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Post by 12540dumont on Jan 17, 2013 13:46:28 GMT -5
This is the cow I got to milk. Fabulous experience. I milked for about 10 minutes before it was time for someone else to take a turn. I asked how long it would take to milk her completely and the farmer said 4 hours by hand, and the cow would get very grumpy. She's milked by machine. Sad. It's nice to milk a cow. Attachments:
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Post by 12540dumont on Jan 17, 2013 13:47:53 GMT -5
Aren't they beautiful? Okay out to prune. Attachments:
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Post by bunkie on Jan 17, 2013 15:00:56 GMT -5
beautiful!
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Post by davida on Jan 17, 2013 15:16:24 GMT -5
Aren't they beautiful? Okay out to prune. I certainly think they are beautiful!!! |
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Post by davida on Jan 17, 2013 15:20:25 GMT -5
This is the cow I got to milk. Fabulous experience. I milked for about 10 minutes before it was time for someone else to take a turn. I asked how long it would take to milk her completely and the farmer said 4 hours by hand, and the cow would get very grumpy. She's milked by machine. Sad. It's nice to milk a cow. Someday, when you and Leo visit us in Oklahoma, you can milk to your heart's content. |
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Post by oxbowfarm on Jan 17, 2013 19:38:07 GMT -5
My what strong forearms you have!!! It amuses me that people think that anyone can simply sit down and milk a cow: giving no thought to the tremendous hand and forearm stamina that is required. I remember the struggle during that first week after the cow freshened. When she was producing abundantly, and my muscles were weak from being out of practice. I've often thought about the old time dairy farmers from before milking machines. Guys that used to milk 25-30 cows twice a day. Their forearms must have looked like Popeye. |
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Post by davida on Jan 17, 2013 19:49:26 GMT -5
And in case anyone has ever wondered, I must "empty" each teat by hand approximately 500 times per milking to obtain the 2 gallons. So 2000 pulls. My what strong forearms you have!!! It amuses me that people think that anyone can simply sit down and milk a cow: giving no thought to the tremendous hand and forearm stamina that is required. I remember the struggle during that first week after the cow freshened. When she was producing abundantly, and my muscles were weak from being out of practice. We milk outside in an open area as Peaches eats her feed and alfalfa cubes. She is not tied and we do not use any type of head or body restraint except I do tie her tail where it does not slap me in the face. She is free to move, at will, but she stands still for us. When someone new gets under her, she starts to "dance"and they start picturing in their mind the "cow wreck" that is about to happen. It does not take long for them to decide that milking is not as easy as they thought. Our worst and now most comical "cow wreck" was on clear, beautiful Saturday morning. I was enjoying the sunrise and all was perfect. Well, a bright red hot air balloon saw us and decided to glide over and watch. That was actually pretty neat and would have made a good picture. About the time they were even with us and behind Peaches, they decided they had seen enough and shook the morning air as they fired the balloon. She jumps, knocks me flat on my back, spills the entire bucket of milk, she is stretched out with her tail tied bellowing like crazy and the hot air ballon calmly continues their journey. I just held up both arms in disbelief. |
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Post by 12540dumont on Jan 17, 2013 20:38:58 GMT -5
OMG, we are in hot air balloon heaven. The old farm dog hated them. They fly over and spy. She would jump in the air snarling, barking and carrying on. Of course she also despised plastic bags, blowing around the farm, umbrellas and little girls.
Leo says it had something to do with all of them being filled with hot air.
Davida, even with a sister-in-law in OK, I don't think I'll be visiting. I'd rather visit Cuba, or Argentina, Oz, NZ, or my latest favorite, Ecuador. I've driven through OK twice (CA - FL). And once CA-TX-MN. Not a trip I'd ever wish to do again. Even if I could milk Peaches all day and eat Peach Ice Cream.
I haven't even been to ME, VT yet... If I visit anywhere stateside, it's the East Coast I have to get to. Nova Scotia here I come!
In my spare time.
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Post by davida on Jan 18, 2013 23:56:59 GMT -5
Took Peaches the Jersey to the vet today and she is not PG. We will try to AI her one more time and then evaluate our options.
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Post by steev on Jan 23, 2013 1:10:43 GMT -5
Sunday, among other things, I dug large holes and gopher-wired them in preparation for setting out the Black Beauty mulberry and four-variety pluot trees I bought last January, but was afraid to plant out because it looked too droughty.
Then I dismantled a 100' stretch of T-post and fencing trellis because it was just in the wrong place.
Then I dug and Mantissed and dug 80' of trench for setting out asparagus. I may Mantis it again; I want those crowns deep.
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Post by steev on Jan 31, 2013 21:46:52 GMT -5
The 27th, I re-Mantissed the trench and shoveled it out, wired it, and set in the 26 Mary Washington one-year plants on one-foot spacing, filled around with aged horsepoo, doubled over the wire, and shovelled in soil to level. It'll sink, but that's fine, as I'll mulch heavily with horsepoo. Plenty of trench left for planting the Purple Passion asparagus Holly gave me (and the 7 Mary Washington I'd overlooked), as well as some rhubarbs that are loitering in the backyard. So many potted plants to move to the farm, so I'll have room to pot up the rose and grape cuttings I've potted to root this month.
I got the mulberry and pluot planted, rebuilt the T-post trellis and planted 7 kinds of peas along it. I think the next-most urgent thing is to plant out the remaining hardy kiwis, having managed to kill the ones I set out last year, putting them out too late before the heat/dry came.
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Post by 12540dumont on Jan 31, 2013 22:06:49 GMT -5
I sent out more seeds,
Yes Bunkie they are finally on the way. As well as some for Synergy. Darn, I found asparagus seeds as soon as I sent your package. Double darn.
A few packages left to go.
I started all the tomatoes, peppers and eggplants.
Tomorrow, broc, cauli & cabbage and if I figure out a way to till, peas!
The carb on the BCS went out (yeah 20 years, imagine). I'm waiting for parts. My parts are in Italy, watching Italian women, drinking wine and enjoying life.
But it's 65 degrees and the soil is drying, no rain in sight, so I'm thinking...till! Till! till! (I may have to break down and rent something this weekend. I only have the mini tiller, so I may just focus on cicers, favas, lupinis. Leo can make a mini- pass through the field with Griselda (what I named the tiller) and I can follow with planting stick invented by Joseph and plant seeds. It's supposed to be 70 on Sunday!
I guess the holiday season is over. It's back to work. I'll be pretty quiet for awhile.
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Post by synergy on Jan 31, 2013 22:34:09 GMT -5
Thank you so much for the seeds! Mike H your hawthorne berries are being mailed next week from Washington state .
I have been topping manured stable bedding in my biggest garden space of about 70 x 70 feet turned over last October. Today is the second day of working a bit at a time to hand dig the manure under to break up the clay . I am trying to pull out any buttercup or grass and leave the chickweed for cover where there are nice patches of it . Since I work till the sweat is running down my back I am counting this as exercise and I need it ! It is an effort to see if doing it by hand retains more life in the soil .
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Post by bunkie on Feb 1, 2013 11:37:36 GMT -5
thanks holly! yours will be in the mail very soon! hope to get to town by Monday.
all you buzy people, tilling and digging and tilling and digging, and ...! we still have a little less than 4 feet of snow on the ground?! will be starting onions, paarsley, celery and TPS this weekend, and cleaning up the greenhouse.
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Post by steev on Feb 1, 2013 21:36:04 GMT -5
Tomorrow I'm off to the farm, rhubarb and some kiwis to plant; I seem to have lost most of my females, but I have ample males, PITA.
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