i'm so bad...

I have to apologize for not blogging for an entire month! That's bad. It's not that nothing has happened, I just haven't taken time to blog. So, for a quick update...

1. It's dry here in SW Kansas...we're at least 10 inches of rain below average, and it looks it. The pastures have never greened up. Grass crunches as you walk across it. Kevin has mowed twice all summer. Our garden just doesn't look good.

2. The garden doesn't look good partly because we've got a mole who ate my peanuts and half of everything else. The corn is 2 feet high, has tasseled, and has set on ears...I'm guessing it's the shortest corn on record. Pitiful... we didn't get to eat any lettuce or broccoli. Three beets came up. Three head of cabbage...my onions are there, but aren't doing anything. The potato's are looking good as are the tomatoes, but we haven't enjoyed any yet.

3. Miss Kat has her learners permit for driving. We're trying to get her all her hours in this summer so she can get her farm permit and drive herself to school and volleyball practice. Of course, she thinks that she is a much better driver than she is...and her "instructors", otherwise known as her parents, are just not that smart.

4. Andy moved home. It's interesting having him back home...he was here less than 24 hours when the fighting started.

5. Work has been going well, I've had every Friday off and have only managed to use 8 of my 22 vacation days (which had to be used by July 1.) Now that it is July...I have 34 vacations to use before next July 1.

6. Our camera died. (which might have something to do with the lack of blogging.)

7. I've done a little genealogy research on my Great Grandfather, Harvey Lewis Woodruff. Harvey did it all...he ran away from home at the age of 13 or 14, was a cowboy on the cattle trails, had a silver mine and tried mining for gold in Colorado. He gambled in Dodge City and then was a "Sooner" in the Oklahoma panhandle before finally settling down, getting married, and moving to the Farm. Sometime, hopefully soon, I'll post about Harvey. promise.

8. It's been hot, hot, hot here. We've had over 10 days of over-100-degree days in June! Hot and dry. In fact, it's so dry that fireworks have been banned. And it's so hot that no one wants to be outside after noon.

9. let's see...I've painted Andy's room, Miss Kat's old room (the pink and green one) and our new front door. There are now only two rooms in this house that need painting; the "office/bedroom, and Miss Kat's bathroom.)

10. I spent a day and a half tiling my brother Steve's bathroom. It's been an ongoing project for well over 2 years now. Steve is a great Cowboy, but he sucks and home improvement/handyman stuff. But, his bathroom is finally done. (If he gets the mop boards up and the trim back up around the door.)

11. I've started stitching 2 baby pictures for the newest additions to the family...Amelia and Caroline. Being twins, they will get the same picture, but to make them different, i scanned the pattern and flipped it, so they'll be the same...and yet unique.

12. We've been out to the farm a few times. We've cut more trees down, watered our blueberries (which are still alive, and green, but they aren't growing very fast.) and tried out a chipper. We're not keeping this chipper and will keep looking for one, but we had fun! Yesterday, we took Miss Kat driving...to the farm. While there, I found a young porcupine. Since Dad has requested that we shoot any we find, Kev obliged. (Porcupines will throw quills at horses and cattle. Cattle can't eat with quills in their noses, which is why Dad would like them "controlled.")

Looking at all this, it looks like I've been busy! I have, but I promise, I'll not be so delinquent next time. Heck, I just might buy myself a new camera and get some pictures taken for more posts...stay tuned!

A weekend at the farm

Kev and I spent the weekend at the farm--just the two of us. It was a working weekend, we cut down a lot of cedar trees--big and little. I know we cut 18 big trees down, but we also took some hedge clippers around and cut down trees that were smaller than 2" in diameter. We didn't count those, but I'm guessing we cut down 100 or so little weeds...I mean trees. They are an invasive species here, so getting them out will help the other trees, grass, native wildlife and the water level in the creek.

While we worked, we commented repeatedly to each other about how much we both love the farm. It's been a part of my life forever, but to have Kev love and appreciate it as well means a great deal to me...more than I could ever express. My heart just swells when he'll talk about the farm, or when he mentions how we'll hopefully live there...someday, or that all our hard sweaty work is worth it because we're making it our home. Knowing it's our dream and not just mine is special.

I have so many childhood memories of the farm that I sometimes forget that many of my cousins feel the same way about it. I was enlightened this weekend, as one of my cousin's had a nut fry and we were invited. Upon learning that Kev and I were camping out at the farm, they all mentioned how much they loved going out there, taking their children and grandchildren out to just walk around, look around, sometimes camp, and remember.

Since Steve (my brother) and I were amongst the youngest grandchildren, our memories are probably insignificant compared to those of many of our cousins. After all, they were adults or almost adults when the Tornado took the farmhouse. Steve and I were 8 and 9. I shouldn't be surprised that the farm means so much to all of us...but I am...somewhat...

I'm sitting here, trying to decide why the farm is so important to us all. For we Woodruff kids, some is probably our memories of being there with Grandma and Grandad. But for our spouses to appreciate and love it just as much tells me that there's something special about the place that just tugs at the heartstrings and brings a sense of peace and belonging to the soul.

I think that sense of belonging is what hit home for Kev and I this weekend. We awoke each morning at the farm content, happy and at home. Nothing is better than that.

Spring Turkey Season

On Saturday morning, I crawled out of bed bright and early...at 4:30 a.m. Kev and I quickly dressed, and were out the door before 5. We needed to be at the farm before 6 a.m. to try to get a turkey. We'd gone hunting 3 weeks ago, and took a couple of Kev's co-workers who were first time turkey hunters. R got a nice Jake (an immature Tom), but C didn't get one. They couldn't go with us this time, so it was just Kev, with his bow, and me with the shotgun.

We heard two Tom's gobble upon our arrival at the farm, so we quickly settled in to wait and call one in. But they only gobbled a few more times and were moving away from us. We never saw them or any hens. We gave up around 8:30 and decided to move on to our other activities for the day.

Our intent was to cut down some more cedar trees, to check on our blueberry seedlings and just spend the day screwing around at the farm, enjoying the day. We checked the neglected blueberries, and happily discovered them to be still alive and even growing!

After messing with the blueberries, we decided to drive further back in the pasture to cut down more trees. Kev took the pickup, and I followed on the 4 wheeler. We pulled past the shelter belt and he cut the engine and jumped out of the pickup. I turned off the 4 wheeler and he motioned me down, and waved me forward. He'd seen turkeys.

We stealthily scrambled up the hill to a cedar tree and from there, we saw several hens and 2 mature Toms. They were headed west, away from us. Using the cedars for cover, we attempted to see where they were going and tried to call them back to us. The Toms weren't interested in Kev's call. After all, they were sharing at least 10 hens...who needed one more?

We followed them and watched them as they were feeding in the adjacent pasture. After a few minutes, we noticed them coming back! So, we ducked into the shelter belt and ran back toward the creek. It was warming up and we decided that they would probably be heading for the shelter of the trees along the creek. After some strategizing, we decided to run across a clearing to a big elm tree that sat in the middle of the clearing.

And I mean run.

This fat 47 year old woman can still run...while carrying a shotgun, wearing her cowboy boots and not fall down. I wasn't even breathing hard upon arrival!

However, once at the elm tree, we decided to go ahead and cross the rest of the clearing to the creek and sit where we'd have a view of the hill and draw they were following back toward us. So we ran some more.

We got settled amongst the cedar trees and waited. We didn't have long to wait, less than five mintues later, 5 hens soon appeared over the hill. And right behind them were the two Toms. I had the gun up, fired, and Tom hit the ground--hard.

Kev ran over to him first. He was so excited. He looked the bird over, and did all that man stuff and decided to step off how far of a shot it was. We were guessing 40 yards, but the birds were up higher than we were, so they were actually 50 yards away--which really is just about the maximum range.

Tom weighed 20 lbs, had a 9 and 4/8's beard (yes, that's actually 1/2 inch, but when measuring turkey beards, you go by the 1/8 inch.) His spurs were 1 inch long.

Here's the funny aspect of our hunt. When we were in KC, at Cabela's, we bought a video camera that you can attach to your bow, or gun, or on the bill of your hat. Kev thought he turned it on to film the kill...but instead, he already had it on, so when we actually were shooting...the camera was off. If I was masochist, I could post the video of us walking and stalking those birds, and you could watch me run across the clearing and through the tree row...but I'm not going to do that to you.

So...I got my bird. Which changed our plans for the day. We never did cut down any trees, and we didn't end up staying all day. Instead, we drove to Mom's, got some ice, had a picnic lunch, and drove home where I helped Andy paint his new bedroom. (He moved back home on Sunday.)

We invited Mom and Dad up to feast on the bird on Sunday. He was a nice fat boy and the meat was moist and tender. We've learned that it just tastes better to eat the turkey immediately instead of putting him in the freezer until the holidays. So, we ate him.

Season doesn't end until May 31. We might go back out to see if Kev can get one with his bow. Then again, we might not. However, my Turkey season is over...until next spring.

Big City people

Kevin and I played "Country Mouse" this weekend, and went to the big city. Kansas City. Actually, we were never in KC proper, but spent most of our time in Overland Park.

Kev had a special continuing ed workshop to go to and he asked me to go along to navigate and to go to Cabela's with him. We left from work at noon on Friday. We drove up along Highway 50 which is a route we've never taken before. We were rolling along quite nicely until we were 3 miles southwest of Ottawa.

We had a flat.

On the Interstate.

We managed to put on the small spare and stopped at the Walmart store in Ottawa. (And God Bless Walmart for building near Interstate Highways, and for having tire shops.) We thought it was just a leak, but discovered that the tire had a split in it. No idea what we hit, but we must have run over something that destroyed our tire. Kevin was not happy with the tire situation. In fact, he muttered and grumbled about it for quite a while. Lord, did he ever gripe and complain!

We made it to our hotel without any further mishaps. We navigated our way without once getting turned around or lost, or on the wrong street. I was proud of us because we neither one had been anywhere in the KC area. We've driven through it, on I-70, but we've never spent any time there. We got directions to a fantastic seafood restaurant, Bristol, which is in the Town Center area. The food was great, and it cost more than we are used to spending on a meal, but it was a nice experience.

Saturday, Kev had his class. I took my time getting around that morning, went for a walk, and then drove to Town Center to do some shopping. I didn't buy anything because the stores there weren't really what I was looking for, but I enjoyed walking around and spending an hour in Barnes & Noble.

Kev's class was over around 5. We hopped into the car and headed north to Cabela's. But, I forgot my map. I remembered enough from the map, that we found it without any problem. Kev only had to do one U-turn, and he didn't gripe about my navigation skills very long.

We had a great time in Cabela's looking around at things, buying things that weren't on our list, not buying things that were on our list... We also enjoyed looking at the exhibits. They have an excellent Mule Deer exhibit of trophy deer. We spent quite a bit of time looking through the exhibits. They are almost as much fun as shopping!

We got back to the hotel around 9:30 p.m. Navigating back south was a little trickier than our trip north. We knew we had to get off at exit 6A, but which lane proved to be a little challenging to Kev. I navigated correctly, but he says that I didn't give him enough information...whatever. Thankfully, there wasn't much traffic, so we didn't cause any accidents or harm to anyone getting into the correct lane for the correct exit.

I think it was at this point that we both agreed that we are much better off living out in the boonies where there isn't any traffic...or people.

We made good time coming home. We made a quick stop in Wichita at Tractor Supply where I bought myself a pair of Fat Babies boots. Kev found a gun safe he wanted, but it wouldn't fit into the car...so we didn't get it. (I tried tho, I tried to get him to go back and get it. Stubborn man...)

We got home safely and were glad to be back in our own little world. WE enjoyed our short trip to the city, but like Dorothy, we know there's no place like home.

Spring projects

It's been a busy time at our house lately. We've spent hours getting Miss Kat to look like this:
She was asked to Prom by a Junior boy. Shopping for the dress was...interesting...especially since Miss Kat likes to shop and I detest shopping. But, she looked beautiful and had a great time at her first prom, her first after-prom and her first after-after-prom.

The babies are growing. I've started weaning them so they can hopefully go home soon.

Kev and I have started cutting down cedar trees out at the farm. They've taken over the creek and are considered an invasive species. We cut down more than a dozen trees one Sunday afternoon and it didn't even make a dent in what needs to come out. I think it will take us a good 30 years to rid the farm of all the cedar trees.

BUT...Kev did figure out a use for some of them:

It's a new grape arbor for my grapevines. I think I could set a bench out there during the summer months and just enjoy the view as well.

Here's what he did for the top:

A closer view of the sidewalls, including grapevines:

He's just a clever guy. I think I'll keep him around for a while. After all, we have a lot of cedar trees to cut down and use somewhere!