I can't believe it is almost Christmas ! Can you ? Where did the year go ? It has been such an eventful year for us . To start off we made the decision to sell the dairy cows. We sold them on Friday , May 13 , 2011 . It was a sad day for us to see our the cows leave . To be sold to someone else. I still wonder how some of our favorite cows are doing ? Did they have a heifer or a bull ? are they giving lots of milk ? Are they doing well in their new barns ? It was the right decision to sell the cows. It was the right time. Dairy farming is such a hard life in many ways. There are many wonderful things about farming, but it is hard on your body and sometimes your spirits . It can be very stressful . Worrying about paying the bills , the health of your cows , your own health and more. So many people have remarked how much my husband has changed since we sold the cows. He is so much less stressed and seems so much happier. I know he loved farming and being his own boss. He had to adjust to working for someone else . He has adjusted to working for the Township. Except the funny part is that he now gets up earlier for work than he did when we had the dairy cows ! We both seemed to have adjusted to living a different way of life. We still crop farm and still have some heifers and calves. So we haven't left farming completely. Which is good.
In August , when we were the Centre County Grange Fair we received ( finally !! ) our Century Farm Certificate . Also at the Fair my Dad had a stroke . We spent most of the rest of the Fair at the hospital . Luckily , it was a mild stroke. It seemed to only affect his eyes and his left arm and hand. ( He already had a weak left hand from an accident with a table saw 25 years ago . He almost cut off his whole hand . It was amazing how they fixed his hand up and he was able to use it .) He was in the hospital and then rehab. He came home and was doing very well. But then he had to have an operation on a blocked artery at the end of September and it did not go well. Then he had many complications with the surgery . He was in the hospital for almost 3 weeks. He went to rehab again. Now he has been at home with my Mom . He has done very well physically . But mentally he has some problems. He can't figure out the computer anymore. He has trouble with dressing himself. He still has weakness in his left hand and arm. Hopefully , that will get better. He is a very strong person, super smart and has done so much with his life , that it is hard sometimes to see him all confused and not able to do things himself.
After Dad's stroke a lot of our family came up from Florida to visit. It was WONDERFUL ! It was the first time in years all my three brother's and I were together. I know it was so special for Mom and Dad to have us all there. Of course we had lots of picnics and lots of good times !
It has been a sometimes hectic ... sometimes long ... sometimes sad ... sometimes such special times that you cry year that I won't forget for a long time !
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