Here’s the latest:
‘Stew’ is back from The Spa and in the freezer. We sold 1/2 of him (1/4 each) to two friends. He ended up at 1,200 pounds, which amazingly gives you only 400 pounds of meat. (200# for us, 100# each for them) Beau did all the ‘maths’ and between mainly having him on grass, but having to feed hay and grain all winter, after processing he ended up costing us $2.50 a pound for all cuts. Stew cost us $800.00 as a calf. Now THAT is a bargain if you can pull it off! If beef prices keep heading UP, next season a weaned calf will cost us about $1,000.00 so our final PPP goes up, of course - but still a bargain. If we had sold Stew as finished beef, and someone else covered the butchering costs, we’d have easily gotten $3,000.00 for him!
Mom gave me all of the leftover bread from Communion on Sunday. They use bought and home baked loaves instead of wafers. Crazy Methodists! ;) She said it was for the chickens, and I’m letting her THINK that, but it is perfectly fine bread so I cut it all up and will let it dry out for a week or so, and them season and bake them for salad and soup croutons. Plus, the bread was blessed, so what better use for Communion Bread? LOL! I LOVE free food! :)
‘Midnight’ (Plott Hound) is coming along really well. She is so smart! I taught her to fetch a tennis ball and this morning she brought it directly back to me six times in a row! She’s a genius, I tells ya! When she’s acting up, we call her ‘Nightmare,’ LOL! Probably getting the other puppy (Treeing Walker Coon Hound) this weekend. It has been SO windy for the past two days (50 Mph gusts!) that Midnight’s dog house has blown off the porch TWICE! There are no railings right now to stop that, so I keep moving it around, based upon the wind gusts. Enough, Mother Nature! Leave my puppy alone!
The Heifers were put in our pasture yesterday and I just LOVE watching them when they go to the top of the hill and I can see them in the distance over the roof of the barn. They make for great scenery and make my heart smile. :)
Beau has been mowing, repairing fences and cutting down more Black Walnut trees with the help of Junior Farmer Ryan. He’s got 30 of them down so far and about a dozen more to go. Then, the buyer comes back, tells him what lengths he wants things cut to, then they come and cart it away and give us a big fat check that will pay off the 6-by loan and more than cover all of Beau’s hunting for this year and beyond. Yay for mature hardwood trees!
Sunday, for Mother’s Day, we are taking Mom on an all-inclusive bus trip to Milwaukee to see the Brewers play the Yankees. We get the bus fair (luxurious - we’ve taken Lamers’ busses before) a meal and drinks in the Johnsonville Brats Party Room and our tickets and seats. Mom LOVES her Brewer’s and it’s what she wanted to do. I’m going to try and pick up a White, Blue & Gold corsage for her to wear. Temps will be in the 50’s, but we’ll be out of the elements for the most part. We’ll bundle up anyway! As a kid I spent many May Days at that stadium in my snowmobile suit. It’s CHILLY by that monstrous Lake Michigan!
Sounds like a great present for your mom. Wish her a Happy Mothers Day from all of us.
I grew up within walking distance of Lake Michigan and yes the lakefront is cold, especially if you get a wind from the east, but you are prepared!
Stew...(sniff)...I found a local meat processor on the way out to my Daughters. I asked about the cost of a front quarter of and he indicated it would be about $5 / lb hanging weight, so you did well! (I also thought about it and realized I would need to get a bigger freezer to hold it so maybe another year!)
Walnut trees.....Look at you guys! Timber and cattle! (When in Federal Service I sometimes reviewed Schedule Fs, and can honestly say that some of the most profitable operations were from Iowa or Illinois and involved Hogs and Corn. However, I have a hard time imagining you sitting on the front porch at the end of the day actually enjoying and the evening sun reflecting off the retention pond the dulcet sounds of quarreling hogs!)
Heading for 80° or more today with lots of wind, gusts up to 30 mph. High fire danger - the wind is just sucking any moisture right up.
I had to go grocery shopping earlier & will be making potato salad, Cole slaw, a cold green bean salad & lemon pie this afternoon. We are taking the food plus BBQ for lunch tomorrow when we visit the son of my dad’s college roommate. I don’t think I’ve seen him since his wedding in the late 70’s. He’s got his dad’s dry, sarcastic wit which I always enjoyed. He’s about an hour away - can’t travel so we’re going to him.
On the way home, I stopped to get gas. Gas prices jumped from $3.89/$3.99 to $4.39 yesterday - in one day. There was an older country guy on the other side of the pump & we got to talking: gas prices (of course), beef prices & buying a steer & having it processed, venison instead of beef, when the does will start dropping fawns (end of May when it’s hay mowing time), the drought & our wells, & mowing grass. There might have been another topic or two I left out. BEST part of my day, so far :-) Most of the country people around here are just awesome in their friendliness.