New Ride!

This farm girl has got a new set of wheels! Beings that I am a farm girl now, I needed something that was a little higher off the ground and would do a little bit better in the winter time.  Here is the new farm girl vehicle...

Farm Girl Tip # 117: If you are a farm girl, you need a vehicle like this! :)

The Joys of Having Cattle

Because we have cattle on the farm, there is a risk we take every single day that some cows might be out.  Well this risk happened every day for 2 days straight, and I happened to be home for one of those days.

Logan went out to go do chores in the morning and after feeding, let all of the new cattle he had bought a few days earlier,  out on cornstalks.  Within about 20 minutes, all of these new cattle had broken through the hotwire and were scattered all over the farm.  Logan calls me and says to get some warm clothes on, come outside, and hop on a four wheeler to help him.

I do as I am told and help him get the cattle back in.  Logan fixes the fence, comes inside and tells me that we need to go to Aberdeen.  He tells me that he is nervous to leave because he is afraid the cattle will get out again. Well we go to Aberdeen to get gates and what not.  Logan gets a text from his hired man saying that all of the cattle are out again.  We hurry home, get the cattle back in, fix the fence and wait.  10 minutes later, they are out again.  This happens over and over and over until Logan feeds them, they get full, and lay down.  

This happened for 2 days, but each time one would break the hotwire and get out, it would get moved back into the lots.  This seemed to solve the problem, and there are no longer any cattle getting out!   THANK GOODNESS!!

Here I am freezing my toosh off and being a farm girl!

Farm Girl Tip #116: If you are home and you have cattle, be prepared to bundle up and put the cattle back in because they will probably all get out!

'Tis The Season

'Tis the season for.........................MICE!

We have had a few of these little creatures sneak into our new house! It has been really disgusting, but we have since sealed up every little crack, so hopefully they will stay out! 

I was cleaning the basement the other day when I noticed mice poop all over a sheet we had covering some things in the basement.  Logan and I grabbed the sticky traps, set them up, and waited for a mouse to get stuck.  Sure enough, I went down the next day and a little creature had been caught. I hope this is the last mouse I see in this house for a loong time!!

Farm Girl Tip #115: If you think that you will get rid of your mice problem by burning down your house and building a new one...you are wrong.  These little buggers will still find a way to get into your nice warm house! 

Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays to all of my blog readers! It is Christmas at the Clemensen household! The tree was put up a few weeks ago, and the stockings were hung.  Everything looks so nice in this new house! :)

** We did have to get a new tree because the one from the old house had mice remains in it....BARF!!  (I WAS NOT going to let that be into my house!)

Farm Girl Tip #114: Happy Holidays to all of you!

It's A Girl!

My pink baby is home!  She and all of the others were being fed in the lots, but have since moved out to the cornstalks where they have to get exercise and go find their food.  She loves to see me when I come out to see her! I am going to buy her a pink collar and a pink leash and take her on walks.  She can sleep in my nice warm garage with Josie! They will be best friends!!

Farm Girl Tip #113: If you have a cow with pink ear tags that doesn't work out for you, just get a new one! This one really loves me!

This View Though...

I was sitting at home one afternoon when I looked out the window and realized what an amazing view I have right from my front window.  With the snow, the cattle being home, and the Crandall hills off in the distance...what view could be any better than this?! (Well actually I can think of a few....a sandy beach by the ocean...the mountains....but this view is still pretty awesome!)

And then there are days that you have a view like this...

A Mama out in my front yard, roaming around just looking for something to eat.  Until farmer Logan puts her back in, she will continue to roam around the front yard, looking for something to eat.

Farm Girl Tip #112: I've learned from my 3 years on the farm that you will have days where the view is gorgeous, and you will have days when you look out your window and see a cow in your front lawn.  I guess you just get used to it! 

Undergrad Career √

I have finished my undergraduate career as of 11/14/14.  I am officially DONE! (Until graduation of course)  It is such a great feeling to finally be done with school! All of my hard work the past 4 ½ years has finally payed off!!

My parents are so proud! 

Farm Girl Tip #111: You CAN do anything you put your mind to! It may take some blood, sweat, and tears...(well maybe not blood in my case...) BUT you CAN and WILL overcome all of those roadblocks and it will pay off on days like today!!

Winter Has Arrived

Winter has arrived all over South Dakota, and the farm has a nice white coat!  It is so nice to look outside the window and see SNOW! Although I don't necessarily like the cold, I really do love snow!  Hence why I am having a winter wedding! :)

Farm Girl Tip #110: Even if you don't like the snow, enjoy every day that passes! See the beauty in each and every day!  You sure do see the beauty every day out on the farm!

Bringing the Mama's Home

About a month ago, we brought all of the Mama heifers/cows home.  The event took place on a Sunday, so I was a lucky farm girl and got to help!!  We had a cattle pot and a stock trailer hooked up to bring everything home.  My job was to stand towards the back of the cattle pot and keep the cattle moving if they decided to stop.  I had to give them a little hit on the butt and say "C'mon girls, Let's go."  My job was pretty important and there was no way they could have got the cattle home without me!

All in all it was a good day and it is always nice to have cattle back around the farm!

Farm Girl Tip #109: If you help bring cattle back home, make sure you request the job of "keeping the cattle moving when you bring them home." It is the best job of all! 

Farming At It's Best

When I was home this weekend visiting my wonderful fiancé, I was able to ride along in the combine and in the trucks to dump corn as they were harvesting!  Friday night and Saturday afternoon I went out to join Logan and keep him company in the combine.  I always enjoy corn harvest because it is much more exciting than bean harvest, and it is just so relaxing!

(Don't look down at the corn in this picture, or you might get dizzy.  This is what type of quality you get when you take a picture in a moving combine.)

The guys were going to take the day off on Sunday, just because they had been working had all week long.  Well, Logan informed me on Sunday morning that they were going to do a little family picking.  Logan's dad, Roger, was going to run the combine, his mom, Michelle, was going to run the grain cart, and he was going to dump trucks.  So of course, since I will be in the family soon enough, I rode along and helped Logan dump.  

As we were driving back to the field after dumping one load, Logan got a text that said one of the bulls was out.  A few choice words may have been said, and when we got back to the field with the truck, we jumped in the pick-up and headed over to where the bulls are at.  Once we got there, sure enough, there was a bull standing right in the middle of the yard outside of the fence.  Logan decided that we were going to try and get this bull into the barn and lock him in there so he can't get out again.  After multiple tries, we had to go to plan B.  Logan went and opened up a gate for the bull to go into.  As he was pushing the bull into the designated area with the pickup, I am running to close the gate behind them so the bull doesn't come back out. I meet Logan and the bull in the new area and Logan tells me I need to get in the pickup and drive back and forth so the bull stays cornered as he opens another gate.  I do as I am told and keep the bull where he is supposed to stay.  Logan opens the gate, and the bull walks right in where we want him to go.  We locked him up and made sure there was no way he could get out.  And that, Ladies and Gentleman, is how you put a bull back where they are supposed to be. 

Farm Girl Tip #107: I've said this once and I will say it again, if you ever get the chance to ride along in a combine during corn harvest, DO IT! You will not regret it!!

Farm Girl Tip #108: Always know that when you go out to do something, (like ride along in the trucks to dump corn) you will MOST LIKELY have to stop what you are doing to do something more important (like put a bull back in!!)  

***I should have known that this was going to happen...I think I've written about something like this before! I guess I don't take my own Farm Girl Tips into consideration!)

Garage Progress

I came home on Friday afternoon to find that our garage has been started! It is in its first stages, but we should have a garage for our vehicles to stay warm this winter!!

Farm Girl Tip #106: You never know what you will find when you come home for the weekend! In this case...a garage being built!

Shoot The Skunk

Living out on a farm, you never really know what kind of animal you may see outside roaming your yard.  Tonight, it was a skunk! 

As I was loading up my car to head back home for the week, Logan was standing outside on the concrete pad of the garage.  As I started to walk over to him to say goodbye, he stopped and said, LOOK!  I turned around, looked around, and finally saw a little skunk roaming around out in the hay yard.  When I turned around to talk to Logan again, he was already inside getting his shotgun.  So I waited as he ran back outside and over to the hay yard, took a couple shots at the skunk and killed it.  Like I said...you never know what you might find roaming your yard!!

In the picture you can see Logan going around the hay stack because the skunk was in-between some of the bales that are behind that big pile of hay.  Good thing he didn't get sprayed!! ;)

Farm Girl Tip # 105: If you are getting ready to leave and you hear someone say, "LOOK!"  Don't panic, it is probably just a skunk in your yard!

Bridal Shower #1

Yes, it is that time already for bridal showers! Most of you are probably with me that it feels like Logan and I just got engaged a few months ago! BUT...we are only a few months away from the big day! 

Last weekend was my first bridal shower in Brentford.  I was welcomed into the community with the help of family, friends, and community members.  It was a wonderful day to celebrate our upcoming marriage!  Thank you to everyone who came and showered Logan and I with gifts! :)

Here are a few photos from that day.

Many family members were able to come back to help me celebrate!!

And of course, we can't forget to show Logan with his favorite new gift......a waffle maker!!

Farm Girl Tip # 104: Logan and I are so grateful to have so many wonderful people in our lives! The kindness and generosity of people was definitely seen during this bridal shower! 

Country Birthday Present

My birthday was in July, and right before my birthday I had found out that my favorite country music group, Florida Georgia Line and Jason Aldean, would be playing at the new Denny Premiere Sanford Center in Sioux Falls!  This was the one and only thing I wanted for my birthday.  Well guess what I got for my birthday! Tickets!!

The show was a few weeks ago, and it was awesome! The new Premiere Center is unbelievable.  If you ever get the chance to go there, go! It is almost comparable to the Target Center in Minneapolis! It is huge!!  And for the music, Florida Georgia Line never disappoints, and Jason Aldean knows how to put on a good show!

Here are a few pictures from the event!

Florida Georgia Line:

 Jason Aldean:

Farm Girl Tip #103: Tickets to your favorite country music group is a GREAT birthday present!! (Hint Hint to whoever wants to buy me a birthday present next year!)

Big Black Babies

As I promised, here is my post on the new members of the farm....the big black babies!! (Calves.... :) ) 

They are home and boy, are they loud.  They really miss their mama's and they would really like to be back with them and they sure let us know!!  Unfortunately, they get to stay here, enjoy being together, and spending some time with us.  They also really enjoy the big piles of hay and corn they get each morning! It is their favorite meal!!

Here are a few pictures of the not so little babies....

Farm Girl Tip # 102: When you are used to living in the city during the week with nothing but other houses around, it is a little different to come home to noisy animals surrounding  your house!!

Fall Business

Well, summer has come to a close and fall is here! I am busy with my final student teaching semester in Watertown, finishing up with my undergraduate degree in December! I have also spent about every night working on wedding things with my mom! That wedding will be here before you know it, and our To Do list keeps getting longer and longer!!

I just wanted to pop in and tell all of you that some of the calves came home on Monday! So be prepared for a new blog post this weekend all about the calves! 

If you remember from last year, when we brought the calves home, they got out twice and were roaming the county! They have only been home for 2 days, and nothing has happened yet! I told Logan that he needs to keep the place locked down, because farm-girl Megan is not there to help out when they DO escape!! (Lets hope he listens to me and DOES lock the place down!!) It is always bad news bears when the calves get out and roam around!! 

So until this weekend, have a GREAT rest of the week!!

It's HERE!!

Wow! Have I been busy or what!! Our house finally came on August 12! Since then I have been moving in, attending the Brown County Fair, and starting school! It has been a very busy last few weeks, but we are now all settled in our new house! (For the most part) 

If you are on my Facebook page, you have seen all of the pictures of house moving day! It was a very exciting day all around.  Our house was welcomed by many friends and family! For Logan and I, it was a dream come true! After living in a mold infested, mice infested, and ceilings cracking above your head kind of house, this was a welcome change! We are so blessed to be living in our dream house! 

Here are a few pictures from the house moving day!

Thanks to my mom, here is our house starting the trek from the Steinmentz lot to our farm!

Here she is getting ready to turn onto our road!

It's almost to our house!

We are SO excited!!

Here is our house, beautiful as ever, right here on the farm!

Farm Girl Tip #101: As I sit and write this post, looking out my big window at the corn field and Crandall hills, I realize how blessed I am to have such wonderful people in my life who support the new addition to the farm and to our lives! 

Happy End of Summer

Wow!! This summer seems to have come and gone with it being August in a few days! I have been super busy with the house and wedding.  Our house is scheduled to move in a week and a half and should be done by the end of this week! It really is coming together and I cannot wait for it to be on the farm!! Here's a look at the kitchen! 

I have also spent a few weeks at home working on wedding decorations! It is only July, yes, but this fall is going to go way to fast to get all of this stuff done! I would give you a few sneak peek pictures......buuuuut......I think I will keep it a surprise!! :) You will just have to wait until the wedding!!

Farm Girl Tip #100: I hope you enjoy being in wedding decoration suspense!! Happy rest of the summer!!

Cutting Alfalfa

I haven't posted much lately for two reasons.  One- I have been on vacation, and Two- there really is not a whole heck of a lot going on.

However, right before we left for vacation I had quite an exciting job....cutting alfalfa for the first time!!

I was in Watertown for the day, taking the dogs to the kennel and spending some quality time with my mom.  Right after I had dropped the dogs off, my mom and I had to run a few errands before I headed back home.  While we were out, Logan called and told me he had no help for the rest of the night and that he had to cut, rake, and bale.  In the back of my mind I was thinking, there is no way he is going to be able to get all of this done before we leave! So..the nice person I am..offered to help, and Logan took me up on this!  So I dropped my mom off at home, headed back west, and an hour later I was out cutting alfalfa.

Farm Girl Tip # 99: If you offer to help out on the farm, expect to be put to work.  You just never know what you may get yourself into!! (Although I really didn't mind this job at all!!)

Peace and Freedom

My family and I spent the 4th of July week at Pickerel Lake staying in a cabin, fishing, being on the water, being with family and friends, and enjoying fireworks.  While we were here, we met a man who has experienced more than anyone could ever experience in their lifetime.  

This man was an 80 year old man who's name was Claus.  Claus came from Germany and carries an interesting story.  When Claus was 10 years old, a Nazi soldier came to his families door, asked if Claus was there, and took him to a Hitler youth camp to be a Youth Nazi.  Claus and many other 10 year old boys gathered at this camp and cried for a week because they missed their families.  The young boys were handed a gun and began training to become Nazi soldiers and to learn everything that Hitler had wanted his empire to become.  

One day towards the end of the war, Claus had seen Eisenhower and his army coming to "rescue him" by trying to destroy Hitler's empire.  Claus had seen all of this happen right before his eyes and told himself that one day he wanted to be like Eisenhower.  After the war was over, Claus went back to his home where the Nazi soldier had come to take him and found his house to be nonexistent and his parents living in a fox hole.  This is when Claus decided that he would move to the United States.  

Claus had a family member who lived in Salem, SD and that family member was willing to take Claus in and sponsor him.  At 19, Claus made his move to the United States.  Knowing no English, this was a very hard time.  After moving to the United States, Claus served in the Korean War under his Commander in Chief, who he had seen not too many years earlier, Eisenhower.  Claus created a great life for himself and his family, and still goes back to Germany every two years to visit his family.  The part that struck me with this man was when he pointed out his American Flag.

Claus flies his American Flag every single day because it is the only flag in the entire world that stands for Peace and Freedom.  When Claus lived in Germany there was no such thing as Peace and Freedom.  Living in the United States, you are given Peace and Freedom every single day of your life.  It is something that us as Americans take for granted because we know no different. Claus had become a youth Nazi at age 10, found his house destroyed and his family gone.  Claus never knew peace and freedom until he came to the United States.  It really made me think about what I have and how lucky I am to have what I have.  

Farm Girl Tip # 98: Do you appreciate what you have?  Peace and freedom. I am proud to say that I am an American!

Busy Busy Busy

Wow! It has been a busy summer and it's already half way over! So sad to think about!! It has been a little over a month since I have posted so let me update you on the house! We have tore the old house down, dug a new basement, poured walls, filled in around the house, and visited our new house being built!  It has been so busy that I haven't really had time to post anything!

Here are a few pictures of everything that has been going on!

Here is the basement completely dug.

Pouring the forms for the basement.

Concrete trucks in my yard.  This was not the only thing--we had bobcats, backhoes, vehicles.  You name it, we probably have had it! My potatoes in my garden even got run over from all of the vehicles! :(

Wall frames leaning against the basement.  Need to be put up straight and poured.

Pouring the basement walls and foundation.

Garage--ready for the floors to be poured.

Logan and I standing in front of our new house!

The inside of our house.  Tile floor is done. Working on trim work.

Laundry room counters and cabinets done!

Kitchen cabinets, counters, and island ready to be installed.

So there you go! It sure is coming along quite well! Like I said before, lots is happening and it is a very busy but exciting time!

  

Light 'Er Up

I know some of you have been waiting for this post all day today, so here it is!!

Today marks the day we destroyed the old house.  Just a little background--this house was built in 1905 and it was added onto twice.  That means the actual house was 109 years old!!

  It all started at 9:30 this morning when the tree removal crew hopped into their machines and started destroying the house.  They ran one backhoe to demolish the house.  They started on one side of the house in the middle and pushed the walls in.  They then moved to the other side of the house and pushed in the middle on that side.  Then they moved to each corner of the house and eventually the roof caved in.  I've never seen a house destroyed before, but this was the way to do it.  There was no need to just go right for the roof, but to start in the middle and work out towards the corners and the roof will just fall in on its own. 

Let me tell you...when they were tearing the house down, I questioned myself as to how I lived in this place for a year----it DEFINITELY was true love!!  The asbestos, dirt, dust, mold, and MICE was just unreal!  When the ceiling fell down, it was amazing
at how dirty the insulation was.  We figured most of this dirt was from the dirty 30's that got trapped in the house.  It was really mind-blowing as to how much dirt was in this house!!

After the entire house was demolished, Shay (Logan's brother), Roger (Logan's dad), and a fireman threw a few matches on the house.  The house lit up, and really did not take long to burn down.  109 year old wood burns pretty fast!! 

It was kind of sad to see this house go because it has always been the farm house, the house Roger's grew up in, and mine and Logan's first house, but we know that the road ahead of us holds so much more than we can even imagine.  The new house will be here before we know it and there are great memories to be made in the new house, just like the memories made in this house.

**So now that my sentimental speech is done, we can get to the pictures.  I took about 50 pictures and a few videos, so here are the highlights from the day!

Farm Girl Tip #97: When you are ready to burn down your house, call everyone you know! Everyone loves to see a nice fire...and mice run!