magazines I gave to Jill for Christmas.

Italian Sausage Bean Soup made its debut for dinner, but the leftovers have been great for lunch. And that's where the kale came in. If I'd been at home, I wouldn't have had easy assess to kale.

If you don't have a mammoth produce section a few blocks away, I think you could substitute spinach or cabbage leaves (or leave it out entirely). But don't leave this soup out of your winter time soup rotation. Kale isn't the only thing that makes it different. The Italian bulk sausage is a nice change of pace from my repertoire of hearty soup recipes that feature beef or chicken.

It was perfect timing for the return of winter temperatures this week. I served it with a cheese and herb focaccia bread and a Waldorf salad. Yum!

Italian Sausage Bean Soup
from the December/January Issue
of Taste of Home's Healthy Cooking

1 lb. bulk Italian sausage

1 medium onion, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

4 cans (14.5 oz.) reduced sodium chicken broth

2 cans (15 oz. each) pinto beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained

1 cup medium pearl barley

1 large carrot, diced

1 celery rib, diced

1 tsp. minced fresh sage

1/2 tsp. minced fresh rosemary or 1/8 tsp. dried rosemary, crushed

6 cups chopped fresh kale

Notes: I used about 4 cups of kale. I purchased fresh sage, but I think a sprinkle of dry sage would work just as well and would be much less expensive. I didn't use as much garlic as the recipe called for: I used about 1 teaspoon of jarred minced garlic.

In a Dutch oven, cook sausage and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Add garlic; cook 1 minutes longer. Drain.

Stir in the broth, beans, tomatoes, barley, carrot, celery, sage and rosemary. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 45 minutes.

Stir in kale; return to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender and kale is wilted.

Makes 8 servings. (20 minutes prep time, 1.5 hours cook time).

Nutrition facts: 1 1/2 cups equals 339 calories, 9 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 23 mg cholesterol, 1,100 mg sodium, 48 g carbohydrate, 11 g fiber, 19 g protein.

"Due" Tell, Kinley!

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0000

1-12-12. Today was Smalls' due date. The numbers would have been a memorable birth date, I suppose.

But Kinley Marie had other ideas. She decided on a 2011 arrival, so we've had the pleasure of her company for an extra two weeks.

We are already discovering the many faces of Kinley.

Hello, world! I'm ready for my 15 minutes of wakefulness. (Never heard of it? Me neither. But one of Jill's parenting books says to aim for 15 minutes of wakefulness after each feeding. Grandma is glad to do her part in trying to keep her awake.)

Her Daddy says she gives us the pirate eye (which is a little tough to capture).

She has her bathing beauty pose.

You think she's sleeping here? Nope, she's thinking. You've seen Rodin's "The Thinker," right?

She has on her "I'm going to listen to everything Mommy says" face here. Let's hope it lasts in junior high.

Some of her faces aren't suitable for company.

How does 6 pounds of person have such an impact?

Who knew that watching someone breathe could be so fascinating?

To become a grandparent is to enjoy one of the few pleasures in life for which the consequences have already been paid.

~Robert Brault

Being Stalked

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 14:00:00 +0000

Some girls in our area are being stalked.

But don't be alarmed. This kind of "stalking" is not a reason to call the police. Our cows have been on milo stalks during the fall and winter months. Last Friday, Randy & Jake moved a group of 37 cows across the road from our house. Since they were 8 miles away, the guys loaded them into trailers for the trip.

At least something good came from this year's milo crop. Even though our harvest was dismal because of the Drought of 2011, it has provided some nutrition for the mama cows who are awaiting the arrival of their offspring in February.

The drought also reduced the amount of alfalfa hay and silage we raised this year. So the milo stalks provide an economical solution for non-lactating cows and heifers.

Brent helped move another group while he was home. Since they were just moving down the road, he and Randy used 4-wheelers for that roundup.

Next stop for the expectant mamas will be the various "maternity wards" we'll set up closer to the barns and shelter, just in case the babies need an overnight stay out of the wintertime elements.

And the cows will be doing the stalking, looking for tasty leftovers. Don't you just love leftovers?

Proving a Simile

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 13:30:00 +0000

As quiet as a mouse.
As cunning as a fox.
As cute as a bug's ear.
As crooked as a dog's hind leg.
As gentle as a lamb.
As happy as a clam.

I'm not sure how to verify the accuracy of some of those familiar animal similes. I'm not anxious to get close enough to a bug to check out its ear. Same goes for the mouse.

But I have photographic proof of the truth behind this one:

As busy as a beaver.

The beavers have indeed been busy on this tree at our Peace Creek pasture. They've gnawed their way through it, sending it toward the water.

A year ago, Randy first showed me the evidence of the beaver's voracious appetite for timber. Even though we haven't seen the beavers at work, he's watched their progress as he has gone to the pasture to check cattle and load silage.

January 1, 2011

January 4, 2012

If only my teeth were that strong, I'd spend a lot less time at the dentist and a lot less money.

That's as plain as day.
That's as true as the day is long.

From Where I Stand

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 12:00:00 +0000

January 7, 2012 - looking west

We give great value to eyewitness accounts. We want reports from the people who are there, recording history as it happens.

But as I watched beautiful Kansas sunsets this weekend, I came to a realization. Our eyewitness account often depends on what direction we're facing. Context colors our experience.

A Kansas sunset evolves quickly. If you look at it just before the sun gets swallowed up by the horizon, it's a whole different perspective than the scene as the inky darkness overtakes the prisms of light.

Our eyes drift toward the drama. But what if the eyewitness account came from someone who is looking to the south during sunset? If you asked them to describe the sunset, they wouldn't talk about fiery yellows, brilliant oranges and royal blues. Instead, they would talk about the fingers of pink light stretching into a columbia-blue-painted sky.

January 7, 2012 - Looking south

Look to the southeast and the scene shifts again.

January 7, 2012 - Looking southeast

I thought about this again during a discussion in Sunday School. We make what we think is an innocuous comment or a joke. And someone "hears" something entirely different than what we intended.

It can happen the other way, too. I may find offense in a perfectly innocent remark. (At least that's what my husband tells me.) Why do these miscommunications happen? Why do we find fault or believe others find fault in us - usually when there was no intent for harm?

I suppose it's because we are all colored by our experiences. We are affected by the direction in which we are looking and the direction from which we have come. Are we stuck looking at past slights and failures or do we look toward the future? What wins out? Is it the memories of the schoolyard taunts or is it the compliment for a job well done?

January 12, 2012 - Looking southwest

Perhaps it's a reminder to stop and think. Will we be colored by the positive? Or will the negative win the day? It truly is a matter of perspective, isn't it?

***

I'm linked today to Michelle DeRusha's blog, Hear It On Sunday, Use It on Monday.

Ready for a HOG Roast - Go 'Cats!

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 12:30:00 +0000

It's Game Day. And I'm ready for some shredded PORK.

Yep, I'm usually a beef girl. But today, I'm hoping the K-State Wildcats will shred those Arkansas Razorbacks during the Cotton Bowl.

Our family's littlest K-State fan will be decked out in her blinged-out Powercat stocking cap in Topeka.

I'll be wearing my bejeweled K-State shirt in Stafford. Brent left yesterday morning with friends to travel to Dallas to cheer on the 'Cats before going back to South Carolina for his final semester. My parents, siblings and families will be at the game. (They better be cheering loud enough for those of us here at home!)

Jill, Brent and Randy at the 1997 Cotton Bowl

Our family has been to K-State's other Cotton Bowl appearances. But with Kinley's original January due date, we didn't want to take the chance we'd miss a "game-changer" in our world.

So we'll be watching from home this time, and I needed a Cotton Bowl worthy meal.

Since pork isn't the mainstay in our freezer, I decided I'd check out recipes from the Real Farmwives of America and Friends. The Hoosier Farm Babe posted this Texas-Style Pulled Pork recipe during National Pork Month, and it seems the perfect time to try it out.

Photo from Meggie at Hoosier Farm Babe

I'm ready for a little ROASTED, PULLED and SHREDDED Razorback tonight! Wanna join me?

(The Hoosier Farm Babe isn't taking sides in the football contest. But I am. GO 'CATS!!!!)

An Epiphany

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 13:30:00 +0000

Down come the twinkling lights. The treetop angel is tucked away in the shoebox.

This year, I'm packing away two Christmases. Since Kinley came a little early, Jill and Eric hadn't cleared away Christmas before going to the hospital for the best gift of 2011. So Randy and I packed away their ornaments and took down the nativity scene while they were still in the hospital. We swept up the pine needles and got the house ready for their new adventure.

If I don't hurry, I won't get our own familiar ornaments nestled carefully inside their bubble wrap and stowed for another year before Epiphany, January 6 (though I did get everything but the tree dismantled yesterday).

But then I had an epiphany of my own. Last year, when we were in South Carolina to deliver Brent's belongings, we happened across this scene outside St. Peter's Catholic Church in downtown Columbia.

It was Epiphany, and the teachers were taking the little ones' photo by the church's nativity scene. The children had their hands cupped, as though offering a gift.

God doesn't make his exit with the last of the leftovers. He doesn't disappear when the last of the Christmas stamps are used up. His gift is that He came and stayed among us.

Maybe "Joy" doesn't hang from the kitchen window the rest of the year.

But it should hang around in my heart. That should be my gift to the King. I shouldn't need multicolored lights to remember that.

***

I'm linked to Farm Photo Friday at the Farm Chick's Kitchen.

Timing Is Everything

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 13:30:00 +0000

Timing is everything, isn't it?

Brent has been home from the University of South Carolina for Christmas break. So old favorites and new meals have been on the County Line menu.

The flurry of cooking was also perfect timing for putting meals in the freezer for Jill and Eric to use as they welcomed little Kinley to the family. I didn't have quite as much time as I'd planned to get meals tucked carefully into foil containers, since Kinley arrived a couple of weeks early. But, as it turned out, that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Jill had also been busy stashing freezer meals, so Randy & I played fruit basket upset to get everything tucked away into their downstairs freezer. They could eat out of their freezer for weeks, if they wanted. (Right now, Kinley's Mommy is craving turkey sandwiches. She didn't eat deli turkey for 9 months because of the potential of listeria, a risk during pregnancy. So much for all the fancy meals, right? Though I'm sure she'll be thankful for the meals later. You can only eat so many turkey sandwiches.)

Kinley arrived in time to say hello to her uncle before he headed to the Cotton Bowl and then back to South Carolina for his final semester in his master's program. (He had asked earlier if it was a bad thing for a baby to come a little early. Kinley must have heard him.)

One of the new recipes I served at home and prepared for the freezer was Easy Chicken Bake. I found it on a box of stuffing mix, but made a few changes along the way. And although I know it's not gourmet fare, it was easy and tasty. Enjoy!

Easy Chicken Bake

1 pkg. boxed stuffing mix
1 cup hot water
1 1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup (you can use low fat and/or low sodium)
1/3 cup sour cream (you can use low fat or no fat)
1 bag (16 oz.) frozen mixed vegetables, thawed and drained (optional - I didn't use this)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the dry stuffing mix evenly on the bottom of a 13- by 9-inch baking dish. Set aside. Add water to remaining stuffing mix; stir just until moistened. Set aside.

Place chicken over dry stuffing mix in baking dish. Mix soup, sour cream and vegetables (if desired); spoon over chicken. Top with prepared stuffing.

Bake for 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through (to 170 degrees F).

Notes:

We prefer to keep the vegetables separate. I served this with steamed beans and a green salad.
The original recipe said to cut up the chicken into 1-inch pieces. I used frozen chicken breasts which I had thawed out. I just used them as they were rather than cutting into pieces.

The Tapestry of Family

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Cemeteries and new babies may not seem to have much in common. But on the day that Kinley came home from the hospital, Randy & I started our day by taking a bouquet to a Topeka cemetery.

We were there to pay our respects to his Grandma Ritts, who would be Kinley's great-great-grandmother (and to the Grandpa Ritts he never knew). Laura Ritts was the mother to Randy's mom, Marie, from whom Kinley gets her middle name.

Jill never really knew Grandma Ritts, who died when Jill was 6. Even by the time I entered the family, Laura wasn't the mother and grandmother that Randy's family had known. I always thought it would have been nice to know her in her prime, since we both love music, church choir and children's church pageants.

But, even without a physical link, the connections are still there, weaving generation to generation, through genes and family traditions.

It's hard to know what family characteristics that Kinley will have. Will she get her Daddy's height? Will she have her mother's gorgeous eyes? All we know is that she is a God-given blessing from two families, joined together, through a new life.

We don't accomplish anything in this world alone...

and whatever happens
is the result of the whole tapestry of one's life
and all the weavings of individual threads
form one to another that creates something.

Sandra Day O'Connor

Kinley has already met her Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Moore.

She posed for a four-generation photo on her maternal side.

She dozed with grandparents and uncles and friends from both Eric's and Jill's families in her first few days of life on this Earth.

Family is woven deeply into the tapestry of life.

Families are the compass that guide us.
They are the inspiration to reach great heights,
and our comfort when we occasionally falter.

Brad Henry

Welcome to the family, Kinley Marie!

A Living Doll

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 13:45:00 +0000

She's about the same size as her first dolly, given to her by her Great Grandma and Grandpa Moore.

We had planned to go to Topeka this weekend to celebrate Christmas with the immediate family. And we did.

But a new family member decided to join us before the festivities could happen.

Meet Kinley Marie. She's a living doll. She was born at 4:30 AM, December 30, 2011. She weighed 5 pounds, 15 ounces, and is 20.75 inches long.

I'm too busy staring into her little baby face to actually do much writing. Suffice it to say that you'll be hearing much more about this little lady - and maybe seeing a photo or two.

She even decided to wake up enough to open her stocking, where Santa mysteriously replaced the sonogram image with a brand new photo.

Welcome to the world, Kinley Marie!

Snacking Your Way To Midnight

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 12:00:00 +0000

The clock is tick-tick-ticking toward the New Year and thoughts of sugarplums are replaced with diet resolutions.

If you're looking to start your quest for health before the clock strikes midnight on December 31, here's a snack mix alternative to try for your New Year's Eve party.

Jill got the recipe at work and then made a batch herself. It's a lower-calorie version of a snack mix, but it's still sweet and crunchy. (Note that the serving size is 1/2 cup. Serving size always gets us into trouble, doesn't it?)

Enjoy your New Year's Eve celebration! We'll see if I make it to midnight. I wouldn't bet on it.

Banana Cinnamon Snack Mix
Makes about 14 (1/2 cup servings)

2 cups Banana Nut Cheerios Cereal
1 cup Cinnamon Chex Cereal
1 cup fat-free small pretzel twists
1/2 cup sunflower seeds or nuts
1 egg white
1 tbsp. orange juice concentrate
1/3 cup Splenda or sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
4 cups popped popcorn
1 cup crispy apple chips, broken into pieces
1 cup craisins

Heat oven to 300 degrees. Spray a large roasting pan with cooking spray. In a large bowl, mix cereal, pretzels and seeds or nuts. Set aside. In medium bowl, beat egg white, orange juice concentrate, sweetener and cinnamon with wire whisk until well blended. Pour over cereal mixture, stirring until evenly coated. Stir in popcorn. Spread in pan.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until light brown and crisp. Remove from oven. Stir in apple chips and craisins. Cool completely. Store in airtight container.

(Jill used banana chips rather than apple chips because that's what she found.)

***

But ... if you want to get one more dose of butter and sugar before committing to the new diet regime, try this Toffee Snack Mix for your New Year's snack table.

Stumped!

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 12:00:00 +0000

I'm stumped. And I think I may need professional help.

Well, at least my yard might need some help from the experts.

Randy and Jake took out some a tree and overgrown bushes from the side yard this week. Last fall, Randy campaigned to plant some new trees. I told him I thought we should clean up what we had first.

The problem? Neither of us really knows what we're doing in this department. (That will come as no surprise to anyone who has visited us.)

We had to say goodbye to several 125-year-old pine trees at our farmstead last year because of pine wilt. We need to replace them, but should we choose blue spruce (like the one Jill & Randy planted in 1987 seen in the background)? Or should we choose deciduous trees?

With this latest dismantling project, the old hackberry tree was growing into electrical lines and the evergreen bushes surrounding it hadn't been trimmed in years.

Unfortunately, the mess seems worse than when we started. The stumps are still there until we can borrow a front loader with more "umph." The ground has pockmarks left from the tractor tires and branch removal.

The good news? Randy didn't fall from the bucket loader or cut off any of his own appendages with the chainsaw while removing tree limbs. The electric line stayed up, so my power stayed on.

I'm not sure whether I was out there to watch the proceedings or to be right there to call 9-1-1 if he toppled from the bucket. Thankfully, nothing but the ground was harmed in this winter maintenance project. So I guess it's a success after all ... even if it doesn't look like it at the moment.

A Rose By Any Other Name ...

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 12:15:00 +0000

Am I a Grammy?

Granny?

Grandma?

My kids called my father-in-law "Poppo" (long 'o') when they were little. I'm not sure how it started, but I know it stuck until they decided they'd outgrown it.

I've never held this important title before. So what does a modern grandmother do? She Googles it, of course. Google has an answer for everything.

And wouldn't you know it: I found a quiz to tell me what kind of Grandma I will likely be. Will I be an Oma or a Nana? Will I be Gram? A Gigi?

Drum roll please. And the test results reveal ...

You're a Grandmother!
You are a traditional, old-fashioned grandmother. You love cooking for your grandchildren and creating traditions with them. Your grandchildren will always feel warm and welcomed. You possess a lot of skills that may soon be forgotten, unless you share them with your grandchildren! Names such as Grandmother, Grandma, Grannie, Grammy and Nanny are good choices for you.

I'm sure my children are super surprised that I'm old-fashioned. (Wink. Wink.)

So ... what do your children call their grandparents? Or, if you have already reached Grandparent Land, what do your grandchildren call you? Did you choose the name? Or did they choose it for you?

I think I'll go by whatever name Smalls chooses. At this point, I'll probably respond even if she just grunts in my general direction.

The Tapestry of Family

noreply@blogger.com (Kim) — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 12:15:00 +0000

Blake & Braden

The twinkle in their eyes rivals the glow of the tree lights. They see wonder and delight in the smallest things.

It makes us look at things differently, too. A strawberry Jell-O stain on the carpet wasn't nearly as big a catastrophe as we watched Braden "help" his Grandma clean the carpet.

"More, more, more," he'd giggle.

"More, more, more" we adults thought, as the music of little children's giggles and chatter colored the room more abundantly than any lighted tree.

This was Braden's second Christmas, but with an August birthday, he wasn't all that interested last year. It was Neelly's first Christmas. (Both are my sister Lisa's grandchildren.)

Neelly, 8 months, sat in a high chair that had first brought her Great-Grandma Moore to the table to share meals at the family table 76 years before. The rabbit-themed high chair is one of those threads that hold the tapestry of family together from one generation to the next. Neelly is the fourth generation to use it, and it came from the side of the family for whom she is named.

Along with new little ones came new traditions. Instead of waiting until after supper for opening packages, we opened gifts mid-afternoon. Post naptime made for good moods all around.

But even with a growing family, there were empty spaces at the table this year. Jill & Eric decided to stick close to home, since their baby girl is due January 12.

For the first time since Madison was a baby back in 1994, one of my folks' seven grandchildren wasn't there to help blow out the candles and celebrate my Mom's Christmas Eve birthday.

Little people mean more challenges for the annual photo tradition. Did anyone get a shot with everyone looking the same way? Probably not.

Not having Jill and Eric there felt a little like putting together a jigsaw puzzle and then discovering that a couple of essential pieces were missing.

But life evolves. And we'll see Christmas through the eyes of yet another child next year. The tapestry of family will add another interwoven piece, another thread that will strengthen the fabric of family.

And that is a very good thing.