Tag: fall

Buckwheat Festival Scenes

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We love watching all the Judging of the animals and the Showmanship Contests.  Goats, swine, sheep and cows, we love watching them all.  This year’s judge seemed tireless, as he spent a lot of time with each entry, explaining why he placed them as he did.  Lena did not place as well as she would have liked.  It is not easy to explain to a young lady that many times life’s lessons are all about the journey and not at all about the prize. 

It’s That Time

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The barns are quiet, but soon they will be teeming with 4-H and FFA youngsters and their livestock.  Farmers from all over the county will bring their prized animals to be paraded and judged.

The fairgrounds are also quiet, except for the carnival workers setting up the rides, the food stands and the games.  Here they hope to tempt the fair go-ers with thrills, candy apples, cotton candy and the chance to win giant stuffed animals.  The Kingwood Fire Dept. and dozens of community organizations are preparing massive amounts of batter, sausage and all the trimmings.
Because you see , it is Buckwheat Festival time, and come this Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, all of Preston County will put a hold on their everyday lives.  They will head to our county seat and get their fill of Buckwheat Cakes and carnival food.  They will see which one of their neighbors grew the blue ribbon hay, buckwheat and giant pumpkin.  They will find out who produced the winning yeast bread, canned vegetables and needlework.  They will watch parades for the chance to see their child perform in the band, ride on a float or perhaps even be Queen Ceres or King Buckwheat.
Yes… it is F-A-L-L, and it’s Buckwheat Festival time, here in Preston County.

The Month of Thanksgiving – Day Thirty

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For those who came before us, we are truly grateful!

As this month ends, we are giving thanks for the four generations of our family that have made this farm our home.

(1) Andrew and Amy moved from Greene County, Pennsylvania to our farm in 1890. They were in their 60’s when they came . Grandmother Amy, who was always frail, came in her buggy, with her beautiful buggy horse.

(2) David and Hannah were married only about a year when they came along with Grandfather Andrew and Grandmother Amy. They moved from Pennsylvania in wagons, driving their cattle along with them.

(3) Lena and Cecil Ray, Grandma and Poppy

(4) Robert and Dorthy, our Dad and Mom

The Month of Thanksgiving – Day Twenty-Nine

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Mt. Olivet
They sing of the church in the valley,
But my heart receives a great thrill
When I think of the home of my childhood
And the little white church on the hill.
It stands as a symbol of Gods love
And mother’s and father’s love too.
For they went with us each Sunday morning
To show us the pathway so true.
God’s acre is near, and our dear ones
Lie under its green grassy sod.
Their lives have been our inspiration
We know they’ve gone home to God.
I’ve seen very beautiful churches
Some that I’ll never forget.
But none so dear as the church on the hill
The one that we call Olivet.
— found among Great Grandfather David Dixon’s papers, written by our Great Aunt Ida Amanda Dixon Price (shared by our Great Aunt Mary Florence Dixon Hardesty)

The Month of Thanksgiving – Day Twenty-Seven

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Giving thanks today for the FAMACHA eye color chart and the system developed by South African livestock parasitologist, Francois ‘Fafa’ Malan. This system allows us to identify and treat only the sheep that are infected with Haemonchus (Barber Pole Worm). This greatly decreases the development of flock resistance to anthelmintics.
We are also grateful to Susan Schoenian, Sheep and Goat Specialist for University of Maryland Extension, for the Integrated Parasite Management Workshop. that enabled us to participate in this program.