Posts By

Kate Ziehm

Lifestyle

I Love the Smell of Manure

September 24, 2023

I love the smell of manure. I don’t get to smell it every day like I used to. Friday, when I was walking to the post office, I was caught off guard a bit by the familiar smell that wafted into my nasal cavity.    It was like an old friend.  But where was it coming from?  It is not a typical smell in the village of Greenwich.  It…

Business

Farmers and Record Keeping

September 17, 2023

Ever seen one of these? I would be shocked if you hadn’t. They are a staple on our farm– a calling card. The yellow Genex Breeding Card. Never throw one out. It might have a valuable piece of information on it, scrawled in hen scratch, smeared with grease and oil–even an occasional splat of manure. On my home farm, my uncle was famous for using brown paper towels as…

Family

And then there was one

September 10, 2023

There used to be three little faces in this picture. Like clockwork every year. All decked out in their new sneakers, shirts, and backpacks. But this year, there was only one. Just one, on the first day of school. As I sit back and think about the past summer and the launch of child number two out into the world, I am also thinking about the launch of…

Family

Bird Number 2 Has Left the Nest

August 27, 2023

And he’s off! It has been a week of saying goodbye… and hello. Tears and smiles, hugs…and packing. The ground has been unsteady all summer, but it’s finally firming up again.   And it feels GOOD. Every time a child heads out into the great blue yonder, a piece of a mom’s heart gets torn off and goes with her child. All summer, this piece of my heart has…

Lifestyle

It’s Fair Time

August 20, 2023

It’s time for the fair!  And getting Jacob George to Michigan State!  Once this hits your inbox, cows will be moving to the fairgrounds, the haylage will be judged, and the final load of laundry will be drying.  There will have been some tearful goodbyes, registration papers will have been checked, and the car will be packed and ready to head to East Lansing, Michigan.  Is it possible…

Travel

Coming Straight From My Heart

August 6, 2023

How rich our life can be… …if only we remember to focus on what is positive. “Rich is way more than what will ever be in the bank…it’s what is in your heart.” Here’s to August, getting ready to send baby #2 to Michigan State and embracing the only thing that remains constant… change. With love,Kate…

Family

It’s Irrational… My Feelings for the Dog

July 30, 2023

The kids say I take more pictures of the dog than I do them.  It’s true. I talk to her, and I find myself staring at her. I hug her, I kiss her, I make over her constantly.  She absolutely is the object of my affection. My dog. Trixie. Do you know we have a joke in the office about the dog having seasonal depression??  I swear, whenever…

Perspective

Help! I Need Glasses

July 16, 2023

Finally, at the age of 48, I need to wear glasses for reading… and for looking at my phone and everything else I hold within my arm’s length.  And it stinks! When did this happen? It’s BEEN happening.  Just ask the kids. The little stinkers laugh and look at each other every time I navigate on my phone, and I have to hold it away from my body. …

Family

When It Rains, It Pours

July 9, 2023

When it rains, it pours.. …and even on the 4th of July, hiccups and clouds can come rolling in when you least expect it. That is exactly what happened this year for us. We had a triple threat this holiday week:  A tree fell on the car, the refrigerator at the camp died, and it poured for all of our 4th of July festivities.   Typically, the 4th of…

Family

Oh, how they grow

June 26, 2023

In the blink of an eye, it’s high school graduation.   How did this happen so fast? Where was I? I was changing diapers, doing laundry, and cuddling away a fever. I was running crazy schedules around practices and games, helping with homework, wiping away tears, and enjoying the little kid’s laughter. I was planning birthday parties and silently praying while watching them launch off of a bicycle jump…