Sleep, and cows

Sleep, sleep, sleep. I love to sleep, and finally, it seems, I am getting enough. It's amazing, my body actually stops hurting when I get enough sleep. I actually am in a better mood when I get enough sleep. In my family, sleep is god. We don't wake up sleeping people unless it's necessary. Sleep and food, those two things are god.

So, my low-drama lifestyle has left me devoid of topics today. I'm sure there's controversy somewhere that I'm ignoring, but I'm not going to go looking for it. Not today. Today's just a good day to relax and enjoy. The only suspense I'm carrying is wondering when Beru and Clover will calve, which should be any day now. I went and checked on them last night (and the two nights before) to see how they were, and they were lying down, very pregnant, and very content, in the winter lot. As I walked up to Beru, she gave a long drawn out quiet (for a cow) groan, which, from a cow, means, "hey, what are you doing out here, I really hope you're not going to make me get up," in a friendly sort of way. I didn't make her get up.

Katy, our heifer who just calved, is healthy, and her calf is as cute as a button. Smaller than a big dog, she weighs about 60 pounds, and is a Dutch Belted, which are smaller than Holsteins, which is what we're more used to. Our herd is slowly becoming more Dutch Belted, because we like smaller cows. They're easier on the pasture and on the pocketbook, and are hardier. You can tell during fly season -- the Dutch Belteds don't have flies living on their milk veins they way Holsteins do. Boy, I really dislike flies.

Katy's still not used to being milked, and kicks when she's annoyed with us cleaning her teats, or if the milking machinery is uncomfortable. She doesn't seem to be doing it with the idea of kicking us -- it's more like an irritated swipe than a kick. Still, it doesn't work for milking, so we have to tie a belly rope around her, just above the udder, to keep her tendons from being as useful for kicking. Some folks have been hobbling her back legs together as well, but I've not done that. I guess I could, if she gets worse. Usually heifers get used to the whole rigamarole, and learn not to kick. Katy's still as sweet tempered as always, and acts more like a pet cow than the others. She's a Dutch Belted herself, and cute as a button, also.
okey dokey,
much love,
Kelpie