I would make Greg proud!

It has been 1 year today, my husband Greg died from a heart attack. He was chopping ice for the cows. It was a blizzard and we were left grief stricken. I have tried very hard to keep our commitment to doing what we wanted to do. Raise some cows and enjoy the country. Today the weather was just about as miserable as it gets. I have been worrying over one of my Jersey Milk Cows, who had a due date of Dec 13th. I have been hoping she would just wait a few more days until it would warm into the 20's. I arrived home tonite and after tossing some hay to the big girls I didn't notice Thelma with the bunch. I didn't intend on putting her in her own pen until she it was a little closer. I had her AI'd so I could time it pretty close.

I made it to the barn and the calf had been born but was pretty cold. I tried several things..heat lamp..blow drier...straw...towels. Then decided..my own feet were freezing and I didn't think it would be any better for this baby. The cow was easy to milk and I brought a bottle of her rich colostrum milk. My youngest son, 15 and I managed to get the calf hauled up to the house. Greg would of loved the idea of us bringing this baby into the house and would of been so excited for the beautiful cross of Guernsey/Jersey we got. I think he is smiling and also...chuckling over our fumbling around trying to figure out a solution. I think they call this weather "character building". We definitely got a dose of it tonite!

How's that working for ya!!

I know I have mentioned my goats, but this one is about one of my Jersey Dairy cows named Thelma.
She should of been bred for this spring, but came open on February 14th.
Now, I have a young Angus Yearling that courted her and took her out for a Valentines Date, but seems the last couple of days she came back into estrus.
I decided if I could contact a local "Cowboy" who does AI for a living, I could see if I could rebred her Dairy. So...I got lucky and found he was traveling through on a job and did have some Guernsey Essence at his place in town. He would call and meet me at my place when he was coming through.
Ok, now I think I will be ready and had Thelma haltered up. I knew NOW was the time to do it and my window was quickly closing.
I had all but decided he couldn't make it so I hurried out to get some lunch,(I was working in town).
I just had my order in front of me and ready to enjoy a nice sitdown lunch and the cell rings.."I am ready, he says."
It was like the couple who are trying to have a child and they are timing the cycles and taking the temperatures and she calls and says...I am ready...be home...NOW!!
so I said,,Bag it!! I race across town and pick him up at his place and head to my house. I was pretty prepared....I thought...as I had Thelma seperated with the calves and a nice halter on her for the catch.
The "Cowboy" was sizing up the matter, while I grabbed boots and overalls and lead rope and pail of corn.
He has his "stuff" and a lasso in the other arm. He follows me as I am stating, "I will just grab her and lead her out of the pen and let her eat a little grain and she will be just finnnnee!!!
So...I get her out of the pen...and she took one look and decides she is high tailing to the top pen with the big girls, with me hooked on and dragging behind her.
By then...the "Cowboy" walks up real nice and slow and says with his head down under his hat..."How's that working for ya?"...all the while wrapping up the lasso.
Well,,I finally get my wits and grab the corn and with a quick snap and a wrap I have her tied to the railroad post. She wasn't going to budge now.
So..he starts the process. He was struggling quite a bit and finally swears and says,,,what the...well..son of a ....and pulls the gun up to look. He notes, he has cut off the wrong end of the straw. Says ....hold her..I will be right back. Off he trots to the vehicle to get the other straw.
Now, by now, my four dogs who are the sweetest things in the world have been observing from atop the hay bales the whole process and as he was hurrying back down the muddy slope to bring the goods..the dogs...who I thought were the most laid back dogs in the world, took note of a stranger running at me with something in the air. Now the commotion started. Dogs went barking madly and racing at him, he comes to a slimey skidding halt flat on his back.
But...the gun high in the air.
He gathers himself and walks carefully and slowly the rest of the way, and I am holding a wideeyed girl who is ready to leave now. Boy,,,if I could of repeated his very words..."how's that working for you?" I would of, but really I am not going to press my luck.
Wham Bam and the procedure is done.
As I look back on it now, the statement..."How's that working for you?" will stick in my mind for a long time. Classic!!