Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas From Rowlett's Dairy Farm in this Campbellsburg, Kentucky town......

It seems like it has been a long year since with paper and pencil I did set down...

To write to my dear Family and Friends Christmas Greetings and the news from 2010...

It has been a year of so many emotions for me and my kin....Well, let me begin....

The death of our precious Father on the 3rd of April...it was really so sudden and unexpected to say...

At age 95 Daddy still had a simple three point philosophy of life that he always held true each day...

" Number One.... Have a job to do each day...even if just working on a puzzle...or mowing a field...

Number Two...eat three meals each day...not that fast food stuff....but home cooked ...that is real..

Number Three... and...most important...be good to God because He has sure been good to me!"

What wonderful memories of a Dad we did so love and miss, but know again in Heaven we will see.

Running this farm without the help and advice of my Dad has been a challenge for sure...

But with everyone pitching in and doing their part it has made it easier to endure..

Wife Sandy still raises all the baby calves...spoiling each of them...that is clear...

Sister Sharon was the "go for" and mowed everything with the sero turn this past year...

And Oscar and Rosa, man what can we say....they are right here with us each and every day...

Milking and feeding...or doing any other chore that comes their way!

Still serving as a Kentucky Farm Bureau District 6 Director and on the Board of DFA*

It is a privilege to serve farm people and I strive to do the best each and every day....

We need to be advocates and spokesmen to preserve our way of life on the family farm...

It is a life I love...a lot of long days and hard work...but I so love this rural charm!

My wish for you, my family and friends as this year 2010 quickly winds down...

Is that you will have good health, and always a smile...and not a frown...

That you will have resources enough to make ends meet....

And follow the philosophy of my Dad...it sure is neat!

                               MERRY CHRISTMAS

FROM THE ROWLETT'S DAIRY FARM


* Dairy Farmers of America

   On this cold windy morning the dairy farmer is out doing the milking and feeding of his cows and heifers while other people in agriculture are still snuggled up in bed or having a warm breakfast with a cup of hot coffee. The dairy farmer will get his when he finishes his chores which maybe 10 or 11 o'clock if everything goes as it should and he has no problems.  He/She will do what ever it takes to see that the animals are fed and cared for before he/she goes in to warm his/her body from the frigid chill.

   On any given morning a number of problems can arise, the water fountain is not working, the silo unloader needs lowering or has a belt broken on it, the bobcat has been starting everyday till this morning, for some unusual reason a gate suddenly came off its hinges and allowed groups of cows to get mixed which now need to be separated, notice a calf with a snotty nose or a cow with a lame foot, the strong wind blew the conveyor belt off the belt feeder while feeding the TMR ration or the TMR mixer sheared a bolt just as you got all the silage, hay and grain mix in it.  It seems this cold morning the problems never stop but they must be attended to before chores are done.

   A farmer is a person who has to be a "jack of all trades" and a master of even more.  He/She has to be able to adapt to a situation in a split second and then revert back to what was happening before.

   So on this cold windy Sunday morning how about stopping for just a second when you are drinking your glass of milk, putting milk/cream in your coffee or milk on your cereal and THANK a dairy farmer who has yet to get into the house for his breakfast because he/she has made sure the cows have been cared for FIRST.

Granted..........

    We as human beings take a lot for granted.  We never go to bed thining we might not wake up the next morning, W assume we will see all our friends at the next meeting,  We will have good health forever.  But in the end we have no control on any of this.
    We must cultivate our fiends on a daily bases.  We need to connec with them if for no other reason but to say "Hello"  When was the last time you called a friend to just say "Thank You for being my friend"?  Friendships are like neighbors, they are only as good as you make them.
    While attending a lot of meetings I come in contact with a lot of people.  I like to hear wht is going on in their areas but really hate to hear about their personal lifes as sometimes it is depressing.  Besides if I stand and listen to theirs then I expect them to stand and listen to mine.  :)
   In agriculture we are small in number but feed a world of people from what we do.  Everyone else takes their food supply for granted but just stop and think "What would you do if tomorrow you went to the store and could not get the foods you wanted?"  Would you be calling a "farmer" to ask what had happened or blame him for not producing?  Just think about it.

There is so much we take for granted because we still live in a country that gives us the freedom to do so.  In some parts of the world this is not possible due to economic conditions beyond the control of the people living there. 

So if you have read this then maybe you should just stop for one minute and look around you.....What things do you take for granted?  Will they always be there?  Will you always be able to say "Hello" to that special person or your friend?  Life is short no matter what age you are so enjoy it today and everyday by making new friends and tell the ones you have how important they are to you.

A big thank You to those who have read this.