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It starts with a light gathering….

…that tends to grow.

Questioning looks.

Faces in the door.

And more faces in the door.

Maybe some leaping to capture attention.

Nuzzling of empty feed cans.

And standing by on call.

And the big moment!

Now the parade can really begin!

Because, you see, nobody actually gets fed up here but nobody wants to miss the start!

And off they go to the barn yard.

Except for this straggler here who’d rather have a bottle of water on the porch.

And sometimes a cookie. And sometimes an invitation to come inside.

And look around.

And go upstairs.

And–

Morgan: “I told you that you shouldn’t let her in the house!”
It was okay, I swept it up…. My precious does no wrong.
Posted by Suzanne McMinn | PermalinkThis truck and trailer rolled up the access road behind the barn a few days ago:

The arrangement was made with a neighbor about a mile up the road. I called him last week and told him we were ready. He said he’d call when he had time to get up here with his trailer. He called on Saturday and said he was on his way. Glory Bee and I didn’t even have time to go through her dresses or find a flower before they arrived and out burst the new Mister! To come a-courting…..

Glory Bee watched him across the crowded bar….

He came closer, asked for a dance.

She scampered back, shy….

Then they danced a little butt-sniffing dance.

And decided now was not quite the right time yet, but they could get to know each other awhile…….

Dumplin’s in the barn. I’ll be keeping her in the barn for the duration. I bring Glory Bee into the barn twice a day to be milked, either by me or Dumplin. She stays about 45 minutes or so then back to the yard.

The Mister waits.

As do I.
I’m keeping them in the back barnyard to keep Glory Bee handy and easy to get into the barn through the back alleyway door. I don’t want to be moving her from the field with a bull involved. I think she was in heat a couple of weeks ago, so I may not have long to wait.
He’s a mixed breed beef bull, by the way, and on the small side, known to throw small calves. Glory Bee is actually larger than he is. If she gets pregnant sometime in the next few weeks, the baby will be due next February, or maybe early March, depending on the timing. Cows are pregnant nine months.
For now…..

I sit on the front porch and watch. New entertainment!
May 15, 2013 - Trading Days
Having been a once-a-day milker for a long time, I’m now milking Glory Bee every other day, because that’s the kind of slacker milk maid I am. (Read more about milking once a day here.) Another alternative is every other day milking, which I did for some time also when Glory Bee was about Dumplin’s age. (See here.)
I remembered recently why I developed that system of trading days.
Dumplin’s getting real … Continued…
May 7, 2013 - The Kneeling Sheep
My new Tunis sheep do something I’ve never seen sheep do before, and I’ve had sheep for several years now. They kneel and pray.
I’m just kidding! I think! I think they are just kneeling to eat, but I haven’t known them very long and we haven’t discussed religion yet.
Sometimes they just plop right on the ground to eat, too…. Continued…
April 23, 2013 - Bringing Back Sheep
Yesterday was a sweet spring day. Perfect for a beautiful drive on narrow, winding dirt roads past tumbled fence posts, redbuds blooming everywhere, the fresh green haze of new leaves in the trees, all bursting under a bright sunshine sky.
Old barns….
….and turkeys in the road.
A perfect day to pick up … Continued…
April 22, 2013 - Baby Drinks Bottle of Water!
I’m weaning Maia. I give her very diluted milk, or sometimes just plain water. She doesn’t care! She drinks the water with gusto. And everybody else is curious and wants some!
I love this baby!
April 17, 2013 - New Boyfriend
Glory Bee! Not me! (I still have same one, thank you for asking.)
I want to get Glory Bee bred in the late spring or early summer. Cows are pregnant for nine months. Dumplin was born in December, which really isn’t ideal to me, so I want to plan better this next go-round. I’ve been pondering my dilemma for months. Getting a cow bred is always a dilemma! There’s … Continued…
April 8, 2013 - And Then I Broke A Nail!
Grass, it is a-growing! And so last week, I moved Glory Bee and Dumplin onto pasture. Dumplin danced all over the field like she’d never seen grass before.
Because she’s never seen grass before.
Glory Bee didn’t do any dancing, but she put her head down in the beautiful green and didn’t pick it back up for hours.
It’s been a long, slow, drawn-out late winter and early … Continued…
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"It was a cold wintry day when I brought my children to live in rural West Virginia. The farmhouse was one hundred years old, there was already snow on the ground, and the heat was sparse-—as was the insulation. The floors weren’t even, either. My then-twelve-year-old son walked in the door and said, “You’ve brought us to this slanted little house to die." Keep reading our story....
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