Tag

So I have been tagged by two people!!  Is it freeze tag, TV tag, flush the stool tag?  I am busy, busy, busy at my July part time job.  Hint- I am in the same place as my husband. 

1.   What’s your staple meal (ie. what meal do you cook most often when you can’t be bothered to be adventurous)?

I would have to say our go-to meal is  spaghetti with meat sauce and green beans.  I always have the ingredients and it is super easy.  In fact, I need to make it soon.  Once upon a time, my go-to meal was tuna noodle casserole.  When we got married, I discovered the joy of it's deliciousness.  My mom never made it, guess my dad didn't like it, I really don't know.  Anyway, I made it so much, Kyle finally had to mention we were having it too often.  Now we don't have it often enough.  I guess I have my meals for the week planned.
 
2.  What do you want to be when you grow up?
 
I think I have mentioned this before, but I wanted to work at Dairy Queen.  Life in CC hasn't been the same since we lost our DQ.  Somehow I figured you got all the free ice cream you wanted if you worked at DQ, but I have no idea if that is right.  Back in the day, the DQ in Pratt was a walk up window and only sold treats.  We got to stop after swimming lessons - Hog Heaven!!! 
 
3.   What book are you reading at the moment (if any)?
 
I am currently between books, but may not be by this afternoon when I come back from lunch to my job.  It has some "down time" in it and being the cerebral sort, I need to keep my mind busy on important stuff.  The book I just finished was The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein.  I wouldn't have ever picked this book up in the library, but Abby checked it out and didn't like it, so I read it.  It is written from the dog's point of view, and was a fast read. 

4.  How do you relax?

My favorite is to relax on a float in a swimming pool this time of year.  We have some great friends who help make this possible in a private, relaxing way as opposed to thinking I would be relaxed on a floaty in the public pool.  The kids keep lobbying for a pool at our house, but alas, so far are not anteing up any money.  I might have to do it myself.  I also like to play games on the computer or do Soduko puzzles.  Keeps the mind sharp.

5.   What color are the interior walls of your home?

I think I have addressed this too.  I have four main colors - Trusty is what the girls call the brown/tan color in my bedroom, part of downstairs, and office.  Paige and Tam (they kept playing with colors until they came up with this)  is the berry color in the downstairs, my bathroom, and now my kitchen.  There is a pale yellow in my 1/2 bath and laundry room, and a color called Ostrich Egg in the kitchen, hallway, and upstairs bedroom.  The only other color is a sage green in another upstairs bedroom which is complements of copying a color from a couple of friends.  Oh yes, Abby's bedroom is orange.  See girls, I am not boring.

6.  What is your guiltiest pleasure?


Vanilla ice cream with butterscotch topping. See number 2.

7.  What time is bedtime and getting up time?

We usually go to bed pretty close to 10pm summer and winter.  My alarm goes off at 5:45 during the school year, and at 6am in the summer.  I just don't roll out quite as quickly.

8.  How long do you spend reading blogs (per day or per week)?


Probably too much, maybe a half hour a day, oh really truthfully, it is probably more.  Especially when I am writing these missals for your reading pleasure.

Now I am supposed to tag other people, so I will try Kris at Going Against the Grain and Bridgette at The Rankins.  Now I must really get back to work.  I changed the roll of toilet paper in the ladies bathroom and thought that might merit a raise, but the boss says no.

Mistaken Identity

I really thought I had posted my last post about the Ag in the Classroom class this summer.  However, a case of mistaken identity has caused me to rethink.  We signed a form and gave the class directors a quote so they could send a press release to your local paper.  It is good advertisement for the class and for the companies that provide the tuition payments for teachers.  (again, thanks to Kansas and Midwest Dairy Council) So on Thursday, the local paper ran this and identified me as at the far right.

                      

This is a lovely lady, but not me.  I am not blaming the Dispatch.  I think the 25 year old girl who sent the picture to the paper was the culprit.  Do all 50ish women look alike to her?  Here we are sitting side by side.

OK, blond with glasses??  We have had a lot of fun with it including a number of emails and calls about my "new look".  Oh well, so much for my 15 minutes of fame.  Have a great weekend.

Harvest

My brother posted some harvest pictures yesterday.  Kyle talked to him and they are about done in Pratt County.  My nephew's job this year was driving the combine, but I am not sure what my brother or dad's jobs were.  I don't know for sure who took these pictures, but it seems like we haven't taken harvest pictures like they did in the past.  When I was a kid, my family did not take a complete hot meal out to the field.  The workers came in for lunch, then later in the afternoon, someone would take a sandwich lunch to the field.  When we got married, Mae sometimes took a full dinner depending upon where they were.  And John always had coffee which I thought was crazy when it was 100 degrees anyway outside.  I do remember the first year we got married I helped by hauling wheat in the gold truck or the older truck affectionately known as Duane, and I also drove the grain cart some.  On one field we were out after dark and this flatland girl got disoriented in the terraces.  Whoever thought you would have to drive in circles to get around in the field?

When we went to Kyle's cousin's burial service on Saturday, another cousin brought a picture for Kyle of his dad's combining crew in South Dakota.  He went up there and farmed before he and Mae got married.  It was one of those real little old pictures, so we went to Patterson's and enlarged it.  We were really pleased with the quality, but while the crew might have been his, he is not in the picture.  Notice how big the truck is for 1948.  Kyle remember the pull type combine being on the farm when he was a little boy even though they didn't use it anymore.

RIP Major Astro

Tom Leahy  1922-2010

From Wichita to Great Bend, Garden City to Oberlin, almost any Baby Boomer who grew up in Kansas worshipped the airwaves that beamed Major Astro.
Each afternoon, thousands of children rushed home from school and turned on black-and-white television sets to watch as Major Astro, an astronaut in a shimmery silver jumpsuit with a deep baritone voice who wished them: "Happy Orbits, boys and girls ... Everything will be A-Okay and all systems will be go." (from Wichita Eagle)

I hadn't thought about Major Astro (on KARD now KSN from 1962-1973) in years.  But we did watch him growing up.  He would be sitting in some kind of small area that looked to us like the space capsules the astronauts came back to earth in, and he would introduce the cartoons that were going to play.  I don't even remember what cartoons were on during his show.  In this day and age, I am sure our kids would laugh at how rinky-dink the whole thing was, but I guess we were naive enough and didn't live in a world of special effects.  I know we didn't think he was really in outer space.  He always parted with the last line - Everything will be A-Okay and all systems will be go."  When they had something on TV about his death, they ended with that, and I said it right along with him, which made my living room companions laugh.  Kyle didn't have Major Astro, because they got two stations, one from Topeka and one from Nebraska.  Guess we had it good down in Pratt County!

Should I Wear a Crown?

This morning was a marathon in the dentist chair.  I went expecting to replace two old fillings, and had called ahead because something didn't feel right with the very back tooth on the bottom of one side.  When I got there, he said I would need a crown.  I asked him if that was the final answer, and he said yes until after the build-up and then he said it wasn't really the only answer and I could just have it pulled when the build-up, which is kind of like a filling, and the cracked tooth around it gave way.  So now I need to decide.  Is is really redneck, backwards hillbilly of me to think that it isn't worth messing with a crown when no one else will even know if it is gone if I decide to pull it?  I have six months to decide. 

Then my two fillings turned into three and I left the office quite a bit lighter in the pockets and with the left side of my mouth numbed up.  I usually don't have them numb it but the work on the cracked - to be maybe crowned tooth was pretty extensive I guess.  I absolutely hate the feeling and would rather endure a little pain than this feeling.  And it makes my dentist call me "A Tough Old Bird."  Got to love that.

I put my diet pop to my mouth and it feels like my tongue and lips are twice the normal size.  I am trying to deal with it. 

If you have any experience or opinion on the pull vs. crown dilemma, just comment.  I would love the help.

A Golf Weekend

This weekend was the Member/Guest tournament at the Country Club.  Team Bauer/Bauer had a successful weekend and quite a bit of fun.  They even used Kyle's shots a couple of times, and his tries made it possible for Blake to either be safe or aggressive in his approach depending upon where the ball was. 

Isn't this like a professional picture?  One of the guys they played with has a terrific camera with a really big long range lens.  It works at Blake's age - I am not sure I want to have such a close up of me!

It was a little wet on Saturday morning, but really rainy on Sunday morning.  It made the course so slick there were a number of 360's spun down the hill on Hole 5.  Blake is prepared with assorted rain gear, but his dad doesn't have as much.  The weather cleared so we could enjoy some pool time in the afternoon, and then Blake played in the dog race after the tournament.  It got canceled after four holes because of lightening, but Blake was still in it at the time.  The top golfers qualify for two flights, and the high scores get knocked out after each hole. 

It is fun to see the father/sons or old friends who come back to play with the club members.   And my team looks so cute in their matching shirts.  Wish I had a picture of them :(

Thursday

A short update on the ranch tour yesterday - it was about AI, preg checking, branding, etc.  As a female who had three pregnancies related back to cattle, it was probably the easiest for me to miss.

Today we started with a trip to the Konza prairie.  You would have thought that I would have been there as a teacher or a mom sponsor sometime in my life, but this was my first time to the buildings.  We took a 1.2 mile walk up Butterfly Hill and out docent identified about a hundred million types of flowers and grasses.  I took a picture of her because I just loved her look.  She is a retired engineer who just does this for fun.  She had her book in case we saw a flower she didn't know.

After lunch, we went to the Hal Ross building on campus which is the new facility for making flour.  The professor who talked to us was very entertaining and we got to look at a variety of wheats.  He had worked for a cereal company before entering academia.  Although it looks like the lady on the left had a headache, she was really having a good time.

We ended the day in Webber Hall and learned about food science and safety.  This volunteer was cooking hamburger with sodium nitrite and we also had the guy in the back with just the hamburger.  The professor checked the temperature with a thermometer for the hamburgers in a frying pan which I guess you should do, but I sure don't.

One more day.  I think we will be back in Thockmorton for most of the day.  They have kept us really busy, but it has been a great week.

Wednesday

Hello to all you blog stalkers who are waiting for the Wed. installment of Ag in the Classroom!  Conveniently for me, the first stop was SE of Clay Center along the Broughton Road at the Martins. We learned about drip irrigating as well as other types of irrigation and also we shown some of the "mash" they feed cattle that is the residue from an ethynol plant.  Don even had Tasty Pastry rolls for us - see the boxes on the tailgate.

We then went NW of Clay to the Cott farm and learned about no-till and crop rotation.  A person from the pork association also talked to us and came with material to use in the classroom.

We went back to Clay Center for a box lunch at Utility Park.  The Washington girls suggested it instead of Dexter where we were originally going.  The gazebo was empty, so it was great other than the cotton flying around.

Next we went to Willow Creek Dairy north of Linn.  The manager showed us the whole operation and it was a much better tour than you would get if you were with a bunch of kids. 

Then I had to leave the group to go to respect calls, so I will find out tomorrow what they learned at the place by Blue Rapids.

The days are really packed, but it has been good information.  I think tomorrow is around Manhattan and we are done at 5pm.  Thank goodness.  I need a rest.  It is summer for goodness sakes!

Tuesday

We had an interesting day yesterday at Ag in the Classroom.  An agronomy professor showed us examples of flowers and many grains and their uses.  I had lunch with Blake and Tamara, then headed back to Throckmorton.  From there we listened to a professor who has instigated a program with fourth and fifth graders where they have an after school garden club.  She and her grad assistants put up non-heated greenhouses and we got to visit one of the sites.  They were collecting data on the kid's BMIs, physical activity, and sedentary activity over a two year period. 

They used raised beds in this one, but in the other three, they did not.  There were a lot of things still growing.  The kid's families and other volunteers are taking care of the garden on a weekly basis during the summer.  There was also an outside area.

Then we went to Horticultural Services and learned of their history in the area and toured their facilities.  It was a great tour, and I really like plants, gardening, etc. but about half way through I was done.  It was hot and humid and I thought - Man I am really getting old - but I was a trooper and kept going.  When we got back to KSU, I went to get something to drink - with caffeine - and then we had a short evening session.  I said something about how hot and tired I was there.  Another lady said she felt the same way but didn't want to seem old and soft, but even the kids who have been teaching one or two years chimed in that they were done.  Of course their interest in gardening might be not fully developed! 

They did carry some things like water plants that our greenhouse doesn't carry, and this lady did a great job.
Then I went to Blake and Tamara's and had a delicious supper of corn on the cob and fiesta chicken. 
Today we tour two Clay Co. farms, a dairy near Linn, and then I am going to leave the group to go to respect calls for a friend's mother.  They continue on to Wheaton, which would have been a new experience for me.  It is somewhere around Blue Rapids.

Ag in the Classroom

This week I am going to KSU for a class called, Ag in the Classroom.  We learn about activities we can do in our classrooms to promote agriculture and relate it to our student's lives.  Yesterday we talked about statistics and learned about food sweeteners.  We made a seed mat out of construction paper and water, and used knee high hose and grass seed to make a head that will grow "hair".  It is always fun to be on campus even if it is with a bunch of other teachers with name tags hanging around our necks.  I have no illlusions about looking like a college kid!

Everything went well except this morning when I got dressed, I found this cute pair of black flip flops and wondered why they were pushed to the back.  I got my answer later in the day.  I have a big blister between my big and second toe.  I think it will be tennis shoes for me today.  We are to see demonstrations in the morning, and then go on a little field trip to different places in Manhattan.  Wednesday we will go to farms in Clay County, a dairy in Washington county, and end with a barbeque at a cattle ranch at Wheaton. 

As Promised

Wow!  That scanner was really hard.  You put the picture in and push the button!  Here are some wedding, honeymoon, and one picture of the trailer decor.

We were married in the Pratt United Methodist Church.  And even though my kids have trouble believing it, my wedding dress was in style.   No one wore strapless!

I just always liked this picture.

With both sets of parents.  So the burgandy tuxes made the guys look a little red.  Really, they were in style too.

The wedding party.  L-R  Roy Speer, Cindy Stratford LaFleur, Brad Butterfield, Lori Bauer Butterfield, Matt Forkner, Kim Moore Fritzemeier, us, Brenda Neelly Black, Eric Carlson, Darci Moore, Kent Moore.  Flower girl - Amy Stoffel, Ring Bearer- Justin Moore

  This was on a duck in the Ozarks.   We couldn't figure out how the driver knew we were newlyweds.

Inside the trailer.  We were so proud of getting a stocktrailer worth of furniture for $300.  The most expensive thing there is the wedding photo album on the coffee table.

Memorial Day and the Big 3-0 Anniversary

It was an exciting Memorial Day weekend around here.  We went to the lake on Saturday afternoon, but I didn't take my camera. After church in the park on Sunday, Kyle and Abby took LT and Patrick for a ride. (I worked in the garden.)

Then on Monday, the actual day of the big 3-0 anniversary, Kyle and I went to the Veteran service at the cemetery.  Paige played in the city band, but I would either have gotten a picture of her back, or been at the speaker podium to get her picture.  So here is a picture of the band, and Paige is in it, right behind Cathy on the very left hand side.  She plays baritone for city band.

We also visited Kyle's folks graves at the cemetery with Blake and Abby.  Paige had taken up something on Sat.  Then we had a delicious steak dinner complements of the kids.  Afterwards we received a couple of great gifts.  The first was Paige's find (with the assistance of Terri Parry) at the UWM rummage sale in April.  It has a place of honor on the plate rail I don't use in the kitchen.

The kid's real gift was a wireless printer, scanner, copier, fax.  I have been wanting one, so I am super excited to have a printer that will work with my home laptop.

In the afternoon, Blake, Kyle, and I went to the cemetery at Aurora where Kyle's mom's parents and grandparents are buried.  We also went by the farm where they lived in Cloud County.  It is always interesting to see all the French names in the cemetery.

We had a terrific day with the kids and appreciate them planning something.  It is hard to believe it has been thirty years since we got married.    It was a hot and windy day in Pratt, but up here they got a big rain that night.  Then it turned into the hottest summer on record and we lived in a trailer, sort of like living in a big tin can.  Then in 1981 . . . oh, I guess I won't recap every year.

This is supposed to signify thirty.  Just in case you thought we had gone nutty, and no, it wasn't our idea.

PS - check back later for pictures from 1980.  I have to figure out the scanner.