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Thursday, May 26, 2016

Calm in the Storm

It's been raining a lot lately on our farm, too much.
The days of sunny skies that bring dry weather to soak up the moisture 
in the fields have been few and far between.
(But this week has been great and with a few long nights, we are finished planting!)


I came home one night to my farmer who I knew was stressed but didn't show it.
"Let's go check some fields and cows," he said.
I obliged, didn't change out of my dress and hopped my pregnant self in the truck.

I love checking cows with my husband.  
It seems so natural to him to stand in an open pasture with the cattle.


I love standing in the pasture too, but they don't seem to like me as much as they like him.
I get these stares quite frequently when I'm with the cattle.  
Maybe they know I'm not the one that feeds them.


As he continued to walk through the pasture, I just starred at him and watched the cattle follow him calmly.  Everything was so peaceful even though a storm had just come and gone and another one was about to arrive.


I looked away for a few minutes and all of a sudden, I seemed to lose him.
But he was there.....in the middle of the cattle acting cool, calm and collected just as he always does.

I, on the other hand, was standing near the bull who wasn't really pleased with me.
While I did and always stay calm with the cattle, I felt like the bull this time.
The one that can cause havoc and disrupt the peace.


Pregnancy has made me realize how much I love and appreciate my husband.
While I may be the bull in the china shop with sudden bursts of emotions and tears, he is the calm in the storm.  

When I yell, "honey, I'm pregnant!  Look at me!"
He responds with his calm demeanor, "yep, there's a baby in there."

He's the one with the steady hand that deals with my crazy requests, 
my constant need for cuddling and pregnancy shopping habits.
I talk too much and disrupt his peace, but after all of that he still loves me.


I've pretty much accepted that I am like the bull and can hang with him as we try to keep our emotions intact.
And when we do cause a storm, the peaceful cows and my calm husband will be around to bring us back to reality and remind us to chill out.

Even my husband's steady, calm hand can soothe our baby and she's not even here yet.
Maybe they both will be the calm in my storm....let's just hope!


Friday, May 6, 2016

Motherhood on the Farm



It's almost Mother's Day and it seems to be a bit different this year.
It might be because I will be a mother soon and I can feel the child moving around all the time!
Or it might mean that I'm totally freaked out and really have no idea what to expect.
And you know what that means, I will be calling my mom.....a lot.

She knows it because I already do.  
I still call her from the grocery asking her where things are, so she gets it.

There are so many things I want my little girl to know and do and hope for.
I want to tell her a lot and teach her a lot.
However, I need to realize that my daughter will pick up on things from me just being me 
and living a full, happy and wonderful life.

Kind of like I picked up my love for polka dots from my mom without her telling me.



My daughter will grow up on a farm just like I did.
She will be a farmer's daughter and a part of two family farms that have been around for generations.
I want her to be proud of the ground beneath her feet and the dirt that feeds her life.

I want her to realize she may have to run to the field to help her dad or her family while she in her high heels.

I want her to realize she may have to chase cows in a fancy dress or while she is wearing pantyhose but it's okay because her mom and grandma did.


I want my little girl to be able to look in the distance at a storm cloud and see the rain coming, 
not to be oblivious of it's arrival and the impact it may have.

I want her to understand when life starts and when it ends and everything in between.
I want her to realize that sometimes life is hard and we lose some--fights, animals, crops, friends, family, etc.--but to still have optimism.


I want her to embrace each moment of life--the good, bad and ugly.
I want her to surround herself with wonderful women and role models (men included).
I want her to fall down, get some bumps and bruises, cry some and then get back up and live it all over again.

I want her to not be afraid to express herself through her words, actions, wardrobe, career and involvement.  
And if she wants to be Fancy in the County, that's great!

On this Mother's Day, I hope my daughter is okay living in the country and on a farm even though many people don't think working farms exist anymore.

Someday, she will learn of the love and sacrifices her mother, sister and grandmother made for our family farms.  She will know that her father and grandfathers were the salt of the earth that gave much of what they had to her without even knowing she would come along.

I hope motherhood on the farm is just as amazing as my childhood was, and I want my daughter to pick-up life lessons by watching the wonderful women in my life.
And if it's not that great and she doesn't do what I say, I'm calling my mom!
Farm moms always make things better.