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Greetings 405 listener!
The 405 airs over KMMR Radio Station. At 5 Minutes past 4 PM. Normally each M-F week day of the year. Here on the website we'll get it posted for you within a few hours, normally.
Your neighbor and website maintainer,
D.J. Rasmussen
P.S. Oct 8th, 2025 Update. Finally back and published the Oct 3, 6th & 7th episodes, today on the 8th. We've had a recording equipment failure, hopefully fixed by tomorrow or very soon. Until then, I'm picking up the KMMR master recording copy and publishing that the day after The 405 airs or as soon as possible. Thanks for stopping by and listening.
I wanna again welcome you to the 4:05 Coffee Break. Get your cup of coffee, you know the routine, glass of iced tea, or if you care, a bottle of water. And let's see what's happening. Spring wheat, $5.12 a bushel, 550 pound steer calf not selling, but I can tell you this, a 946 pound steer calf brought $3.32 a pound. Butcher hog in Iowa, 60¢ a pound.
OK Solberg:And a 100 pound lamb that's fat in Billings is worth a $1.98 a pound. But guys, there's more, much more. Okay. Okay. I have to tell you, I had a dream the other night.
OK Solberg:Yeah. And I was working on the rigs, and we was tripping out when our tool pusher, Spanky, popped out of the doghouse and hollered over at me. Flintstone, Scooter got knowed up, so he'll cover Tower for you tomorrow. Then I woke up. I don't know what it means, but it sure put a smile on my face.
OK Solberg:Anyway, here's the deal. You know how I like stories. You know how I like reading yesteryear's books. And yesterday, I shared from a book a friend gave me about Homesteaders over in the Ophiem and Glasgow area. I love to read the accounts, and I feel I found a gem when I hit upon a personal story about, well, about life.
OK Solberg:Just real, just true, and just simple, but relatable. So here's a story I found that I want to share with you. The writer writes, the sky was starting to turn gray when I heard the old rooster crow. That was our alarm clock on the farm, loud, reliable, and never a minute late. I stretched, rubbed my eyes, and slid on my boots.
OK Solberg:It was time to start the day. Mom was already in the kitchen frying bacon and flipping pancakes. The smell filled the house like a warm blanket. Dad stood by the door sipping coffee and tying his boots. He gave me a nod and a smile, the kind that said, don't rush, but when you're done, there's things to do.
OK Solberg:Oh, I ate those sourdough pancakes and bacon and loved every morsel. Then it was off to the barn. The cows were already waiting. They knew it was time and they knew we had rolled barley for them. I grabbed the metal pail and settled in beside old Roni, our oldest milk cow.
OK Solberg:The rhythm of milking was something I learned young, squeeze, grip, squirt, and the milk would ring against the side of the pail like music. Dad worked beside me, not saying much, but that was okay. Out there we didn't need many words, just being side by side was enough. After the cows got milked, we headed to the chicken coop. The hens scattered and clucked as I put the feed in and then carefully reached inside, not to startle them because we hadn't gathered the eggs the night before because of the community dance, so I reached under warm feathers and pulled out one egg, then another, setting them gently into my basket.
OK Solberg:Mom always said eggs as were like gold, fragile but full of life. I love picking the eggs. It was like a treasure hunt every day. By the time the sun peeked over the trees, it was pig time. Those pigs knew what was coming.
OK Solberg:They ran to the fence, squealing like it was Christmas morning. I hauled a bucket of feed to their trough, trying not to spill, but they didn't care. As soon as the food hit, it was a noisy, muddy frenzy. Sometimes my friends from town would ask if it's hard work. And, yeah, sure it was.
OK Solberg:We were up early, went to bed tired, and always had something that needed doing, but to me, it never really felt like work. Because it wasn't just chores, it was time with dad in the barn laughing when the milk cow's calf tried stealing milk while we were still milking. It was listening to mom hum, while she washed eggs in the sink. It was the smell of hay, the clatter of pails, the way the air felt clean and honest. Growing up on a farm taught me how to work.
OK Solberg:Yep. But more than that, it taught me how to love working. Because when your hands are busy and your heart is full, it doesn't feel like a job. It feels like home. And every morning before that rooster crowed, I knew I'd get to do it all over again with mom, with dad, and with the land that raised me.
OK Solberg:Growing up as a homestead child was a great way to prepare for the big old world out there, even if you never got back to the farm. The end. I can relate to that. How about you? I'll close with a bible verse.
OK Solberg:So the men did as instructed. They took two milk cows, hitched them to the cart, and penned their calves at home. 1st Samuel 6:7. Did you hear that, Sherry? 1st Samuel chapter six verse seven.
OK Solberg:Read the whole story. It's a great story. So until next time, as you go out there, remember now, don't be bitter.