Manure Pit

 I know these picture were taken last year but for some odd reason I wanted to post them.  I know to many this sight is not the prettiest but for those of us who know it is an empty manure pit.  It warms the cockles of my heart when I see this sight.  I love when the manure pit is empty.  Also if you will look a little further up the hill you will see that it is also empty and that is a miracle all unto itself.  We have not got the hill cleaned in 10 years.  It was wonderful to see!!  It is a hard place to haul from with the nature of the hill.  It is super slick and hard to get anything hauled out of unless its in certain conditions.  So for the first time in a long time I feel like we are headed into the winter with a "clean" slate.

 I usually participate heavily in the manure hauling.  I have my slinger and my tractor and a few kids and we usually are the ones to haul the crap away but this year I spent my time helping in the kitchen.  I've never cooked so much food.  I am not a cook and yet I did a lot of it.  I also like variety so I couldn't just make the same thing over and over again.  So I used some recipes from "The Pioneer Woman," and the "Food Nanny" and myself I guess. 

 Here is the crew!  Quinn (he was the mechanic and fix it man mostly), Joel Teuscher (he was the driver of the 4630 and slinger) Tim Teuscher (he was the big dump truck driver), Derek Nate (he was the loader and driver of the manure truck, and Alma Alleman (he was the driver of the manure truck and milker)

The others in this photo were the "pit" crew.  Thomas and Andrew and Maggie and Zeus.  The pit crew generally were involved in riding in certain vehicles lest the drivers get tired and drowsy.