October 15 updates

 

Wow, did it get cool outside!! Just 4 days ago, it was 90, with overnights in the 60's. Today, is a whole other story - 43 at 10 am, with a high only getting to 55 for the day and into the 20's tonight. I'm actually cold for the first time in about 3 years. It's pretty wild. I am actually happy that it has cooled off. It feels like Fall now. Which leads to my favorite holidays. There is still a lot to do outside to prepare our farm for Winter, but a few days of cold; it's the universal push to get the lead out of our butts and get stuff done. 

 

So, after 3 months of lots of running and events, I began on my household lists yesterday. There have been a lot of things I let go the past few of years. Unfortunately, when I get overwhelmed...I tend to let a lot of the things that matter to me, just drift by. I focus on the "have-to items," and the smaller details get brushed to the side. It's been a whole lot of rushing from one thing to the next, just trying to get by, and everything became a chore. I mean everything. I took a short journey on the pity train, and turned off emotions that made me, well...me! It's a strange realization to see it, in hindsight. I'm attempting to push myself forward with those details, that matter to me, and stop making excises. I am exhausted and I let myself go pretty far down...but I am working to fix that too.  I've gotten myself into a pretty deep rut, so I have a lot more work to do. 

Those lists, are my saving grace. I think I have become notorious in all my lists. The to-do, to make, to get finished, to get accomplished, to work on, and so on. Sometimes, it's the simple details that make a lot of difference for me. Yesterday, while I was cleaning, it was knowing I was eliminating the darn cob webs. Those crazy things pop up overnight! It was watering plants, polishing my table, washing bedding, getting dishes done and counters cleaned. It was the simple act of lighting a candle again. It's the actual sight of seeing items on those lists being crossed off. It's having a cup of hot tea and hearing nothing but silence. It was my husband and daughter picking the apples and watermelon before the frost and watching them cut up the watermelon to freeze and eat - together. It was having a decent supper again, as a small family, at our dining room table. I think I had forgotten about many of the simple tasks, compounded, helped me to see progress. 

Last week, my daughter and I made a trip to our local Dollar General. It's not something we do often, but my husband is working a lot of hours...and I don't want to add more to his growing lists. Anyway, we were walking through the store and the Christmas stuff was there in the middle. For several years, she has been not real excited for Christmas overall...at least until Christmas Day. This year, she wanted to look at everything. I try not to get overly excited for much, because I would celebrate everything if it wasn't such a chore for everyone else in my family. Anyway, it truly made me happy to see her excited. She actually picked out a little mailbox tin and some hot cocoa mugs for us, that were Christmas themed. It made my day! Then, we had our annual gun show that we set up at to sell raffle tickets for our veteran hunt. This year, there was a booth across from us, that had none other than a local Santa Claus! One of the absolute best Santa helpers I have ever known. She was over the moon excited, and has made plans for us to visit a local business in December, where he will the Santa helper. She is so excited this year! She has even been talking about decorations we need to add, and where we need to put things. This is an excitement I haven't seen from her since before her Grandma passed away. 

So, this has brought me back to my lists. I have been working on remodeling projects for several years now. Her room is one of them. I just can't seem to get them all completed. One of the biggest projects I want to get finished is her room, before we start decorating for Christmas. She wants to decorate her room, and I am going to do everything I can to make sure she can...with it finished! I have walls and windows to get washed, shelving to build for the extra room turned pantry, and a whole lot of clutter to either find a home or be disposed of. I want to be able to stop chasing my tail, and finally be able to sit back and enjoy the simple things again...without seeing a bunch of chaos. I can make that happen. So, in the words of a great friend and relative(actually family) - "pick a spot, and start there." I'm a little stubborn sometimes, sorry!

So, I know it's not life changing for anyone else, but I plan to share my triumphs...and maybe a few set backs...but I am on a mission. I love to celebrate, I love my children, and the next 2 months are my favorite time of year. I am going to actually enjoy them this year...

Coffee Chat and always more

 

It's October and we are still in the 80's! That seems unbelievable to me. This has been a pretty dry year for precipitation, overall. I would bet that close to half of harvest is already done, with many of the farmers talking about issues with their crops. Between the moisture content, twisted bean pods, some low test areas, and none of this talks about how dry, dirty and fire prone this year's harvest has become. I can not account for personal experience in crops, but this year has been quite an enigma in many areas! I can't help but pray for our nation and her people. It's been a rough one.

For all the research I've done, I would have never guessed how insane the world would become. Common sense, wisdom and logic seem to be pretty rare. The more I have been interactive with people, the less I understand how some can still bury their heads to the state of our nation. I get that it is difficult to grasp things when you are not personally affected, but we are ALL affected by so much...and many are ignoring it, and carrying on as if everything is normal. The prices of everything have been stupidly high for 4 years, and those trying to make us believe the prices have come down...do not realize people have actual receipts to show what prices were just 5 years ago. I've shared one price different on my social media, that has made me sick! I purchase many items in bulk. My baking flour is one of them. My actual receipt from September 2019, the 50 lbs. bag of flour was $18.50. I just had to buy another one last week. The same 50 lbs. brand of flour is now $47.99. A loaf of Sara Lee bread, that was $1.99 in 2019, is now $3.59. A dozen eggs, that I actually bought in 2019, was $0.78 for the dozen, the price at Aldi on 10/5 was #3.25. None of this includes the prices for lumber, clothing, shoes, utilities, insurance, or even taxes. I am NOT better off now than I was in 2019. I have lost all hope for the current administration, and had zero hope to start with, from the installed democratic candidate. Which, by the way, stomped all over the entire democracy theory they spout, when they installed a candidate that NO ONE voted for! The choice in November, for me, is a very one. 

Now, before moving on, I am very unhappy with my state's politics too. I live in a "border" county. Many of us that live outside the main cities of Missouri, never have any candidates find out counties. I believe if you want to represent the people, you better know ALL the people. 2024 is a big election year for Missouri. We have several positions in the air, from Governor, to reps at the state and federal level. I believe that if you want to be elected, you should be required to visit every county's, county seat, and meet the people of the county. There is more to our state than the I-70 corridor, Springfield and the bootheel. The 3-4 times a year of getting a telephone call, at the time of a tele-town hall meeting, is pathetic. These people should be required to travel our roads, know our towns and villages, and actually work for ALL the people of Missouri. Maybe I need to speak to whomever becomes governor of my great state. I get tired of hearing about "Northeast Missouri," and they act like that ends at Hannibal or Kirksville, when there are several counties North of there that are completely forgotten. Our county is another one that needs to be addressed. We are expected to select people for positions within our county, yet NEVER see a single person out in the county finding out what the actual people want/need. It's time these people, from the bottom to the top, actually EARN our votes. 

Moving on. 

Yesterday, I was thrilled to be interviewed by Emily, at our local newspaper. To be honest...I was super nervous and a bit overwhelmed that she contacted me. As many know, my family began hosting a disable veteran deer hunt in 2019. The first couple of years, the only sponsor was the Wake Foundation, and we had some great guys from True Impact Outdoors that volunteered to help out. In 2021, I took over the hunt organization completely, we were sponsored by True Impact Outdoors, and I did most of fundraising, organizing and planning. We just finished the 6th annual hunt, and once again, we had both True Impact Outdoors and Wake Foundation, helping us to meet our goals. While having their support is a great thing, there is a lot of work that goes into an event like this. I am already getting everything moving for next year. One question I was asked, "is there anyone you would like to thank?" I was honest when I told her, there were so many, I could not single out just one. So, I thought I would share the list here, before I move on. To start, I need to thank the person and entity that gave me the start. Robert Wake, with the Wake Foundation. He and his foundation, gave me an outlet for my own love for helping the veterans. I spent 5 years helping and learning so many roles and working outside my comfort zone. True Impact Outdoors, another great organization. I met that amazing crew through the Wake Foundation, and their goals of helping veterans, just clicked for me. Matt, Nicole, and every single TIO crew member...work hard to help veterans too. Every land owner that has donated their land for the veterans to use, they do not know how much I appreciate each of them, and hope they are blessed ten-fold!! Every single business, individual and even our volunteers...each of you help us make a 4 day weekend possible for the veterans. Without the continued efforts, donations, volunteers, and encouragement; it would be so much harder to pull it all together. My biggest THANK YOU, is to our veterans themselves!! I don't know all veterans, but every single veteran I have had the privilege to meet, is beyond exceptional!! Our veterans are the true heroes!! From the bottom of our hearts, from my family to each of you, "Thank You for serving our country so selflessly." 

As my coffee chats go, here's some more. 

Our little farm is still in winter prep mode. We are seriously running behind, so it's kinda good that the weather has stayed good. Just when we knock out a few projects and are feeling pretty accomplished, BAM! Here's several more projects that need to be done. It's been a massive transition going from a household full of people, to just having 3 of us, for the most part. This mom is really struggling with that part. Having to relearn how my husband and I did things without all the kids in tow, and realizing we are more busy now than ever.  I've found that as we work hard to get everything accomplished, we have pretty well withdrawn from everything and everyone else. While I am a person that requires recovery time after interacting with a lot of people, I do enjoy being around people...mostly. My husband works with people everyday, so he tends to like to be a homebody when he's not at work. It's kind of a mixed up match. He is a lot less empathetic than I am, and getting more cantankerous as he gets older too. I don't blame him, he puts up with a lot, until he's had enough...then he's done, all together. Some days, I wish I could be that way...but I'm not. I tend to forgive too much, try to find reasons for things people do, and try to see the other side of every story. We are definitely 2 different types of people. We try to balance it out, it just doesn't always go smoothly. I usually withdraw from stuff...until I can find some level ground. Anyway, our farm is in prep mode, our sheep have entered the breeding time, we've lost a lot of our hens to predators so getting more is a high priority...just difficult to find any now. It's time to get logs ordered for our furnace, for the winter. Trying to empty the garden, since it will not be used again. We got a decent used grain cart to hold the bulk feed this year, since so much has changed with the family dynamics and the surrounding farms. That knocked a lot of wind from our sails, but I believe everything happens for a reason...even if none of it makes sense at the moment. Even with some big disagreements, I am keeping my promise to two very special people(to me), for now. 

As I head into a busy weekend again, I have a spark of hope. I know my hard work has paid off, and I have been blessed to meet some of the most amazing and interesting people. My small family is pretty incredible, if I do say so myself. We have our moments, like everyone else, but when push comes to shove, we pull together. I am truly blessed beyond words! 

2024 Veteran Hunt

2024 Disabled Veteran Deer Hunt

That's a wrap! What an incredible event this was. Each year, I wonder how we can possible make the next event, as unforgettable, and each year...is a whole new experience! 2024 was no exception. I want to break down this event, talk about our veterans, share stories that made this event memorable, and the amazing people that help make this possible. 

The 2024 Veteran Hunt was held September 26-29, 2024. The efforts to make 2024 possible, began in October 2023. It takes an entire year to get everything in place, visit with people/businesses to help offset the costs to my family, and to help our communities to be part of the outreach to take care of those who fight for our rights. My family believes that keeping this event personable is the key to it having a positive effect on and for our veterans. Our entire family works at different aspects of this event. My husband, Richard and my son Joey and my father-in-law Randy, are the ones that handle the field stuff. They scout, set blinds, and during the event...they are taking veterans to their hunting blinds. This year, my daughter-in-law Laura, was our photographer at the farm. My daughter Chloe and I, are the organizers/fundraisers and are out in the communities interacting to bring awareness of the benefits of nature on mental health rehabilitation. Each year, we set up a 20x30 canopy, in recent years we have purchased sides to allow a more controlled area for meals and visiting. We rent tables and chairs, this year, both were donated for use at no cost. We string lights to make visibility easier at night, and have some decorations. During the event, my husband and I do most of the cooking, treating each veteran and guest to home cooked meals. We provide 3 meals each day, with access to snacks in between. 

This year, we had some incredible volunteers that helped in many areas, and I want to personally thank them for making my job a little easier!! Janet Meek, made all the desserts for the weekend, made each veteran a loaf of homemade bread to take home, helped with fundraising, and helped at the farm. Slate Sweat & Jerry Bickford, helped selling raffle tickets, helped with some of our raffle prices and helped at the farm. Mike's Collision & Repair(Mike & Barbie) provided pizza for one night(made by Circle B), all the chips for the weekend, part of the soda, the breads, and Barbie was at the farm to provide help too. Marcus & Aaron, my bonus kids, were here to help out, remembered ice every time we forgot, and helped with clean up. The local land owners that have donated private land for our veterans to use, they are incredible people! David & Lee, Andy, Nick & Nancy, Junior & Linda; Thank You All!!! 

Ok, I need to include many Thank You's for the businesses and individuals that help offset the costs. Without their help, we could continue to make this event possible. Since we are just a family, and just have a family farm; we do not do the 501 program of non-profit. This does make it difficult for some bigger businesses to donate. However, we have a group that has helped us ease that obstacle, and has partnered with us for a couple years. This group is True Impact Outdoors. They also work hard to provide veteran events that allow them to get back to nature, help veterans find their balance and their voices again. You just don't realize the benefit of veteran events in the outdoors, and the camaraderie with other veterans. Any donations that must be made through a non-profit group, can make a donation to True Impact Outdoors, with the designation to be used for the Bowen Family Farm veteran deer hunt; and they in turn make that donation available to us. When time/people allow, they have also sent volunteers to help in the field, where needed. We have several local individuals that will make donations, but expressly do not want recognition, so Thank you...without naming names! We have a few businesses that have repeatedly supported this event; Exchange Bank of N.E. MO., Libertyville Savings Bank, State Central Bank, Kahoka Meat Processing, Van Buren County Veterans Affairs, Bonaparte Community Improvement Association, Shorty's Porties, Mary Dickinson and Kody's Creation. A few new supporters this year: Wake Foundation, Ott's Auto Supply, Mo-Fab & Steel LLC, Riverview Financial Services, IMI Equipment, Mike's Collision, Hy-Vee, Caleb Groenenboom, Dusty & Terry Farren, Jim & Heather Sheets and Anita Wall. 

We work hard to keep purchases local. We believe in supporting our communities. So, much of our foods are purchased through Kahoka Meat Processing, Dutchman's General Store, and Hy-Vee. Our veteran hunting tags are purchased - for our Iowa hunters, at Troublesome Creek Outfitters, and in Missouri - at Duers Oil Company. All our bottled water is donated by Rathbun Rural Water. Our commemorative t-shirts for 2024, were made by Mainstreet Graphics. 

The 2024 Veteran Hunt was unlike any we have had to date. Let me explain. A local veteran and his wife, Jim & Heather, had become very active in our hunt this year. Jim was a Vietnam Veteran. Chloe & I were blessed to meet them at a monthly Veterans First Coffee in Keosauqua, Iowa. They made a donation, and then Heather offered to make a couple of side dishes for the weekend. They delivered them the Wednesday afternoon before the hunt, that night Jim passed away suddenly. The Saturday morning of the hunt, Heather called me. I cried as she was telling me and my heart truly ached for her.  Jim believed in the benefit of these kinds of events so much, she had decided to make memorials to our veteran hunt. Once again, I cried. If you are ever so blessed to meet some of the most incredible people, our veterans are those people! I received a message the Thursday that the hunt began, that one of our veterans was at the hospital with kidney stones, and would not be able to make it. The Friday of the hunt, brought another emergency. Our oldest and honorary veteran, Raymond, had a spell with what was believed to be a stroke. He was rushed from the blind to the hospital. Raymond did not have a stroke, so we are grateful. Ray and Connie have been supporters of this hunt from the very beginning, 6 years ago. The Saturday of the hunt brought one more kink. Joni, our first female veteran, was in the blind and ready to knock down a buck...only to have her bow string break. It snapped her in the lip and ear, resulting in a cut on her ear and a fat lip. All of this, partnered in with unbelievably warm temps(80's) and strong winds from the hurricane remnants; resulted in one doe shot by Ben but unable to locate, the buck getting away from Joni, but lots of deer and turkey seen by all. None of the veterans seemed disappointed, and have all requested to come back. 

<Our oldest and youngest veterans>

As I stated earlier, prep work for this event takes an entire year. I am already working on the preliminary itinerary for next year, finishing this year's raffle(all funds will be put towards next year's hunt), planning at least one new fundraiser, looking at blinds/equipment to determine what needs replaced, and so forth. Each year, the guys set the blinds. However, because the land is donated, we are not allowed access until about a month before hand. This means all the scouting and setting of blinds is done a couple of weeks prior to the hunt. We use strictly hunting blinds, this allows our veterans easier access, since not all are able to climb. This also means we can assign blinds, without restriction hesitation. We do our best to make sure the veterans have access to deer, but it just doesn't always work out like we hope. We listen to each veteran that attends, when they share any improvements or ways to make this event better. Each year, we try to do and be better. 

Thursday afternoon, once the veterans arrived, we got tags bought and had a brief safety meeting. Everyone gets time to visit and meet each other. That night was pizzas for dinner, and cherry bars for dessert. Friday morning, some veterans decided to hunt so they came to the house for breakfast and coffee. They all know they are welcome inside, and to make themselves at home. Lunch consisted of chili, cold cut sandwiches, chips, and cookies. Friday evening was our Meet & Greet. This event within an event, is when we invite our sponsors and special guests to attend. It's the opportunity to meet our veterans, and see how our event works. This year, there were several guests scheduled to attend...again, it did not go as planned, but we did have Iowa State Representative Jeff Shipley and his wife attend. Our local Conservation Agent drives past each year with a thumbs up to our veterans, as he is busy during the early archery season. Friday evening meal consisted of pulled pork(smoked by my husband), cheesy potatoes, lasagna(donated by Jim & Heather), green beans with bacon, a lettuce salad, and desserts of pumpkin bars & cookie bars(Janet) and cookies(Kody's Kreation). Saturday morning, was much like Friday morning...except I overslept. So, our veterans came in the house, got their breakfast and headed out...before I even got up. I love that they make themselves at home! Saturday evening we grilled burgers and brats, donated by Kahoka Meat Processing, Mac & Cheese(Jim & Heather), baked beans, lettuce salad, desserts(Janet). Sunday morning, a few veterans headed to the blinds, and everyone gathered for a group photo and a drawing for gifts donated for the veterans. A wooden flag was drawn for Redd, a propane fire pit(donated by Redd & Jill) was drawn for Robert, a custom made leather knife pocket with knife was drawn for Joe, There were 3 patriotic pictures given to Todd and Joni. A patriotic wreath was also donated to the Van Buren County Veterans Affairs, for their continued support. The pictures and wreath were all made and donated by Mary Dickinson.

<our 2024 veterans, minus Raymond and Jeff>

There is so much I could go on and on about. The benefits that these types of events offer our veterans, are beyond measure. After 6 years of hosting this event, I can tell you my own life has been impacted by each veteran I met throughout those years. I sit back and listen to the stories they share, their experiences and the shear enrichment they bring into the lives they touch. Each year, I am humbled to be the lucky soul to thank you them, and hopefully bring them a few days to relax and recharge. When a veteran tells you they find peace of mind and soul after being to this event, there is no greater honor! This will continue to be my service to Thank our veterans for as long as I am capable of doing it. 

I hope each of you have been to our Facebook farm page, read the spotlights and liked each of them. I am back to planning mode for next year. We are reserved for September 25-28, 2025. We can always use volunteers to help in the field, and donations are welcome. I will have a couple of tables set up in Bonaparte, Iowa - during the Scenic Drive Festival, October 11-13, 2024. These will be set up at gun show, in the old elementary building. If you are local, you can stop in and get some raffle tickets, a t-shirt or sweatshirt. I believe there is a $5 entry fee. I will be sharing that on our Facebook page. Raffle ticket donation is $10each/6-$50/12-$100. Shirt donation is $20 and sweatshirt donation is $40. 100% of all of this goes back to this event. 

We thank every single person that helps make this event go smoothly each year! I will be sharing photos and video on our Facebook page once they are all available. God Bless!