Family Farm Friday #87: How Country Kids Learn Fractions

"A day in the country is worth a month in the city."

I remember being in elementary school--maybe 3rd grade or so--and having a complete lack of understanding of fractions.  None of it made sense to me.  I mean, none at all.  I'm pretty sure that had I been raised in the city, I would have probably failed at life due to the inability to understand this stupid mathematical concept that places two numbers on top of each other with a line in the middle.

Thankfully for me, I wasn't raised in the city.  Being a farm kid saved me from the life of horror that befalls people who can't learn fractions.  How, you ask?

Allow me to introduce you to my friend, the feed can.

Every shower in America knows exactly where I'm going.  When you feed sheep or pig or steers every morning and night, the instructions are always something along these lines:  "The finewools get 3/4 a can, the crosses get a can and a quarter, the Hamp gets 1 1/4 of the feed with the orange tag--do you hear me?  ORANGE TAG.  And give the York 1/3 a can of beet pulp...." on and on.

You figure out real quick the difference between 1/4 and 1/3 and 2/3 and 3/4.  Because I guarantee you come weighing time on Sunday afternoon, if things didn't make sense, someone was going to get a major lecture.

To this day, when I have to deal with fractions, I picture the feed in the feed can.  Yea....us country kids do things a little differently!

You Can Choose...

Girl Between The Lines: Your Favorite Photo

This week's Girl Between the Lines theme is Your Favorite Photo. 

I absolutely love taking pictures.  I think that I might add "and taking pictures" to my standard dream job answer of  "having a bunch of cows and writing a book."  As I looked through all the pictures that I've taken---from trips all over the world to amazing sporting events and concerts and castles---when I chose a favorite, I kept coming back to the same thing.  People.  For all of the cathedrals and mountains and touchdowns, nothing compares to the people.  Probably a lot to that idea.

As per usual, I couldn't pick four.  So I chose four.  I'm a rebel like that.

Photo 1

This photo is of my dad (on the left) and one of his best friends.  We had been moving cows and I pulled out my camera as everyone was just standing around the pens.  I think that it just captures my dad's personality.  (And apparently he thinks so too....he told me he wants us to use this picture at his funeral one day.  Yea.  That's not awkward.)

Photo 2

This photo I shot at Loud Oklahoma Girl's wedding.  She and her grandma were holding hands before the ceremony started and I thought it was just perfect.  As a girl who can't hold a grandma's hand anymore, it was pretty beautiful to me.

Photo 3



I took this picture at my brother and sister-in-law's wedding in Las Vegas.  I had seen it on Pinterest and thought it would be fun for Little Cowboy.  It turned out seriously better than I even imagined.  I just love Little Cowboy's face and his tux.

Photo 4

This picture is of Great Uncle doing what he did best...playing the piano.  (And apparently I have some sort of hand fetish in my photography.)  More than the actual picture was the memory of that day--the whole family sitting in the living room of my cousin's house, some three deep on a chair, more piled six-fold on the couch, just listening to him play.  It is one of my favorite memories not only of my uncle, but of my family.

Family Ski Trip 2013

Once again, I'm late on blogging about it, but never fear, the Annual Family Ski Trip did happen.  It was a smaller group and we almost even followed Tiffany's three rules set out the first day of the trip:  (1)  no police officers; (2) no throwing up; and (3) no fist fights.  (For those of you that are wondering, past years have indeed involved one or all of these events.)  My father, of all people, broke one the last day.   You can ask him about that.

The crew this year was my dad, The Boy from Texas, Sweet Talker, Almost Gypsy Soul (who wins the award for coming the farthest after she drove down from Wyoming!), Ski Trip John and Ski Trip Jerry.

Here's a little photo recap of the festivities.

Possibly worst photo ever?  Yep!



That happened.

This would be my boyfriend who decided to use sunscreen as
lighter fluid to get the fire going.

 I am already for the 2014 version.  Everyone be ready in December!

 

Maybe the Best Explaination of Christianity I've Ever Seen

A Few Songs for Your Friday

I failed to get enough blog posts written for the week.  Sometimes, that happens.  Sometimes is probably going to be more than normal over the next three wees as I am studying for the bar, so bear with me here kids.  (No lie, I just had go google to see if that was "bear" or bare" there...)

Anyway, I figured I could at least share a few of the songs that are currently gracing my headphones.  As I look at these, I realize it looks like I must have relationship problems.  Never fear.  The Boy from Texas and I are just fine.  Apparently, I just like the tortured relationship type music.

Here ya go....Happy Friday!

If I Loved You by Delta Rae.  I learned about this song from Super Mom's blog.  It's so catchy that I kinda forget it's sad and depressing.


Compass by Lady Antebellum.  This one is happy and upbeat.  I like it.


Say Something by A Great Big World and Christina Aguilera.  No mistaking this one is depressing.  But I love it for some reason!


And now, onto the Texas Country selections.

Diamonds and Gasoline by Turnpike Troubadours.  I have a nephew (Little Cowboy) who loves Turnpike.  When we were home for Christmas, every time we were in a vehicle, he'd say, "Hey The Boy from Texas, play some Turnpike!"  I had forgotten about this song and was reminded how much I like it.


Dirt Road by Bo Phillips.  Song about falling in love on a dirt road.  That's all you need to know.  Got this song from Almost Gypsy Soul---her blog is currently featuring a whole playlist of dirt road music.  Check it out!


Small Town Love by Casey Donahew.  See, here's another song about love.  Good, I'm balancing out things with these.  Love me some Casey Donahew!

Some Good Ones

Not gonna lie....no blog from me today.  But if you want to talk about Texas Civil Procedure, I'm your girl!  The bar studying continues.

This is an unrelated picture I took in Seattle,
but I figured we could all use a touch of summer!

I did, however, find a list of some prior blogs from other folks that I think are awesome and figured I'd share those with you guys today.

1.

What happens when two priests head out in downtown Chicago with a sign that says "Free Blessings?"  Read about that here.

2. 

A fellow OSU Alum (Go Pokes!) got engaged over Christmas at Red River.  Read her adorable story here!

3.

This blog really made me think about the question (major paraphrase here), "Would it be okay if your kid didn't like anything that you like?  Think about that here.

4.  

Super Mom wrote a great blog (and took some great photos) about why her family ranches.  It's a good one here.

5.

And because they are both brilliant, we have Super Mom's sister, ND Friend, with a blog about how tumbleweeds are representative of God's grace.  Want to know who was always first in every FFA speech contest I was ever in and why I got a crap-ton of silver speech medals.  Read her blog and you'll understand.

My Current Mantra

Photo Challenge: Best from January

So I'm participating in this photo a day challenge on Instagram.  Every day has a theme and you take a picture with your iPhone and post it.  Lucky for me, Hometown Friend, College Roomie, and Mrs. Arizona are all participating as well and they keep me motivated.  Instead of boring you with the 31 pictures I took in January (some of which were not so great....like the one of the Chik-fil-a cup), I chose my 5 favorites.

So.....I want to know which of these are YOUR favorite....comment below.  At the end of the year, we'll have a contest between each month's winner for Photo of the Year.  (Competitive a little?  Um...guilty.)

Photo #1:  A Word To Live By  (scrabble magnets on my fridge)

Photo #2:  Colorful (last leaves on my tree)

Photo #3:  Fun Stuff! (wrapping birthday presents for some kiddos)

 Photo #4:  Tiny (my broccoli plants are growing!)

Photo #5:  Nice!  (a dinner date with The Boy from Texas)

Want to join in the fun?  Here are the prompts for February.

Different Paths

"Don't question the story God is writing for you and don't discount the story that he is writing for your neighbor."

One of my biggest frustrations is when people are critical of the decisions that another person makes in his or her own life.  People who married young are critical of those who waited.  Those who waited are critical of the girls who had babies at 20.  Women who decide to work outside of the home are seen as bad mothers by those who stay home with the kids; and the stay at home mom is seen as a sell out by those women with the corner office.  And from what I hear and read the whole "to breast feed or not to breast feed" is even worse.

I've seen this countless times.  I had a friend who was an attorney at a high powered law firm who was terrified to tell the firm that she and her husband were expecting their first child because she was afraid she would be looked down on for wanting to be a mother.  I've gone home to sorrowful looks and puzzled expressions when I've had to answer the "Are you married yet" question yet again with a "No, I've been busy with law school."  I've watched my friends with babies feel unworthy or inadequate or incapable because they have not raised their baby in accordance with whatever the book of the moment suggests.

I think that sometimes, maybe most of the time, the reason that we discount other people's stories is simply because we don't understand them.  Because they are different than our own.  Because the other person chose to have a different path and different priorities and different dreams.  And because these things are different, we somehow make the determination that they are less important or less worthwhile or less "right."

But in the end, is not for us to understand the path of another.  Their path is just that...theirs.  And regardless of what that path looks like, or how different that path is from our own, it is theirs to take.

In the end, every person is worth while.  Each story is important.  Every person matters.  Each life is meaningful.