Recently we had the opportunity for a little getaway. Silly how giddy I get with the prospect of one night and three milkings away from the farm!
Our daughter is a freshman at UW-La Crosse, and the college had planned a family weekend with lots of activities on campus and off, so we planned a trip. There were 5K runs (no, thanks), a Mississippi River cruise (yes, please, but unfortunately that was sold out before I realized it was offered) and numerous other events, including a football game.
Before we leave the farm for any length of time, things have to be set in place. We planned to make it as easy as possible for our guys to come in and take over, so the cows would stay in the barn for one night. That way our milker would not have the hassle of getting them in. They would have taken one look at whom they perceived to be a stranger, and bolted, or get really, really dumb and not know where their spot was. If one cow stops to stare at something unusual as they’re coming in, it’s like a log jam in a river.
Because during late spring, summer and early fall the cows are outside and are only in the barn for grain and milking, the majority of their food/drink intake is done outside. So my husband had to make sure all the drinking cups were in good working order, cleaned out and ready to be used by every cow in the barn.
Since the cows were inside all day and one night during our getaway, they’d have to be fed inside. Again, in order to make it easier we had planned on our chore man to feed dry hay bales instead of silage. All he’d have to feed out of the cart would be corn silage and grain.
So the morning before we left, I was throwing baled hay down the chute. The bales were toppling over each other, and as I threw the last one down I heard a sickening thud. Scampering down from the barn mow and into the barn, I pulled bales away to discover a bale had slammed into one previously perfectly usable drinking cup, breaking it right off at its pipe.
Oh, goodness. Whenever a farmer wants to get away from the farm, something always happens. It never fails. So we turned off the water source, gathered supplies such as pipe wrenches, a new drinking cup, crescent wrench and pipe goop and proceeded to attach a new drinking cup, all right in front of a cow who was straining at her belt, eyes wide like we were killing her.
After that was fixed, husband finished feeding while I went in to get ready, buttoning up last-minute things in the house. Finally, after making sure Molly had enough water and food, (our chore guy was tending to her, too) we waved goodbye to the cows and we were on our way!
Nearing La Crosse we were pleased to see the fall colors were at their peak. The campus is breathtakingly beautiful, nestled in the valley just below the bluffs. It’s quite different from the Leopolis landscape! Craning my head way back I could make out a United States flag flying high atop Grandad Bluff, our destination the next day. Hugging my daughter tight, we went to her dorm to drop off food that I had brought (of course) and made our way to the stadium to take in the college football game. The bleachers were full of parents visiting, and it was a chilly but sunny day. During the game, we grabbed a hamburger from the concession stand and munched contentedly, grateful to be enjoying the time with our girl.
Leaving the game, we decided to treat ourselves to ice cream, and our daughter knew of a little place in downtown La Crosse called The Pearl that had the very best. I chose a double-scooped white-chocolate raspberry waffle cone. Yes, it was as good as it sounds. As we enjoyed our treat we drove, meandering for 60 miles south on Highway 35, which winds along the Mississippi River. The river, reflecting the autumn colors of the trees dotting its banks, was absolutely breathtaking. Sprinkling the landscape here and there along the way, we were astounded to see houses perched, looking like they had been chiseled right out of the cliffs.
That night we found a spot called Piggy’s Restaurant, with original décor, located in historic downtown La Crosse. The ambience of the place, with many people enjoying the evening, was delightful. The next morning we awoke to attend a church affiliated with the college. The pastor welcomed the many families who were participating in family weekend. It was encouraging to see so many young adults there. The ushers had to encourage everyone to shift to the center of their pew so all could be seated.
After the Spirit-filled lively service and a filling breakfast, we drove up to Grandad Bluff and were told one could see three states from the very top. We were right next to that giant flag I had spotted when we first came. After viewing the scenery, taking pictures and conversing with a few people along the way, we drove back to campus and watched the Packers game with our daughter and her friend before reluctantly hugging goodbye.
It was a wonderful break with great food, a beautiful view of God’s good earth plus quality time with our daughter, totally worth the effort of getting off the farm for a little getaway.
(“God’s blessings makes life rich, nothing we do can improve on God.” Proverbs 10:22, The Message Bible)
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