I’ve made an upgrade in mowing from the old riding tractor to the not-so-old mower. They are both green. This one when you turn a tight circle leaves about a 6-8 inch circle of uncut grass. The old one left about 6-8 foot circle. Mowing time is probably cut in half. The first time I rode it, I thought I might need some Dramamine to prevent getting dizzy from whipping around the trees.
Month: August 2005
August 15, 2005 – Welcome Blaze!
I know, Blaze sounds more like a horse than a dairy goat, but a dairy goat she is. She was a ribbon winner at the Story County Fair and some neighbors bought her a few weeks ago before they knew they were moving. Getting the goat home was like a scene one may have seen in a joint episode of “Sanford and Son “and the Beverly Hillbillies. The truck was crammed full of garbage for a dump trip the next day, so we brought the “new” utility open-top trailer and Linda and the goat rode in the back.
Here’s our girl, posing.
Here’s a head shot. She’s a great milker. We let Paullina rest starting last week, so it’s nice to get some more milk.
August 14, 2005 – Iowa State Fair
Today was the annual pilgrimage to the Iowa State Fair, now rated one of the top 10 places to visit for a family vacation along with the Grand Canyon, Colorado Rockies, and seven other places I can’t remember. Today, I’ll let the pictures do most of the talking.
Here’s Claire on the mezannine of the Agriculture Building. Just over her left shoulder in a refrigerated case is the
life-size butter cow.
The best way to see the fair is on the skyglider floating above the fair.
Among the many agricultural curiosities at the fair are the big bull, big sow, big sheep, etc. Here’s this year’s big bull, weighing in at a shade under 3,000 pounds.
Today was Wells Fargo day at the fair, so we had a free concert by Jo Dee Messina.
Here are a couple of “Fair Girls.”
Garrison Kellior of the Prairie Home Companion, spoke with the winner of a 4-H family research project. He was spellbounding talking about the project and weaving his own stories into the talk. He’s a quick wit!
August 13, 2005 – Market Day
Today Linda and the girls went to Grinnell Farmer’s Market and although there was a persistent drizzle most of the morning, had another good day. The girls started “High Hopes Kids” and brought cookies, bars, and brownies to sell.
Martin and Dad stayed home and caught up on things around the house.
August 12, 2005 – Rain, Rain
It has been very unusual for August – things are starting to mold (raspberries and tomatoes) and mushrooms are popping up in the yard. The combination of still winds, frequent rain and drizzle and warmth makes things tough in the garden. It is unusual not to have any brown patches in the lawn.
We started getting ready for market today and went clothes shopping for Linda in Des Moines and had a dinner at a co-worker’s with “the Department.”