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Small Town America
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This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Ramblers Way. All opinions are 100% mine.
I know that all of you don’t live in a small town, much less on a farm like I do.
Growing up my dad was a corn farmer. I was so proud of him! I remember my mom picking up Marshall Durbin chicken while we were in town, because those chickens were fed by my dad.
The was passed on to my cousins, who are still corn farmers and sell their corn to Marshal Durbin. We still stay on the lookout for “our brand” of chicken in the stores too. I can’t wait to get some good pics of my cousins and the boys when its harvest time…not very long from now.
One of the other local crops here in the south is cotton. There are a lot of 100% cotton shirts around here, and like the chicken we have for Sunday dinner, we are mighty proud that that part of that shirt could have come from our very soil.
Why am I telling you all of this? Well, do you know the brand Tom’s of Maine? When I think of it, I think of toothpaste. Well anyways, these guys also bring us Rambler’s Way clothing.
Rambler’s Way specializes in wool clothing.
Um yeah, its been 100+ here this week, I know but bare with me…ok?! There are a lot of days I wish that I was wearing wool, because of the wicking properties it naturally possesses verses the 100 % cotton t-shirts I have on most of the time. But today isn’t the time for a lesson on wool.
The Company sources, grows, and produces their fine woolen apparel using 100% domestic resources. They have brought manufacturing facilities into distressed small towns and are helping to revitalize the communities. Now that ladies and gentlemen, is a cool thing!
Here in our area, we’ve had one building that housed 2 separate very huge corporations close twice (one this year) in the last 15 years. Both of these companies were textile companies, and my husband and I both have family that lost their jobs not once but twice because of the companies either outsourcing their work to other countries (ie 3rd world sweat shops) or to some of the largest cities in the country.
It’s put a huge damper on our economy to say the least. 2 major blows in 15 years for a community this size, is huge! The local economy has really tail-spinned for the last 15 years, and its really sad.
For a company like Rambler’s Way to be doing what they are doing is just amazing. Small Town America may actually have a chance!
When you think about buying something that says” Made in America,” do you really think about the families that you are helping to feed in Small Town America? If you don’t I hope that you do now!
It’s Baby Cow Season
We now have 4 baby cows here at Polka Spot Farm, and two of them have wanted a lot of attention this week already.
The last baby fell out of the fence a couple hours after it was born. We only noticed after the Mama Cow was having a fit at the back of the pasture. After a little while my husband found him down the hill in the wooded area behind the pasture. Poor thing was scared to death and calling his mama! The other cows ran toward the hysterical Mama Cow to comfort her, but the baby cow didn’t learn his lesson.
The pictures here are from the next day after the baby cow had gotten out of the fence again, but could not figure out how to get back in. He didn’t wander away, and was very cuddly when my hubby picked him up to carry him to safety.
Now if only my hubby was here every day. I’ve always heard that if you pick a cow up every day after it is born, that when it is an adult you can still pick it up..what do you think?
Our 2 week old calf is seen in this quirky little video playing around:
It snowed!
Farmville eat your heart out, and help troops too
This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Wheat Food Council. All opinions are 100% mine.
Why not take it to the next level and help out some needy people. The folks over at How Wheat Works and Wheat Foods Council are working together to teach youth about where our number one food source comes from and all that goes into getting it from the field to the dinner table.
Wheat Foods Council
In just 4 days you can learn about these steps and the Council will donate two pounds of flour, up to 90,000 pounds, to Operation Homefront, a non-profit that provides assistance to needy U.S. troops and their families. Now how can you say no?!
I’m all done with day one already and can’t wait to sign my kids up for the adventure. On Day 1 I learned about the different types of wheat and what they are used for and the growing of the corn. This is all done virtually! YAY! Farmville Eat your heart out! I now have a crop of Duram wheat growing so that I can make Pasta later this week and sell at the grocery store. Isn’t that super cool! My son is gonna love this!
Go gather up your kids and pick a type of wheat to grow. This is a great learning experience for the whole family, and to top it all off ITS FREE, and it helps troops!
Pics from the Farm Fall 2009
More Wordless Wednesday here and here.
New Arrivals on the Farm!
I was napping and all of a sudden there was a huge ruckus outside. I ran to the door and there they were. All of the cows had rushed over to see the new arrivals and the mom wasn’t liking that at all!
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Our chickens free range and I had lost track of their nests. They move them from time to time and finding a nest full of eggs is nice but you don’t want to gather them. We had no idea that we would have chicks any time soon especially not this time of year. I guess that I need to read more about them. I have only had chicks for less than a year, and it was about 25 years before that when we had chickens before. I love these little guys they are so fun to watch.
Introducing Man’s Best Friend: Dottie
In early January my mom called to ask if I wanted a dog. I was like “Um, no. But, why?” We had talked about getting Payton a dog, and hoped it would help him relax and sleep at night. One of my mom’s friends found this little red and white dog, ran it in the paper, posted flyers and no one claimed her. They had her shots done, and it was determined that she was of mixed breed, and listed her as a Corgi mix (she looks like an over-sized Jack Russell terrier.
My mom said that she wanted her, and took her to have her fixed. When I found out more details I said that I would take her. Mama didn’t want her to be put to sleep, even though my mama isn’t a dog person.
So that morning my mother delivered the dog that was perched on a large dog bed along with a bag of food and a bottle of pain pills. I took her inside to the kitchen while she was still on her pillow. She’d just been released from having her surgery.
She seemed to drift in and out of sleep, but started getting well enough to join me in the den. Within a few days she was sitting with me on the couch, although she was still in some pain. When the kids got home from visiting with their dad, they were very careful with her, and watched her closely.
We were all afraid that she would run away again, as she was a stray when she was found. Come to find out she had already given birth to at least one litter of puppies and was at least 3 years old. She was house trained, and was very dosile.
I’m not a dog person. I don’t like dogs to jump up on me, and lick me in the face. Most dogs are either too big for me to handle, or lick un-controllably. At least that is how I’ve looked at them in the past.
In time we fell in love with Dottie. I named her Dottie because on the scruff of her neck she is white with very light red dots, and I thought it would go very well with my Polka Spot theme.
She doesn’t like men…can’t you tell? She runs to Scott as soon as he pulls his truck into the driveway. He’s the first man that she’s ever liked since we adopted her. He doesn’t like dog’s either, can you tell? I guess she isn’t a dog since we LOVE her so.
Even though its taken me months and months to write this post and take some decent pictures of her, it was worth it. Dottie is camera shy and looks away from the camera if I pull it out. So here is to our Dottie. She has really put up with us since we aren’t dog people.
God’s Artwork on the Farm
For about a week now, I’ve been battling a cold. I’ve been inside most of the time, and just had cabin fever this afternoon. My camera was just sitting there begging for a nature walk. So there we go, outside to see who would be in a photogenic mood today. Walking around my property always reminds me of h’ow God paints every flower, ever leaf and every blade of grass by hand. He is the most amazing artist! Thank you God for all of these little treasures that you made for our pleasure, when we take time to admire them.
Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so.” Genesis 1:11
Wordless Wednesday
More Wordless Wednesday here and here.
New addition to the Farm
Join us in welcoming Mooie Louie to Polka Spot Farm! He was Born just seconds before this picture was taken yesterday afternoon. We’ve seen plenty of new born cows here, but not watched the actual birth. It was a lesson in biology and animal development for the whole family.
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