Farm Life

It was Thursday evening. I was tired from a long day of baking and bread delivery and a long week of calf checks. A few nights of midnight alarms to run out to the barn to check on Charlotte and see if the calf was on it’s way. Cyril was looking for something to do and Mike and I hadn’t even finished eating supper. “Go out a check Charlotte. That will give you something.” I told him. He wasn’t thrilled but it was something to do. He grabbed a flashlight and headed to the barn. We watched from the kitchen...

It’s finally only -15 outside. It practically felt like spring this morning. I was looking forward to chores in the “warmer” weather. Caroline, my Sweet Caroline, apparently was not sharing the same cheery outlook as I.  Normally I can open the gate and she meanders over to her spot. I don’t have a stanchion to milk, she just enjoys her breakfast at a different feeder while I milk, I don’t even bother tying her...like I said, normally. She was not interested in getting up, nor was she interested in walking out of the gate and breakfast was not appetizing this...

I didn’t even say it out loud, I just thought it! “It’s been a rather uneventful week. What farm story do I have to share this today?” So all week Louie has went to his overnight pen without too much work. I was able to finally do it myself so Mike didn’t have to come out to the barn each night to help me put the calf to bed. As I had every other night I went out to the barn to do evening chores. Mike was working late but I didn’t think too much about it. I opened Louies...

I went to the local co-op yesterday. Ya’ know, just do’n the farmer thing. Picking chicken feed and bedding, lick tubs for the cows.  Usually I just get one bag of chicken feed at a time. There isn’t any room for more with all the kids in the car. The guys will put the bag of feed on the front seat. When I get home I put one foot on the side of the SUV and the other on the ground. If I pull the bag just right it will roll out of the car and into the wheelbarrow. Then...

Last Sunday I had let Grace (the donkey) and Charlotte (the jersey heifer) out in the yard to enjoy some fresh grass. They’re both wonderfully tame and great with the kids so I don’t worry too much about the kids in the pen or the animals out. I was working outside so I could keep an eye on them. I didn’t want them to venture down the driveway to the road.  It had been a day and it wasn’t even afternoon. I had four “helpers” to clean the chicken coop. We’ve got 55 fat meat birds that are, well, gross....