Happy Anniversary R & T

Happy 15th Anniversary Roger & Traci!!

Todd took the afternoon off of work today to be with the kids while I took Garrett in for his 6 month check up.  I don't know where the last 6 months have gone!  

Only read this next paragraph if you have a strong stomach!  Disgusting content follows!  Just before I left, Heidi came across the living room with a thermometer in her mouth.  She had picked it up from behind the faucet where Todd had laid it after we took the calf, Stormy's, temperature after she was born.  Imagine where you take a calf's temperature...and then imagine the look on Heidi's face when I told her where the thermometer had last been!  I really wish I had taken a picture of it.   She spit and sputtered for quite a while and then grabbed Laura's toothbrush to brush her teeth - which Laura promptly threw in the garbage.  Don't say I didn't warn you... :)

Todd got some pictures of Ribeye today, so I will get some posted.

Last evening we tried to separate the cows from the bulls that we had put together in the pen in the morning.  We took a salt/mineral lick into the pen thinking we could get the bulls occupied with it while we worked on getting the cows out.  We found out that they had really been missing having the salt lick while they were in the far pasture.  They went after it like it was candy.  There was no getting any of them away from it!  While they were busy, Todd was able to get a lead on one of the cows that hasn't been tamed.  He grabbed the lead and took a ride across the pasture (you would have thought he would have learned his lesson when the heifer yanked his shoulder out of the socket  last year - but he at least had a hold with both hands this time and was holding a rope he could let go of and not just a halter) Anyway, I wished I had had the video camera.  The cow jumped clear across and round and round the paddock with Todd doing a funny little dance behind her.  He finally decided to just leave her in there.  We got the gentle Herefords out, but ended up leaving the rest in there for another time.

We were able to get Jemimah into the corral hoping to get a better look at little Rib-eye.  Unfortunately she had parked him somewhere again and he didn't come up to join her.  We let her out just before sundown and she ran off to find him.  It was a bit of a rerun from Monday night - he hadn't stayed put - so she frantically ran around bellowing for him until she finally found him.

Today the kids had piano lessons, so I did my weekly shopping while they were there.  Then on our way to Bible Study we went by our current favorite store - Rural King - for some more fencing parts and goodies for the animals.  Had a nice meeting and visit afterwards.

Another day at the farm

This morning we moved the cattle into a temporary fenced area.  It is getting easier to get them moved.  Either they are getting more used to us, or we are figuring out what we are doing.  Or just maybe it is the new grain mixed with molasses that makes them follow us around.  The farmer who rents the tilled ground from us will be starting to work in the field pretty soon since it looks like it has stopped raining so much, so we needed to get the cattle out of that pasture before he brought his tractors in.  

We had another cow calve the other day - a very cute, very small bull calf.  He looks like he will be a true miniature.  I will try to get a picture up of him soon.  His mom is pretty skittish, so it is hard to get them to stand still long enough to get a picture.  Yesterday, she came across the stream crossing, but left him in the pasture over there.  I closed the gate across the crossing, not knowing she didn't have him along.  Close to sundown, she started frantically looking for her baby.  We went across and looked for him with no success.  We finally let her across again and she called and called for him.  This morning, after we got the rest of the cattle in the pen, we opened the stream crossing again and she came back with him in tow.  We were sure glad to see him! Next we are going to try to see if we can get her in the pen with Blossom, Stormy and the sheep.  We need to decide if we are going to make him into a steer, or if he should be left as a bull since he is so small.  His name is "Rib-eye".

Lincoln's 3rd Birthday

Since we didn't have time to eat birthday cake last night, we started the day with birthday cake for breakfast!!  We figured it had flour, milk, eggs... all breakfast foods.  The kids did a great job on it - it was delicious.

Dad and Mom Fox came this morning to celebrate my 40th birthday and Lincoln's 3rd birthday.  It is hard to believe he is already 3 years old.  He wasn't sure he was ready to turn 3 this morning. He kept telling us that no he wasn't three yet, he was going to be three.  By the time present opening time came, he had decided that his birthday was alright after all.  His favorite present was a big red ball.  He has also been having fun with his new flashlight, batting tee, train to go with our Geo-Trax set, and tool box complete with real tools that his daddy put together for him.  One of these days we will go to the store and let him pick out something to buy with some birthday money he got.

We really enjoyed the day with Dad and Mom.  After lunch we had a DQ cake and also some brownies that Laura made and that we decorated with a farm theme.  The tractor was a bit big for the cake, but Lincoln liked it, so that is all that mattered. :)

We spent the afternoon outside, then went to Rural King with Dad and Mom on their way back home.  We picked out a really nice Red Maple tree for our front yard.  The kids wanted to get me something, so we put their money and some money from both Todd's and my parents together to buy it.  It makes it a very special tree that we can have around for years.  Todd likes to tell me that it was an appropriate present because 40 isn't old for a tree ----  I just remind him that his turn is coming in January!

My 40th

Today's post actually starts from last night.  We were in bed and just drifting off to sleep when I heard a huge commotion.  Of course my first thought was that there were coyotes in the sheep pen.  I woke Todd up and he jumped into his jeans, grabbed his gun, threw open the door and... the dog was still sleeping on the porch and it was completely quiet outside.  I went over to the computer to check to see what the weather was supposed to do, and there on the screen were about 5 horn blowing, confetti throwing, cheering party emoticons that my dear sister had sent me on yahoo chat at midnight their time to welcome in my 40th birthday.  (Thanks Dawn! :) )I found out that my 40 year old heart could still beat pretty fast!

We spent the morning taking care of animals, working on laundry and talking on the phone.

The girls wanted to make a birthday cake for me, so in the afternoon we made a German Chocolate cake (from scratch of course - they don't like to bake from cake mixes - it isn't real cooking...)  

We spent the evening in Mattoon doing some shopping, ended up getting home too late for birthday cake, and then took care of the animals in the middle of another big storm.   

Our day today and more about Stormy

We had a busy day today.  Luckily we buckled down and finished the school year up on Monday so we didn't have to worry about that.  We started out by taking the calf out to the pasture to be with her mom.  We were surprised that the mom, Blossom, recognized her.  It was sweet to see Blossom come over to the calf, Stormy, and start licking her and making the low, quiet moo sound that cows use when they are talking to their babies.  Blossom still isn't walking very well.  She must have had some of her nerves injured when Stormy was born.  She lurches and sways her way across the pasture.  Stormy is still pretty weak, but she has started sucking pretty vorociously on her bottle now.  She is able to stand on her back legs now, but her front legs still give out on her.  She can move across the pasture a little bit, but on her "knees" not her hooves.  We were hoping to get her to start nursing, but between her falling over and Blossom lurching, it didn't go very well.  Todd puts her across his knee and holds her on with one hand while giving her the bottle with the other.  

Later in the morning, the girls had piano lessons.  The rest of us went to the feed store to get  feed corn and some calf feed, went to the vet to pick up some colostrum in case we have another calf needing it, went to Wal-mart and then home for a quick lunch - fed the calf again and then headed out to Arthur for milk and eggs.  When we got home, it was time to feed the calf again!  I am thinking our life just got a little busier for a while!  

Then the kids went in with the sheep for a while, looked into the bluebird house and discovered that the eggs had hatched, and climbed the trees that they have found nests in to check to see if any more eggs had hatched.  They couldn't believe it when I called them in for their baths.  It is nice that it stays light so late now, but it makes it hard to go to bed.  

The beginning of "Critters on the Porch"

This blog was started the day after we were out in the pasture most of the night with a heifer who was trying to deliver a calf that was much too big for her. Several times since our family has moved to the country we have looked at each other and said "we need to put this in our book". We jokingly call the book Critters on the Porch. I decided to start this blog to write down the stories that belong in our book. We have a family of 7 children. We currently have a flock of 14 Shetland sheep, a herd of 13 cattle (mostly miniatures), a couple of guineas, 2 roosters, 2 dogs, and too many "barn" cats to count.

I am hoping to use this as a journal, so most of the posts will probably just be "daily happenings".