Giving Thanks!

~ "Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it." - William Arthur Ward

The past several days have proved to be very busy!  We had our traditional Fitzgerald Thanksgiving Dinner, dinner with my husbands family, my Aunt and her boys as house guests for three nights, a little "Black Friday" shopping and a few shifts managing the herd of 1000 Holsteins.  I actually am having a great Monday - sometimes the daily grind is welcome!

In thinking of Thanksgiving and the true meaning (no it's not all about pumpkin pie, deer hunting and football) I was reminded that Thanksgiving is a celebration of the years harvest.  While it is easy to be thankful for those things which are most important in our lives like family, friends, health, etc. do we really take time to be thankful for those who provide food for our country?  I am truly grateful to be a part of an industry that does just that. 

Thank you to all my fellow farmers who take great care of our Earth while growing great crops to feed our country and provide for our animals.  From the turkey farmer to the cranberry farmer and the pumpkin grower to the grain farmer - my deepest appreciation for all your hard work!

~ "Thanksgiving, after all, is a word of action." - W. J. Cameron

Our Tin Roof....Rusted!!

 The B-52's had a hit song in 1990 entitled "Love Shack" that featured the lyrics "Your what?  Tin Roof Rusted".  I had that song in my head this past week as we worked on replacing the tin on the roof of our oldest freestall barn.  This barn was built in 1997 and after just 13 years needed to be replaced due to major holes rusting through.

Diamond Doors out of Kiel, WI was the contractor that did the work for us.  The project went very smoothly - although the cows seemed a bit excited for the first day of the project.  Instead of laying down and chillaxing like we prefer them, they were up and about as if to be checking out the crew! 

For those of you who know our family, the fella on the ground to the left of the boom is my uncle Kevin Fitzgerald who works for Diamond Doors.  It was great having him on the farm for the week!

These guys have a great system in place for getting these jobs done.  According to Kevin, they are all glad the job is complete becuase due to the constant bending they were all pretty sore at night.

To prevent this roof from rusting, we added some insullation to the roof before putting the new tin on.  I suppose over the next few years we'll have to do the same thing on the barns that were built in 2000 and 2005. 

Rock On!!!

As I look through my photos from the farm, hoping for inspiration for my next post, I came across this one.  It is by far my ALL TIME FAVORITE!

So a few years back, late in fall, our mechanic, Tyler, was out plowing the field with the "Zone Commander".  (As a side note, I LOVE the names for tillage equipment - like "Dominator" , "Zone Commander" or in general terms, "Rippers" - real though guys stuff!!)

I got the phone call back at the farm to bring an assortment of tools out to the field in order to replace some 3/4" sheer bolts.  As Tyler tells the story, he was proceeding along on auto-steer (sleeping I suspect) when all of a sudden the tractor bogged down.  He looked back only to see a huge piece of Earth rise and fall.  This is what surfaced.

It's a cool rock and I have a dream to have a "Soaring Eagle" carved into it and then parking it in front of the dairy as a landscaping piece.

I have to wonder, back in the 1930's when Grandpa John started farming, how would they handle such a thing?  I guess the walk behind plow and pair of horses never got deep enough to dig one of these bad boys up!!

Stuffed Tenderloin - Mmmm, Mmmm Good!!

Last week I made one of my families favorite recipies and thought I'd share it with all of you.  I admit to NEVER having steak when we go out for dinner - I much prefer chicken and fish, however this recipe can't be topped.  I have to give props to my uncle, Paul Hintz who originally shared the recipe with me. 

Stuffed Tenderloin

1 whole, trimmed tenderloin
1 lb. bacon
4 cloves garlic
1 medium onion - chopped
2 c. mozzerella cheese
1 can mushrooms
cooking wine
steak seasoning (I use Lowry's)





In a pan, fry 4 slices of bacon cut in 1/2 pieces.  When nearly crisp add onions, mushrooms, garlic wine and seasoning.  Cook until liquids evaporate.

Filet the tenderloin to make a pocket. 
















Season and stuff with ingredients in the pan.  Top with mozzerella cheese.


















Fold pocket closed and wrap with bacon.  Secure pocket closed and bacon to the loin with toothpicks.  (This is the tricky part - I usually end up using 15 or more toothpicks. Sometimes a glass of wine for the cook helps!)









Sear the loin in the pan you used earlier. 










Wrap in aluminum foil and place on broiler pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes.  I usually cut into the thickest part to determine the meat is done to our liking (medium rare).  Open foil on top and place under the broiler to crisp the bacon to your liking.

 Enjoy (preferably with a nice glass of Merlot!)!!

If any of you try this recipe I'd love to hear what you think.  I don't claim to be an expert cook, but I do know good food.







The best part of this recipe is it includes two products that our farm producess - beef and dairy!

Boo!!

As is tradition, the kiddies made a trip to Granny and Gramps house for some goodies on Halloween.  And like the past several years, the kiddies approached the front door with fear and trepidation.  Let me explain why...

About 4 years ago, Granny decided it would be funny to replace the scarecrow on the front porch with herself dressed as a scarecrow!  You can only imagine the screams and howls that came from her 5 grandchildren when the "scarecrow" came to life!  Since then we've had to coax some of the younger ones to actually go up to the front door.

Last year, Gramps freaked the kids out a bit as the Headless Horseman.

So as not to disappoint them (us), this year the spook continued.  It started with our phone call to see if they were home.  A very creepy voice said "We're waiting for you..."  Upon arriving, there was some sort of howling going on as if to remind us that Grandma and Grandpa aren't completely normal.  When no one answered the door, we walked in - only to be spooked by this fella who shook and wailed.

Then just a few steps into the house, this creature appeared:

"Granny?  Is that you?  What happened to your teeth and why is your eyeball falling out of the socket?"

A trip downstairs and we found Gramps in costume too!  Here's a picture of the whole crew!

I have reminded Granny and Gramps that as the kiddies get older, I suspect the tables will turn and the spookers will become the spookies.  As the old saying goes, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree!