Chase is still Chasin......

This is the only photo of Chase I have on a pulling tractor so I will use it for now. His update is that although he didn't win his class in Michigan he is still eligible to pull in the Nationals in South Dakota. Andy and Stacey have decided to make the journey to get him there so as soon as I know something you will know something as in how he does in the pull offs!!!
It has been a somewhat wet and lazy weekend around here, not enough rain to really help the beans but enough to green up the grass and settle the dust some. It has also been an invitation to the grubs to move in and along with the grubs their arch enemy's the moles whom are also MY arch enemy's because they destroy more yard than I care to spare. And when they are done in the yard they move into the flower beds and wreak havoc there. Looks like mortar practice when all is said and done. Well, I guess it could be worse, it could be skunks burrowing under the house to mate and raise young, that would really stink huh.....:)
Let's all wish Chase good luck in South Dakota!!!!!!!!!

Days End....

Another beautiful sunset on another great day! Yep, it was a good day even though we could use some rain especially on the beans. I think my yield predictions are going to be a little short given the lack of rain to this point but they still will be good.
As of yesterday afternoon, the guys were busy taking down the scaffolding around the Old Brick which, I believe, has been there for almost 4 months, and it is looking like a home again. Gary has been painting up top as the contractors move out of the way and I think he is almost ready to start on the sides of the house.
Next week at the Unit starts a new breeding week which will include the all famous 4-H bred sows. Some of these girls are solely dedicated to producing 4-H quality pigs and I am here to tell you there are no better 4-H pigs produced the the state of Indiana and several surrounding states as has been proven at the county and state fairs. Andy Mench at Turning Point Sires has brought in some new genetics at his boar stud and we will be teaming up with him to hopefully produce some new "Super Pigs" (my word) for next years crop. With Lori being back at work, after a "baby vacation" and taking over as breeding manager, we will be able to spend a little more time on quality control in picking genetic lines in the 4-H sows.
It's getting late and I need to go to work (the sows miss me) so I will eat my coffee and get....
that is all Marie will let me have for breakfast after my tummy tuck so to speak if you want details (however embarrassing) you can ask Ronda, she came and sat with me in the hospital when I, well she knows, and that's all I have to say about that...........:))
Thank You Ronda....

Star Wars or Spider Man....

Is this amazing or what....yep it's me in my new targeting or grid mask, the techies referred to it both ways, but to make a short story long it is a mask that can be drawn in grids to target radiation bursts to specific areas of the head and neck without actually marking on your body with ink. As you can see, the start of the laser on the forehead area at the time of the photo. The mask is pulled over you hot and wet and if you look around the body it is then clamped extremely tight to the steal table you are lying on. After about 30 minutes drying it is removed and each session of radiation you put it on and the target area is exactly the same, cool huh. Going to have to put this on at least 35 times, I think a bigger microwave would be cheaper but then I would be cooked all over and I am not doing that, it is just amazing how advanced these things have come in the past few years.
This is going to be the fight of my life. Loving my wife, God, our life here on the farm and all the wonderful people around us makes the fight worth fighting and all the more winnable and I hope to have that mask mounted on the front of my jeep when all is said and done. (jeep is white too)
Well, I have a steak cooking on the grill so I will be gone....it is a holiday weekend, all are home and probably cooking out on the grill, and all is well on the farm once again........:)

Ruby Ann Loves Pigs Tooooo......

Well, she actually took less time than Jonathan to reveal her feelings about the porcine creatures but never the less she did and as you can see she does "Ruby Ann Loves Pigs"( of course she knows it is a pig, even I can tell that by it's warm pink color and NO it doesn't matter that it is stuffed with cotton instead of corn it is a very accurate depiction of a PIG) as is evident by the wonderful smile on her face ( yes, given she is Lori's daughter I had considered the possibility it was just gas) and the way she is nurturing it......she loves it.............:)))))