Happy 15th Birthday Rachel!

FOURTH OF JULY!

We had all our traditionally awesome fun on the Fourth. Flag raising and breakfast at Grandma Clark's. At the Menan celebration,the Pop Toss Booth was a total success. Laura ran the booth to support the "Laura College Fund". We ate from the local food booths and watched the parade. The Menan fire works were fantastic as usual. The only thing wrong is I didn't have my camera. My card was full and I didn't have time to delete a few pictures. So for great pictures of what we did on the Fourth of July, check out my niece's blog at Matt and Michelle under family names. She was everywhere we were. There's even a great picture of my parents at the parade. Thanks Michelle. I hope everyone else had a great day too!

Cattle Drive

I was thinking the other day that all I have blogged about lately is farm and ranch topics. But then again that is who we are and what we do. So on with the next ranch related item. Our cattle have been grazing in our own private pasture since they were hauled to the ranch in May. Every year during the first week of July we move them to pasture on the national forest. We always try to make it a fun day with family and friends or anyone with a horse or four wheeler who wants to come. The more the merrier. This year our regular cowboys were, Roger, Alan, Laura and Lynn Rushton. Our Honda cowboys were Rachel, my dad, Dale Armstrong and my nephew Sean Gilman. Also joining us were Chris and Heather Campbell and four of their children on horses and Heather's mother, Joy Hancock who took turns with Chris in the pickup with their baby. Other four wheeler cowboys were Mark Boam and his son, Cody who run a few cattle with us. In the pickup or "Chuck Wagon" were myself, Grandma, Sara and baby Kailynn. It was a beautiful day. It seemed like the cattle wanted to run this year. That's why all the dust in the pictures. (No, it wasn't a stampede) After we got them where we wanted them, we had a picnic in the shade until they were all mother upped (calves and moms find each other). It was a great day for a cattle drive.

Haying Time

Clark Farms just finished up the first hay cutting of the summer. Weather permitting, we usually do three cuttings a summer. We cut the hay just before it blooms. That's when the protein content is the highest. The higher the protein, the better. It makes the hay worth more. Dairy's want the higher protein and if you can get the hay put up without rain that's an added bonus. I think this is the first crop we've put up without being rained on for a couple of years. Alan started cuttting the hay across from Grandma Clark's on June 7th. It took a week to cut all our hay.

After they cut the hay they let it dry for four or five days then they rake two windrows into one larger windrow. It also turns the hay over so it can dry some more. But the trick is to rake it early in the morning when it's dewier so all the leaves don't fall off the stems. Cow's don't like just stems and all the nutrients are in the leaves. Raking has been Laura's job this year. She's been a little trooper getting up between 4 and 5 a.m. taking off in her tractor until 10 or 11 a.m. She's been alone in the dark in some fields far from the main road let alone anywhere near the house. But she has seen some awesome sunrises and a lot of wild life; a moose, a few deer and a den of coyote pups running and playing through the field and she loves watching the Osprey and Eagles flying around when she's working near the river. She also likes to listen to a good book on tape while working.

Then after the hay is dry but not too dry, Roger comes in and bales it. Again there's the tricky timing of not too wet or to dry. He usually starts about 11 at night and has been baling until 2 or 3 in the morning until it's too dewy. He comes in and sleeps a few hours then heads back out about 9 a.m to check water and when the dew comes off he will bale again until it's too dry. He bales it in the 3 by 4 by 8 foot size bales. We have had larger bales or round bales, but this size is easier to truck and still works well for us to feed our own cattle with.

It took Roger about a week to bale 1,500 bales which was a record time for us. The no rain issue helped there. The little wagon on the back of the baler is an accumulator. It holds three bales as they come out of the baler then he can dump them at the end of the field making it so they don't have to drive all over the field when loading them on the trucks.

Then they load them on the trucks. I thought it was strange when they started using the semi for hauling hay out of the fields. But it sure beats the old little wagons we used to use. They can move a lot of hay with it.

They also use this trailer behind the flatbed pickup. It holds a fair amount of hay itself.

Roger used this trailer last week to pull the red tractor up to the ranch to do some work. It's not very often we take the tractor to the ranch. But it's nice to be able to when needed.

They then unload the hay in one of the many stack yards where it sits until it is needed or sold. The machine Alan is using here is called the Telehandler. I guess because the arm can telescope longer and shorter as needed. I wasn't sure this was a necessary piece of equipment when Roger brought it home but it has become indispensable to our farming operation. They use it all the time from loading hay, hauling manure and pushing snow. Roger even used it to lift Uncle Les up high to fix his yard light a couple of weeks ago.



They finished baling and hauling the last field June 30th. It's a good job to have done. Only two more times to go this summer.

Oh, I had to add this picture of Tanner. We like to start training the help while they're young.

Happy 18th Birthday Laura!

A Great Father's Day

With Sunday being Father's Day and the forecast saying "Sunny and light breeze" we thought it would be a great day to have the family over for a barbecue. It was! It has been such a long time since we've had a nice sunny day without wind. We grilled a few steaks and had some salad and some of Grandma's rolls and Kimberly made dessert. Yum! Yum! Roger was presented with his Father's Day gift...a propane camp grill with griddle. To be used for family reunions, Fourth of July breakfasts and canning corn. We then played a new game called Blongo Ball. It consists of throwing two golf balls attached by a string at a goal ladder. You score points according to which rung the balls land on or wrap around. It was really fun to play. Alan is the champion Blongo guy. Tanner had his first introduction to the trampoline. It took him about a minute to figure it out. After that he knew how to bounce just like the big kids. You might notice that Alan's wife, Sara and their baby, Kailynn are missing from the pictures. Sara has been in Pennsylvania visiting her family for the last two weeks. They will return this week. We have missed them, especially Alan. All in all it was a great day. It doesn't get much better than family, food, fun and great weather.

Elder Adam Clark

Today is Adam's 18 month mark on his mission. He is serving in the Jacksonville, Florida Mission. He loves it there even if it is awfully hot and muggy for an Idaho boy. He has had good success teaching the Gospel and has met many people who have become near and dear to him. Adam's testimony has really grown and he has learned to rely on his Heavenly Father. Here are a few pictures he has sent us over the last eighteen months

He has been able to attend the Orlando Temple several times.

University of Florida Stadium

A nice visit from cousin David Cziep, Hunter & Uncle Heinrich

Elder Adams & Elder Clark at Desiree's baptism.

Adam told us in his last letter that last week almost everyday was sunny until about 3 or 4 in the afternoon. Then a thunderstorm would come in and then leave as quickly as it came leaving the air very humid. So the Elders are either wet from the rain or the humidity. This is last year's picture but it gives you an idea of how wet they can get. I wanted to add some more recent photos, but my scanner decided not to work. We are very proud of Adam and hope his next six months are just as successful if not more so than the first eighteen. We love you Adam!