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Oct 1998 on - pick one at random. Fun. Always interesting to see the weather too.
10/1 AM Helen is still not cooperative about anything happening around her sore teat but other than that behaved well. Sally is feeling unwell so she just watched after helping me by holding up Helen's tail. I've made an appointment for Oct 23 to take the pigs to the butcher. Drizzly rain today. 1.5 gal [To Top] 10/2 AM Helen again was skittish about coming in. We think it's the tail raising that disturbs her most. However I did need Sally to hold it up while I inserted the cannula. The sore teat looks healthy. And that quarter does not seem to be getting mastitis. But her production is dropping. I only got 1 gal 1 quart this morning. I'm still pretty sick. 10/2 PM Tonight I used KickStop instead of tail raising to immobilize Helen. It's like a giant C-clamp that runs from her groin over her hip bone. She absolutely is not able to mover her legs with this in place but is unsteady and could easily fall on me. She shows no sign of it hurting her though. She keeps right on eating. Sally steadied her with a hand on her hip. If I have to use it tomorrow I'll try loosening it one notch and see it is still works. Only got a bit under 1 gal. tonight. But I do lose upwards of a pint a day from the teat with the cannula because it is impossible to keep it positioned over the bucket all the time while it is running. 2.3 gal today [To Top] 10/3 AM 48f this morning but feels colder. Helen remains reluctant to come in for milking. I tempt her forward with a bucket of grain. I was able to get the cannula in this morning without restraint, Sally holding the light however. I doubt I could do it without the light. H was very cooperative during milking. I got 1.5 gal. All the poultry present and accounted for this morning. The layers are looking scrappy. Some are molting. However I got six eggs yesterday from seven hens. That's the best in some time. 10/3 PM Helen was touchy about coming in, Sally had to hold her tail while I stuck in the cannula, then later she decided to be afraid of the drop light which was down at floor level where it didn't belong. I got 1 gal exactly. 2.5 for the day. [To Top] 10/4 am For the first time this year, I had to break ice on the animals water. It was 28f at the house. To get Helen in this morning I had to close the outer door and chase her in. She refused to be tempted by grain. She stands on the ramp hesitantly and gives Howie a good butt whenever he shows signs of coming for it (the last thing she wants is for him to get that grain, it's hers or nobody's she apparently thinks) Once in her tie-up she remained uncooperative and even walked against the bucket causing me to lose at least a quart of milk onto the floor. She dislikes the milk pouring from the cannula to hit her leg and this causes her to step around an extra lot. She even started to kick so gave I her one of my barking yells. She immediately stopped moving but also stopped letting down. I can't work on the sutured teat and quarter effectively to get milk flowing again. So I rarely am able to get all the milk from that quarter. We'll be lucky if she doesn't end up with mastitis in that quarter. Later this morning Stewart's huge sow and one piglet showed up in our front yard. Two of my sons, Mark and Martin, and grandson Rafe were painting the fence and they helped drive her home. But not before she thoroughly explored our barn and lawn. Word comes back that once home, instead of returning to her sty, she paused to rototill a long row of Stewart's garden, then took a rest. Mark said, "Like a 900 pound gorilla, she sits where she wants." [To Top] 10/4 PM Big excitement today for Helen and Howie. Melody and Stewart brought over their calves. That's Henry, Helen's May calf, and Herbie, the companion Holstein calf (steer) they bought. Helen got very excited and the calves, which had previously been tied or confined, did a lot of running. With proper cow instinct, Helen mooed after them and when they paid no attention trotted nervously after them to defend them from evil. For a while I was worried Henry might be remembering how to suck. This could still happen but I'll face that problem when I come to it. It will be a much happier situation for the calves and company for Helen after Howie goes to cow heaven. But I don't know how I'll keep all these names straight. I was able to insert the cannula without using restraint. The sutures and cut look healthy. I think she's kicking by habit now. Got 1 gal. and a bit under a quart. I'm not certain of my day's total because of the spill this morning. About 2.5 gal. [To Top] 10/5 AM Helen ran in pretty well this morning although I had to walk into the field to call her away from the calves. I only got 1 gal and a bit under a quart but was able to insert the cannula without restraint. After milking I experimented with grabbing the bad teat and trying to get a squirt. She reacted very little. I don't think it hurts her. Tonight I'm going to try normal milking and see what happens. 10/5 PM Hurray! I milked tonight the normal way. Helen didn't even wince. I got less than a gallon possibly because (sob) she was back in heat today, roaring heat. I guess her operation with anesthetic caused her to abort because this heat does not relate to her schedule. It's a week early. I've called AI for tomorrow morning. When I was feeding the pigs she followed me right into the gap where I stand to lift their bucket over the fence. Howie was right behind her and jumped her as she stood. This kept her mind off advancing on me but I was definitely ready to climb in with the pigs. In other great news, Sally and Rafe finished fencing the Pocket Field today and we let the cattle in. How wonderful this is I can scarcely say. That field has been unusable for almost ten years. We've been mowing it to keep down weeds and it should now be in better shape than much of the rest of the place. George Weeks is on his way here with fifty bales of hay so I expect we'll be eating a late dinner. It's already dark. 2 gal 1 pint today [To Top] 10/6 AM About 25f this morning. The hoses and water basins were all frozen. Helen was very tricky to get in this morning. Then after about five minutes into what looked like quiet milking she exploded into kicking. She kicked with her right (near) leg and sent the bucket flying. I was soaked and so was she. She even damaged her tie-up by pulling back. I was some mad! I yelled at her a lot. I ended up with about .75 gal. I think I might have had a gallon and a half. She seemed to have a lot of milk this morning. Perhaps her behavior was in some way related to being in heat although there were no other overt signs of it this morning. I had a short night due to late phone calls and awoke with a sinus headache and I'm still shaky. The vet is coming later on to check Helen's state of recovery. She's still in her tie-up waiting for AI (artificial insemination) I hope he arrives while she's still tied up. George and his wife Diane did come last night with the hay. It looks very good. It was $2.25/bale picked straight out of the field. If we want more it will be $2.75 as it's all in his barn now. He has finished haying for this year. 10/6 PM The AI man arrived and this time I had her bred to the Jersey bull Comfort Royal ALF. He is noted for producing daughters that give a lot of cream, consequently he is not in much demand in fat obsessed America but, we were told, is popular in other countries where cream is valued. Dr. Cooper stopped in at lunch time to see Helen and we gave him some lunch. The sun shone all day and it got beautifully warm but a hard freeze is expected tonight. Helen came in at milking pretty easily and stood still for the first five minutes. They she began threatening to kick and generally waving her feet around so I switched to the hind teats until Sally arrived. The KickStop device doesn't work very well or else I lack the knack. It makes her sway as though she may tip over on me. I ended up having Sally just hold up her tail while I finished milking. This is not a procedure which encourages let down. She gave just shy of a gallon. [To Top] 10/7 am Helen came in reasonably well this morning and permitted milking of her sutured teat without complaint for about three minutes. Then she became restive and made a plop. She was letting down poorly. I moved to the hind teats and waited for Sally to come and hold up her tail. That quarter has returned to being her best quarter. I actually gave up before getting every drop of milk, always a poor thing to do, because I didn't want to stress her any further. The tail holding immobilizes her but perhaps it hurts. Certainly she keeps up an unhappy "mmmmmm" sound. We all watched while she made her first exit down the fine new ramp Rafe has built. It was 28f again this morning. We're still carrying in the potted plants every night but some are looking pretty discouraged just the same. [To Top] 10/7 pm Hurray! Helen behaved extremely well this evening. I did have to call her to come home. It was such a lovely evening and all the cattle were down by the river. She doesn't feel she ought to leave the calves and tries to get them to come along but to no avail. Their instincts seem to have fizzled. I added a scoop of alfalfa cubes to her feed which helped keep her occupied. I started right off with the sutured teat. She was slow and reluctant to let down and jumped at each small disturbance but did not lift a foot. She seems able to hold back preferentially on that quarter. I just kept quietly milking that quarter while shifting to the others and she never lost her cool. I do hope that soon I can rely on quiet milking so that once again milking is a time of day to look forward to rather than dread. Sally and Rafe have launched themselves into further fencing projects. Also they brought home ten more bags of sawdust. [To Top] 10/8 am It's warmer and raining this morning. Helen was nowhere to be seen and didn't answer my call. I fed the pigs and still she did not appear. I knew she must be down in the new area, the Pocket Field, because I could see the calves. There is a lower section where she can now graze unseen. She finally decided to come home about a quarter to eight. Her calf, Henry, that's moved back here now, came along and caused a further ten minute delay before I could persuade her to come in. Then Henry bellowed the whole time but it was not for Helen. He was trying to find his buddy, Herby, the other calf. These calves are six months old. I took off Henry's halter which was beginning to bite into his face. Helen was restless during milking and started to kick but after I gave her the Rebel Yell she stood like a lamb. I got slightly more than 1.5 gal. 10/8 pm Once again this evening it took a long time to get Helen in, a good 15 minutes of coaxing and tempting her with apples before she finally made up her mind and marched right in. The good feed in the Pocket Field may be a factor. Her rumen was full. Rafe had put in new flooring at her standing and she wasn't sure she wanted to step on it at first. But she got over this more quickly than I dared hope. I got 1 gallon and a pint. 2.6 gal for the day. I believe I see a slight upward trend. One of Blackie's chicks from her June clutch that hatched in Helen's feed trough laid her first egg today right in the nest box. I've been hearing the young roosters practicing up so thought it must be time for an egg. It is very tiny. [To Top] 10/9 am Helen was waiting for me this morning and walked right in. She was agitated all through milking though and at one point kicked her right (near) foot way up in the air strewing sawdust into the milk. I poured out a bit to get rid of it. Howie stood outside the back door where the new ramp is and bellowed for her incessantly. She did not answer but that was undoubtedly the source of her nervousness. Many's the time I've observed that by the time a critter is due for the freezer its behavior begins to make you really look forward to the day. Production is going up. I got 1.5 gal this morning. Helen is crazy for apples. Sally brings her lots of falls. But she doesn't bring enough to account for any naughty behavior. Sally and Rafe go walking in the woods and byways and have found many wild apple trees. They carry plastic bags and bring home apples and other treasures. Yesterday I went along and identified sloes for them. They had not known of their existence. I've shown Sally how to identify chanterelles in hopes she may find a patch. 10/9 pm No mushrooms and only a handful of sloes but applesauce from the wild apples they brought home yesterday is first rate. I canned some. Helen didn't come in as swiftly this evening as this morning. She had to stick her head into her new stanchion that Rafe has partly built. It doesn't hold her yet. She was pretty jumpy during milking what with all the new construction. Her new standing has a bit of spring to it. I got 1 gal and close to a quart of very clean milk. After milking H didn't want to step out into the rain so I let her exit through the beefer pen. I left the ramp door open while I did some cleaning up after her and she walked around and came right back in up the ramp! So I guess she isn't really afraid of anything. 2.7 gal. for the day. [To Top] 10/10 am It's still raining. The barn is leaking badly. Helen came in hesitantly and sniffed carefully at all the new construction projects and the Skil saw. She is still uncertain of her new standing and steps about in a jerky fashion that makes me nervous that she is about to kick. But she didn't. I got 1.5 gallon (skimpy) 10/10 pm Hard rain all day. Helen came right in and entered her new stanchion for the first time. She didn't mind it at all. Rafe and Sally did a great job. I got a gallon plus a quart tonight giving us 2.75 gal for the day. Her production is definitely improving. When I fed the pigs Sidney bit me. They had tipped over their tub and she was impatient with the fact that I had to turn it back over. She didn't bite very hard. [To Top] 10/11 am It's still raining and the National weather Station in Gray has been interrupting radio broadcasts with flood warnings. I can heard the river rustling in its banks, but we're on high ground here. Martin brought me his Dodge van last night for a farm vehicle. It's an '80 full size automatic and looks too good for rough work but it surely will make it easier to bring home feed. It was a rodeo this morning getting Helen in. Howie, Henry and Herbie all want to come in while Helen wants to give the matter more thought. I'll have to talk this over with Stewart. Helen accepts her stanchion very well. At one point after she was through gobbling her feed I saw here writhing her head around to see if she could get out. As soon as she found she couldn't she settled right down, no struggling. She gave slightly over 1.5 gal. It remains hard to milk the quarter with the teat that she tore. The milk just doesn't come out easily. 10/11 pm By opening the back door at the new ramp I was able to get Helen in before the others figured out what was happening. But then they bellowed relentlessly all the while I was milking making both me and Helen nervous and irritated. At one point she lifted her tail and made a plop which she seldom does during milking except when she wishes to make a statement. Naturally she didn't let down her best but I got 1 gal. plus a quart. The rain seems to be letting up. I canned six pints of applesauce from the wild apples Sally found. 2.75 gal today. [To Top] 10/12 am Helen came in nicely up the new outdoor ramp this morning avoiding confusion. She stood well and gave over 1.5 gal. But she did do another big plop halfway through milking which of course I had to jump up and clean away. At times like this I am especially grateful for the 20 bags of sawdust Sally and Rafe filled and put in the barn. I arranged for a burn permit for this morning. Sally wants badly to burn some of the tree trimming trash and the rain has finally stopped. It's a perfect day for burning. 10/12 pm They succeeded in burning one huge pile down to a few stubborn lumps. Rafe also brought in another considerable load of sawn-to-length maple from a tree down at the edge of the Pocket Field. Later he climbed on the barn roof to fix a bad leak. He does this by first throwing a weighted string over the barn then uses this to drag over a rope. He puts one end of the rope around his waist, the other to the bumper of the van. He said the hole looked as though a meteor had burned through. There were lesser burned spots around the edge of the large hole. I suppose it must have been lightening. In any case, thank God I didn't lose the barn. Helen was perfect this evening but I got just one gallon. Blackie has lost another chick and is down to one. She's gotten that one up on the highest roost with her. Today's total 2.5 gal. plus a bit more. [To Top] ****Today being a fairly typical day on the farm, here is how the three of us currently here spent our day. My new alarm that crow like a rooster went off at 5:30 but I turned it off and slept until 6:15. Sally got downstairs ahead of me and started the tea. I fed Muffin and a swarm of cats. Most of them get dry food but I give Sukey canned food because she is still feeding several kittens whose combined weight surely exceeds her own. They are adorable friendly kittens. I must put up more signs around town, Free Kittens. I went to the barn at 7:00 while Sally worked on her journal, drank tea, surveyed her various job sites near the house, and fixed breakfast. When I came in with the milk she and Rafe were eating and my breakfast was ready but I wanted to feed the pigs first so Sal ate my egg and I fixed another later. Sal and Rafe drove the van down to the Pocket Field and sawed up more wood and brought it in. Then they drove to a place on a nearby dirt road where wild apples are falling on the ground and brought home two five gallon buckets of not bad apples. Next the worked on piling up the trash on the burn pile. I phoned the fire marshal for a permit. He was out on a construction job but his wife graciously filled out the form, drove it to his job site for his signature and brought it to me. Sally would have been deeply disappointed had they been unable to burn that pile today. They have only one more day here. First we all had bad colds, then it rained and rained. I worked at my computer awhile, then dressed to go in to town. Before I left, neighbor Stewart stopped in to discuss how I can grain his calves. It's complicated for me because there is no easy way to feed them without Howie (18 months old) getting more than his share and Herby (5 months old) getting nothing. Henry, (6 months old) is less of a problem because he is very assertive. He's Helen's May calf. I needed to go to the bank, the post office and the hardware store for pint jars. My trip was a total waste of time. I forgot it was Columbus Day. The bank and post office were closed and Towle's was out of jars. Back home I did my email and some other writing, hung out two loads of laundry, swept the buttery, looked at the big smokey fire, and got lunch. We had tuna salad with raw carrots from my garden. After lunch Sal and Rafe did cleanup in the veg garden with the weed trimmer and lawn mower; they could supervise the fire from there. I talked to my phone pal in Texas who has a cow with a mysterious (to me) udder problem. Next I made a poppyseed cake and invited cousin Marcia over for coffee so she could say goodbye to Sally. I used the recipe in the Australian Woman's cookbook. It calls for soaking the poppyseeds in milk for a half hour which enhances the flavor of the cake and makes the seeds less gritty. While it baked I checked on my poultry and lay down for twenty minutes and read a bit of H.M.S. Surprise by Patrick O'Brian. Marcia arrived about 3:00 and we all four drank coffee and ate cake for an hour. I got out the good china for the occasion. We all had a good time remembering clever sayings of her mother and my Grammie, who was sister to Marcia's grandmother making her Marcia's great aunt. Both old ladies were noted for their wit. But Rafe soon got bored and sloped off to read Smithsonian magazine. I then began barn chores while Sal and Rafe decided it was a good time to patch shingles on the barn roof. Rafe got himself up there (it's a high barn) belayed with a rope around his waist that ran over the ridge pole to the bumber of the van. He patched the worst hole which he said appeared to have been burned through as though by a meteorite (his theory). After I brought in the milk I put potatoes in the oven and fried pork chops. Sally cut up her apples and put them on to boil for about 8 quarts of sauce, I'd say. She also made a nice salad out of some of the last of the tomatoes and cucumbers. While things were cooking I took in the laundry. Then I made a milk gravy for the chops and we had a nice dinner. After dinner I wrote this and Sally strained and processed 8 quarts of sauce. She and Rafe ate bowls of applesauce with lots of thick cream. Right now Sally is making butter, about two pounds. It's 9:30. Rafe is watching old movies. I didn't get as much done today as I would have liked because my back is bothering me and I still have a touch of sinusitis. Sally loves tea. I forgot to put in the three times she came in and made herself a cup of tea. And Rafe and I had coffee in the late morning. And somewhere in this account we ran the dishwasher twice and reloaded it. Last of all, I carried in the potted plants in case it freezes ***************************** [To Top] 10/13 am Helen stood fine for milking but presented me with another plop halfway through. Looks like she's forming a habit, darn it. But I caught it all on the shovel. She finds that shovel under her tail somewhat disconcerting so perhaps she'll quit. Getting her in this morning was tricky and I'm not sure how I would have managed without Sally. All were swarming about . She appeared to believe I was about to pass out feed outdoors which of course was true, once she was in. Sorting this out took about 15 minutes and does not improve my mood. Coaxing her with apples was what finally got her. 10/13 pm Again Helen came in without much hesitation and stood nicely. Rafe fixed up tie-ups for the steer, Howie, and the two calves so that I would be able to feed them without their fighting. But only Howie showed up at the barn so was the only one to get his supper. Helen gave a gallon plus nearly a quart making the total for today about 2.9 gal. Earlier, Stewart and neighbor Barry, owner of a skidder, brought his equipment and winched a piece of granite weighing several thousand pounds back into position in one of our granite walls. It was displaced during the winter by the snowplow. Now the lawn has great mashed spots from the skidder tires but never mind, it's worth it to see that granite block back where it belongs. I never thought to see it. What fine neighbors I have. [To Top] 10/14 I did chores extra early today because today was the day we drive to Portland and I say goodbye to Sally and Rafe. The animals were all well behaved. I was able to give grain to Howie and Henry but Herbie stayed far down in the field. Sal and Rafe made a last trip to the river and then kissed the doorjamb. It rained all day, down and back and is still raining at 9pm. In the evening Helen actually raced in for her dinner and milking just like the old days. All the steers were at the barn so all got their grain, even shy little Herbie. I raced his pan outside to him and he had to stand in the rain to eat. This is the best I can do until I can train them to tie-up positions. On the way home from Portland I stopped in Auburn for supplies including pain tablets Aleve which sister Barby recommended for the pinched nerve type pain to my right hip. I took one the minute I got back in the car. I had been dreading unloading five bags of feed but was able to do it with scarcely a wince. This morning I got 1.5 gallons and this evening 1 gal +1 cup. 2.55 gal. [To Top] 10/15 am It's raining again today and I believe it rained all night. Helen marched right in again this morning and stood like a champ. She gave 1.5 gallons + 1 pint. Poor Phoenix, the rooster, looks so bedraggled. He has only one tail feather now. He's been dropping them here and there. 10/15 It's raining still. Another improvement the last two milkings, it's getting easier to get the milk out. Either I'm getting stronger or she's letting down better. I didn't see anything of Little Red this evening. I notice Whitey has Red's chicks. They were all lined up on ascending rungs of the ladder to the hayloft, five to each rung with some left over. Where can she be? 2.75 gal for the day [To Top] 10/16 am Rain has stopped and a cold wind is blowing. Little black and white Herbie came through the door this morning for his grain. I think I saw Little Red. The cattle aren't eating their hay. They spend all their time grazing so the grass must still be better than the hay. The pigs are looking very sleek. I must be feeding them enough to satisfy them as they don't fight much over their food. But they always finish it off. I throw hay in for them every day. They have made a nest with some t it but some of it they eat, just for fun I suppose. They can't be digesting much of it. I spoke to Sally in Chicago this morning near where granddaughter Rosie is at school. Rosie is eager for a share of the pork when it's ready and all her friends want some too. Sally said, "I thought they were all vegetarians". Rosie said, "But now they're all hungry!" 10/16 pm It's blowing up cold. I brought in the last of the root vegetables. Helen came in nicely and gave slightly over 1 gallon. Little Herbie was right there lined up with the others at feeding time fighting for his share. All the cats have become ravenous I guess trying to put on weight for the winter. 2.5 gal today plus one cup. [To Top] 10/17 am It wasn't as cold last night as I expected. Only down to 32f. All the animals behaved nicely, no trouble. However I have not so far had any luck getting a collar onto Howie, 18 month old Jersey steer. In early September I had him so I could put my arms around his neck but during the weeks of Helen's teat injury it was so much trouble getting her in that I had no opportunity to keep up with handling Howie. Now he has grown suspicious. So far as I can tell, the bantam families have suffered no further losses. It's getting more difficult to be sure because they are now all much of a size and intermix. Some of the mothers have taken to roosting higher up in the rafters than their young ones can fly. Phoenix still roosts in the cedar tree by the house all by himself. His early morning crowing is right next to the guest room window and drives people nuts. 10/17 pm Quiet milking, got 1 gal + 3 cups. It was a beautiful day. For some reason, possibly to make a liar out of me, Sidney and Adelaide had big pig fights when I fed them tonight. I expected them both to have bloody ears but they did each other no visible damage. They snap like dogs. When not eating, they sleep all cuddled together in their hay nest. They have much nicer living quarters than most pigs of my acquaintance. 2.75 gal today [To Top] 10/18 am It's a beautiful day, cool with blue sky and white clouds. The boys have gone off to climb Tumbledown. All the animals were well behaved although the pigs obviously were disappointed with their breakfast, nothing but pig pellets and water with very few scraps and no milk. They didn't fight, just ate with less excitement. Helen gave exactly the same as yesterday, 1.5 gal + 1 cup. 10/18 pm Again tonight, the same amount of milk as yesterday, 1 gal 3 cups making 2.5 gal for the day. Feeding the pigs isn't much fun Outside their pen where the cattle trample through is a mire. The mud pulls my boots off if I'm not careful. And the pig's feed bucket is very heavy to lift over the fence. The boys had a wonderful climb but had to wait almost half an hour at the top to pass through Fat Man's Misery, the crevice at the top of the trail. A large number of school children were ahead of them. Friends brought one and a half pickup loads of wood for me today. Such a kind thing to do. [To Top] 10/19 am We had a beautiful dawn today but strange. There is a warm wind blowing and it's 55f. Helen and the boys were nowhere to be seen. I called but the wind carried my voice away. I went ahead and fed the pigs first so as not to waste time. Finally I caught a glimpse of Herbie. His shining black and white shows up better than the brown of the Jerseys which is a remarkable camouflage in this season. They were out of sight in the Pocket Field. Helen finally heard me and came in by herself throwing things out of sync for graining the others. I kept her in for a few minutes after milking so they could finish up and to amuse her I gave her some of the super good hay I got two weeks ago. It is soft, green and fluffy. She loved it so much she didn't want to leave her stanchion. 1.5 gal + 1 cup again this morning. [To Top] 10/20 am Down to 32f this morning and all four were lined up at the door. The steers fight over their buckets causing spillage and waste. I look forward to the time when I can tie them up but that's impossible until Howie and Henry have collars and I can't get one onto Howie. Howie's date with destiny is in two weeks. I hope we can load him without a collar. Helen was very good but gave just 1.5 gal., no more. 10/20 pm Neighbor Stewart got a nasty injury to his shin this morning while using his walk-behind tiller. The metal flap that hangs down the back to prevent kicking back of dirt failed to prevent the kicking out of some shrapnel-like object. It cut to the bone right through his pantleg. The cut was about three inches long. Tough Stewart thought to repair the damage with Bag Balm and Band-Aids but fortunately could not locate any Bag Balm. When I got there he had tied an athletic sock around it. It obviously needed stitches. Melody took him to the emergency room and they scraped out bone chips before putting in the sutures. At milking time, instead of coming in with the others, Herbie, the black and white steer, began running away down the field as though his tail were on fire. So he missed his dinner. There is a high wind and after milking Helen didn't want to face into it to exit down her new ramp. So I let her back out through the beefer pen. On the way she made a big plop. When next I looked there was Mouncey, my big altered tom cat, doing his best to cover it up with loose straw! I really had to laugh, he looked so serious and worried. I didn't let him see me laughing. 1 gal + 10 oz. tonight. 2.5 gal today (plus 10 oz) [To Top] 10/21 Today I took the van to Rumford and picked up grain for myself and Stewart. Total for the day 2.5 gal + 3 cups 10/22 am We had a gorgeous pink dawn. All the animals behaved well. I'm cutting back a bit on feeding the pigs as they don't act quite so hungry. This morning I gave them 1 gallon of milk with only three scoops of feed instead of four. I know Stewart will not be able to take them tomorrow unless we get a lot of help. Helen loves her meals in the stanchion. I'm giving her three scoops of 16% feed (Cargill Nutrena), two scoops of alfalfa pellets, several apples and a flake of the excellent second crop hay that I don't want anybody else to have. She doesn't even want to leave her stanchion when I'm finished milking. She has gotten used to the radio being on, too. This morning: 1 gal + 24 oz. Way down. 10/22 pm I had to wait several minutes this evening for Helen to be willing to leave her stall. She finally walked out with a big mouthful of hay because Howie was outside the door bellowing for her. Stewart won't be able to take the pigs tomorrow. I didn't know this for sure until 8pm so gave them only a very light meal. They require a one day fast to make for easy loading. I'll give them a big breakfast. Only just over a gallon this evening and 2.4 for the day. [To Top] 10/23 am After milking I left Helen in her stanchion to finish her hay because she didn't want to leave any. I took the milk in and strained it and came back with the pig's breakfast. By then she wanted to get out probably because she was afraid I'd forgotten her. The pigs had a good appetite this morning. I called the butcher and the next available appointment is December 2. That means a lot more feed to buy. The cats are ravenous these days. The more cat food I put out the more they eat. I guess they want to be fatter for the winter. 1.5 gal less about 4oz. 10/23 pm Another beautiful fall day but colder. Helen really loves her special hay. She just bolts it down. Production for the day was identical to yesterday, 2.5 gal less a couple ounces. Blackie takes her one chick up to quite a high perch each night. There it nestles between her legs facing backwards and endlessly crooning a little twittering song. [To Top] 10/24 am Another beautiful Fall day so far in the 40's. I'm trying leaving Helen in her stanchion after I'm through milking so she can eat her hay. I can use this time to go get the pig food. So far although she does eat she is clearly worried that she has been forgotten. No doubt the same feeling I get after a nurse shuts me in an examining room and nobody comes back for half an hour. I only leave her for five minutes but it's enough to make her do a plop so it leaves me with clean-up work. I will keep trying in hopes of winning her confidence. She happily keeps eating until she hears me leave the barn. Exactly 1.5 gal this morning. 10/24 pm I left Helen in her stanchion after milking and went in for the pig food. This time when I got back she had not made a plop. But she was ready to leave. She insisted on heading for the inside beefer pen door rather than outside into the beautiful evening. She seemed interested in the hay in the feeder so I climbed into the loft and threw down more. I had to go up the difficult ladder because Whitey and 11 half grown chicks roost on the good ladder. 1 gallon plus 1 cup tonight. 2.5 + gal. today [To Top] 10/25 am Helen very good but she still doesn't like me to leave the barn while she's locked in her stanchion. Can't really blame her. But I can't hang around long when the milk needs straining. The cattle are eating more hay now. The value of the grass is declining. After leaving her stanchion Helen insisted on going straight through to the beefer pen and started right in on that hay along with the three steers. The chickens range far afield now looking for bugs. The cats also hunt constantly (when they aren't nagging me for food). In the last week they have brought in four baby rabbits already dead or I would have tried to save them. It's heartbreaking but there's nothing I can do about it. If I didn't have cats I'd have rats and mice. I never see any rodents near the house or barn nor any evidence of them. 1.5 gal + 1 cup this morning. 10/25 pm It's getting colder. The ground may freeze tonight. I poured water on the new rose bushes and the new cedar so they can be sure to go to sleep moist. I started using some of Stewart's hay tonight. The calves are beginning to eat a lot of mine. 1 gallon tonight. A scant 2.5 gal for the day. [To Top] 10/26 am Another clear day, colder. Helen had to break the ice on her water tank before she could drink. The chicken water had a half inch of ice. It was 26f at the house. They all went right out to graze, not interested in their hay. Helen gave about 1 cup less than 1.5 gal. Blackie's four June chicks are pretty well grown up. They look like three roosters and one hen, darn it. Two of the roosters face off several times a day for a little cock fight. The hen ought to be laying but so far I have found only one tiny pullet egg and that was more than two weeks ago. 10/26 pm This afternoon it was beautifully warm. I took a walk along the river hoping to find some blackthorn fruit for Sally. I didn't find any but I believe I found the barbed wire that tore Helen's teat last month. I wasn't wearing gloves so could only loop it up. I will have to go back with wire cutters. I also found a suspicious sunken damp spot in the field. Tomorrow, or as soon as I can find the time, I will take some Aleve and a shovel and go dig it up. Could it possibly be the break in the line that is stopping my springwater from reaching the house? Helen gave one half gallon and a few ounces tonight. Even so, not enough to bring us up to 2.5 gal. today, not quite. [To Top] 10/27 am Down to 24f this morning. The animals were all cheerful The sun is shining. The cattle all went straight out to graze. I notice that Henry hangs around Helen, his mother, even though they were separated for three months over to Stewart's and he is weaned. The vet called and will be stopping in around noon. I usually give him some lunch and I've thrown a quick casserole into the oven. But I'm going out anyway to try digging up my spring line. Any delay and the ground may freeze. No digging after that. Helen gave 1 gal + 3 pints this morning. Perhaps the water is too icy. Or else she's in a hopeless decline. She's getting plenty of good feed. 10/27 pm I dug down more than three feet where I believed my spring line might be broken but found nothing. Such a disappointment. Then Muffin and I went out in the woods and had a look at the swamp. It's still pretty wet. Because of my vet coming I could not go for feed. The pigs were the only guys completely out. I boiled up a gigantic pan of all the stale pasta, enough for tonight and breakfast. They also got a big bundle of Brussels sprout leaves. They seemed to really like their dinner. I got just over a gallon tonight bringing the day's total to 2 gal + 6 cups. Lousy. I left the water in her tank running a dribble in case it needs a water exchange. I don't think it's going to freeze tonight. [To Top] 10/28 am Milk production was up a bit this morning. Just shy of 1.5 gal. Helen is rather cute now as she picks her way around inspecting things in the barn before she makes up her mind which exit she will take this time. I warmed up the pasta with hot water for Sidney and Adelaide and added a few more goodies such as leftover whipped cream and some more Brussels sprout leaves. Now I must definitely go for feed. 10/28 pm Now there is feed for everybody again. As soon as I got home it began to rain hard and has not stopped. It gets dark so early with the time change. I'm grateful to Rafe for arranging some lighting in the barn. Helen came in dripping wet. I dry her thoroughly with an old bath towel so there will be no drips in the bucket. Not that she is especially unsanitary. Cows are cleaner than dogs or cats or just about any other animal because they never roll and don't have any other habits that get dirt or manure on them at least when out on grass. But I still don't want cow flavored rainwater in the milk. She gave a bit over a gallon tonight which brought today's total to 2.5 gallons less about 2 oz. [To Top] 10/29 am Only 1 gal +1 qt this morning. All the livestock apparently happy. The rain stopped and the sun is out. It feels like spring. I checked my calendar this morning and noted that Helen's heat should have been two days ago. Nary a sign, so I guess she's in calf. The depressed production could be a result. Here's an excerpt from an email from son John in Australia. They have just bought two calves and a cow at a local auction. "Well, the "Luck of the Luicks", as grandma L. used to say, held out with our new cow Buckwheat (my name - she is dark). First of all, she has a gorgeous temperament. She came with one adopted calf (some beefer), and immediately accepted a little Jersey heifer as well. So we only have to milk her if we feel like it. Secondly, yes, it was me that gave her first trial milking, but she was gentle as a lamb. I kept thinking about your heifer diary, and thanking my lucky stars, especially since we are completely unprepared. I just looped a rope around her horns, and tied her to the wall of a rickety little shelter in the paddock with some grain and Lucerne hay, sat down with a little bucket, and milked out what little the calves had left. Nary a lifted hoof. B. is not a classic Jersey beauty, but this certainly proves the old adage "beauty is only skin deep". She has an impressive set of horns. Her udder is fairly compact and teats are fine. She freshened for the first time about four months ago - pretty impressive for a young gal? 10/29 pm 1 gal exactly tonight. 2 gal + 1 qt. [To Top] 10/30 am There's a high wind today with alternating sun, clouds and sprinkles. All the cattle were down in the pocket field this morning. The wind was in my face and it took some yelling to get Helen to hear me but the moment she did she started immediately walking for the barn. It is always astonishing how fast walking cattle move. She gave 1 gal + 1.5 quarts. 10/30 pm The great 100' dead Balm of Gilead tree near the veg garden that Rafe wanted to cut down fell today in the wind. Only the larger of its double trunks fell. It has been standing dead for years worrying me. I didn't even hear it fall. I was in the kitchen next to my noisy Cuisinart making butter. It fell right on the new fence Sally and Tom built. The trunk is huge, close to 3' at the base and this is what hung up on the fence . Amazingly, the posts did not break but they may in the night. The top smashed the poor old apple tree pretty badly. Helen and her tribe of boys came and inspected the damage. I could tell she was pondering the possibilities of stepping through but thought better of it and led them all away. The wind was very high all day. 1 gal and about 1 cup tonight. 2 gal and not quite a half. [To Top] 10/31 am It began as a beautiful morning in the 40's but more storm is expected. The fallen tree has now forced the fence to the ground so I'd better go swathe some wire around to discourage adventuresome cows. All the animals are frisky but well behaved. Helen gave 1 gal and close to 2 qt but I was nearly an hour late milking. 10/31 pm While I was dishing up Helen's dinner I heard rifle shots not far away. I looked out the feed room window and saw a hunter down in the Pocket Field, the last field. I shouted "What are you doing in my field?" Whoever it was ran like hell into the woods. Later I asked Stewart what he thought we should do. Jerseys look an awfully lot like deer. Probably Stewart will pick up some signs tomorrow. Deer season opened today. Tonight Helen gave 1 gallon + 1 cup to make today's total 2.5 gal. Better than I expected since the interval was foreshortened by my milking a little early so as to be ready for Trick or Treaters. One mom wanted a white kitten which I happen to have but could not find. I hope she'll come back tomorrow. [To Top] 11/1 am A fine Fall day with none of the wind and rain the weatherman foretold. Helen gave 1 gal. + something over a quart. This morning I heeled in some plants and pulled some kohlrabi for the pig's lunch. My back is still twinging as it has been for a couple of weeks. 11/1 pm I didn't see anything of Stewart today. But Sally called and reminded me she and Rafe flagged the property line with tape. I'll pick up some No Hunting signs when next I go to town. The mom who wanted the white kitten came back for her today. I caught the kitten with little difficulty. I'm so glad to have found it a home even though it's always the prettiest cats that find homes. So our cat genes here run ever more to black with white bibs and paws. Tonight Helen gave 1 gal. and just enough to bring today's total to 2 gal 1.5 qt. [To Top] 11/2 am All the cattle were down in Pocket Field at dawn. I called Helen and she ignored me. Ten minutes later I called again and she came marching home accompanied by Howie, the big guy. The two calves didn't stop grazing so they missed their breakfast. When they finally meandered in after milking I had to tell them they were out of luck. No way could I feed them with both Helen and Howie butting in. When I fed the pigs they got their heads in the way when I poured the bucket. They shook their heads and big ears like pinwheels and sent pig food all over my face. Fortunately for me their breakfast was just water and grain, nothing yukky. Helen gave 1 gal and nearly a half. 11/2/pm I didn't hear any shooting today. But I did buy a few No Hunting signs. The weather is turning cold and blowy. We might even get snow. I didn't feel like going out in the woods with my signs. Maybe tomorrow. I forgot to let out the chickens at noon but a few hopped over the fence. Then they couldn't get back in. One of them decided to roost with Whitey up on the ladder. Her children now crowd the rungs and that big hen caused a mighty flap. Small ones kept falling off and having to fly back up. I don't believe they ever settled it very comfortably. 1 gal tonight. [To Top] 11/3 am 1.5 gal exactly this morning. All the cattle are wolfing down hay now. It seems to be pretty good hay. 11/3 pm Stewart brought over a nice horse trailer he borrowed and backed it up to the door of the beefer pen. I need to tempt Howie to walk in. I put his grain inside but he didn't fall for it. Both calves hopped right in. Maybe tomorrow morning he'll try it. I hope to avoid a rodeo. Helen gave 1 gal plus 1 pint tonight. [To Top] 11/4 am Helen gave 1 gal +just over 1 qt. I got Howie loaded all by myself, mirabile dictu! I was able to separate out Helen by letting her out the other door after milking. And it wasn't too hard to tempt Henry out of the beefer pen but the other calf, Herbie, had to be coaxed forward one step at a time with grain. I needed them both out because they had no inhibitions about hopping in the trailer. They jumped right in and ate the grain as fast as I set in there to tempt Howie. After that I just sat quietly in the beefer pen with my new Martha Stewart mag for about a half hour until Howie finally couldn't resist the buffet I set out for him of fancy hay, grain, alfalfa cubes and apples and just walked into the trailer. I moved swiftly and silently and put up the butt bar, then closed the doors. I had practiced with the doors to be sure I knew exactly how to close them fast. I hope he enjoyed his last meal. It doesn't do to get too sentimental about one's steer. Stewart and two friends arrived to help not two minutes after I got the trailer door closed. If they had arrived any sooner the distraction would have stopped Howie from walking aboard. I'm sure they were as relieved as I was. 11/4 pm No word from Stewart about how Howie's trip went. I stopped in with grain I picked up for him but I think he must have gone right out hunting when he got home. Helen and the calves showed very little sign of missing Howie. I was rather surprised at this. Helen gave 1 gal and a bit. 1 gal + 3 pints for the day. [To Top] 11/5 am Helen gave 1 gal 3 pints this morning. We're having a fine clear brisk morning. Feeding the calves is now a much quieter occasion. It was very hard to put out three buckets of grain with both Howie and Henry being very pushy. Little Herbie, the black and white calf, remains very shy. I noticed this morning he was standing outside while Helen and Henry scoffed hay. 11/5 pm Helen gave me a surprise this evening. While I was stripping the last of the milk she just picked up her hind feet very high and daintily stepped across me and the bucket and walked away! I have failed to lock the stanchion and when she was finished eating she apparently felt no obligation to hang around. I got a bit under a gallon as a result. 2 gal 2.5 pints for the day. [To Top] 11/6 am There was a full moon last night and it was pretty clear. There was a half inch of ice on the water this morning and of course the hose was frozen. Herbie has lost his bell. I took off his collar. It was getting a little tight and if left on as he grows would not only inhibit his cudding but makes an animal harder to catch. It seems to spoil their disposition. 1.25 gal. this morning. 11/6 pm Stewart stopped in to pay me back for the grain I picked up for him yesterday. He said that on the way yesterday with Howie they discovered that the back door of the trailer had swung open! Thank goodness I had put up that butt bar. I guess I had not done the door latch properly. Wow. If he had fallen off the trailer he could never have been caught. A scant gal. tonight. A scant 2 .25 gal. for the day. I know goats that give better than that. [To Top] 11/7 am I overslept and didn't milk until almost 8 o'clock. Helen was hanging around the barn mooing reproachfully. She gave 1 gal +1.5 qt. All the bantam families come running now when they see me. They aren't finding many bugs and are going through the mash fast. I've got to get up my gumption to dress off a couple of roosters that are now 5 months old and getting pesky. 11/7 pm Now I've started feeding the pigs before milking so as not to have to do it in the dark. Hitting the tub with their slop is tricky enough in broad daylight. I milked a bit late this evening because good friends came and got my car started and brought more wood. The electrical system on my Merc Mystique gives frequent trouble. Helen gave a scant gallon tonight making it 2 gal + 1.5 quarts for the day. [To Top] 11/8 am Beautiful sun today temp about 30f. All the animals were quiet and orderly. Before letting the chickens out I caught one young rooster and stuck him in a cat carrier. Before milking, Helen and the two calves were eating the hay I threw down last night. This is the first time I have seen Helen eating hay while waiting for me. Usually she keeps grazing. She gave 1 gal + 1 qt. After milking she went back to eating hay so I threw down more. Herbie, the Holstein calf, went outside by himself while the other two ate hay. His behavior is frequently puzzling. He was walking off as though somebody had hurt his feelings. 11/8 pm I dressed off that rooster. I sharpened up my cane knife, got the water hot, and tied hay string around his feet. But it would have worked better if I had found a chopping block instead of stretching him out on the lawn. He was easy to pluck and easy to draw but only weighed 2 lb. His spurs were fully 2" long. Despite being only five months old he was tough. I put him on to boil before noon and at 6:00 he was still resisting. But the broth was mighty fine. I also boiled up a large pot of halloween pumpkin and old zuchinnis for the pigs. In the afternoon I went out and floundered around in the woods for an hour or more. I nailed up three No Hunting signs. There are lots of deer tracks down by the brook and the tracks of hunters too. I hope nobody mistakes Helen or Henry for a deer. Helen gave exactly 1 gal. tonight. 2 gal 1 qt today's total [To Top] 11/9 am Very bleak weather today. But Helen went right out to graze, didn't stop for her hay. 1 gal + 1 qt this morning. 11/9 pm 1 gal. this evening ... 2 gal 1 qt for the day, exactly like yesterday and I had to squeeze hard to get it. [To Top] 11/10 am Bright and cold today. Helen gave 1 gal 1.5 qt, a bit better than yesterday am. I didn't think to go out first thing and break open her water. It's frozen every morning now so I must include that in my job description. She had broken it open with her nose by the time I got there. The ice was a half inch thich so that must have taken a good hard bump. Little Herbie, the black and white calf, seems awfully dim. Even though the ice was broken at the other end of the tank and Henry had a drink, Herbie stood licking the ice and couldn 't seem to figure out how to get his. The tap and hose connection inside the barn was also frozen and must be thawed before I can refill the tank. The heat tape I've had on it for years fried last winter. I've plugged in a heating pad over it and put a rose cone over the pad. We'll see it that does the trick. 11/10 pm The heating pad thawed out the faucet. For a more professional answer, I have bought and plugged in a fancy new sort of heating tape costing $19 with a thermostat which is supposed to kick on at freezing temp and be OK down to -38f. Before I could install it I had to rout out the old fiberglass stuffing that surrounds the plastic water pipe. The pipe itself comes up through a section of 4" plastic drain pipe that was set over it to hold the insulation. This is sunk into the ground. I had to crouch down and reach into this pipe to dig out that nasty fiberglass by hand before I could put on the new heat tape. Of course it was the sort of miserable job I should have done last summer. Helen gave 1 gal. this evening. 2 gal + 1.5 qt for the day. After supper I made butter. I got 2 lb from about 3.5 quarts of cream. Now that it's just me here I need to make butter every second or third day. [To Top] 11/11 Production today was virtually identical to yesterday. I went out and stocked up on feed in case the weather prevents a trip next week. A storm is said to be on the way and I'm not sure how the van will behave on ice. I had to buy more layer pellets. They gave me mash last time by mistake and the chickens were very wasteful of it. [To Top] 11/13 Helen only gave 1 gal + 1 pt this morning. Very bad news just when I found an old gentleman who wants to buy milk. I sold a half gallon this morning. It hasn't been cold enough to really challenge the new heat tape although it was in the 20's today and the faucet was not frozen. This could have been thanks to insulation I piled up in the form of hay bales. The pigs got a surprise this morning. While I was doing my usual acrobatic trick of trying to pour out their swill whithout spilling any while standing on the first railing of their fence one of them bumped me and the bucket so hard I lost my footing. I almost dived over into their pen but managed to balance on the top rail with my feet waving in the air. And I did not spill the bucket thanks in part to Sidney and Adelaide backing away. I don't know if they thought I was alarming or amusing. 11/13 pm I saw my first snow flurries today. Helen gave a tad under 1 gal tonight making the total for today just over 2 gal. Pretty poor. [To Top] 11/14 am Helen gave 1 gal and close to a quart today. She had to break open her water again today. She gets up before I do. Pretty soon I'd better set up the indoor tank. I'm off this morning to pick up the beef. 11/14 pm I picked up the meat packaged and frozen. The slip gives the weight as 470# but I forgot to ask if that is dressed weight or packaged weight. I assume dressed weight. Cutting and wrapping was $141 and slaughter was $25. I hope another time, if I have help, to cut and wrap it myself and save that expense. I know how to do it and have all the equipment but last time I did it it took two days even with Sally helping. Right now it's still sitting in the van but son Mark is coming to help me load it into the freezer. It's 34f outside so it won't have any trouble staying frozen. Again tonight Helen wasn't locked into her stanchion and tiptoed away before I was through stripping so I don't know how much was left behind. I got a bit under a gallon. This time I didn't forget to pin her but I must not have thrust the pin all the way in. It made me feel pretty silly. First she made a big plop while making up her mind what to do. Then she was outathere. [To Top] 11/15 am It's 34f this morning with something halfway between snow and rain falling out of the sky. There are streaks of wet snow and half frozen puddles everywhere, yellow grass, an Andrew Wyeth landscape. All the animals seem contented. I should doubt if Helen and the boys want to graze in this. I'll have to go out mid morning and throw down more hay. Helen gave 1 gal + 1.5 quarts.1 gal. tonight. [To Top] 11/16 am Heln acted very oddly this morning. She was mooing to me as usual when I walked out but when I opened the door to let her in for milking and her grain she refused to come in. She ran all around in the beefer pen. I closed the outer door because it looks as though she was heading back to the pasture. All this only took about three minutes but for weeks she has showed no hesitation about coming in, bolts right in and starts on her grain. I can't imagine what got into her. I didn't notice any signs at her last heat date. Tomorrow would be the date again for her to come in heat. 1 gal + 1 qt this morning.11/16 pm 1 gal. this evening [To Top] 11/17 am No signs of heat yesterday or today. But Helen was once again very odd about coming in for milking. I've decided it is because she can't decide whether to defer to Henry or not. I believe she vaguely remembers he is her calf, also a male. She used to butt him out of the way but now seems reluctant to do this. Since he is doing his best to bolt through the door himself this causes a serious traffic problem. Helen walked out of her stanchion again this morning even though I had put in the pin. I don't know how she is doing this. At least she waited until I was through milking. She gave 1 gal. + 1 qt. 11/17 pm It snowed most of the day but did not accumulate much. Helen and the calves kept right on grazing but they seem to eat a little more hay every day. I made two more pounds of butter. I make butter every second of third day. Also picked up another milk customer just when production is falling. We were a little shy of a gallon tonight. 2 gal 1 pt for the day. Helen did not walk out of her stanchion tonight. I made a careful inspection of the pin. Maybe that helped. After I let her out she ate some of the ancient hay I keep handy for the pigs. She does this every night. Then she walked back and put her head in her stanchion to finish off the bit of fancy hay I always serve with her feed. [To Top] 11/18 I believe I've overcome the problem of Helen not walking right in for milking. This morning I held a long piece of dowel in my hand to restrain Henry and give her a clear shot at the doorway and this seemed to be all it took. It's colder today, 24f. I had to break the ice for Helen to drink. 1 gal 1 pt this morning. 11/18 pm This afternoon Henry was running like mad in the pasture. Helen ran with him a little bit. Herbie hardly ran at all. 1 gal minus a pint tonight. 2 gal for the day.[To Top] 11/19 am This morning I got 1 gal + 1 qt from a very cooperative cow. The pigs like the meals I've been bringing them. To avoid buying another bag of feed I've been soaking and cooking big vats of cracked corn. With hot water and milk on it they seem to consider it a treat. They go soon to meet their destiny so I'm giving them extra vitamin E. I know this sounds hard hearted and calculating, but hey, this is farming fact. 11/19 pm A little shy of one gallon tonight despite resolute stripping. Total today 2 gal .75 qt. [To Top] 11/20 am It snowed some last night, soft sticky snow with ice underneath. I nearly did a pratfall and got a milk bath when I went out early to set out the half gallon for my Friday customer. Helen gave 1 gal 1.5 qt this morning. No breakfast for the pigs but I gave them water. They are complaining mightily about their fast. Stewart will be along with some buddies to load them this morning. They need to be very hungry so they will enter the trailer for food. [To Top] 11/20 pm Stewart loaded the pigs with no help. When I looked out the window and saw tracks on my lawn I knew he must be here. In fact he was just turning his rig around. He had no difficulty. The pigs were eating grain inside the trailer and did not appear frightened. I then spent a couple of hours dismantling the pig pen fence so the cows could use the run-in area. I got off the boards and wire. But I was unable to dig out the corrugated iron panels. Lots of mud and muck was piled against them. Helen gave about a pint less than a gallon tonight so that's close to 2 gal + 1 qt for the day.[To Top] 11/21 It seems strange without the pigs. Helen gave 1 gal + 1 qt. She has started drinking from the indoor tub I have set up. It always takes animals a day to two to like new water arrangements. The outdoor tub is still available. In fact yesterday I overturned it and scrubbed it out and refilled it. The chickens are barely laying, some days no eggs at all, sometimes two or three from eight hens. I understand I am to be given three new hens by Cousin Susan. I've set up a light in the hen house with a timer to go on at 4:30 am. Maybe that will help. 11/21 pm It was remarkably warm and sunny today. I got some things done outside and in the barn. I bundled up my new little cedar next to the barn and nailed up a sash so as to have a window in the back door of the barn. I guess the one that was there last winter must have blown out in a storm. Stewart had nailed up plywood so all summer I have not been able to see my lovely view unless I opened the door. Now I can see it anytime I look. Helen gave under than a gallon tonight. With this morning's it made 2 gal for the day. 11/22 am Helen gave a little over a gallon this morning even though I was rather late getting to the barn. Sons Mark and Martin are here and they began the day by tearing out the remaining panels from the pigpen making it into a nice run-in for the cattle. It's a sun trap in winter. Now they are down cutting up the huge dead Balm of Gilead tree which fell a month ago and hung up in the crab apple tree. Hurrah! 11/22 pm Helen had a wonderful day. The boys sawed up the two huge tree trunks one of which had crushed the fence. (It was a tree with a double trunk.) Out walked Helen, Henry and Herbie onto the bright green lawn. All that lush grass unmowed for the last month was her idea of a holiday dinner. All three had such a grand time. Of course the boys have now fixed the fence but maybe tomorrow I'll open the gate and give Helen and friends another treat. I think the boys provided the farm with more than a cord of wood today, split and stacked. Generous neighbors brought me a wonderful turkey. Helen gave one gal. tonight; about 2 gal. and a cupful for the day. 11/23 am Helen gave 1 gal + 1 pint this morning. All three were in good spirits. I opened a gate so they could graze on the lawn and it didn't take them long to find it. They are exploring all around. The weather is sunny and unseasonably warm so they are having a fine time. 11/23 pm While I was gone today doing my Thanksgiving shopping Helen broke down the barrier I had placed to prevent her going into the veg garden. It was nearly dark when I got home and saw where she was. So I don't know if I have any Brussels sprouts left. I already have three stalks in the buttery so will not be devastated if they are gone. I had to go down in the dark and drive her back to the barn because she couldn't remember how she had gone in there. She had Brussels sprout breath. The calves were good (or stupid) and stayed on the lawn. Helen gave about a pint under a gal. tonight. 2 gal for the day. 11/24 am We got 1 gal + 3 cups this morning, a slight improvement. 11/24 pm Most of the day I spent on pork. I brought home six boxes of chops and roasts. The cured meat won't be ready for three weeks. I also brought home the heads and feet for scrapple which I will have to start on tomorrow as there is no room in the freezers for them. Both are full. I didn't get down to check on the veg garden until this afternoon. Helen had eaten the tops off all the kohlrabi and a lot of Brussels sprouts. Lots of sprouts were scattered on the ground where I guess they had fallen out of the corners of her mouth. She gave a little less than a gal. tonight. About 2 gal and a cup today total. 11/25 am 1 gal + 1 pint this morning. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I should be cooking for company but first I'll have to spend time on the scrapple and lard making. There is not room for the heads and cavity fat in the freezer and it has to be taken care of while it's fresh. 11/25 pm I did spend much of the day on pork related duties and achieved six pounds of top quality lard. I always add vitamin E while it is in a liquid state. This will preserve it for more than a year. Stewart took delivery on 100 bales of hay today stored in my barn. It looks pretty good. The sun shone all day and it was unseasonably warm, very nice. It's supposed to go back down in the twenties tonight so the cooked meat should be safe out in the buttery. One pint shy of a gal. tonight; 2 gal for the day. Darned heifer. 11/26 am 1 gal + 1 pt from a damp cow. It is snowing and of course it melts on her back. She and the calves were mooing this morning and the chickens didn't want to go out. I guess they had forgotten about snow and of course some had never seen it. I pretty much pushed the roosters out the door and closed it after them. There are four of them, that's three too many, and they pester the chickens. 11/26 pm I don't know if this is a coincidence, but I got two eggs today, the first in several days. I left the roosters out. It rained and snowed all day but they hop over the fence and go into the barn so don't suffer. Sons Martin and Mark were here for Thanksgiving and his little Hailey, 6. She came out to the barn and had a try at milking. She got a couple of squirts. She is a good little milk drinker. Tonight I got about a pint less than a gallon. 2 gal for the day. [To Top] 11/27 am Helen gave 1 gal + 1.5 pt this morning. That is better than any recent day. Could it be a result of her now using her indoor water (convenient, warmer temp) or the fact that due to steady cold rain yesterday she stayed in all day and ate hay? Like all grazers I know of, given any reasonable reward she will graze in preference to eating hay for at least a few hours a day. Yet November grazing has poor value. The hens remain rooster-free. Perhaps that is why I got two eggs yesterday and this morning one from a hen that has not laid for weeks. 11/27 pm One gal less 1 pt tonight making 1 gal + 1 qt for the day. Helen and the boys did some grazing but also ate a lot of hay, a bale between the three of them. I managed to shove their hay feeder into a better position under the trap door in the hay mow by myself. I'll need help for the last 2 ft. Son Martin went to Sugar Loaf to snowboard and on the way home his car broke down about an hour north at Kingfield. I got the word just when I came in with the milk so spent the evening driving. [To Top] 11/28 am 1 gal + 1 qt this morning from a very cooperative cow. During the night they finished every bit of hay I put down last night and even ate some of the old leavings. I don't know if they love the new hay or were just extra hungry. Also, Helen had drunk all her water. I opened the hen door and all the roosters which had found their way back in last night ran out to crow. Then I locked them out. 11/28 pm Two eggs today, an upward trend I hope. The cows continue to want a lot of hay. I put out another half bale at noon and some smashed pumpkins, most of which they ate. Helen gave 3 qt tonight; 2 gal.1 pt total. [To Top] 11/29 am Sunday Two eggs today before 8 am. Something is working! 1 gal 1 qt this morning from Helen. I'm running low on layer mash so have given the leftover pig pellets to the bantam crowd. They aren't impressed. I also gave them some cracked corn which they prefer and gave some to the layers too along with clabbered milk. Corn alone without added protein will stop them laying. 11/29 pm About a pint under a gal tonight from Helen. Three eggs including one from a very old nearly crippled Barred Rock hen. She always has to roost on the lowest perch because she can't make it up any higher. I often see her trying to fly higher, then flopping back to the floor. Martin with the help of several friends and Stewart's tow bar got his Jetta home today. The timing belt is broken so he took his van home to Portland. I finally got back to working on the scrapple today. The pot of cooked parts has been keeping nice and cold in the buttery. I got the meat off the bones and boiled up the stock again. That's as far as I got. 2 gal + 1 pt. today. [To Top] 11/30 Monday am One gal. + 1 cup today even though I was 45 minutes late to the barn. Helen resents this and made a big plop halfway through the milking which I had to leap up and remove. I'm off this morning for feed even though we have sleety rain. I've been spelling along the chickens with clabber, cracked corn and cracklings from my lard making. The cats have been getting milk and hog trimmings of which they have not been complaining. 11/30 pm Helen gave only three quarts this evening making the day's total well under 2 gal. But I got three eggs again. I went out today and bought feed. The hens and cats were particularly pleased. Even with a light on the hens seem to get up late and roost early. They don't make much of a day of it. The roosters now displaced from their cushy life with the hens don't know where to sleep. Tonight they were huddled out on a fence rail in the rain even though there is a vast barn they could walk right into. Whitey, the bantam hen, roosts on my ladder to the hay mow along with all her progeny which are now about grown. That has caused me to climb an awkward nailed on ladder. Tonight I decided "To heck with them" and climbed the ladder among them. They bustled around in an irritated way but did not fly off so from now on this is how I intend to get up there. [To Top] 12/1 am Tuesday 1 gal + 1 qt today. The weather is very warm for the time of year, up to 45f here and a strong warm wind. Hunting season is now over. Last Saturday was the last day. Most years I make an effort to keep the cattle close to the barn but this year decided to take a chance. I heard considerable firing, some of it clearly down in my woods; I guess those hunters couldn't read but apparently could shoot straight. 12/1 pm Today I counseled a woman over the phone who is having heifer problems. They were much like mine with Helen. A heifer with an overfilled bag and no idea of how to feed her calf or stand for milking. I hope I was able to help her. 1 gal less 1 pt tonight, 2 gal + 1 pt for the day. And three eggs. All four roosters had gotten back in with the hens. But once on the roost I was easily able to catch them and throw them out into the big hall of the barn where they flapped and swore. [To Top] 12/2 am Wednesday This morning, 1 gal and a scant quart. It's still warm and sunny, not like December, but the cattle are eating mostly hay and grazing only a little. The bantams aren't finding much to scavenge so I'm feeding them twice a day. I see no evidence of nests but I've bet the little sinners have got some. 12/2 pm It's 50f two hours after dark. It must be some kind of record. The cattle grazed all day, lay down in the field to rest and chew their cuds, and Helen even had to be called in. She gave just under a gallon. 2 gal + 1 pt today. I organized chores so that I could put bread in the oven before I went out the door and be back in time to take it out; just made it. [To Top] 12/3 am Thursday Another astonishingly warm day in Maine. I'm not missing the snow. Helen gave 1 gal + almost a quart. I'm beginning to have a problem figuring out what to do with all the milk even though two-plus gallons a day isn't much by cow standards. I'm clabbering some with rennet, then pouring off a lot of whey and giving the cottage cheese to the chickens. They will drink very little milk, will eat some clabber, but will eat quite a lot of cottage cheese. 12/3 pm One big red rooster was roosting in with the hens tonight. I have no idea how he got in there unless he slipped in the door with me earlier in the day. I chucked him right out. Got two eggs today. Got a little less than a gal. tonight, 2 gal + 1 pt for the day. [To Top] 12/4 am Friday Helen came in rather dirty this morning. It rained all night so she slept inside which accounts for it. There will be a lot more dirty cow mornings as winter advances. Our warm spell continues. Parts of Maine are expected to see 60f today. She gave 1 gal+1 qt this morning. When I feed the cats in the morning it's a constant struggle to keep those pesky roosters from swarming in and swiping the cat food. I need to invent a new strategy. The best strategy would be to dress off the roosters. It's not a problem at night because they have all roosted by then. 12/4 pm We got only a few ounces over 2 gal. tonight. Helen's bag is in excellent condition. Always after milking it is completely soft and squishy. It was warm all day today and into the evening but a strong wind came up and it seems dark and lonely.[To Top] 12/5 am Saturday 1 gal 3.5 cups. All happy except the bantams. They hate the degerminated cornmeal I've been offering them. It was given to me to use up on the chickens but they don't think so. I notice they will eat it if I pour milk on it. 12/5 pm Another fine day but colder, not above 40f. Nonetheless all three bovines grazed for hours. I guess they don't want to miss the sunshine. I was late milking this evening due to getting a computer lesson over the phone from Alaska (good ol' son Bret) but Helen was a good sport about it. She gave less than a gallon. Total for the day: 2 gal. But I got four eggs. Stewart brought a supply of grain for his calves, Henry and Herbie. [To Top] 12/6 am Sunday One gallon + 1 quart this morning. It's raining so I put out plenty of hay. One rooster had mysteriously gotten back in with the hens. I left him there because he was so wary of me that catching him would have filled the air with dust and frightened the hens. I guess they can put up with one guy. Here's a miracle for sure: my springline which had fed the house this 100 years quit running two years ago and all my efforts to solve the problem went unrewarded. Until today. I got up to find the spring line running and now the old granite sink in the kitchen is full once again. The spring itself, rock lined and situated 5/8 mile away, has always had plenty of water in it. 12/6 pm When I was closing the barn door behind me I set the bucket down on an uneven surface and spilled some milk. It's totally dark at 5:15. Today's total actually in the fridge: 2 gal. When I said goodnight to the hens I also removed the rooster. Once a bird is up on the perch or the high platform all I have to do is shoot out my hand and grab it by the legs. Two eggs today. [To Top] 12/7 am Monday It's turning cold and wintry. The two calves are looking better. They are each getting about 6 lb/day of 16% dairy ration plus all the hay they can eat and grazing. They are very friendly but are getting big enough now so that sometimes when I go in with their bucket I wonder if I'm about to be mobbed. 1 gal + 1 cup this morning. 12/7 pm Well, I figured out how that rooster gets in with the hens (he was back today). There is a hole in their ceiling. I chucked him out and then climbed up the ladder to the empty loft over the hen room with a piece of plywood and covered it over. Three eggs today. And tonight, less than a gallon. A bit under 2 gal. for the day. [To Top] 12/8 am Tuesday It was down to 24f here this morning but the water system inside the barn was unaffected. All the animals are looking good. I'll be interested to see if the cattle graze today. Last time I said they wouldn't, they went right out and did. The pastures are all golden brown and the understory of green grass appears to be in a static state. I guess they just enjoy grazing. Slightly over 1 gal. this morning. 12/8 pm It's snowing, has been for five hours. Neighbor Stewart had some excitement today. Last week he was given an enormous boar about the size of a moderate hippopotamus. He took it to live at his friend Barry's a half mile away. Today two of his sows came in heat and the boar caught the scent. He broke out of Barry's facility and trotted purposefully down to Stewart's, even though he was new to the neighborhood. He busted right in to the sows' pens. He apparently became resentful of Stewart's attempts to turn him out and with his tusk he ripped up Stewart's pantleg and opened his recent wound. Stewart had to run for the house. He decided the boar had committed a capitol offense. He loaded up his shotgun and shot the bugger. A large pig of either sex can be very dangerous. If you saw the jawbone you might think it was a wolf. But only the boars have tusks. Less than a gallon tonight, a bit under 2 gal. for the day and 2 eggs. [To Top] 12/9 am Wednesday About an inch of snow remains. The bantams were very disturbed by it having never seen it before and I had to chase them out of the barn by waving my arms and yelling. Some refused to go and flew back into the rafters. Just over a gallon of milk this morning. 12/9 pm No roosters got in with the hens today. All four were lined up shoulder to shoulder on a rafter. Three eggs today. Two gallons of milk. [To Top] 12/10 am Thursday A brisk sunny day today, about 24f. Some snow remains. All the animals perky and healthy. Helen gave 1 gal 2 cups. I strewed around all the leavings in the manger yesterday to improve the chances she would lie down somewhere clean. This morning she was a lot cleaner. They have started going into the lean-to area that formerly housed the pigs. I cleaned it, strewed hay and removed the front barrier weeks ago when the pigs left. It seemed a pleasant place but the cattle have been refusing to enter it until today. To me it did not smell at all of pigs but I guess it must have to Helen and the boys. 12/10 pm The sun was out all day but it didn't warm up much. Helen and the boys grazed near the river for a long time. I guess I'd better walk down there and see what the grass looks like. It just looks brown from the house but they don't eat brown grass. I planned to go buy grain today but the car wouldn't start. I tried to get in a better mood by making a fancy torte. I gave a quarter of it to Stewart this evening after he brought over his trickle charger. The feed will hold out another day. A little over 2 gal. today. [To Top] 12/11 am Friday It's snowing lightly and the cattle are gobbling hay. I notice that Blackie's one chick, now nearly grown, doesn't hang out with her mother any more. She lives in with the rest of the hens but spends most of her time on the perch. I guess she had to go to the bottom of the pecking order. Just a little over a gallon of milk this morning. 12/11pm The car started OK today so I went for grain. I wasn't out of it but I try to stay well ahead during the winter. It only snowed for about an hour and a half but as I was gone during the best of the day I can't tell how much if any grazing H & Co. did. At 2:00 they had eaten all the hay I had put down and were looking around for more but they often do that anyway. A late check on the hens revealed Young Blackie gobbling her feed all alone after all the hens had gone to roost. H. gave slightly over a gal. tonight making 2 gal. + 1 cup today [To Top] 12/12 am Saturday 1 gal 3 cups this morning. I was a half hour late getting to the barn but they still had hay and water. All happy. One hen, the Lace Wyandotte, was sitting on a broken egg. The shell seemed weak. I fed ground eggshell about a week ago but perhaps it has not had time to take effect. I've now put out some oyster shell. Very fine weather today, bright. 24f this morning. 12/12 pm Helen and the boys grazed all through the middle of the day. Amazing for the 12th of December. There was quite a lot of sun and hardly any wind. Four eggs today not counting the broken one. Less than 1 gal tonight; 2 gal today total. [To Top] 12/13 am Sunday It was down to 20f this morning and I had frozen up water and hoses to contend with. This dashed all thoughts of church. The freeze-up wasn't as bad as it could be but was a good warning signal to start plugging in the submersible heater. The faucet itself was not frozen thanks to the expensive heat tape I bought last month. The hose fitting was frozen solid. The wash-up water was still warm enough so that I was able to free up the fitting by dribbling with warm water. I had to find a different hose that wasn't full of ice. 1 gal. + about 2 cups this morning. 12/13 pm It warmed up to be a fine day and once again the three grazed throughout the middle of the day. I disconnected the hose that I use to fill the cow water and hung it from a ladder so it won't be full of ice in the morning. Only about 3 qt tonight. Slightly under 2 gal for the day. [To Top] 12/14 am Monday Another fine clear day. 24f this morning but warming fast. There were three eggs before 8:00am. Helen gave just over a gal. Total milk for today slightly under 2 gal. 4 eggs. Once again Helen and the boys grazed throughout the sunny middle of the day. [To Top] 12/15 am Tuesday Fine and sunny, temp about 32f. Helen ate hay for about a half hour before going out in the sunshine to chew her cud. I expect that I'll see her off grazing before long. I took pity on the layers and let them out into their yard so they could get some direct sun. No doubt all the roosters have hopped over the fence by now to visit them. 12/15 pm Of course I had to toss a lot of roosters out of the hen room tonight. I got only two eggs. I got scarcely over 3 quarts tonight. Barely two gallons for the day. [To Top] 12/16am Wednesday Another fine day, such a gift. But Helen barely exceeded 1 gal. this morning. I wonder if her insistence on grazing might actually be a nutritional disadvantage. The grass is short and probably not very valuable this time of year. 12/16 pm Helen didn't graze long. She came back in and ate the hay I put down late morning. There wasn't much sun in the afternoon and the temp was about 34f. Production dropping. Total for today about 2 cups less than 2gal. [To Top] 12/17 am Thursday It's snowing today. Nearly all the bantams are this year's birds, as are the three pesky roosters, and they think snow is awful. I had to almost push them outside to eat their grain. I prefer them outside while I'm milking because they do so much flapping and squawking. Phoenix rooster got in with the big hens the other day when I briefly let them all out. In the evening when I chucked out the big guys I had to leave him because he was too high for me to reach. He is all over his moult and has feathered out again beautifully. He is not purebred so won't ever grow the very long tail. Helen gave 1 gal + 1 qt this morning. I was late getting to the barn. Things in the kitchen were in such disarray I could hardly function. I've had a very pleasant Aga technician for two days converting my old Aga from kerosene to propane. Such a treat to have the Aga once again, and a perfect spot to make yogurt and clabber milk. 12/17 pm It's still snowing and beginning to accumulate. Helen made no attempt to graze but stood outside for awhile. She came in for milking all wet from melted snow. Total for the day just slightly under 2 gal. [To Top] 12/18 am We have about 3" of snow and it's very pretty. The bantams disagree. I had to wave a broom around to get them out of the barn this morning even though I had strewn cracked corn all around to tempt them. I had a nasty surprise when I sat down on my milking stool. A cat had peed on it. It has a plushy seat cover so I did not notice in time. I had to put up with a damp seat until I carried in the milk. I'm not sure what point the cat wanted to make but it didn't make points with me.1 gal 2 cups this morning. 12/18 pm Today was the shortest day of the year and also the coldest. The snow appears likely to remain. Blackie hen was out of the hen room again. I don't know how she gets out but this it the third time. When I open the door she walks back in. But this was a signal to me that she has a nest somewhere. She has never liked to lay in with the others and have her egg picked up every day. I found her nest. It had three eggs in it. I can't let her steal a nest now. The eggs will freeze before she gets a clutch and I don't want chicks in cold weather so I took the eggs. I couldn't find my fake egg so I put one of my ivory billiard balls in her nest. A hen won't return to a nest if all the eggs disappear. The other hens laid five so I was able to bring in eight eggs tonight. Total milk today about 2 cups less than 2 gal. [To Top] 12/19am Saturday Down to 20f this morning. I had to take boiling water to the barn and pour along the hose before I could water the stock. I thought I had drained it properly last night. Tonight I'll drape it over a high beam. Chores were pretty late getting done, didn't start until 7:45. I made a pre-ski breakfast for son Martin before going out. 12/19 pm It didn't get above 24 today and now is dropping fast. This time I hung up the hose from a beam after watering. Blackie didn't lay in the nest where I put the billiard ball. Midday when I went to check on it she was on it and the three pesky roosters were standing by. They are afraid of me because of the many time I have caught them by the feet and they set up a loud cackle and flapping which Blackie apparently took to be a three alarm warning and fled. Later I found her egg in one of her old nests. I took it and replaced it with the billiard ball. The other hens laid zero eggs. Just under 2 gal. for the day. [To Top] 12/20 am Sunday Today we have bright pure air, about 33f, many fluffy pink and blue clouds. Helen gave just over a gallon. The hens laid 4 eggs before 8am. I let Blackie back in with them. She was stuck out with the bantams last night and slept in the rafters. 12/20 pm Cousin Susie brought me a gift of five new hens and a gorgeous rooster today. I put them in with the layers and let Phoenix back out so they wouldn't fight. I kept him in for about a week because he invariably roosts by himself in a big spruce tree by the house and if anybody is in the guest room he wakes them up. I thought keeping him in might break that habit which can only lead to him freezing to death later in the winter. But no, he's gone straight back up in his tree. Helen gave only about 3 qt tonight, 1 gal + 3 qt today. And five eggs. [To Top] 12/21 am Monday Sleet falling out of the sky this morning, very wintry. Blackie was already out this morning and slid back in with the hens when I opened the door to take in their feed and water. The new group is huddled in the ante room section of their quarters, not ready to integrate yet. Helen gave 1 gal. + 1 cup this morning. 12/21 pm Five eggs today, one was Blackie's in her new nest in the cow milking area. Somehow she gets out of the hen room, then darts back in when I enter. The new birds are beginning to integrate. All but one were roosting up with the others. Total milk today, 1 gal 3 qt. [To Top] 12/22 am Tuesday We're having a miserable sleety rain this morning and the prediction is for high wind and falling temperatures later in the day. All the animals are warm and dry. I have a light on in the layer's room because they have only one window. [To Top] 12/23 am No entry last night due to power being off yesterday and most of last night. Milk total for yesterday was 1.75 gal. Five eggs. Bitterly cold all night and everything much disrupted by a fire in the house next door owned by daughter Sally in Alaska. A new renter was spending her first night there, all the phones were (and are) out, so it took a long time for her to raise a neighbor and for the fire department to respond. The kitchen is now badly damaged and unusable. 12/23 pm I spent most of the day on insurance matters and helping Sara, the new tenant, who is a real trooper. It is still bitterly cold but we have phone and electricity again. Helen got pretty thirsty. There is no water to the barn without power to run the pump. Nonetheless I got the same amount of milk as yesterday, 1.75 gal. But only one egg, Blackie's, out in her private nest with the billiard ball. The new rooster, a fine fellow who resembles a Lace Wyandotte, was on the top perch in the hen house with a hen cuddled tightly each side of him, so he'll be nice and warm. But silly old Phoenix continues to roost outside the house in the spruce. He is very likely to freeze if he doesn't choose to spend nights the barn. I plugged in a submersible heater in the cattle water so maybe they will now be able to drink more. [To Top] 12/24 The cow's water didn't freeze and I think she drank more. It's still very cold, about 6f this morning, but sunny. I had to take the extension cord for the submersible water heater over to Sally's house for the plumber's use. I substituted a light weight one in the barn so will not dare to leave it plugged in overnight. 12/24 pm It remains very cold, 12f. I did think Helen drank more today. Total milk unchanged: 1.75 gal. Three eggs. I gave the cats an extra lot of food tonight it being Christmas Eve. They are insatiable. [To Top] 12/25 am Friday, Christmas Day Helen was warm and fuzzy this morning and friendly. Got one gallon plus a cup for son Martin to drink warm. 12/25 pm Total milk for the day, 1.75 gal again. High temp today was about 12f, lots of sun. None of the animals were any trouble. For Christmas dinner we had a standing rib roast of the Howie beef and it was truly excellent. Jersey beef is one of the best. Thank you Howie! [To Top] 12/26 am Saturday It was down to -0- this morning and the barn chores were cold work. But the water in the tap is still running thanks to heat tape. The water tub of course was frozen. This will be a problem until I can get another extension cord. I hope I can remember to go out often to look for eggs or else they will be frozen solid. The animals all seem comfortable. It's only me that is complaining. I have to soak the hose end in warm water before I can screw it on. Then I have to hurry when unscrewing it to get it over a rafter to drain before the water left in it freezes. So far I have been quick enough but it means a fast trip up the ladder. Less than a gallon this morning. 12/26 pm It stayed cold all day but it was sunny with no wind and Helen and the boys stood out in the sun to chew their cuds. Only two eggs, including faithful Blackie's. Only 1.5 gal milk today. All the bantams that can fit still roost at the top of the barn ladder about 12 feet off the ground. The rest are in the rafters. They do look so cute. I have to more or less wade through the lower ones when I go up to serve out hay and hang up the hose. Then they make whiney noises. [To Top] 12/27 am Sunday We had a brilliant sunrise and it continues clear. -0- again this morning. I brought in three eggs along with the milk. Helen gave barely over 1 gallon. 12/27 pm Today was beautiful. It would have been fun to take Muffin for a walk but I thought it best to snatch the opportunity to finish up putting plastic on the windows and doors. It warmed up to 20f today but will no doubt turn cold again tonight. Helen will have water again tonight; I was able to bring home the heavy extension cord I had lent to the tenant house for their heat tape and plug her submersible water heater. Helen gave 1.7 5 gal again today. I put up a half gallon for my milk customer for tomorrow. Five eggs today. [To Top] 12/28 Almost 2 gal today, a noticeable increase almost certainly due to my again making available 24 hr/day water with the chill off. The weather wasn't so cold either. It got up to about 28f today. The two new bantams that are in with the layers are still hiding most of the time. They do dart out periodically and get something to eat or drink. I rushed through all my animal chores today because of continued pressure to solve problems relating to the fire. Phone calls! Four eggs today. [To Top] 12/29 Tuesday am Blackie had already been out to lay her egg when I arrived at the barn this and was ready to be let back in. Her egg is khaki. She must be part Auracana. Helen was thirsty this morning. She had drunk all her water and headed straight for the tub after milking. One gal. this morning. 12/29 pm It's a slip sliding trip to the barn now. The old snow, what little there is of it, has turned to ice and now snow is falling softly on it making treacherous footing. This only affects me, not the cattle. I allowed the layers to go out into their yard today and they were not invaded by big red roosters for once. Perhaps the prospect of that fancy new rooster in there made a difference. He now feels perfectly at home and he's big and beautiful; white with black markings and a rose comb that resembles a handful of hamburger. Helen barely made it today to 1.75 gal thus dashing my hopes for an upward trend. Five eggs. [To Top] 12/30 am Wednesday We got about 4" of snow last night and it's still falling gently. It's just below freezing so I risked leaving the cow's water warmer unplugged and the hen yard door open. They probably won't go out as the poultry all hate snow but it gives them better light and air. I'll go out at noon and close up. Severe cold is predicted for later today. 1 gal milk this morning. 12/30 pm As predicted the mercury is sinking, is now down to 4f and there are powerful gusts of wind. I closed the outer barn door to cut down on wind on the cattle. They wouldn't care to go out tonight anyway. The layers look contented but the bantams look huddled and worried. I'm having to give them a lot of food because they can't forage with snow on the ground. They are useless but pretty. Helen gave something less than .75 gal this evening. About 1.6 gal for the day. And 4 eggs. The house is shaking. [To Top] 12/31 am Thursday Temp this morning -4f, could be worse, but my toes feel frozen after 45 minutes in the barn. Helen and the calves seem perfectly comfortable. Their submersible water warmer is doing its job just fine. There were about 2" of water left in the tub and no signs of ice. The path to the barn was drifted right over, no trace of the path to be seen. Wrestling with that icy hose to run water for Helen is no fun. 1 gal. plus 1 cup this morning. 12/31 pm It continues cold, minus 4f this evening. The hose I've been using is too long and very stiff. I decided to cut it shorter while watering at noon and the only thing I could see in the barn to cut with was the hand saw. Stupidly, I did this while the water was running and ice water squirted everywhere. Henry sneaked up behind me and the first thing I knew he was trying to mount me, his idea of a friendly gesture. I was lucky not to fall in the tub. But I swung the saw around and gave him a whap. He didn't hold it against me. He's eight months old now and surely weighs 350. Pretty close to 1.75 gal today but I really had to work for it. [To Top] All entries copyright 1998 Joann S. Grohman. |