Ah, Clover. Clover, my compatriot, my enemy, my beloved, my nightmare. From the first tablespoon right up till the last one, you were a kick. Literally.
We had our good times.
And our bad.
We went from that scant tablespoon to a pint and a half on our best days. We moved the milkstand, tied and retied ropes every which way, changed feeds several times, and made a hundred other near-daily adjustments. We perservered, did we not?
Not that you ever quite adjusted to the personal violation of being milked, I know that. You perservered, in fact, in a totally different direction. You thought up every way under the sun to foil my efforts. I admire you for that, Clover. You are a formidable opponent.
In the end, we approach a truce not by force of will but by nature. Your milk, once abundant, began to decrease as you fought to throw off the shackles not only of my milking but that of your babies. I think Nutmeg and Honey would have to tie you up now, too, to get you to let them nurse you. Faced with milking you twice a day to bring back up your production, I seek instead a peace.
I have gained so much from you, Clover–an unforgettable learning experience, and gallons of milk stacked up in my freezer to use in practicing my cheesemaking skills for months to come. Let’s put aside our differences now and instead look to the future. I’ve got it all planned out, how I’ll stagger breeding you and Nutmeg to keep one of you in milk all the time next year. You first, then Nutmeg, as she still needs more time to grow. But you! You! Toward the end of the year, we’ll get you nice and knocked up just in time for a late spring delivery. I know you need this time off in the next month or two–to relax, to work out at the gym and regain your girlish figure, to knit some booties for the new babies. We’ll work on a separate, improved milking pen for you and get some fresh ropes, maybe a little satellite TV. We step away now, living to milk another day.
Soon, we’ll go Round Two.
You’re thinking about it, too, aren’t you?
No. NO! For the love of all that’s holy, STOP THINKING!!!
P.S. See all my milking stories here.
wkf says:
Match Maker! Match maker! Make me a match!!
:flying:
On October 18, 2008 at 1:45 am
LeaAnn says:
Sometimes a break is good. Gives everyone a time to rest.
I look forward to reading about your goats and new babies in the spring. I really enjoy reading your blog.
LeaAnn in SW Illinois
On October 18, 2008 at 1:53 am
Kathryn says:
I hope you find her a suitable “friend” when the time comes. I have a feeling she might be somewhat picky about her surroundings too, come the day. Maybe you could invest in some rose petals and a nice Johnny Mathis CD? :love:
On October 18, 2008 at 6:41 am
Paula Bogdan says:
OMG! I am just sitting here and laughing. I dearly love your milking stories. And Clover reminds me of more than one sixth grader that I’ve taught. I have to admire her, I really do.
On October 18, 2008 at 6:49 am
Becky says:
Love those pictures of Clover.
Maybe next time around she won’t be so, uh, stubborn?
On October 18, 2008 at 8:11 am
Nancy says:
Clover will enjoy her rest. Now, on to cheese making. Can’t wait to see how that goes.
Oh yea the picture of the day… they are soft, fluffy beautiful Alpacas. Perhaps Clover could use their fur to make those baby booties.
On October 18, 2008 at 9:19 am
Shari C says:
You have very cleverly thought this all out I can tell. Both you and Clover will enjoy the rest and hopefully you will come up with many new ideas for ease of milking and Clover will do NO thinking at all, just enjoy herself while she can.
On October 18, 2008 at 9:25 am
Kacey says:
Wonder which of you will enjoy the break more???
On October 18, 2008 at 9:35 am
mim says:
The daily farm photo are alpacas.. I have 3 alpacas for fiber/pets. How many alpacas does this farm have? & Do they have any for sell? Any info would be appreciated. :treehugger:
On October 18, 2008 at 9:38 am
Suzanne McMinn says:
Mim, I don’t know, I don’t know those people at all. I only saw about four, I think. I haven’t seen them there before so I think they just got them recently, as far as I can tell.
(If someone’s reading this and wondering why we’re talking about alpacas–they’re here.)
On October 18, 2008 at 9:42 am
Maureen says:
I love your Clover stories and can’t wait for the next ones.
On October 18, 2008 at 9:47 am
Nancy in Atlanta says:
Oh, oh. Clover will have enough time to think up new avoidance strategies. Let’s hope she doesn’t teach Nutmeg some of those tricks!!!
On October 18, 2008 at 9:58 am
Pam says:
I think that she’s just the prettiest little thing! I think she’s already plotting your downfall next year
On October 18, 2008 at 10:01 am
Suzette says:
Bribing her with offers of sex!? For shame! But, hey…it may just work!
Aren’t you glad the chickens are more cooperative than Clover?
Aren’t they?
Well, at least you don’t have to tie them up!
On October 18, 2008 at 10:41 am
Tori Lennox says:
Looking at alpacas always makes me laugh because to me they look like they’re wearing long pants. *g*
On October 18, 2008 at 11:06 am
SuzieQ says:
Isn’t she just beautiful!! Hopefully, she will not be as picky about accepting a suitor.. :sheepjump:
On October 18, 2008 at 12:18 pm
catslady says:
Oh get alpacas so we can hear you learning to shear and spin wool and knit!!!
Somehow I originally missed the picture of Clover in your boots – lol.
On October 18, 2008 at 12:35 pm
Susan says:
I’m wondering which of you will come up with the best plan during this break. 😆
On October 18, 2008 at 3:56 pm
TeresaH says:
I think she is seriously planning on how to stay one step ahead of you next spring! What do you want to bet that she spends the winter teaching Nutmeg all her tricks? :rotfl: And they’ll be thinking of new ones too! Yikes!
On October 18, 2008 at 4:13 pm
Jake says:
That last picture looks as if Clover is saying, Ok, Whatever! Now, can I have a cookie?
Looking forward to the sweet new babies.
Jake’s a Girl. 🙂
On October 18, 2008 at 4:23 pm
Estella says:
I love your milking stories—-can’t wait for the next round!
On October 18, 2008 at 4:28 pm
Donna says:
Suzanne, Clover said to give you this message:
“If you are dreaming off all that,MISSY, you had better get stocked up on cookies, bigtime!!!! Or it will be WISHFUL DREAMING!”
On October 18, 2008 at 5:06 pm
Tresha says:
oooohhh noooooo Suzanne…you have been had! Sparticus has totally got to Clover and taught her EVERYTHING…..you are being double teamed…. Sparticus tells Clover….”watch this…I’m makin the hens lay on the ground….drives that woman nutz!!!”
ha
Tresh in OK
On October 18, 2008 at 6:57 pm
Nancy says:
THE GOAT HAS WON!
On October 18, 2008 at 7:06 pm
Minna says:
:rotfl:
On October 19, 2008 at 8:34 am
The FringeGirl says:
I love the boots!
On October 19, 2008 at 6:29 pm
Jodie says:
I was thinking about you getting up early to milk her in the winter. A nice break is a good idea. PS. BG my cat says hi.
On October 19, 2008 at 9:59 pm