Blessings

When my tired body finds rest and I'm counting my blessings,
my heart is at peace,
my mind decompressing.

I pray for the creatures, so great and small,
the ones who depend on me,
to care for them all.

These animals, every one, have touched me in some way,
they probably have no clue,
how much I depend on them each day.

Their eyes hold secrets, no one can make them tell,
you have to look deeply,
look with your soul as well.

If they could talk, I wonder what they would say?
Would they tell of their trials,
their tribulations that day?

Do they remember the time I felt lost and a wreck?
I went to them,
to rest my head on their neck.

They stood, as I poured my heart out to them never saying a word,
silently they listened,
never once having stirred.

I wish they could know how it feels to be me.
To realize that they,
are a part of my family.

Love and Blessings,
CowLady

Happy Birthday Chuck!!

My Love,
I know you Still Feel 25 Most of the Time, and maybe sometimes act it;).  Our Love Story is only just beginning, but you and me baby are Stuck Like Glue.  After many birthdays you finally met the Farmer's Daughter, and showed her that This Ole Boy has got it goin' on;).

 

We got to Take a Back Road,  and you let me be your Shotgun Girl.  I soon found out that you were Hell on the Heart after I had to demand, Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not?  Then, not only did I discover there was Somethin' Bout a Truck, but You and Tequila Make Me Crazy.  Sometimes you call me a Crazy Girl, and that's Alright 'cuz you're my Sweet Thing.

 

We sunned on the beach and sang that Dirt Road Anthem, after you Put a Ring on It, and I knew no one else could ever make me Feel That Fire the way you do.  Without You honey, I'm no Better Than I Used to Be.  You have nothing at the Baggage Claim holding us back, and for us, Time is Love.  Those Summer Nights Remind Me that when I am lost You Save Me.  I Run to You, and I always will.  I plan on spending the rest of my life trying To Make You Feel My Love, and know it's true.

You are the best man I know, and I Love Your Love the Most, I always will.  I truly believe our love is a blessing, and God Gave Me You.  If Today Was Your Last Day, know that you're Never Gonna Be Alone from this moment on, because you are my heart and I'm Yours.  Happy Birthday my love!  I hope it's wonderful and spent with family and friends.
Love, Forever and Ever Amen,
YourCowLady

P.s. I think I got all of our songs:).

Song titles credited to:
Taylor Swift, Darius Rucker, Dierks Bently, Keith Urban, Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney, Rascal Flatts, Lady Antebellum, Carrie Underwood, Kip Moore, Tim McGraw, Luke Bryan, Craig Morgan, Josh Turner, Thompson Square, Garth Brooks, Randy Travis, JaneDear Girls, Eli Young Band, Rodney Atkins, Brad Paisley, Miranda Lambert, Sugarland, Nickelback and Beynce'.

The Bad Guys

I have been meticulously working on my soapbox for quite a while now, and I think it's time to break it out.
(Hope I don't bust my rear....)

Walk with me, talk with me....
You are sitting in your house, it's evening time..the kid(s) have already eaten and finished their homework...nothing left to do but watch tv and relax....
With me?

What are your biggest fears?  Who do you think is out to get you and your family?
Criminals?
Escaped convicts?
Hackers?
Bullies?

...farmers?

So you were probably with me until that last one.
It's understandable.
Maybe you agree with the last one?


Honestly, I don't know where we went wrong.
I am speechless when I read articles concerning "milk safety" and "animal welfare", and how dairy farmers(as well as farmers in general) "should do a better job caring for their animals" and "watch what goes into the milk(or meat) they ship".
Pardon?
More often than not the authors of such articles have gained all of their credibility from behind their computers in their ivory tower.

Sure, as technology evolved so did the dairy industry, and overall agricultural industry for that matter.
Innovations enabled us to get more milk from our cows, which seemed like a great idea at the time, however the negative effects from using hormones like rBST became illegal for the majority of milk sales.
BUT, the milk demand didn't lessen.

As farmers became more educated, so did the public.

All of the sudden the public wanted to know exactly how their animals were being treated.
NEWS FLASH!  Farmers actually like their animals...the animals are their source of income, and what feeds their family.
What reason is there for us to mistreat our livelihood?

Sure there are some bad apples in the bunch, you don't go through life without meeting a few, but that shouldn't ruin your taste for all in general.

"Mad Cow Disease" and "Ecoli", have become common headlines and people are scared.
They suddenly want "organic" products because obviously those are better.
Did you know that the term "Organic" has nothing to do with how humanely an animal is treated?
Sure, they are raised on special "pesticide-free" diets and given specific "organic" medications, but how differently does it taste?
I can convince myself that milk from a yellow jug tastes different than milk from a clear jug...but does it really?
Come on.

European Union standards have influenced our market, causing our buyers to demand a certain type of milk.
We are moving towards a market where a Somatic Cell Count(SCC) of over 400,000 is unacceptable.
What does this mean to YOU?
Do you, or the general public, know what a SCC is?
It's the white cell count in the milk.

Generally an elevated white cell count indicates infection.
This means that the cow is producing an elevated amount of white cells, which means she could possibly have an infection somewhere she is not being treated for.
A high white cell count ALSO means that she could be in heat.
She could have just calved.
She could be OLD.
She might just have a high white cell count naturally.

This cell count is a weighted average of all of the cows whose milk is in the tank.
If you milk say, over 200 cows, and one or two have a high cell count, then it's mixed in with the other milk and "diluted" out so the overall shipment isn't high.
There is not a farm in our area that milks under 150, because they can't and meet the EU standards...and afford to feed their family.

Can you taste a difference?
Did you know that we haven't gone to those standards yet?
I'm below 400,000 but I had to sell a few of my older cows to get there..cows who were just old.
Because you can taste a difference.

The lady whose home borders one of our fields stopped Eddie the other day and asked if he could "do anything about the dust" that his truck was kicking up, as he hauled haylage to the pit(and me).
"The dust is covering me patio furniture, and getting in my house", she said, "we would really like to put a pool in".

She wanted Eddie to do something about it.
He gave her BossMan's phone number.

BossMan reminded her that her husband cleared the fence row, on OUR side, because it was grown up last year.
He threw all of the debris in our field.
That fence row created a natural buffer from dust coming off of the field.
It must be hell living in the country.

I'm not entirely sure when it happened, but at some point the farmer became the bad guy.
The farmer, who works to not only feed his family, but billions of others, became a criminal.

Technology is making it possible to feed more people, more efficiently than ever.
But we can't win!

People complain about the price of a gallon of milk, and don't take into consideration the price of hauling, the price of feeding, the price of time and care.
Then...then they turn around a pay a couple of dollars more for "certified organic".

Sometimes I wonder what people think...do they ever stop and ask what is being hauled in the trucks through the farmland?
Do they ever think that maybe that's feed for the cows who produce the milk and beef?
Maybe if I sell my cows I can come swim in her pool this summer.

Love and nothing but respect,
CowLady

Mildy Concussed

I hit my head on the tractor approximately 17 times yesterday...but who's counting?
I feel mildly concussed.
Concussed is so a word.

You're lucky, because at this time I have complete control over my memory of yesterday.
When I woke up this morning there was a lot of shady confusion.
Possibly caused by said concussion.

It all started when I put my honey on the tractor yesterday.
Isn't that how it always starts?
That made no sense.

Moving on..

My honey had yesterday off so he came out to help medicate and wrap Gus's foot, and spend a little time with the big beast.
Gus likes us.

(Famous.Last.Words.)

After their visit, Chuck came over to help me pack haylage.
He loves me that much:).

Anyway, he has never operated a front-end loader so this was a totally new experience for...both of us.
I have the utmost confidence in my honey though...he can do anything.

He hopped up into the seat, and I decided that it would be a great idea to sit on the fender.
Because I'm pretty like that.

The Valtra has an open cab, so most of the time I sat over the tire, leaning inward under the roof, and explained how to operate the machine.
(I love pictures of me like that.)

For your information, tractors aren't padded...contrary to popular belief, they are NOT just like driving a Mercedes.
I don't know who believes that.
I'm sure someone does.

I had done the majority of the packing up until he got into the drivers seat, so I had no idea what it felt like to be a passenger.
Actually....no one should know that.
There's a sticker that plainly reads "no passengers" right beside where I...was not sitting.

No worries!  I didn't consider myself a "passenger", I was merely the conductor and him the engineer.
(Chuck's brief, but memorable, train stint taught me a few things.)

Within no time, he had it down!
The only thing he needed to get the hang of, was working the bucket while driving the tractor.
The only thing I needed to get the hang of was riding side-saddle on a big metal horse who kept bucking me into the roof.

I'll make a farmer out of him yet:).
...as long as my concussion doesn't hold me back.

Love,
ConcussedCowLady

I Wonder as I Wander...

 

For the past (almost THREE!!) weeks, I have been stuck/forced/held against my will sitting on a tractor meticulously packing haylage.
This is the most basic form of torture, I have decided.
As long as I don't think of the monotony, and endless supply of haylage coming in, I do fine.
IF I begin to look at the trees rather than the forest, I get anxious and want to cry.
Some farmer I am....

I guess there are tools I could utilize to help me take my mind off of the work, like listening to an iPod, or blessing the world by stretching my vocal chords...
Instead, I think.

I hmmmmm and hawwwwww about terribly important, worldly matters.

For instance, why is it so cold allofthesudden?
-Is this some sort of payback for the early warmth we got?
-Am I mad about the cold?
-I wish it would rain...it's really dry out.
-Does this mean we will have a dry summer?
-Will we have a short winter again?
-I shouldn't have planted my roses at home.
-My Bougainvillea is so mad right now...
-The lady at the garden center pronounced it "Boo-gam-vill-ea"...I like that better.
-How long will my Cyclaman  bloom?
-Why do none of my plants want water?
-I wish I had time for a garden.
-Should I still be watering my roses?

Another subject I often ponder is Gus:
-I think he likes attention.
-He doesn't mind the cows..maybe he's scared.
-That one cow did chase him...
-I think he likes Chuck, Beenie and I...we are his people.
-Why doesn't he like stuff around/near his ears?
-His past owner was kinda...ding-y...
-He's so pretty.
-I like his nostrils.
-I wish he didn't try to sit on me when I wrap his foot.
-He's misunderstood justlikeme.

I psychoanalyze myself:
-What am I going to bake tonight?
-Why am I going to bake something?
-Maybe I need to feel like I have accomplished something.
-Why do people automatically think I am mean?
-I'm just quiet.
-And to the point.
-But I don't mean any harm!
-I just have a lot on my mind.
-I drink a lot of water.
-Is this because I'm an Aquarius?
-They are 'water bearers' you know.
-That makes sense, I'll stick with it.

Sometimes my thoughts turn to things around me:
-Eddie is smaller than me.
-I don't know how I feel about that.
-Tim's bigger...a little at least.  Thank goodness!
-I hope I don't flip this tractor over...I would be so in trouble.
-I should start wearing ear plugs...my teeth hurt.
-That cat is so pregnant.
-Look at the ducks!
-Those little birds are giving that hawk the what-for!
-I so dislike vultures.

By the time I have made it through all of this it's been all of...12 minutes.
I already know what I am going to be thinking about today....what I'm cooking for Chucks birthday.

So there ya go.
Someone has to do the thinking.
Youcanthankmelater.

Love,
PonderingCowLady

Better Than Dolittle...

Ugh.
(I couldn't hold it in.)
Did I say something about not chopping last week?
I can't recall.

Actually, I cannot recall ever NOT chopping.
Thatisall.

I won't mention how worn out I am.
I mean, after rightnow.

I keep yawning and digging eye-crispies out.
OK, after rightnow.

Heeyyyyy!  Wanna meet some new gals?
Here are my 3 little girls I had last week...

This is Violet.
Her mother tried to kill Gus.
True story.

He walked up to Violet all like, awww hello little Jersey...and mama stopped him short.
Poor Gus.

This is Gertrude.
I carried her forever.
No thanks to her mother, who was eating.

My big Holstein gal is Persephone.
Except I just Googled that and found out that Persephone, in Greek mythology, is goddess of the underworld....and spring growth...
I don't know how I feel about that.

Wanna know a secret?
Good.  I thought you might say "no".

Until Saturday, I had lived my entire life never having given a horse a shot.
Yep.
Neva. Eva.

Of course then Saturday rolled in and BAM! shook my world.

Beenie ventured out to bring Gus in to ride.
Gus didn't come to her, which is odd because normally if you have treat, Gus will travel.
This time he just stood there...with foot lifted in the "owie" position.

The "owie" position always conjures an exasperated sigh out of me.
More often than not, it means I have to make the "owie" a "yeeeeowie", in order to make it OK.

Beenie limped Gustav in and discovered that he had a bad cut above the back of his front hoof.
Not to be confused with the front of his back hoof...or the back of his back hoof...or the left side of his right back hoof...
Then she called me and I sighed.

It was a really deep cut, that we discovered must have been caused from him pawing the bottom strand of the barbed wire.
OKholdit...I know barbed wire isn't optimal for horses, but if my cows didn't outnumber the horse 200 to 1, then I might change that.
Until then, heshouldstoppawing.

We took him down to the barn and rinsed his foot off, and he just stood there like a good boy.
Then.....THEN!  I called Dr. Kirksy...and life as I knew it, changed.

I explained the wound and told him what I had for breakfast, for some darn reason.
Then he told me that Gus needed 20cc of Penicillin in the muscle and 10cc of Banamine in the vein.
That's when I lost a few years of my life.

You see, Gustopher does NOT like certain things...like things going into his mouth or around his head.
This is something we are working with, and he is getting better.
BUT!  He is rather large, and so unlike my Bovine.

I, in kind of a breathless, panicked way, told Dr, Kirsky of my reservations regarding the administration.
He listened, and when I paused for his thoughts, he simply said, "that's why I stopped working on horses."
Heh.  You don't say.

We got off the phone and I retrieved the medicine, wrapped Gustavson's foot, then stood there and worried with Beenie for a solid 15 minutes.
Yeah.
She was nervous too.

I worried to the point that I was shaking...trembling even!
Give cows shots?  Shoooooottttt! Any.Day.
Give a dog a shot?  Psssshyeah. No. Prob.
Give a quirky horse a shot?  .....heh......

We finally, and I mean after I worried years off my life, decided to take him to the field so that if he got loose he would not run to Argentina.
Wait...you can't run to Argentina!
Atlanta...run to Atlanta.

I eased up beside the big guy, big Penicillin shot in hand, and held my breath as he...didn't.move.a.muscle.
I then found his vein, held my breath again when he...stood.perfectly.still.
Wait...what?!

What a guy!!!
What a trooper!!!
Treats all around!!!

See!?
I told you there was nothing to worry about.

Stick with me and you'll go places.

Love,
Dr.CowLady

P.s. I totally knew you can't run to Argentina...I was just testing you.

If We Had Never Met

...I would still be sleeping with my window open, on the ground floor of the apartment complex.

...I'd still live IN an apartment..

...I wouldn't have stopped competing in figure.  After all, I had tons of time to diet and exercise.

...I would still say things like, "Goh! There were a ton of cops at that one house!"...when in all reality there were 3 cruisers...meaning 3 officers...

...I would stay up past ten.

...I would still drive to Knoxville for Church.

...I wouldn't have started this blog.

...I wouldn't get cards from my baby calves on Mother's Day.

...I wouldn't bake very often.

...I wouldn't have bought a horse.

But we did meet and maybe I realized that...

...Sleeping with your windows open, on the ground floor is kind of dangerous...

 

...I needed a home to make my own...

 

...I have nothing to prove, and I don't have to compete to be worth something...

 

...Generally speaking, and unless I'm partnering, there is ONE officer per car.
...Nothing good happens after ten anyway.
...My Church home is with you, in Maryville.
...If no one else does, YOU want to know what I think.
...The calves can't hold the pencil by themselves.

 

...I waited for so long to have someone to bake for.

 

...I love that silly horse.

If we had never met, I would still be waiting for you.

Love,
YourCowlady