Update on the "Convincing Process "

UPDATE!!!
It's official.......She LOVES him!!!!!!

 My Farmer and his most loving and loyal companion stepped into the corral with bitch mom yesterday and she went after them.  That is a sure sign that she is convinced.   The calf is hers.  She is truly his protector now.
I am so thankful that she finally has accepted him.  And he is happy too.  You can just tell.  He is a bit more perky.  He is a happy calf because he once again has a momma that loves him.  And momma's happy cuz now she gets to be let out of the corral and back out to pasture with the rest of the herd with her most wonderful baby.  (I took a short video of them and I will try and post it on my Facebook page.)

I told you my Farmer would win.  He is pretty dang good at "convincing".  Yep, life is good now.  Everyone is happy......as we are...Livin' the Life.......the Farm Life that is.

The "Convincing" Process of Grafting a Calf.......

We have had two sets of twins this year. Both mommas took both twins.  (yes, sometimes a momma cow will walk away from one of the twins)  A momma cow can raise twins but it's pretty hard on her, unless she's a milk cow (meaning she has tons of milk, which neither of these cows did). It's also hard on the babies.  Neither will get the nutrition they really need. We've handled twins in different ways in the past, depending on the situation. We've let a momma raise both twins because she seemed to have lots of milk (I sure felt sorry for her by the end of summer. She was skin and bones),  we've supplemented twins with a bottle (which was a pain in the rear end),  and we've taken one twin off and made it a bottle fed baby (real cows milk is always better then the replacer milk).  The ideal situation is to graft one twin on to a different momma, one that has lost her calf. (which I guess really isn't ideal, since that means you lost a calf)  Anyways..... This year we have lost two babies, so we were able to put a twin from each set on a different momma. The first grafting went very smoothly. The new momma accepted her new baby right away. They are doing great. The 2nd grafting is not going as smoothly. We are now into day 6 (or maybe its day 10. These days seem to be running together) and bitch mom still does not like the new baby.  She has "braclets" (they are really called hobbles) on her back legs so she can't kick him. But she sure can head butt him!  (I tried to video it, but, of course, she wouldn't do it while I was recording)  Of the twins, my Farmer picked the bigger, stronger calf to graft on. Good choice. He is more aggressive, so he just keeps going at it no matter how much she butts him.
I have mixed emotions as we are doing this grafting process.  I watched these twins for three weeks. They were always together. Eating, sleeping; they were so cute. Then we split then up. Gave one a new mom that is not nice to him. He went from having a loving, caring momma to having a bitch mom. Poor guy.  His twin and real momma, however, are happy and don't even seem to miss the little guy.

Once the gate was opened, momma and twin leave and don't look back.

Its seems sad and maybe even a bit mean, but in the long run, both calves and cows will be happier and do better. But for now, we still have to work on bitch mom and continue to convince her that she loves her new baby. And she will. LOVE him that is. My Farmer will "convince" her.

My Farmer "convincing" bitch mom and talking on the phone. (Multi tasking)

On the first day of this "convincing" process, my Farmer had to stand inside the corral with a "big stick", mostly to "look intimidating" to bitch mom, while baby ate.  She may have been a tad bit more upset this first day because of her new "bracelets" that my Farmer had just put on her.  (I'm thinking maybe she isn't a leather type girl?  Maybe she wanted studded jewels on her "bracelets".  Who knows.)  Anyways...... She wouldn't let the baby eat unless we were standing in the corral.  (well, I would stand outside, of course)  Baby learned real quick that as soon as his Farmer showed up, it was time to eat.  We don't have to stand inside the corral all the time now.  We just kind of hang around, and when she head butts him, we yell at her and she stops.  Most of the time, anyhow.  All I can say is, she better get a mind adjustment soon though.  This is getting real old, doing it three times a day.
Once we are done with the "convincing" process, and she realizes that he is her calf and she's his loving and caring momma, her whole attitude will change.  Now, she could care less if we are around the baby.  When she decides she Loves him, she will not even let us close to her best ever baby. She will have become his best ever protector! (I'm hoping anyways)  Cuz that's how it is. Ya just gotta get the "convincing" process done. 
And that's what we do.  It's all part of  Livin' the Life, the Farm Life that is......

Baby and Bitch Mom.

UPDATE!!!     My Farmer has taken bitch mom's "bracelets" off!  She still doesn't completely love him yet (shes still in denial), but we're getting close!

Being Sick vs Being Brave

Being sick is never fun. Especially if you are the boss. Lucky for me, I am not the boss. When I'm sick, depending on the time of year, and depending on how sick I am, usually, I am fortunate enough to not have to work. My Farmer handles everything just fine without me. Not sure if that's a good thing or bad. Kind of means he really doesn't need me. But yet I know different. Haha.
So yes, a few days ago, I got the day off. I spent half the day in bed and half the day on the couch, with a little running to the "throne" in between. So much fun. But hey, I got out of farm work, house work, and cooking. So it's classified as a day off. Now my Farmer has it. Since he took care of me and did all the chores himself when I was sick, I am trying to do the same for him. I start out by saying.... no worries, I got this handled. However, as the day goes on, I know the truth......I really  DON'T have this!  I depend on HIM! His job his hard!  Mine is easy. I just follow him around and help if and when needed. I don't like being in charge and doing it all. Luckily he filled the feeders for the steers and heifers yesterday, so that doesn't need done. The wagon's even already loaded with tonights hay for the cows so I'm also happy about that. Its almost like he knew he would be taking the day off. Uhmmmm.
The reason I am blogging right now, is I am trying to get my courage up to go out and doctor two new babies that were born this morning. New mommas scare me, as I have stated numerous times. I was successful at getting the new calf that we put in the corral last night to drink a bottle. Just because I was able to get momma into a different part of the corral and lock her away from the baby. Then I'm brave. There's a gate between us. Yet when it comes to doctoring a baby out in the open field, where the momma literally sniffs or blows snot on your back or in your face, as you are sitting on her baby giving him his shots and putting a tag his ear, I am NOT brave. My job usually is to sit back and laughs and take the pictures as they do this to my Farmer. He just ignores them or swats them away. This is what a brave person does. Again, not me. Well, I suppose I have wasted enough time.  My Farmer is still to sick to move and no one else has appeared out of the blue to go take care of the new calves, so I best get on my brave act and go try. There's a really good chance that momma is gonna be really nice and let me take care of the baby with no issues. More then likely, that's how it will be. However, there are those few mommas who are snotty. If she's one of them, then her baby will just have to wait for their Farmer to do it.  And if he gets sick because she didn't let me give him his vaccinations, then thats her fault not mine.  Cuz I am NOT as BRAVE. But maybe some day. Everyday I do get braver, just a little bit. Cuz that's what happens when you are Livin' the Life, the Farm Life that is.....

Sunday Drive Rescue........

Our conversation after breakfast,  (I know, I know.  Don't be so shocked. I do do this once ever so often. And yes, it did surprise my Farmer too.  But after all, it was Sunday.  Can't a girl make her Farmer breakfast without everyone wondering why?  Okay fine.......so I needed to butter him up a bit. No big deal. You'll learn why.)  Anyways, back to our conversation.......

My Farmer >  I'm gonna take the pickup and go drive around and check on things.

Me >  I'll ride with you. 

My Farmer >  Ok.  Get ready.

As I'm getting ready, I decide to make me a cup of tea to go.

My Farmer >  Are you making a cup of tea?

Me > Yes, why?

My Farmer >  Do you think this is a frickin' Sunday drive or something?

Me > Uhhh. Duh!  We ARE driving in the pickup and it IS Sunday!

My Farmer >  O.K. Fine.  He says through a grin as he walks out the door. 

Gotta love my Farmer.  😃
Then as we are driving down the road, he learns why I fixed him a nice big hot breakfast.

Me >  Would we have time to go get my 4-wheeler unstuck?

Yep, when I was doing my midnight cow check, I went through some snow that was a little to deep.  You know; in the dark it is really hard to tell how deep that crap is.  Anyways, long story short, of course this happened at the far end of the field, so I had to walk back.  I was not a very happy person.  Now remember when I talked about being brave checking the cows in the middle of the night because I was on an ATV.  Well I remembered that last night! as I headed back through the field, without my ATV, on foot, in the pitch black night, with a flash light that was almost dead, and a small headlamp on my head.  As the cows started getting a little restless, I realized that they could only see the headlamp coming at them and it might have been freaking them out a bit.  I started freaking out a bit! I am sooo not brave without my ATV.  So I jumped over the fence and walk the rest of the way to the barn on the road.  Waaaay less scary there. 
I am not driving through any snowbanks tonight and I am making sure my flashlight is fulling charged.  You should always learn from your mistakes, when you are Livin' the Life, the Farm Life that is............

Crap, Bam, Plop, He's Out......

I did it!  Another first!  I pulled my first baby calf all by myself! With my bare hands! Well, I did have some gloves on and momma cow did helped, a little.   Here's the (long) story.......

At our "just before dark" check, we found a cow that was starting into labor but still a ways off. She had wandered away from the rest of the herd and found a small bare knob. Bare ground is good. However it was a very small "isle", surrounded by snow, and had a creek close by. Bad place to have a calf. Deep snow all around, no level ground, and a creek less than 10 feet away are 3 strikes again a new born calf trying to get up after he is born. My Farmer and his most trustworthy and helpful furry companion, Cooper, after some persuasion, got her off of her "high and dry" knob and we pushed her back to the feedlot to a better spot to calve.  Figuring all is right for the evening, back home we go so my Farmer can get some sleep before his 3am check, figuring I will wake him if needed on my watch. When I go back out to check things, I find that the cow has returned to the knob. She is standing up there on her "high and dry" knob like she is King Queen of the Hill and very proud. It actually strikes me as kind of funny. She still has not calved.  There is no way I can get her off the knob and to a better spot by myself, (remember I may talk big, but really I am a tad bit afraid of the cows, especially the ones in labor.  They tend to have an attitude.)  I decided to give her some time and hope for the best, and check on her again in a bit.  When I go back out, I find her laying down, still on the knob. She has pushed the calf's head and front legs out. However, she can't push anymore because her head and back are down hill and with the calf part way out, she is pretty much immobile. Another reason the knob was not a good place to calve.  (But she wouldn't listen to her Farmer now would she.)  She's in trouble and needs help. I phone my Farmer, but it goes to voice mail. Dang it! I should have put his phone by his head!  Ok...this calf needs to come out NOW. His head and tongue is swollen so I know he's been there for awhile. Crap! What do I do?  I hear my Farmer's voice in my head say "well just grab a hold of his legs and pull".  Now I have seen him do this many times, and I have been there to help pull.  It's always a tough pull for him, so how am I gonna do it by myself?  Now, my fear factor is setting in. Can I do this and can the cow get at me. With the position she is in, there is no way she can hurt me so I've got to try.  I grab ahold of his legs and pull.  He's a slippery, slimy, BIG, little guy and he's pretty stuck!   I'm not strong enough to pull him.  Double dang. I continue to pull and will him out, starting to get frustrated,(and I guess I was very much panicking at this point, as I will point out later) and then momma pushes!   And BAM!  He comes out half way! Holy shit! Then my phone rings. It's my Farmer. And calmly he says "Whats up Shirl?" I can't believe he's so calm! I have a crisis here!  Calmly, I'm sure, I tell him I need help. The cow is down on her back and she can't push the calf out.  He's on his way, he says. Well he better frickin' hurry!
I know I have to finish getting the calf out. I can do this I tell myself. So I pull some more, yelling at momma to push and yelling at baby to come and then PLOP! Just like that he plops out. Yes!!! We did it!  I clean out his month and nostrils. He's breathing and alive. Hallelujah! What an adrenaline rush! I can not get momma up but my Farmer gets her up when he (finally) arrives. (I shouldnt be so hard on my Farmer.  He really did come to my rescue in good time.)
Both momma and baby are alive. So awesome. If I would have waited another hour, the story would have been different. They both would have died. Yep, I saved the day...well night.....I did have a little help....but I'm still CLAIMING IT!
After we got back to the house, my Farmer checked his voice mail. Evidently, when I called him I forgot to hang up and you can hear me yelling or "willing" the baby to come out.  Sounds like maybe I was in a bit of a panic mode. This little "recording" really was funny.  He suggested that I put it on my blog.  Really?!?!  I don't want to embarress myself.  Its ok to laugh at him but not me. 😉
My Farmer took the pair to the corral to keep on eye on them.  Here are some pictures.  You can still see the mud on the side of momma cow, and the baby's head and front legs are still a bit swollen.   Momma and baby are both doing fine.

The other wonderful thing to come out of this situation..........I get a new pair of gloves!  There is no way I am putting those gloves back on.  Way to gross!  And if you know me, you know that new gloves make me very, very happy.  And that really is... Livin' the life, the Farm Life that is.........

Not Fun when it's Cold.....

Well, my midnight cow check duty is not fun anymore. Tonight, the moon is just under full, the sky is clear, the stars are shining, but it's frickin cold! Its suppose to be 15 degrees! Ugh. I really want to just crawl into my nice warm bed and go to sleep, but these are the nights that it is most important for me to do my part and check the cows. There is usually nothing going on when I go out, but you just never know when I might find something in trouble. If a calf is born when it's this cold, we have to make sure he gets up and eats. If it's too cold and if the momma is not aggressive enough at licking him, the calf could just lay there and freeze to death. And thats never good.
There was a new baby calf born this evening just before dark. He had gotten up and eaten from his momma, but he was still pretty wet. I will look for him and make sure his momma picked a warm place to bed him down.
 Well, it's almost time for me to go check things. I believe I will be putting on my insulated coveralls tonight and my warm fur hat. And I'll be driving the pickup over. That warm pickup, with the heated seats, waiting for me, after riding around on the 4-wheeler, through the cows, in 15 degrees temperature, will be mighty nice.  Yep, thats Livin' the Life, the Farm Life that is.......

Night Watch

Tonight was my first night on night watch for this calving season.  I always take the midnight check.  My Farmer offers to let me have the 3 a.m. check.  Really!?!?  Crawling out of a nice warm bed at 3:00 in the morning, to go ride through the cows, on a 4-wheeler, with the temperature usually being less then 20 degrees, I have a slight problem with.  Now the midnight check I can do, because its easier for me to stay up late, which is something my Farmer can't do.  Now if I do happen to fall asleep before the clock strikes 12, I do seem to have issues. (like not getting up and going) (whoops).  The hardest part for me is leaving the nice warm house and stepping out into the cold dark night.  And the 1/2 mile ride over to the cows is a little chilly does not help. (unless I breakdown and drive the pickup over.  It's way cozier that way. But more of a pain)
But once I get out into the cows, its all good.  The cold night air becomes brisk solitude.  It's such an amazing awakening to the soul.  I will shut off my 4-wheeler and just sit out in the middle of the cows and just listen.  To what?  I'm not sure.  Its really hard to explain.  But its awesome.
Well, I do actually listen for certain things.  Believe it or not, you can listen to the cows moo to their babies and tell if one is a new born.  Its pretty cool.  Some times I will hear an owl in the distance and sometimes the coyotes.  Now, they do freak me out a little.  When I hear them, my checking the cows becomes a little more......shall we say....hurried.  Especially when I catch a glimpse of their glowing eyes with my flashlight.  That happened one night, when I was brave, and was walking through the cows.  All I can say is, now I ride.  Always.
Tonight the stars were not shining.  But if they are tomorrow night, it will be a whole new experience.  Cuz the bright shining stars adds a whole new element to the night watch.  And that, my friends, is Livin' the life, the Farm Life that is......

A Picture Post

Last week I decided it was time to get active blogging again (which if you look back at my past blogs,  I make this plan alot)(and fail at it).  The goal I set for myself is a new post once a week.  Well here it is the end of the week and I still have no new blog.  I have one started but it still needs tweaked.  So instead of stressing over not finding the time to get it finished, and staying true to my goal, I've decided to just post a blog of pictures.

I'm happy with that. Simple. Done.  Until next week. 😊

Why Oh Why do we Farm???

This spring has been a long one.  Lots of really yucky weather seems to make one rather "grouchy", especially when you are working out in it.  I was pretty negative in my last writing, which I apologize for, as that is not my intention with my blog.  However, maybe it's good to let you know that I do have bad days.  Days I wonder what I am doing here.  Those miserable days seem to make a person wonder why we do what we do.  The thoughts in my head seem to shout... "I'm sure there are easier jobs out there!....Like inside a building!"
As I was out checking cows again the other day, I once again asked myself why. It had been raining and snowing that morning, again.  It was windy and cold, and my thoughts were heading in that direction.....Why do we farm!?!? It's for sure not for the money! And it is not because its easy!  It's definitely not the glamour job that some people think it is.
I stopped on top of a hill and just sat for a moment.  Pondering this question, I looked around at my surroundings.  Suddenly, the wind became a whisper, the blue sky started to peek out from behind the clouds, the sun shined its warmth across my face and a different view formed within my mind and maybe my soul.

What does make this farming life worth it?

Sitting out in the middle of a field and soaking all in....sights, sounds, smells.

The sound of a cow mooing to her new born calf.

Watching a brand new calf attempt to stand for the first time.  And once he has his legs planted firmly underneath him, he miraculously makes the way to momma's utter for that much anticipated and nutritional first meal.

Watching the hay fields bare up, after being buried underneath layers of snow for 5 months (or is it 10 months), turn green and begin to grow.

The "I'm wakin' up" smell of the pasture grass after it is harrowed.

Watching a fox hunt, sneak up, then pounce on his unsuspected prey.

Listening to 150 black birds (yep...I counted) lined up on the power line and fence line singing joyfully as if saying "Hello Mr. Sunshine!"

Watching an eagle or hawk glide flawlessly in flight over head.

The smell of fresh turned dirt as it boils out from behind the plow.

The sweet fragrant smell of a newly cut hay field.

Watching the pride on my Farmer's face as he looks out across his field of oats that has grown chest high.

The pride we feel watching our calf crop enter into the auction ring.  Knowing that all those sleepless nights during calving season was worth it.

Realizing that someone in my Farmers family, has been in the same spot, doing the same thing, on the same land for over 100 years.

Yep, I AM.......Livin' the Life........The FARM LIFE that is!!!!
And I am truly blessed.

(However, if it frickin' snows again tomorrow.........the why will be back.  😉 )

Rain, Wind, and Snow makes life not so enjoyable

Diary of my last few days......

 Day 1          Forecast......RAIN

9:00........All is good in the cows, so I am having another cup of my morning brew and doing a bit of office work.

12:00......I have lunch ready, however my Farmer arrives and informs me he has a meeting, and no time for lunch.  That's what I get for fixing it before I see the whites of his eyes.  In the fridge it goes. Guess we have lunch for tomorrow.  With my Farmer gone, I am solo at afternoon calf watching duty. (that's ok....he was solo all morning)

 12:30......It is pouring down rain, so I decide to wait a bit to see if it lets up.

1:00........Still pouring.

1:30.......Decide I have to buck up and go check the cows.  Dang.

1:45.......Found 4 new babies, 3 had eaten, 1 just getting up, and 1 cow that was starting to calve.  

2:30.......Decide to go visit my mother-in-law for a bit to get out of the rain.

3:00......Time to check on things again.  As I get on my ATV, I think to myself, (well I may have said it out loud, with a few more added words) Dummy,  you should have parked in the garage!  As I am now sitting on a very wet seat. Dang it!  New baby has eaten. Yay!  Cow that was calving has feet sticking out.  Good, I think.  Best drive up close and make sure they are pointing in the right direction.  As I approach the cow,  my first thought is oh my.  On my 5th or 6th drive by, I finally admit that the feet are pointed wrong....this baby is coming backwards.  It will not be born alive without help.  I make a frantic call to my Farmer.  "Where are you?"  He is 30 minutes away.  Dang it again!  I tell him to drive fast.  I get the calf puller and open the necessary gates that I can so everything's ready when my Farmer arrives. By the time my Farmer arrives to my aide, (which seems like hours!) he proceeds past me to open the only gate I have not opened, because ALL the other cows are standing in front of it, and he yells to me to "bring her".  Bring her?!?!?!  Are you kidding me?  By myself???   Ok....I have bonded with her for the last 2+ hours...I can do this.  And guess what?  I did!!  WooHOO!!  Yay for me!!  In the pen she goes, and my Farmer hooks up the calf puller and out comes the calf......ALIVE!   Thanks to me. 😊 I know, my Farmer pulled him, but I caught that there was trouble, which sometimes is the key.   By now it is time to feed, and doctor all the other new calves.

7:00.......Finally to the house for a bite to eat, and warm up.  Oh, by the way.....did I mention it was raining!!  And had been the whole time!  I was wet, wet, wet.  My Farmer asks me how long it had been raining.  SINCE HE LEFT!!!!  

8:00........Back out to check on things.  Our backwards calf has eaten and is doing great! They are both let back out into the pasture.

9:00.......Back home and my Farmer heads to bed.

10:30......I go back out just to check and make sure all is good.  All is good so I too call it a night.

Day 2             Forecast.......WIND

9:00....... I feel like being nice so I fix my Farmer breakfast. (He was out for early check)

10:00......The wind is blowing really hard, and I do not want to go out, but my Farmer needs my help. All my clothes are still wet from yesterday, so I have to find some other gear to wear.  As I am driving over to the pasture, I watch a tree fall across the county road.  Yep, my friend was right, we are having hurricane force winds.  Crap.  Today is not going to be fun.  We start moving the cows that have calved to another pasture. We are in the middle of herding, have the cows and calves almost to the gate when it starts hailing.....hard.  Dang!  We can't turn and head for shelter, we have to keep pushing the cows through the gate.  Holy moly that hail stings, especially when it is coming in sideways!  I am really starting to wonder about this life.  This is not fun.  

1:30.......Head to the house for lunch....which is fast, cuz it's yesterdays lunch!

2:30.......Back out to the cows.  The wind is still blowing really hard.  I hate the wind.  Especially when it is mixed with sleet and hail.  All day is spent in the cows.  Making sure the new babies get up and eat, then get doctored.

The wind blew one of our wheel lines almost into the road.  This is just crazy weather!  I am starting to wish I had an office job.

8:30.......Head home for dinner and call it a night.  Its warmer tonight, and all seemed quiet, so no late night check tonight.  Thank goodness!!!

Day 3               Forecast.......SNOW

8:00.......My Farmer reports we had 2 new babies over night and both are doing fine.  

9:00.......Sitting in my office, wanting to do paperwork and not work outside.

9:30.......OK, fine.  I bundle up and head out to the field.  The winds not blowing, its not raining, however snow is predicted.  And sure enough, as soon as I crawl on my ATV and head out to the pasture, the snow starts.  Really?!?!  I have had enough of this stupid weather.  And the weatherman is predicting snow for the next 5 days.  Oh ya, of course!  That's what happens during calving season.

I am sooooo not liking this life right now.

Church Services will be held in the Corral Today....

I got up this morning, and since nothing seemed to be needing my attention,  I decided I could make it to church today.   I showered, got all dressed up, (meaning makeup, jewelry,  even dress pants) and was just about ready to leave when my Farmer walks in the door and heads to get some calf supplies.  So I ask, did we have a new calf?  He states no but a cow is calving.  I ask if I need to hang around in case he needs to bring her to the corral.   He grumbles something like no, he can handle it, so I continue with my "I'm going to church" plan.  As I was headed out the door, I quickly grabbed my work boots, hat, gloves, and coveralls, just in case, and threw them in my pickup.  Off to church I continue.   As I was about to the church parking lot I decided to check in with my Farmer just to make sure all was good.  He answered his phone and says the cow still hasn't calved.  He is thinking something isn't right.  She needs brought to the corral. Ok.......I roll on past the parking lot.  On my way.  Church services for me have just been moved.  I hurry to the corral, change from my nice shoes to my boots,  put my coveralls on over my nice dress pants and shirt, pull my stocking cap on to my styled and still slightly wet hair, and am ready to help my Farmer with the cow.  Yep, that's how it seems to work around here.  What was I thinking making plans when its calving season. Silly me. Oh well, at least I did make it to church.  I just didn't stay.  We had our own private service......in the corral.  And that's Livin' the Life......the Farm Life that is.

A Day of Confusion.....with Lots of Experts.

Today was a confusing day.  That's what my Farmer said when we got to the house this evening.  Let me explain.  During morning check on the cows, my Farmer found three new baby calves.  Two with their momma's and one all alone.  After looking around and not finding any cow looking for a calf, my Farmer assumed that one of the cows had had twins and she claimed one and not the other.  Not knowing which cow it belonged to, but knowing that neither cow could raise two calves anyways, he brought the lone calf to the corral figuring this one would have to be raised on a bottle. Really didn't want another bottle baby, but that's how it goes. First step was to give the calf some colostrum, which is vital to a new calf.  This is where the confusion started.  He would not eat.  Since he would not suck the bottle, my Farmer had the feeling that the calf had already eaten. (We have found that new born calves will not suck on the bottle if they have already eaten from their momma's)  At lunch we were discussing the situation and we decided it might be a good idea to check the herd again to make sure he didn't just overlook the momma.   When my Farmer got out to the herd, sure enough, he found a cow that was looking for a calf.  Yay!!  He went back and got to calf, took it out to the momma.  She sniffed it, then walked away.  Dang it!  Now my Farmer was thinking he confused the cow by taking her calf so he separated them from the rest of the herd, thinking that maybe it would help if they were by themselves.  Once in a different pasture, just the two of them, she once again sniffed it, even kind of acted interested, then walked off.  More confusion.  The pasture this cow was now in has lush green grass, which the other place did not, so all she was interested in was eating.  Now my Farmer started thinking that this cow was just starting to calve and was just looking for a calf, but had not calved.  Which sometimes they will do this.  This is where I entered the picture, adding to the confusion as best I could.  I had been fixing fence, which I was on my third day of doing all by myself, which I am not very good at, which I was getting very tired of doing, which is why I decided to quit early, knowing my Farmer needed my expertise.  Ha!  I was excited when I drove up and seen that he had found the momma!  Then he tells me he thinks its not the momma.  I say, being the expert that I am,  I think her bag has been sucked on and she doesn't look fat enough to still have a calf in her, so I think its hers.  My Farmer says, being the expert that he is, it is not hers.  However, with my little input, it makes him question himself.  Yep, that's my job.  More confusion.  We decided to run her to the corral and help her to love her calf, cuz we are all confused, remember!  Once there my Farmer wonders if we should go ahead and run her in the chute and check to see if she has a calf in her.  Wow, now that is an idea!  I second that.  That's what we do.  And guess what, we helped her find her calf.  In the birthing canal!  Yep, she was calving!   Believe me, she had not been showing any signs of being in labor, except for the looking for a calf part, (and chasing after the dog).  We went ahead and helped her calve....and life is now good for them.  She found her calf.  The other little critter, well she is my responsibility now.  And getting her to suck on a bottle....yea, I was able to do that.  You just have to have a little motherly experience and a lot of patience.  And I am an expert on that.   That's livin' the life......The Farm Life that is......

When the Pressure drops.....the Calves drop....

I believe this to be a true statement.  When the air pressure drops, we can always count on lots of babies to be born.  And the other day was no exception.  The weather here went from sunny and hot one day to cold, snowy, rainy, and windy the next.  On the sunny day we had 3 calves born, which has been about our norm.  All jumped right up and took to eating with no problems. The next day, the cold, rainy, snowy, windy day, we had 8 calves born.  And since it was cold, they are slower.  4 went to the corral and two got to spend the night in the calf house to warm up.  The others did get up and eat on their own but it took them a while to do so. (When I say it took a while I mean over two hours, because if conditions are right, a calf can be up and eating within an hour or less.)  This makes for a long day for my Farmer (well, and me of course).  My Farmer and I have a system when it comes to bringing the calf and its momma to the corral, and usually it works pretty smooth.  He puts the calf in the ATV trailer, which he built sides for,  the calf can stand up, but can't jump out, and the momma can see it and sniff it, which usually means she will follow it all the way to the corral.  Usually.  And this is a one man job.  It seems if I go out to help, the momma freaks out, thinking its a trap, and she will not follow.  So my job is to close the gate at the corral as soon as she goes through it.  Sometimes, once the cow realizes that she has been lead through the gate, she will freak out and try to turn around and run, not caring whether you have her calf or not. So shutting of the gate is a very important job (well ALL my jobs are very important, right?!? Haha).  I have to hide so she can't see me and then leap into action once she is through the gate.   The other night, as I was sitting in my hiding position, I was admiring the beauty of my surroundings.  The sky was incredible. Picture perfect.  I was suppose to be very still as not to spook the momma, but I just HAD to snap a picture!  To share it with all of you, of course.  And I did.  I was sneaky enough, momma didn't spook....Thankfully!  But don't tell my Farmer, we need him to think he had my full attention.   And he did, of course.....kind of.
Hope ya like the picture cuz .......This is...... Livin' the Life......the Farm Life that is. 

Layer on....Layer off....Strip tease Act

As many of you know,  when we are feeding cows, I usually drive the tractor and my Farmer throws off the hay.  There are a few times when I will "give him a break" and let him drive while I throw the hay off.  Tonight was one of those times.  He was already in the tractor, the sun was shinning (remember I am only a fair weather farmer),  so I thought, what the heck, he can just stay in the tractor and I'll toss the hay this time.  Now you have to realize that we are having spring in the mountains right now, which means it is cold one minute and warm the next, which means you dress in layers and it is a game of on/off all day.  Well just before we fed, it was cold, so I was layered.... winter hat, snow pants, heavy coat, snow boots....yep I was pretty much bundled up.   As we headed out to the field, the wind stopped and the sun was warm....it was just plain beautiful.  As I got about half way through the first bale, I started to get rather warm, so off went the coat.  Then the hat.  Then the snow pants. Then the vest.  Then I realized,  if anyone was watching,  it probably looked like a strip tease act!  On a hay wagon! That made me laugh.  I kind of wanted to keep stripping off layers just to see what my Farmer would do. That really made me laugh.   After all, it is all about livin the moment and keepin life exciting right?  But then that would make this blog x rated and well, we can't let that happen now can we.  Haha!  But ya know.......Thats livin the life, the farm life that is.   And I'm still lovin it.....all bundled up. 😊

Lots of Snow keeps a Farmer Hoppin'.

Its been a little crazy around here lately.  We have been getting a lot of snow, which is a good thing,  it just keeps us hoppin'. Plus we have had a lot of wind and power outages.  Besides feeding our 250+ head of cattle,  we also have a snow removal business.  Our daily schedule has been get up way before dawn (which I totally do not like), blow snow for 12 hours, feed cows, eat dinner, sleep, wake-up and start over.  Thankfully we have had a little break in the weather so we could pay a little more, and much needed, attention to the cattle.  We have 100+ weined calves watering off of a well.  Which is a little worrisome when the power goes out.  Or when the power company warns you to be prepared for it being out for a couple days!  The cattle NEED water. Period.  Luckily it has came back on within 5 hours or so.  Thank goodness.   The big cows are in a field with a creek running, so we do not have to worry about their water if the power goes out.  What we do have to worry about is making sure they GO to water. Some of them can be lazy and not want to trudge thru the deep snow to the creek.  (Fyi they do eat snow and get a little water that way)  We also have to make sure they can still get to the creek and that it is not frozen over.  So thats what we did yesterday.   I snapped a picture of my Farmer shoveling the path to the creek for his cows. 

You can see how deep the snow is......level with the wagon and the belly of the bulls.  I am, of course, sitting in my warm tractor, listening to christmas music.  Hehe.  However, I was a little worried that I might get stuck down there, and I was really hoping I wouldnt drive into the creek, beings how I couldnt SEE IT!  But alls good, I didnt run into the creek, and I didnt get stuck, only almost 3 times.  I could have blown my way out with the snow blower, but that is for the last resort. Its a challenge to see how much snow I can actually drive my tractor through while pulling a wagon.  Makes me feel powerful. Hehe  (Unless I do get stuck,  then I feel pretty stupid, especially if I have to have my Farmer get it unstuck. Never a good situation.) One of the reasons for driving so close to the creek is to make a path for the cows. Also if we feed them closer to water they will more likely go to water.
Well, since today is Christmas Eve, and I am not plowing snow, I best get some packages wrapped before my Farmer calls for my help in whatever comes up.  Haha
But ya know,  thats Livin' the Life......the Farm Life that is.  I am thankful to be living in the most wonderful winter wonderland.
MERRY CHRISTMAS! ! !

Fair Weather Farmer I Am......

Soooo I have been with my Farmer on the farm for 35 years.  I've always considered myself a fair weather farmer.  Meaning....if the weather is really yucky outside I have always found a reason why I could not help that day.  You know, all of a sudden I have to vacuum, do laundry, or do book work.  Things I put off doing cuz I dont want to, unless there is something else that I don't want to do worse.  Haha.  Well....I have decided its time for me to step up to the plate and help my Farmer more....good days and bad.   Today I am really wondering if this is such a good idea.  Once again it is snow/raining, we are moving hay, working with the calves, everything outside, and I am not liking it.   I do have on my flannel lined pants (love these..and the flannel is pink and purple so they are stylin), I have my big heavy ugly boots on (so every step is a total workout), and I have my rabbit fur winter hat (which isnt quite as nifty as my Farmers coyote hat, but its more stylin).  So basicly I am totally bundled up, and can hardly move.  It is a great workout though.  Right now I am sitting in the pickup warming up.  Im really not that cold, just kind of miserable, but its my excuse. Hehe.  I am starting to remember that I have some book work that is due tomorrow.  Oh wait.  Maybe I have company coming tomorrow.  Maybe I better go clean house. I am sure there is something that needs done.
Dang,  I am just not cut out for this working come rain snow sleet or yucky weather. I need sunshine.  I just don't know how farmers do this everyday.  Thankfully our farm doesn't rely on me all the time.  I'm pretty sure we would have gone broke by now. (actually completely sure)  I have so much respect for my Farmer and his work ethic and all other farmers and ranchers for that matter.  Working in what ever the weather brings is what they do.  Come rain or shine the cows have to be feed, or sorted, or checked on.....or put back in.
NEWS FLASH...JUST IN:  Looks like the cows broke down a fence so we have to go put them back in and fix the fence.  Fun.  Ok...I will buck up and do this....at least until lunch time.  Hehe
Thats livin the life,  the farm life that is.

See ya when the sun comes up.

As I am sitting here in my living room, drinking my morning brew, watching the beautiful sunrise, my mind wonders back in time.  Memories of my Farmers grandfather, and one of his many saying  "see ya when the sun comes up".  Sitting here in this house that was once his, looking out the very window he did, looking at the same view he did every morning for over 60 years...this morning I think I get it.  I always wondered why he said that instead of goodbye or see ya tomorrow.  Watching the sun rise is magical, its awe-inspiring.  The feeling of greatfulness, the feeling of thanks for life, the feeling of a new beginning, the feeling of peace....these are all the feelings that awaken in me as I sit here and watch this event. I can Imagine him thinking the same when he looked out.  Only I'm sure he wasn't sitting, still in his pj's.  Nope, he'd be standing, dressed, ready to start the day. He didn't just start his day.....he started it watching the sun rise. 

Ok....done dreaming......back to reality.  To be honest, I am not a morning person. My Farmer gets up early and has always told me that morning is the best part of the day.  I argued that night was better.  I am trying to change my ways.  But I am starting to think that I could start to like this morning thing. As long as I can sit here by the window, stay in my pajamas, drink my morning brew and not talk to anyone until I'm ready.  Yep, just maybe I can get use to it.  With that said.....See ya when the sun comes up.

  After all, tomorrow never comes, but the sun does rise.

The Year of Twins

  We just had another set of twins born.  I am happy to report both are alive, standing, and have eaten.  That's our third set this year!  Evidently it's the year of the twins.  Its like its in the air or something.  And its not just the air in our area.....its all around.  We've seen this before.  It seems that when one ranch is having a lot of twins, most others are too.  (I haven't actually done a scientific survey across the whole country, we just ask the ranchers we know).  And its not just with twins.  Some years its the year of the backward calves.  And believe me, those years are NOT fun years.   My Farmer is sure there is something to this......some unknown factor of the universe that effects things here on earth in ways we can't explain.  I don't known about that, but I do find it very interesting.  What I do know is now we have added to our work load, bottle feeding two calves.  But that's all part of Livin' the life, the Farm Life that is, and I'm ok with that. 

Crazy Crazy day when my Farmers away

Talk about a crazy day yesterday.  In the past I have tried to stay away from just jabbering about my day.  I try to focus on my Farmer and crazy stuff that happens.  But yesterday was at wow day and it just feels like I need to blog about it. 
The day started out on a complete high.  My Farmer left early in the morning, before the sun was up, so I was in charge of the chores.  And no that is not why it started out on a high....well maybe a little, but not it.  haha   I checked the heifers first, nothing going on, so I went out challenging people.  I love challenging people to join me on project 10 kids.  If you haven't been invited to join project 10.....well consider this your invite.  Check it out.  Anyways, I got 3 people to accept my challenge, so I was excited.  Next I went and picked my mom up for her doctors appointment.  No biggy, just a routine check up then we would have a nice lunch.  WRONG.  We ended up being sent over to the ER to have a whole bunch of tests run.  Our appointment was at 11 and I believe we left there around 4.  About the time the doctors were trying to decide whether to keep her or let her go, I received a text for our wonderful helper friends, who happened to drive by and check on the cows.  Crap, I had forgotten I was on cow checking duty.  Well the text said a cow was calving.  That's OK, it'll be fine. The next text said it was prolapsing.  WHAT!  Stress level just went from elevated to extreme high.  Crap, now what do I do.  My Farmer is out of town, my mom is in the ER and I need to be both places.  Our friends are very helpful so I knew they could handle anything, but she was smart enough to send  me a picture.  Love technology.  Stress level down a bit.  No calf, no prolapse.  She was able to get the cow up, and everything went back in. (if you don't know what that means, that can be another blog....hehe) Whew!  They released mom right about then, so we hurried home to check things.  First thing I notice as I come around the corner, are buzzards.  Not a good thing.  Sure sign something is dead.  The cow they had been watching was doing ok, but as I looked further out in a different part of the field,  I could see a cow, a small brown bump, a bunch of birds, and a coyote.  Crap!  So I park the car, mom says she is fine, I leave her there and I hop on the atv to go check things out......fast.  What I find is the cow had twins, one was alive the other dead.  So now I am sad.  I am in charge, and it is not fun to have an animal die on your watch.  Totally a downer.  I know I have to separate the dead animal from the alive one, so the birds and coyote will leave the alive on alone.   Totally not a fun job, but I got it done.  Then I remember mom in the car, so I drive back and check on her.  She is fine she says, doesn't want to go home yet, so I leave her and go back out to the cow and calf to make sure he gets up and eats.  Cant do either.  Very stubborn and he will not stand.  I think he had already eaten but not sure.  Back to mom, I finally take her back to my house.  Thankfully, now my Farmer is home.  We feed, he gets the calf up, and off momma and baby go.  We are still not sure if the baby had eaten, and he was shaking, so we gave him a bottle and put him in the warm calf house.  By the time I hit my pillow, I was so ready for the day to be done.  My Farmer promised me he would not leave me again until calving slows down.  Haha.....we'll see.   But you know, thats Livin' the life.....The FARM life that is..  :)    
Thank you for letting me vent to ya all..........

Farming can be "Slicker then Sh**!"

You know the saying...."slicker then shit".  Well I learned the other day what is slicker then shit.  "Ice" covered with shit.  Yep that's me.  I was helping my Farmer in the corral putting in a head catch, preparing for calving season.  I knew it was slick so I was being very careful, but then just like that I went down.  And luckily, my Farmer just got a new "smart phone" and has figured out how to use the camera on it.  This picture is now his screen saver.  Nice huh.  I actually landed very gracefully.  As you can see, I didn't even get my pink hat dirty.  (Very flattering picture of me....but my Farmer keeps asking me if I have posted it yet.) (He thought it was way funnier that it was in my opinion)

And the calving has begun.  This year we decided to calve the heifers before the cows.  It has been going very smoothly.   We have them seperated from the cows, in a pen close to the road so we can keep a close eye on them.  So far, they have all calved on their own with no problems.  Of course,  thats how it works since we have the head catch in and all ready to help those that need it.  But we are not complaining.

And that is sooo  Livin' the life.......the FARM life that it.......