Week 3/52: Quacker meets Andy

Some of our followers wondered if they would ever see Andy again.   (For those of you new to me:  Andy was the subject of my 52 Week Photography Project in 2013)

This week Andy wanted to share a little advice with Quacker.

 

I sure hope he only shared the fun stuff!

Week 52/52: Andy's finale

Well, this is the week I have been looking for!!  The last week of the Andy saga.  I never did find that little outfit that Mom sewed for Christopher.  I had hoped to have a photo of Christopher all grown up holding Andy and the matching outfit.  Oh well.  (Honestly, I did not look too hard for it either.)

What I did find was a photo of Christopher wearing the outfit while hanging out with some of his second cousins. 

Christopher is there in the front.  He was often seen sucking the two middle fingers of his right hand!

 

Just so you can see how much he's grown, this is Christopher today. 

 

Brett, Annette, Mark & Christopher 

(Members of NoDak Herefords)

 

As for Andy this week, he's going out as an angel - a snow angel that is!!

 

 

Thank you for following us in our 52 Week Photo Project.  I will see what next year brings as to whether I do something like this or not.

 

                                                             Annette & Andy

 

 

 

Week 51/52: Andy visits the Nativity

I happen to collect nativity sets.  I have over 100 of them.  I selected this one for Andy's photo for a couple of reasons:  first, it is stuffed (just like Andy) and second, it also happens to be made by my Mom (just like Andy).

Andy felt quite lucky to get to hold the Christ Child.

Weeks 49 & 50: Andy

Good thing there are only two more weeks left of this as I am slacking more all the time.

Here are my entries for Weeks 49 & 50:

Andy & Ann played Battleship. 

(Okay, really Mark & Brett did then I got to take the picture.  Brett won! 

 I think Ann was sitting by the winning board.)

Andy visited Santa & Mrs. Claus.  They even gave him a bag of candy/peanuts.

 

Andy - three late entries (46-48/52)

I am behind on my Andy entries.  You know, in the 52 Weeks Photography Project.

Andy traveled with me (& my new camera) on a road trip so here is what he was up to:

While in Valley City, Mark and I stayed at Three Oaks Guest Inn.  It is a lovely, older home along the river.  We did not spend much time there as we were busy with business, but it was nice.  Andy just HAD to try the banister before he could leave!

 

 

 

Andy & I stopped in Jamestown on our way home.  I took a couple of minutes at the World's Largest Buffalo monument.  This concrete bad boy is 26 feet tall and weighs 60 tons.  We didn't walk over there as the gates were to be locked in five minutes! 

 

 

 

Andy did want to 'drive' the stage coach though!

 

Then on to home.  Mark & I had been gone for a few days so it was nice to get back home.

Andy: Week 45/52

Spotted this knight at Badlands Grill, a nice spot to get a steak in Minot. 

 

 Maybe Andy wants to be knighted?

Andy: Week 44/52

I hoped Andy would dress up for Halloween.  The trouble was that I didn't have anything for him to wear.  I was going to dress him up as a cowboy but we will have to settle for this:

 

a "boy" sitting on a cow!

 

Hmmm, it seems Andy has a little theme of riding fake animals! 

Last entry was a duck and this time a cow.



Andy: Week 43/52

Andy meets Hans Christian Andersen at Scandinavian Heritage Park in Minot, ND.

A closer view of Andy and the "Ugly Duckling"

Andy: 42/52

Andy spent a bit of time with his maker.

 

Here he is with my parents.  Mom made Andy for our eldest son about 23 years ago. 

 

My parents have been married for 52 years.  Dad is 85 and Mom is 75. 

They are in basically good health.  I am thrilled to call them Dad & Mom.

Andy: 41/52

Andy and his own Pumpkin Patch

Or should I said Gourd Patch?

Andy 40/52

This week Andy travelled with me to volunteer at a Pediatric Dental Days event. 

 

 

He was hanging from the chandelier at our hotel!

Promoting Beef (Andy 39/52)

I spent a couple of days promoting Certified Hereford Beef at a new grocery store in our big town.  The only place to purchase Certified Hereford Beef in North & South Dakota and Minnesota is at Cash Wise and other Corborn family stores.  We served samples of grilled beef.   I helped as a representative of the local Hereford breeders and North Dakota Hereford Association. 




The grilling and sampling area

 

My little buddy Andy got to meet Harry the Hereford bull. 

(you can barely see him by the bull's hoof)

Here is a closer view of Andy.

 

Showcase full of Certified Hereford Beef

 

A couple of closer photos of the beef case

 

 

38/52: Andy in the forest

This was my intended photo:

But Fluffy wanted to visit too:

Week 37/52: Andy again

I think I am a bit behind on my Andy weekly photos and posts.  Oh well, I will try to catch up!

This week Andy spent a little time in the yard.  He liked the pile of leaves - like any kid!!

The leaves are not pretty any more like when they were on the trees and turning.  

Week 36/52: Hang in there Andy

Andy visited the Des Lacs National Wildlife Refuge.  Here he is checking out what I thought was a bird house but it had electronics in it!!  Oh well, perhaps it was a thrill for the refuge staff to see Andy peeking in at them.

Week 35/52: Yellow Field Pea Harvest

The grain harvest has finally begun at NoDak Herefords.  With spring planting being late, so too is the harvest.  Brett is a farmer through and through.  He did a majority of the planting, all of the spraying and now is running the combine.  (Hmmm, reminds me of the story of Chicken Little!)   Don't worry, others on the farm have kept quite busy too.  Christopher seems to be a full time rancher.  There are always cattle to check and fences to repair.  He is running here and there all of the time!  Mark has been swathing canola.  I am the "go-fer"  which means I try to help any of the guys when they ask.

I did get a few photos to share with you.

Andy thinks he can drive the big combine.  Brett is not so sure!

 

Here is a view of the combine.  It is in a field of Yellow Field Peas.  The plants look just like the peas you can grow in a garden.  We wait for them to dry down.  When the peas are hard and dry enough it is time to combine.  The front part of this combine has a special type of header.  It is called a flex head.  A flex head is designed to skim across the ground and be flexible enough to (hopefully) go over any rocks and just "scoop up" the pea plants & pods.  All of this goes through the combine.  The seeds end up in the hopper (holding tank) and the rest gets spat out the back.  If we are lucky, our cattle will get to come into these fields this fall.  They will love to eat the seeds that got away!  Also any green plants that will be there.  This is called "after grazing".

 

 

Brett had filled the hopper on the combine with peas so it was time to dump them into the semi.  Once the semi gets full it will be taken to a storage building (grain bin) on our farm.  The peas will stay in storage until we decide it is time to sell them.  Marketing is vital to running a profitable farm and is quite time consuming.  It is one thing that we always need to improve on.  We hope the peas are 'food quality' which means you could end up eating peas raised at NoDak Herefords!

Week 34/52: Andy visits the library

 

 

Andy visited the library and found a couple of books about him!

Peach Kuchen (Week 33 with Andy)

My dear mother-in-law purchased a lug of peaches so I made some Peach Kuchen.  YUMMY if I do say so myself!

Andy checked out the peaches

Peach Kuchen

8-10 Servings  Prep: 20 min. Bake: 45 min.

Ingredients

CRUST:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter (cut up into small pieces – cut stick into long fourths)

FILLING:

• 2 cans (one 29 ounces, one 15-1/4 ounces) sliced peaches, drained  [about 4 fresh peaches]
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream

Directions

In a small bowl, combine flour, confectioners' sugar and salt. Using a fork or pastry blender, cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Pat lightly into an ungreased 11-in. x 7-in. baking pan.  [I used 9 X 13 pan and it was okay.]

Arrange peaches over the crust; set aside.  [Actually you can use any fruit that you want - apples, blueberries, etc.]

 In another bowl, beat eggs. Whisk in the sugar, salt, flour and sour cream until mixture is smooth. Pour over the peaches.

 

 

Bake at 450° for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 325°; bake 35-40 minutes more or until center is set.

Serve warm with whipped cream or chilled. Store in the refrigerator. Yield: 8-10 servings.

 

 

© Taste of Home 2013 (Recipe only)

Andy's Week 32/52: Here a Chick ,There a Chick

No, Andy is NOT out looking for a girlfriend!!  Our son got himself some chicks.  Those of you who know me know my opinion about owning chickens!  After helping take care of hundreds of them while growing up, I don't care to ever own another one!  Lucky for me these are up at the feedlot (about 1/2 mile from the house).

They are kind of cute though.  These will grow up to lay eggs.  The 'kids' didn't order the meat variety birds because they claim they don't know how to butcher them.  I foresee lessons in their future as I have butchered many chickens.  Homegrown birds make the best eating.

 



Snack Time

Getting a drink

Andy checking out the chicks

Andy finally got the chance to go out to the barn to see them.  I don't think he was too sure about those noisy, stinky little peepers.  He stayed a safe distance away!

(Sorry about the dirty floor.  I know I should have waited until Christopher put down fresh newspapers (or coupons as was the case here!), but I was not going to wait around that long.)

31/52: Fun Zone Daycare visit

This week Andy and I spent part of a day helping a friend at her daycare.  I think the kids liked Andy!