I Think I Like This Cow

Peaches is doing really well here at Goat Song Farm... Right now she's quarantined in one of the kidding pens. A little 6'x8' stall all to herself... She wants out though; I can see that! But she's becoming very sweet and gentle in her small home. She moos when she hears me coming, and yesterday she ate her breakfast out of my hand. Today she learned was a back scratch feels like, and she's decided that she likes them. Her favorite spot seems to be the neck, but she doesn't like her brisket to be touched. The valbazen dewormer worked quickly, and her pot belly is improving each day. Her mud scald is rapidly disappearing as well, now that it's being treated and she's on dry ground. Her hindquarters still need to be cleaned up, as she's not tame enough yet for me to touch her that much. But it can wait... It can wait.

 I love her big brown eyes... She politely comes up to me when I enter her stall, and flirtatiously bats her eyes at me. She's knows she's pretty. ;) I give her a gentle scratch on the neck and then give her some grain. She's only eating about 2-3 lbs. of grain a day right now, but she's consuming 15-20 lbs. of hay!! For a little lady, she knows how to pack the food away!

My kidding stalls are made of solid wood, but we've cut a small hole in each one so that the occupants within can see out. Peaches' head is much too big to fit through such a hole, but I can never help but smile when I walk in the barn and see her pink nose poking out. That's her greeting. I walk in and say hello to everyone, the goats sing, the cow moos. Goats walk up to fence and cow sticks nose through hole. It's the same every time.

 A cow-loving friend is coming out on Monday to take a look at her and see if there is something that I am missing, concerning Peaches. I'm looking forward to hearing an opinion from someone who has actually seen her, and I am definitely looking forward to hearing her consensus on her horns! They are both about an inch long, and are seriously wiggly. I'm thinking that they're scurs, but we'll see...

I still chuckle when I think about the fact that I have a cow again, and that I actually like her... She's not so bad, this cow... Kinda' makes me want to get another one... Hehe. ;)

Watching This Today

The video is 90 minutes long, and I think I'm like 20 minutes into it. But so far this has been intriguing to watch/listen to!

Which do you prefer? Raw or pasteurized milk? Why?

Not Exactly An English Shepherd...

Since I got a cow, my sister got a dog.

Correction: I got ONE cow, and my sister got TWO dogs. Maybe I should lobby for another cow to make things even.... Hmmm.

But numbers aside, I have to admit that these furry mops that have invaded the house are unmistakably adorable. :) The new additions are two, 8 month old male Shih Tzu/Bichon Frise crosses. These boys are brothers, and go by the names of Brody and Brinkley. ;)

So my friends, meet "the boys"

Brody

The boys, playing like, well, boys.

Brinkley + ball

Brody

Brody

Brinkley

Brody

Brinkley

They're not exactly English Shepherds, but I kinda' like these walking mops... It's fun having lap dogs around the place. 

Photo credit goes to my sister, over at Emily Nicolle Photography.

Attracted To A Deadly Silence

My older brother brought his new Beretta 9M, 9mm handgun today for us all to see and try out. Its small chunky body was jet black with a faint sheen to it; it fit perfectly in the hand with a surprising weight, but a beautiful balance. This was firepower in its element. Everyone tromped out to the field to see what this baby could do, and along came the trusty .22 rifle. The small handgun was fired, and was deemed impressive and nice. My sister-in-law giggled as she shot at the target in the short distance. I missed out on getting to try it, since I was late to the scene. But I watched it being done... Dark clouds rolled in from the coast, and a strong western gale began clawing the trees. Rain pelted our heavy coats, and soon we were more than damp. But I watched that little gun firing one round after another... My fingers in my ears, and my eyes  shifting from the target to the gun. And I sensed a feeling of power. Nature was flaunting its powers that man cannot control, and man was flaunting his powers with cold iron that he can control. And for the first time, I desired to use a gun.

I have never wanted to use a gun. I use my younger brother's air rifle to dispatch my rabbits, but that's as far as I've delved into the mysterious world of bullets and iron muzzles. In truth, guns rather intimidated me. Their power and capabilities of causing damage caused me to shy away. This was a world I could not enter. Could not understand. Could not touch... I feared it. The smooth trigger, the symmetrical form, the beauty of it intertwined with the death it could cause. Guns were fearsome beasts. 

 I am a lover of archery. Where guns do not fit my hands, a bow and arrows is poetry to me. I love the elegance and simplicity that a recurve bow has. My hand creates a claw as I draw the string... My arrow is gently poised and aimed... The shot is loosed, and my target silently finds its mark. Naught but a small twang is heard. It is a silent form of hunting and shooting. A deadly silence. I have my eye on a lovely recurve bow that I saw online, but the price is that of a ton of hay, or a new goat (or a calf!) so for the last 4 years, I have not felt that I could justify such a splurge... To buy a harbinger of death when the animals need feed? But I still sigh as I look at it... It is beautiful, light, and accurate. I am an archer.

 But as I stood beneath the rain today, watching the guns being fired, I had a sudden desire to try it out. I wanted to experience that feeling of power. 

 I decided to try the .22 out since this was my first time... Its sandy, digital camouflage color was a far cry from the traditional bay that most guns are. I held it in my hands and marveled at its lightness... It was smooth, cold, and hard. Such a little gun it was... I lifted it to my eye, and slipped my finger around the trigger. This was it. Hesitantly, I fired the first shot. POW! I hit grass. A second shot was fired, then a third, and then a fourth. My finger instinctively knew the feeling of a trigger, and I wondered if that should cause me some concern... But I liked this little piece of firepower. :) I understood now why people did this. Two more shots were fired, and then I gave it to a younger sister to try out. I stood back and grinned. I liked this gun. 

  I don't think I managed to hit the target (which was a soda can, by the way), but that doesn't surprise me. I had to use my right eye to aim, and hold the gun on my right side. I'm a lefty through and through. That, coupled with the fact that I couldn't really see the target, due to poor vision, I hardly expected to hit the can. The noise rang and echoed through our hills, and as I walked back to the house, I couldn't help but compare the gun with my beloved bow and arrows. Their silence compared to the roar of a gun. Their simplicity compared with the intimidating build of a rifle. But mostly the silence... I may have learned that I like guns, but if I had to choose I would go with a bow any day. I am attracted to their deadly silence...

A Black and White Peach

Just Peachy

Houston, the cow has landed.

The whole ride out to where Peaches was, I was worrying that we were going to have to chase this little lady around the pasture in a wild attempt to catch her. I had brought a 20' length of rope with me, a stout lead rope, and two halters. I was loaded for bull.

We pull up to the driveway, and I'm glad at what I see, but also uneasy. The man had already caught her for us, and I was so grateful that I wouldn't have to do any running! However, he didn't have any halters so he just put a noose around her neck. Every lunge and jerk that she made caused the rope to tighten a little more around her dainty neck and I could see that it was freaking her out. Thankfully the man was alright with me politely switching the rope out for a halter, and Peaches was much calmer after the change.

Crazy folks that we are, we still don't have a livestock trailer of our own, so we had every intention of just hoisting this little girl into the covered bed of our pickup, like we've done for all the other animals. The man offered to let us borrow his somewhat rickety trailer instead, and we accepted. Why make life more difficult?

She was loaded up, and brought home... And now she's here, where she will be safe and loved.

As you can see in the pictures, she's not exactly a model for the bovine race... She weighs 150 lbs. at four months of age, when she should weigh somewhere between 200 to 250 lbs. She's thin, she's wormy, she's got a snotty nose, and she has some mud scald on her legs. 

But what a sweetheart!!! She's shy, but she's pretty gentle, and I'm sure it's just a matter of time before she's as obnoxious as the goats when visitors come. I am tickled pink to have Peaches here, and I look forward to watching her bloom and grow! 

We're just peachy today... :)

She's Sold

I called the man who owns Peaches the calf, this morning...

And five minutes later I announced to the family that Peaches was sold.

That is, sold to me!!

Folks, somehow in a flurry of events between Saturday and Sunday, I managed to get the exact amount of money I needed to bring Peaches home. Someone bought some soap, another lady bought a knitted farmyard set, Some sweet folks came yesterday and bought my antique spinning wheel, and my grandparents pitched in the last bit that was needed.  

We're going tomorrow (hopefully in the morning!) to pick her up! Hurrah! Pictures will be posted as soon as possible, of course, and let's hope that the sun stays out so y'all can see some decent shots of her!

A cow... Who'da thunk? ;)