The diner was busy this morning. One of the ladies had pictures of her great-great-grandson. That is a noteworthy achievement. The vibrating phone was still a topic of interest.

Thursday was a brilliant blue sky harbinger of Spring type day. It was a pleasure to work without gloves. We still have manure to spread so we got started on it. At the end of the first load, the spreader plugged on a chunk of baleage. It took the rest of the afternoon to get it out. Spreaders can deal with some stuff like that but occasionally they plug.

The cattle luxuriated in the sun all day. Some of them will lay flat out and nap briefly.

The phone was ringing today with questions from potential cattle buyers. In the late afternoon a family from the western part of the state stopped on their way home from the Farm Show. They seemed to like the cattle.

Just before dark, I heard a noise on the lake and looked out. I thought it was a snowmobile but it turned out to be an air boat just like the ones you see in the Florida movies. Jim and I went over to the next town to pick up a prescription. While there we had a call from one of our all year neighbors. She had heard a big commotion on the opposite shore and went out to investigate.

Apparently the air boat had broken through the ice and couldn't get back on top of the ice. She was able to yell over to them and they said they were okay. She was rightfully concerned so she called me.

We came back from town and went down to her shore. The boat was roaring mightily but it was obvious it was stuck. We had to wait until it stopped roaring to yell out to the people. It would have been nice to have a bullhorn like the one the next lane uses for the Fourth of July lawn mower races. Jim suggested having them yell back their cell number. Where they were there are no houses or access to the shore for several thousand feet. The lake is probably a half mile wide there but you could hear because there are no other noises like road noise etc.

We got the cell number and called. They assured us that they were safe and just stuck with help on the way. They also indicated that they were in no immediate danger of dehydration since they had brought plenty of beverages with them.

We were glad everyone was okay and went back about our business. When we checked later we couldn't hear or see anything across the lake so we assume everything worked out. Clearly the summer folks miss an entire dimension of life on the lake. Last week the shovel thrower now this.

Tomorrow is my turn to go to the Farm Show.

We had had only two inches of snow or so for the entire month of February through Wednesday. It all changed on Thursday with a major lake effect storm. We received a good eighteen inches or so. I had to get out and plow three times in two days.

As usual, the cattle were oblivious to the whole thing. They just continue on with their daily wants of hay and water. I don't imagine a cow has much of an ability to look wistfully forward to the green grass months. We did our chores as usual and all was good.

It is interesting how the temperature can now be warmer than January but you feel colder. It must have something to do with anticipation or the height of the sun or some other phenomenon.

Saturday we went off to the dumpster at the Town Barn to get rid of our waste agricultural plastic bags. It was interesting to note that some outlying counties have a system to retrieve the material at the farm and bring it to a facility in our county 15 miles from here. Due to the normal Byzantine rules of bureaucracy, ours goes to the dump probably because we are too near to a recycling facility.

Sunday, we sold some cattle to the folks that have come by from time to time. They will be taking two heifers fairly soon. the other two are calves that will wait until they are weaned later this spring.

Nothing new on the shovel throwing incident. All appears calm and serene on that front. As the road's homeland security director during the winter, I am looking carefully for any strange vehicles or similar signs. I have seen none.

The diner crowd is biding their time waiting for Spring. This morning one of the regulars was fascinated to discover that his cell phone could be set to vibrate when called. This is the same fella that fell out of his canoe in his garage. It shows that technology hasn't quite overtaken our world just yet.

Jim and I are in need of a haircut. Hopefully we will soon be able to catch up with the only local businessman who stands behind his work.

Tuesday was a full day. The snow cover is mostly gone for now and the continued cold has frozen the ground solid. Manure piles on the other hand don't freeze very much. So we took out the spreader and spread lots of manure. It's great to get it done without leaving ruts.

We went over to Verne's in the afternoon. Between us, we have 6 young bulls over at his farm that are getting mature enough to need to be segregated from the heifers. So we weighed them and moved them over here. We also brought over a steer that we have been fattening. He'll stay here until we can get him scheduled. With all the talk about eating local, an important step in the process has slowly been fading away and that is the slaughterhouse. We need to go 75 miles one way to get a USDA facility.

We often speak of the idyllic rural tranquility of our road. Today was not tranquil. There was a big burst of activity around noon. Some criminal type with some type of issue with a former summer resident decided to come down and vandalize his house. He actually picked the wrong house. The house he chose was occupied by one of the all year residents taking a shower. The perpetrator wasn't familiar with our icy road and managed to drive off the road as he was leaving the scene. The sheriffs men arrived soon after and dealt with him hopefully severely.

He was driving a car like you would see on the Sopranos. One of our summer residents from New Jersey is here this week. I asked if they had brought a Jersey mobster with them. The car left on a tow truck so wherever he is from, he might have transportation issues.

This past week has been a quiet one. We had our visitor from eastern New York. He seemed to like our animals. His boss from New York called the next day. He had had good reports on our operation. In talking with him, I had the germ of a new business idea. There seems to be a bit of a need for a person to consult with folks setting up a farm for the first time. There clearly are people getting into farming who view it as an opportunity for a variety of reasons. They don't have the benefit of a farm background to get them started. Since I have built my farm from scratch, I have a good idea of what it takes.

The weather has been quite calm. Almost every day has been blue sky and high 20's. The cattle have been just hanging out.

We put an ad online in the oxen community for Peter our steer. We have gotten an amazing number of calls. We have also learned something very important about oxen. They are supposed to have horns. Peter's were removed before we got him.

Historically, the horns kept the yoke in place when pulling a cart downhill. In modern times, they are just part of the look. So for now all thoughts of Peter leading an idyllic life in New England with other oxen seem to be on hold.

Over the weekend, both Jim and I had a good case of the flu. It was no fun doing chores but they need to be done. We are both on the mend now so I'm hopeful that we have seen the end of it.

Last evening, the folks who have come over a few times from the next county called to say they want to buy some animals. His brother raises hogs so a sideline is that I ordered half a hog from him. They are coming Saturday to place their order. Another party from Western New York is coming the following Saturday. Prospects look favorable at the moment.

Thursday was about the most unlikely day ever to try out a manure spreader. As promised, the dealer was there with the factory man to show us all the important features. It's pretty hard to focus on the salient features of a spreader at 0 degrees even if the sun is out. We got a few loads into it and it performed quite well. The tractor hooked to the spreader has a full cab with a heater and radio and about anything else except a cup holder. The tractor we use to load the spreader has no cab. I loaded.

We agreed to keep it and parked it waiting for better weather. We are starting to prepare for this years calves. We pretty much know when to expect the ones from AI; one week minus nine months. The ones that the bull participated in are more of an unknown.

The road has become pure glare ice almost of ice skating quality. Our fleet can handle a lot but we have nothing for ice. About the best we can do is hope for a sunny day and drive up and down in the big tractor and hope it roughens it up enough for a little traction.

Jim was off on Friday to visit his sister at college in Nashville. He called from the airport to say that the plane was changed from going to Atlanta to Cincinnati. I reminded him that I was born there. We moved away when I was one so I don't have well defined memories.

Later, he called to say he was in Detroit instead of Cincy. He did eventually make it Nashville and only a few hours late.

Saturday the weather was better and a friend helped me spread manure. The spreader worked exceedingly well. After we were done, I wondered if we should have left a path for the snowmobilers. We were also able to set up another maternity pen in the coverall barn.

Jim made it back late Sunday and this time by way of Cincinnati. I think he had chili on top of spaghetti at the airport which is a big thing there. I did a lot of book work to get ready for tax season. It is surprising how much paperwork is required for even a small farm our size.

Monday was another good day. The check came from our calf that was auctioned in Denver. It's always nice to get a check.

It's now daylight until at least six. Today was mid 30's and sun. I moved a bunch of round bales out of the fields onto the gravel pad near the barn. They are talking a big thaw later this week and there is no need of rutting up the field.

The phone has continued to ring. I had a call from the Eastern part of the state about our Lowlines. Hopefully, those folks will be out Wednesday to look over our cattle. They are apparently interested in buying some animals to raise and eventually slaughter Kosher. I assured him that he wouldn't be disappointed if he drives out here.

Tonight is my monthly County Fire meeting. I am on a committee preparing a report on the utilization of our county fire departments. At the moment, I am frustrated by the quality of the data we have. Hopefully that will change tonight.

Jim had Monday off because of last weeks snow day. This appears confusing and it is. He is a senior and had an exam scheduled on the snow day. It was pushed back a day. The under class folks still had tests to take and that caused a holiday on Monday for seniors. Whatever the reason, it is always good when he is home. He really knows his way around the animals and equipment.

We moved some hay in the barn to make room to create some additional calving pens. We are expecting about 25 calves later this spring so it is time to start getting ready. I much prefer that they calve in the barn.

We stopped at our local farm supply /welding shop to have some pins made that hold our pen panels together. Then we dropped off our fencer at a friends to be checked out. He and his family have been on the same farm for over one hundred years. That is quite an accomplishment. He still has a dairy herd of mostly Jersey cows just like you'd see in a Norman Rockwell painting.

When we got home, we finished chores and mailed out the tail hair samples. The farm equipment dealer brought out a replacement manure spreader for us to try. Jim hooked it up and I put in a test load. It worked quite well but we decided to see what other options we might have. The dealer agreed to bring a different brand later in the week for us to try.

Tuesday, we got right into pen cleaning. It was a bright sunny day but quite cold. We took out seven loads of manure and spread it on soy bean fields. By the end of the afternoon quite cold had become very cold and we were glad to be done. As usual, the cattle didn't seem to mind.

A few weeks ago, a family had brought their three young sons down and were talking about buying some cattle. They called and asked to come down again. So while we spread, they all walked around and looked at the cattle. The man's brother is an Operating Engineer as I was until I retired. I was in for 27 years and he is just 8 years now so our paths hadn't crossed on the job. He raises hogs and we got into a discussion about them and learned quite a bit.

I talked more with his brother about cattle but they are not quite ready yet. I gave him a beltie steak to try.

Tuesday night was our monthly fire department meeting. Everything is going well so it was a short meeting.

Wednesday, I went up to the diner first thing. Mid winter doldrums there and no big topics to resolve. One of the guys is getting his new teeth fitted so that's about the biggest news there. It was the coldest morning so far this year, minus 3 at 7AM.

After chores, I called up a friend and asked him if he wanted to ride over to the next county to pick up some feed supplies. He said he was going to take a nap but my invitation sounded pretty good. So off we went to the feed mill. He has never met a person yet that he doesn't like to engage in conversation. So it took quite a while to get the feed. We were quite chilly by then and I told him about a winery just down the road from the mill.

They offer samples so we were able to warm up. Then he started chatting up the owner about all the ins and outs of wine. By the time we were on the way, we had each bought a few bottles to bring home. When I got back, Jim had just come home and we put out the minerals for the young stock.

On the way back, the hog owning brother from yesterday called to say he'd left some pork on the tractor seat for us to try. There was no danger of it thawing any time soon as it was about 5 degrees when we picked it up and brought it down to the house. We have managed to meet and speak with some exceptionally nice people since we started our farm. That's a real dividend as far as I am concerned.

In the evening, I had a lengthy chat with a woman from a couple of hours west. She has no cattle and is interested in getting some. I was able to put her in touch with a customer from last year who lives about a half hour from her. I also suggested that she come down here and I'd show her what we have to offer. A lot of people have been calling and emailing, I guess that's another sign of Spring.