Vent signs

These vent/screen thingies have been laying around our basement for awhile now. I don't even remember where I got them. And I couldn't think of anything to do with them. I knew there had to be something, but what?

Finally, one day it hit me.

Signs!

"Home" seemed as good of a word as any, so "Home" it was.

For whatever reason, the photos enhanced the spray varnish more than you can see in real life. That is especially noticeable in the red one. Sometimes I think cameras have a mind of their own.

I like that these are unique, something different.

And that there are 2 less things laying around my basement!

Country Life = Cute decor farming vs. Real farming

This is a new farm display in the shop. I painted the barn wood signs, and the sheep shears. A friend made the stuffed pig and chicken.

Farming looks so easy in decorations. Fun and charming and cute.

While farming can be all those things, in reality it is a LOT of hard work. And ingenuity.

George and I were watching out of our kitchen window as our son Kevin was trying to lure these 2 longhorn cattle into the trailer.

He had bought them a few months earlier as feeder cattle. The time had come to take them to the butcher, but they didn't want anything to do with that idea. Actually, they didn't want anything to do with people. Period. They were very skittish, especially the red one, AKA Red.

An attempt to load them into the trailer went badly a couple months ago. Instead of going in the trailer, they jumped a fence, and luckily, no one was hurt in the process.

After giving them a few weeks to forget that experience, Kevin parked the trailer in the field, and started putting grain in the front of it every day, and then would walk away. Most of Kevin's cattle are grass fed, but desperate times call for desperate measures. The 2 longhorns would cautiously look around to make sure no one was near, then they would mosey up into the trailer to get the grain. Kevin let them do that for a couple weeks, until they were somewhat comfortable.

Then he started putting the grain in, and sticking around. The photo shows the first night he tried to stand at the back of the trailer and quietly wait. That showdown lasted for several minutes.

We had a better view from the kitchen window of what was happening than Kevin did, so George sent him a text message to move away from the door a few feet. Look closely at the photo, and you will see Kevin behind the bush, still watching and waiting. The black cow wanted that grain, so he slowly moseyed forward.

Red wouldn't come any closer.

After a few nights of this, Kevin was finally able to close the door behind the black one. Red watched from his post safely out of reach.

Farming is patience, and we have another plan for Red.

And Kevin announced he will never buy another longhorn again. Those long horns are too long reaching. No need to add that element of danger to the farm!

Farming decor may be cute, but real life farming is a whole 'nother ballgame!