Still A Free Range Kid

Growing up in the country, my parents gave my siblings and I pretty much 'Free Range' on the farm.  We would spend hours playing house in the old hired man's house.  Or we'd walk down to the spring in the cow pasture and wade in the water, skip rocks, or have the rare mud fight.  We also loved to play Pioneers in the heifer pasture by an old rotted out tree.  By this tree we cooked up mud pies, planted fake gardens, and pretended that days went by in the few hours of an afternoon. 

While we played, there was frequently the chance to also do some treasure digging. 

Over a week ago, Julie and I were bringing the pre-fresh cows up to the shed for the night and I nearly tripped over a delightful find in the dirt.  Sitting down on the ground, I picked up a couple sticks and began my quest uncovering my treasure.  Finally after about ten minutes or so, Julie and I found ourselves a little glass electrical pole insulator. I find it quite fascinating! It is always amazing what one may uncover in the very earth beneath us.

Even though some may say I'm too old to play in the dirt, I enjoy it just the same!  Age is only a number, right? 

Happy treasure hunting and don't ever think being a Free Range Kid is a bad thing, it is NOT!

Life On The Farm

I am so happy to say that Spring has finally arrived and Southwest WI is shaping into a more beautiful place every day! 

Since being home from Texas for four weeks, my activities have not much diversified. I feed calves each morning and evening, finish odd chores or nap in-between, and then hang out with my family at night. Can't complain. 

Even as what I do here at home is not the most glamorous, there is always something to do -- whether that's chasing heifers who escape from their pen, weeding flower beds, or nursing a new born baby calf!

Here is a tiny tour of my family's farm as spring arrives and everything seems to brighten with life!

Buttons and Megi are always around to 'help' when they feel they are needed. 

Here, Buttons decides to play farm collie on the back of the mini truck, while Megi just tried to strike her usual 'Look At Me' poses. 

 

Mom and I were able to uncover the beginnings of spring, literally! 

Cleaning out the flower beds is quite rewarding.  Here to the left are new sprouts of a Bleeding Heart plant.  And the Easter Lilies didn't disappoint making their beautiful debut!

Sweet Lambies! A new year is never complete without a few new baby lambs running around.  As the warm weather creeps in, it is so wonderful to watch them romp around their pen playing. 

And Chickens? Yeah, we have a few of those, too!

Can't have find any better eggs than those from your own hens at home.

When the sun comes out, these chickens are not shy about scratching around everything in sight! 

And the most wonderful faces of the farm: Beautiful baby Jersey calves! 

Here to the left we find Janessa: a delightful bundle of energy! She loves to get out of her pen and run as fast as she can around the calf huts. 

To the right, we find one of the twins, Miss Lane, enjoying the sun.  Just one day old, Lane escaped from her pen and we finally found her beside another building.  Quite the adventurous one!

And lastly, we have here Bristol.  Two years ago I was also home feeding calves and Bristol's mom, Brooklyn, was one of my first babies.  Its so amazing to see the cycle of life continue.

New calves are my favorite part of spring!

  What about the cows that make the farm really run? Here in the free stall barn are a few of the cows that keep my family's business running.  We milk around 250 cows and these lovely faces are some of the happiest animals around! Can't beat good feed, soft sand for a bed, and sunshine through the windows! 

And last but not least...

NIMBLE!! 

The most fantastic, wonderful, amazing, beautiful cow on the farm!  This big girl loves my hugs when I return home and is the sweetest lady ever.  She definitely brightens this photo better than me! :)

And that's it!  Thank you for checking out the happenings on my farm as we slide right into the warmth and life of spring.  

Unexpected Turns

Unbelievably so, I returned to Wisconsin just over two weeks ago.  And in the last two and a half weeks my life has gone from almost knowing what I am doing to barely having a clue what tomorrow will bring. 

The morning of the day before I left San Antonio I was surprised to learn that I will no longer be heading to Salzburg for the summer.  Due to a change in my host family's situation, they no longer will need my help with the children and are unable to host me again.  I am sad I will not be able to see my friends and family in Austria for awhile now, but I guess it wasn't right this time around. 

Therefore, I did leave the wonderful state of Texas and took my three day drive home, dropping by to see some old friends along the way.  It was so great catching up with everyone!! 

Since I have arrived home, my daily life has been quite uneventful.  Besides the side trips to see my sister in Madison or go along to help out my State Officer sister with FFA things, days have been filled with feeding calves, milking cows, and keeping up in the house including making food and doing dishes. 

Besides the ins and outs of my life on the farm at home, I have been wrestling with what plans are next for me.  Do I return to TX? Go live near a friend in Chicago or Boston? Head back out to MT for awhile? Be an au pair for a different family in Europe?  What kind of job do I want now?

All of these above options still might come back in to play, however, I have now decided to apply for the Peace Corps!  This decision is the only one that is official at this moment.  I am currently filling out the application, getting recommendations, and working on my essays.  Hopefully in the next two weeks I will have the application submitted and wait around to hear what is next! 

In the meantime, I will feed my calves and work on choosing my next steps in life. 

I dearly miss all my wonderful friends back in San Antonio and wish them well!  Panera Bread is also missed, as I seem to always stop at one whenever I get the chance!  Nearly everyday I am reminded of a super guest that I was able to serve in the early hours at Panera and miss those times! 

Wherever in the world you are, whether its snowing outside or you're heading for a run in the hot sun, enjoy this life.  Changes are always lurking behind every corner.  Take whatever comes, and if you don't know what is next, just wait for the right wind to come through to direct you!