Productive Day on The Farm!

(Amy - My favorite cow! a.k.a Miss Friendly)
After several days of some really hot and humid weather in the upper 90'sf, today was so AWESOME! No humidity, and a high of 85 f, with a great breeze all day! This week will be the same all week so its a great time to do outdoor work and activities!
The barn was in a major need of organizing and cleaning. So today was spent organizing the tack room, and cleaning up the barn runway. I only got half done with the runway, after mucking stalls and cleaning it up (empty feed sacks were piled up - no garbage can in there, something to remedy) that's about all the energy I had! I only have about 1/3 of the runway to clean up now. I had straw laid when our mare was foaling, she only stayed in there a couple nights and its not dirty just heavy with straw. Norm has to move the hay wagon out and fill it up and get the cow chute pulled out and out of the way. I was also able to get the cages all cleaned and fixed neatly in the barn, the rabbit, the dove, and the small coop for Pepper. She isn't really happy about going in at night and lets me know all about it, but she is free rang all day and only put up at dark and let out in the morning so she can squawk all she wants! After the first day the kittens have left her alone and I'm sure she is happy to have the company of them now. Hopefully she will also keep the bugs down. I had gotten a disposable fly trap (stinks to high heavens) but worked VERY well. It was also nice to get all the feed organized, feeding was much easier today, I filled up each bucket with the separate feed and carried them around to the miniature zoo of farm animals. I've been meaning to do this for a long long time, but time seems to be lacking lately!
I've been planning in my head how to build a larger coop and a MUCH better one than I had (the poor thing got destroyed in the ice storm). Amy at Twelve Acres and Callie at Chickens on the Porch have given me some great advice and some cool links to some other chicken coops you can view them here and here. Now if I had the money this is the coop I'd build. You must take a look! Stained glass windows...yeah its awesome. The others are a really great design for a coop made from dog pens, and the other is an adorable outhouse designed coop...both are great.
Tomorrow is the garden....I dread that! Today Norm tilled up the section not planted yet for it was overtaken by weeds, so the rest of the weeding and tilling will be tomorrow! We already have some huge squash!!! And probably some cucumbers...hmm hoping the green tomato's have ripened as well...the lettuce is wonderful so I'm hoping some fresh BLT's are in order for lunch and dinner! YUM!
Farm Report:
Saturday - Soy Beans replanted in the fields that got flooded
Sunday - the rest of the silage corn has been drilled and the alfalfa has been mowed.
Monday- Wheat has been thrashed and straw bailed. Barn cleaned and Doug mowed (most of the yard).
Tomorrow - Alfalfa will be bailed (should take the whole day). Garden work. Salt and Mineral the cattle.
Wednesday - Will have to see how tomorrow goes, in the afternoon we are driving to Louisville to watch Leah in the 2009 Kentucky State 4-H Horse Show. She has been doing drill team and I'm really anxious to watch her!!!!! The 3 of us along with my mom are driving up! I can't wait.

The cattle are all doing well and fat and happy on all the nice grass they have had all spring and into the summer!
On another note...I've lost 8 pounds!!!! I've changed some meds and one of which I've been taken off of made me gain about 30 pounds, so since I've been off of it for almost 2 weeks I've lost 8.....I've really been working at watching what I eat and portion sizes. Working outside has helped bunches, and I still need to start walking either outside or on the tread mill. But I'm on the way! YEA ME!
I'm gonna close with a poem that I got from C-ingspots. I just love this to pieces!

"Old Cowgirl"

I shall wear diamonds
and a wide-brimmed straw hat
with silver and leather on it,
and I shall spend my social security
on white wine and carrots
and sit in the alley of my barn
and listen to my horses breathe.

I will sneak out
in the middle of a summer's night
and ride the chestnut mare
across the moonstruck meadow,
if my old bones will allow.

When people came to call I will smile and nod
as I walk them past the gardens to the barn
and show, instead, the beauty growing there
in stalls fresh-lined with straw.

I will shovel and sweat and
wear hay in my hair as if it were a jewel.
And I will be an embarrassment to all
who look down on me.

They've not yet found the peace in being free,
to love a horse as a friend,
a friend who waits at midnight hour
with nuzzle and nicker and patient eyes
for the kind of woman I will be,
when I am old....