May is a pretty fantastic month. Spring has truly begun in the Midwest (I mean, I was raised to understand that winter CAN happen in April, and you’re silly if you’re surprised by it), the skies seem a little more … Continue reading
Hi friends! My last post was pretty somber, but we’re back on track and ready to share more about the aspects of agriculture that aren’t farming or ranching. This week’s “Hi, I’m Agriculture” post is by my friend Jacque. She … Continue reading
About a month ago, I went to Wisconsin. Because life is busy and the world is full of so much distracting awesomeness, I haven’t blogged about it yet. But, let me tell you, it was a great trip. I spent … Continue reading
Because that’s one of the top search terms that brings people to my blog. I was surprised — I kind of assumed some of my more controversial posts would be what drew people in. I mean, they do. But apparently … Continue reading
I’ve been told more than once that I am a bleeding heart; I have a crusader complex, where I instantly want to become the voice for those who can’t speak up for themselves. (Which, oddly enough, has led me to … Continue reading
I’ll admit it: this post was written last week and left to stew for a few days. I spent part of the weekend galavanting across the Canadian countryside with my friend Joe. You see, I had lovely friend Ashley in Michigan … Continue reading
In college, my city-raised friends were all shocked to find out that their token redneck friend neither owned a horse or had ever ridden one outside of festival pony rides and sitting on them for pictures at the fair. Here’s … Continue reading
I’ve been a little swamped lately prepping for my big move to Kansas City, which happens THIS FRIDAY. (If you’re confused about the dates, I was supposed to start at my job on June 25th, but we bumped it back to July 9th because my apartment would not be available until the 7th.) I’ve been packing, taking inventory, and tying up loose ends here.
I have a million and one thoughts I’d love to blog about regarding the move, work, agriculture, and a slew of other things, but instead, I’ll take a few moments to address tomorrow, the 4th of July. Continue reading
Kansas.
I was there for a few days over spring break, visiting friends in Manhattan, KS before heading back east to Kansas City for business. When I told my friend Jodi Oleen that I would be coming to Manhattan, she was thrilled. She excitedly offered to let me crash at her place while I was in town, which led to us making plans for very “Kansas-y” activities. While one of the big activities, trail riding, fell through due to high winds, I DID get to enjoy some “cow time.” I was a happy little hick chick, with boots caked in dirt, manure, feed dust, and milk replacer.
Brandon manages the Kansas State University stocker cattle unit. This small outfit is instrumental in the animal science program’s research. Brandon’s family owns a ranch in western Kansas, and this is his “day job.” On top of that, he also has a small but quickly-growing herd of cows and heifers that he manages, with help from Jodi.
We did a few different things during my time in Kansas. I met up with some fantastic folks, ate some amazing food, drank some pretty good beer, and just had an overall great time. The touristy side of me enjoyed seeing such “hot spots” in Manhattan as the K-State football stadium and some of the historic buildings on campus. It also enjoyed Little Apple Brewery, a must for anyone swinging through Manhattan. The not-so-typical-tourist side in me really wanted to see cattle. Continue reading
I’ve been out for the count most of the week. After a very hectic weekend, I didn’t feel up to organizing my thoughts into word form on Monday or Tuesday. Early Wednesday morning, I had a fun little trip to the E.R. that resulted in a strange combination of vicodin, anti-inflammatories, and antibiotics. I won’t give you all the details, but needless to say the last few days have been…interesting. Vicodin does weird things to the human brain.
So, instead of trying to collect the mushy, gooey, delirium-soaked mess of thoughts that have come across my mind in the last several days…I’ll just share some random tidbits. Continue reading
