Cuttiepies...

Just lounging around mesmerized by the power of the SMILEY!!! Yes, If you keep one around you will be a completely different person than you would imagine. Just look at Jonathan, smiling all the time mister happy go lucky, and now, as you can see by the look on her face, Ruby appears to be falling under it's spell as well (I rhymed a little).
So take tip from these two, GET A SMILEY and play with it your whole outlook will change,ask Ruby......:))))

Rainy Sunday.....

A lot of warmth by the fire, next to a patio covered in snow from the previous nights storm, a heck of a time with the weather but we were very cozy and warm and shall remain that way.
It is a very wet weekend here on the farm. To this point we have had over 2 inches of rain since it started which is just making things very soupy to say the least. I am sure Mike is OK with the extra rain at the moment giving the ground some extra precipitation for the upcoming spring plantings and him a little more time to get the NEW planter and John Deere tractor ready to go to the field for the first time. He is cooking right along so we think he will be ready and still have a head of hair, well, whats there now at least.....
We have started another batch of sows farrowing this weekend, Lori and Matt on duty seeing to the new babies and finishing up any hold outs in the breeding crates. I am on call to grind feed and check bins so I can grind if the bins need feed that is why I check them so I will be able to tell if they need feed and then if they do, I can grind it so that is why I am going to check the bins to grind feed if the need it kinda like I need grounded maybe from too much coffee or magnesium or something else really weird but to make a short story shorter, I am going to check bins now, we had set the stupid clocks up an hour (dumb idea) so it is some time right now but as far as I am concerned all ARE still sleeping but US and ALL is well on the farm once again......:))))

Trip.....

Well, it has been awhile, again, since my last post (that really is an ironic term for me now) and if you look at the last post photo of the snowy house then this one you will see we headed south and instead of evading more snow we actually ran into more of it, go figure. The last two days we have been either under a winter storm warning or weather advisory. Either way, they don't play here they have steel gates that they shut off the roads with so where you are is where you stay till roads are fit for travel. NO salt or chems in a National Park, good deal for the park and us, it is beautiful and peaceful here that shouldn't be disturbed.

We are trying to get our heads raped around current events in our lives and given the stress and pain levels with me this trip is a godsend. And given the stress levels Marie is dealing with dealing with me, absolutely necessary. We are just going over everything including upcoming hopeful events and what is ahead for us but I am not sure all that is possible to do at all let alone in weeks or months so we will just make the best of what we can and keep kicking at life, I don't know any other way. I suppose if I have a regret at this moment it would be that I would not be able to show the people I care about so much how much I really do. This is why it is important to let them no NOW, not when it is too late. It is much more heartening to live with that feeling and sharing it than to wait till it is too late. Now I am rambling and I will quit...

We have been taking a lot of photos of the mountains (can't seem to get enough) and some when we hit the road but mostly just being together enjoying our time.

Been staying in touch with my cohorts and friends and sounds like everything is okee dokee at home and farming as usual but my new adventure will start next week so it is going to keep me from some events at work but hopefully I can keep that to a minimum, we will see.

I will sign off from Gatlinburg for now and watch it snow some more and have a cup of coffee or two and as far as I can tell, everyone is fine and cooking right along and all is well on the farm once again.

THAT needs a big PS, ALL please keep Peggy Gunn in your prayers and thoughts after her surgery she is still under the weather and needs our prayers to help her get kicking again (and she can kick) so let her know you are thinking of her, I am sure Ronda is in touch with her......:)))

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........:)