being positive...

Weigh in went well. 9.6 lbs down. Not as amazing as my diet buddy, who has lost over 14 lbs...but really fine by me. Seems I drop a mere 3 a week but I tell myself...It took 8 years to accumulate this excess and I have possible grown quite attached to it. It may just be a little harder to remove.
I was still complaining about being so hungry at times that I felt nearly sick to my stomach. I was suggested to have an extra protein and one carb item to compensate. It definitely helps me think clearer and I don't feel so insatiable.

John over at goinggently has lost some14 pounds!! I am truly impressed!! Congratulations John!! and by the way...his blog is so entertaining, I check in on him daily!! He is so "normal" I just love reading anything he posts.

Now I wish I had the nerve to of taken a few before pictures so I could see the progress. At 10-12 lbs a month, I still have about 4 months to go. Just in time for tomato season. Which leads me to my other goal! Tomatoes to harvest by July 1st??
I think I will be checking into a small greenhouse as we only had another 4 inches of snow yesterday. I am noticing the sun is definitely feeling alot warmer though. Now my plan is to have my nearest son who lives down the road build me a nice little greenhouse!!(nothing fancy son). I have some seedlings started in pots and if my strategy works, I'll be sitting on my deck with BLT in one hand and my legs exposed in shorts celebrating the 4th of July!!
Thanks to Dan for all those helpful "secret" tips on growing tomatoes...for this year ...I might just win at the first home grown tomato!! The race is on!!

WEIGH IN!!

awful anxious today and pretty sure why!

Could it be week #3 weigh in with our diet coach(starvation expert)!

I have a little anxiety over this week...as I have taken it upon myself and cheated! I broke down and had one spoonful of Peanut Butter and a 1 inch square of cake and that piece of broasted chicken. Also had a rice crispy bar early in the week...can't forget that...daughters favorite you know!

Although my scales tell me I still took off a couple pounds this week. I think all the extra workouts I had outside digging out from the storms and feeding and pitching hay and hauling water through thigh-high snow drifts has helped to eradicate the calories from the slip or two. I have cinched up my buckle on my belt some 3 notches and my waistline has shrunk pretty dramatically. Now for the hard part in melting off my thunderthighs!

Good thing my diet buddy is doing so well, she has been my motivation to stick-with-it!!

I keep telling myself how much better I will feel putting on shorts and enjoying that slimmer me, but the truth is "Having such a good friend doing this with me has been the backup I needed to actually follow through"!! I know she is going through the same torment that I am and I love the fact that she and I are getting healthy and thats what truly counts!!

Now to face our diet coach and get my lashing. Sure hope it isn't the really skinny one we get today...she is just plan tough!!

Double Jinxed!!

I just talked with a neighbor yesterday about how short the fence line that keeps my bulls in was becoming....being buried in snow that is!

I was saying "yeegads..I sure hope we get some thawing soon..cuzz that fence line is hitting the big boys about chest high right now and it wouldn't take much of a hop to cross over into freedom"

Went out early this morning while its still dark to do chores. While I was in the barn, I could hear Tess barking madly at something and I had that feeling.
I came out into the dawn of the day to see my biggest Bull eating happily and ignoring Tess who was going nuts since he was standing within 5 feet of all my goats who weren't too happy to be sharing. Tess was circling and dodging and pacing and frantic and Bull was eating and thrilled and oblivious!
It took me and the Bobcat to separate him from the big bale of Alfalfa and I had to run with pail in hand to the fenceline with corn to get him from running me over for the taste of crack corn.
I had to take him through a gate that I had to open from the hinge side just to get it open! Everthing is becoming buried. I lift the hay feeders with the bobcat just to keep them from hitting animals in the knees when eating.

To correct the problem of him going over again...cuzz he would now that he's done it once...I now have stacked additional panels over the top of snow and I have a fenceline that is now approximately 10 feet tall.
Weather forecast says 3-4 more inches over the next couple of days with -16 degrees for the low.
I just may have to take a picture or two for the memory of "How High can it go".
I am willing to take bets on how late into summer I am still going to be finding snow/ice buried under hay feeding spots that are some 4-5 ft compacted spots this year.
I'm gonna say I still find snow under piles of hay and compacted manure around middle part of July! Any bets??

Jinxed!

I love a spring thaw...beats snow and ice anyday!

Bulldozer Effect...

I let "Baby" out of confinement Sunday and watched her through out the day. Funny thing was her little calf took off on a run and joined in the baby calf olympics that were going on up in the top corral. Course baby calf was clumsy and had a little trouble keeping up, but she definitely has the exploring nature. Sometimes you get those calves that cling to their Mommas afraid to venture too far and other times you get those totally independent creatures that Mommas are always worrying over. (Just like people)
So later in the day I went down to check to see that Momma was keeping an eye on the little pill and found Momma laying inside the pen again with sleeping baby.....Good Girl...

I went down at dark and checked again and at least 7 cows had packed into the fluffy straw area of the pen that "Baby" and calf were confined to these last couple days. Over in the far back corner laid the "Babys" calf all cozy but hard to get to. Since everyone else was laying head to tail and side to side enjoying the comfy mat of straw, there was no getting to the newborn. Well..big "Baby" had been out eating and catching up at the hay feeder and when she notice I was heading into the barn she came to check her calf out also...Bawling for her all the way. She and I were standing shoulder to shoulder wondering how to walk across the sea of cattle to get to her newborn. I was deciding to shoo them all out and let Baby and newborn have the pen back for the evening so that newborn wasn't stepped on. I didn't have to do a thing though...."Baby" decided it was her place to move everyone..and That she did. She started to walk right over the top of everyone with her focus on her baby. She meant business and every cow jumped up and made room and the one or two that were moving slow??? .. Well "Baby" put her head under their midsection and practically tossed them aside. Heck...I can't even get them to move like that!! She meant to get to that calf and that was that!! I guess the Motherly instinct kicked in....all I can say is...."Look Out...She's coming Thru!!"

Momma love...

Took this video Saturday morning while feeding one of the bottle babies. Stood back to watch "Baby" acting more and more like a good Momma.
I had to watch her a little as the first introduction on Friday went alright in that "Baby" knew there was something about that calf she liked...just wasn't sure why she was drawn to it yet. She was like a 17 yr old unwed girl who didn't really know what she was doing and she definitely wasn't going to nurse it. So it took a little coaxing. She just knew she sorta liked it and was Mewwing to it so softly and constantly smelling the new calf. Finally she licked it and then followed it while it stumbled around. I keep them in their own pen and walked away and gave them time to bond. Funny thing is, she is such a big pet that she would allow me to milk her but the minute that little calf latched on, she would kick like she meant it. I had to stand and scratch her "Babys" belly and whisper "it'll be Ok, it'll be OK". Within an hour I had her standing still and little baby filled up that tummy so much that by yesterday she had a touch of scours....nothing bad just a little too much fresh milk. I haven't had to supplement this new baby and I can tell she's getting plenty. Newborn is already jumping and running in cirlces...really good sign. I will still give it a day or two more in a pen before I let her out...just to make sure she REMEMBERS her Mother job. Those teenagers need a little guidance once in a while!
p.s. I think I call everything Baby, Punkin, Sugar and Sweetie...man....

BABY FROLICS

..I moved so fast....I don't remember how I got there...

Her due date was February 14th...when predicted weather was going to be in the 40's!

I set my timer to go off for 3 hr intervals. I had laid down at 11:15 after checking on "Baby", my 2 yr old Hereford heifer. She had followed me around and wanted her belly scratched and rubbed. I wondered if she was having some contractions but sure didn't notice any discharge. She just wanted alot of extra attention. Why I set the clock for a 3 hr check.

Well...I got there at 2:30 really bleary eyed and groggy. Took about a second to see the trouble, wind chill -25...with 0 degree temperature. Newborn calf was on the ground and covered in frost and her Momma trying to help by licking and murmurring...gotta love a Momma cow and how she talks to her baby. Now this is "Babys" first calf and she was showing good signs of being a proper Momma but calf was freezing rapidly and I could tell it hadn't stood or much less nursed yet. I tried to carry her(yup its a girl) but was surprised at the size that my big "Baby" had delivered. I dropped spotlight and ran to the house. That's pretty much were I have forgotten how I got her in the house within then next 5 minutes. Really shocks me at what adrenaline can do to a body!

Momma cow followed me to the fenceline and I could hear her calling, but she'll be more than happy when at noon today I bring a toasty warm and healthy baby back to her.

I got my daughter up at 3am to blow dry those ears and extremities and it appears there is no frostbite. YES....I know...I will NOT let those bulls be anywhere near my cows again until June. This is too hard on this Old Fat girl!!

It took me and helpful daughter about 2 hours to warm that babies core up enough to see that she was going to WANT to thrive. But after a quart of colostrum and a pint shot of good warm goats milk...I have her standing and curling up to sleep like a normal calf...Whew!! Piping hot pellet stove comes in awfully handy!

and with a little extra coaxing...I got those legs to working!

and she finally pulled those legs into her body and laid like a warmed up calf!

Now to name this little close call...and well..."Baby" is taken so if you can think of a name for this precious little face, do Tell. This little girl is staying and going to have a comfy life! Only thing that really shocked me was the color. I totally expected a black white face calf since the Daddy is Purebred Black Angus and the Momma is a gorgeous fullbred Hereford (or so I was told). I suspect a little Charloaix hiding in the mix. This one is definitely a calf of a different color. Not red and not brown and definitely not Black! More of a light tan with the white face!

But boy what a face!

Goldilocks and the Three Bears...

Really odd happening at our house a couple nights ago..
I and my daughter and my niece (who is living with us) went to a Basketball game at 6:30 that evening. My youngest son was playing at the auditorium in town and we three girls were going to go shopping for a few things after the game. It takes about an hour for the game.
While we were into the game about half an hour, my other Son who lives down the road was calling to ask what quarter the game was in and he might stop in to watch. I told him it was about over, so he went on home and since he had been ice fishing for the day...he would be stopping at my house to pick up his dogs. ( He leaves them at my house when he is gone..because they would just run over anyway if he didn't) He doesn't live but 1/4 mile away.
So he stopped at my house to pick up his pups and came in the house to drop off my mail.

He noticed the daughters car was home and assumed she was also home..not thinking that she may of gone to the game with me. He also noticed a silver pickup sitting in the driveway and thought she had company. He heard someone holler "come in" when he came in my house and it sounded like the person was answering from Nickys room. He didn't respond and thought they were just being dopey....
He was driving back to his house when he gave me a call and told me Nicky had company at the house. I stopped short and said..."WHAT?? Nicky is sitting right beside me here at the game!!!
Well, it didn't take long for him to turn that pickup around and he was heading back to my house to confront whoever was there.
Thats when I sorta panicked and called 911 saying someone had entered my home and I was not home...I may have babbled a bit...but it didn't take the operator long to understand quickly the story. Then I freaked a little more worrying about my Son who was going back into my house and the person who was inside my home may harm him. So I called Son back pronto while I am racing home. My son was quite calm and said the man was disoriented acting and seemed drunk but he was making himself at home quite comfortably. This stranger had laid down on my daughters bed then he had helped himself to yogurt and hung his coat in the closet. He had already eaten a biscuit and had a bottle of pop. My son calmly asked why he thought it was OK to enter someones home when they weren't home. He said "The dogs were nice"! (and I am wondering what my Guardian Dogs were doing...licking his hand no doubt! My son told him to sit down and we would be waiting for someone to show up. I don't doubt the man knew he was not going anywhere. My son had a firm grasp of the situation.

I arrived home before the law enforcement got there and I also questioned him but could see in an instant that he did seem drunk or high on something...but harmless. It was sorta sad actually, but he drove a nice vehicle and dressed well. He truly displayed some mental disfunction but was a slight man that even I could of toppled. He appeared to be around 50 and was just a little nervous but there was something about him that reminded me of my Father-In-Law when he suffered dimentia.
I remember asking Colin while racing home, if HE was OK and if this guy would do anything before law got there..could he handle it! Colin said..with a chuckle...(ahh Yea!)
While I was shocked and mad and felt very vulnerable, upon seeing this man it took me an instant to realize he was not right in a very sad way.
Don't get me wrong, I pressed charges for trespassing, but I also stated many times that he needed a mental evaluation. We had 3 law enforcement vehicles sitting in my driveway with all the lights and they had a tow truck arrive to take away the vehicle. Funny part was watching my neighbors slowing down to a crawl on the road by my home. Bet they were wondering.

We didn't sleep well that night! The girls are still talking big about the fact that "They could of kicked butt" but they also realize he was a sad case.
Only one of the officers displayed aggressive attitude and said "I tell you what, if a guy would of been in my house...I would of killed him". GEEZ...I told him...wouldn't you have sized up the situation a little better first? He stated..."NOPE..not at all Maam..I would of killed him right there". Gad!! and to think he might enjoy the fact that he has that right!! We learned quite a few things that night, but now after I look back, we handled this very well and this strange man was quite lucky he picked our house...or he might not be here!
Now to have a talk with Atticus and Tess....