Welcome to our FIRST 2nd Annual Episode! This week we're revisiting our Gear and Gift guide, with our suggestions of something for basically everyone- especially yourself!

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Wow.

That was very loud.

Sorry,

No, it's fine.

I think I, when I'm asked with the volume, you sound better,

but she got very aggressive.

is kind of pushy.

We don't, recording is in progress.

For any of our listeners who are wondering what we're talking about,

it's the Zoom recording warning lady.

She is very adamant that we know.

We're recording anyway.

Welcome to another episode of Barnyard Language.

So as usual, we're gonna start out with what's going on each of our farms.

So, Caite tell me what's happening in your place.

So the girl child is turning six on.

The first week of December, and so she's host having her first friend

birthday party, which is basically all we talk about sometimes.

Well, sometimes we talk about Christmas, and then we talk about her birthday,

and then we talk about Christmas, and then we talk about her birthday.

And then occasionally the boy child will interrupt.

With this morning, the first thing he said was, I wanna talk about Thanksgiving.

I wanna talk about food.

I like.

Like buddy,

me

too.

Yeah, that's what I wanna talk about

about foods we like.

He wasn't too sure about Turkey, but he does like ham.

He made sure I knew that.

He thinks that we should be having popcorn chicken from the gas

station for Thanksgiving dinner.

So, oh, maybe I'll

That would be delicious.

I don't care.

Whatever, you know, my baby's happy.

I'm happy.

Got the kids their own Christmas tree.

The girl child had been asking for one.

We don't put our tree up until usually the Saturday after Thanksgiving,

so we'll do that this week.

But she saw a rainbow colored tinsel tree at Walmart.

It's four

That's from what I know of her.

That sounds like the perfect tree.

Absolutely on brand.

She's decorated it.

She added more tinsel of course, so I will post some photos of that.

But she's leaning in hard to the Christmas decorations and the

upside is that it is in her room.

And hopefully this will encourage her to not redecorate the Christmas tree

like every day like she did last year.

right.

Yeah.

Maybe.

Or as, as your nice ornaments go missing from your tree, you'll know where to look

Yeah I had to rescue a number of my good ornaments because, you

know, we have the plastic ones from Walmart, just the cheap balls.

But I do also have some like long glass ornaments, things of that nature.

Slightly more breakable.

Also, this week Jim pulled out, his grandpa had built barns for all

of the kids for Jim and his sister and cousins when they were children.

And he pulled it out this week for the boy child and the girl child, and it's

like probably close to four feet long, and it's in the middle of my living room.

Perfect.

And shall never move again.

It will never move.

And a boy child is now asking for a second barn for the kitchen

because that is now a separate farm.

Oh good.

And I'm just gonna guess your kitchen's maybe not big enough

for a farm and cooking up food.

No.

Which I mean, a boy child would be fine with because he would happily live off

popcorn chicken for the rest of his life,

Yeah.

Popcorn sugar from the gas station.

yeah,

yeah, if we put a four foot long barn in our kitchen,

that's basically the entire floor.

Yeah,

Yeah.

So how are things?

What's been going on in your house?

Ar.

things are good here too.

It's also birthday season in our house.

We have three outta four kids with birthdays in the next few weeks, and

well, the first one just happened, so I now have a 12 year old again, so this

is my third child just turned 12, so.

We did do a friend party again this year.

It's, you know, they change over time.

So we had some negotiating to do about what that would look like,

whether we were going to stay home or go into the city to do something.

So it, we settled on four friends coming over and hanging out, and they

had pizza and made ice cream sundaes, and there was no singing of Happy

Birthday and there were no candles.

Every once in a while I would go check in and see if they

wanted any help doing activities.

And they all said that they were just fine doing what they were doing.

So it was fun for them.

Yeah different scene that I'm sure what you're gonna be having

with a bunch of six year olds.

next week.

I do wanna mention what I'm pretty sure is a stroke of absolute

genius on my part, which is probably it for like all of 2023 as well.

I hired our regular babysitter to come help

child's birthday

a house full of four or five and six year olds because obviously

the boy child will be here as well because, you know, he lives here.

She likes little kids.

I mean, obviously I love my children, but a house full of small children is not my

idea of a good time, . Everybody's happy.

Yeah, we did that many years for for kid birthday parties.

I did usually banish siblings.

You're nicer than I am.

But that was sometimes my kid at my kids' request.

Even for the 12 year old birthday party, the siblings were banished

from the house or the older ones had to go to their rooms because they got

to just hang out with their friends without the input of their siblings.

Cuz especially older siblings for a birthday party can turn a little bit.

Maybe a bit bossy.

So anyway, yeah, we have sometimes Spanish siblings over to grandma's

house, but hiring the babysitter to come and assist is definitely a win

for those little kid birthday parties.

I think once my kids are older, we'll probably start banishing one.

But right now, because they're so close in age, they have all the same friends,

Yeah, for sure.

So several of the girl child's friends, younger siblings

are friends with the boy child, so they got invited to, because it seems

really rude too, to be like, One of you can go play with your friends,

Yeah, that's right.

not the other yeah, .Yeah.

Not this time.

Cuz there's cake.

Yes, there's really good food and we're gonna play fun games and there's

gonna be new toys so you can't go.

Anyway, but yes, I'm sure when they get older it'll be different.

I did I was trying to praise the children this weekend for.

Nice to each other.

And I said something about, oh, it's so nice that you're such good friends.

And a girl child looks at me, she goes, mommy, we're not friends.

We're brother and sister friends live in different houses.

Fair enough.

I mean,

Check.

Got

it.

But

you're getting along in this moment, so let's be thankful for that.

Yeah,

So,

each other.

That's fine.

Yeah, that's right.

Give me that.

So this week we are doing our second annual episode of something,

which is kind of exciting.

We got past a year and we're we're doing something over again,

Caite, that feels pretty fun.

This is like our first, second episode, isn't it?

Yeah.

Yeah, exactly.

So since we usually start our interviews with a guest with what are you Growing?

I thought that maybe we could do a little recap of what we're growing and

then I was also wanting to ask you the question, what traditions are you growing?

Cuz we're going into the fest of season for, so for Caite

and I, we celebrate Christmas.

We are not assuming that all of our listeners do.

You might celebrate.

Different holidays through the winter, you might not celebrate anything.

But as this tends to be a gift buying and purchasing time of year, that's why

we're doing our gift and year guide again.

So Caite, what are you growing and what traditions are you growing in your house?

My husband and I farm about 300 acres in.

I'm just gonna totally reintroduce myself, Arlene, there's nothing you

can do about it, especially because I'm the one who edits the show.

Anyway 300 acres in far northeast Iowa with, we farm with my husband's folks.

We have a daughter who is almost six and a son who is four and a half.

They've both grown more than two inches in the.

Four months, which explains a lot about my grocery bill and a lot about

my clothing bill, and a lot about the amount of laundry I'm doing.

We raise cat and hair, sheep for me.

We have, I think 25 years.

And we also raise Normandy beef cattle.

We have, I think, 13 cow calf pairs and, you know, feeder calves.

We have a few chickens.

We have two big dogs.

We have five cats in the house, which is a mistake, whatever . It's not

like they all came at once, you know,

There were some ducks at one point too, weren't there?

There some

There's delicious ton of ducks.

Yes, thanks.

No head count on the ducks Duck math.

probably 15 ish.

Mostly mus gove's.

Two Pekins.

Not really much else.

I, that's about it.

Yeah.

And what traditions are you growing?

our closest town of any size, does a huge drive through life display

between Thanksgiving and Christmas as a fundraiser for the local

children's shelter family services.

And so we do that.

So we usually, you know, drive through it and go to Culver's, get

us some butter burgers, get some cheese curds without Midwestern.

We also will go to the.

Canadian Pacific Holiday Train is back on this year after the

pandemic, so that's very exciting.

They bring a train that is lit and has musicians and they go to a

lot of small towns all over North America and the US and Canada.

So all over North America.

Yeah, they come to our town too.

oh, do they, are you gonna go with your.

I don't know.

We have gone in the past the train yards is a not the most accessible

location and I have some kids who don't like crowds and loud noises, so maybe

not , but we have done it in the past.

It is very pretty.

But the concert aspect doesn't always fit our family.

So we'll see.

I might go, but who knows who I will bring with.

I have the feeling that this might be a year that we, you know, sit in a car.

Watch, which would also be fine because that is an excellent point

that train tracks by, you know, by designer usually kind of out of the

way and not real people friendly.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Not the best location for a concert venue with, you know,

like elevated seating or anything.

There's none of that.

yeah.

But it's festive his shit, so that's

Yes, that's

true.

to break out your ugly Christmas leggings and, Lean into

that if it's something you do.

Yeah.

My kids are just getting old enough to really like, have holiday

traditions that they're any part of.

So I'm

And sometimes they end up telling you what's a tradition where you're

like, oh, I thought that was a one off.

But I guess we're doing that again this year.

My fucking kids.

Okay.

My fucking kids.

We're gonna find out.

I'm trying to make them watch Elf because I think it's funny and I

feel like they would think it's funny.

They hate it.

They hate that movie with such a fiery fucking passion, , and it's

like the least cozy, jolly situation that I'm like, Chasing my two small

children yelling at them because they won't watch a Will Ferrell movie.

The boy child insists that it's terrifying.

The girl child just keeps asking questions and then says it's

ridiculous and won't watch it.

So I, it's

you'll get there

yeah, their humor is more mature than mine, but whatever.

Arlene, what are you guys?

Yeah, so we are on a farm in southeastern Ontario, so

we're about an hour from Ottawa, which is Canada's capital.

So we're in the province of Ontario.

And we are on my husband's family farm that's been in the family

for multiple generations and we're raising our four kids here.

So at this moment I have 16, 14, 12, and.

Seven year old, but in a few weeks, some of them are gonna upgrade by years.

So, yeah, everybody is growing quickly.

We have about 700 acres of owned land and then rent another couple hundred

acres where we grow corn and soybeans and lots of hay for our dairy farm.

We milk registered Holsteins Here on the farm we milk about

80 cows in a Thai stall barn.

Oh, sorry, what?

And one Jersey.

That's

right.

Yeah.

I forgot that.

No, she's not, no, she has, she doesn't have till March.

So at this point we, we own one jersey.

The rest of them are Holsteins and yeah.

So that's what we're growing in terms of traditions, that does seem to be kind of

evolving based, both on ages of kids and.

Mental capacity of the parents.

But most years, I would say every year we hit, we go out and pick our own tree or

caught our own tree at a local tree farm.

Because we have some December birthdays.

I've always said that the tree doesn't go up until after the last birthday.

So our last birthday's on the 8th of December.

So sometimes we might cut the tree before then, but it doesn't actually

get put up until after that birthday.

So some of the other Christmas decorations go up, but the

tree waits until birthdays are.

And that kind of shortens up the Christmas season a little bit, which I don't mind.

We did end up adding an elf.

It's not like the traditional elf on the shelf, but we have like a

kindness elf situation that we only added because my daughter was so sad.

I think she was probably about 10 or 11.

That everybody else's house had elves and hers didn't.

And the school had an elf and I really was one of those parents who was like, I don't

need to add anything else to my life.

But she really wanted one and was very sad about it.

And it was at that time where I knew that we didn't have much time

left for those types of traditions where I knew that she was gonna be.

Kind of aging out of elf territory.

That's another thing that also waits until after the last birthday.

So that can help too to shorten up your number of eing days by saying that it

doesn't arrive until the December 9th.

So that's not quite as many nights to remember to move the damn El

So Arlene we're, I did an L for a couple days last year, but my

kids were too little to know or care.

But now the girl child at least seems to know what it is.

What's the protocol for if they see the elephant in the box of decorations

because they've found the box and ripped it open in the process of decorating near

four foot tall rainbow tree in a bedroom

I mean, you just make up a new story every time and see what sticks.

I think you know, Santa coulda sent it back.

Yeah.

You know, the magic doesn't start until whatever day you choose.

Who knows?

I mean, it's all made up right?

So you're saying that hiding her under my sweatshirt and yelling

at them that they hadn't seen anything while they left and tried to grab it

was probably a fine way to approach it.

Yeah, I think that's exactly what I would've

done.

had a really good time.

elf probably didn't , but whatever.

the magic hasn't started yet.

yeah.

Still comatose.

Yeah, that's right.

What traditions are you growing otherwise,

Yeah.

Other

than, yeah, like.

me didn't.

Tree stuff.

The one other thing that we have tried to do is they do get an allowance

through the year, but in December they don't get an allowance because in

theory that money goes towards their buying of gifts for their siblings.

Kind of pre-job age, so they don't necessarily have any savings by the

time December comes around, but that kind of makes sure that everybody

still has some funds remaining to pick out presents for each other.

And so yeah, we do try and take each of them shopping at some

point to pick out things for their siblings and for the, and parents.

So that takes some juggling with four kids.

But it works.

And online shopping works too for the.

What age did they start understanding, giving gifts to siblings?

I dunno.

I mean, my seven year old is definitely at this point starting

to come up with ideas on his own.

I mean, younger than that, they would've at least, you know, sometimes they're

picking out things that they want, but you can kind of guide them towards

like, that's a nice idea that maybe I could tell someone else to get for you.

But, you know, yeah.

Even just the.

The practice of like, let's think, really try and think about what this

other person might like is, you know, it's a good exercise for younger kids.

Whether or not they get it or not is gonna depend on them.

I'm hoping this afternoon to go through and call some

toys that are like straight.

Throw away and then set some out that I think maybe we could donate

At least with that idea, sending

I, and I have found that is harder actually than like say buying a present

for a friend's birthday party or for a sibling because getting rid of something.

For someone that you don't know is maybe a harder process to wrap your head around.

Cuz it's like, well I did like this thing.

Maybe I'll want it again.

It's the same when I try and get rid of my own stuff.

, right?

Like maybe I'll use it again.

Maybe I don't need to get rid of it yet, but the, you know, yeah.

That process of donating and giving away toys might be even an older

stage than actually picking out something for a friend or a sibling.

I think that those are kind of two separate concepts.

no, that makes sense.

That's a good point.

Yeah, but every kid is different.

All right, so I think we're gonna move into some of our gift suggestions,

and then we also have some that are lovely listeners and followers

on social media have given us.

So I'm gonna go ahead and start with my first.

I know that last year we talked about the muds brand, and we've even had

Nicole on the podcast, but I'm gonna bring them back up again for this year.

So muddies have launched their new overalls, or as Caite calls them, bibs.

And I've been wearing mine since the weather got cold, and I really love the.

So they have waterproof and cut proof, front pockets and knees

and hymns, which is really cool.

So I work and milk cows in a tie style, so I'm often leaning down and with

the pockets being reinforced with this waterproof material, it means that if I'm

leaning down into say, manure or urine, I don't get wet knees, which is fabulous.

And then the hems aren't also gonna fray on these guys because they've got that

same material on the hems, which I love.

And like her other designs, they are made for actual women's bodies.

So they're made and designed for things like hips and boobs and

stomachs and their adjustable.

And so yeah, they're very comfortable and comfortable to close the

fit well are safer to work in.

That's my first recommendation.

And they also have a zip waterproof pocket where you can still, your

cell phone in if it's, if that's something that you keep on you when

you're working, so that's great too.

Am I correct in thinking that the waste adjustment on

nose is a zipper rather than buttons that just end up gaping?

It zippers on the sides.

Yeah.

And then there's also an adjustment in the back, kind of like those, you

know, like the kids' pants with those like stretchy things with the buttons.

So if you have, say like I get a bigger size but sometimes the waist

needs a bit of cinching in there.

Is that cinch in the back that you can then pull in at the back a bit

if you need more room in the front.

I was just excited about the zippers because I know when I was

pregnant, you know, and you were overall, so with the buttons on the

sides, if you have to leave the buttons open, then your underwear showing.

Yeah.

And those buttons catch on things,

sides

Yeah.

inches on both sides.

Yeah, that's

and Nicole, keep an eye out because I'm ordering a pair for lambing

because I thought about how nice it would be to not kneel in any placenta.

I mean, I'll probably still kneel into placenta, but at

least it won't soak through

It won't, yeah, it won't soak into your pants.

that's not a nice way to spend a late February morning, you know?

With placenta, knee , it

sounds like a medical condition.

Yeah.

Also for anyone who's never dealt with placenta, once it stains something,

the smell and the color do not come out.

So I am looking forward to not ruining good pants this year.

I mean, I'm still gonna ruin at least one good pair of pants, but

Yeah.

Ruining less pans.

Right.

So my first thing, we all know that people who have way too

much shit, I'm one of them.

A lot of my friends and family this year are getting Patreon memberships,

so if you have not gotten one for barnyard language yet, you could do that.

There are also all sorts of artists and musicians and inventors and all sorts

of cool folks that you can support through Patreon, and a lot of them do

things like I've subscribed to one that sends a new computer desktop wallpaper.

Which is an awesome little treat.

I subscribe to an artist who has sent me a coffee mug and monthly stickers,

which is also a delightful little treat.

And it's a really nice way to support someone with something that

they're interested in without giving them a bunch of random shit that

they don't actually want or need.

And it helps creators.

Yeah,

and if you subscribe to, yes, That's right, and if you subscribe to ours,

you get bonus content like getting episodes early or videos of us doing

our weekly intros, and I'm sure we'll think of some other things.

also most creators have a tier that starts at like a dollar a month.

So it's a gift that seems more impressive than it is expensive as

well, which is delightful because it's the thought that counts and not

how much money you throw at shit.

All

Good point.

next?

So my next one is teacher gifts.

This can also count for bus drivers or you know, like the people in your

life that you feel like you need to give a gift to, but you don't

necessarily know all that well.

You don't know their likes or dislikes.

So this one can be tricky.

Usually I've been going with gift cards to the grocery store because

I figure everybody needs food and everyone's talking about how much

more expensive food is this year.

But my other idea for our teachers this year is I'm gonna.

Some books to the school library because our library has gone through

some changes recently, and I know at the beginning of the year they

were looking for book donations.

So I figure this is also a good time to donate some books.

So I'm gonna look for some more diverse topics than maybe what we would

typically find at our rural school.

Maybe even some winter holiday books about other holidays, other than

Christmas would be a good idea.

I'm gonna be doing some research over the next week or so and pick out some books

for our school library, and I can let the teachers know that's what their presence.

That's a great idea.

My next one, a friend just sent me a YouTube link.

For some new music.

And it occurred to me that one of the things that I most honestly need in

life at this point is new experiences.

You know, I work from home, I work remotely, and it's so easy, especially,

you know, with little kids out in the country to just feel stale.

The exposure to new music or different foods or new art or interesting new

books or just, I had not realized how.

Stale and dusty my brain had been getting.

So anything to knock the dirt out of the crevices of

Blow at the cobwebs.

You have little mental dust.

Buster is probably a good thing.

and

And chances are if you like something, you know as the gift giver,

if there's something that you've discovered and you like, then you know

maybe the person that you're buying for or gifting to will also like it.

And even if they don't love it as much as you do, then they can appreciate

that it's something that you enjoyed and then you've got something in common

or something that you can discuss.

Yeah, so even if it's not a gift, just.

When you find something that lights your brain up, share it with somebody, because

chances are that they need that too.

Yeah, that's a good point.

and that's, it's nice to be thought of as

Yes.

That is true.

So this is the one, Caite, I couldn't remember if we had

discussed this on a previous episode.

Maybe you even have one.

But I was looking through my Amazon wishlist because I

was trying to think of ideas.

Cause throughout the year I just add stuff to the wishlist for

myself or the kids or my husband.

And then in theory I will.

Remember to buy them someday when there's a gift giving occasion.

So I was thinking about getting a metal detector for one of the kids, or for

like, kind of as a group gift, because I'm thinking it could be kind of fun to

have them go out and search for treasures.

The only thing will be is, you know, if you give it at

Christmas, the ground is frozen.

So , it's kinda like giving a bike at Christmas time, right?

Like, here's the thing you can't use for many months, but

do you have a metal detector?

Is that.

We don't, but that's a great idea.

Yeah.

So I'm

hoping to focus their efforts on like the surrounding fields and like

the barnyard, not so much my lawn.

So

yeah, that was one of my

ideas.

put on the house, you could get him picking up nail.

Yeah, that's

true.

I'm just thinking of the, like, there's something here,

It'll still be cheaper.

Yeah.

I was just thinking of the, you know, going around and then having

to dig up the holes, be like the Holes movie where there's like, yeah.

Big,

uh,

have free range poultry, do you?

We do not.

No

my lawn is just all holes anyway, so

Yeah.

Oh,

So metal detector.

I'm thinking especially for people with lots of property and

potentially multi-generational treasures, it could be a fun one.

No, I think that's a great idea.

I know there's whole field of archeology based around excavating

where all the outhouses were because

Oh.

anything that wouldn't burn got dumped in the outhouse hole and then

Yeah, good point.

so there's all sorts of interesting things and anything.

Shall we say less interesting.

Has long since been absorbed into the Earth?

Yeah, that's right.

You're not digging through that anymore.

No.

So my next one was actually a gift I got and have really enjoyed over

the last seven years, I think.

I found out that I was pregnant with the girl child less than a week before

our first year at Farmer's Market.

And for anyone who's never been a vendor at Farmer's Market, it's a

lot of sitting, a lot, or a lot of standing unless you're pregnant, at

which point it becomes a lot of sitting.

Anyway, I was gifted a rocking folding chair, so it's like a camp chair,

but it rocks, and rather than having rounded rockers, it rocks on pistons.

So the base of the chair sits flat and the chair itself moves,

Oh,

very cool.

Incredibly nice and even nicer ones.

I then had a baby to take to Farmer's Market and then promptly was pregnant

and taking a baby to Farmer's Market.

So does that work well then on kind of uneven ground?

Because

it's not rocking on a

tipping over.

they don't tip over backwards nearly as easily because

they're not, the base is stable.

So we will.

There are some family members who will be receiving those this year because

they borrowed ours and then it took quite a bit of negotiating to get them back

Clearly.

Clearly they like them.

yes, they did.

It's also it's nicer for your back and legs to be able to rock

and not just be sitting stagnant.

And they're more structured than a lot of camp chairs are.

So they're much easier to get out of than the ones where, you

know, you sit down and you just.

Slide into

Yeah.

Absorb into the chair.

Then it's a production to get out.

So, Arlene, what's next on your list?

So I was using actually our past yes.

List as a way to brainstorm some ideas.

So we've had a lot of people on who have farms, who have maybe products that they

sell that they either make or we've got a few people that we've had on before

that have t-shirts or other merch.

We've got authors who've written some books in the last few.

That are really would be really great gift giving options.

So I was thinking that Caite and I will put together a list to remind

you of some of our guests who have shops or books or things like that.

And then you can support our past guests as well as ourselves.

So that was my other idea.

What's your next one?

I just had to look up to make sure I received an infusion kit for

old fashions at a event recently.

The one I got was from the camper crew.

They do, so it's got like dried fruit.

So the one I got had dried cherries, dried blackberries, orange peels, or

dried oranges and sugar cubes that were infused with cherry bitter.

And then you throw that all in a, I think I used a half pipe mason jar and

fill it up with booze and let it sit.

And it infuses all these lovely flavors into whatever alcohol you're using.

And then you can make a cocktail quite easily at home.

You can use them.

The one I got can be used twice, so it makes I think 16 drinks

worth, which is really not too bad.

And I was just thinking it's kind of like those, the mason jar recipes.

I don't know if there's still a thing, but you know, for a while everybody was

doing it Christmas, like brownies in a

Like cook, yeah.

Cookies

or, yep.

And at least for me, they never turned out quite right.

And like always the recipe gets lost and then you just

have this random jar of shit.

You're like,

HR stuff.

Yeah, I think, I think butter and eggs.

So let's try

Quadin eggs is always a fair guess, but I was thinking these infusion

kits are kind of like that, but good.

sure.

Yeah.

And a little science experiment you could give them along with the,

whatever alcohol would go with them or you know, or mix or you know, if they

wanted to do a mocktail version, you could give the other parts of it to.

Yep.

Yeah, and it was.

The one I got with the dried cherries and dried blackberries

turned my whiskey a beautiful garnet color, and it was delicious.

And being able to make it, you know, a half pin at a time is much more reasonable

than buying a whole bottle of something when it's just me consuming it because

and then it's like a little science experiment too.

Yeah,

Science for

And it's healthy because it has fruit in it

Oh, absolutely.

Yes,

so

Yeah.

Yeah.

it's a stem

activity.

Yeah.

There's measuring, yeah.

right, Arlene.

I love it.

So my last idea was for stocking stuffers because it feels

like that tends to always be the, oh crap, I have bought all the other

things and now I also have to fill a stocking, which can get expensive.

So of course we do the usual like toiletries, bath products,

deodorant, all that kind of stuff.

Cuz that fills up a big chunk of the.

Without too much cost and it's stuff people are gonna use anyway.

But my other idea was to get fidget toys.

Amazon has some great mixed kits with lots of different kind of fidget toys

that can be fun for kids and adults.

And I know that for me, having something to occupy my hands

during an online meeting or for my kids in class is helping you.

Helping them concentrate or pay attention to what's going on.

And there's also some really cute fidget rings or the jewelry, like

chewable jewelry if you have people who need those kind of sensory inputs.

So yeah, that was my other thought, fidget toys for everyone.

So I'm basically, I'm realizing how old and not very

interesting my gift ideas sound.

Coming into winter in the Northern Hemisphere, one of my, I can't believe

I'm about to say this, one of my favorite things is my act tracks.

They go on the bottom of your boots.

I have the feeling I probably mentioned them last.

I'm bringing it up again because it's

might as well.

than a trip to the emergency room.

They're rubber wing dingers that just fit over the bottoms of your boots.

Mine have coy springs horizontal on the bottom it is.

There's also a version that has like little spiky cleat sort of things.

It is incredible how much more traction they give you on ice.

I am a big fan of not wiping out on ice.

I will say however, that with the act tracks, if you are like me and you

forget to take them off your boots, make sure you take them off before

you go in a place like Walmart with the polished concrete floors because

They don't give you extra traction there.

I,

The reverse of extra

traction.

folks appreciated.

My rendition of Olympic ice dancing because yeah, I took one step

off the mat and just kept going.

They're like those shoes with the little wheels in

the bottom, but unintentional.

Yeah.

The the on concrete is the inverse of how much they help on ice.

Yeah.

but if you have a better memory than.

Or just aren't lazy and don't just wear your shitty boots everywhere.

They are amazing.

So Arlene, would you like to start with our listener, suggest.

Sure.

Yeah.

So like I mentioned, we asked in our barnyard language Facebook

group where you can come and hang out with us and also on our social

media for some listener suggestions.

So one of the first ones, which always comes up, I think for anyone in northern

climates, is those little hand warmer thingies and the foot warmer thingies.

The ones you can snap and crack, and then they turn into little.

Pockets of warmth that are so delicious.

I also like the microwavable kind for my house.

The ones that have like rice or beans or whatever in them.

I'm sure you can even make those yourself probably if you

were a crafty kind of person.

Someone even mentioned they like having those on their list for their

kids for cuddling after chores.

So when you're done, you're coming from outside and everybody's hands and feet

are cold, you can have those on hand.

They also are good for stocking too, and another person swears by

the darn tough work socks from.

A place in Vermont they last really well and they come with a replacement

guarantee, which for socks must mean that they are actually darn tough.

I will say I have one of those warms a neck warmer.

It is maybe 18 inches long, and it has.

Lavender inside it, along with whatever grain is in there and warming that

up and then pulling your sweatshirt hood up over it is perfection.

Yeah,

So

nice.

wrote in and said that their teachers and bus drivers

get very dairy Christmas boxes filled with cheeses from our milk.

I I think anybody probably would appreciate a dairy gift box.

Anyone who consumes dairy would,

I even asked for a cheese one year for Christmas and it

was delicious.

Christmas, I'd be stoked.

Yeah, I got a bunch of different ones than I wouldn't like.

The person went to like a actual cheese shop and got me like the fancy cheeses

and I didn't share with anybody, and it was one of my favorite Christmas presents.

and I happen to know that we have a number of cheese

producers in our listening audience.

That's very exciting.

Yeah.

If they sell online, check them out.

So this was a very specific fire extinguisher, and I wrote down the

info because it sounds very cool.

I don't think we have.

Du, is it Duluth Trading Company?

That's what that the store called.

I don't think they shipped to Canada, so I may have to go to

the States to get one of these.

But anyway, it's, they have this, what's it called?

The Duluth Element E 50 Fire Extinguisher.

So it's like a small one and it's.

Like a powdered one.

So it's a chemical reaction that says releases potassium ions and nitrogen

that disrupts fires at a molecular level.

So it's like one of those tiny fire extinguishers, but it works for all

kinds of fires where those compressed air ones are not actually good for

kitchen fires and because it's small.

You can put it in a glove box, you can have it in your tractor.

They said they come with like a magnetic clip mount so you can

put them in your kitchen, in the shop, wherever you need one.

Said, this person said they were getting them for a bunch of people on their

list, and that seems like a really great idea and keeps people safe.

So you can't, hopefully they never have to use it, but if they

do, you also saved their life.

And it also says you can store it in vehicles even in hot weather.

So that means you don't have to worry about it being an issue

with going bad, you know, if it were exposed to the elements.

So that was a very good idea.

Also too, for anyone who's never.

Used one of those, I guess, quote unquote, normal fire extinguishers.

This being safe to breathe and mess free is a very good selling point because the

stuff inside those fire extinguishers, I mean, obviously better than burning

your house down, but very hard on your lungs and horrific to clean up.

So, Two thumbs up for anything else that puts out fires

and doesn't hurt your lungs.

So the next one here was from a listener who says, we love to support

our local communities, so we buy gift cards from local restaurants,

shops, salons, bars, et cetera.

At first we tried to give gift cards specifically to places we knew they

used, but got a lot of feedback that it gives them an excuse to try a new place.

This is one we've done too, and.

It's great because it keeps the money local.

They're easy to wrap, they're easy to carry, and people get

to pick out their own shit.

Yeah.

if they don't like it.

Everybody wins.

And this one was another teacher suggestion.

This one was for Amazon gift cards.

And the person said, this is what they also give to their friends after

having a baby for that middle of the night, nursing shopping that you need

to do before you forget about it.

So, I mean, I know Amazon's not local, and I know that there are lots of times

that we need to support local businesses, but there are also times where if you

live in a rural area and you can't get.

You can don't wanna drive two hours to go and get it, or there

isn't a local store that has it.

We all know that Amazon is a good place to have something show up at

your door without you having to go a really long way to find the thing.

So Amazon, we will still support you?

Another one.

I believe this was one of your sisters, Arlene, that

I think so, yeah.

My top birthday gift this year was a tool set in a bright shade of

pink that my mechanic slash farmer son will be sure to avoid using.

And I had added that.

I have also been known to spray paint the handles of tools for

ascent pink or blaze orange.

A, because no one steals them, and B, because when they get laid down

in the grass, they're much easier to find if they are a forest of.

Yeah, and easy to identify.

If someone were to walk away with them, you would easily be able to say, I know

that's my screwdriver, so give it back.

I want it back in my toolbox.

for your gloves.

Yeah.

husband of mine who is wearing my

and hand

gloves, jackass, give me my gloves back.

I know they're mine.

They're stained.

In a very particular way to me.

Yeah.

And of

course with

but it's something gross and I want my gloves

Yeah.

But it was in a very specific pattern that you recognize

so

pretty obvious.

Got it.

Yeah.

And as always, on any farming you know, what should we get our people fresh glove?

And fresh boots are always a must, right?

Because I mean, we all know that we probably wear them too long until they

get worn out or get holes or, yeah, just go ahead and buy yourself for

your farmer or your kids a new set of work wear so that you're safe and warm.

I know that not all of our listeners are in cold climates,

but probably a lot of you are.

And even if you're not in a cold climate, you just still don't wanna have wet feet.

So yeah, new barn clothes, not very exciting, but when you have to

wear them every day, it's worth it.

A reminder to some of you, because I know I'm not the only

one with a family member like this.

Waterproof boots are pointless if you wear them until there are

holes all the way through them.

You cannot bitch about your feet being wet if you have worn your boots until

there are holes all the way through them.

That's not my fault.

It is not my problem.

Buy some goddamn boots.

I feel like this is a marriage counseling episode.

Caite.

getting

Got

we know what Jim's getting for Christmas.

Gonna be

Yeah.

Gloves and

boots.

yep.

Sorry dear.

All right,

so we have done our fair question before.

So we're gonna skip over that one.

So Caite came up with a new end of episode question, so hit me with it, Caite.

Arlene, what is your favorite Christmas cookie?

Or

Oh my gosh.

holiday cookie.

Yeah, that is a hard one.

A few years running now.

I've done a Christmas cookie, baking day with a friend, and one of the recipes that

we've done is like a shortbread cookie.

Like, kind of not, like, not with What am I, what word am I looking for?

Not like a rolled one, but like, the shortbread and a lump, and then you

put some cream cheese icing on it, and then dip that into crushed candy canes.

And that has become one of my new favorites and also naimo bars.

They're not a cookie, but they're a Christmas essential.

That sounds amazing.

How about you?

What's your favorite Christmas baking cookie?

Square bar?

When I was a kid, my grandma would make a recipe that I think is actually my

great grandmother's sugar cookie recipe and I will attempt it again this year.

I'm feeling brave.

They

Has it ever turned.

time.

Mine did not.

I am realizing that probably 99% of the problem is memory and not.

The actual cookies.

But when I was a kid, my grandma had a closet in her dining room, which is

where she stored, you know, wrapping paper and crayons and she had a, you

know, one of those, her made boxes, it's like six inches deep and that's where

the Christmas cookies went and she would lay them out, you know, so just frosted

sugar cookies with the Red Hots for the eyes on the traditional Christmas rabbit.

It's what she had.

But to me, you know, rabbit.

The appropriate Christmas cookie shape at this point.

You know, and then she'd stack 'em up with layers of wax paper in between them.

And so it was one of my favorites to sort of, you know, stealth my way in there and

it'd be like, you know, three shelves up.

So I'd have to stand on something and pick through the layers of wax paper to.

right cookie, you know, because all of the flavors, all of the colors

of frosting taste totally different despite the fact that there's absolutely

no actual difference between them.

Yes.

Yeah, for sure.

So I'm realizing that probably most of why my recipe doesn't come

out is because I don't have the Tupperware box or the dark closet, or

Do you have a rabbit cookie cutter.

I do

Oh, okay.

Well, that's

something.

Hots.

So,

Maybe just stick them in a bin together for a while

and see if they taste better.

After a week.

You can't eat them fresh.

maybe that is actually the problem.

Could be.

We'll test that theory.

. Yeah.

Can we keep cookies for a week?

That would be my problem.

I'm not very good at.

Yeah, I'm not very good at that.

Same.

Any other ideas before we move into our confessing

and discussing for this week?

Has anything else?

I feel like I had another one, but I forgot it again, so it

must not have been that interesting.

That's right.

So we will go ahead and move into our cussing and discussing segment.

As always, you can leave us a cussing and discussing on our SpeakPipe at

speakpipe.com/barnyard language.

You can leave us a voice memo and we would love to play it on the

show, or you can send us an email at barnyard language@gmail.com

and we will read it out for you.

Caite, what are you cussing and discussing this week?

So Arlene, I know this is not just me.

I know it's being an adult and having people who depend on you to make all

the magic happen, and generally as adults, no one is making the magic

happen for us, which kinda sucks, but I feel so fucking Grinchy right now,

and I'm hoping that once Thanksgiving is over, I will feel better.

But I don't want to do the holidays.

I am not ready for the holidays.

The holidays are always over faster than you think they're

gonna be, except that it's.

It's like the same as having a baby that the days are

long, but the years are short.

You know, like each day during the holidays takes forever.

The whole season is over, like lickety split.

And then I start thinking about, you know, how my kids are growing up and producing.

They're not even gonna wanna have Christmas, and then they'll

probably move out and they'll probably never come home again.

And grocery prices are way up and gift prices are way up

and it, everything is expense.

And this is the one time of year that noticing that things are expensive

or that people are rude, or like anything that seems like real life just

seems really intrusive and horrible.

So

If everyone could just back the fuck off so that I can have my goddamn magic.

If you need me, I will be watching cutting edge and drinking

obscene amounts of hot chocolate

watching Elf Without Your Ungrateful Children

Yes.

To hell with them.

I'm done.

I'm out.

Elf Marathon.

For the rest of the mom,

Yes.

And also White Christmas and Cutting Edge.

I don't know why it's a Christmas movie, but it is in my head.

It is the movie I watch every year when I wrap presents

arlene, what do you have to custom?

Yeah.

So my festive cussing is the Christmas decorations because I do love them and I

try to only keep the ones that I really like and I enjoy them when they're out.

But I hate putting them out and I really hate cleaning them up afterwards.

And like I said, I kind of try to keep Christmas, you know, like after the

birthdays, but then that means you're putting out a bunch of stuff to just

put it back away again in a few weeks.

And there's not really an answer to it because.

Every year I look at all the Christmas decorations of the stores

and I think that they look pretty.

And then I add a few little things just to, you know, because they're

cute and, but that is just more stuff.

I've got so many.

Bins of Christmas stuff.

And then the other thing is you're taking other stuff down, but then you feel

like you have to clean because it's obviously, it's in my house, it's dusty.

So then those things I'm cleaning either when I put them

away or before I put them out.

And then the Christmas stuff, you end up cleaning and yeah, it's just stuff.

And none of it's necessary, but it is.

It just is a thing.

I feel like to this season brings up so much like.

Treasured family heirlooms that we should be using because what's the point of

having all these things if we're not

If we don't use them?

Yeah, that's

how gr am I going to feel if something happens to my like, you know,

75 year old German nativity scene,

Yeah, that's true.

Yeah.

kill one of my family members.

And that really does not bring the Christmas spirit,

that ruins Christmas for sure.

it really does.

Yes.

Well, thank you everybody for joining us for another episode of

the podcast, and we'll be back next week with a guest and not just us.

Thank you, Arlene.

Bye.