Spent a great deal of time yesterday working in the barn, rearranging and changing to better accommodate the little beef steers and bulls and attend to the comfort of Bama Breeze and Neon Moon. Bama decided that this would be a fine time to go dry, so I won't be milking her. She should calve back in June if all goes well.
Moon is doing well, and adjusting nicely to being milked by the short lady who always milked the other line. Wouldn't you know that the only remaining cow in milk stands in the only stall in the barn where I can't reach the pipeline?
I took Grandma Peggy's old plastic step stool over to the barn and hauled it up in the stall for last night's milking, after having the hose fall off the previous two, since I couldn't get it plugged in right.
Moon thought it was all good fun and wanted to lick the step stool and toss it around. I got her milked though. She is very gentle and will get used to me, I'm sure.
Thank you all for your kind words and deeds. We discovered that we have incredible friends and supportive family beyond anything we could ever have imagined. As the chaos recedes I will get my thanks to you all individually, but for now.......
I will leave you with a couple of pics from Alan's phone. He has been boiling sap with a friend....plus one of Peggy Ann.
There's haying to sell, land to keep, blogging to do to keep folks informed that are interested, and pasture to rent out if necessary.
ReplyDeleteJust don't forget to keep life interesting for yourselves. And before I forget, there's fishing to do on occasions.
I wish I could reach right through the computer and give you and Ralph a huge hug...boy do I.
ReplyDeletehttp://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com/2014/04/01/april-fools-day-winter-is-still-here-april-1-2014/
I love it ! Maple sugaring and Peggy Ann and her precious mom.
ReplyDeleteLife is good :)
And I think I speak for all those who enjoy and admire the comings and goings of your dear family -
No thanks required.
Our thanks is seeing you planning and doing and smiling into the warming spring breezes.
I'm sad for you and like the other Linda I'd like to reach out and hug you all.
ReplyDeleteTen Mile, we are hoping that hay, or rent, or some other enterprise will see us through. For now, I am grateful that we kept a few animals. I don't think we would do too well with the sudden cessation of going to the barn...even if only for a few tasks. And the boss is talking about fishing, something he hasn't done in decades.
ReplyDeleteLinda, thank you. People have been so amazingly good....we are so grateful
Cathy, thank you anyhow. Friendship and kinship mean so much. We were able to laugh yesterday, albeit a bit ruefully, over things we saw and did. That is big. And the wren in today's post.....truly symbolic to me at least. Such a cheerful little guy.
Linda, thank you. Friends and family mean everything to us these days.
I am so sorry to hear that you have had to sell your cows. It seems like every month, I hear of yet another farm selling out, or I used to anyway, there is only one left here now. It is downright criminal what this state does to its farmers.
ReplyDeleteI hope that you can at least enjoy the time and freedom you will now have.