Tag Archives: food

Wine and birthdays.

by nebraskawheatie

Not sure how we got ‘er all done, but the festivities certainly made the weekend go much faster than I like. It all began Friday night with Jamie, Jenna and Callie. Last summer, Jamie had sent me a link for a “Living Social” coupon from the Slattery Vintage Estates winery and I thought it sounded like it would be something worth purchasing and taking advantage of. The deadline for the coupon was ever so sneakily creeping closer and closer so we decided to partake in our cheese,crackers and wine tasting adventure. We were missing Taylor. She is the HS girls basketball student manager and was at a ball game. It was a LOVELY evening. It got even better as we were leaving – the owner of the winery asked if I was the older SISTER. That was definitely a boost for the ‘ole ego!

P.S. Callie was NOT drinking wine. She was enjoying an icy cold Pepsi in her souvenir wine glass.

 My poor starving children.

Jamie giving us her famous “Jamie” look.

Me and Jame.

Jenna, Me and Callie

Slattery Vintage Estates winery is a beautiful place – inside and out. In the summer, they offer some fancy tents to spend the night in, featuring wonderful old antiques. I think it would be quite the adventure hanging out there on a summer evening – as long as it wasn’t 102 with 90% humidity and lots of bugs.

On Saturday morning, I got up and drove the High School Art Club to Omaha (in the school bus) to tour the Joslyn Art Museum and the Latino Museum in South Omaha. I had never been to the Joslyn before. I’ve been to more art museums this year than I have in my entire life. In February, Jim and I were at the Louvre. In December, I very briefly walked through the National Art Museum in DC. Omaha’s Joslyn is not as big (of course) as the other two but it’s a very nice art museum. I was excited to see a couple Charles M. Russell paintings and also Currier and Ives. My harvest Grandma was the one who introduced me to both of these artists. Seeing them immediately took me back to a time and place when I was much younger. I appreciate the fact that Grandma passed the love of so many of her favorite things to me. The funny part is, I wasn’t even aware of it when it was happening.

Taylor just inside the door of the Joslyn.

“The Weeders”

 Charlie Russell painting – A Montana resident.

Taylor and I in front of the Joslyn.

When we got home from Omaha, about 3:00, the day wasn’t over yet. Callie and I decided we’d get her room painted. So, we have been painting a little here and little there with hopes of finishing before basketball practice starts (10th of Jan.). So, when I got home, I changed clothes and headed upstairs with her to paint a while. We had a little bit of time before needing to head to Mark and Candi’s for Brook’s 8th birthday party. When it was time, Cal and I cleaned up our paint brushes, changed clothes once again and headed to the Rathe’s house for supper. As usual, Mark put out a spectacular “feed” and we all ate till we were ready to burst. The little kids, though, were having way too much fun to waste much time eating!

 Happy birthday, Brook! Brook was showing us the matching nightgown she and her doll shared. CUTE!

Taylor and her beau, Nick.

This is what birthday parties are all about!

After church on Sunday, Callie and I once again changed our clothes and headed upstairs to paint for a while before it was time to go party once again. This time, we would be celebrating Jim’s mom’s 88th birthday. We gathered for pizza and birthday cake. I think she enjoyed her day! This is the same woman who was struggling so very hard to breathe on Thanksgiving morning and ended up spending several days in ICU. She’s recovered quite nicely!

The gang!

Mom and her grandkids – notice…ALL GIRLS – except for her great-grandson.

 Added the grandson-in-laws.

And now, her kids – Jim and Maureen. and me and Harv.

Jim and his big sis, Maureen.

Happy Birthday to Mom Z. and Brooklyn! We celebrated being 8 and being 88. It’s always fun celebrating a birthday and eating birthday cake!

 AND, Callie and I got her room finished!

I. Am. Tired!

by nebraskawheatie

So, in my last posting I told you I would be heading to Hutchinson, KS and then to Washington, DC. For anyone who thinks the last few days have been a vacation…I’d like to say YOU ARE SO WRONG (yes, I AM yelling)! The meeting in KS went well and it was great seeing the rest of the team (USCHI Board of Directors). It’s always good to get together with people from our industry when it’s not in a working atmosphere. Building relationships is the best thing a person could do for themselves – my thought any way. From KS, we flew to DC. We’ve had two FULL days of constant walking and talking on “the hill”.

To be honest with you, I was definitely not looking forward to this trip. I had fallen into the negative trap of “this isn’t going anywhere”, “they say they listen but they really don’t”, “you’re not making a difference”, etc. etc. However, we started yesterday morning and things just started falling into place. It went from one good thing to the next. Each one of those “good things” fell into place just as they were meant to. Contacts have been made and when it appeared that it would be hard, it got easy again. Today, we learned more and even got to visit with two members of Congress – Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown and Ohio Congressman Bob Gibbs. I shook hands with Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson last night. He happened to be in the same restaurant as we were in. It’s a BIG deal when you actually get to shake the hand of one of our elected officials and give them the opportunity to have a conversation with real people. It’s fun to see them and their staffers actually loosen up and they themselves turn into real people. I can only hope the time I and the others have sacrificed will make a difference for our organization and for agriculture. It definitely has not been a vacation. One of these days, I’m coming to DC to see some of the wonderful historic sites and will be staying away from the “hill”!

Looks like a few tax dollars are being spent on some repairs.

The Christmas tree in front of the Capitol.

Heading for our first appointment-ready to change the world 🙂

Inside the Cannon Building.

Railing inside one of the House buildings.

I feel so left out with my “dumb” phone!

Inside the Senate Hart Building.

Waiting…waiting…waiting

Senate offices in the Hart building.

We were able to poke our head in the Library of Congress on our way back to the hotel when our day was over. Beautiful!

Kansas ornament on the Christmas Tree in the Library of Congress. I couldn’t find Nebraska’s.

It wasn’t supposed to be like that.

by nebraskawheatie

Thanksgiving…a day of family, food and memories. That’s how it’s supposed to be!

Yesterday morning, Jim’s mom called me early to let me know she wasn’t going to be able to attend our Thanksgiving meal. She and I had talked the night before and I knew she wasn’t 100%. I could tell she was out of breath. Yesterday morning, though, she was a lot worse. Worse enough that I woke Jim up and told him he had to take her somewhere for help. He didn’t even argue with me. He got up, got dressed and called his sister. Here’s an instance of seeing how God works in our lives. Maureen (Jim’s sister) usually has a house full on Thanksgiving. Not this year. She had Thanksgiving on Sunday (a little weird, I thought) and wouldn’t be celebrating on Thursday. So, when Jim called her, she was able to drop everything and head to Omaha with him (without leaving food preparations and a house full of people). God is so good all the time!

Our meal was supposed to be ready at 12:30. It was placed on hold until further notice. Our crowd was slim as Jamie and Curt were in Kansas with Curt’s family. Jim wasn’t there and neither was his mom. So, those of us that were here just sat around the kitchen table and in the living room watching tv. The time seemed to drag. Once in a while Jim would call with an update. Finally, at 1:00, he said he’d be home at 2:00 to eat. The cooking began, once again. At 2:00, Jim called and said he didn’t feel like he could leave the hospital and we were to go ahead and eat without him. We said our grace and began feasting. It sure didn’t taste as good as it should have. As I was staring at my plate, I got to thinking about the previous years and it hit me – this was the first time in over 30 years that I hadn’t been sitting at the table on Thanksgiving with Jim. Weird. He was where he needed to be. We all missed him. He showed up – about 3:30 – with information about Grandma. She was in ICU and was resting but had a very tiresome day. Her Thanksgiving included a lot of poking, prodding and testing. The doctor diagnosed the shortness of breath was due to fluid built up around her heart and in her lungs (as a result of congestive heart failure). She was wore out from struggling for every breath she took. How often do we take that next breath for granted? All the time. Makes me want to take a DEEP breath right now!

(The girls in their after turkey coma state)

God prepared us for yesterday even before we realized why. Grandma is still in ICU but is resting more comfortably. Today, she was tired but thankful for the company she had throughout the day. I hope she rests well tonight and knows that God is watching over her. Thanksgiving wasn’t supposed to be like that. We were supposed to celebrate the day just like we have every other year…

A day full of thanks and giving

by nebraskawheatie

Today is one of those days that we can all sit around the table and give thanks for whatever we’re thankful for. My thanking would be way too long. What I’m most thankful for, though, is the time I have with my family – ALWAYS!  We’re not together like we used to be all the time so when we are, I never want it to end. My heart goes out to those of you who are missing family members today – and every day. The pain of not having them at your Thanksgiving table hurts.

Not going to write much today as I’m trying to get our feast prepared and I’m sure you have more things to do than look at the computer. So, I’m going to post two videos. The first one is Adam Sandler and his turkey song.  It will always be a tradition of ours simply because when we would go to Jim’s sister’s house for Thanksgiving, this is the one song we were guaranteed to hear on the radio. The lyrics are a little to be desired in places but that’s Mr. Sandler for ya! The other video is of Callie and one of her many songs that she “belts” out while playing her guitar. Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving!

The 2nd annual November campout

by nebraskawheatie

This all began last November. Harvest was over a little earlier than usual and we decided to go camping. “We” also included the Rathe’s and their trailer house. It was a perfect weekend and having the trailer house and it’s amenities (refrigerator, electricity, furnace, Mark’s cooking, etc.) made it even better.

Last week, we decided if it was going to take place this year, the past weekend was the only time we had before Jim started back to work and it got any colder. Seems like schedules are so hard to work around! The weather looked like it was still going to be fairly nice and there was no talk of moisture. Everyone was for it and the plans were made. Everyone, except the Rathe’s. They weren’t going to be able to go which meant no trailer house and none of Mark’s cooking.

We decided Waubonsie State Park near Hamburg, IA would be our destination. Jenna and I took off with the tents and a load of wood before everyone else late Friday afternoon. She and I got the tents set up just before Jamie, Taylor and Callie showed up. The sun was going down FAST! Everyone found a job to do and the campsite was finished being set up with the help of the van’s headlights. While the girls were putting the beds, etc. together, I got a fire started. Our new home had been created and the next step was a hotdog. Jim, Curt and Abe (the granddog) showed up shortly after 9:00. It was a good thing they trailed behind as I had forgotten a couple of necessary items – like my dutch oven.

We woke up on Saturday, got the fire started again and breakfast (bacon, eggs and pancakes) prepared. I had an enamel stock pot that remained on the fire grill constantly for hot chocolate. The day was beautiful for the middle of November – lower 60’s. Friday night’s low was probably 40 degrees or so. No one complained of being too cold but the fire sure felt good. The Nebraska/Penn State football game was tuned in on Curt’s pickup at 11:00. Jim and Curt didn’t move from their chairs…much. The girls and I took a little drive to nearby Sidney, IA. Later, Jamie and I went into the town of Hamburg to see if there were any antique stores. There was a store but it was getting re-stocked after being evacuated in May due to the Mighty Mo flooding. The owner very emotionally recalled the past five months of dealing with the flood waters and how it changed the course of the river and the people.

The rest of the day was spent around the campfire. A couple of times, Callie and Taylor entertained us with their lovely music via the guitar and ukulele. Their fingers would get too cold so it didn’t last very long (unfortunately). We tried to convince Curt to break out his harmonica but it didn’t happen. The day went into night fairly fast.

The second night was as nice as the first and no complaints of being cold. On Sunday morning, we fixed breakfast and decided it was time to go on a hike through the woods before packing up camp and heading for home.  We may be crazy for camping this time of the year but we’ve got to take advantage of these times when we can. We had a great time and I hated to see the weekend have to come to an end. We have decided, though, it will be an annual event and Curt volunteered to make the t-shirts. LOVE IT!

To see more pictures of the weekend, go to our Zeorian Harvesting & Trucking Facebook page.

Saturday morning in our tent.

Abe was constantly trying to rearrange our woodpile.

Warming up with hot chocolate and tea.

Most of the trees had no leaves so they made this one really stand out!

Jenna taking a catnap.

We didn’t see much of Taylor all weekend. She wasn’t feeling good and spent a lot of her time in the tent.

Saturday night – cooking by flashlight.

Sunday morning.

Sunday morning breakfast.

It was really cold standing on top of the bluff we hiked to.

The view from on top of the bluff. Most of this valley would have been under water this summer.

Jenna carrying through with her “jumping” posts. Nice hurdle, Jen!

Taking a break.

Tearing down camp. No more tent.

As quoted by our 34th President:

by nebraskawheatie

“Farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil and you’re a thousand miles from a corn field.”                                 Dwight D. Eisenhower (9/11/1956)

An opportunity to share our way of life.

by nebraskawheatie

A couple of years ago, Conrad Weaver with ConjoStudios contacted me regarding his dream of producing a documentary about the wheat harvest and the custom harvester. I LOVED the idea but “bucked” the idea of being a part of it. Mostly, because Jenna was already involved as a correspondent with the High Plains Journal and I was a member of the  U.S. Custom Harvesters board of directors. I was willing to give Conrad ideas and help him in any way I could but wasn’t comfortable with being in front of a camera. I feel EVERYONE has a story and ours isn’t any more unique than the next guy (or gal). I tried conveying this to Conrad and yet he continued saying he wanted our family involved.  I still wrestle with the fact that my involvement with USCHI and HPJ has been more than enough exposure for me and for my family and it’s someone else’s turn to share. However, last summer, we agreed to allow Conrad and his family to visit us on the road and film the harvest as it was happening at that time. Since then, Conrad has put together a “trailer” for the Wheat Harvest Movie – which I am proud to say I am a part of. It is my desire that every American know exactly where their food comes from (it’s not from the grocery store) and every step it takes to get it there. I wonder if most people realize that it takes nearly a year for that first load of wheat to be put in the bin of a combine? I wonder if they realize the process it takes from the beginning with the farmer preparing the land to planting and caring to the end with the harvest and the harvester? My hope is this documentary will educate and stir up an emotion within all who watch it. Everyone needs to understand just how precious this resource (agriculture) is to our country and to our people before it’s too late.

So, because of what I’m seeing this documentary evolving into, I can say I am proud of being involved and hope to do whatever it takes to make Conrad’s dream come true. I realize this 15 minutes of fame could quite possibly be my one and only time to vocally speak out about the lifestyle I love so very much! One day when I’m really old (and it’ll come way too soon), I’ll be able to say I tried rather than wishing I had tried! As I mentioned above, EVERYONE has a story – ours is no more unique than yours. Tell your story! Tell it loud so everyone can hear and be proud of that story! We’re here for a purpose. Discover what that purpose is and run with it!

Farmers/Ranchers…the next endangered species?

by nebraskawheatie

I’ve been trying to keep up with the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/USFarmersandRanchers). However, every time I go see what’s being talked about, I just get mad!

The following is MY opinion and MY opinion, only!

Why does it make me mad? Because there are a few people and a few anti-ag groups who speak up and, in turn, quiet the voices who SHOULD be talking – the farmer and the rancher. The farmer/rancher’s responses to the questions about food and animal production are oftentimes met with criticism and name calling. Once in a while, there will be enough positive ag comments from the farmer/rancher group the confidence level reveals  the truth.

So, this is what scares me. These food activists and anti-Ag groups will be the ones that will be heard by our congressional leaders. In turn, the governmental agencies who are there to “protect” us will make rules and regulations from behind their desks which will affect all agricultural businesses. We’re already seeing it with the EPA, the USDA and even the DOT. The American producer and supportive businesses simply will not be able to continue to abide by all of the ridiculous rules created by people who lack common sense.

The food activists will yell and scream that farmers are growing and selling unsafe food products, raising their animals in cruel ways, creating more dust than should be breathed, receiving more subsidies than they are entitled to, etc., etc. Do these people not realize that by generalizing all farmers/ranchers into one mold and making unfair accusations they are slowly digging a hole that really shouldn’t be dug? When the backbone of this country is forced from the farm and the ranch, we will be forced to look for our food elsewhere. We will be forced to import more of our food, leaving the safety issues behind. Will we really know how our food has been grown, fertilized, or harvested? We will be at the mercy of an unknown link in our food supply that could be dangerous to our country! When it reaches that point, those anti-Ag people will have created a monster too large to be stopped – the farmer/rancher will no longer be there to put the food on our tables.

What farmer/rancher really wants to grow unsafe food? damage the land that’s been in their family for five generations? abuse animals? The farmers/ranchers I know are in love with the land and their animals. Why would they do anything that would jeopardize their way of life and the lifestyle they love? The farmers/ranchers I know take care of what they have and do it in a way that most Americans don’t understand. How many other businesses do you know put in 12-15 hours (or longer) per day, seven days a week? Get up every two hours to check for new baby calves and bring them in the house if they need warmed? Suffer from drought, lose everything and continue the process all over again in HOPE of a good crop next year? The average American would NOT put their lives on the roulette table and risk everything like the farmer does.

I wish these food activists and anti-Ag groups would make an effort to visit more farms and ranches before they make such untrue and ridiculous accusations! I wish they would think about how their food gets to the grocery store shelves and eventually their tables before it’s too late. There are quite a few agricultural groups supporting the farmer/rancher who are trying to educate the American public. Unfortunately, I think they’re preaching to the choir! We’ve all got a story to tell and I challenge you to start telling that story! Don’t be afraid of the ones criticizing agriculture – speak up now and make them aware of the truth before it’s too late!

Here are a few links that are interesting to me:

http://nebraskafarmer.com/story.aspx?s=54218&c=9

http://usfraonline.org/

http://www.findourcommonground.com/

http://www.advocatesforag.com/

https://www.facebook.com/becomeafanofagriculture?ref=ts

http://www.agchat.org/

Time for a recipe (minus pictures)

by nebraskawheatie

I’ve just about got the cakes done! The layers have been put together and all I need to do is add the pretty “stuff” to the top. I think I’ll do that tomorrow. 11 cakes complete! When they’re all on the table looking beautiful, I’ll share a picture of them with you. This will happen on Saturday. I found one of my favorite Peach Pie recipes and wanted to share it with you. We’re slightly out of fresh peach season so print it off and save it for next summer 🙂

3/4 c. sugar

3 Tbsp flour

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

dash salt

dash nutmeg

Combine all the above ingredients and add to 5 cups sliced peaches. Pour peaches  into pie crust and dot with 2 Tbsp of butter/margarine. As I said in a previous pie recipe post, I use the cheap store brand pie shells which are pre-made, rolled and in a box.  Add the top crust, cut slits to allow the steam to escape. Bake 400 degrees for 40-45 mins. You may want to put aluminum foil around the edge of the pie to prevent the crust from burning.

The week is going to go by fast and I can’t wait to see everyone who’s coming to Jamie and Curt’s wedding reception. Pictures coming soon…

A sweet result of the Nebraska City trip

by nebraskawheatie

One of the reasons for stopping at the Union Orchard on our way home was to buy the girls a caramel apple. Once I was there, though, I really thought an apple pie sounded good. So, I went to the frozen section of the store and decided that spending $13 for a frozen pie was a little outrageous. Sometimes convenience is a good thing but not this time. Instead, I bought some of their #2 grade apples (with slight damage) at $.69 lb. I had a box of ready-made pie crust in the freezer and opted to put my own apple pie together.

I used to make my pie dough from scratch but after going to all the work of making a pie from scratch and then making the next one with the convenient crust and hearing Jim say he liked the second one better I thought, “well, hey, why go to all the work of making dough when he likes the ready-made one better”. So, I’ve been buying the cheap pie crusts from the dairy freezer ever since. One box equals one pie (top and bottom crusts) and I buy the cheap brand.

A couple more tips: Use a vegetable peeler to peel the apple. It works so much better than a knife and saves the fruit from being thrown away.

When putting the top and bottom crusts together, dampen the edge of the bottom crust before putting the top crust on. After the top is in place, work your way around the pie and pinch the two together before crimping the edge. My grandma gave me that tip.

Here’s my apple pie recipe – simple and GREAT!

6 cups sliced apples                                                  1 Tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 cup white sugar                                                  1 Tablespoon margarine

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

a pinch of nutmeg

1 Tablespoon cornstarch (maybe just a little more than a tablespoon)

Mix dry ingredients and toss with fruit. Add lemon juice and dot with margarine.  Brush top crust with milk and sprinkle cinnamon/sugar on top. Bake at 425 degrees for 50 – 60 minutes.