Hold Them & Show Them

With the news today and the issues in our community and country it’s no wonder that many parents go to sleep at night thinking of their children’s safety and future – some of us may even hold on too tight or too long that we don’t even make it to our own beds before we fall asleep.

However, there is a lesson to be learned from letting go and letting them learn as they navigate through this world and this life.

I attended a breakfast with one of our elected officials last year on the campaign trail while he was home from D.C.  We were talking about differences in cities and towns around the state and the vast differences in our own communities.  He said something that has stayed with me and I think of often – we built secluded neighborhoods where the houses looked similar and the families led similar lives.  We stopped living next to and learning from people who are different than ourselves therefore making us more secluded from an array of diverse people, backgrounds, issues and opinions.  

I am fully under the belief that creating deep roots for a child only helps them in developing who they are and who they will become.  However, some parents don’t let their child’s roots grow beyond a seedling that may never grow to see beyond the ground they are standing on.

Creating deep roots for a child to learn about their heritage and where they come from doesn’t need to take away their ability to grow wings, learn from someone different than themselves and flourish.  I was raised to appreciate my family’s history and hard work and to always remember where I came from when I got to where I was going.  However, I was told to learn and appreciate from others – no matter how different – while I was developing myself and working hard in my career.  

I feel very fortunate that I live in a community that exposes me to different cultures and am excited to raise my daughter in a community that embraces diversity.  While we have plans to travel with our children around the world and teach them about different cultures, we are also excited to come home to the cows and corn fields.  People think it’s crazy when I tell them we want to travel (especially with our kids) and immerse ourselves in different cultures, but we learn so much about ourselves and others when we do.  I hope you embrace where you come from but seek to learn what else is out there beyond the ground you are standing on.  

Our daughter may not want to travel and see the world like we do – she may be perfectly happy with her deep roots on the farm.  But at least she will have been given the opportunity to make that decision and understand how others think, work and live.  I would rather hold her tight while I show her the world rather than hold her tight and keep her from it.  

Unspoken Lesson from the Farmer: Take 'Er Easy & Give Thanks

  He’s been gone for six years this November, but his witty comments and advice pop into my head at random times.  It makes him seem closer, and it makes me so thankful.  Each year as this month approaches, it hits me—that cold air and that cold feeling that I have been running around so fast that I forgot to stop and appreciate it all, to “take ‘er easy”.

Farmers have a lot of lingo that some of us don’t understand, and “take ‘er easy” is one of them.  When I was little, I used to think he was saying “take her greasy” and thought he was such a weirdo.  Once I grew up I realized that he was saying “take ‘er easy”, “take it easy”.  

What he was really saying is “slow down, Katie.” 

 I never fully understood my dad until he was gone after that November night on the farm.  While I always appreciated him and his occupation, I never really slowed down enough to stop and give thanks as much as I should have. 

Just like many of you, I am usually rushing to get to work or home to a million other things to do.  It’s hard to think about others in the hustle and bustle of life and to be thankful for the people that help make our lives a little easier.  Do we stop to slow down to be thankful for the people that pick-up our trash or mow the grass along our roads so we can see?  Do we ever stop and realize we have the safest, most abundant food supply in the world?  We can get bananas and tomatoes any time of year, but most people don’t understand how they got to our grocery stores or kitchen tables.  

As a farmer’s daughter, I always give thanks for the food on our table.  But sometimes I forget to give thanks for the people that brought it to us and the safety God gave them to do so.  We sometimes are so concentrated on the “what” that we forget about the “who”.  It takes more than a tractor to farm.  It takes hard work, determination, patience with the weather, and knowledge of seed varieties, insects, diseases, soils, crop protection options, weed control and more.  And this doesn’t include the animals that farmers may be caring for in their pastures.  Farmers from around the world are the “who” we need to thank for that food on our table and the variety of options we have for our families.  

Fall is in full swing and the holidays are just around the corner.

This November, take a minute to slow down and be thankful.  Tell someone you are thankful for not only what they do, but for who they are because your life is better, safer or more productive and blessed because of them.  I’m really hoping to “take ‘er easy” as I give thanks for my dad and all that farmer lingo that teaches me to slow down. 

Dodging Cow Pies

 I drive to and from the city each day and hear lots of sounds.  

But nothing is like the sound of a combine humming behind our house.

Yesterday, I came home to the hum of 3 different combines coming from three different directions, and I embraced the sounds while they lasted.

While there is so much to embrace during the harvest, there is a lot to dodge.

I dodge a lot of cow pies on our lane while I take walks.

They seem to not care if you step in them, but they do care that I am in their way.

I dodge my inner caregiver by making countless sandwiches.

I dodge my anxiety about safety for my husband and the other farmers while drinking lots of wine.

I dodge the fact that this is not the time of  year to make "honey do" lists.

I try, really try, to dodge long conversations and updates about my day while I deliver dinner and when he comes home really late.

I dodge the fact that this has been the only place I have seen my husband in a week.

But I embrace the beautiful sunsets we can watch together even if it's for 30 seconds.

When you're married to a farmer, you have to embrace the chores that you usually try to dodge. 

For me, that would be taking the trash to the farm, feeding the dog, and mowing the grass.

I have to dodge the tall grass that is finally growing around my new walkway, finally.  Because really I am still trying to dodge not getting on the lawn mower.

But I get to embrace 10 minutes here and there when the farmer calls and says, "get your camera, we're headed to the pasture."  We took a few moments this harvest to feed the cows some buckets full of immature soybean pods that weren't ready for harvest.

I try to dodge laundry by going to fancy parties at our Indiana State Museum and celebrating our Indiana history.  What's great about our history, is that it always includes farmers and agriculture.

When I arrive home I try to dodge the boys from seeing me taking photos.

When I am in the city, I don't dodge from telling our story about the farm, agriculture and harvest.

In fact last week as I sat in the city at a dinner while my farmer sat in a tractor, I embraced conversations about GMOs, antibiotics in livestock and the fluctuating grain market.

While I don't get to ride along in the tractors and trucks often, I never dodge opportunities to embrace our farm life and from educating people about agriculture.

And while the cow pies on my walks are getting harder to see as the sun sets earlier, 

I have embraced the fact that I might step in one.  

It's "just part of it" as dad would say.  

So I just go along and step in them so I can embrace the sounds of the farm as I watch the beautiful sunsets.

Sláinte to the Dashboard Post-it & Irish Characters

Sláinte!  Cheers!  

I am back to blogging and ready to share about my #ShamrockedHoosiers trip to Ireland 

with my sister, Sarah, and best friend, Carrie.

I told you before I left that God's favorite color is green.  

However, I didn't tell you, or even know, that some of God's favorite people are the Irish.

And no one told me not to ever believe what an Irish man tells you because they are all just crackin' ya (joking you).  

It's my hope that you see some of God's green creation in this blog and that you can hear the kindness in the Irish characters, their concern to make sure we had the time of our lives and their contagious laughs that echo in my head.

Below is a map of the Green Isle with a green line that somewhat represents our travels.  

We were there for 7 full days and nights but it felt like months.  

Three girls, three different sized suitcases and a vague itinerary ended up being a flawless, fun adventure.

We landed in Dublin at 7:30 a.m., freshened up and headed to the Guinness Storehouse.  

I mean who wouldn't want Guinness for breakfast.

Throughout our first full day in Ireland we hopped from one pub to another, 

listening to Irish music and trying to decipher the various Irish accents.

When you go to Ireland, you know you are going to see old, historic things.  

However, until you are there looking at it or sitting in it 

do you realize the magnificent history that you are experiencing.  

The Brazen Head is a pub that was established in 1198.....1198!!!  Think about that! 

There wasn't a whole lot goin' on in 1198.

So you know that green line on the map?  

We didn't ride a bus or go with a tour.  

We rented a car and I drove!  

Let me just say, the right side of the car and left side of the road aren't as bad as they say.  

But the parking, they don't tell you about the parking.  You gotta love the Irish, but they don't care about properly parking and it really messes with your driving.

Oh and they don't have numbers associated with their address.  

One of our B&B's address was "The Rock", literally.

As one of new American friends we met along the trip said, 

"The postman has to know everyone!  Every.Single.Person.  All the McConnells and all the Murphys.

  It's his job to know everyone!"

So I guess if you don't know where you are going in Ireland, ask the postman.

"The Post-it". 

It saved us several times (don't tell my passengers).

I would say besides the parking messing with your head, the turning is a little tricky so why not have a reminder on your dashboard!

Our first real stop in Ireland, besides the pubs, was the House of Waterford Crystal.

Some of my ancestors on my mom's side came from Waterford (maybe this is why I love crystal and fancy things!).

It was nice to see something "American" in the home of my former ancestors who came to America.  

This is a mold for a football trophy.

The tour was really amazing and learning about the craftsmanship was really breathtaking.

The craftsman go through years of training.  Here one is blowing glass for a vase.

The great thing about the tour is that you see the craftsman up close as well. 

This guy was very welcoming, teaching me about the craft of cutting champagne glasses.

He even handed it to us to look at the work closely and said, 

"Eh loves, sorry I don't have any champagne to go in the glass!"  

He was an Irish character we wanted to remember.

On our way out of Waterford, we saw an old man at a roadside stand selling strawberries. 

I slammed on the breaks and veered to the shoulder to buy some.

We learned that we were in County Wexford, home of the best strawberries in all of Ireland!  

They were delicious!

When on an adventure, it's important to remember that back roads on the best roads with some of the best views.

Although the back roads, actually all the roads except the motorways (highways), are scary in Ireland.  When they put Jesus on a "Dangerous Roads Ahead" sign, you should be extra cautious....

And as our friend Carrie soon learned, traveling with two farmer's daughters entails stops to capture photos of cattle and tractors.

When we left Waterford, we really had no idea what was in store for us at our next stop, "The Rock".

Behind this yellow door was one of our favorite characters, Carmel.

Carmel was the owner of our B&B and a great hostess for the evening.  She lived a long, tough but wonderful life as she will tell you with much dramatic detail. The woman has dined with Clint Eastwood, traveled the world, taught fashion at university and is a life learner. She taught us life lessons I can't necessarily share on this blog, let's just say she's my kind of gal.

We could have talked to her for days, our entire trip actually, but we told her we would be back.  

She kissed us and said, "Anytime my darlings!   You are always welcome here!"

Kinsale was a beautiful town where the streets are full of vibrant colors and a slow, peaceful pace.  

It's home to quite possibly the best food in Ireland.

We roamed Kinsale stopping in and out of pubs, shops and even old churches and historic graveyards in the center of town.

Even on a Monday, people were peacefully roaming the streets, not in a rush, and happy to see anyone they encountered.  Again, the Irish, so kind and happy!

The Post Office was a bit busy on a Monday morning, but we were able to stop-in and buy our stamps.

The Thomas Sisters love to write so we wrote many postcards for friends and family back home.

This is Sarah mailing her first international postcard!

Look, even the mailboxes are green!

Our next adventure required us to navigate through the back roads from Kinsale through the windy, city streets of Cork to make it to the Blarney Castle to kiss the Blarney Stone!

As we were making our way to the castle to climb the old, stone staircase I saw this elderly couple.

I'm sure they have taken many steps together but it was so precious to see them hold hands to take another one.

When you get to the top of the castle, you have to wait in line.

So it's a perfect time to search for more cows!  They are really everywhere!

Kissing the Blarney Stone is an old tradition dating back more than 200 years. There are many theories and tales behind the stone along with history and tradition.  But the kiss is supposed to bestow the gift of eloquence or as many say, the gift of gab!

The Blarney Castle is nestled on private grounds with gardens, a private home, animals and more on the 60 acres owned by the same family for generations.

This is the private home or mansion you could say.  We luckily were walking by before the last tour of the day.  The family opens their home for tours throughout the year so people can learn about the history of the grounds and meaning behind some of the old Irish traditions.

So I would say our first few days in Ireland were "mighty" and we were ready for some more "grand" times ahead of us full of adventures, crackin' characters and beautiful views.

I'll share the last half of our #ShamrockedHoosiers trip to Ireland again next week!
There are many more adventures and characters to come!

Perfect, Dirty Floors & Springtime Mottos

It's springtime on the farm and it's perfect.

Well, except for the floors in our kitchen and laundry room because the farmer can't take his boots off to walk across the somewhat clean floor.  

When I come home and find chunks of dirt that have fallen from is filthy boots, I take a deep breath and realize that taking your boots on and off takes time.  

And farmers don't have a lot of spare time in the spring to take off their boots.  They are too busy worrying about the weather, running to the fields to plant a new crop, checking the pastures for new calves and more.

In their mind, spring is a perfect time to start doing what they 

love again--caring for animals and planting a new crop.

So I guess I can have a little patience and accept that my floors will be dirty for spring.

And it seems like we have several mottos on the farm during this time of year.

One of them may just be for me as a reminder to slow down and enjoy being outside surrounded by cows and farmers in the fields.  This towel hangs in my kitchen to remind me to chill out.

And it's in the kitchen because I spend a lot of time in there making sandwiches for the guys on our farm.  I get so prepped and organized before putting their lunch and dinners together that the farmer says I "compose meals" instead of make them.  

It's just one less thing for them to worry about and a perfect way for me to give back to the farm and farmers.

When you live on a farm, each day counts during the various seasons.  

And as a farmer's wife you have to stay positive and upbeat about each day. 

I found this mug during the move, showed it to the farmer and did a little cheer for planting! 

He then shook his head at me, gave me a kiss and walked away.  

At least he didn't say anything and make fun of me, right?

This year we expanded the cattle herd on our family farm and there have been great days and not so great days.

One cow delivered still born twins early this spring.

Another had twins several hours apart and she abandoned the second one.

And another cow died several weeks after giving birth.

But the good days are when the mom that lost the twins survived, and when other mamma cows tended to the abandoned and orphaned calves.

And the great days are when the calves are running around enjoying the open fields and spring weather, and sometimes really enjoying their photo op!

So on the farm, we try to keep calm because calving's on.  

In our house, there are lots of springtime mottos but most importantly it's patience and love.  We must have patience with each other to get through the spring, just like the fall.  And we continue to have love and passion for what we do--taking care of the cattle, digging and planting the new crop and making sure to care for each other along the way.  

Do you have a springtime motto?  

If you don't, appreciate your perfect, dirty floors and it will come to you.