Adjusting...

It's been two weeks today since we sold the cows, and we've been gradually adjusting to our new normal.  We're still feeling good about our decision, but there have been adjustments.

I will say, it's been easier in some ways than we expected, and harder in others!  The hardest part for me has been giving up my time at home.  Although we were very tied down with the cows, we often had flexible time throughout the day for running errands, etc.  That has changed a bit and is an adjustment, but we'll figure it out!  I need to be more intentional about meal planning, cleaning, laundry etc.  Jim still has some manure to haul and projects that he would like to tackle, and will have to adjust to the same thing.

I headed off to a new job almost two weeks ago, working in the office at a feed mill. I'm enjoying being able to remain a part of the ag community and I'm also enjoying the work that I've been doing.  I have a LOT to learn, but thankfully the people there have been very patient with my many, many questions!

Jim has been trying out a few things and hasn't decided for sure which direction he would like to go.  He will find a good fit I'm sure, but it might take a little time.

The dogs and cats may have the hardest adjustment of all!  They were used to having us around all day and would enjoy many ear scratches or belly rubs, and sneak treats throughout the day. Snickers has, in the past few months, bedded down in a pile of straw and corn fodder in the cow stable.  When the barn was full of cows, it was nice and cozy even on the coldest of days. When Jim cleaned out the stalls, he left her little pile in place so that she would have a comfy bed.  She could easily sleep upstairs in the straw with Murphy and Phoebe, but she chooses this...  

I'm headed off for a half day today, and when I get home the dogs will be jumping (at least Phoebe will be!) with excitement.  It's good to be loved, especially in the midst of big life changes!  :)

Update...the War On Chickweed...One Month Later...

This is a happy story...

One month ago today, I posted about  the downside of a mild winter. Chickweed had overtaken my flower bed along the meadow fence. Granted, it's at a spot where weeds from the meadow can easily creep in, but I'd never had it look this bad in the spring.  Using mushroom mulch didn't help a thing, as it not only builds up the soil and feeds the good plants, but it feeds the weeds as well.

One month later, I'm happy to show you pictures, not only because it took a lot of hard work, but because I'm flower happy this time of year!

Most of the iris came from a former neighbor who grew hundreds of varieties to sell, as did the peonies.  The roses, which are struggling a bit, came from another neighbor.  That's just one of the beauties of perennials...you can enjoy the flowers as well as the memories of friendship!

I know...the edges of this flower bed aren't straight...and that bugs me.  A lot!  Actually, the intended edge is straight...and mulched.  You can see it if you look closely. However, the chickweed also crawled into the grass.  The weed killer that I used worked quite fine...except that now I need to seed some new grass to fill in the gaps.

Here we go...

The peonies will be open any day now.  Their fragrance is wonderful! (and much nicer than what I'm smelling from the fields right now!)

Do you see who photo bombed my picture?!

Iris and peonies don't like mulch, as their roots need to be on the drier side...so I mulched around them, leaving some space around each plant.  It doesn't look as tidy as I prefer, but whatever keeps them happy!  I also used regular bark mulch this year, hoping that it well better hold back the chickweed.

My war on chickweed isn't over.  It never will be, this close to the meadow...but for now I'd say this battle has been won!

Christmas day...

I'm not sure how they missed it, but our cows must not have seen the calendar yesterday.  They expected to be fed and milked just like any other day...

We rolled out of bed a little early; there was much to be accomplished as quickly as possible.  We wanted to be sure that we were finished with the milking long before the milk truck arrived...it wouldn't have been a good morning to make him wait!  Christmas day for milk truck drivers can be a real hassle.

We had decided to give the kids the morning off to spend time with their cousins who had arrived from out of town on Christmas eve, so Jim and I headed out to the barn and got busy.  Thankfully, "everyone" and "everything" cooperated, and we were finished with the morning work by about 11:00.  Then it was time to head to our first "family feast". 

We had a delicious lunch and spent a fun afternoon with Jim's family.  All too soon, 4:00 rolled around, and Jim and I headed home to take care of the ladies.  The kids stayed behind to spend time with their cousins.  I made the mistake of getting comfortable on the sofa  "for just a few minutes" and had a hard time getting out to the barn!  That's how it is for me...getting out there can be a slow process, but once I'm there, I'm always surprised at how quickly things go.

After milking, when the kids came home, we spent a quiet evening watching old "Get Smart" episodes on dvd.  Ahh...mindless entertainment!

The celebrating isn't over yet...more cousins arrived from out of town today, and we'll spend tomorrow with my family!  We'll fit in the fun between the chores for the next few days, and then it'll be back to the regular routine.

We are thankful for the few hours we have off between milkings, but I'll be honest with you...we long for the day when we can have a real day off!  But until the cows learn how to "hold it", Christmas will be just like any other day!

Winter solstice...

 Well...today marks the "official" first day of winter...the winter solstice. 

Brrr...

I woke up this morning, listening to the wind howling outside, and looked at the clock.  I was disappointed to see that we'd missed seeing a historical event.  If we would have only forced ourselves to get up at 2:15 am or so, we would've been able to see a total lunar eclipse on the winter solstice date; an event that hasn't happened since Galileo's day! Now I'm kicking myself; the kids will be disappointed too...at least one of them will be!

I guess I need to get over it, and start the day...which leads me to my original thoughts...


Our sermon on Sunday began with a comment about how much the preacher enjoys this time of year...the way it gets dark at 4:30 or so...the long evenings...

I have mixed feelings on the subject.  You see, light motivates me!  When I go into a room, the lights go on...when we watch tv, the lights go on...when we're milking in the daytime, the lights go on...there's something about darkness that can be a little bit depressing.  It's the way I'm wired.  (and maybe a little bit because my eyesight is aging along with me!)  When our oldest leaves for school in the morning, it's still dark...when our youngest gets home from school in the afternoon, it's almost dark again!  And...my chickens don't lay very many eggs on these short days!

There are definitely some positive aspects of the short days/ long evenings though...when we're finished with the evening milking, it feels just great to be able to shower and relax...no pressure to go back outside and get back to work!  The equipment is put away and stays there for the winter...and there's something to be said for curling up with a blanket and a good book (with the light on, of course!)

One thing for sure...tomorrow we will have just a little more daylight than today!

What are your thoughts on the subject?

So, she does work sometimes...

All in good fun...I had to prove that I do actually work sometimes.  I don't just walk around all day with the camera!

One of my regular jobs in the morning is to throw down a cart full of balage for the cows.  It's their first meal of the day, and they are usually ravenous! 

This is what is inside of those "marshmallow" ag bags that you see sitting out in the field.  After the plastic is removed from the bale, it easily unwinds, and we throw it down the hay hole into
the feed cart below. You can see the hay hole behind me in the first picture...

                                        

After breakfast, the next thing I often do is shovel down a cart full of sawdust.  We use this for fresh bedding in the cows' stalls...

And...here is my latest job!  Jim usually does this, but he's handed it over to me...

Just kidding!  I must admit...I have never forked out a boxpen in my life!  I just had to make you think I can do EVERYTHING!