Reminiscing...and Counting Fodder Bales...

What do reminiscing and counting fodder bales have in common?

Absolutely nothing!

That being said, this picture had me reminiscing this morning, when it showed up on my face book feed ...

Apparently I posted it four years ago today, and it popped up again.  This is Tigger, and it was taken on a Sunday morning in the barn.  Jim was reading something in the newspaper while the last few milkers finished up, and Tigger decided to play.

As for counting fodder bales...

The final count for 2015 is twenty five wagon loads, plus a few pickup loads of bales that Jim dropped onto the ground once the wagons were full.  You can barely see them laying in the field...

If my math is correct, that's well over 3200 bales of corn fodder!  Twenty one wagons unloaded, and four wagons full, backed into the barn.  The weather these past few weeks has been amazing!  Long stretches of dry weather have farmers all around the neighborhood flailing, raking, baling and unloading load after load of fodder. We'll use the fodder off the wagons first...just so they're empty by spring when it's time to think about baling hay again.  Oi.

What's next?  After the baler and rake are put away of course...

Probably cleaning out heifer pens again, now that the fields are bare.  Maybe a day or so of "not so busy-ness?" can be found in there somewhere too.

That would be nice!

Snow...

We got some snow overnight, but it was only a little nuisance this morning.

Look...the half door (under the light) was open when I went out this morning. That's a really good sign that it's toasty inside the barn...

I think the undisturbed snow is so pretty.  This was just as we finished milking this morning...

It wasn't deep at all...just about two inches of light, fluffy snow, but it was enough to give the kids a two hour delay this morning.  That was perfect timing, being that it's Fasnacht Day today!  I had time to run to the grocery store and pick some up before they left for school. We started out with equal numbers of powdered and sugared...you can easily see which are the favorites.  Trouble is, I'm the one home with the leftovers...

Dust Bunny and Little Ed found a perfect place to sun themselves on the south side of the milk house.  They certainly don't care that there's snow on the ground.  The sun is shining, and the snow has already melted off their perch on top of the compressor shanty...

And this last picture has absolutely nothing to do with the snow.  I went over to the other farm to check on a springer, and just happened to have my camera in the car.  This old sycamore tree was just so beautiful against the blue sky, I couldn't resist...

It's to get cold again in a few days, but for now we're enjoying the beautiful snow and the heat wave!

Jolyn...

Farm cats could be categorized as "a dime a dozen", and over the years they come and go.  Some are more forgettable than others.

Jolyn fits into the not so forgettable category.

I'm not typically a huge fan of calico cats.  She, however, has wormed her way into my heart.

She's afraid of the other cats, especially Peanut, and understandably so (even though Peanut is her mother!!)  Peanut thinks she is Queen.  If anyone appears to be infringing on her territory...feline or canine...she makes sure that they stand corrected.

So, Jolyn has her own spot in the barn where no one bothers her.  It's high above the calf pens, on the far side of the barn from where everyone else hangs out...

I took the camera out to the barn after milking this morning and snuck up on her.  She woke from her nap pretty quickly but immediately saw Murphy. Hmmm...not sure if she wants to venture out of her secure spot...

Still not sure...

If it's not safe to come down this way, why not try this way, on the opposite side of the beam...

It's the perfect sized hole, just for her.

She's a great hunter, and loves to roam around in the fields.  I'm sure she's tasted all kinds of birds, mice and other creatures, but she's usually in "her spot" every morning, waiting for me to bring her food while the other cats share the kitty bowls on the other side of the barn.

She had been missing for about a week, and I was so happy to hear her distinctive MEOW yesterday afternoon again.

Welcome home Jolyn!

Good Fences #10...

I've always admired the white fence that runs around the meadow here on the farm.

When we moved here twenty (!!) years ago, it was a pretty wooden fence, but time took it's toll. It was already an old fence, and after about fifteen years of painting and repair, it was time to replace it.  We opted for PVC instead of wood.  Not our first choice, but the maintenance is next to nothing, and from a distance you can't tell much difference. More importantly, it keeps the cows where they belong!

A couple of weeks ago I shared a picture of my iris and rose border along the fence.  There was no color yet, but at least the weeds were pulled.  Now, finally, it's been mulched and the iris are beginning to bloom. The hard winter really took it's toll on both the roses and iris.  The iris are sparse, and the roses struggling, but at least we have some color...

Here's what it looked like in 2011 and in 2012. The colors were much more vibrant!

This is my perennial border along the north side of the garden.  I'm almost finished mulching, finally.  Why, oh why did I plant so many flowers?!  I was young then.  There's that white fence in the background...

And last but not least, here's one just for fun.  I found Gato lounging under the peonies that are about to bloom.  He's actually babysitting his niece, who hides out under the shed, behind the fence...

Oh, the life of a cat.

For more Good Fences, click here.

Kitty Fun...

Just for fun today...

What are Little Ed and James looking at?

Getting braver...

Oops!  Not sure...

I don't think I'd get too close!

Brave Little Ed...

Oh, the entertainment we have here!

Leaves, Leaves, and More Leaves...

It's a beautiful day today.  Breezy and cold...a little too cold for my liking, but after all, it is November!

The leaves this year have been just gorgeous!  They've been hanging on the trees longer than usual, and the colors have been brilliant. Today though, they've been falling...and piling up...faster than we can get them raked.

This Maple tree is right outside our kitchen door.  The leaves were so thick this morning that I could hardly rake them...

I had some company.  Can you see who's hiding in this picture?

...and this one...

Banja and James loved burying themselves in the pile and then jumping out again...

Jim pulled up the manure spreader, and we filled it to the brim.  Then he climbed in and stomped down the leaves so we could pile it even higher...

After a while we switched places, and I stomped on the leaves as he raked. It's the only time of year that I take a ride in the manure spreader!  :)

The leaves will be spread out on the fields.  I wish I could chop them all, and spread them on my garden, but there are way too many...and they'd mostly blow away.  Bummer, because leaves make wonderful compost!

The cats couldn't stay away.  Of course, tractors and PTO shafts are meant to be climbed on...didn't you know that?

Here's that same tree, three hours or so later.  There are still a lot of leaves left for another day's raking, but so many fell already!

It's sad to see the leaves disappearing.  It's inevitable, I know...but it means that winter really...and truly...is just around the corner.  The boiler is already cooking away, and the cast iron radiators are throwing off the heat, trying to take the chill away.

What is fall like in your neck of the woods?

Here a Cat...There a Cat...

Remember this song?

Old MacDonald had a farm...E I E I O...and on that farm he had a cat...E I E I O...

Well, we feel like Old MacDonald, for sure!

Our favorites are the tuxedos.  Their personalities are very different from the others...they're very calm, friendly, affectionate, and smart!

Here's James...

I'm the hold out that won't allow a house cat.  But...if I were to give in, he would be the lucky one...

Then there's Gato...

He's full grown, but still loves to play like a youngster!  He takes on the roll of teacher and protector to the litters of kitties that are born,  teaching them to hunt and climb ladders.  He also followed  me around like a puppy this spring when I checked the meadow fence.

Here's Peanut's new litter.  She just moved them out of the straw mow, to a place where they have a little more room to explore...

And here's Fritz...

He hides in the flower bed by the house, preferring to keep to himself.  He's clearly a good hunter, because he's huge and healthy.

Last but not least, these are Jolyn's babies.  They're fully weaned, healthy, playful and tame, and are looking for good forever homes!

What would a farm be, without kitties?!

Spring Work Has Begun...

It might not be feeling too much like spring around here right now, but the spring work has begun!

Yesterday Jim spent all afternoon cleaning out the "outside pen".  This is the pen where we keep the oldest heifers...the animals that are closing in on one year old...up to fifteen months old, when they are bred and taken to the other farm.

Today he took down the plywood barriers that helped to keep the cold winter winds out of the west side of the barn.

I was working in the house today, and I would hear the skid loader starting up...and then the Farmall M coming out from behind the barn and down the road, over and over again.  He spent most of the afternoon back and forth between the two...spreading load after load of pen pack manure on the fields.  By milking time, the "wooden pen" was cleaned out as well...

The young heifers had to share some tight quarters for a few hours this afternoon while Jim was working, but finally they were separated back into their respective pens.  They're always so excited to run around in the fresh bedding (corn fodder), and always curious to see what looks different.  The wooden barriers were covering that gate all winter long until this morning, so they're enjoying the "view".  I'm in their way, but behind me they can see the outside pen heifers...lounging outside in their own little "meadow".  All in good time...they'll be out there by mid summer...

As I was looking at the pictures I took, I realized that there was an observer that I had missed...

Peanut, the new mama of three-day-old kitties, was either hoping to catch a mouse, or hoping I'd offer her some special treats.  Probably the latter!

It always feels and smells so fresh when the outside and wooden pens are cleaned out, and the barriers are removed in the springtime.  Now if only the temperatures would rise just a little...and the March winds would die down...

Wouldn't that be nice?!!

Keeping Warm in the Barn...

Just like last year, the weather this winter has been a bit ummm...unpredictable.  We've had some really bitter cold days, intermixed with some unseasonably warm days.  (I'll take the latter!)

Yesterday and today were cold and windy.  Last evening when I was sitting here at the computer, I could hear the wind beginning to blow, and I could feel the cold creeping up through the basement floor, chilling my feet.

Tonight it's to be in the teens and feel like 8*, and tomorrow it's also to be cold and very windy.  Brrrr...

However...in the barn, it's toasty warm...

We've noticed that no matter how cold it is outside in the winter, the temperature in the cow stable remains a pretty consistent 52*-54*.  With the cows inside and the doors, windows and hay holes all closed, they keep the barn feeling warm.  Milking with insulated coveralls over our clothes is quite comfortable.  We still have to drain water lines in the west side of the barn sometimes, but only if it's really cold and windy.

Did you know a cow's normal body temperature is 102*?  All that body heat does wonders in the winter.  (In the summer time however, it has just the opposite effect. More on that  another day.)


Totally unrelated to keeping warm...in fact it makes me cold just to look at the picture...a couple of days ago, Jolynn found her way up into the oak tree and worked her way out almost to the end of a rather thin branch...

photo credit Jenna

...and she stayed there for a long time.  We don't know why she was up there, almost twenty feet off the ground.  Perhaps she was chased there by a dog??  Or maybe she was stalking a bird??  Or maybe she just wanted some adventure??  She finally turned around and made her way back to the trunk of the tree and just at there.  Staring at us.

We weren't sure how long she would sit there, but she didn't seem to be in any kind of distress, so we told her that she would need to find her way down on her own.

And she did.

Silly kitty!

This Morning...

I've heard this question on numerous occasions..."What do you do all day?"  So...here goes...


Dark thirty am...the alarm rings.  We hit snooze.  Or rather, Jim does...I don't even hear it.

Repeat...

I am not a morning person, typically.  Not at all...just ask Jim!  But this morning, it's working for me.

Maybe, because I actually went to bed at a reasonable hour, I'm awake and able to head downstairs in good time.  Jim's already had his coffee, and is getting ready to head out to the barn.

Maybe because I feel guilty that there's no breakfast food in the house, I head downstairs and put some baked oatmeal in the oven.  The kids leave early for school, and need something wholesome to eat before they start their day!

I throw a load of towels in the washer so they will be ready to hang out when I'm done in the barn.  I used to try to have my wash hanging out before the Amish neighbors, (why??) but gave up on that a long time ago.  Although... I did notice that hers were not hanging out very early this morning!  :)

When I wander into the barn, Jim is already halfway finished milking down the first two rows...

As is our normal routine, he milks while I start feeding.  I put the feed cart underneath the hay hole, and throw balage down for the heifers first, then the cows.  They dig in...

They're much more cooperative when they've had some food.  Kind of like some people with their morning coffee!

The cats hang out next to the heifer pen every morning...

After the cows are fed balage, I feed corn, then help move the last few milkers.  As we are finishing up, and hang the milkers up on the end of the pipeline, the cats begin to head towards the milk house.  Fritz loudly lets me know that he wants some fresh, warm milk from the jar...

After milking, Jim feeds silage, and I take care of the calves.  We have two new ones on bottles.  We'll keep the heifer, and the bull will go to market later this morning.  Their bottles are warming...

The calves in the hutches get their buckets of milk.  Miss greedy over there on the left, inhales her milk and tries to eat the bucket.  She has feed, hay and water, but her favorite is milk.  She won't like it when she's weaned in a week or two...

It's a beautiful day, so the towels will dry quickly.  I love to watch wash flapping in the breeze...

After breakfast, I pick up our neighbor, Daniel, who helps us a couple of mornings a week.  Usually when he's here, I stay in the house and get other things done, but this morning, Jim wants to fork out some box pens, so I help Daniel with the morning work. We put the cows out in the barn yard, and I watch for heats and keep them from getting into trouble take recess duty while Daniel gives them fresh bedding in their stalls. Then we head over to the other farm to feed the heifers and dry cows.

Jim forks out two heifer pens, and beds them up with fresh straw when he's finished...

This is the second load that he forked out by hand this morning...

It's late morning by the time we're all finished, but there are still a few more things that happen before lunch.  The cattle truck comes for the little bull calf...

The milk truck comes...

We discover a crack in the tank washer hose, and temporarily repair it using black tape...whatever would we do without black tape and duct tape?!

A load of sawdust is delivered...

Now we'll be set for a while with fresh bedding for the cows, and a warm, soft place for the dogs to sleep!

So...this is what we did this morning!

Mornings are usually busy year round...it's the afternoons this time of year that are a little less busy, and we sometimes have some free time to do things that we want.

One thing is for certain, however...not too many days are alike.  There's always something to do, and we will never be bored!