Spreading Awards & BaNOOer

There's something nagging at the back of my mind.........ever since yesterday's post about the "Kick-A** Blogger" award which Bob Brague (that's "rhymeswithplague") sent my way. I mentioned that I don't normally use the word A**, and that is true. Similar to Bob and others, my parents raised their children to not use vulgar language, and I've tried to instill that habit in my children, too.

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Certainly, there were times over the years when a sudden "Oh, shit!" would come out of my mouth, like when I pulled my van into the path of a car near the orthodontist's office in Waterloo, causing a minor fender-bender, and commotion involving sirens and police cars. (No one was hurt.) My kids gaped at me incredulously, possibly more for the word I had blurted out than for the fact that I'd just crashed into another vehicle!

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Anyhow, I don't want you to get the wrong impression..........we may not talk filthy around here very often, but there is plenty of filth on this farm. Filth, as in........cow manure, otherwise known as cow poop or cow baNOOer. These first two photos show a piece of farm equipment known as a "maNOOer spreader", shown here in all its dried-poop-encrusted glory. A manure spreader gets filled with manure, obviously, then a tractor pulls it across the field, where the manure spreader does just what its name indicates........spreads manure over the ground to be utilized as fertilizer. When a farmer uses this piece of equipment, he says he is "hauling manure".

I wanted to show you this manure spreader because it is about to move on to a place of possibly greener pastures and better poop, if there is such a thing. Husband is trading it in soon for a brand-spankin' new Knight manure spreader which is on order. Isn't that exciting!! The new manure spreader will arrive sparkling clean and shiny, and I'll be sure to run out and take a photo as quickly as possible, because once the the first skidloader bucket-full of cow manure plops into the new spreader, there will be NO clean and shiny ever again for that manure-handling machine.......NEVER, EVER!!

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This next photo is being inserted just for the heck of it. The other day the dogs and I were bringing heifers home from the pasture. We were walking along the now timber-weed-lined creek waterway when two water birds suddenly flew up, wings a-thrashing, from down in the nearly-dried-up creekbed. If you click the photo to enlarge it, you'll be able to see the birds over on the right side, just above the weed-line. I imagine its a pair of wild ducks; we seem to get a pair of those nesting here every year.

Also, over on the left side of the photo, is a heifer suddenly kicking her hind legs WAY UP in the air, and her tail is a-flyin' in a silly, curly fashion. Buster the Dog is staring innocently at me, as if to say......."I didn't do it.....honest, Mom, I didn't!" It was just a random goofy scene, so I had to post it. Like I said, you'll need to click on the photo to enlarge it in order to see everything just described.

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Alright.......drum roll.......here we go.......my CHOICEs to receive the "Kick Ass Blogger" award:

First, below are the guidelines for choosing award-winners.........copied from http://www.mammadawg.com/, a site of which I know nothing about: (Evidently, "mammadawg" inaugurated the "KickA** Blogger" award.)

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["Maybe they've got incredible, original content. Or they're overflowing with creativity. Is it someone that helps you become a better blogger? Or a bloggy friend you know you can count on? Or maybe it's someone who simply inspires you to be a better person... or someone else who sends you to the floor, laughing your ass off."]

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Award recipients are supposed to choose 5 award winners, but I am not that ambitious right now. TWO and only two bloggers are receiving this award from me and they are Kate, author of "Chronicles Of A Country Girl" and "Kate's A Picture A Day" blogs, and Sherry of

"A Feather Adrift" blog. Their blogging styles are not alike at all, but I admire them both very much! I think they probably know the usual blog award routine: contact the recipients you choose, link to them, link back to "mammadawg.com", and put your name on the Mr. Linky list there.

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Kate's "Chronicles of a Country Girl" blog was one of the first blogs I ever stumbled into.......I still remember the photo that was on her post the day I discovered her blog......it was stunning, as are all of her photos. She really knows her way around a camera, knows what makes a great photo scene, and takes amazing close-ups. Anyhow, because of reading her blog, my thick head finally understood what photo-editing is, and that, lo and behold, there was photo-editing software already on my computer. You see, I was an absolute ignoramus when I purchased my first digital camera about a year ago. Kate is also a gifted storyteller, plus is an encourager of other bloggers; she leaves witty and insightful comments on a regular basis. I don't know how she manages to visit so many blogs, but its always a treat to receive a comment from her! So, Kate, you truly deserve this "Kick A** Blogger" award because your blogging truly does "Kick A**"!! (If you've already been bestowed with this award, well.........now, you have it again!)

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Sherry, author of "A Feather Adrift" was another blogger I stumbled upon in the early going, or she stumbled onto my blog......its difficult for me to remember now. She has kindly been a regular reader of my blog and she lives in Iowa, too, though she hails originally from Michigan. I am in awe of Sherry's prolific writing abilities, and she has the ability to cover diverse subject matter, including politics, religion, art......you name it.......she can write about it.......and write VERY WELL about it, too!! She helps me understand the current political climate, and makes me think deeper about many things. In short, Sherry "Kicks A**" as a blogger, too! And, as with Kate......Sherry, if you've recieved this award already, you now have it again!

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High school football starts tonight. Am I cheering about that fact? Not really, because I have a son playing varsity this year. Its a rough game, as we all know, and I will spend most of my time praying that no one gets hurt. Also, because of evening milking chores, its difficult for Husband and I to get to games that are farther away, as many of them are going to be this year. As a parent, I dislike not being in attendance, but I'm to the point where I will not go alone to games anymore. In the past, when my father-in-law was still living, he would go along, but now he's gone, so I'm down to nobody else, unless my daughter happens to come home from college on Friday evenings and wants to go. But, she often has other plans. I'm not complaining.......just explaining one of the problems with dairying........its difficult to go to events that are in the evening, and that's when most school events are, of course.

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Well......GO, TEAM, GO!! And, that goes for YOUR team, too!!

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