A little sun might be nice
Still waiting…
The frogs are liking the cool and rainy weather. But it’s getting a little old, and it has been cold – 38°F last night. I don’t know about you but 2 different people in my area have commented on how early the growing season is, and that they have seen plants like Scotch broom blooming in May and usually they see it in July? Say what? I have no idea what they are smoking but the only smoke I have been seeing is coming out my chimney, since it’s still a little nippy without a fire…
Is the frog wily or does the fly have a death wish?
I think the frog is very patient – Ruthless left before she found out the exact fate of the fly.
I took the camera on my rounds tonight and snapped a few pictures between rain squalls.
The cover crop rye is liking the rain.
So are the greens.
But, since I don’t like doing pasture checks in the dark and rainy nights, Della is in lock-down at night.
Mud pack for bedtime.
Watching her apply the horn mud treatment isn’t for the timid cow watcher. Even in her whale like state she is out there on her knees plowing. Guess she is in good spirits…
In for the night. I told her Linda specified that I just come to the barn in the morning and there will be a calf. I am just wondering which morning.
Food Renegade
Simple, Green, Frugal Co-op
The calf will come on the night of the worst weather, of course.
Here’s to me being wrong!
Paula, let’s hope you’re wrong
Rain doesn’t help the waiting, does it? Here in NYS, we finally got sun and warmth after many cold, rainy days. Makes all the difference. Fingers crossed you find a calf this morning…
Susan, didn’t find a thing except I had left the chicken water running all night, and that the dogs had gotten into the molasses, which sure smelled better going in than when it came out.
Hoping for the low pressure to shift a little, and bring in some warmth!
twins?
Sheila Z, maybe…hopefully not.
Would be delighted to share some of our blazing sunshine with you! We are roasting in record temperatures in the UK today, and I am trying to keep all our poultry and rabbits in the shade with lots of water available all the time. The ground is dry and hard and I would be over the moon with a shower of rain right now!!!
Sarah, sometimes we have had May heat spells close to 100F, but we won’t make that this year. The rain is normal for May but usually we are about 10 degrees warmer, which really makes things grow. Soon I’ll be complaining about the heat
Good Morning! Oh my…I remember what it’s like to live in the Pacific Northwest when it’s a wet year… only I never lived on a farm at the time so didn’t have farm chores to do in the rain. It’s such a beautiful place to live though. I can’t believe how cold it is up there were you are at this time of year! It’s just after 7am and it’s 73 and humid here in Kansas…I think I’d take your cool weather over the hot humid summers here. I’m looking forward to seeing Della have her calf…she sure is a healthy looking cow. I hope you see some sunshine soon…take care. Maura
Maura, yeah, you can keep your humidity, which is something that doesn’t happen here too often except in the winter. I don’t mind the chores in the rain, I’m just itching to plant some more garden!
I didn’t know cows dig their horns in the mud! Is it for flys?
I can see the next door farms’ 6 cows from my window. It’s been interesting watching them, and getting accustomed to movements that really startled me. Once one of them was making such a strange, big repetitive motion I thought she was stuck – no – just making strange gestures.
Hayden, they like to rub on the dirt for flies, but I haven’t seen too many since it is too cold for even them yet. They love to put on the war paint, and cover their faces when they move to a new paddock – funny to watch.
Your neighbor cow may have been itching, any low hanging limbs or trees to rub? Della will back up to you to get you to scratch her tail for her, kinda makes visitors nervous…
no, nothing. No trees, nothing but a smallish permanent pasture and a pond for them – non-stop since I’ve been here – 6 months now. Grass doesn’t look as bad as I thought it would, considering, but it can’t be a happy thing for them. About an acre for 6 cows.
Gee that is small, here they figure about an acre per cow per year. When spring growth is heavy it is too much and when the August slump hits, it is too small.
Yeah, but they’re probably feeding the cow from the land? My neighbor brings in hay. Don’t know if he grows it or not; if so, not where the cows live. Everyone I’ve talked to assumes you use purchased feed for winter. He’s not real friendly – haven’t met him yet but at least he finally stopped scowling when I wave at him on the road. I hear he’s worried I’m a complainer. He injects with liquid pig manure every other year from some pigs he keeps further up the road. No one I’d buy wieners from.
LOL you are SO far ahead of us in the green department but we’re ahead in the calving one. Our last cow calved yesterday
She surprise you……….when SHE’S ready!
Linda, those badlands are something! All that wet brings green ya know
The price of mud from October to May is green.
Della is getting annoyed with me, and I can’t say as I blame her, everyone else is too…
So many shades of green. I love it! And Della looks well. Mud and all. Do you think she knows how many people wait with bated breath for her delivery?
Maggie, she probably does – she is pretty spoiled.
For once, our weather is the opposite, nearly 25 (78F) and of course this means most of England is complaining – but they hate the wet as well. For my part, I’m LOVING it; going to mix another vodka cordial (hic)
Rose, we had such a dry winter, we were worried we would have a dry summer…I have to be careful what I wish for. But the springwater is high, the first lizard bought the farm in the water ram this morning and stopped it, so I guess it is business as usual! 25C would feel good – I am tired of building a fire!
I wished the 4 inches of rain would go away, and then it went from the 60s to the low 90s – in May. I hope that things are a little more gradual for you and your greens.
Spence, that is hot – I hope ours goes away gradual too – normally it gets dry right after the 4th of July. So we have a ways to go yet.
I love the frog. It is so bright. Your cabbage looks like it is doing very well. I have to agree with Paula; with my experience with cattle they always calve at the worst possible time and the worst weather.
Darrell, the frogs match the grass pretty well, if they don’t move we don’t see them. I like just going out and finding the calf…that’s the easiest way!
I’ll trade you weather! (I’m from the Seattle area.) I’m in Iowa and it’s almost 90F with 64% humidity. Give me rain, give me cold…I hate the summer, mainly because I get sick from the heat.
Kerry, I hear you on the humidity – if you’re from Seattle you know how awful us PNW’ers complain on those few rare summer days with humidity
Sorry about your heat wave
Oh, the suspense…Della, hang in there (and may the stork arrive asap)
If the sun and warmth ever shows itself please do send some our way….brr, what a cold spring, frost every morning this week. The cow and mud thing you described to Hayden is very interesting, animals never cease to amaze me with all of their wonderful instincts. We made soup out of our last rooster a while back because he was getting a little too agressive with the grandson. So now, many months later, our hens all try to mate with each other, a couple have grown quite the set of spurs and one of the even crowed, albeit badly, the other day.
I dreamed of rain last night. We’ve hardly had anything more than a dampening since the snow melted. I’ve been waiting for a rainy day to scatter some cover crops… and the garden takes a couple hours to water by hand. It seems as though most summers are like this here, dry and hot early on and rainy at harvest, it would help the garden if it was the other way around. On the positive side, I guess the mosquitos would be out in full force if we’d had more rain. Hope you get some sun and good luck with the calving -looking forward to seeing some newborn calf pictures.