Sign of the Times? * CAUTION UNPLEASANT PHOTOS *

 

Hello Friends,

I have a story to share with you today and photos that will be unpleasant.  Before I share, I will give you a little background about me. I am a farmer's daughter. I was born and raised on a dairy farm in Northern Wisconsin. I was taught to care and love our farm animals. We are the care takers, not only of the farm land but of the farm animals. That is my dad in the photo above, he is cutting hay with the help of our son Sam, who will be 21 next week!

Goodness time flies, when I look at these photos I smile. Not only did my sister and I learn the value of caring for animals and the land from my dad, but so did my boys.

Sam enjoying dandelion fluff!

 

I deliver Meals on Wheels. I am a rural driver. I deliver in a Northwest area of the county I live in. The county I live in in is a rural Wisconsin county, with many farms, agriculture is how many who live here make their living.  Three Friday's ago, I saw this in a ditch! I was sickened. 

* WARNING UNPLEASANT PHOTOS *

Two calves tossed in the ditch. Both had twine wrapped around their legs. 

I called my supervisor, I told her what I found, I asked if I should call the Sheriff's department.

This is the answer I received, "Well Carla, this really is just a sign of the times. I know it is so sad. Maybe the calves died during birth, they may have had a difficult birth, maybe twins. And they died."

At this point I cut her off..  "NO! I was born and raised on a dairy farm. Yes, we had death. NO! NO! My dad never said, Let us go toss the calves in the ditch along the highway!!!"

My supervisor, "I know, Carla, but it is the sign of the times. I was born and raised on a farm too. It is so sad what has happened. I realize you have to drive past it everyday."

 I shared this story with the other drivers. They could not believe that we are to think CATTLE IN A DITCH is to be normal in 2021!

Sadly, this story gets worse. As of last Friday the calves are still in the ditch.

 

I called the Sheriff's department.
 I, Back the Blue.... so I am not disrespecting the department when I share what happens next.  I do believe all calls to dispatch are recorded, so there is the proof of my conversation.

I share with dispatch, that along such and such road two dead calves are in the ditch. 

It is odd to me I explain, to see dead cattle in the ditch.
 The response I receive "I will need your full name, address, phone number and date of birth."

"Alright, I gave the information." 

"I do hope that you understand that we can not have our deputies waste their time."

Somehow, I felt like I just became the bad person!

Sign of the Times?

You tell me? Are cattle in the ditch a thing now days? 

When I shared this story with my dad it made him sick to his stomach.  

If this is a sign of the times.. I am not joining!

I am going to keep being the girl with the values my dad taught me in treating people, animals (even dead ones) and the land.

 

"And know that yes, what you do matters.

 Hang in there, keep going, keep shining your light."

Anne Butera

 

Spring Cleaning on the Blog!

 

Spring is here. Our trees are starting to bud. I have tulips and daffodils peeking up in my south facing garden. Robins and Red Wing Blackbird are visiting our yard. I can hear a Sandhill Crane in the distance as I stroll along the yard, inspecting plants and starting to make my outside to do list. My soil and yard is very wet and the frost is not completely out of the ground. I must be patient.. the time will come to get outside to start the Spring clean up.

That my friends brings me to the Spring Cleaning on the Blog!

First, THANK YOU for the patience you have had with leaving comments. I know many of you struggled with in the writing of a comment on my blog, it would disappear. POOF!

Many of you shared your frustration in a fun way. Kathy B said it best, "I think a leprechaun has been eating my comments."  

I think I solved the problem by doing some cleaning on my blog site.

Thank you again for the kindness and patience. I do love reading your comments. I am in hopes my spring cleaning did the trick.

 ♥

Carla

 

"Long live the sun which gives us such color."

Paul Cezanne 

Book Reveiw ~ Rogue Male

 

Hi Friends,

Do not let the title or the artwork on the cover make your decision on reading this book. 

I enjoyed it! I recommend it just for the twists of events that keep you guessing if our hero will make it out of his situation alive.

One of my reading goals for 2021 is to try new reads that I may not gravitate to normally.

Rogue Male

Written by: Geoffrey Household

1930 - something:

a professional hunter is passing through an unnamed Central European country that is in the thrall of a vicious dictator.

Simply the best escape and pursuit story yet.. written with lip - chewing right to the end.

The Times - London

Do you have any good reads you would like to share?

   

 

Happy St. Patrick's Day Hodgepodge

 

 

Happy St. Patrick's Day

It is Wednesday and that means it is time for the Hodgepodge! 

 

Joyce asks the questions.

We answer the questions.

Click here to join the fun! 

1. This week's Hodgepodge lands on St. Patrick's Day. Will you wear green? I will! I am delivering Meals on Wheels this week. Celebrating the holiday will bring smiles. Eat corned beef and cabbage? Corned Beef and Cabbage is on the Meals on Wheels menu for today. My husband will make us Reuben's for dinner. Drink green beer? No Have you ever been to Ireland? No Is it on your travel 'bucket list'? Yes!!

 2. Something you think is 'worth its weight in gold'? 

Family

 3. Something that makes you 'green around the gills'? 

Unpleasant Odors

 4. What puts a 'spring in your step' these days? 

Making plans to celebrate upcoming birthdays!!

 5. Write a limerick using one of the following as your theme....March, St. Patrick's Day, Covid, 2020 and/or 2021, the color green, or life lately. Yes, you can do it. 

There once was a Twenty year old,

 who said, "Let's be bold!

 I will keep chasing my dream

  and making whipped cream

Until I turn Twenty one years old.

 6. Insert your own random thought here. 

My husband got into writing limericks as I was writing mine. Here is Jeremy's debut on the Hodgepodge with his limerick.

 there was a man who turned twenty
who thought he had plenty
then covid hit
He said thats it
my bank account is empty

An Update on Marv

 

Hello Friends,

The garden angel above was passed down to me from my friend Marv. He had this angel in his garden.  He gave it to me to have in my garden and I have been instructed by him to pass it on to one of my boys.

For those of you new to The River, Marv is a dear friend of ours who is 92 years old. He is a Koren War Veteran, a dear friend to our boys and my gardening mentor.

If you click on the below link, you will be able to read my tribute to Marv this past Independence Day 2020.

 A Tribute to Marv

Marv suffered a stroke in September 2020. He has moved to Illinois to live and be cared for by family.  He is slowly healing from the stroke. He also has been diagnosed with bladder cancer.

 We call each other weekly. At the start of the year I could sense a change in Marv. He was remembering our boys when they were little fellas, and talking to me as if they were living here at home, going to school and playing out in the garden.

This past week, the same thing, he asked me how the little guys are doing. I do not correct it. I go along with it. I enjoy each conversation I can have with my friend Marv, thankful that he does remember me and my family.

At the end of our conversation this week he did say for the first time,

 "Carla, I love those boys. You tell them that from me."

♥

 

Oh I'm in pieces, it's tearing me up, but I know
A heart that's broke is a heart that's been loved

 

 

I hope that I see the world as you did 'cause I know
A life with love is a life that's been lived

My Favorite Spring Flower ~ Daffodils

 

Daffodil is the flower of the month for March. The daffodil goes by many names...narcissus, jonquil, and paperwhites. But they are all daffodils! In the language of flowers the daffodil represents;



regard, respect, unrequited love, sunshine, the sun shines when I am with you, chivalry, you're the only one

The above information is from The Posy Book.

 

 Somebunny needs a treat!

Have a lovely weekend my friends.

 ♥

Carla

 

Over the Moon ~ It is the Hodgepodge!

 

 Over the Moon for Spring!

Our snow is melting and soon my Flower Shack will be full of blooms!

The photo above is my Flower Shack in our front yard. This is where I sell fresh cut bouquets in the spring, summer and autumn.

And now on to the Hodgepodge.

Joyce asks the questions.

We answer the questions.

Click here to join the fun! 

 

 1. March 9th is National Get Over It Day...what's something you need to 'just get over already'? 

Keeping the front entry clean during MUD SEASON! When all the snow melts.. see photo above.. we have MUD SEASON here in Wisconsin. Yesterday, I decided to just sweep the front steps at the end of the day and not try to keep up with the mud traffic. 

 2. Something you're currently 'over the moon' about? 

I am forcing bulbs. I love having the surprise of the daffodils and tulips that I force open. They make looking out at the mud just a wee bit easier.

3. What's something you're 'chewing over' these days? (meaning-thinking over carefully)

My plans for my garden. Each year, I will get overwhelmed about, what will I plant where. Will I have enough room for all my plants and so it goes. Well this season I am taking some advice from a gardener who drew out a map each year to help prevent just what I described. It also helped with organizing your seed order. Taking inventory and staying disciplined is my plan this season. 

 4. The last thing you cooked or ate that was overdone?

A cookie.

5. In celebration of hitting volume 411 in the weekly Hodgepodge, give us the 411 on something happening in your life in the next 30 days.

I will be opening my Flower Shack for the season. I always get excited for the first bouquets of the season.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

"Don't just count your blessings. Be the blessing other people count on."

Anonymous

Words of Wisdom

 

One of my bouquets from the summer of 2020

"You don't have the power to make rainbows or waterfalls, sunsets or roses, but you do have the power to bless people by your words and smiles. You carry within you the power to make the world better."

Sharon G. Larson

 

Garden Journal

 Hello Friends,

Seed starting will start here at, The Little Garden That Could. 

This year I wanted to discipline myself more with how I am going about planting my garden. 

I have saved seeds.  I have left over seeds.  I have seeds from friends.

This year I drew a map of my garden. 

I took inventory of my seed, before I placed a seed order.

I feel more prepared for the seed starting season. I hope that my planning will help me with the problem I usually end up with, too many seedlings, not enough room.

 

My current garden journal.

I have always had a garden journal. In 2018 I started to save seed packs, articles and more in my journal. I have enjoyed looking back at the notes, seed packs and articles.

 

My Garden Motto

Plant..

Something Fun

Something New

Something Tried and True

 

My something fun this season will be African Marigold.. this marigold will be 2 1/2 feet tall!

My something new this season will be Turnip.. I ate turnip last autumn and enjoyed every bite. I decided to try growing my own turnip.

My something Tried and True are Zinnia.

Do you have plans for a garden this season?

What will be your something fun, something new and something tried and true?