Heifer Diary through April 18, 2003

July 20 Saturday My son Bret assembled all the notched beams for the new deck on the floor of the garage to make sure they fit. It was an amazing sight. Then he disassembled them and moved them to their ultimate site. Most of the men were there to help set them up. We need a front-end loader to assist with raising the frame. Our neighbor will most likely lend his. My daughter Sally did some more fencing and now the cows can once again go in the north field. I was too busy to watch them try it out. They love new grass. Ten eggs today and 4.5 gallons of milk.

July 21, 2002 Sunday All of my children but one were present in Maine for a family wedding that was held at my daughter's lake house in Weld. The absent son is in Australia but was represented by his son. So it was a great occasion. The weather was perfect. My animals had to make do with substitute care. Martin milked Helen and she was uncooperative in the extreme. He left some of the milk behind. This is not a problem now that Virginia is taking so much milk. She no longer neglects any of the quarters. Ten eggs today.

July 22, 2002, Monday The hot weather has returned. Everyone is panting. The sheep appear to suffer most. I see them lying with their chins on the ground and I do a double take to be sure they are not dead. My garden is very dry. The cucumbers were almost done for today when I noticed them. I made little dams around them and gave then each a bit of water. I have been too busy to set up a proper system of hoses. We got only about 2 gallons of milk today. Virginia is stuffing herself. Leah is walking in an unsteady manner almost as though her feet hurt. She is due in a week (revised due date). When she walked in tonight at milking time her foot went through the ramp. Helen saw this and did not choose to follow until I went and stood on the place where the board was loose. My son Bret did a temporary fix but the entire ramp is in need of replacement. I got seven eggs. Just before the cows came in I noticed a little white dot in the corner. It proved to be the head of one of the little yellow chicks. She was wedged in a crack and had been there so long she was all out of peep. It was pure chance that I noticed. After freeing her she recovered her ability to walk in about five minutes and after milking she was back with her family, pecking up corn.

July 23, 2002 Tuesday It was even hotter today. Bret could not work on the deck, it was so sweltering. It takes a lot to stop that guy from working. Then about midday a thunderstorm broke the heat. It rained hard for only about ten minutes but was enough to save my garden and surely many others. We got just a little over three gallons today. I got 16 eggs, thanks to finding a new nest.

July 24, 2002 Wednesday Perfect weather today, a real Maine day, fresh, clear and comfortable. The men and teen age grandchildren all worked on finishing my new deck. They put preservative stain on the beams that support it and Jack, my grandson from Australia, re-hung the fence gate below it. We ate dinner on the deck and watched the cattle and sheep grazing and the calves playing. My daughter Sally left this morning while the moon was still up. She has returned to Alaska accompanied by my grandson Rafe, her son. Sally has been milking Helen during her two week visit so she is especially missed. However Helen behaved well for me today. I did have to put the kicker on this evening. She has had a deep scratch on one of her teats for a couple of weeks and the scab keeps breaking and then it bleeds again. It bothers her when I milk, although not as much as one might expect. I got 3.5 gallons today and 15 eggs.

July 25, 2002 Thursday Helen's scratched teat is getting worse faster than it is getting better. The whole thing was pink and swollen this evening. It looked better after milking with the pressure off it but I was glad I had the kicker. I am getting worried. I was able to borrow some antibiotic salve for tomorrow morning. Leah's udder is bigger every day. Ten eggs today. 4.25 gals of milk.

July 26, 2002 Friday Helen's teat was a bit better this morning, possibly because it was a cool night and the flies don't bother her at night. I put the antibiotic salve on it after milking. Then this evening it was evident that Virginia had emptied out that quarter. This was the first time Helen has permitted Virginia to feed from that quarter for a couple of weeks. I have not been able to achieve such complete milking out because Helen resists letting down with that quarter. The teat looked a bit inflamed but not as bad as last night. I do not know if the slight improvement is due toVirginia or to the salve. Bret and all the helpers finished the deck today except for a few details. It has a fine set of French doors out to it. Max did more bushhogging but has lost a lot of time on that task due to the aged rim on one front tire having caused more than one flat. A neighbor has braised on some new metal which we hope holds together. Six eggs today. 3.75 gals.of milk

July 27, Saturday: My son Bret departed today with his family for their home in Alaska leaving me with a beautiful new deck made with post and beam construction to match the house. My daughter-in-law, Amy, repaired a polished a Corian table which sits on the deck. 

Helen behaved better at milking. Her teats are slightly improved. Unfortunately, this evening I turned her loose before I remembered to apply the antibiotic salve. 

Son Max carried on with the bushhogging in hopes of completing it before they too must leave. The cattle hung around where he was working, which was in my farthest field, the Pocket Field. This caused Cletus to miss his lunch. At evening chores I poured out his lunch for the chickens and gave him warm milk from the bucket. Bret devised a way to hang the teat bucket that prevents him from bunting it over, so far at least. 

Weather today was cool with occasional drizzle. I did not have time for any Watering, but I doubt anything got drier than it already was. 3.5 gallons of milk today and 7 eggs.

July 29, Monday: The weather has turned hot again. Most of the area got showers, but not this farm. Max set up my hoses to the garden, but I am too busy to do any watering, so many things are dying. Oh dear. But, the animals are all fine and not neglected. Leah has still not calved. I got a dozen eggs today. From Helen, three gallons of milk. She has been letting down very badly causing there to be less cream. I have so many people drinking milk including some customers that I have made butter only once in the last five weeks. I have made a lot of converts to fresh milk including all the visiting children.

July 30, Tuesday: This morning I had to say goodbye to another contingent of family, this time Max and his family who are returning to California. The weather now is very fine indeed. Sunshine all day except for a half hour of welcome rain. 

Leah stayed inside all day with her head or rear end in a corner. All the others including the sheep stayed in with her, so I put down a bale of hay. They ate every bit. Helen gave 1.5 gals this morning and 2.5 gals this evening. The volume is very unpredictable due to Virginia. She often gets there first. Also, Helen has been letting down reluctantly. But tonight she let down well. Only six eggs.

July 31, Wednesday: Our hot weather continues but I was able to water the garden thanks to the hose Max set up. I have some cucumbers coming on and some green tomatoes. There continue to be potato bug larvae that I pick off nearly every day. The vines look promising. My pole beans are starting to climb. I got them in late. If there is an early frost I won't get any. 

Leah's udder keeps getting bigger and she is lethargic in this heat. She moved pretty fast after milking though, when she or one of the others knocked down some boards that were leaning up in the main aisle of the barn. The area is about 15' wide so I don't know what made somebody bump into the boards. I had my back turned. The first thing I knew was a great crash and a stampede. But no real harm done. Helen gave 3 gallons today and I got 10 eggs.

August 1, Thursday: Leah continues to hold out. She looked no closer today to calving than she did yesterday. What a tease. 

Today was hot despite two showers with thunder and lightening. Helen gave three gallons. My grandson Jack from Australia helped me with the milking tonight. He is an experienced milker, but is more accustomed to using a machine. He moved some hay bales around for me and found a nest with 15 eggs.

August 2, Friday: Big excitement today. Leah had her calf! This morning at milking time her bag was truly huge and hard. It seemed impossible she could go another day. Around 3pm I could not find her. My son Mark was here and went in search. He found her in a wooded area near the river. He came back to report the calf was born. He had taken his digital camera so was able to show me the calf on the tiny screen. Then my grandson Jack and Mark's daughter Hailey and a little friend all traipsed down to see if we could bring them home. Mark and Jack took turns carrying the calf, a heifer. It looks small but is remarkably heavy. My job was to keep taking to Leah so she would not become too aggressive towards the calf-nappers. Cow and calf are now in the beefer pen, the cow's run-in. There Leah delivered the placenta and was last seen eating it. It looked yukky. My son Martin is now here and will help me to get the calf sucking. I don't think it will manage alone because Leah keeps circling. The calf, so far un-named, is more of a gray color than Virginia or Cletus. 

For the first time today I saw Cletus grazing. I think I also saw him chewing his cud for the first time. He is about six weeks old. Virginia, aided by her mother's example, was grazing and chewing her cud by three weeks. Three gallons plus one quart today from Helen. Five eggs. I did not have time to hunt for more.

Addendum: Martin and I just came back from the barn. The calf was sucking without any human assistance and had one quarter visibly depleted.

August 3, Saturday: Leah came right in this morning following her calf, which was following Virginia and Cletus. I tried milking her a bit and she kept swinging around on her rope, there being no stanchion for her. I put the kicker on her and she and she became very upset and began plunging about. Later I called my son Martin who was staying at camp and asked him for help holding her while I attempted to milk her. What he did was more to the point. He came over and rebuilt her standing area and put in a stanchion for her. This evening she came in without her calf. She has hidden her somewhere. But Leah was perfectly quiet and mannerly. She found the grain in her feed box and did not seem to notice when I locked the stanchion. After milking Helen, I had a go at Leah, not sitting on my stool, just bending over holding the bucket in one hand and milking with the other. She was remarkably quiet except for being a bit touchy on one teat. In this awkward posture I was able to get only about a cup from each quarter but all four quarters flow smoothly. Cletus was definitely chewing his cud today. He and Virginia stick together most of the time. Helen gave 3.5 gallons and I got nine eggs.

August 4, Sunday: As I expected, Leah's calf was with her this morning and once again trotted in with her. She had lost her collar so was hard to manage. She tends to slip through my fingers and I had to tie her with hay string, which is less than safe. Once again Leah stood quietly for my two finger one handed milking with the other hand holding the bucket. I got another quart of colostrum. This evening I put the kicker on her and she did not struggle at all. She stood like a rock, totally cooperative. I don't know if I would trust her without it, but really, I have never had a first calf heifer stand so quietly for so long to be milked. I was just amazed. I milked her second after finishing with Helen, who gave a full bucket. Leah moo-ed the entire time I was milking Helen but did not make a sound while milked her. I wonder if she thought it should be her turn first since she was certainly uncomfortable with her packed full udder. A little girl who was visiting suggested we name the calf Maria and we have agreed. I got an amazing lot of eggs today. I lost count at 18.

August 5, Monday: Once again this morning Leah stood nicely. But, this evening it was a different story. I have seen much worse, but she did wave her left foot around a lot despite the kicker and managed to spill most of what I had milked. I gave the rest to the cats. Tomorrow I will shorten up the kicker another notch. This will slow her down but it will make the kicker too small for Helen. It is wicked hard to adjust. Helen gave 3.5 gallons today. I am now getting cucumbers from the garden daily but I need to do more watering of everything. It is terribly hot and dry. Only five eggs today.

August 6, Tuesday: Our weather has cooled off and during the night we got a little rain. All animals and humans are grateful. This morning Leah had all three calves clustered around her in the lower corner of the paddock. She was most unwilling to come to the barn so I finally said to heck with it and left her there and just brought in Helen. Cletus did not want to come either. Then when I finally got him in he seemed uninterested in his milk although he finally drank it. Much the same happened with him this evening. He drank only half of it. Maybe it is because I am giving him half colostrums that I am getting from Leah and he doesn't like it. Tomorrow morning I will try plain milk. This evening Leah came in without too much trouble. I had Maria trotting along with me and that did the trick. I adjusted the kicker so that it was nearly impossible for her to kick but she still waved her foot around. She only does this when I milk the left hind teat. Both her rear quarters were over filled so I had to keep trying. I think I get one teaspoon with each squirt. I while away the time doing mental arithmetic trying to work out how many squirts it will take to get a gallon at that rate. It took me over half an hour to get my gallon by which time my ankles were cramping and she and I were both fed up. So, I quit. Later I saw Maria working on that difficult teat, so that was good news. Helen gave 3.5 gallons today and I got 10 eggs. But there was a sad moment among the bantams. I found a new nest with a hen on it and I took all her eggs. Then I decided to break one to test if there were embryos. There was a chick nearly ready to hatch but of course it could not live after I broke the shell. I gave back all the rest of her eggs.

August 7, Wednesday: Fine weather today. Helen came in alone this morning. Leah was way down in the field with the three calves around her and would not budge when I called. About halfway through milking I heard feet and they all came in. Virginia has taken to marching in, putting her head in Leah's stanchion, and gobbling her grain. The area becomes very crowded with Leah shoving her way in. It takes considerable tactful talk on my part to sort them out. Leah's udder was not overly full this morning. I milked out only about two cups, just to be sure it was flowing smoothly. This evening it was Leah who came in alone. After about ten minutes Helen changed her mind and joined us. Leah stood quite well to be milked. I decided we had both had enough when I had close to a gallon. Her milk now tastes normal so I mixed it together with Helen's. Helen gave 4.5 gallons today. With most of my company gone I suddenly have more milk than I know what to do with. I skimmed several gallons and put the skim in a bucket to sour for the chickens. Cletus does not want his milk. This is puzzling. Ten eggs today.

August 8, Thursday: Helen gave 2.75 gallons this morning, 4.75 total. Both cows and all three calves came in this morning in orderly fashion. Leah stood pretty well but I did not milk out as much as a gallon as it is so tedious and her udder is not in trouble. Cletus would not drink any milk this morning and I began to get fairly worried. As luck would have it, my vet stopped in around noon so I had him look at Cletus. By then he seemed dispirited and was panting, suggesting pneumonia. Dr. Cooper gave him a shot and left me some pills. My sister and I worked for quite a long time trying to get Cletus to drink using a bottle. I think we may have gotten a cup and a half down him. But later I saw him out walking around with the other calves. So the medicine must be taking effect. The bantam hen with a nest in the barn wall began hatching them out last evening. This morning one had fallen to the ground, a distance of about four feet, and was peeping faintly. I put him back up under his mama. By late afternoon she had called them all down to the ground and was showing them how to peck for food. I tossed them some scratch. This kept them busy for a long time. There are seven yellow chicks and one black one.

August 9, Friday: The cows came in this morning without Cletus. After milking I began searching for him near and far. I took Bagel along as a spotter. Cletus was pretty sick last night so I thought I might find him collapsed or dead. I had his bottle with me in hopes of reviving him with milk. I did not put the pills in it in case nasty taste was inhibiting his appetite last night. After about an hour of searching Bagel found Cletus in some bushes. The first thing I knew, there came Cletus walking out looking worried about being alone with a dog. Bagel was obedient and backed off. I offered Cletus his bottle and he immediately drank the whole thing. During my search I had found the missing red collar, so I put this on him and aided by the bottle, led him back to the barn. This evening I put the pills in his bottle and he drank it without hesitation. He acted as though he had never been sick. This is the sort of time when one is very glad for antibiotics. This evening Leah stood for about five minutes to be milked without the kicker, then she commenced acting up. Even with the kicker she can wave her left hind leg around athletically taking the fun out of milking. Maria of course does not begin to drink enough to make much difference. Leah's milk tastes better every day. It has almost completely lost the salty taste. The eight baby chicks hatched yesterday are doing fine. Their mother works ceaselessly to provide for them. I throw scratch grain down for them and placed a pan of water nearly. Helen gave four gallons today and I got 10 eggs.

August 10, Saturday: Last night I had trouble sleeping. Among my wakeful concerns was the time and difficulty of milking Leah. Not that she is a problem compared to many first calf heifers, but it is a somewhat pointless effort for me because I already have Helen giving vast quantities. I appealed to St. Francis, lover of animals. This morning only Helen came in, so I decided to milk her before chasing after Leah. Before letting Helen back I out I looked out the window and there was Cletus, now about 6 weeks old, suckling from Leah! A miracle! She was standing quietly and making no objection. This was a wonderful sight to behold. If she will feed both her calf and Cletus my chores will be manageable.

 The blackberries are starting. My sister and I each had a bowlful with cream. Then, later we had blackberry crisp made by my grandson Harper, who arrived from Alaska today with his family. Helen gave four gallons. I got seven eggs.

August 11, Sunday: I did not see much of my farm today. I received word that my son Martin was in the hospital with a broken right elbow and lacerated arm received in a fall from his mountain bike. So, first thing this morning I set off on the two hour drive the see him. But, not before milking Helen. She had very little milk this morning, less than a gallon. Martin looked pretty good considering his pain and blood loss. I took him milk, butter, eggs and bread.

This evening all cows and calves marched right into their places in the barn. I was nearly an hour late with milking, which often makes them crabby. But, they were perfect. Helen had only one gallon of milk. Either she is coming into heat or it is the hot weather. It was very hot again today. I got seven eggs.

August 12, Monday: That bantam hen with eight chicks is great fun to watch. She has not lost a single chick. She has been hanging about below the widow to the room where I milk and clucks for her chicks when I imitate her "Here's food" call. I sprinkle cracked corn out the window. This morning she had taken them out to the manure pile about 60' away. She heard me call and ran about four feet in my direction, then stopped and clucked for her family. She kept this up moving about four feet at a time while the little chicks twinkled along in the grass behind her, their tiny legs flying. They bounce into the air to catch a glimpse of her over the grass.

Helen's production recovered today to some extent. She gave three gallons but it strained poorly. There was nothing wrong with the flavor or appearance of the milk. Cletus was hungry today and Leah was refusing to let him suck, so I took him a bottle after evening chores. It was a good thing I decided at that moment to take it too him. He was all caught up behind a gate and unable to figure how to get out. He was leaping about like a hooked salmon. In the morning I will try to get Leah inside and give him a chance to feed while she is in her stanchion. She is not to get off this easy! Nine eggs today.

August 13, Tuesday: This morning I got Leah into her stanchion, put the kicker on her, and re-introduced Cletus to her. He was timid, having suffered rejection, but with encouragement suckled for over ten minutes. Leah really did not seem to mind after brief initial kicking. I stood by the whole time in case he lost his courage. This evening I got him started and he carried on without help while I milked Helen. Leah made no objection that I could see, but she had the kicker on. Helen gave three gallons today and I got eight eggs. The heat is oppressive. It was over 90F for much of the day. The house is well over 80F at 10pm but it is comfortable outdoors. I expect the animals to have a good night. My garden is suffering badly.

August 14, Wednesday: The heat continues unabated, but Helen's production is back up again. Tonight the bucket was so full that the lid was floating on the foam. Leah's calf, Maria, had diarrhea today. This is unusual for a calf on it's mother.

August 15, Thursday: Another 90F day and no end in sight. I have been putting out hay for the cows during the day, as they are reluctant to graze. All three calves had diarrhea today and I heard Maria cough. Cletus was chewing his cud, always a good sign. They all act normal. Cletus was somewhat reluctant to suckle Leah tonight. Even while wearing the kicker, Leah makes it plain she does not want him to feed. I can't tell if he is not hungry or just timid. I saw all three calves drink from the water trough. I was glad to observe this sign of maturity. Maria did not really drink, just dipped her nose. Ten eggs today. Helen gave about four gallons.

August 16, Friday: Another scorcher, but there was welcome, though fleeting relief, from a shower at 6am. I went out on the deck and stood in it. All three calves were over their diarrhea today and Cletus fed well. Helen gave about four gallons and I got a dozen eggs.

August 17, Saturday: The hot spell continues, but was in the high eighties rather than nineties. This evening the calves did not choose to come in with their mothers. Consequently, I milked Leah partially. She behaved badly and managed to kick over the bucket with a couple of quarts of milk despite the kicker. I gave her a big piece of my mind and frightened her I think. After that she stood like a rock, but it remains to be seen how she will feel about coming in tomorrow morning. Helen behaved perfectly, but I got only three gallons today. Virginia had halfway finished off two quarters and emptied one quarter completely. Eight eggs today.

August 20, Tuesday: Sunday and Monday were much alike, more bright sun and heat. Sunday night we had a display of the aurora borealis. I have never seen it before except for feeble displays of white. This had great bursts of orange. This morning Helen came in with one quarter all hard. I could not get more than a cupful out of it. I slathered it with thick pastey thuja udder cream and it was a lot better this evening, almost softened up. This is always so scary. Leah would not come in for milking this evening for a long time because Maria was naughty and darted away down the field. Leah bellowed for her, but she ignored her mother. Cletus followed Leah. Maria is very frisky and runs like a deer especially at my approach. She is so different from Virginia who is easy going and docile. But, when Leah finally rounded up Maria and all three trotted in, Maria for the first time went and stood by her tie-up. Leah's udder was very soft. I suspect she had allowed Cletus to suck earlier. He did not seem hungry. Leah made no move to kick him. I got only 2.5 gallons today from Helen. Got eight eggs.

August 21, Wednesday: This morning Leah allowed Cletus to feed while she was in her stanchion without wearing the kicker. This evening I did have to put it on. Her entire udder was soft. Somebody is getting the milk. I notice Cletus now follows Leah quite closely. Helen's affected quarter, the left front, was pretty well softened up this morning but the right front was hard. She let down very reluctantly. This evening both quarters were fairly soft. She let down well but did not give much. I got only 2.5 gals today. After putting a thick layer of thuja udder cream on both front quarters I put it on both rear teats in hopes that Virginia will dislike the taste and work on the front. Ten eggs today.

August 22, Thursday: Helen's udder was better this morning. My trick of putting ointment on the two back teats to keep Virginia off of them seems to have worked. The two troubled front quarters were somewhat better. I got two gallons, at least half of it from the front quarters. I massaged in a ground up slurry of comfrey leaves all over both front quarters and put more ointment on the rear teats. I had to supervise Cletus' feeding from Leah. It meant standing there a good ten minutes leaning on her to keep her weight on her left hind leg so she can't lift her foot. The kicker controls her right hind leg. This evening the two cows came in without the calves. Leah was out of milk so I did not go after the calves. Helen continues to improve in udder health and gave two more gallons. I slathered on lots more comfrey. I got eight eggs from the layers and found a bantam nest upstairs in the barn with a dozen pretty white eggs. I took 10 and added one wooden egg. That may not be enough to fool her. While up looking for that nest one foot went right through the floor. Some of those old boards are like dry toast. I was not hurt at all.

August 23, Friday: Very fine weather today. The cows came in nicely, so did the calves, and all lined up in their places. I continue to have to assist Cletus to feed. Leah does not feel generous towards him. I am not sure if Helen's udder is completely out of trouble but her production remained at four gallons today. She has not been at all touchy. Virginia certainly is a beautiful heifer. All the calves look good. Maria is particularly frisky. In the evening sun I could see the three calves far down in the field running in circles while Helen and Leah grazed.

August 24, Saturday: Both cows and the three calves came in nicely this morning. Helen's udder was in pretty good shape. She gave two gallons. This evening Leah and the three calves did not show up at the barn and I did not go look for them . Helen was a good girl and came right in to be milked. Her right front quarter remains a bit hard. I rubbed in my comfrey mixture and also applied thuja ointment. Virginia had worked on the left front quarter and it seemed to be in good shape. She gave just 1.5 gallons this evening, 3.5 for the day. I found only eight eggs. Domestic work was difficult today. My new septic system was being connected, so I could not use any water. It took longer than expected because the old pipe under the cellar was broken in two places. It was laid at some time prior to adding the cement floor. Some cement breaking was required and the guys mixed a couple of buckets of new cement to fix it. The system is now connected, but I can't run water until tomorrow so as to give the cement time to set. My spring sink quit running. I suppose the spring is low due to drought conditions. I have an artesian well and am not dependent on the spring except for drinking water, but I always grieve when for any reason I lose it.

August 25, Sunday: Very fine weather today but rain is desperately needed. The dogs and I walked down to look at the spring line at the two places where it is exposed by erosion. It is not broken or leaking. Unless there is an underground leak, it must be that the spring is low. The brook was so low that it exits into the river underneath the gravel, no visible flow. Above that point there are pools with trapped fry. They were darting about looking worried as well they might. I saw raccoon tracks. The riverbed itself is at least 100' wide at that point but is exposed sand and gravel save for a 6 foot wide stream maybe 6 inches deep. The pastures look terrible. In the lower pasture, Pocket Field, all the clover is dead and crisp. Helen was a lot better this morning. She gave over two gallons. I put salve and comfrey on her udder as before. This evening she gave 2.5 gallons Both front quarters milked out pretty well, but the right front still has a hard spot. My new septic system is now filled in and smoothed over. A huge area of lawn is now a sandbox though. I picked another two quarts of blackberries. It is a very good year for them. I got 8 eggs.

August 27, Tuesday: Monday was a perfect day, perfect weather, cooperative cows. Helen gave three gallons. Today we also had beautiful weather although for a farmer it is a bit hard to enjoy because of the drought. It is the worst in 100 years. I set up sprinklers on some of my plants in crisis. For the second day in a row Helen did not have much milk in the morning. Virginia had been there first. However, this evening I got only a gallon because she was in a bad mood. Her left rear quarter was stuffed and the others had relatively little milk. That is the quarter that she objects to having me milk using my left hand. She began purposeful kicking. I decided to put the kicker on her but it was in use on Leah who won't let Cletus feed unless she is wearing it. I had to wait nearly ten minutes for him to finish. By then Helen would not let down. I ended up with only one gallon, two for the day. And only six eggs. The livestock was not self supporting today. I am getting some green beans now. These are pole beans. I have been hand watering them. The eight little chicks that are about two weeks old wait twice a day with their mother below the window where I milk. I always throw down scratch, about six feet down. They leap fluttering a couple of feet into the air to encourage me, just popping up and down. This spring I was given a bunch of goldfish that a friend of mine dipped up from her pond where they proliferate. Also in the bucket were a lot of tadpoles. All the fish lived and now I also have two inch long frogs hopping into the water at my approach. There must be a dozen all the same size.

August 28, Wednesday: Milk is accumulating around here faster than people are buying it, or drinking it, so this morning I made a cheese. I followed the recipe in my book for Tom's Very Simple Cheese. I made ricotta with the whey and got a good yield. More beautiful, but dry weather. I am doing quite a lot of watering. The cows were friendly and mannerly today. The three calves, except when they don't come in at all, march right in and line up by their tie-ups, even little Maria. For the first time today I saw her chewing her cud. I got three gallons of milk but only four eggs. I did not have time to hunt for nests.

August 29, Thursday: I cut all the edges off yesterday's cheese after pressing it and put them into a brine made with whey. I shall see if they will become feta. The consistency is right. I will try aging the middle part of the cheese. This is exciting. I have not made any cheese since last year. It is actually raining. Not hard, just a sort of Scotch mist, but it is very welcome. Helen gave three gallons today. Her udder health seems restored. Leah now seems resigned to Cletus feeding while she is in her stanchion. Maybe tomorrow I will see if she will cooperate without the kicker. It is so cute the way the calves quietly walk in and go to their places. Again today, only four eggs. I must do a nest search.

August 30, Friday: Started another cheese this morning just like the previous one, but slightly larger. The pieces from Wednesday's cheese that I have been brining tasted very good tonight in a salad but will be better after a few more days I think. Brining seems to be a good idea. I made the salad with the only big red tomato that my garden has so far produced. It was very nice. I also picked beans again. These are exceptionally long slender ones. Helen gave about three gallons today. It did not work this morning for Cletus to feed without the kicker. For some reason tonight he made no effort to nurse. All the cows seemed jumpy. I thought we were about to get a thunder storm but there was nothing but distant thunder. Five eggs. I still have not done a nest search this week.

August 31, 2002 Saturday: The cheese I made Friday came out larger than the first one and has smoother edges. It certainly looks promising. Just as an experiment, I smeared both of them with butter and wrapped them in wax paper. They are both in the refrigerator. Cletus was very reluctant to even try to nurse this morning. Leah's udder was quite soft, so I gave u p and let them out. This evening Leah had a lot of milk and Cletus fed for about 15 minutes. It would be a great nuisance for me should he decide to wean. Helen gave about four gallons today. I got 10 eggs.

September 1, Sunday: Once again this morning Leah did not come in. All the cattle were far down in the field and when I called only Helen responded. She marched right up like a good girl. This evening they all came in and Leah had a lot of milk. I made sure that Cletus got busy sucking. Sometimes he won't without assistance. He is somewhat afraid of Leah. He is a slow, inefficient feeder probably because her teats are so small and he learned to suck on the giant nipple of the calf feeding bottle. Or it could just be his general diffidence. He fed for fully half an hour and she still left a lot of milk remaining. All of Helen's milk was in her left hand quarters. She continues to kick if I use my left hand on the rear one. She thinks I should use my right. This made milking very slow. I got another cheese under way today. The biggest event today was that last night without warning it turned very cold. I lost all my tender vegetables just as they were starting to bear. There may be a little life left in the pole beans. I believe this will be my first year without zucchini since I started gardening in 1950.

September 2, Labor Day: A cool overcast day. Showers were foretold, but none arrived. After breakfast I returned to the barn to repair two of the ramps the cows use daily. With judicious placement of cinder blocks and pounding of some spikes I stabilized them. The cows were in the Beefer Pen, their run-in, where I was working and the hammering soon drove them out. Later, as I was taking clothes off of the pulley line behind the buttery I looked down and there they all were clustered below and gazing up at me with pleading eyes. Helen looked particularly concerned. They had just discovered that I had blocked the entrance to their alternative run-in down below the clothesline. I explained to them that they don't really need to go in there now that the hot weather has departed and they are making a mess of it. I dragged a ladder across the doorway. Sorree. I got only 2.5 gallons today from Helen. Virginia is taking a lot. Seven eggs today.

September 3, Tuesday: We finally got a little rain today. There was a fine misty drizzle all morning but it did not amount to much. The ground under bushy plants remained dry. We are grateful all the same. Because it was wet, I worked in the kitchen. I started another cheese. My first three cheeses were merely rolled in cheesecloth, not formed in a mold. I used a Lithuanian press that is made from two boards hinged at one end and with a screwing down arrangement at the open end like a giant wing nut. It creates plenty of pressure but the resulting cheese is flat and slightly wedge shaped. Today I used my cheese mold. I don't have a proper press so applied pressure to the follower by setting the mold on a table and laying a four foot board across the top of the mold, then hanging a five gallon bucket of water at either end of this seesaw. This arrangement is out in the buttery (shed) in case the whole thing collapses in the night and pours ten gallons of water on the floor. I also made five pints of gooseberry jam from berries I have had in the frig for a month, and two loaves of bread. When I let Leah in tonight she raced towards her stanchion and slipped on the plywood floor. It was wet from this morning, her own doing. She fell very hard and had trouble getting up. She wanted to flee the barn but Helen was already blocking her way. It took a lot of baby talk from me to get her to be willing to put her head into her stanchion. I will find some sand to spread before I let her in again. This morning Cletus was unwilling to make any effort to suckle. But this evening he was back in the mood to try. Three gallons of milk today from Helen. There were seven eggs.

September 4, Wednesday: Milking time was eventful. I had all five of them in there in position but forgot to put in the pin of Leah's stanchion. I had the kicker on her and got Cletus started feeding and I began milking. Then there was Leah's face poking around behind Helen, looking at me. I urged her backwards but she was worried by backing into the diagonal board that keeps Helen in position. So I got myself and bucket out of the way. On her way past I tried to grab off the kicker but failed. Walking with it on alarmed her and she began to run as I knew she would, having seen Helen in this fix before. So, I cantered out the back door of the barn in hopes of heading her off as she came out the back through the beefer pen. I did stop her and get her to face into the corner by the gate. Then I made a grab for the kicker but I was on the wrong side of her and she bolted with it only half off. She ran all the way to the brow of the hill in the pasture before turning to pose defiantly like that bull in the ad for Spanish sherry, her tail raised. The effect was much diminished by her adornment. I went back to milking and before long I heard her mooing behind the barn. I ran out with a handful of grain and tempted her back in thinking maybe Cletus could still get some dinner. But by then she had lost the kicker so he was out of luck. I was a bit surprised that she went back to her stanchion so nicely after last night. Later I took the dogs for a walk and found the kicker. As I feared, when I tried to dismantle my water weights on the cheese I could not control the second bucket. It sloshed all over the buttery but soon ran out through the cracks in the floor It turned hot again today, now that my garden is a ruin. Helen gave over four gallons today. There were only four eggs.

September 5, Thursday: My vet came today to de-horn the three calves and castrate Cletus. It was hard to watch. He anesthetized them but even so they suffered. Afterwards Helen and Leah came and licked their calves' heads. None of the calves came in the barn at evening milking, so Cletus got no dinner. I did see him take a long drink of water and the other two had milk. He looked pretty miserable. I wish I did not have to de-horn them but it is just too dangerous working in a confined space with a cow with horns. The vet told me that now that everybody de-horns he no longer sees the injuries to other cattle inflicted by horns. Goring occurs seldom if ever when cattle are outside in big pastures. A mere look from the dominant cow is sufficient to remind another of her place. It is when they are in a confined space that they may gore each other or jab an eye inadvertently. Helen only gave 2.5 gals today. Only four eggs.

September 6, Friday: I picked about a gallon and a half of elderberries today. I was afraid to let them go another day. The chickens stand in front of the bushes and jump as high as they can to grab a beakful. And, I started another cheese. I went back to using the Lithuanian cheese press of hinged boards. This morning the two cows and Helen's three month old heifer calf, Virginia, came in. Cletus and Maria took one look at me and trotted away down the field shoulder to shoulder. I was able to get Cletus in this evening but he refused to nurse from Leah. He seems depressed. I gave him a good back rub. Helen gave something over three gallons today. Four eggs again.

This is grandson Jack Luick carrying Maria up to the barn minutes after her birth in the woods.

September 7, 2002 Saturday: Cletus had his appetite back today. This was a great relief to me both for his sake and because if he does not drink his milk, I shall have to milk a second cow! Leah was in heat today. Helen gave about three gallons. Only two eggs. I will have to dedicate some real time to searching for nests. My customers are disappointed.

September 8, 2002 Sunday: Beastly hot today. I got relief by sneaking off to Walmart. I put down hay inside the beefer pen so the cows would not have to go out if they did not choose. They did spend much of the day in there. This evening I received word that my second cut hay will be delivered tomorrow. To make room for it I shall have to re-stack a lot of the existing hay by myself. My hay man is very kind and will help with whatever I have not completed. Helen gave slightly under three gallons. I got 14 eggs, eight were in a nest I found. It is a spot I checked quite recently and includes eggs from several different hens, so all will be fresh.

September 9, 2002 Monday: The hot weather continues. It was over 90f all day. Everything becomes difficult. My hay man called early today saying he would be here about 9am. So right after milking I went out and began re stacking hay. I had done about 30 bales when he arrived bringing a teenage boy helper who is being home schooled, so has flex time. They moved about 10 or 15 more bales which resulted in better organized space. They brought a hay elevator so all I had to do was lift the bales off the end as they arrived in the hayloft. It is very beautiful timothy hay. I gave the cows a bale as a treat and they snapped it right down. Again this morning Cletus refused to suck. But this evening he made up for it. Helen gave about 3.5 gallons. I got five eggs.

September 10, 2002 Tuesday: Another suffering hot day, well over 90f. The cows were plainly asking for hay, either because they did not want to be outside grazing or because the grass is so dried up. Helen gave something over three gallons today. I had to milk an hour early this evening because of going to a planning meeting. I guess the heat has wiped out egg laying. I got no eggs, even from the outdoor nests of the free living birds. Again today, Cletus refused to have anything to do with Leah in the morning but fed for a half hour in the afternoon.

September 11, 2002 Wednesday: At last, blessed relief from the heat. It is 55f this evening and we even got a spritz of rain. Of course the cows are pleased. Helen gave 2.75 gallons today. Her production varies according to how recently Virginia has fed. She no longer holds back for her calf. Usually there is at least one quarter that Virginia has not touched. That quarter alone will have close to a gallon. I am sure Virginia is drinking at least two gallons a day. She is large and sleek. There were seven eggs. I forgot to mention on Monday, I found a small kitten all by itself in the haymow. I brought it into the house to foster. This morning I found another. It was down in the main aisle of the barn all alone, so now I have two in the house. I have put out my Free Kittens sign

September 13, 2002 Friday The kittens made it clear they are fed up with life in a cage so I gave them the run of the house. They are lively and playful. The smaller one, the first one I brought into the house first, is beginning to show some aptitude for drinking from a saucer. But I am still giving them a bottle. Bernd Heinrich (author of the book A Year in the Maine Woods) stopped by and said he might take them for his children if I hold them until Sunday. He also admired the cows and sheep. While showing off the cows I was just in time to see Cletus feeding from Leah while they were all in the barnyard. Since that first day back in August, this is the first observation I have been able to make of him being able to feed while Leah was not confined in her stanchion. This is a potentially liberating discovery. Helen gave 2.75 gallons today and I got five eggs.

Here is a recipe for Milk Soup that my granddaughter Rosemary's friend Sarah brought back from Tuscany. : 4 ½ cups milk 1/4 cup flour 1/4 cup butter 2 TBSP. parmesan cheese 4 egg yolks salt Directions: Melt butter, work in flour, slowly add milk (must be room temp), let simmer for 20 minutes stirring always. To keep from sticking, cook in a "bain-marie" (double boiler). When cooked add the well beaten yolks, and cheese. Serve boiling hot. Sarah writes: I think that you will appreciate the after note, "Try to get your milk fresh from the cow and you will notice how this simple soup changes flavor completely, giving you an unforgettable taste which you could not hope to find in the same soup made with the very healthy, but rather insipid milk offered by our central dairies."

September 14, 2002 Saturday: My granddaughter Hailey visited today and worked with the kittens. Now both are drinking from a saucer. This evening while I was milking Helen, Cletus pulled down a crosspiece that was meant to prevent Leah moving sideways. It was quite a heavy piece of timber. Poor Leah was dreadfully frightened. This is the third horrible experience she has had while locked in her stanchion. I'm surprised she keeps coming back in so nicely. It was much cooler today but I do not think we will have frost tonight. Helen gave three gallons of milk I got five eggs.

September 15, 2002 Sunday: Rain at last! Real rain. It rained hard for about an hour this morning, then cleared for a few hours. At evening milking time the rain began again, not hard but steady. This morning Helen gave close to two gallons, but this evening less than three quarts. I had the impression it was not because Virginia had sucked her dry, but that she did not produce. Six eggs. A young lady came and took one kitten. That still leaves two because I found another this morning in the barn.

September 17, 2002 Tuesday: I have taken in the Free Kittens sign. The remaining one (black) has diarrhea so I can't give him away until he is well again. Cletus seems less interested every day in suckling. Yesterday he wandered over while I was milking Helen and grabbed one of her teats. It was a few moments before either of us realized what was happening. Then Helen kicked. Leah is not very welcoming either, but Cletus clearly gets plenty to eat. He is getting huge. His back line is at my waist level. I just worry that Leah has too much milk for Maria and I will get stuck with milking two cows. I have an ad to sell Leah coming out Thursday. Yesterday I made six pints of elderberry jelly. Both Monday and today Helen gave three gallons of milk and I got six eggs. We received about 1.5 inches of rain Sunday and Monday. Everything is much Happier, but my spring line is still dry.

September 18, 2002 Wednesday: Well, didn't I find another small black kitten in the barn this morning! They get livelier each day but I caught him quite easily and put him in the bottom a trashcan until after milking. He was frightened, but inclined to be friendly. Now the two have each other and are happier. Helen barely made two gallons of milk today thanks to Virginia's thirst. After evening milking I shut her in a stall for the night. Helen bellowed a few times after she realized her daughter was missing, but quickly settled down. I will let Virginia out tomorrow morning and may go to once per day milking. Cletus again would have nothing to do with Leah, but her udder is not in trouble and that is all that really matters. Six eggs

September 19, 2002 Thursday: Results were muddled from my calf separation experiment. As soon as I had Helen in her stanchion I put Virginia out the back door. She bawled a lot during milking. Helen answered a few times but was calm and did not kick the bucket. Helen did not have as much milk as I expected. Her two left quarters were only half full, making me suspect Cletus. He again ignored Leah when I had her in. Later when I let Helen back out of course Virginia pounced on her and there was Cletus grabbing a teat as well. Helen tried to kick him away, but he is clearly an opportunistic feeder. No wonder I can't get much milk from Helen.

September 20, 2002 Friday: Last night I tried keeping Cletus in. This morning Leah was stuffed with milk in a way I have not seen. So obviously he is doing his part off and on during the day. He immediately began feeding when I let him in with Leah, the first time he has shown interest in a week. So I guess I do not need to worry very much about Leah getting milked. But, I still can't tell if he is also grabbing milk from Helen. He made another attempt this morning, but Helen kicked him. She had very little milk this morning and that little she held back. She did the same thing this evening, so today I got only 1.5 gal. I don't know if this is her response to a night of separation from Virginia or just her latest naughty trick. I am pondering what to do next. There are still two very small black kittens in the kitchen. One has been looking very discouraged. It has sore eyes and almost no appetite. So this afternoon I defrosted some liver for it, that magic food. Since it won't eat I spooned the bloody juice into its mouth. It came to life like a proper little predator. I could not get the stuff down fast enough and it followed me around asking for more. I have to be careful where I step because it does not weigh any more than a balled Kleenex. Later it made an effort to eat some milk soaked cat kibble after I poured more liver juice on it. It seemed unable to deal with chopped liver, so Bagel dog came along and ate that. Five eggs today.

September 21, 2002 Saturday: Well this does it. This morning I got only 5 cups of milk so I am weaning Virginia. I suspect Cletus of having swiped some of the milk but without the presence of Virginia I think Helen will not permit him to suck. But we will see. Right now I have Virginia shut in a box stall. If I do some fencing I can put her in the sheep paddock. Later… Virginia looks pathetic and has not touched her hay or water. She can't understand what she has done to deserve solitary. I worked on fencing this morning and will put her into the sheep paddock tomorrow while I have the cows in for milking. Leah came in stuffed with milk and both Cletus and Maria fed for the entire time I milked Helen. I still did not get much. In sympathy with Virginia, she held up her milk. I got scarcely two gallons today. She can't hold it up forever though so tomorrow will be better. Only three eggs today. I did spend some time looking for nests, but I was so hot after working on the fence and gates that I soon gave up the search.

September 22, 2002 Sunday: 11AM: Lots of excitement already this morning. The sound of Helen and Virginia bellowing for each other was the first thing I heard this morning and I milked within a sea of bellowing, having Virginia behind my back in her stall and Helen in front of me. Helen was stuffed with milk. It came to just shy of three gallons, but of course included some she had not let down last night. After milking I shut all the cattle into the beefer pen, then led Virginia out and put her into the sheep paddock as planned. She was suspicious of my motives, so this was hot work (It was 70F this morning by 7AM) Then I let all the others out. Helen and Virginia touched noses over the fence, then both resumed bellowing. While this was going on I noticed that the hose that drips into the stock tank had become dislodged and they were completely out of water. I took the occasion to overturn and scrub out the tank before refilling. While I was eating breakfast the bellowing suddenly stopped. That of course meant they were back together. Virginia had forced apart one of my gate repairs. I was glad to see that neither had jumped the fence thus incurring barbed wire injuries. Many a heifer learns to jump fences and can soar like a show jumper. Then, when they try this as an "older woman" they may get very badly torn. For my next trick I took a bag of cut up apples to the barn and tempted Helen and the whole lot to come back inside to the milking area. Helen is no dummy and suspected a cow trap. But, her craving for apples triumphed over caution and she came in with Virginia following. I quite easily got Virginia back into her stall. She is really very friendly and I have never frightened her in her life so I was able to keep the operation very low key. Evening… Not surprisingly after a day of hanging around the barn mooing and scarcely eating Helen did not make much milk today. Also, she had Virginia back with her for a couple of hours this morning. Only three quarts this evening. but she held up a couple more quarts for sure. Seven eggs today. It remained hot and muggy all day, in the low to mid 80's.

September 23, 2002 Monday: Helen has not let up much on her bellowing. Virginia answers bellow for bellow. Of course I feel awfully sorry for them, but just like once in a while I have to remind Bagel that he is a dog, I have to remind her that she is a cow. She gave something that I suppose approaches her current production, 4.5 gallons today. She held back a bit, but not too bad considering her frame of mind. The weather has cooled slightly. Only found three eggs.

September 24, 2002 Tuesday: The first ten minutes of milking is pretty quiet while both Helen and Virginia eat their grain. Then it gets stressful while they bellow for each other. Both are getting hoarse. Virginia is varying her vocalizations to sound more desperate and pathetic. It's awful. Helen gave four gallons today. She did not seem to be holding up her milk too badly but from the skimpy cream line she very evidently is. Virginia began eating her hay today and drinking more water. Helen continues to hang about the barn. Since she is boss cow, Leah also hangs around a lot the time, but I do see her out grazing alone. All morning I could hear a small kitten crying in the garage. This is a section of barn connected to the house. It just did not stop. After a while I instituted a search. This took a long time because I have monaural hearing and have a lot of trouble knowing where sounds are coming from. Finally, with the aid of a flashlight I located it. It was way out of reach under the floor beams. It was almost newborn and was squirming around blindly next to a dead brother. I left it for another hour in hopes the mother would return, but she did not. It just kept on crying but more weakly. So finally I lay down amidst the dust and wood chips and reached in with a branch and eventually managed to tweak it within reach. Now it is in a nest on the Aga. I defrosted some colostrum and fed it with a medicine dropper. There seems to be a lot of life in it at the moment but its chances are small. I guess I will name it Nuisance.

September 25, 2002 Wednesday: Virginia's bellow is down to a hoarse wheeze like laryngitis. I just learned that one of my Alaskan grandsons is returning to Maine shortly and perhaps he can fix the paddock so that Virginia can have some grazing. Helen let down well today. She gave four gallons plus a quart and it is much creamier. There were six eggs.

September 27, 2002 Friday: It is impressive how much deeper the cream line is now on the jars of milk. Helen still does some bellowing, but not persistently. Poor Virginia's voice has become a sort of calliope squeak reaching high C. But she has started to eat her hay properly. I keep her quiet during milking by giving her a big scoop of grain. Helen mostly lets down well now. I am interested to observe no hint that she holds me personally responsible for her separation from Virginia. At least there is no hint of malice such as kicking the bucket or me. 

I'm sorry to report that both orphan kittens I have been nurturing in the kitchen have died. At last we are having rain. They say it is the tag end of hurricane Isadore, but all we are getting is gentle welcome soaking rain. Probably it is too late for the pasture to recover at all. I have been putting out two or three bales of hay each day. The cows wander around and find almost nothing to eat. Helen gave four gallons today and I got five eggs.

September 29, 2002 Sunday: On Saturday Helen was a perfect lady, stood like a rock and gave 4.5 gallons of milk. This morning she came in without Leah, but both Cletus and Maria followed. Leah refused to come in. Helen was agitated and quit letting down after one gallon was in the bucket. As soon as she got outside she began jumping Leah. I see by my calendar that it was Leah who was in heat. It was impossible from their behavior to be sure which one it was. This evening Helen made up for this morning by giving three gallons. She was very uncomfortable, I could tell. Now that Virginia is weaned I am awash in milk and am reconsidering the idea of getting pigs. My grandson Rafe is visiting from Alaska. We went up to inspect the spring and found plenty of water in it. So there is some other reason we are not getting water. Only two eggs today!

September 30, 2002 Monday: Helen did well again today, over four gallons. Virginia seems more resigned to her fate. She is drinking her water and finishing up her hay. Rafe has worked on the fencing and tomorrow I will try her in the paddock. Rafe also devised a cheese press for me. I will try it soon. I have been letting the geese out for a while each day to graze on the lawn. They have eaten all the grass in their enclosure. I think they now understand that I do not want them near the house and that they must stay at the end of the lawn near the barn. They are so messy. But they are very friendly and cheerful. Five eggs today. Rafe looked for nests. No luck.

October 1, 2002 Tuesday: Rafe and I put Virginia out into the reinforced paddock. She wandered around by herself for a while. Then I looked up to see Helen in a racing trot heading for her. I believe the fence would have held Virginia in, but nothing was going to keep Helen out. No fence I could come up with would keep out a determined animal of that weight. We would need a stockade. At milking time all came in as usual and I put Virginia back in her box stall. She seemed resigned and walked right in. I did not bother milking Helen. Five eggs today.

October 3, 2002 Thursday: Helen's brief reunion resulted in another two days of bellowing and holding up her cream. For the first time yesterday she showed resentment and shook her head at me. One is always grateful there are no horns at moments like this. She has taken to peeing and pooping during milking, something I have not been troubled with for some time. Cross my fingers, she has not offered to kick She only gave 3.75 gallons today. Rafe left for school yesterday. He worked hard on various improvements while here. Like all my family, he is a great fan of fresh milk. I sent him off with a gallon. Five eggs today.

October 4, 2002 Friday: Helen's production was back up to four gallons today, but she is still bellowing. However, she is getting more realistic. She stops to kiss Virginia over the barrier before leaving the barn. (She does not kiss her on the way in because they are both thinking only of grain.) We had a light frost last night. I had covered most of the flowers and carried the pots into the buttery so lost nothing. I don't mind doing that a few times. This afternoon I dug the rest of the potatoes, about a 15' row. I think they may be German Fingerling. I have had them for 20 years and just save some each year for replanting. They always come out perfectly clean with no disease. I also found a few late tomatoes hiding under arching comfrey leaves. So I guess comfrey is good for something. Actually, it does improve the soil. Five eggs again today.

October 5, 2002 Saturday: Such lovely weather today. All the animals seemed happy. Even Virginia, the four month old heifer I am weaning, begins to seem resigned. Helen did a little mooing during milking but did not hang around in the barn after milking. She gave four gallons today. I got five eggs.

October 7, 2002 Monday: Our weather is cooling off. Frost is predicted for tonight and a real freeze for tomorrow night. I brought in one of the mangels I grew this year. Although I gave them very little weeding or thinning and no watering they are quite large. The one I pulled was about 14" long and four or five inches through. They are often much larger than this. They grow with most of the root out of the ground. Mangels are a kind of beet grown for animal consumption. I chopped it up with a hatchet and added it to Helen's dinner. Although she had never had one before she devoured every fragment. Old farms I visited in England had mangel cutters in the barn. The device is an inclined trough on legs with a cleaver-like blade mounted at the end to slice up the mangels. There is no way a cow can eat a mangel entire. It is best to cut such vegetables into pieces that are no bigger than the size of half an apple to avoid the danger of choking. The mangel also has a big leafy top but Helen did not get much of this. The deer have trimmed them right off. Helen gave 3 gal 1 qt today. I got 5 eggs.

October 8, 2002 Tuesday: We got a pretty good frost last night but a much harder one is predicted for tonight. I pulled mangels again. This time I gave some to Leah too. Today Helen gave a generous 4.5 gals of milk. She had seemed to be dropping off a bit. I don't know whether to attribute this to the mangel effect or not. They are reputedly a milk feed. They taste rather sweet and are striped red and white in cross section. This afternoon I dug the rest of my carrots and covered over the Swiss chard with chicken wire to discourage deer. Four eggs today.

October 9, 2002 Wednesday: We had a hard freeze last night and it stayed cold and overcast all day. It froze my giant stand of dahlias to a limp black stew. I have a young rooster I have named Brewster. He has been getting bigger and bigger all summer and is now one of the heaviest birds on the premises. But , he has only very recently begun to crow, a signal of maturity. At morning and evening chores I throw out a large handful of cracked corn and my free-living flock, mostly bantams, comes running. Although huge, Brewster is of this group. For the last week I have been observing him sneaking up on the hens and pullets as they concentrate on their corn. He sidles up and grabs a beakfull of feathers in an effort to stabilize his choice. But he doesn't get it right. One of them, a tiny hen with two teenage chicks at her side, is so obviously insulted and affronted by his clumsy efforts that she drops her piece of corn and flies in his face. I have seen several other hens chase him out the door. Mostly he chases the small young ones that simply flee rather than smacking his face. But tonight he finally perfected his style. He grabbed some feathers in just the key spot and got a hen to hold still. I am looking forward to seeing if tomorrow he gets more respect. Helen gave over four gallons today. I got five eggs. Cletus, the adopted calf that Leah is feeding, is now 41" high at the topline.

October 10, 2002 Thursday: Drizzly weather all day, but not cold. I made three pounds of butter. I have made a lot of butter recently. I have to do something with all that milk now that Virginia is weaned. I only average selling one or two gallons a day, so I skim the remainder and make butter with the cream. The skim and buttermilk go to the chickens. I am getting ahead on skim. I wish I had a pig or two. Helen gave 2.5 gallons this morning, but not much over a gallon this evening. She did not make it to four gallons today. Five eggs.

October 11, 2002 Friday: Helen and Virginia seem to be getting used to not being together. There is no more bellowing. Helen just exchanges a look with Virginia as she passes. Virginia is eating her hay and grain and drinking her water just fine. One of the half grown kittens in the barn has an injury on her neck. It appears that something grabbed her by the scruff and she got away, but not before it took a bite out of her. It is healing now and she is eating. I suppose it was a fox or possibly a coyote. Helen gave a bit under four gallons today. Only got four eggs. We had a drizzly rain much of the day.

October 12, 2002 Saturday: I milked an hour or so earlier this evening so as to go help with a Grange bean supper. Helen actually prefers the earlier hour, but I did not get as much milk. Only 3.5 gals today. But it was a red-letter day for milk sales. A new customer bought two gallons of milk and two quarts of cream. I am so happy when somebody wants cream. I rarely sell any, and it is so delicious. Supermarket cream is now so bad that a generation of people are not attracted to it. It has a nasty chemical taste due to all the additives. When whipped it lacks proper body. Five eggs again today.

October 13, 2002 Sunday: Helen gave over 2.5 gallons this morning but less than a gallon this evening. There seemed no good reason for this evening's poor production. Maybe she is coming into heat. It is odd to get so much in the morning, the reverse in the evening. It is usually more evenly divided. I have been unable to establish a clear date for her heat. Another cat showed up today with a bloody throat. This one was a mature tomcat, pretty wild. All I could do was put out food for him in case he feels able to eat. Light rain most of the day. Four eggs.

October 15, 2002 Tuesday: This morning when Leah was in her stanchion both her calf Maria and foster Child, Cletus, immediately began feeding before I put the kicker on her. She never lifted a foot. About midday I observed the same thing through the binoculars as they were both feeding down in the pasture. This is something I have almost never been able to observe, although Leah frequently comes in with a deflated udder, so I know somebody has had his or her dinner. This evening she was touchy again and I put the kicker on. Helen gave three gallons today. I guess her production is bound to drop with the pasture so poor and my hay not much good either. I have 200 bales of excellent hay, but I am saving it for later in the year. The tomcat with the injured throat (I call him Sammy) showed up this evening looking remarkably well. He was up on the shelf where I put their cat kibble and milk. Ordinarily he trusts me enough to allow me to stroke him while he is eating but he left when I tried to get close. When I did not see him Monday I thought surely he was a goner. I don't even want to describe his injury in case somebody is squeamish. I think cats really must have nine lives.

October 16, 2002 Wednesday: Rain has been sweeping up the East Coast and has reached us. It has been raining hard for five hours, but the high winds we were told to expect have not so far arrived. I closed the windows in the barn that are capable of closing (three lack panes) and lowered down the trapdoor on the hay drop. I also scouted out the lamps and candles in case we lose power. Helen did not want to let down tonight and kept switching her tail. I finally realized the sheep had tiptoed in and were standing outside of the door to the milking area watching us. Helen finds this very annoying. I shooed the sheep out but by then it was too late. I only managed to get one half gallon. This morning she gave 2 gallons plus a quart but that is still less than three gallons for the day. I suppose I will get it in the morning. I have been allowing my pair of geese to roam the lawn to take advantage of the grass. They have eaten all the grass in their pen. Now they are getting a bit too friendly. Today they came all the way through the shed and right up to the kitchen door leaving their calling cards all the way. Four eggs today. Some of the hens are coming out of their moult so I am hopeful they will begin to lay again. I have made 10 pints of grape jelly. It is quite tart and nothing like the supermarket product.

October 18, 2002 Friday: The last two days have given us intermittent rain and sun with a lot of wind. It is pretty much the last hurrah for the fall color. The color was close to two weeks late this year but worth waiting for. It has been around freezing at night, or a little below, and about 50F in the afternoon. Helen's production was under four gallons both yesterday and today, more like 3.75. Not too bad at four at a half months into lactation and the grass pretty well gone. A few bantams are laying again. I got six eggs yesterday, only four today.

October 19, 2002 Saturday: This morning for the first time this year there was ice on the stock tank It began to rain and kept it up all day. The temperature remained in the 30's. I call it English weather. There was a dead chicken outside in the chicken yard. It was a very old one. I don't know if it was moribund last evening or just confused. Ordinarily they are all on the perch by five o'clock when I go to the barn. It was right against the fence and something had reached through the wire and eaten about half of it. This is very puzzling predator behavior inasmuch as there are ways to get into the chicken run easily enough. Helen had gotten into the habit of giving a lot of milk in the morning, 3.75 gals today. Then she gives a small amount in the evening. Tonight it was less than two quarts. I don't remember this ever happening before. Since I was getting ahead on milk, I started another cheese today. I am using the new pressing arrangement that my grandson Rafe set up. This is the device that has an arm hinged to the wall. A strut sets on the cheese follower and the top end is set into a notch on the hinged arm. Out at the far end of the arm there hangs a weight, in this case a bucket of water. It seems to be working fine although I would not be a bit surprised of the handle of the plastic bucket breaks during the night and dumps water all over the floor.

October 20, 2002 Sunday: Yesterday I put the remains of that dead chicken on a rather high box inside the barn. This morning there was nothing left but a pile of feathers. Late last night I smelled a skunk and concluded a particularly un-enterprising member of that tribe must have eaten it. I mean, why pull it in bits through the chicken wire? There are plenty of places that the chickens know to get in and out, and skunks are usually as good as cats at finding holes. Yet the complete disappearance of the carcass could not be the work of skunks or the barn cats. It pretty much has to be a raccoon or fox. I hope it is a fox. Many half grown bantams and some larger birds are roosting in places vulnerable to a raccoon. While shaking out a bale of my second rate hay I found a nasty piece of rusty old wire. When I tried to straighten it, it broke. Sure glad I noticed it and did not feed it to the cows. Helen gave over two gallons this morning and over a gallon this evening, about four gallons for the day. This must be either due to the bale of high grade hay I gave them yesterday or else the rain has encouraged the grass a little bit. Six eggs today.

October 22, 2002 Tuesday: Yesterday was rush-rush. I ate standing up. And then I went to a planning meeting in the evening. I suspected Helen might be coming into heat but I was too busy to make observations. Today was just as complicated as yesterday. One of them was definitely in heat but I had appointments all day to view real estate on behalf of son Max and his family, so once again I could not take the time to make observations. When they circle around one another you know one is in heat, but both will attempt to mount. You can only be certain when you see one stand still for the other. That is called "standing heat" and is definitive. Then you can call the technician. I am pretty sure it was Helen, but according to my calendar it should have been Leah. However, Helen gave over four gallons today and usually when in heat production drops. Better luck next month.

October 24, 2002 Thursday: Days have been fairly mild and nights just barely freezing for some days now. There is a little bit of regeneration of the pasture and the cows have been enjoying being out. I am putting out two bales a day of hay, not my best. The milk tastes very good. Leah is unpredictable in her behavior towards the calves. Sometimes she kicks like anything when they try to feed. Other times she stands like a rock. I have even seen her licking Cletus, her foster calf. One way and another, Maria and Cletus keep up with her milk. I see them outside feeding sometimes. Both calves are getting big. Maria has a rough plushy coat like a teddy bear. Cletus and Virginia are smoother. Virginia is the biggest. She is still in her stall, weaning. Some time back I mentioned making a sourdough starter according to an old fashioned recipe I came across. All you do is mix fresh milk still warm from the cow with an equal amount of flour and set it in a slightly warm place such as you would choose for rising bread dough. Within a couple of days you get a vigorous foamy starter with excellent flavor. Being milk based, it will work best on a farmhouse milk based loaf. I get a good dough in only about an hour longer than it would take with baker's yeast. The loaf is slightly dense with good slicing qualities. The sourdough flavor is unexpected in a farmhouse loaf. Most who have tasted it say it has exceptionally good flavor. This week I looked at my starter. It has been neglected and unfed for over a month and was covered with a greenish crust. In the spirit of scientific inquiry I, stirred the whole mess together, fed it and left it overnight. By golly, in the morning it looked and smelled great and I made a couple of loaves of bread.

October 25, 2002 Friday: Late last evening when I went out with the dogs for last walkies we got a nasty surprise. There was a great black and white scuttling in the buttery. I suspected skunks. I could not be certain until I got the flashlight because the buttery was already somewhat whiffy from the night before, plus the fact that all of my cats are black and white. But the evil little thing was not shy. It turned right around and stuck its head out from its hiding place under a cabinet and began jumping up and down. I succeeded in getting the dogs to leave it alone. But my big old granny tabby, Sissypuss who weighs about 15 pounds, strutted right up to it as though planning to slap its face. I was not of a mind to go pick her up just about 10" from the skunk. Actually I suspect there was more than one under there. I got her to come to me by trickery. I grabbed an empty cat food can and pretended I was about to give her a treat. There was food in skunk accessible spots but I did not go back out to rearrange the stores. This morning the buttery smelled pretty bad and I saw where the visitors had eaten a pound of chocolate chips. I hope they got bad bellyaches. Helen gave 3.5 gallons today. The weather was fine and all the critters spent the day far down in Pocket field. I got five eggs.

October 26, 2002 Saturday: Cold rain all day. The temperature hovered between 30f and 40f. Virginia, Helen's five-month-old heifer, has a runny nose and is wheezing. She is eating and seems alert. I let her out of her box stall after putting the cows out this morning. I thought maybe some exercise would warm her up and do her some good. She explored the barn and knocked down lots of things. But, if she is not a lot better soon I will call the vet. I poured a dose of cod liver oil on her grain this evening. She ate it right up. In the morning I will double the amount. I have been in the mood for chicken soup and decided it was time at least one member of my flock made the supreme sacrifice. I have killed chickens often enough in the past, but have since lost my nerve. So, I caught one and then called my cousin Steve to dispatch it. I had hot water ready and soused it and plucked it in no time. Bagel gave me a "Hey, what's going on?" look. Now the cockerel is eviscerated and in the fridge. I also made butter today. I've been making about three pounds a week.

Sunday, October 27, 2002: Virginia was not better this morning. She did not show her usual enthusiasm for her grain and had not drunk much water, nor finished her hay. I decided to try feeding her some comfrey. I dug up a bunch of roots down in the veg garden where it is always trying to take over. What did I find but a mine of purple potatoes that I had not noticed when I dug potatoes a couple of weeks ago! The vines die back and in this case comfrey leaves obscured the site. I dug up the biggest potato of any color that I have ever grown. It weighed two pounds and was perfectly clean. There were lots of quite large ones. I filled half of a 5 gallon bucket. Purple potatoes have excellent baking qualities. They are nice and dry and fluffy. Next year I am going to plant lots more. I washed and chopped the comfrey roots and leaves and mixed them with grain to tempt Virginia, but she was dull and would not eat. Her nose was running badly and her breathing was sterterous. Therefore I called my poor old vet even though it is Sunday. He is older than I am, although I suspect him of having more energy than I do. He suggested I give Virginia Terramycin in a drench. I had some in the fridge. I mixed it with warm water and plenty of molasses and prayed for help from St. Francis. Virginia weighs over 300 lbs and even though sick, she was far from down. There is no way I could both control her and pour in a drench. By golly she took one sniff and opened her mouth and drank it like a wedding guest with a snifter of champagne, then looked around for more. Virginia has been separated from her mother for over a month for weaning, but I made the decision to let her back in with Helen tonight after milking. Helen did not let down well. I got less than a gallon. So there was plenty for Virginia. When I let her out she went straight to sucking on her mother without missing a beat. I took a picture. She did not act the least bit sick. Cletus the opportunist, also took advantage and Helen could not kick him away. He is as big as Virginia. There won't be any milk tomorrow morning. In fact, there will never be any milk until I separate them again. Perhaps I will try night separation again although it seldom works very well. My vet will come tomorrow so I will have to keep Virginia in again tomorrow anyway. I made chicken soup with the chicken I dressed off yesterday and took broth to my cousin who has been in the hospital.

October 28, 2002 Monday: Every morning for more than two weeks Helen and the others have been waiting for me in the beefer pen at milking time. This morning they were all, way down in the pasture, including Virginia. I suppose Helen was telling me something. She did bring them all up when I called, but the three calves stopped at the outer gate while Helen and Leah came on alone. I had to get Virginia into her box stall to await the vet. I have worked with all three calves on leading from almost the time they were born. I was afraid Virginia might have forgotten during her weeks in solitary, but no, I was able to lead her in with some coaxing. She looked a great deal better this morning. Helen gave one gallon of milk, which was better than I expected. When the vet came about 2pm he decided Virginia did not need a shot, just Terramycin on her feed would do the trick. I put Virginia back out with her mother. This evening they all came in nicely but Helen had only about two cups of milk. I separated Virginia for the night.

My spring line is running again. Yesterday along with the other events my neighbor Joe came and carried out an inspired operation. We were convinced that the problem was an airlock in the line. He was going to bring his pump and set up a tub and send water under pressure back up to the spring to expel the air. But then he realized that we could attach a hose from my drilled well system directly to the tap that controls the spring line where it enters the house. All it required was a male-to-male fitting that he had picked up at a hardware store. In a short while the spring which I have not had for three months was again trickling into the granite cistern in the kitchen.

October 31 Thursday: Tuesday, Wednesday and tonight I did not bother to milk Helen in the evening. I have separated Virginia during the night so as to have the morning milk and am leaving her with her mother during the day. There has been no further sign of illness now that she is back with her mother. Unfortunately Helen now does not let down well and I am losing about half of the cream. I am not happy with this state of affairs, particularly as I have two new customers. Both of whom appreciate cream. I now have barely enough milk to supply them along with the two or three customers I already have. Sammy, the tomcat who had half his throat torn out about ten days ago, disappeared for all of the last week. I figured he was a goner. But, this evening I heard a little cry in the buttery and he came wobbling out. He was too weak in the legs to climb up to the shelf where I feed cats. I went and got him a dish of wet food and he ate voraciously. Then he ate a bunch of dry food. Then a saucer of cream. I thought that was enough for one meal. Four hours later I heard another little cry and he came walking out of a corner with a more normal gait. I think he is regaining his strength. I just gave him another big meal. Years ago I carried food to a wild and ferocious tomcat that was desperately ill with an abscess on it's jaw. I could see right into its mouth and its teeth were beginning to fall out. Tomcats are very subject to abscesses because of fighting. I carried soft food to the horrible old thing until it got well. It was so grateful that it became friendly.

November 1, 2002 Friday: Helen is being a big disappointment when it comes to letting down in the morning. She used to give over two gallons with plenty of cream before I restored Virginia to her care. Now that I am separating Virginia at night so that I will have the morning milk she holds it all up. I am getting about 1.5 gallons with only ¾ inch of cream on top. Then this morning after I let Virginia back out with her, darned if all three calves didn't swarm her. If she doesn't let down better tomorrow morning I will once again totally separate them.. Such a nuisance. A sleety rain is falling. Four eggs today.

November 2, 2002 Saturday: It feels as though winter is here. There is snow on the mountains and a very cold wind. My son Martin and his friend, Mike, came up today and they cut and split close to a cord of wood. What a treat! They also repaired a big leak in the line from the spring. 

Helen remains resistant to letting down her milk so I have separated her and Virginia again. There is a whole new round of mooing. Martin milked tonight and I am not sure what he got. About a gallon and a half I think, same as I got this morning. She will probably be back up to four tomorrow.

November 3, 2002 Sunday: It was down to 10F this morning. Virginia remains separated from Helen. She has the run of the main barn floor between milkings, so I hope she gets enough exercise to avoid a chill. Tonight Helen let down so poorly and her udder remained so hard that I could not help fearing mastitis. Total for today was about 3.25 gals.

Friends who have a biodynamic vegetable farm came today with majestic glasshouse peppers and we struck a deal for ten gallons of fresh cow manure in exchange for veg. It sounds like a fair deal to me. All I have to do it fill their buckets as the fresh stuff presents itself.

November 4, 2002 Monday: We are having our first snow. This fall has been unusual. Many of the trees never turned color. The leaves just went brown and are sticking to the trees. It has been unseasonably cold. The cows keep on looking for something to graze on in preference to standing in the barn eating hay. If this snow persists it will mean hay three times a day rather than twice. Helen seems resigned to separation from Virginia, but is still not letting down well. She did manage three gallons today, but I had to work for it. I got four eggs.

November 6, 2002 Wednesday: Tuesday evening it started snowing and continued all night and most of today. We surely got over 4" but then it turned to rain. The snow looked beautiful first thing this morning, but the weather ended up rather disagreeable. So, I imagine all but the most intrepid deer hunters stayed home. Yesterday I walked along the river and down to the brook despite the snow on the ground. The dogs were very pleased with our walk. All was quiet. I completely forgot about deer season and failed to put orange on the dogs or myself. I remembered after we were halfway but heard no shooting anywhere. I consider Bagel to be particularly vulnerable because he is about the color of a deer, runs with a leaping gait especially when in the woods and has a white underside to his tail which he holds straight up. 

The purpose of my walk was to see if my spring line had separated in any of the known vulnerable spots. It was intact, but it is not running. Therefore, today I spent more than two hours on plumbing efforts to which I am ill suited by both inclination and experience. All with no positive effect. 

The cows have busted up their hay feeder, so I had to throw their hay on the ground tonight. Helen did not give much today, only about 2 ¾ gallons. I suppose we must get used to less milk now that there is no grazing. Even the sheep did not try today. I got four eggs.

November 7, 2002 Thursday: A cold north wind had frozen the snow into a crust. All the animals went out onto the pasture anyway and nibbled at patches of grass exposed by the rain. My spring line started running again. It is a weak stream, so something is blocking it somewhere, but it is always a treat to have it. Leah is beginning to object to her calf Maria suckling, also Cletus the adoptee. She has been kicking them and discouraging them. Tonight she kicked me. Leah has lost a bit of weight so I have increased her grain. Helen gave three gallons today.

November 8, 2002 Friday: Amazing learning experience! Tonight Leah began her usual kicking spree when the calves were trying to feed even though I tightened up the kicker another notch. Her legs were really flying. I stood next to her for about five minutes with a heavy rod in my hand and every time she lifted a foot I whapped her on the offending shin. Rather to my amazement she quit kicking. She did not kick again the whole time I milked Helen. I kept peeking around behind Helen to see if she was back at it, but she was standing with perfect manners. My granddaughter Helena, a young woman of 22 who has been living in Pennsylvania, has come to stay with me. Her father lives nearby and this evening together they went and picked up two piglets for me. Several members of my family have been encouraging me to get pigs again and with Helena here to help out I believe I can manage. They are very cute at this stage. Helen gave only 2 ½ gallons today. A freezing cold water tank with chunks of ice in it may be a factor in lowered production. I got six eggs.

November 9, Saturday: Cletus had no interest tonight in feeding and instead began to repeatedly jump Leah. I ran over and removed her kicker in case he made her lose her balance. At this point I discovered that I had failed to insert the pin in her stanchion so she was free. She whirled around and left with Cletus after her. I released Maria too. Leah ran so fast that she slipped rounding the corner of the corridor to the beefer pen. I had hooked the door at the far end which meant she was blocked in the passageway with the calves behind her. To unhook that door when the passage is full of cattle I have to climb up a barrier by the door because I am not tall enough to reach it. The area is pitch dark. While running to do this I fell over a piece of equipment and the commotion alarmed Leah enough to make her back out pushing calves behind her. What a rodeo. I was glad no children were around. Everywhere that I move cattle I make sure I have a corner to step into but children might try to run ahead of them. Except for the thundering hooves all this happened in silence. I tend not to talk much around cows unless I need to soothe them. They settled right down as soon as they got where they wanted to be. Helen seemed unconcerned and let down just fine but did not have a lot of milk. She gave 2 ¾ gallons today. The piglets are friendlier already. Helena and my little granddaughter Hailey sat in there with them while they ate.

November 10, 2002 Sunday: Probably I should have called the AI technician today for Leah. I know he is a devoted churchgoer and I hated to call him out. On the other hand, if Leah is regular it will be Sunday next time too. Maybe I will call him Saturday night. The piglets are eating better today. We warm their milk and put the pig feed into it. Of course they put their feet right into their pan. Little pigs are mighty cute. Today was unseasonably warm. The animals spent all day on the knoll in Pocket Field, the farthest pasture. They want to graze even though it is unrewarding. Helena has corrected me. She is 23. She is doing the pig feeding. Helen did not give much more than 2 ½ gallons today. I got only two eggs.

November 13, 2002 Wednesday: For two days Helen has been increasingly agitated at milking time. Not kicking, but nervous and often mooing. For the last several months she has not been coming in heat in any very obvious way so I have been watching closely for symptoms. Finally today we began to see some degree of activity. This morning she was trying to mount Leah and this afternoon she was following her closely and not eating. This morning she gave only one gallon of milk. So this afternoon I called the technician. I thought he might come this evening or tomorrow morning but he said he would be along in half an hour. Helen was way down in Pocket Field milling around but when I called her she came right back to the barn. All of them came in and Helen and Leah walked right into their stanchions like good girls. I had some grain in their pans. There was only one bull available, Zukar, the same one we had last time. The tech said he thought Helen was ready, but they do like to make you feel encouraged. The service costs $40 a whack. My son Max is here for a visit with a plan to buy a home in Maine. Grandson Rafe is here too with a friend and the three guys attacked my woodpile with a borrowed wood splitter and an extra chainsaw. I had nine cords of tree length logs delivered, mostly maple, so sawing and splitting is not to be accomplished in a day. Helen only gave 2 ½ gallons today. I hope now she will settle down and make more milk. With the pasture about gone and my mediocre hay this may be a vain hope. Five eggs today.

November 14, Thursday: I had this idea that I could put Virginia and Cletus in the sheep paddock for weaning. I had my grandson Rafe and his friend Tony assist me to move them out there and reinforce the gate. We watched as Virginia cavorted around delighted to be out of her stall in the barn. Then she took a running start and sailed right over the 4' fence. Of course she ran straight to Helen and there was no milk this evening. Cletus also got out but I did not see how he did it. So I am back somewhere behind square one in terms of weaning. All the boys worked on the woodpile for several more hours this morning but now Rafe and his friend have gone back to Bar Harbor. I put Cletus into the box stall with Virginia. He could just as well be weaned. Helen gave 2 ¼ gallons today, all of it this morning.

November 15, 2002 Friday: Helen's production was low this morning because she would not let down. It was a bit better this evening, total 2½ gallons today. She spent so much time bellowing and not eating that I was surprised I got this much. But she was mannerly. Leah has been a pill lately. I discovered she has a small cut on one teat that probably accounts for a lot of it. She came in this evening stuffed with milk. I think she has not been letting Maria feed. So I brought Cletus in with her. He drank all the milk. I have to remind myself that dear Helen who is such a perfect lady these days was once as naughty as Leah. Because Leah's job is feeding calves I have not worked as closely with her. Six eggs today.

November 16, 2002 Saturday: Cold dark weather today, very Novembery. I have not been able to think of a plan for getting Virginia outdoors. For now she is stuck in a stall in the barn while weaning. I let her have the main hall at night so that she can do more walking. Since their last unplanned reunion, Helen has not really settled down. She is very slow to let down. She gave 2 ½ gallons today. My granddaughter Helena had been feeding the piglets faithfully. Now she says they are getting pushy and aggressive. She wants to work out a feeding chute so she does not have to go in with them. Six eggs today.

November 17 Sunday: During the night a storm blew in. We awoke to a strong northeast wind and several inches of snow. This continued much of the day. The sheep went out in it to hunt for stray weeds. They seldom notice the cold. Around noon it let up enough so that even the cows chose to go out. They really hate spending a day inside. I gave them extra hay tonight. My menfolks have gone home now, sons Max and Martin. My fire wood bay is now full, hurrah! Helen gave only 2 ¼ gallons today. I got six eggs.

November 18, 2002 Monday: The storm continues today, but we have not had the problems experienced by those farther south. Ours is not an ice storm, just high wind and sleet and snow. The temperature is only about 30F. All the livestock are staying in and eating hay. Helen gave almost 3 ½ gallons today and I got nine eggs. I have been giving the chickens more light, also I changed to a different feed, an organic feed from Canada. Therefore, I don't know what factor has brought the improvement.

November 19, 2002 Tuesday: No new snow today. Leah was cooperative this morning and both calves fed for about 20 minutes. This evening I forgot to remove the kicker when I turned her loose. This is a bad mistake and hobbling away with it on made her frantic so she started to run. I raced ahead and closed the outer door so that she would not disappear into the night. Inside the beefer pen she circled the feeder several times before I persuaded her to stand still for me to remove it. I feel pretty stupid whenever I forget to take it off, which fortunately is not often. It was pointless to have even put it on tonight as neither calf wanted to feed. For several weeks I have been allowing the two geese to roam the yard during the day to eat grass. But they are so messy and they came up to the garage and consumed my ornamental cabbage down to a nubbin. They are highly sociable and afraid of nothing around here. They come right through the shed and up to the kitchen door. But enough is enough. Now they are locked in their pen. The grass is covered with snow now anyway. It is amazing how clearly their vocalizations convey their sense of grievance. Helen gave 2 ½ gallons and I got six eggs.

November 20, 2002 Wednesday: If I am not too rushed I carefully shake out each flake of hay when I feed. Good thing I did it this morning. I believe this is the fourth time I have found pieces of rusty wire chopped up by the baler. I will certainly not buy hay again from the same source. Both cows were quiet and well behaved today. Leah came in this morning with no milk. She had allowed one or both calves to feed early in the morning, which is unusual. I have started giving Helen and Leah each a flake of my best hay in their stanchions along with the grain they are getting. They eat every wisp. Helen gave 3 ¼ gallons today and I got 10 eggs.

November 21, 2002 Thursday: Thirteen eggs today! What a thrill! I have been leaving a dim light on with the hens, so I suppose this must be the main difference in their management. But, I did change to the aforementioned organic feed. So maybe it is a combination of factors. Helen gave only 2 ½ gallons, much less than yesterday. And, I can see no reason for this drop. If her production remains lower it could mean she has settled.

November 22, 2002 Friday: Rain, fog and drizzle all day made for poor driving conditions, but it was not very cold. The sheep went roaming but the cattle ventured only into the barnyard. Helen is not only self-supporting but is also supporting the other hay and grain eaters. I am consistently selling two gallons a day at $3 per gallon. This pays for the feed for two cows and three calves, six sheep, two pigs and twenty hens. This is what I mean when I tell people the cow drives the farm economy. No other animal can do this. Helen gave 2 ½ gallons today and I got 13 eggs.

November 23, 2002 Saturday: There is a high wind today but so far no damage. I've been trying to assess how much Leah is allowing the calves to nurse and how much milk she is giving. This is hard to do. I can tell from the state of her udder sometimes that they have recently nursed. But, sometimes she comes in full of milk and neither calf can be persuaded to suck. Helen gave 2 ½ gallons today. I got 14 eggs. It certainly is encouraging to be getting more eggs.

November 24, 2002 Sunday: The wind was violent all day. It tore several pieces of siding off the barn and the electricity was out twice for a total of about six hours. My granddaughter Helena got out all the oil lamps and lit them. I was prepared to do chores with very little light but the electricity come on long enough to milk and feed. This morning when I got the cows in for milking I saw that Leah had a lot of milk. Because of her kicking the calves have been reluctant to nurse. I cinched up the kicker another notch and wheedled and coaxed until they got started. After a couple of small kicks she settled down perfectly quietly. I am now giving each cow a large flake of my best hay while they are in their stanchions. They love that hay and finish it completely. The wind was so strong today that I had to throw hay down the hay drop in great chunks. If I fluffed it out it came right back up at me. Helen gave 2 ½ gallons today and I got 14 eggs. Some broke this evening when I set the egg basket down while I fed the geese. The wind blew it right over and rolled the eggs around. Tonight I caught two pullets that hatched last summer in the grain room. They are now at point-of-lay and have been running around with the bantams But, have always stayed together. They roost right together in a place where I was able to pop my landing net over them both at once. Now they are in with the layers. They are such a cute little pair, one black and one white.

November 26, 2002 Tuesday: Yesterday Helen outdid herself and gave three gallons but, today only 2 ¼. However, I got 17 eggs. Some are pullets laying their first eggs. These are very small. One was the size of a pigeon egg. Helena broke it into a frying pan and it had a perfect wee yolk the size of a raisin. She ate it and said it tasted like any other egg. We did not have any damage from the windstorm except for the cladding ripped off the barn and today I discovered a high window in the ell was shattered.

November 27, 2002 Wednesday: Leah is full of surprises. Just when I was getting worried that she was resisting feeding the calves, this morning when I opened the door to let them in there she was feeding both. The same thing happened this evening. After the calves walked away I let her in for her grain. I am feeding each cow four scoops a day of 16% dairy feed (about 8 lb) and a leaf (flake) of my best quality hay at milking time. I am now using an organic dairy feed from Canada. Leah has stopped losing weight and is in good condition. So is Helen, but I did not notice her losing weight much anyway. Virginia (six months old) is getting two scoops a day mostly to keep her cheerful. She is still confined for weaning. The other two calves, Cletus and Marie, are not getting any grain. They are aged five months and four and a half months respectively and could easily be weaned, but then I would have to milk Leah. Helen gave 2 ½ gallons today. I got 10 eggs.

November 28, 2002 Thursday: It was down to 15 degrees this morning. My spring sink quit running, but the barn watering system still functions. My sons Mark and Martin came for Thanksgiving and helped out a lot. Martin got the tractor running and into the barn, something I have been worrying about. Martin also milked this evening. Helen likes him and let down well. We got close to three gallons today and a dozen eggs. Helena and I cooked a comprehensive dinner. We began with mussels that Mark brought from Portland. I roasted a turkey and a ham. Also I served sweet potatoes cooked in cider, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, cauliflower, cucumber salad, fresh cranberry relish, mince pie made with my own homemade mincemeat recipe, pumpkin pie from my own heirloom pumpkins. And of course whipped cream from Helen's lovely cream. A great treat for all of us.

November 29, 2002 Friday: Leah certainly is unpredictable. This morning she came in stuffed with milk, obviously she had not fed the calves since yesterday, and churned her feet like an eggbeater when they attempted to nurse. I had to hold her tail up in the air for about ten minutes before they had managed to get a good letdown from her. After that, presumably because her mind was flooded with prolactin, she stood sweetly and I was able to go milk Helen who by then was annoyed with me. She even kicked twice but I was able to fend off and protect the milk. These were not kicks aimed at me, just at the bucket I think. This evening Leah came in with no milk. She must have fed the calves again no later than four o'clock. She is due to come in heat again tomorrow night or Sunday morning. I hope to get her bred this time. The thermometer was down to 9F this morning. I broke up ice about a half inch thick on the stock tank and all the smaller buckets of water were frozen nearly solid. Winter is a lot of work. Helen gave 2 ¾ gallons today and I got 14 eggs.

November 30, 2002 Saturday: We did Thanksgiving over again today for my son Martin's friend, Amy. While my granddaughter Helena and I worked on dinner, Martin and Amy made improvements in the barn. They moved the stock tank indoors for the winter and installed a new light in a very dark corner of the barn where a couple of weeks ago I fell over some equipment in the dark. And, they did the evening chores including milking. Leah was in heat today right on schedule and I called the AI technician for tomorrow morning. Her heat was not nearly as evident this time as last but I was watching for it. Helen gave about 2 ¾ gallons today and I got 10 eggs. It stayed cold all day and now is starting to snow.

December 1, 2002 Sunday: The weather has turned very miserable. It has dropped below 20F and there is a sharp north wind making outdoor work an act of will. After chores this morning I left Leah in her stanchion to be ready for the breeder. None of us saw him arrive until after the breeding so I don't know how long it took him. He said she has a difficult cervix, the same thing the technician said last year. I observed no signs of heat this morning but he said she stood steady despite his difficulty in finding the cervix, so that is encouraging. He carries little choice of bulls and did not even ask me who I wanted, but used Vantage Clarin. At least it was not inbreeding. It cost $37. Martin and I with help from Amy and Helena killed the two geese. This really took fortitude as a goose is large, strong and has a knowing eye. I thought it best to kill both, if any, as a single goose is very unhappy. With everything freezing up, carrying their water twice a day way out to their pen adds measurably to my chores and they were just going to get thinner. The crew saved me the down for a future pillow. Martin has an amazing new staple gun given him by one of his distributors. It is powered by a spark from a propane cylinder and drives a 2" staple through ¾" plywood. He used it today to put some siding up in the lean-to where we will eventually move the pigs.

December 3, 2002 Tuesday:: On Monday Helen gave 2 ¾ gallons. I got only 10 eggs. Today she gave only 1½ gallon. We have moved the stock tank indoors. Lots of times cattle won't drink if there is any change in their water, but I am having to refill it regularly, so somebody is drinking. Today I got only eight eggs. Some had broken egg on them, so egg eating is occurring. Some extra roosters have found their way in with the hens and today I caught three and threw them out. So, I will see if this does any good. It is very cold. Today did not get above 15F with considerable wind, but the critters did not appear to be suffering (unlike me!). So, I doubt the weather accounts for Helen's drop in production. This morning Leah came in with a full udder. Since she hates feeding the calves while in her stanchion and often feeds them during the day. I put her back out still stuffed. This evening she came in even fuller, so I assisted the calves to suck by standing next to her and holding up her tail to moderate her kicking. The kicker alone is insufficient. I stood there talking quietly to her about the fate of bad cows (hamburger, meatloaf, etc.) and finally she settled down and stopped fussing.

This morning I got myself pumped up to eviscerate the two geese we killed on Sunday. I was not looking forward to this because it takes a lot of strength to pull out the viscera. Just as I was starting a fine lad, Helena's half brother, stopped in and I asked him to help me. The family hunts and raises animals and he is both strong and experienced. He took right over and drew both birds. I was immoderately grateful.

December 4, 2002 Wednesday: Today was marked on my calendar to watch for Helen coming in heat. Totally quiet, I am pleased to report. Leah behaved badly again tonight and Maria, her own calf, was barely willing to try to suck. Cletus got the two back quarters. Leah kept moving off to the side. Tomorrow I will nail up a barrier so she will stand straight. Helen gave three gallons today. I only found seven eggs. It was 10F this morning.

December 5, 2002 Thursday: The cold weather continues. Leah had no milk this morning, so I guess the calves got fed. Helena and I built a divider for her stanchion so she won't be able to swing her rear end out of the way as she has been doing to avoid the calves. It required a lot of pounding in spikes. This evening only Helen was waiting to come in. Leah stayed out in the dark. Perhaps she thinks we were constructing a cow trap. Helen gave only slightly over two gallons today. I got nine eggs. We also got tarp tied down over the bushhog. It has to stay outside because I have nowhere to put it under cover.

December 6, 2002 Friday: Mean weather continues, but nothing like folks are getting farther south. Neither calf chose to come in this morning with Leah and she had lots of milk. I had family here visiting, so turned her back out with the calves hoping for the best. Later, Helena saw them both feeding. That was good news. The same thing happened this evening. She had plenty of milk, but the calves did not bother to come in. Helen was her usual perfect self. She gave a bit over 2 ½ gallons today. There were 10 eggs. I sent off my son Martin and his friend Amy with milk and cream for their trip to Quebec. Our family likes to bring along our own cream. Lots of places now have good coffee, but none ever has good cream.

December 7, 2002: Leah came in this morning with a full udder, so I brought the calves and after a few minutes of encouragement I got them both sucking and she settled down. Later my Granddaughter Helena saw them both feeding again. But, she also noticed what looked like a cut teat. I inspected it this evening and it looks to me as though one of the calves had cut her with a tooth. I put a thick layer of Phoenix thuja ointment on it. She had a similar cut a couple of weeks ago and it healed fast. She did not even seem to mind the calves on it. This cut is farther down towards the end of the teat. I will have to find a way to get the calves off her. I am considering a milking machine. It was cold today, down to 9F this morning at the house. Helena worked on the new pigpen for a while despite the cold. Helen gave 2 ½ gallons. I got nine eggs.

December 8, 2002 Sunday: It was down to 8F this morning. But, the sun was bright all morning and the wind was low, so working outside was not bad. Helena and Tim, her dad, worked on improvements to the lean-to pigpen. They put up paneling to keep out the wind and built a shelter. Then Tim caught the pigs and carried them to their new quarters where they ran in circles for quite a while. They seemed to love it. The cows and sheep stood watching everything with unflagging interest. Nothing can stare like cows and sheep. Leah's teat look pretty good. The calves had fed at least once, so I did not put them on her during milking either this morning or evening. I applied vitamin E generously. Leah accepted this treatment without moving. Helen gave only a little over two gallons and I got eight eggs.

December 9, 2002 Monday: Minus two degrees this morning. Helen's production was way down, slightly under two gallons for the day. I got nine eggs.

December 10, 2002 Tuesday: Another cold morning, about 8F, but the sun was bright and it warmed up to 20F by mid afternoon. This morning Helen gave 1¾ gallons. This evening when I opened the door to let in the cows for milking there was nobody there. I went out to the barnyard and called but nobody came. Then I heard a lot of honking by what sounded like a logging truck and some smaller vehicles so I ran out front to see what was amiss. There were cars in my driveway and three neighbors on foot. One of the drivers said, "Are these your cows?" By this time it was 5:30, pitch dark and the stars out. There were all my animals out on the road. Fortunately, all those present knew enough to stand back so that the animals did not turn tail. I ran ahead of them and opened the front door of the barn and they all trooped in, Helen, Leah, Maria and Cletus and all six sheep. I ran ahead of them into their run-in, the Beefer Pen as I call it, and closed the door to the outside so they would be confined. Helen and Leah went straight to their stanchions. All the neighbors agreed that Helen had narrowly missed being hit by a logging truck. All the animals had been up to visit my neighbor Stewart and had their noses to his big glass sliding door before being herded back to the farm. Helen had no milk at all, not any. I must face that fact that she is letting one or both calves suck. A little milk, like last night … maybe. No milk, that's impossible. So, along with fencing tomorrow I must devise a plan that separates her from the others. I have not the least idea how they got out. Six eggs today.

December 11, 2002 Wednesday: Helena and I, later joined by her father Tim, walked the fence line to find where the cows got out last evening. As we reached the end of our walk having found no breach in the fence, and were coming up the steep section of lawn towards the new deck, there it was. A gate in the fence by the house was open, no doubt rattled loose by the recent windstorm. Then we found the footprints. So, they came around the house on the lawn and went out the front gate and up the road, the wicked creatures. Helen gave 2 gallons this morning and ¾ gallon tonight, so I suppose I must stop accusing her of feeding calves. I suppose yesterday she was too busy being naughty to make milk. There were 7 eggs.

December 13, 2002 Friday: There was a bit of a thaw today. The sun shone for hours and the eaves dripped on the house and barn. I have ordered another 200 bales of hay to be delivered in January. I expected that I would have sold Leah when I stocked up last summer and it is going fast. The sheep and calves do their best to get their share too. Helen gave 2 ½ gallons both yesterday and today. Eight eggs today.

December 15, 2002 Sunday: Helen gave 1½ gallons Saturday and a shade less today. Ten eggs today. I finally got my lighting system for the layers set up on a timer today. They will have six hours of darkness and 18 hours of light. My granddaughter Helena helped me to dump and clean the stock tank. This has to be done often when it is inside for the winter.

We have had two days of temperatures over 30F and most of the snow is gone.

December 17, 2002 Tuesday: The cold weather is back. 15F this morning and cold all day. Yesterday Helen barely made it to two gallons and I got five eggs. Today she gave nearly three gallons and I got nine eggs. I have no idea what accounts for the increase unless it is the waxing moon. This morning Leah came in very full. That makes three milkings in a row that she appeared not to have fed the calves at all. So, I brought them in. This clearly annoyed her and when I had to pass behind her to clip the rope on Cletus she gave me a very deliberate kick in the leg. I ignored it because it upsets Helen if I yell at her. The calves went right to nursing, but I had to hold her tail very high to prevent her kicking them off. After about seven minutes I felt her relax and was able to walk away and milk Helen.

December 19, 2002 Thursday: Christmas exertions are making diary entries difficult! Every minute from awakening until bedtime seems even more committed than usual. Helen has given 2 ½ gallons for the last two days. I had to be gone most of today and when I collected eggs about 3pm I found egg smeared on several indicating egg eating. This is always a problem when they aren't picked up regularly. I brought in eight. When I arrived home from doing my errands Helen and all the others were lined up at the fence bellowing. It was about 2pm. This is unusual behavior for them and I thought something must really be wrong. But, I guess they were just hungry because their lunch was an hour and a half late. A soon as I threw down hay they were happy. This morning I brought the calves in to nurse since clearly they had not fed. Once again Leah was kicky until they got her letdown going. She planted one kick squarely on my shin making a big dent that lasted most of the day. But plenty of fresh milk appears to be protecting me against broken bones twenty years past menopause. Knock on wood, but I have had plenty of falls and whacks and don't even bruise most times.

December 20, 2002 Friday: The lawn and driveway are a sheet of ice. Rain has fallen all day on frozen ground. Traffic on the road is moving reasonably well, but getting back and forth to the barn is pretty exciting. It is not very cold, between 25F and 30F all day. The cows and sheep chose to stand out in the rain for a long time. Helen gave only two gallons today and there were only six eggs.

December 21, 2002 Saturday: Hi. I'm Hailey and I am writing instead of grandma Joann today. I am her granddaughter. Don't let that stop you from reading the heifer diary! It was a little warmer today. I didn't actually pay much attention to the temperature. My dad and I came up about 11:00. Joann was off in the barn with I think a vet. (Something about a cow) I was very excited to find the new kitten and Christmas tree. Before dinner I went with grandma to the barn. From up above, cows look a lot wider! I now know I want to be a farmer when I grow up. I love cows and pigs, and I go to the farm a lot so I am already a little experienced. I have to go to bed, so have a good Christmas or whatever you celebrate!

Thank you Hailey! She just had her tenth birthday and we are having a little early Christmas with her. Hailey was looking down on the cows from the top of the stairs to the haymow. That is a safer place for children when I bring the cows through. Our Leah came back in heat today. It did not take last time. This morning when I brought in the cows she began bellowing in her stanchion and I knew what that meant. Today was exactly three weeks since she was bred. So I called the AI (artificial insemination) technician. He did not arrive until mid afternoon but I think the timing was favorable. Unfortunately, I am told that it is difficult to find the opening of Leah's cervix. I hope he got it right this time. The insemination costs $40. The bull is called Sir Patrick. Helen gave 2 ½ gallons today and I got seven eggs. The driveway is even icier than yesterday.

December 22, Sunday: Last night was so mild that the cows all slept out on the pasture again. When I went out with my buckets they were lined up along the fence waiting for me. Leah was feeding the two calves. I passed as quietly as possible so as not to disturb them. They don't feed very often any more.

I have a housecat named Lemur She is about five years old and was born blind and deaf. She has exceptionally large staring eyes which prompted one of my granddaughters to name her Lemur. Lemur has always had a touchy disposition and bats away any cats or kittens that try to make friends or even crowd her. We have a kitten named Coffee in the house that Helena has been nurturing. I was much surprised today when I saw it approach Lemur in a friendly way and Lemur began washing its face for it. Several times today I again saw Lemur being kind to the kitten. It will be nice if at last Lemur has a friend. As I walked in from the barn after evening milking in the pitch dark I could hear a dismal howling sound and some kind of plaintive calling. I asked Helena to go outside and see what she could make of it. She said she would take the flashlight and follow the sound to find out what it was. She was gone about twenty minutes. She reported that when she got up to the intersection she met our neighbor, Stewart, , calling out to his dog. At this point the dog, a basset hound, for some reason, possibly because it thought help was at hand, ceased its mournful cry. So, they wandered around searching for some time until Helena picked up its eyes with the flashlight. It had gotten itself over the fence into our field. That section is fenced with sheep wire and is apparently also basset hound proof. Stewart was so relived to find his dog that he attempted to lift it over the fence in a clean jerk. This proved impossible, but together with Helena they got her over and back into the arms of her owner. Helen gave 2 ½ gallons today and I got nine eggs.

December 23, 2002 Monday: It remained above freezing today, but the weather is deteriorating. Nonetheless, the cows again spent the night on the pasture and were not in the barn when I went out in the dark for their early bite of hay. Whenever there is no snow cover as at present, the sheep work for hours nibbling at the withered pasture. I brought the calves in tonight to feed and Leah was most uncooperative. She just wants to feed them when she is stuffed with milk I guess. Or at least not while in her stanchion. I want her to feed more often, so as to maintain her production. Helen was way down today and so were the hens. Only two gallons from Helen and five eggs.

December 24, 2002 Christmas Eve: My son Martin milked this evening and did all the barn chores. He has a better flashlight and discovered that Leah has a lot of little cuts on her teats. No wonder she objects to the calves. I feel so terrible about this. And it is a Catch 22 situation because the suckling obviously is barely Possible, yet the milk has to come out. He slathered her with pink thuja ointment. I have had good luck with it before. He thinks the cracks are due to severe chapping and not caused by the calves' teeth. Helen gave three gallons today. I got six eggs.

December 25, 2002 Wednesday Christmas Day: Martin and Helena did all the barn chores today giving me a break to spend more time cooking. I made popovers for breakfast and cooked one of the geese for dinner. I stuffed it with apples and fresh sage from off my windowsill and served it with sweet potatoes sautéed in butter, green salad, and for dessert fresh fruit compote and flan. Martin reported that Helen behaved perfectly at both milkings. Poor Leah's cracked and bloody teats were at least no worse. He rubbed in a vitamin E oil preparation that I made and milked her out a bit. She hardly kicked at all he said. Martin also took the pruning loppers and trimmed back one of Helen's overgrown hoofs. Helen gave 2 ½ gallons today and we got six eggs. 

Everyone thought it was a wonderful Christmas. Present were: Helena, my son Mark, Martin and his friend, Amy, and myself. After gifts were opened the four young people went up to the lake and played ice hockey. Mark had to leave before dinner because a great snowstorm we are told is on the way, and he has to work tomorrow. He works in the Cath Lab at Maine Med. It is now snowing hard.

December 26, 2002 Thursday: We in this part of Maine got only about 4" of snow. It was cold and dry with a strong wind, so all the snow is drifted. The sun came out today. I am putting vitamin E fortified oil on Leah's chapped and cracked teats. She stands fine for this. Because of the cold I am feeding extra hay. It is all being eaten immediately. Some of the unconfined roosters look pretty miserable. I put out corn every Day, but a couple of them just huddle on a rafter. They suffer from frozen combs. Two have died of cold or discouragement. Helen gave 2 ½ gallons today. There were 10 eggs.

December 27, 2002 Friday: I had to put Bagel on his chain today because I needed to be away for some hours. I gave him a rawhide chew to amuse him. He ignored it. When I got home he had reached a box of books I has set out to give away and the bag of melt salt. The books were confetti and well mixed with melt salt. When I let him off his chain he grabbed the chewy and ran off and left it somewhere out of sight. Strange dog. Whatever is going on in his head? The cows gave me a surprise too. When I opened the door to let Helen and Leah in to the milking area, instead of crowding their way in immediately they turned around and marched purposefully out into the night. I felt like a teacher whose class gets up and leaves! So, instead I went back to the house for the pig feed. For some reason the cows had gone around to an outer gate through which I do not bring them more than once a year and stood there waiting for me under the starry night (This time of year the evening and morning chores are still in the dark.) After about ten minutes they got tired of being ignored and came around to their proper door. Helen gave 2 ¼ gallons today and I got seven eggs.

December 29, 2002 Sunday: Yesterday was quiet and warm enough so that the animals stayed outside much of the day. Today was even more pleasant until mid afternoon when it turned cold and blowy. Now, at 9pm, the thermometer is sinking fast and the wind has picked up further causing me to block the outer buttery door with boxes. I have carried all the milk inside to the kitchen refrigerator because we are told to expect temperatures around zero by morning. It could freeze in the buttery refrigerator. Leah has new cuts on two teats. These are clearly caused by teeth. I have got to get those calves off of her. Yesterday Helen gave 2 ½ gallons, today just two gallons. Nine eggs today.

December 31, 2002 Tuesday New Year's Eve: On Monday morning Helena and I moved Cletus, the six month old Jersey steer, and Virginia, Helen's seven month old daughter, into the sheep paddock. Somewhat to my surprise, since he has rarely shown much enterprise, Cletus jumped out before we got Virginia moved in. We did some repairs that involved propping of the fence. With the ground frozen it is impossible to set any new poles of course. Virginia has been in a large box stall for a couple of months so as to get her weaned from Helen. She has been lonesome in there and quite bored with little to do but eat and watch the chickens. So, she was pleased to be moved into a paddock. But, Cletus was not. He bellowed all day for Leah. The biggest surprise to me was that Leah, his foster mother, bellowed for him and spent a lot of the day by his fence touching noses. She has always acted as though Cletus was an annoyance. Maria, Leah's real calf, is devoted to Cletus and she spent most of both yesterday and today right by the fence where she could breathe Cletus' breath. By this evening Cletus seemed fairly willing to pal around with Virginia. I carry their feed and water down the back steps from the deck at the back of the buttery. The deck was new last summer, built by my son Bret with help from his brothers, as they were available. Going down those new steps is easier than the former plan, a trap door in the garage, although I still take the hay down that way. The point of separating Cletus from Leah is to see if this will prevent cuts from appearing on her teats. It is my hope that it has been Cletus, not Maria, doing it. Maria is much more diffident. This evening when I got Leah into her stanchion I did not see any new cuts. Neither did the existing ones look much better. I am putting oil with vitamin E onto her teats. Both yesterday and today Helen gave only two gallons. I got seven eggs each day. Last time when I went to buy feed they only had 14% steer feed, so that is what the cows have been getting for a week. I had dairy feed delivered today, so we'll see if production will improve.

January 2, 2003 Thursday: Wednesday the world was so icy that I sat down on the back ramp of the barn and slid down on my bottom, this being the safer option when I went out to scatter cracked corn for the bantams. I now have them all trained to assemble out back of the barn in the morning for their grain. That way I can close the door on them and have a quiet milking, free of the cacophony of contending roosters. Milk production was up somewhat today over the last few days. Helen gave 2 ½ gallons again. Somehow two of the sheep have gotten into the paddock where I have Cletus and Virginia. They can't remember how to get back out and stand around bleating piteously. If I open the gate Cletus will get out, so they are out of luck. 10 eggs today.

January 3, 2003 Friday: Leah's teats look somewhat better. Certainly not worse. She is totally cooperative when I apply my vitamin E oil mixture. Maria is nursing, so Leah is getting milked. Obviously this is a short-term answer. Maria just turned six months old and must be weaned pretty soon herself. Cletus still bellows some to get back in with Leah and Maria. Maria continues to stand where they can touch noses through the fence. Some of the sheep jumped over into the paddock to join the others already stuck in there. Eventually, all but Delta (sheep) figured it out. Today Helena and a friend went into the paddock to open a gate and let Delta out. They took along a broom to steer off Cletus in case he thought about leaving along with Delta. Delta took one look at the approaching broom and sailed over the fence on her own. The weather today was briefly sunny in the morning, then got cold and overcast and looks like snow. Helen barely made two gallons today. I got nine eggs.

January 4, 2003 Saturday: We were greeted this morning with six inches of new snow. Snow has continued all day. The wind is blowing strongly out of the northeast causing drifts, so I don't know how much we have received, maybe ten inches. Neither cattle nor sheep spent much time outdoors. They hung around the hay feeder snapping up however much I put down for them. Nobody came to plow us out. Helena shoveled a path to the barn. She also broke out the berm across the front of the driveway by driving her car out. Helena helped me add some wire to the inside of the chicken room where there is a screen for air circulation to the next room. Chickens had made a hole in the wire and some hens were getting out while some banished roosters have been finding their way back in. There won't be any more of those shenanigans. Helen gave two gallons again today. Thee were eight eggs.

January 5, 2002 Sunday: The hens exploded with eggs today, I got 14. I have no idea what accounts for this. Helen gave a little over two gallons. Leah came in this evening with two quarters stuffed. Maria has clearly sucked only two. I decided to try milking her a little bit. She stood like a lamb, but I was milking one handed and holding a container with the other. My back gave out in this awkward position by the time I had three cups. It was perfect milk. I put pink liniment on the two empty quarters in hopes Maria will take the other two. If not, I will make another attempt in the morning to milk her. I amused myself today by making the Italian bread featured in the February Cook's Magazine. It resulted in an impressive looking loaf worthy of a photo. Last week I made the Pain de Compagne from Cooking With Julia. That was equally handsome and I think has the edge for flavor on the loaf I made today. But, the dough has to be taken through so many stages lasting several days that I may never get around to making it again.

January 6, 2003 Monday: I milked Leah again this morning, a two finger job on her right rear Quarter. I got about two cups. Maria had nursed the other three a little bit. Leah stood quietly. This evening the same thing again, except the other three quarters had been pretty well emptied out while the right rear was again not touched. I think I got about three cups. Leah was perfectly cooperative. I have not been using the kicker. Once I get the noisy roosters cleared out everything is totally calm and quiet during milking, nothing to be heard but the milk hitting the pail. The cuts on her teats appear unchanged but do not seem to bother her. Helen gave barely two gallons, but I added in Leah's of course. It was perfectly clean because she stood so well. There were ten eggs today.

January 7, 2003 Tuesday: While I was milking Helen this morning a small white hen came limping past me. All was quiet and she was alone, so I observed what otherwise I might not have. Entangled around her feet and hobbling her was a cotton string, the type sewn across the tops of feedbags. After I was finished with milking I searched her out and easily caught her in my handy landing net. The string was much entangled around her toes impairing her circulation. The next really cold spell would have left her with frozen feet. I make a point of putting all those strings in the trash as this sort of thing has happened before, but either this one blew out or I missed the can. I have fixed up a rope with knots in it to assist me when going up and down the icy steps that lead off the deck and down into the paddock where Virginia and Cletus are. They are both now seven months old and exactly the same size. Helen gave two gallons today. I milked about three cups out of Leah this Morning, but this evening she came in with an empty udder. That was a relief to me. Maria does a better job on her mama than I do. Six eggs today.

January 8, 2003 Wednesday: First thing this morning Helena's brother and uncle came over with a .22 rifle to do me the favor of thinning out my over-population of semi wild roosters. The census had risen to about 15 and the cacophony was deafening at times. The worst part has been their annoying behavior when I serve out the cows' grain. They are all over it like Grackles and continue even while the cows are eating. They also drive off the cats and eat the cat food. This was despite my strewing several scoops of corn for them. I think the boys shot ten of them. I plucked one of the larger roosters to make soup and gave them all the others to do with as they chose, but with the caveat that the birds not be used as bait for trapping.. I was much gratified to discover that they had not thrown them into the woods, but had skinned them all out, saving the breasts, thighs and legs. They took it all to a family member to cook up. Helen gave 2 ½ gallons today. Leah did not require milking tonight, but I worked over her udder a bit anyway to keep her accustomed to the idea. There were a dozen eggs. Not a single rooster showed itself this evening. I know at least five Survived, so they must be lying low. Some were extremely beautiful, but enough is enough. The little hens are a lot less troublesome.

January 9, 2003 Thursday: There are still a few roosters left and of course all the hens, maybe six. They kept a low profile this morning. They would not even come out when I scattered corn. This evening two roosters showed up at chore time and were as pesky as ever. Helen gave about two gallons today. Leah came in with an empty udder. I can't be sure if her cut teats are healing, but they are not any worse. I got 10 eggs. I have not mentioned the pigs lately, but they are doing very well.

January 10, 2003 Friday: I am in despair. Leah is back in heat. I know it is because the AI technician had trouble inserting the straw properly. She has a crimped cervix. I was told this last year by the now retired technician. Nonetheless, he managed to do it and she had Maria. I tried to call him today, but no luck. Leah caused a lot of trouble while in heat. Maria busted through the fence to join Cletus and Virginia, her buddies that she misses so much. Then Leah busted in another place to be with her daughter Maria. I tested Leah's heat by going up behind her and putting my weight on her back while she was outdoors. Normally she would not allow me to walk up behind her like that, let alone put down my weight. Helena and her friend repaired the fence and the cows stayed put the rest of the day. My grandson Rafe just arrived back from a marvelous month long trip through Europe. He loved the food, the people and the architecture. The only scares were some death threats by street Arabs in Morocco who wanted money and a near miss of the train connection to Paris for his flight home. The German train was late!

January 11, 2003 Saturday: My old technician called back this morning and wanted to come right over and try breeding Leah. (He is not actually old, just moved on from doing AI to the field of embryo transplants. But he has returned to doing some breeding) It was a bit late in Leah's heat to be even attempting a breeding, but he felt there remained a fair chance of success. This time he used the sire Mollybrook Poseidan Adventure. He was able to insert the straw with little trouble. It has been pretty cold all day, about 10F. Cletus still spends much of the day hanging around by the fence hoping for a visit from Maria, his "sister". Not wishing to be alone, Virginia comes up and hangs out with him and Maria is right across the fence, all three standing in an exposed spot. They have very thick coats like plush and are fat so I don't worry much about their getting chilled. But, I look forward to the day they can all be in the same paddock. Helen gave about 2 gallons and a quart. I got 14 eggs.

January 12, 2003 Sunday: This morning while I was milking, Maria, Leah's calf, pushed through the wire gate to get in with her buddies Cletus and Virginia. Then when I let the cows back out Leah pushed down the entire section of fence to get in with Maria. Helen, of course followed. It was a very cold day with a lot of blowing snow but the sun was brilliant. Under the garage and buttery where Cletus and Virginia now live is a popular spot in such weather because it is a suntrap. Leah and Helen were clearly pleased with themselves for getting in there with sun on their rumps as they ate the calves' hay. I decided electric fence was my best bet in the circumstances i.e. frozen ground. I detained Rafe and Tony who were heading back to school and got them to help Helena and me string it up. Cold work. I knew the cows would respect it because they got acquainted with it last summer. Helena and I stood by the wire preventing Virginia and Cletus from barging under it until they had each touched it with their nose. They did not try again. Maria was the weak link in this program as she missed the learning experience with the others. Sure enough, after dark we found her in with her buddies again. She had knocked out our feeble struts and gone through. We lured her home again, but will it last? She must have gotten zapped at least once. Helen gave two quarts and I got ten eggs.

January 13, 2003 Monday: Every day is a few degrees colder. It was about 8F this morning. Virginia was in with her mother but had not drunk the milk. I think she had just arrived. The sheep ignore the electric fence. Six or eight inches of wool seems to be good insulation. By various subterfuges and ploys I succeeded in Getting Virginia back in the paddock with Cletus, where she remained the rest of the day. Helen gave a bit over two gallons and we got 13 eggs.

January 15, 2003 Wednesday: It was 10F this morning and the water to the barn is frozen. I did not actually discover the freeze-up until 1 o'clock when I tried to fill the stock tank. The remainder of the day until now, 6:30 PM, I spent dealing with the problem. There is no hope of thawing the barn water. I have no outdoor hose connections and never have had. They would be useless in winter. What I have done is run a hose through the cellar and up through the kitchen, out through the breezeway and down under the buttery. All livestock will have to walk over here to drink from a black rubber tub. The kitchen floor is a mess. The logistics of this are such that I can no longer keep the calves separated from the cows. I put Helen's heifer calf Virginia into a stall with Cletus for the night so I will have the morning milk. Cletus also will be back with Leah tomorrow and I hope does not further damage her udder. This is the only arrangement possible apart from carrying water to the barn and this I cannot do. It is too far to run a hose because all hose has to be rapidly dragged back indoors when the water is turned off or it will freeze. Most of my five hours of work today involved teakettles of boiling water on frozen hose. I will only need to carry water to the chickens. There is a Grange meeting tonight. I don't know if I will make it. One dozen eggs today. I did not milk Helen tonight. I am going to once a day milking.

January 16, 2003 Thursday: This was another day dominated by water issues. With help from Helena I got the old ice out of the tub I am using. This was a problem that yesterday prevented me from filling it properly. They were all thirsty this morning and pushed each other out of the way to drink. With help from my neighbor we made progress on establishing a plumbed in system that will, I hope, deliver water under the buttery without wrestling hoses, as we now have to do. This morning after skipping milking last night I got 1-¾ gallons. Only six eggs today. I am pretty tired today. Last night's meeting lasted three hours! Followed by refreshments. I believe most people do not have to get up very early.

January 17, 2003 Friday: Once again a day devoted entirely to water problems. The breakfast dishes are still in the sink. It is discouraging, but help is on the way. Sons Martin and Mark will be up tomorrow to help. I am pretty tired. The temperature tonight may go much colder. Some are predicting -25F.

January 18, 2003 Saturday: My sons Mark and Martin arrived this afternoon and set to work at once on the water system. After a couple of hours of crawling around under the buttery in the cold they triumphed with running water to a tub. Helen came over and drank it all. It was 14F here this morning, plenty cold enough. Helen gave 1¾ gallon this morning. I got nine eggs. Little Hailey, Mark's daughter, was here to help with evening chores.

January 19. 2002 Sunday: Mark and Martin worked manfully and established a professional looking water system under the buttery. It appears to be proofed against most any cold winter sends us. They also built a fence barrier that will forever prevent sheep and calves from getting way back under the crawl space as in the past, and amusing themselves by chewing off the insulation and biting holes in the heat tape. Biting the heat tape was done in the summer when it was not plugged in, or I expect it would have performed as a self-teaching aid. All I have to do now to get water is go down the back stairs, turn it on, and sit and wait for the tub to fill. I have to do this a couple of times a day. Helen gave 1 ¾ gallon and I got six eggs. Weather continues very cold.

January 20, 2003 Monday: No water emergencies today and no other kind of excitement either. Helen gave 1 ¾ gallon. I got nine eggs, but there was evidence of egg eating. Weather continues very cold and is now accompanied by a high wind.

January 22, 2003 Wednesday: Last night I attended a Historical Society meeting and potluck. The temperature continues to hover between 4F and 10F, but there is a very strong icy wind, enough to take the fun out of most everything. The meeting was shifted from the old schoolhouse building where we ordinarily meet into the town office building that heats better. I took a big pan of dinner rolls. The meeting was surprisingly well attended. It was originally planned to include a tour of my home. That has been mercifully postponed. The new water system continues to perform well. Helen gave two full gallons Tuesday on her new once a day schedule, and again today. Leah came in with one quarter stuffed last night, this morning and again tonight. Each time I have milked some out to relieve the pressure. Tonight I got a quart from the full quarter. Leah appreciates this and stands like a rock. However, by the time I have milked Helen I am so cold I can't keep going. I am feeding extra hay and the cows are withstanding the weather OK, but I notice they lie down in a cluster actually touching each other. Eggs have dropped off to six or seven a day. We are topping up the pig's meals with cracked corn.

January 23, 2003 Thursday: Poor Leah's cuts were torn open again by the calves and there were new ones. I feel terrible about this and don't know what to do. The way the cuts are placed I don't think it would be possible to milk her by hand. The wind has let up and the temperature rose to 4F above zero so the weather today seemed much more pleasant. Well, not exactly pleasant, but bearable. Helen gave about 1¾ gallons today. There were nine eggs.

January 24, 2003 Friday: My daughter Marcia made a suggestion for a way to separate Virginia and Cletus from the others so they can be weaned without requiring me to carry water to the barn. The idea is to restore a bay (stall) in the carriage house that serves as my attached garage. Helena and I worked all morning on making this habitable for the two calves, but did not quite finish the job. We will be able to move them in the morning. I had already been separating them at night, so I simply kept them in today. This meant I could milk again this evening. Helen gave 2 ¾ gallons today, all of which was sold before it had time to chill. I have a number of devoted customers. Unfortunately, nothing has occurred to me that will enable separation of Maria from Leah. Her teats had been clearing up a bit but were worse again this morning and this evening were actually bloody. I just don't know what to do about this. I need a miracle. Only four eggs today.

January 25, 2003 Saturday: With very little difficulty Helena and I moved the two calves, Virginia, eight months, and Cletus, seven months, to the new quarters we prepared for them by fixing up an area in the carriage house (now my garage). They settled right in and look cute. The cold weather continues although somewhat moderated today. The chickens are laying poorly. Only three eggs today. Their water keeps freezing up. I am hoping to implement Sally L's suggestion for using an old crock pot. So far I have succeeded in borrowing the outer electrical unit part.

January 26, 2003 Sunday: My grandson Rafe and a college friend are here. They carried out an idea we both had for stabilizing the manger in the beefer pen. It is a heavy box shaped thing about 5'square with head slots. The cows get their heads in the slots and carry the thing across the room. Then every time I feed out hay I must first go in and shove it into position under the hay drop. This is annoying, and it is heavy. Furthermore, the sheep are always climbing through the head slots and eating from inside so that the cows have to eat their hay from among the legs of sheep. The boys have now put a bottom into the thing which it did not previously have and have run ropes from each corner up over the rafters. Now when the cows put their heads in the slots and push the whole manger swings. The sheep do not care to be in a swinging basket, so it appears, and are now less pesky. Helen gave only 2 gallons yesterday and today. I got only three eggs today.

January 27, 2003 Monday: It is hard to speak of anything but the weather. It snowed a few inches yesterday and last night and this temporarily brought the temperature up above freezing. Today it was back below zero with a return of a strong wind that threatens to slice one's face off. Nothing daunted, the boys ate a lot of spaghetti and snowshoed up Mt. Blue today before returning to school. Helen gave about 2 ½ gallons. We got five eggs.

January 29, 2003 Wednesday: Helen gave 2 ½ gallons today. This morning Leah came in with one quarter (the same one as before) stuffed with milk, so I milked out a quart. She was cooperative. Both cows are coming in filthy every time. I am taking ever-increasing amounts of hot water and cloths to the barn and must work about ten minutes on udder clean-up before I can milk. It is mostly because they are loose and do not choose to spend their days outside in bad weather. While inside they consistently favor the same spots to hang around or lie - in. I carry out plenty of fork loads and spread around mulch hay but have yet to see much benefit from these exertions. Only three eggs today. One chicken was sneezing.

January 30, 2003 Thursday: It was 10F this morning, but the sun was bright and the temp got up over 20F by afternoon. The weatherman says it will be cold again tomorrow. I bought Virginia and Cletus a salt block and Helena put it into the wall frame where it fits. They were so excited about it and so pushy they soon knocked it down. Somehow today Virginia got a cut on her ear. It was dripping blood. It seems as though a nail must have caused it but we examined the walls of their pen and found nothing. Thank goodness it was her ear and not her eye. Helen gave something over 2 ½ gallons today. I only got three eggs. I have changed to another brand of chicken feed. This always gets them excited even though it is hard to really be sure if it is any better. I am taking even more trouble about their water. I think they are just tired of the cold.

January 31, 2003 Friday: Helen continues to come in for milking very dirty. I take about six quarts of boiling water to the barn with me. It is hand hot by the time I am ready to wash her udder. First I get off what I can by brushing. I have four clean cloths, one for each teat. This way I do not have to sozzle a cloth that is already soiled when I wash the next teat. I also have a roll of paper towels handy. 

Tomorrow I hope to set up a slow cooker according to the suggestion of Sally L for the chicken water. I keep breaking open their water but so much of the time it is frozen. Today or tomorrow is the day Leah will come in heat if she is not bred. She bellowed two or three times this evening and my heart sank. Her calf, Maria, darted in with the cows at milking time and spent the time nursing on her mother. This saved me a lot of trouble. Helen gave only a little over two gallons today. I got five eggs and one was frozen.

February 1, 2003 Saturday: I heard no bellowing from Leah (indicating she was in heat) until after milking chores were over and I was back in the house. But, it turned out that she and Helen had a good excuse. They were standing beside their water tub which was empty. Some bad actor had knocked it out of alignment with the dripping tap that has been keeping it filled. Not only this, but they had bent the copper pipe, which is not all that strong, into an L shape. I very slowly bent it back. The moment I turned it on both cows put their heads into the tub and drank the water as fast as it ran. I had to crouch there about ten minutes defending the tap. For the remainder of the day I heard no further mooing so I am permitting myself cautious optimism that Leah may be bred. It was much warmer today. I did not check the actual temperature because of my day-long focus on the tragic news of the loss of the space shuttle Columbia. But it had to be over thirty. Even after dark the eves of the barn were dripping. Helen gave only two gallons today and I got only four eggs.

February 2, 2003 Sunday: Still no signs of heat in Leah. So it looks like Mollybrook Poseidon Adventure is the man of the hour. I am also happy to report that the cuts on her teats are a lot better. Only one still looks weepy. It snowed all day today. Heavy wet snow creating a classically beautiful winter landscape. It is not very cold. Just about 32F. Helen gave a bit over two gallons. There were eight eggs.

February 4, 2003 Tuesday: A lot of new snow has fallen since yesterday. It is blocking the big gate into the barnyard where we go through to feed the pigs. My buckets and I can barely squeeze through. The pigs are looking shiny and sleek although one is a lot bigger than the other. All the animals look great,except the cows are getting dirty. It takes me about ten minutes to get Helen clean at each milking. I must say, her manners are excellent. She stands like a rock. Leah also allows me to handle her udder and teats with a minimum of wincing. All but one teat look well recovered. The snow is now deep enough to cause me to make a floundering, ungraceful progress to the barn. But, it is much warmer. It has hung around 30F now for three days. No one has come to plow me out. I went to town for feed today and to feed my cousin's cat. I made it through the berm at the end of the driveway by driving at high speed, but could only make it half way back up the driveway when I came home. Helen gave 1½ gallons today and I got five eggs.

February 5, 2003 Wednesday: I picked up the phone and called my neighbor that plows. He said his truck had been broken down but now was working and he arrived not long after. He broke open the berm and plowed a few swathes before getting himself hopelessly mired down in snow exactly in front of the overhead door where we put hay into the barn. He walked home to get help, but the vehicle he brought was too light to tow his truck and merely succeeded in digging its way down into my lawn. His truck kept spinning its wheels and then breathed its last. They both went home in the tow vehicle. As it happens, my hay man called and declared his intention, oft deferred, of bringing my hay order next Monday or Tuesday. There is no way to get hay in past that dead truck. My neighbor sent his young nephew over on a riding mower fitted with a little blade. He cleared a path to get my car into the garage. My car had a deep layer of snow on it so I could barely open the door. For those living in a warmer climate I must tell you that around here if you have a garage it is best to put your car into it. A storm such as we just had is quite likely to freeze your car doors shut. And worse, freeze your lock. Forget operating the windshield wipers. They also did not get around to plowing me a trail to the barn. The snow has drifted well above my boots. It has drifted against the paddock gate making necessary a detour through the barn to feed the pigs. Helen gave her usual 1½ gallons and there were eight eggs. I tossed a white Leghorn cockerel out from life among the layers. He was standing outside the box waiting for a little white hen to lay. Often the cockerel is waiting to eat the egg. I did not wait for his explanation but grabbed my handy landing net and scooped him up.

February 7, 2003 Friday: Winter continues to be the main topic on the minds of Mainers. Today got to me a bit because my car heater quit. We had a little new snow, just a dusting. The cows pushed their water tub out of line again. I heard them down there rattling their bells and stomping around. Like last time, when I began filling the tub Helen and Leah with their heads tight together drank as fast as the tap ran for about ten minutes. I crouched there holding the faucet and tub so they would not shove everything out of line again. Helen only managed 1 gallon plus one quart today. I got nine eggs.

February 9, 2003 Sunday: When I stepped outside to do the midday feeding I heard all kids of bellowing from the barn. I stuck my head into the beefer pen to have a look and there was the pink pig, Phoebe, greeting me at the door. She had escaped her own pen and come to visit the cows. I was not terribly surprised, because last night when I fed them I saw that they had broken down a 2x4 above their trough. The board was dangling and it was obvious that they would soon figure out that they could leave whenever they wanted to. The presence of a displaced pig was annoying to Helen and totally infuriating to Leah who has her daughter Marie to think about. Who knows, maybe pigs are dangerous to heifers? Phoebe looked perfectly at home and stuck her head right into the manger when I threw down hay. This was way too much for Leah and she ran full speed around the feeder and slammed her head into Phoebe. Phoebe backed off a bit and looked up at me. In fact they both looked up at me. Then Phoebe went back to eating. It is very hard to distract a pig from eating. I explained to Leah that there was not a blamed thing I could do about the party crasher until some help showed up. I am not able to deal with the damage to the pen and there is no use tempting Phoebe home until it is fixed. I also pointed out that cows have been co-existing with pigs since the year dot. Later: Fortunately my grandson Rafe showed up with some friends. He repaired the pigpen and I was able to tempt Phoebe and Emily, who soon joined Phoebe for their outing, back inside. Phoebe especially is very friendly and probably could be allowed out often if it didn't drive the cows nuts. They bellowed all day. I did not even bother milking Helen tonight after all the excitement. I got seven eggs.

February 11, 2003 Tuesday: All peaceful here today. Thermometer read 6F this morning and there was considerable wind early in the day. The sun was brilliant and the wind calmed down enough so the cows stood outside during the afternoon. Nonetheless it is a big task trying to keep the indoor area (beefer pen) clean enough so that they can lie down in a dry spot. The manure pile by the outside ramp is now about five feet high. That represents considerable aerobic activity on my part. For this opportunity I do not need to attend a workout class. Yesterday following an evening of skipping the milking Helen gave three Gallons, but today only two. I got nine eggs.

February 12, 2003 Wednesday: My hay arrived today at last. It is not as good as the hay I got last fall. It is first cut timothy with some reed canary. I fed it out tonight and Helen turned up her nose at it. She went around to the other side of the feeder to see if they were getting something different over there. Leah did not appear to have a problem with it. My hay man brought a helper and I had my granddaughter Helena and her brother David to help also. So, it was soon stacked in the barn. My hay man says he ran across some good alfalfa and I asked him to bring me some of that if he can. Helen gave 2 ½ gallons today and I got seven eggs. It was down to 10F this morning, then started to snow and got up around 15F for a little while.

February 13, 2003 Thursday: I gave the cows extra hay today because of the cold weather. Helen does not like the new hay, but I notice it did disappear. She gave only a bit over two gallons today. I don't know if this is because of the cold weather or the lower hay quality. I called and increased my alfalfa order. This morning started out at 6F, but never got above zero even though the sun was bright. The wind was blowing too. I wonder how the wild animals in the woods are faring. For the first time in my life I saw crows on my bird feeder. They must be really hungry. I suppose they could have been ravens. I am not sure how to tell the difference. My granddaughter Helena made a rich chocolate cake to warm us up. My vet stopped in and I fed him a big slice.

February 14, 2003 Friday: Thursday and Friday were much the same. Helen gave two gallons and about a quart. Today there were only five eggs. It was -20F this morning. The critters are having a hard time being good sports. A persistent wind keeps them from being very comfortable. They do go stand outside whenever it dies down. The weatherman says that perhaps there will only be a couple more of these cold days.

February 16, 2003 Sunday: Helen's production is dropping. She did not reach two gallons today. I don't know if it is the cold or her dislike of the new hay. Maybe both. Surprisingly, the hens are not laying too badly. I got seven eggs yesterday and nine today. It was not quite so cold this morning, -10F and the wind has diminished. The sun shone for several hours too. The cold is building up in the walls. The water to the kitchen sink was frozen again and the feed line to the radiator in the kitchen. Both are on the Western exposure that faces the wind. I spent all my free time today getting the pipes thawed out but was successful at last.

February 17, 2003 Monday: Nobody speaks of anything but the weather these days so why should I be the exception? It got up to 10F today and I broke into a sweat while mucking out. Helen continues to object to her new hay. I throw it down and she looks up at me and goes "Moo!" I have taken to throwing down a couple of flakes of her favorite stuff to top it off. Only three eggs today. I don't think the chickens care much for their current feed either. Darn it. It's $1.50 cheaper than Nutrena (Cargill). The vast snow storm muffling the East Coast is supposed to reach us tonight. If it doesn't snow us in I will go buy feed. Helen gave two gallons today.

February 18, 2003 Tuesday: The snowstorm hasn't amounted to much so far, even though it snowed all day. Three inches maybe, no wind and 20F. I called and had the feed delivered, so did not have to go out. All the animals including the dogs seemed happier today. I got ten eggs. Helen gave one gallon plus a quart.

February 20, 2003 Thursday: At last a warm sunny day. It got up to 40F. I sat on my deck for a few minutes just to be able to say I had done it. My feet were in six inches of snow yet it seemed warm. My alfalfa arrived today. I have never before been able to get alfalfa in Maine, but my hay man came across somebody with a barn full and bought it up. I was warned that the cows might not take to it right away but they actually lunged at it. Both yesterday and today Helen gave about two gallons and I got 11 eggs.

February 21, 2003: A young woman whom I have known many years stopped by with her two small girls and we did a farm tour. Both girls are fascinated with the animals. They petted the velvety noses of Cletus and Virginia in their garage stall and saw pigs for the first time. Like all visiting children they consider it a very special treat to collect the eggs. Her mother tells me that the younger girl, Emma, does not care for milk except when she gets a glass of "Helen's milk". It is mighty fine. Helen gave two gallons today and I got seven eggs.

February 22, 2003 Saturday: At last I can say that the cuts on Leah's teats are truly healed. I have washed her udder every day and applied vitamin E. Maria's style of nursing has not caused any new ones. Today was in the 40's and heavily overcast. I felt a bit of spring in the air and opened the outer door of the chicken room so they could step out onto the snow if they wanted to. Mostly they just stood in the doorway. Two of my best Black Australorp hens noticed the door behind me to the barn left ajar and escaped to join the seven birds that live "free". They knew exactly what they were doing and were unwilling to be shooed back where they belong. At dusk they got up high with the others but did not settle down. They stood there eyeing me so they could fly away in case I had in mind catching them. Now we are having a sleet storm. Helen gave two gallons and there were nine eggs.

February 23, 2003 Sunday: Sleet has fallen since yesterday and now a great wind has arisen, but I can report that I smell spring in the air. The animals are friskier too; even my old dog Muffin who takes two minutes to stand up in the morning tries to bounce a bit. Helen gave two gallons today. I got seven eggs.

February 25, 2003 Tuesday: Winter has blown back in. Maine was down in the single numbers today with an icy wind and sub zero expected tonight. I saw grim faces in town today. We Mainers are having trouble staying good sports about the Winter of 2003! A lot of people have frozen pipes and are out of luck until spring thaw. My water is running, I am pleased to report. But I'm afraid Helen is feeling the effect. She gave only 1.75 gal. today, and I had to squeeze hard for that. Poor Leah is looking thin, but her calf, Maria, of course looks great. The chickens are doing ok. Their room has a lot of hay in it and that helps keep them comfortable. They have no more frozen water since I tried Sally L's idea of using a crock pot. I got 11 eggs yesterday, 10 today. The sheep have a new trick. They crowd around when we feed the pigs and try to get the pig food. At first it was just one sheep, then another day it was two. Now all six try to get a taste.

February 26, 2003 Wednesday: Another cold morning, -10F. But, with brilliant sun all day and more hours of daylight it warmed slightly. By afternoon there was melt water running off the eves and long icicles forming. When the sun got low it shone so brilliant on the hard crust that I could not look in that direction. The cows knocked their water tub out of the way again. They heard my feet over their heads and began mooing, so I went down to check. As before, they were so thirsty that after I turned the water on they both put their heads down and sucked it off the bottom of the tub as fast as it ran in. They did this for about ten minutes before finally raising their heads. I had to crouch there holding onto the tub or they would have scooted it away from the tap. The few hens that are free ranging among the cows are up to their old tricks. This morning I found a nest with six beautiful eggs, all frozen. I put them into the pig bucket.

February 27, 2003 Thursday: Those bad hens that run around loose have hidden their eggs so I can't find a one! I really tried today. When I do find them they will be frozen. Tomorrow I will take a flashlight, better still, I'll send granddaughter Helena with the flashlight. They aren't getting away with this! Nine eggs from the confined hens. Just over two gallons from Helen. I rather imagine Leah is giving as much or more than Helen. I saw Maria nursing this evening. When I opened the door to let them in at milking time Leah did not stir. Ordinarily she bolts in even sometimes getting ahead of Helen in her hurry for her grain. But, she would not move until Maria was finished nursing. This required a good five minutes. It was 15F this morning.

February 28, 2003 Friday: Fifteen minutes with a flashlight did not reveal any new nests, but I did find two eggs in nesting spots where I have been checking. In these I have put fake eggs. Hens free to choose won't lay in a nest from which the eggs disappear. Their genes tell them the fox is about. But they are easily fooled by wooden eggs. I got eight eggs from the housed birds. Helen gave two gallons. She is not getting thin like Leah. She has always been a bit of a meatloaf compared to Leah who is very dainty. Leah is getting about 8lb/day of grain and pretty much all the hay she can eat. The hay I am now feeding is good quality. She is putting it all into milk for Maria. It was 8F this morning but got up over thirty this afternoon under a bright sun. I made 4lb of lard from some pork fat I had in the freezer.

March 2, 2003 Sunday: Four of my family went out on snowshoes yesterday and followed the river for a long way. Bagel dog went along and had a wonderful time. He is so happy when events like this occur. I know he thinks I don't take him for enough walks. Nonetheless, he faithfully accompanies me to the mailbox and waits in our driveway while I cross the road. He waits in front of the barn while I do the chores. That is the most excitement he gets much of the time. 

Another nice big snowstorm arrived today. It is warm, only about freezing, so the flakes are big and wet, just right for snowballs. The cows went out today and stood on the manure pile. I suppose heat rises from it. They looked pretty funny. The snow has blocked the gate we go through when taking the pigs their meals. We are going to have to make a big detour now until we get a thaw. I had so much help today that we lost track of the number of eggs but I know Helen gave a bit over two gallons.

March 3, 2003 Monday: This morning the temperature started out at zero, but the thermometer fell all day. There was a strong wind too with wind chills about -30. By evening it warmed back up to zero. There was bright sun all day. On Sunday when it was so warm we opened up the window in the new calf pen in the carriage house/garage where the calves, Cletus and Virginia now live. This morning they looked kind of miserable with all that wind, so visiting son Bret has tied it shut again. It is not a real window, just a flapping shutter and is tricky to keep closed. He devised something with hay string. All the animals got extra feed today to cheer them up, but still Helen gave under two gallons. I got seven eggs. The chickens were all looking mumpish huddled together with their feathers fluffed.

March 4, 2003 Tuesday: Thirteen eggs today! The hens must be telling me that spring is on the way. Helen gave a bit over two gallons. I nearly forgot the pigs tonight. My son Bret went out in the dark for me and took them their dinner. They are very friendly pigs and appreciate every attention. It was 18F this morning but was sunny and warmed up to 20F by afternoon. There are magnificent icicles in the south side of the house.

March 6, 2003 Thursday: My grandson Rafe and a friend were here today and tried to dig loose the big metal gate to the barnyard that froze shut in the last storm. But, there was too much ice. The gate is shut now until be get a real thaw. We will have to continue making a detour around the back of the house to feed the pigs. The new route follows the path the cows have made to come up to the buttery for their water, so there is a well beaten path. 

When we feed the pigs the sheep crowd around hoping for a few grains of pig feed and usually they get a bit. When I throw down hay for the cows inevitably quite a lot falls on the sheep. I have worried that this will spoil their wool. Yet the wool looks quite clean. I notice they nibble the bits of hay off each other's backs. It is almost as though they are grooming each other. I don't know enough about to sheep to know if this is common behavior. Helen gave two gallons and maybe a pint. I got one dozen eggs. The weather today was cold and bleak, about 15F.

March 7, 2003 Friday: My granddaughter Helena introduced the calves, Cletus and Virginia, to apples today. We had some that were beginning to spoil. Cletus went for them right away but Virginia started out by just licking them. They seem to like them better when they are starting to spoil. It can be hard for cows to eat apples whole. It is better to cut their apples for them. There is a slight chance of choking. If the apples are on the ground they can eat them better. They dearly love to clean up under apple trees. Helen gave 2 gallons and maybe a pint. I got 13 eggs. This morning started off at 10F but warmed up to about 20F during the sunny part of the day. Maine gets a lot of sun in winter.

March 8, 2003 Saturday :  It was wonderfully warm today, about 40F and sunny. Now that I go the back way to feed the pigs along the back of the buildings, I am seeing things I have been overlooking. The cows are tearing shingles off the back of the carriage house. For some reason they love doing that. It is a form of bovine cribbing. Cows do not have upper incisors so cannot crib like horses on the upper edges of things. But they can get their lower incisors under the edges of shingles and rip them off. The ground back there is littered with cedar shingles. They are not eating them, just throwing them around. I brought in a bunch to dry out for kindling. Tonight when I let the cows in for milking Maria followed her mother at a run and began feeding. She is big and rambunctious now, and I have not been allowing her in with the cows for weeks. She has her mother all day outside. Helen was annoyed by this departure from the usual protocols and did not let down very well. She gave a bit over two gallons today. I got 11 eggs.

March 9, 2003 Sunday:   Helena found Fraidy Cat's kittens. Fraidy is so fearful that we rarely find her Kittens, but this time she could not resist a box of hay Helena had put in the attic in the carriage house. There are three kittens. They are black and white like all the rest of the cats around here. Helena set out all kinds of food choices for Fraidy. Actually, I am able to pet Fraidy and probably Helena soon will be able to also. But, mostly she bolts away for no good reason. Today started out warm. It was actually 32F at 6AM but is turning colder tonight. Helen gave a gallon plus a pint and I got 11 eggs.

March 11, 2003 Tuesday:   Sub zero overnight temperatures continue, but it gets up over 20F by afternoon. That is not warm enough to tempt me outdoors, except of course for chores. At this evening's milking I found a small cut on Helen's near front teat. It looks like something a nail or splinter might do. By the end of milking she was having a hard time controlling her impulse to kick. I slathered it with vitamin E and zinc ointment. Leah did not want her grain tonight. She put her head into her stanchion, and then walked away. She did go back and stand in place but did not eat. This morning's grain was still there too which I failed to notice when I poured in more tonight. It is somewhat dark where she stands. She doesn't act sick. I can't imagine why she did not eat unless she just hates the grain. It is a new kind I have not bought before, Purina, and is only 14% protein. I picked it up the other day when I was in a hurry. Helen's production is dropping. Yesterday and today it fell under two gallons. I got a dozen eggs yesterday and eight today.

March 12, 2003 Wednesday:   Up to 40F today under cloudy skies. It felt springy and so I ventured to flounder down to look at my little fishpond. Of course it is still frozen solid under a goodly layer of snow, but at least I reached it. Every few steps I went into the snow above my boots. Up against the house there is some bare ground showing. Helena took a hammer out to the barn and did a pig pen repair. One of the 2"x 8"s about four feet off the ground has been looking wobbly. Phoebe, the larger pink pig can put her feet on it and I figured it was only a matter of time until it came loose. If you have not raised pigs yourself it is hard to believe how strong the pen needs to be. One may think of a pig as fat but in fact it is an arch of powerful muscle on short strong legs in the service of a snout that can lift at least its own weight. If you pat a pig what you feel is as solid as a soccer ball. No way would you ever lift up a bit to pinch the way you can on other animals. Helena also pitched a lot of manure out the window of the calf pen. Helen gave a bit more milk than yesterday, 1 ¾ gal. I got 11 eggs. Helen's injured teat was looking better. I am continuing to apply vitamin E and zinc ointment.

March 13, 2003 Thursday:   There was not much melting today, but enough to expose a ruff of dry grass along the fence line near the barn. The sheep got all excited about nibbling at it. All the animals pine for spring now, I can tell. Count me in. Helen gave 1 ¾ gal. today and there were 10 eggs.

March 14, 2003 Friday:   A possible sign of spring today; when I brush Helen a lot of hair comes out. Perhaps she is expecting warmer weather. She did not get it today. It started out about 8F and eventually made it to 18F with a cold wind and little sun. I could tell that Helen and Leah were feeling really crabby. They kept chasing the sheep around the feeder and changing places all the while shaking their heads in annoyance. Helen gave a little over 1 ½ gallons. I got a dozen eggs. I did not think the chickens were feeling too cheerful either. But they did look cute lined up shoulder to shoulder to take advantage of a strip of sunbeam that hit their window about 8am.

March 15, 2003 Saturday: Lots warmer today. The snow is still a foot or more thick in most places but the sun has created an icy surface. As a result I have done some unexpected gymnastics while carrying pails. I spread ashes on the path to the barn for traction. At the noon feeding today I stepped out the back door of the barn and Bagel thought surely I must be setting out on a walk. When I turned to go back in he looked so crestfallen that I changed my mind and set out across the pasture following a path the cows and sheep have pounded down. It leads over to a row of pine trees. The sun beats in there making a sun trap and melting away the snow. The cows love to go there and stand. The ground is warm with pine needles. Helen gave 1 ¾ gallons today and there were nine eggs.

March 16, 2003 Sunday: Helena went in with the pigs today, Phoebe and Emma, and pitched out about 2 inches of manure. The pigs are actually tidier than the calves. The cows and sheep made several more sorties to their sun trap over by the woods. They go in single file like an ant train. It got up to 40F today. Helena set out buckets under the eves and caught two buckets of water for the calves. Helen did a bit better today. She gave almost two gallons. I got a dozen eggs.

March 17, 2003 Monday: It got up to 60F today! Everyone is smiling. The animals all stood out in the sun and baked. Helen's production responded well. She gave over two gallons. A few bare spots are appearing where the snow is thinner. My flock of eight unconfined birds were out exploring the exposed ground. On sunny days I open the door for the confined layers so they can go out in their run if they choose. So far none has bothered. They see no point in walking on snow and their yard is still a foot deep. I got ten eggs today.

March 18, 2003 Tuesday: Not quite so warm today, but warm enough to tempt me out onto my deck in the early morning with my tea. Unfortunately, on my way back in I stumbled and struck my right hand against the doorjamb with painful results. My third finger feels really insulted and it was hard to milk. Helen came in very dirty and became impatient with my prolonged clean up. She flipped her filthy tail at me a few times. Usually if I touch her tail and say "No", she remembers that I hate that. I think in this case she was expressing her annoyance and already knew jolly well I didn't appreciate it. I got a hay string and tied it around her tail and the other end to a nail. Then I had quiet milking except for the pinging in my third finger. There is already an arthritic lump on the first joint, but ordinarily it is not painful. Helen gave 2 gallons plus about a quart. I got a dozen eggs.

March 19, 2003 Wednesday: With weather getting warmer and some patches of bare ground appearing, I felt it was time to check on fences. My granddaughter Helena and I made an expedition this morning along the fence that borders the road. This often gets badly damaged by the snowplow. It was hard traveling. In places the snow is now thin but elsewhere it is deep and dense. You take a few steps, and then sink in. Often we went way over the tops of our boots and even above our knees. We went around the North Field and decided to leave the rest for another day. I flagged some problem areas, but there is little damage compared to last year. Upon returning, I looked in on the calves and saw something dangling out of Virginia's mouth. It proved to be a truly loathsome slimy old rag covered with dried on dung. I grabbed it and pulled it out of her mouth. Half of it was already down her throat and she was struggling with it. She could easily have choked if I had not happened along. Helena and I went to a lot of trouble cleaning the stall before moving in the calves but it has a dirt floor and I suppose subsurface detritus is being stirred up. Cows have no way of removing something from their mouths once it gets past their tongue. They often swallow string just because that is all they can do with it once it begins to head down the throat. This is so scary.

March 20, 2003 Thursday: Today was overcast, but not cold and now it has started to rain, the first rain. But, just to give an index to what a relentless winter we have had, on the day after Thanksgiving I boiled the turkey bones for stock, then to get the bones out of the way I put them in the buttery in a big stainless steel bowl. That night they froze, effectively postponing my decision as to how to dispose of them. Those bones never thawed out until this week. Today I brought them in looking much as they looked in November and threw them into the wood stove. Now for a real sign of spring, a bantam hen has gone broody. She is in a box of hay near where I feed the barn cats, but they never bother the hens. The finger I smashed two days ago is some better. I was able to milk without favoring it. Helen gave just barely two gallons today. There were ten eggs.

March 21, 2003 Friday: The Vernal Equinox is today. That always seems exciting to me. It rained last night, just the end of the terrible storm that has plagued the rest of the country. Now today was warm and sunny and much snow melted. The animals have been walking here and there. The chicken yard is on the north side of the barn and still under snow, but I took them a treat and they all went outside. The treat was a tray of sunflower seed sprouts about 4" tall. There was nothing left next time I looked. Even the soil less mix was gone. Helen gave a bit under two gallons today and I got only eight eggs.

March 22, 2003 Saturday: Another sign of spring today, when I stepped outside this evening I smelled a skunk. I guess they are waking up. I spent a lot of today cooking. My goal was Tres Leche Cake. It calls for the hottest new ingredient, Dulce de Leche. I was unfamiliar with this and so were the authors of all my cookbooks. But, the description of it was "caramelized milk". Back came memories from the 1930's of my father, the country's first house husband, making a Lucullien sweet by boiling an unopened can of Eagle Brand condensed milk for hours. I had a dusty can of Eagle Brand in my cupboard and read the label: Never heat an unopened can. Unopened it went into a saucepan of water whereupon I simmered it in the Aga oven for about an hour and a half. (My infant memory was that my father simmered it for four hours and my sister has confirmed this.) After cooling the can I opened it. It was still pourable, not thick and fudgy as I remembered, but the flavor is perfect. I feel sure I have achieved Dulce de Leche on my own. Helen gave only 1 ¾ gallon today. I fear that the finger I bashed a few days ago is still inhibiting proper milking. There were 11 eggs.

March 23, 2003 Sunday: Helen gave a bit over two gallons today. There were nine eggs. A great deal of snow melted today. The ice has gone out of the river, but the water level is not at flood stage yet, or anywhere near. I don't believe we will have flooding this year.

March 24, 2003 Monday: There is a little brown bantam gone broody. She has been broody nearly a week and other hens have stopped laying under her. For a few days after they go broody other hens pop eggs under them hoping to get a free ride for their egg I guess. This hen seems faithful to her task, so tonight I went out after dark and put six large eggs from heavy layers under her. I marked her cardboard box with the date in big letters. For the first time this year the sheep were all out on the knoll nibbling. Helen gave two gallons. There were seven eggs.

March 26, 2003 Wednesday: It rained most of the day, a gentle steady rain that will not cause flooding. The thermometer stood around 40F. I'd say that 90% of the snow is now gone. The hen yard is still half ice, but there are some holes in the fence and most of the chickens went exploring the wider world. Some adventurous ones were halfway over to the woods. I should have picked up pig feed when I went out Monday but persuaded myself we had enough for a couple of more days. I was mistaken. So the pigs have been eating dog food for their last four meals. They really like it. My grandson Rafe and a friend from their school in Bar Harbor popped in last night on their way to have fun somewhere in Vermont. I cobbled together a square meal finished off by rice pudding. They plan to return at the weekend to shear the sheep. It is a big awkward job for us tyros. My daughter, Sally, the true owner of the sheep, has just completed weaving a blanket from the wool from last year. She is a master spinner and a highly competent weaver. She turns out wool projects with impressive frequency. Helen gave two gallons today and there were 13 eggs. I found one of the hidden nests. It contained four beautiful blue eggs.

March 27, 2003 Thursday: Helena and I walked along the river to the confluence with Hutchinson Brook. I wanted to see if my spring line was leaking in any of the exposed places. I did not see any damage. However, where it crosses the brook the line was not visible because the water is muddy. The ice in the river is moving slowly downstream. The river is high,but still three feet below the top of the six-foot bank. We spotted some fence damage that I will have to go back and repair. The barbed wire is full of wool tufts the sheep have left. There were also dog prints. It appears that Bagel has been doing a tour down there. There are always a few dead deer in the woods that have been shot during hunting season and not successfully tracked. Now they emerge from the melting snow. Bagel dragged home a foot yesterday. All the animals have been spending time on the pasture. I saw tufts of old brown grass in Leah's mouth. They do so long to graze. They also prefer the melt water to their civilized tub. Helen gave two gallons today. There were ten eggs.

March 28, 2003 Friday: To welcome spring I daringly removed the plastic from one kitchen window. We usually have at least one late snowstorm in March or April, so I may regret this, but it is so nice to be able to open the window when there is warmth in the middle of the day. The sheep voted for spring by not showing up for hay this evening. For the first time since last fall they were not there crowding in with the cows annoying them. I suppose they must have filled up on old brown grass. Helen gave a scant two gallons today. She is much cleaner now that she spends a lot of time walking around outdoors. There were eight eggs. A Black Australorp has gone broody. She had been laying well.

March 29, 2003 Saturday: When I let the dogs out this morning I did a double take. There was my Grandson, Rafe's white pickup in the driveway but I was unaware of any extra people in the house and certainly had not heard anybody come in. It turned out that they arrived about 2AM, did not want to wake us and did not know where the key was. So, he and his two friends Tom and Silas got their sleeping bags and slept in the haymow. When they showed up in the kitchen they claimed to have slept very well except for periodic disturbance by the roosters. They came to shear the sheep. Rafe and I went out after a hearty breakfast of pancakes and bacon and attempted to separate the sheep from the cows. I had locked the entire lot inside the beefer pen after morning milking. The cows badly wanted to get out and went for the door as soon as I opened it. We tried to hold back the sheep but two got through by running among the cows' legs. After that it required a half hour of ingenuity to get all the sheep collected up in the small box stall. The men then brought them out one at a time and sheered them with my power clippers. It took about three hours for the six sheep. The guys did a good job, but the sheep always look pretty funny without their fleeces. Later it started to rain, but is not very cold, and of course they have shelter. The men also repaired the hay feeder that was falling apart again. Helen gave two gallons of milk. I lost track of the eggs but it was about a dozen.

March 31, 2003 Monday: An unwelcome sight this morning when I looked out my bedroom window: a snow covered world. It snowed almost all day yesterday, but there was no wind and the temperature remained mild. The snow landed as slush and a lot of it melted. The newly shorn sheep did not appear to suffer. Today the thermometer fell and a cold wind blew and I saw the sheep shivering. They are all fat so I hope they are able to adjust quickly. When I entered the room where my layers are the wind blew open the door behind me. A fat Black Cochin hen and a trim Black Australorp grabbed their chance to try life on the loose. At evening chores the Cochin was huddled by the door wanting to get back inside but the Australorp had gone into hiding. I caught a different free hen to make up for the loss. She was easy to catch because she always roosts on a ladder in plain sight. Helen gave 2 ¼ gallons and there were 16 eggs.

April 1, 2003 Tuesday: It was back down to 18F this morning but did not feel as cold as yesterday as there was no wind. But, the farm is once again under snow and my stairs off the deck that I use to visit the pigs were thick with ice. As usual, when I went to the barn this morning I went straight in to administer to the chickens. I soon became aware that cow and sheep bells were very close, much too close, right outside the door in fact! Apparently I had not hooked the interior door to the Beefer Pen, their nighttime home, and when they heard me in the barn they all came traipsing in. I was glad that my habit of always latching the door to the grain room had not failed me. I am so paranoid about this that I close it even when just going in and out with grain pans. If they ever got in there they would not come out until they foundered. Plus the floor is weak and it is unlikely it would hold two cows not to mention a heifer calf and six sheep. Whew! I did go back for a last look at them all last night to see if the sheep were still shivering. They were not, nor were they today. The adventuresome Black Australorp was ready to go home this morning but fled when I advanced to open the door for her. Later I saw that she had found her way back to her friends through a hole in the chicken wire run. She was back on her perch tonight. Helen gave about 2 ¼ gallons today. I found eight eggs.

April 4, 2003 Friday: I call this English weather. It has been gray and overcast, the thermometer hanging right around 30F, just so the cold seems to penetrate. I have been keeping a close eye on my hay and figured that if warm weather were to get here by the middle of April I would have enough. Even though there won't be any grazing before May, the cows and sheep spend sunny days poking around the pasture and don't eat as much when they come in. The sheep, especially, seem to fill up on something. Now another two-day snowstorm is predicted. So, this morning I picked up the phone and ordered another fifty bales. A week or so ago I planted a tray of seeds and all are up. The seedlings are of lettuce, tomato, cabbage and cardoon. Cardoon is a big elegant looking plant thought by some to resemble artichoke in flavor. I grew it once years ago but can't remember that I got around to eating any. So this should be an entertaining experiment.

April 5, 2003 Saturday: Snow fell last night, all day today and is still falling at 9:00 o'clock at night. It is pretty cold too, so I expect it will linger awhile. I saw the sheep out in the paddock pawing it away as they looked for grazing. They get plenty of hay. They just want to graze. Helen gave about 2 ½ gallons today and I got eight eggs. One young but very large rooster who was a chick last summer has found his way in with the layers. He has been a free-living guy and has decided he prefers a hopper of feed and the company of hens to the bachelor lifestyle. The two old roosters look worried. They now spend the day under the bench.

April 6, 2003 Sunday: It might as well have been February today. Snow everywhere and a great cold wind whipping it up. I drove to town to take custard to my cousin who was coming home from the hospital. It was the worst driving I have encountered all winter. Later the sun came out and the weather settled down. My hay man brought the fifty bales I ordered. I helped stack them. I did not have to do much because he brought along his teenage son. I have been giving the calves, Virginia and Cletus, my poor quality hay so I have enough good hay for the cows. After the new hay came I felt generous and scattered a whole bale of poor hay in with the calves for bedding. They were so thrilled that they ran around in circles playing in it, kicking up their heels. Helen gave close to 1 ½ gallons today and I got 13 eggs.

April 7, 2003 Monday: It seemed that winter had us once again in its grip this morning. It was 20F with snow everywhere. By late afternoon spring had fought her way back and large bare patches of field again are to be seen. The sheep and cows were all out looking for nibbles.

My vet stopped by and was good enough to bob the young tomcat that Helena nurtured all through the fall and winter. She calls him Koffee. He was badly afflicted with worms and the Lord only knows what else. Without her care he would never have made it. Now he is a very lively fellow who rushes the older cats and wrestles them to the floor. At present he is spending a quiet evening recovering from his operation. No doubt greatly to the relief of the old cats, all four of whom are getting a quiet evening for once. Helen gave a bit less than 2 ½ gals today. I got 13 eggs.

April 8, 2003 Tuesday: I saw the sheep doing a bit of running today and a few grandmotherly hops. This is surely a sign of spring. Only seven eggs today. Helen gave a good solid 2s ½ gallons. She stands so beautifully for milking, just a perfect lady, that it is hard to realize what a pill she was when first I milked her. In those days her legs were always flying.

April 10, 2003 Thursday: On the way to the barn this morning under a sunny sky I heard geese calling. I looked up and there was a perfect V of Canada geese flying purposefully due north. What an inspiring sight! I have been getting fewer eggs lately than I think I ought to, so I went on a search. I found two nests in the outside north wall of the barn. There is some winter-loosened cladding there. In one nest the eggs were cold so I took eleven bluish white ones. The other nest had a black Australorp on it and she was full of fight. She finally got off and I saw about a dozen eggs. I don't know how long she has been setting but the eggs had the dull surface of eggs that are not freshly laid. They may be close to hatching. I let her keep them and will check daily for chicks. When I looked a few minutes later she had settled back onto her nest.

Helena went into the attic over the carriage house and found a kitten. It is one from a litter born about a month ago to Fraidy Cat. There are two more, or were. Helena was able to pick up the kitten and she could hear others scrabbling around under stuff. This kitten was adorable with very long black fur and a little white chin and feet and horrified blue eyes. It was a female. She put it back in its nest. In the hen house I got 13 eggs. Helen gave a bit over 2 ½ gallons of milk today. The sheep were so contented in the pasture that they did not come in for evening hay. We have put the pigs on three meals a day. They have a date with destiny on April 22.

April 11, 2003 Friday: Helena caught another of the kittens today. It was almost the same as the one she caught yesterday but is male. The cows spent most of the day outside in the sun. It sure makes clean-up easier. Helena and I walked along the river and looked at my spring line where it is exposed. It is thawed and water is spurting from two big leaks. If it is not raining tomorrow perhaps we can go together and do a temporary repair by wrapping it with duct tape. I doubt I could do it alone because the bank is steep and high and the river is rushing by. My part will be to carry the duct tape and maybe give her a hand up afterwards. Only nine eggs today. I know they are laying somewhere else, darn 'em. Helena gave 2 ½ gallons.

April 12, 2003 Saturday: I took a tour around my lawn and garden and discovered that some rodents have completely girdled two of the new apple trees I put in last spring. Such a disappointment. They had been doing so well. If only I had wrapped the stems. This is the first time I have lost trees to rodents in so many years that I had stopped worrying. In fact, the last time was about twenty years ago when we had a pet rabbit. All my fruit tree losses, and there have been many, were due to cows or sheep eating the tops. They eventually grow back. That won't happen with these poor little trees. Helena and I walked back down to the spring line taking duct tape. She gamely climbed down the muddy bank and wrapped the leaks. No luck though, the leaks are very determined. She did have luck catching the kittens today. She brought all three into the kitchen and fed them canned cat food off the tip of her finger. The third kitten, not previously caught, is a shorthaired male and very wild.

This morning Leah came in stuffed with milk. Actually, I did not notice until I was turning them out. She just walks in with Helen and goes to her stanchion. I guess Maria must be weaning. Tonight Maria had sucked one quarter only. I sat down with a bucket and began milking Leah and she never moved a foot, she was so grateful to be milked. She did not let down well, though. I only got two quarts. Helen gave 2 ½ gallons. I got 13 eggs. Today was beautifully warm.

April 13, 2003 Palm Sunday: A fine warm day. I raked part of the lawn and did about an hour and a half of vegetable garden clean-up that I should have done last fall. I milked Leah this morning and this evening, getting a little over half a gallon each time. She wants desperately to be milked and stands like a statue, but she does not let down well at all. This evening Maria had drunk from one rear quarter, but the other three were hard as a rock. I worked long and hard with plenty of massage. I did think that she let down better tonight than before, but still every 2-teaspoon squirt was an effort. It is such a relief that she is not kicking that I don't begrudge the effort. Holding up as she does means I am not getting much cream. I kept her milk separate yesterday and it rose only a half inch of cream. My granddaughter Helena left me today in order to take a new job, there being none around here that pay better than minimum wage. It was hard to say goodbye. However, the new job sounds good. It is in my son Martin's wood composite products plant in Biddeford, Maine. So, I expect her back for Easter and other weekends perhaps. With Leah's contribution today I got nearly four gallons of milk but only six eggs. I wish I could find some of those hidden nests. The farm is going to be a-swarm with baby chicks while my egg customers will have to go to the store.

April 14, 2003 Monday: There was a shock waiting for me in with the layers this morning. One of my best hens had been mutilated by something, presumably a rat. I have not seen evidence of any rodents for a long time, years really, thanks to my army of cats. Perhaps they are too busy yowling under my bedroom window. There was no way this hen could live and she died quite soon. One of my cousins came this evening with a Havahart rattrap. Not that I have much sympathy for this rat but the old fashioned type of trap would end up catching a hen most likely. I have left the light on with the hens. They won't move in the dark and get eaten alive. On a pleasanter note, a bantam hen that has been setting for about 21 days began hatching her clutch this afternoon. When I checked on her some little fluffy heads were peeping out from among her feathers. I picked her up chicks and all (they climb up under the mother's wings and hide) and put her in a cat carrier for the night along with one egg not yet hatched. She had six large layer's eggs that I had put under her. This morning Leah came in with one rear quarter milked out. Despite 20 minutes of effort I was able to get almost no milk from the other three quarters. This evening I did not do much better. I think I got two cups total in 20 minutes. She stands so nicely but won't let down. I will just have to keep trying. So far she does not have mastitis. Helen gave 2 ½ gallons today and I got 11 eggs.

April 16, 2003 Wednesday: No rats in my trap but no more savaged hens either. I am leaving a dim light on in their room so as to give them a fighting chance. Actually, the trap is so hair trigger that I suspect it closes by itself before the rat shows up. I don't know if the rat has scared them out of laying but I'm not getting many eggs. Only nine today. The bantam with five chicks is still in the cat carrier. I will let her out when they seem crowded and restless. At each milking I make an effort to milk Leah. A couple of times she has come in with one or two quarters already empty. Tonight she came in with all four quarters empty but I made an effort just the same. She is getting a bit better about letting down so I don't want to lose that advantage by skipping a milking. Helen gave a bit over 2 ½ gallons.

April 17, 2003 Thursday: Us folks in Maine had to get out our winter jackets again It was back down in the teens this morning and cold is expected to continue several days . But, I am sure spring will break through again. When I looked out the back door of the barn after chores, a singularly beautiful view across pasture and mountains, the setting sun was making a halo of pale gold from a few trees. Bagel Dog and I walked down to see what they were. They were gray birch covered with long fluffy catkins. No branches were low enough to pick or I would have brought some to the house. The small goldfish in my little pond all made it through the winter. One of the big old ones about 7" long is floating I am sorry to say. I did not catch a rat last night. It had gone into the trap and taken the bait without springing it. I hope this gives it the nerve to try again tonight. I just reset it with peanut butter and a piece of turkey. Although I went out well after dark some hens hopped off their roost to see what was going on because of the light on in there. More than likely they will investigate the trap and spring it themselves. I will just keep on trying. Helen gave over 2 ½ gallons. I got only eight eggs. Once again Leah would not let down, but I just keep trying with her too.

April 18, 2003 Friday Still no luck with my rat catching but I set it again tonight. It is still cold, quite bleak really, but the cows and sheep prefer to be outside anyway. It saves me a lot of clean up. The pigs are looking sleek and cheerful. The hen and chicks are getting crowed in the carrier. Helena came home tonight and we will try to get my big chicken coop repaired for them. It holds a hen and chicks from getting out but now I need to make it so a rat cannot get in. Helen only gave 2 ¼ gallons today and I found only eight eggs.

Cows are sort of goofy for apples. I think she's trying to get purchase with her molars.