I gotta just kick back for once around here! Take a break, not a blogging break, just a break from thinking a bit. Was thinking about that today while working, I don’t kick back like I used to. Getting to serious with stuff. Things are going fairly decent, the crops look good, but the calf crop is way smaller this year after two consecutive drought years. Had me worried till I realized even with the calf crop smaller than normal by a large percentage it’ll still be easier than last year. No feed to buy. No worrying where to buy hay when there is very little to be had in the region. Nope, looks allot different than last year. In a couple weeks the silage pit might be full with a heap a few feet high on it. Plus maybe make a smaller pile nearer to where I’ll winter over some cows.
Brad got me thinking about getting back into the Bible studies again, I haven’t done one since the beginning of June or so. I waited over a month for it to get graded and never got myself going again, but I think I’ll start up this weekend again. I have a few lessons done on paper, but have to get into the swing of it sending them back in. Also I figure I might just as well finish the World Harvest Bible College courses. I’m about 3/4 done with that at this point and finishing up won’t take all that much. In fact I’m listening to a CD from that as I type, these computers are kinda nifty at multi tasking. Learning about the old fashion praying through and its really good! Its some old school preaching! I could preach this stuff!
Oh Lord! These next couple of months will be kinda a lull. Nothing to do as far as entering any ministry things. Just wait. So wait I will and will enjoy it all! Praying through, the old fashioned way. Get back to some of the old school things of faith and farming. And praising the Lord through it all!
going to be gone all day monday,
so I’m going to say Good Morning 2 ya both, now
and hope ya have a great day!
please Mom in your prayers,and sister, too cause she is staying with her
take care
Morning All,
No problem Jan. prayers will be said.
Well this ragggely ol farm has a way of biting you in the behind and get you working again. That and an old bull who seems to like my neighbors cows better than mine.
The ol trucks rear brakes went bad on the way home from church yesterday. Luckily even little Rogersville has an Advanced Auto in it. Now I kow what they say about working on the sabbath and all, but it sure came in handy yesterday.
I was stringing some fence wire too. Seems one of the neighbor’s females is winking at my ol bull and its about driven him crazy. I come out to see how they all are doing and that ol longhorn has his head through the fence making it look like spaghetti. I tried one of my two solar chargers, but that one needs a repairman. The other one is charging right now so I’ll try to get it up tomorrow.
I had an up and down weekend. Saturday, I just couldn’t shake the funk. Sunday was alot better… almost normal. I’m a little worried about today though…. it would have been Kathy’s 48th birthday.
Well, better git on. They’re actually expecting me to work for a living.
Have a GREAT day,
Brad
Morning Folks!
They’ll be in my prayers here Jan, they’ll probably be some loud prayers cause I’ll be saying them in the cab of our old JD 4320 while chopping silage later too! That old thing has a weather guard cab, not a sound guard, and it can get a tad bit noisy in that thing, especially when we’re chopping with the tractor going full snort.
All has been calm here lately as far as fences go. Just the normal calves being out every day. Now I’m hoping that they’ll be nice and good this week, I don’t want distractions like cow herd roaming the township while I’m busy
When I got a high temptation fence such as where that longhorn bull is now, I string another wire and hook up a battery fencer to it. With the one wire it holds allot of snort and will most of the time keep the bull from getting overly tempted by the neighbor ladies across the fence. Anyway, that’s one of my little tricks I’ve had to use over the years to take up the slack of underpowered solar fencers.
Nippy out here this morning, in the mid thirties, might not have to worry about what to do with all them tomatoes in the garden in a couple days
Yesterday went good at church and all. Didn’t do any visiting yesterday or anything like that. Just came home and green chopped a load, then do some chores and minor things. Then I glanced down at our creek which is almost dry and the thing was almost out of its banks! I thought, what the heck??!! Then I figured someone must of blew a beaver dam upstream. Cleaned that green scummed creek up right fast!
Both of you take care. I’ll try and do some stuff around this blog this week if I have a moment in the late evenings. There’s allot on my heart but not much time to get to the computer.
God Bless!
hi all
just got back from town, it went better then we thought will would, thanks for the prayers.
Brad I hope your day was good !
and yours to NF,
today was stan’s BDay i would sayhe was a old man,but then NF might get mad cause he is the same age as ya are!
talk to ya in the monrnin
Morning Morning,
Well I survived yesterday. Another milestone down 40,000 more to go….
I never did get to talk to you about that chopper Tom. Ya know I’m wondering if your wearing a hardhat with all that new found speed and that tractor cab. I remember when I started using a disk mower. The slow ol A-2 was quickly replaced by b-3 and maybe even c-1. After a couple of times where my hands were the lowest part of my body on the tractor, I finally found a more comfortable speed……. and I had alot less bruising….
Well, I finished up that ol Cartwright book. It was pretty good. Almost Sheffey-like. I’m sure I’d relate to Cartwright a little better. He never gave up that ol saltiness. Ornery enough to live till he was in his mid 80’s. Funny how they talk about out west being Illinois though.
Started one on Francis Asbury. I’ll tell you, these circuit riders have my interest like the Sacketts used to. I really am enjoying these books. Now, since I hate horses so much I’ve got to find away to ride the ol longhorn around. That should drum up atterntion for the ol camp meeting.
Well, I still haven’t started back on my studies. Still too much business (both emotional and paperwork) thats keeping my thoughts elsewhere.
You know, its funny… I was looking at the accident report, they were the only two cars on the road and that other ol driver went across a grass median, and three lanes of traffic to hit her on a 45 degree angle. I mean if she’d of had 1/2 (10 feet)second more or less, the car would have missed her. So, I’m thinking God has a plan in all this. Not sure what, it could be me or it could be 5 generations from me. Heck, it might not even be me at all, but that other teenage driver or some kin to him.
Anyway, not saying much of anything except I’m here waiting (just like everyone else I suppose) for Gods plan.
Well, better git on and try to make a difference
Have a GREAT day,
Brad
Morning Folks!
Well I tell you, there’s a few more aches and pains than I had ten years ago. Thinking about having a few grease zerks tapped into my knees and a few other joints. The hair is getting a few streaks of gray here and there, but such is life. Just like grain ripening. I know it is a day late but here’s some birthday wishes for Stan, and may he have a blessed year with his wonderful wife!
Jan, so you married a young man
Brad, day one complete. Went into that Goliath corn and bumped the tractor up into second gear! Never had to clutch the tractor or anything! That 3950 just eats up acres, I stand amazed! So today do it all over again. Wasn’t hardly planning on getting much done yesterday but chopped out seventeen huge loads with our 18 foot boxes, so we got a good start. I’m hoping to get done before the end of the week at this pace, but I know things happen and I ain’t going to change my calendar just yet
When things calm down around here I’ll order me a Cartwright book from the library. I know what you mean about good reading, reading about them folks, plus the kicker is they were true. Nothing against the old Louise L books, cause I have the complete library of them, but I noticed a similar pattern from book to book. A few years back I figured I’d take a decade or so off from reading them
They do look good in the book case though!
I”m reading, (or should I say I’m slowly plodding), that seven volume set about John Wesley. I think I nearly got two hundred pages under the belt!! Only 8000+ to go
I was going to write a bit about it, but then got to just reading more and more and didn’t get to blog. A few of the volumes are his journal, and I thought, how can a guy write so much?? Then the answer came into me, “your writing more than that!!” It shocked me, but when you add up what’s been written here and Northern Farmer and then kick in the comments and all I figure that these two fingers have written almost three quarters of a million words in the last 3+ years! Last evening John preached for the first time in an open field, it kinda shook him, he had figured that preaching could only be done in churches. Its so interesting reading how the organizer of the circuit riders came about getting changed and how he followed God in all of this.
Talked with Good farmer John on the phone last evening and he hadn’t heard about what all happened down your way. Him and his family have been added to the long line of prayer warriors covering you and your family. Getting back to the John Wesley books, what has me hooked is how he is searching for real truth, not just man’s wisdom and I see myself in this. And I see everyone who reads this blog like that too. Why are we here, why do things happen, etc. Its so truthfully written, the quest for truth that it just floors me, and the interesting thing is, the truth is so simple, but yet so hard for us people to grasp. I’m struggling with it, the simplicity of the Gospel, I think it has to be harder than that!
As I finally come to grips with the Gospel truth I hope to write about it allot. I don’t know what God’s plans are for me, or you, or anyone that comes here. The only thing I know, (for sure), is that His plans for you and me and everyone else are so unbelievably good that we cannot even comprehend it in our earthly brains! Keep up the faith brother! Just look to Him when it doesn’t make a lick of sense to do so, cause that’s when heaven shakes with joy! And the heavens moves!!
Good day to one and all, gotta get moving here and chop-chop
God Bless!
morning to y’all!
hang in there Brad!
ya know Brad ya can ride a donkey, or mule instead of a horse,;)
morning NF
Morning Jan!
Just got done with morning chores and came in for a snack. Gotta go and grease up the chopper and get ready for that shortly. Hey, had frost on the pickup windshield this morning! Tis the season….
God Bless!
Morning all,
Woke up feeling pretty good this morning. A change I welcome. Hows everyone this morning??
Hmmmm Jan, a mule huh?? Stubborn and mean… I can deal with that…
Well, not much happening around here. Just trying to get my “want-to” back. I take off and do the necessaries around the farm, but all the stuff that can wait….. does. This might be Gods plan though too, because there ain’t a whole lot on this raggely ol place that can wait. Maybe when I get to 8 hours a day of necessaries, I’ll get the message.
I was reading in that ol Asbury book last night and its pretty good too. He’s in England right now and he’s talking about the fights between the good guys (the Catholics
) and the bad guys (the protestants 
). Anyways, I never really realized the hatred between the two groups. Its a powerful shame really. I can sure see ol God shaking his head on this one, wondering how the humans he created and gave a set of rules to could have screwed it up this bad. Sounds alot like today huh??
I think I’ll eventually get back to those Wesley books Tom, looks like I’ve only got a generation or two to go in my march through Methodist history.
BTW, I know you two know this, but I don’t give a rat’s patoot about Protestants or Catholics, I don’t think God does either. He sure does care about us Christians though… (Thats just in case the hair on someones neck started to stand up….)
Well, I guess these good days let me get some things out that’ve been bottled up for a while.
Well better get on.
Have a GREAT day,
Brad
morning !
blessings
Morning!
Got the Goliath in the pit! I can’t believe I’m done chopping that stuff, and all those worries I had this summer were for nothing
Of coarse I didn’t know the newer chopper would be on the farm at the time. Today head a mile and a half south and hit the Rieds Yeller Dent for a couple of days in that field. Talking rain this evening and I sure do pray for it. Its so dusty out there chopping I had dust drifts falling off my eye brows! Started choking one time, so much dust down the throat. But all in all it goes well knowing how blessed we are with the corn we have.
I couldn’t get on the computer last night, oldest daughter is taking college courses while in High School and the homework gets submitted over the internet most evenings. Hmm, of course there’s always a chat window open with her friends while doing this and music playing on the computer speakers. So old dad has to wait his turn in the name of education. Hmm, (again), I was thinking they should do homework around this time. Funny, no one trying for the computer during the best hours of the day. oh well, then I’ll use it if’n they won’t
So I read more of the Wesley journals after Bible reading. Now the church bigshots are getting down right mad at him for preaching anywhere and everywhere and folks are falling down and passing out from conviction while he’s preaching to thousands of folks outside in town after town. The church bigshots are sending in the law to try and stop him. I sure do relate to what your saying about Catholics and Protestants, it dropped my readership by half on Northern Farmer when I blasted the “religious” folks. By that I mean the self righteous that figure they’re thee only way and condemn everyone else. Plenty of them folks around too. Made me sick for a long time over that way and I’d write blasting into that camp. Now they continue to blog, but I don’t believe they have much punch in their views left. You know, the biggest thing in reading all of this about circuit riders and Wesley and all of that is the unbelievable similarity of their views and my own. Wesley preached Christ and the church bigshots didn’t like that one bit. I still find folks today blogging that hate his guts, why, because he preached the gospel to any and all. Boy I wished I had more time here this morning, I could write a few thousand words on this subject alone and not need a break. This blog has always welcomed any and all, as has Northern Farmer. The only thing I do not tolerate is them folks that think they know everything about religion and they continually condemn all other Christians, in essence they show that as they condemn that they are not even Blood bought Christians themselves, kinda testifying that to the world!
Gee, I’m all excited now, but I gotta go! This subject was better at waking me up then five cups of coffee
God Bless!
Morning Jan!
And God Bless Your Day!
Morning Morning,
Man Tom, I’d hate to be an ear of corn after how fired up you got yesterday morning. I can just see you leaning forward in the cab grittin your teeth both hands on the wheel attacking that corn…..
all in the name of Christianity.
Well now, since we just talk a bunch here, I thought I’d tell y’all this. From the business side of all this, it looks like the plans Kathy and I layed out for the farm will still be able to come about (if I will ever git my lazy butt out there and start working again…..). I was planning on building three new barns and finish paying off everything before I was 50 and then just settle in to raising cattle full time. Well, we would have made it the old way (which I would have preferred), but now it looks like we’ll still be able to make it.
I do thank God for being able to let me do this, but I still wonder what his plans are for me. As we have said many times here, God is not around to give us material things. So this long journey of searching for my calling continues. I’ll keep on the P of T courses and just see what happens.
I was reading in the Asbury book last night and he and Wesleys paths have crossed, so I guess Wesley is next on the list to read. I’m going for the Readers Digest condensed version and just got one book on him if its all right with you Tom…… I think a whole set would be too much
. Besides, I’m finding the journeys, adventures, and hardships more interesting in these biographies than the theology. I’m pretty stubborn minded already when it comes to the theology.
Well, better git on and get another cup of coffee.
Have a GREAT day,
Brad
Morning all
hang in there Brad , one day at a time!
hows the weather up there NF,
take care
blessings to ya both!
Some bling…
http://www.al.com/sports/huntsvilletimes/index.ssf?/base/sports/122112460167340.xml&coll=1
Boy doesn’t get in the paper much
Morning Folks!
Can’t have that! So I’ll be making the loads about 2/3s the weight today. Should be finishing up Saturday or Monday the way its looking. Looks like the cement is damp out side of the house, I hope so, dusty thing out there in the fields. That tractor fan just belches up the dust all day and I look nothing like the northern European bloodline that I am when the day is done 
Plus I’d have to ship the freight! The book that I’m reading is getting pretty marked up, I write in it with a pen, the things that I relate to, and I might run out of ink shortly. Last night before sleep I was marking away like nuts, saying, “yes, yup, that’s it” and stuff like that.
Day four of chopping today. Yesterday was another big chopping day in the Rieds corn. Looked pretty good. I have to slow down I hear, the loads are so big and full that the pit crew keeps getting stuck driving down over the pile, thus an unhappy pit crew
Brad, boy am I ever glad you don’t want to read the Wesley Journals set! Now I’da sent them down when I was done, but at the rate I’m going I don’t know, you’d probably be finishing them off in the old folks home
Oh, and Brad, never worry about finding your calling. Because rest assured, the calling will find you. Just keep yourself immersed in His Word by reading or studying and I can tell you, you will hear from Him! Funny, I was even dreaming about that just before I woke up. The calling that is. Its there day and night.
I gotta shorten this up a bit today, gotta keep going and going. I can’t believe how fast a day goes in harvest. It just flies by! When I have time I want to write about some of this stuff we’ve been writing about every morning lately. Plus I wished I had time to start a fire in the outside furnace, chilly in here
God Bless!
Wow Brad!
That makes my day!!!! (Now I have finally got a team I can cheer for
Thanks for the link, I mean it!
God Bless!