Snowy Morn.....

It has been awhile since my last post but I have issues that prevent me from typing like a normal person so that is that. This photo was awhile back on a snowy morning but still nice and warm outside.
Things are still cooking around the farm despite the nasty weather and sub zero temps. So far all are weathering it rather well including the animals but not sure how long that will last.
Kim flew in last week and joined us at the round table and shared some pictures of construction on the old farm house the farm is turning into a conference center. It looks like a stick house at the moment but it is a work in progress. I will try to get some photos on the blog as soon as I can before things get to close to being done.
Well, I will go for now and make an attempt to eat some ice cream and hopefully put a little fat on my bones so to speak. The sun is shinning, the temperature is very cold but all is well on the farm once again......:)

Christmas is here.....

Well, it has been a most excellent day here on the farm, for me anyway I didn't check with anyone else. I made a trip to see my radiation doctor today and some prolonged checking of my vitals and asking questions he painstakingly shoved what felt like a movie projector up my nose and down the back of my throat. After some hummmms and oksss, he tells me he sees no sign of a tumor and everything looks okee dokee. To say the least, I was elated. I do have to go back in Feb. for and MRI and CT scan for further confirmation but the prognosis is excellent!!!! LONG LIVE THE DOC!!!
The photo is another, and most definitely one of the best, Christmas gifts from Kim and Susan. You can see there are babies abound and all look very happy and content.
May you all have the most wonderful Christmas ever......till next year.....:)

Stuff....

This is one of the examples of our health care dollar at work. Don't get me wrong, if it were up to me I would give them all the money they asked for without an argument but that opinion is coming from a strictly biased point of view. This thing is a modern marvel to say the least. It projects outward at the pivot point to the table you are clamped to, rotates 360 degrees, can pinpoint a tumor the size of a pin head and zap it with radiation while at the same time causing very little if any damage to the surrounding cells and tissue, unlike in years past where it had to bombard a much larger area causing much more damage to surrounding tissue. And it also can take photos of it's progress, how cool is that. I am impressed even though my neck and chest looks like a wiener that has been in the broiler too long and man does it hurt.
I have missed the last couple of roundtables and wouldnt you know it when I am not there I would win a 100 grand from the boss who, in some sort of goofy state, gave it to my WIFE to give to me!!!! Luckily, it got to me intact and at this point in time it is in a safe place waiting for me to enjoy it (without the use of a blender).
The weekend is looming, and the weatherman is calling for a lot of rain. That is not good. The crops guys have the beans done and a good run into the corn, they didn't need the rain to slow them down.
Well, it is getting late, (2:53 A.M.) so I will go for now..............:))))

Just Ramblin.....

Yes I found a better mouse trap. Trouble is, way too much clean up to do plus I still have to feed the cat, but he CAN reload without me.
As of next Monday, I will be half way through my radiation and chemo treatments. To this point I think I am doing OK with the side effects although I am almost hairless and just about finished ingesting food except through a peg tube which kinda takes all the fun out of it if you know what I mean. The nausea and the ulcers and extreme burning in the throat is the worst, the fatigue is just a given. Hopefully a big mac and fries are only a few months away!!!
Well, the flu is starting to rare it's ugly head along with strep throat and maybe a little laryngitis, that appears to be what Lori has had. A few others have shown signs of strep throat but no flu like fevers yet......
I am hoping for a big warm up next week so the boys can get back to beans but the weather man says we could see some snow flakes Saturday night, go figure.....
Chase pulled in South Dakota and took 8th place out of 33 in his class, WAY TO GO CHASE, what a great run you have had, next year is only a few monts away so get ready. Had to be a most excellent trip for all, Andy and Stacy even managed to run into some old friends they hadn't seen in years, a win win trip if you ask me.....
It has to be nap time or at least ralax time so I will......:)))

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.............:)))))

Champion Puller.....

This is Chase Bruns, son of good friends Andy & Stacy. Chase is displaying proudly the trophy for winning the State Pedal Tractor pull in the 5&6 year old class pulling 500 pounds 31 feet 6 inches!!!!!! WAY TO GO CHASE... this boy has some super legs on him to say the least. Now it is on to Michigan in September for the Regional. Good luck Chase. I will keep you posted on his progress......:)

Lori Baby Update.....

Yep, Ruby had here first check up yesterday and she weighed in at 10 pounds 4 ounces and a length of 21 inches and all are doing just great!!! Well, unless Lori is eating most of the dinner cause Jonathan was heavier at his first weigh in so go figure but either way all are just great as you can see....
Just for the record I would like to apologize for any trouble my namesake may cause here in the near future. It was NOT my idea to put my name on a hurricane and I am not responsible for any damage it/I do even if it is to something that needs it (like some of the billboards you see along the road) and there it is again "BILLboards" I can't win, but hopefully I will fizzle out without a fight but to tell the truth that is not in my nature.....:)