stone

Alright, just a quick update on Maggie. We missed her last heat last month, or rather we didn't really miss it, the AI tech never got back to us and well, there goes that. So we have been watching her like a hawk this month, and really wanted to hit the mark. Well she was showing signs of being in heat the past day and a half, different then the last time, not so much of the tail, and flirting, but hanging around the chicken tractor and mooing a lot yesterday and today, and other visual signs I won't write, but were there. YES! we thought, and we put in a call to the AI tech. He came this afternoon, and after checking her out, he said yup to breeding her. That she was ready!  We wanted to re-breed to Denali , but no such luck, not that I believe in luck, he (the AI tech) had sold out of him earlier today. Bummer. What are the chances of that, not that I believe in chances either. So after chatting with him and looking at the bulls all over again we decided to go with a bull named Stone. He's on the tall side, and Maggie is on the short side, so maybe a baby in between. He has a high cheese merit, high fat, and produces "exceptional udders," and for a dairy cow that is what you want, and he settles his cows well. I guess this post would not be for the faint of heart, but then neither is farming! The cheese merit is good, because I want to make cheese, and the fat is good for butter! And come to find out Maggie may have never settled last time, because cows don't usually abort that early in their pregnancy, but rather absorb it. I'm learning so much, and have so much more to learn! The kids had a few questions, and we answered them too. I think it's best to be honest with them, and answer their questions. They are trying to put it together, and they don't want Maggie to get hurt. We assured them she was not hurt. Tonight Rachel asked with a big semi toothless smile if Maggie was going to have a baby, and we told her that we hoped so. She informed us she did too, and wanted a girl! I asked Little Matt what he wanted to name the calf, and he grinned showing off that cute dimple in his left cheek "Dandy," (Dandelion) was his reply. Now we are looking at an October calf. So now we wait... again.


**Just a side note, I'm still trying to remember my other posts and what I labeled them, so if they don't make since, bare with me. I'm not the most computer savvy woman! It's OK, I can handle that!

some things I've learned...

OK, so as I was doing the dishes this evening my mind was wondering to the cow, big surprise right?! and what I have learned since having her. So it may be a bit random or "flying by  the seat of my pants" in thoughts, but that is how I roll!
I told Matthew the other day, that Maggie is a great first cow for a number of reasons, and two being that she is  head strong enough to keep me on my toes, and docile enough to give me, a first time hand milker/cow owner the confidence to milk/handle her. I've figured out just how much fun, and well, stressful it can be to literally chase a cow all over your neighborhood the day after you get her! Yup, we did that! As well as putting fence back together as your cow runs wildly through the neighbors fences for his cows! Not to mention how many people say, after you say the cow jumped over the fence to get out, literally jumped the fence and cleared it! that "the cow did jump over the moon!" that is not so much funny to me, anymore. I think from the cows perspective she must have been scared too, not knowing where she was, who was chasing her, and wondering where her buddies were. She had been born and raised on the farm we bought her from. I would like to learn how to rope, while riding a galloping horse, because you just never know when that skill might come in handy!  Just how sore my hands can be after milking 23 pounds of milk from your cow. How many gallons of milk I need to get 2 gallons of cream to make about 4 pounds of butter! How to make good yogurt. How long it takes me to make and process 4 pounds of butter. How much I hate, loathe, despise,  hot dogs, don't even get me started on hot dogs! Amazing where your mind can go while you milk. How much I actually enjoy milking, and the noises I've discovered about my life while miking. Looking, or rather stumbling around, for a cow at 2:30 am in the pouring rain is not that much fun, but would probably do it again! When you wean a calf from it's mother, they really are sad. When you loose your first calf it's sad. Although we had a crash course in homeopathic medicine for calves, and learned a lot, and hopefully better success next time around. How to AI your cow and the questions that come up from the children from that. How much more time I spend at the sink washing all the milk stuff! That a cow has a very long tongue, and can lick your face without a moments notice and almost french kiss you! Yikes! Cows like to lick, at least my Jersey does! How funny it is to squirt your unsuspecting kid in the face with the star on the end of the cows teat, and listen to them squeal as it hits them!!  I'd like to try my hand at making cheese too, and cow's milk soap (sounds weird to say that, cow's milk soap, as opposed to goats milk? And I do like goats milk soap)! That is in my near future and a goal for myself this year. I think I'll start with mozzarella cheese, and soft cheese for the "expensive crackers" (LOL)!! I'll let you know about that...
It's only been about six months since we got Maggie and that is just a handful of things that I've learned, and I look forward to more time with her and any other cows that come our way...
I also know how much I enjoy sitting down on my comfy couch, with my man, and enjoy a large piece of  homemade wacky cake and a tall glass of fresh, cold, raw, organic, milk, from my cow!

Check out my glasses! I love these, the way they tilt, can you see the tilt? I do love 'em!!! (TY  SIL) 

cow, meet horse. horse meet cow...

Happy New Year all! Welcome 2011!!! We are excited about what this new year will bring to us and the farm!

That said yesterday Matthew and I worked with Time Out and she did so super well that we decided to put her out with the cow!! They have only ever seen each other, never touched, but we figured why not. The cow needs a buddy and Time Out needs to get away from Abby. So...

You have got to be kidding ME!!

I am so not impressed with this creature in MY pasture! I think I might jump the fence! I did it once before!

Yeah, OK, I'll eat her hay. No problem!

Ring around the rosie...

pocket full of posies!

OK, so maybe we can get along and eat hay together, but I have my eye on you!

Thankfully Maggie did not jump the fence, but we thought she was going to for a few minutes after putting Time Out in her pasture! We stood by and watched them, and Maggie was not too sure what we were up to, and she didn't really like Time Out, and Time Out was wondering what her problem was. She made herself right at home, eating Maggie's hay! No one got hurt, although they both kicked up their heels a bit, and walked circles around each other. We threw Maggie some of her own hay after Time Out decided to eat what was out, and Maggie ate some, then the pest came over and Maggie hurried off,  and she ate that hay too! They did touch noses once!  (Got it on the cell, but can't get it on the computer, yet)! They settled down and ate, and were together for about 30-40 minutes and then Abby decided she needed the pest back, and the pest happily went back with her Mommy! Now we will try it again, and see if they can build a friendship, and Time Out will get some cow sense!!!

fellow canners!!!

I was very pleased the other day when Matthew put an envelope in front of me and I opened it up and found some Tattler canning lids! BPA (Bisphenol A) FREE!! A sample and some information about them and an order form!

This past summer we went to the MOFGA fair to a root cellering discussion and the woman mentioned that BPA was in the canner lids. Honestly I never thought about it. Horrors! I thought! Not that I was surprised, disgusted more like it. So that set us on a new hunt, no, we did not get any BPA free lids this year, but next year we hope to get some. The woman also mentioned she had not used them, but some people she knew had, and they had mentioned that they had, had a hard time getting them to seal. Well, now I was wondering if any of you had used BPA free lids and what your opinion of them was, and if there were other brands that you liked better or what have you! Being what some would say an avid canner, I would hate to have to re-can my stuff, it's a lot of work, but on the flip side, the health of my family is worth the effort. Even if it means canning all my goods, again! 

This rain is making a mess of everything here. The kids were so disappointed this morning when they woke up and the snow was gone, along with the little forts they had built, and spent hours playing in! We can't get the tractor in the fields to spread some horse manure, or we could but that is one adventure I would rather not try! Imagine the pictures! Seeings how I'm on the subject of, no not manure, but the farm, Maggie is in heat. We may have missed it by morning. The AI  tech never called us back, so now that would set us back even more. But we have been keeping a very close eye on her and looking for "the signs" and she was bellowing this afternoon, hanging out where the meat birds chicken tractor is. Gotta tell you Matthew and I were out in the horse barn this afternoon fixing Time Outs stall and he was singing and whistling away, and Maggie started bellowing at him! She was standing at the edge of the fence looking at the barn!! Oh my was that funny! I guess they were having a duet! Matthew thought that was funny too and kept on singing! Anyways now we shall see about tomorrow and maybe the AI tech will get back to us and we can get her bred, again. I know we only have an 18 hour window, so... 

it's only monday?!?!

Oh it's already been one of those weeks, and it's only Monday! 

Yesterday morning Matthew came in from milking rather discouraged. He told us Maggie had aborted. What?! Oh no I thought. I asked if she was ok, and he said yes. Guess it's God's way of taking care of things if the calf wasn't right. I'm thankful Maggie is ok, and today she seemed fine as well. So now we wait until next month and try the AI again.

Then today Matthew had a delivery to make, all went well, then he went up to see a dairy farmer to see about buying a 6 month old heifer calf. Well that was fine and good, but decided not to buy the calf, because the farm was not that nice, and he didn't feel it would be a good move to get the calf. Ok that's fine too. Then on his way home he hit a deer. What?! Yup! He's fine thankfully, and the van is ok. We don't have any lights on it, but it still runs and he came home to us safely. He got to bring the deer home too, so now we will have some deer burg.

When he got home we headed out for a date. Just the two of us, to a meeting about farming. Well that wasn't all it was cracked up to be either, we were expecting it to be more then it was, but it wasn't. Oh well. I'm thankful for the date with my husband and the opportunity to spend some time with him alone! We shall see what the rest of the week has in store for us as it plays out. 

I guess this would be the time I call upon the grace He gave me to make it through my life that I am thankful for.

it stopped raining!

I'm thankful for four children who keep me on my toes and one step ahead of them!

With all this rain everything is water logged, even myself. I found myself running out to the barn this morning in my sneakers, my first mistake, to feed the horses. Abby, has a bad habit of opening her door and eating all the hay. The only reason Time Out didn't get out was because we have a bungee cord to lock her in. I think Abby will soon find out how to get her out of her stall too. She's Houdini when it comes to doors! She had managed to get one bale of hay in her stall and then get it outside in her pasture, which with all the rain is like a muddy, water lagoon. I let Time Out out, and shut the door, again.I don't know why I bothered to shut the door! I figured they had enough hay to last them a good while in the barn and the water lagoon. WRONG. They managed to destroy the barn, knocking down just about everything in their path and a second bale of hay was, well you guessed it, gone. Oh well, two bales of hay gone, in a morning, and a barn to clean up. Just another day on the farm!

I milked the cow tonight. She insisted on continually slapping me in the face with her tail, thankfully it was not wet, so it wasn't too bad. She would look back at me and blink and I just stared back at her and told her to cool it with the tail. She didn't. Still no real good signs of her being in heat, and the window to breed her is gone. I spoke to the AI Tech, and she said the last thing you want to do is put your hand in there and knock the baby off. She would be what is called short bred. We agreed that we would let it go, and continue that she settled. We don't want to take a chance, and at 6 months you can "bump" her to see if you can feel the calf's  head. I did that the last time and that was so neat to feel the calf bump you back! So we are going to continue that she settled! I think we'll still watch her next month, just to be sure though! Very exciting!

maggie

I'm thankful that it is raining and NOT snowing!! That is what I'm thankful for!

Well Maggie should be in heat today, and so far she has not been "flirting" with us. Ever been flirted with by a cow? Well it's funny. With those big brown doe like eyes, and a tail that while you milk her, just wraps around your neck, and she just looks at you and blinks those eyes. She hasn't been mooing like crazy at the other cattle across the road either. We no longer have the broilers for her to charge at and sleep with, so, hopefully she settled.  We are keeping a close eye on her.  If she did settle then her estimated due date is July 27, 2011!! But if she goes like last time she will be 9 days late. We would really like a heifer calf this time too. You know not to be picky or anything! Haha.