Here we go again

  It was so nice we got about 4 days in the 40's and I was starting to feel a little cheerier. I would stay outside after chores a little longer and do a few extra things. I peeled back the layer of clothing from 5 or 6 layers to 3. I actually had one less load of laundry to do each day cause the guys wore less layers too, I was feeling hopeful! Nope - back to freezing again and snow and  below zero lows predicted again, YUCK!! How much more can we take before we all move south. I bet the cows agree with me and they would probably follow right along in hopes of sunshine and green grass.

  It looks like the beginning of March is going to be nasty. I just hope that in like a lion out like a lamb holds true, I will cross my fingers. Stay warm everyone!

A little daydreaming

                                                                                Then

                                                                              Now

  Just sitting here remembering when the grass was green and the garden was in. I just can't wait to garden and work outside in the yard again. It is going to be in the 40's again today so the snow is starting to melt and I can see spots of grass peeking out ( brown grass of course) but going back down after today. It is so windy today though. At least in the forecast the worst I see so far for lows is in the teens and not any negatives, so that means the glass is half full right? Just hoping and wishing for the time it is full!

Lineback Cows

 

 

  We know someone that cringes every time she comes to our farm and sees our lineback cows. She cannot understand why we would want to milk them, they are a beef breed she says ( they are actually a dual breed). Above is a few pictures of the udders of 3 of our first calf heifer lineback cows who freshened months ago, I think they look good and are very promising ( they could use the iodine washed off them before any more pictures). They also help with the components in our milk, we usually run about a 4.2 butterfat.  My husband fell in love with the first lineback cow we purchased so now with AI and now our own bull we have several of them and so far so good!

Some new calves

  We finally had some new calves, it has been months. The first cow, Boo Boo, had a bull calf and last night when it was below zero Brown Brown freshened. She had her calf just at the end of milking and when the girl who helps us(Alisha) checked on her she was sorta sitting on her calf and she killed it. Poor thing she was probably trying to keep it warm and unknown to us till the morning she had a twin and unfortunately he didn't make it either. It was so cold last night.

  It has been months since I had to milk a cow into the can or even bottle feed a calf. I took a picture of Boo Boo's calf that I was going to post but now when I try to upload my pictures they upload too big. I am not very good with computers so I am not sure what I can do to fix this, #1 son is the one who fixes my glitches and he lives almost an hour away and is busy right now. It really is frustrating me, I need to take a class. It is probably something simple too but like I said it is not my thing.

  Well I hope to be able to do pictures before too long, hope it is warming up for everyone. It is going to be in the forties here in a couple days, can't wait!!! Keep warm- Toodles!

Cow tails to the west?

  I know that everyone hates the weather and have been doing a lot of complaining, myself included but they changed our low tonight from -4 to -15, BLAH!!! I was reading in the farmers alamanac the old myths about the weather and the one said - cow tails pointing to the west the weather is best, cow tails pointing to the east weather is the least. So I was thinking I should get the cows in front of the barn and make them stand with their tails pointing to the west ( I might have to tie them up for that) so then we could have nice weather. What do you think, would it work?

Some homemade snacks

    

 

  I have been trying lately to make the things we like from scratch. That way we can eliminate some of the preservatives and dyes and such. Today I made wheat crackers ( not too bad), granola bars ( pretty good), and caramel corn ( who doesn't love that). I was going to do cheese crackers also but ran out of time.

 

  I had to put in some laundry, wash some eggs, and then it was afternoon calf chores ( I actually have milking off tonight). When I came in it was put together dinner and then I was pooped. I decided take a break and sit a little, relax and catch some of the Olympics until the guys come in for dinner. So off to the Olympics and the couch for me!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 





Some of the girls

I felt that I shouldn't leave them out

 



Reba

 

 



Dog

(She is my favorite)

 

Suzi

(My son's favorite)

 

Nora

(Our Normande heifer)

 

Some of the little girls

 

(Another little one)

 

Miss Chicken

(She isn't with the others because they tried to peck her eye out)

 

Sadie

(Doesn't that look like a I wish it was spring look)



Cows or kids?

   Don't you just love when the cows act like kindergarteners! When we are done milking, the cows leave the milking barn and go up to the free stall barn. I am not usually the one who takes them up but I wasn't busy and I said I would do it. Well they all went in but Hannah. She was determined she was not going in. I chased her from one side to the other, back and forth, back and forth, past the door each time - look at the funny farmer she likes to run. Then Hannah ran into the area where the manure is pushed out from the barn until it can be loaded into the spreader. Into the manure she went and was ready to jump the wall and head for the road. I ran and jumped over the gate and in front of her and headed her off - look the funny farmer likes to jump too. So back she went.
 
   Well the skid steer  is parked up there and of course enough room on each side for a cow.  I went to one side she went to the other, went to that side she went back to the other, back and forth, round and round - I like this funny farmer she likes to play games. Why does she look angry this is fun! At this point the ability of my blood pressure medicine is being tested. I was able to get the attention of the girl that helps us and she came up to assist. Her on one side me on the other. There now Hannah was headed in the right direction and headed to the barn door, good right! Wrong!!!

    The bad cow likes to jump too, right over the gate and out into the pasture ( of course ruining the gate in the process). Now my son has come up to help also. So the helper stays to block the manure and wall and we go out to get her. Bad cow likes to run also, farther and faster then the funny farmers but my son keeps running after her - look this funny farmer likes to run too! All of a sudden she stops, turns around and heads back. Great, she runs past me and me and funny farmer son are able to herd her to the entrance to the barn, We got her now, we got her blocked there is no where to go except to the barn. Wrong again!!!

   Funny farmer bowling- cow = ball, funny farmers = pins. Bad cow turned around and we tried everything but finally got out of the way before she ran us down.  Bad cow on the run again but funny farmer son was determined and a little mad by now and ran after her again, farther this time. When he caught up he would go right and she would go left, side to side, back and forth (this scene looked familiar). I yelled to funny farmer son to never mind, leave her, I hope a bear comes out of hibernation and eats her!! Funny farmer son gives up and funny farmers go in for breakfast. About an hour later funny farmer son goes to check on bad cow and bad cow must of realized it was her breakfast time too and was ready and waiting to come in the barn. By now the other cows ate all the good stuff and only hay left for bad cow.

   In the milking barn we have a gate in front of a door so when it is nice we can open it and let the breeze in but no cows out. Hubby had to take that gate to replace the one bad cow ruined. We would put plastic bags behind that gate, seems I am the only one who knows how to take them to the dumpster but I have been busy so behind the gate for now to keep cows out of them. Well no gate and big pile of bags so when the cows were done and were leaving they would jump in the pile, spread them everywhere and we would go pick them up. More cows done more jumping go pick them up again ( more funny farmer games). Cows watching are thinking don't you love when funny farmers act like kindergarteners! Hannah actually was brave enough to come on my end of the barn to get milked tonight. Hey Hannah how was breakfast? Was that grain yummy? That's right you didn't get any, aww that is awful I feel so bad for you( yeah right!)   I swear if cows could they would cut each others hair, eat paste and stuff marbles up their noses!

  Well this funny farmer has to go take blood pressure medicine and get ready for bed so I can be spunky if we play more funny farmer games tomorrow. Cows love to play in the snow and it looks like we got quite a bit headed our way. Toodles!

Some pictures - The men of the farm

 

 

 

The man of the barn

(not very photogenic)

 

 

The men of the pen

 

 

The man of the heifers (really not photogenic)

 

 

The man of the coop

 

 

He thinks he is man of the house ( the real men of the house were unavailable at the time of picture taking)

 

 

And Sapphire - not a man at all but followed me all around begging me to take her picture! She was very photogenic !!

 

Chores and cooking keep me busy

  Oh this computer is driving me crazy. I don't know if it is my computer or the satellite service but everything is taking forever, so haven't got on here much the last few days. I will have to have son #1 look at it when he visits.

  Well since it was warmer yesterday I was going to go out and take some pictures but plans changed. They finally started combining corn ( so many things went haywire and cause huge delays) and I had to make lunch for the guys. I whipped up egg salad since I always have plenty of eggs, made some homemade potato chips and some orange n cream drop cookies. Once that mess was all away and afternoon calf chores done then I made chicken and slicks ( got that off the cooks country show) and homemade dinner rolls for dinner. After that it was the Syracuse basketball game then bed. So no picture taking, with the computer it might have been a pain to get pictures on anyhow. Hope to soon though.

  I don't watch too much TV but when I do I like sports, cooking shows and one of my favorite shows is Alaska the last frontier. Thank goodness for the dvr so I can watch them on my schedule and not theirs. This week is the Olympics so I will be watching all of them I can and of course tonight is the super bowl. Football is my favorite. Making meatball subs and peanut butter bars for tonight. I love to cook just wish I had more time for it. Making things homemade takes more time then the already prepared food.

  Well a couple of the dry cows look like the might be having little ones sooner then I thought. Maybe I will get a picture of one of them. Well if my computer lets me I am going to read some other blogs then get things around for the game. Toodles!