So Much Happening On the Farm

Jason and Doug "wrestling" calves so that they can be tagged for identification later on. We turn this job into a family thing. Doug and Jason do the "dirty" work. Ian does the paper work while Mary-Kate and I watch and cheer them on. Matthew feeds and waters the animals after they are done.
It's hard to believe that my "little" boy Jason is strong enough to subdue a 120 pound calf with ease. I'm sure other mothers sometimes look at their children and see them not as they are at present but as they were when they were just little people. I very frequently look at Jason and see him holding my hand and looking up at me and smiling his mischievious (sp?) smile.
Whenever something was lost around here, if Jason was asked where it was he would smile and shrug and say "I don't know, somewhere." It would drive everyone crazy, but he was the cutest thing we couldn't get mad at him. I can still hear him say it now whenever something is lost around here. Only now he usually knows where to find the lost item.
Makes you want to think twice about getting anything pierced. Now they are all tagged and we know who is who and who came from whom.
Matthew doesn't like having his picture taken especially when he is doing his chores. He works so hard though. I am very proud of all that he does. He has really matured since the fire. Now that his brothers work off farm he is "in charge" most of the time. He does all his chores and more without complaining. We have been learning about being a servant with special emphasis on offering up our sufferings and little inconveniences. I think that he has truly taken the lessons to heart.
Even taking care of my pigs these last few days since I hurt my foot has been done without comment or complaint. He didn't even have to be asked. I hope that it heals before they farrow so that he doesn't have to add that to his list of responsibilities.

Wednesday I was taking the round bale spike off of the backhoe bucket. When I got the chain over the top of the bucket and turned around to start the tractor to take the spike off, it fell off onto my right foot. Nothing is broken but it sure hurts and it is swollen and black and blue. Doug and Jason figure the only reason that it fell off was that it either got put on wrong the last time or that I knocked it loose when I was in beside the large and small spikes. Either way it fell off when it shouldn't and now my foot is hurt and I am on crutches. The Dr. at the ER can't believe that it isn't broken. The x-ray tech thought I had dropped a bale hook on it and couldn't believe that I had done that much damage with a little bale hook. We had to explain to her what a round bale spike looks like.

I think I am rambling and that is bad. Until we meet again.