Third Farm Baby Arrived

The third calf arrived September 28th in the early morning hours. Thank the Lord, the momma didn't have any problems. The little bull, named Junior, is doing very well. He is strong for just being several days old. Larry had a trying time holding him while his brother banded him ( making him a steer). The next day when Larry went out to feed the cows, Junior mowed at him several times, Larry said "like he was mad at me". I told Larry he probably was mad at him for making him a sissy! lol He is more active than the heifers were at this age, but it was hotter when they were born.

We don't have the horse Angel anymore. Marty gave her to a friend. He just didn't have time to work with her. When he did try to ride her, she had an attitude, and Marty didn't need any possible accidents to happen. Owning a business is very demanding, especially when you are the main worker.

We seem to have gone straight from summer to winter, like earlier this year we went straight from winter to summer. What's going on with this weather? If this summer was a preview of the Devils House, I sure don't want to reside there! Today, October 3rd 2010, there is a north wind blowing and it was a cool 52 at 8 o'clock this morning with the sun out. Kinda feels good though.

Up-Date on Farm Babies

The farm babies are doing well. The first two pictures are of Buddy the bull, Red and their baby Stormy. Bottom left picture is the babies, Stormy and Smokey, and in the background is Ruby, who hasn't had her baby yet. Hopefully she will have one by Labor Day!! Bottom right picture is Stormy checking out the water barrel. It is very hot out and they all stay in the shade most of the time. I stay in the house most of the time too! Garden not doing well. It started out too wet and now is too dry.

Smoky the new little Heifer

June 14, 2010. The second of our calves has arrived, and she had a tough time getting here. Larry had a trip to go on and I had a feeling Minnie, the smallest of the herd, was going to have a bad time birthing her calf. OF COURSE SHE WOULD. I'M HOME ALONE!!!! I had been checking on her and she was grazing like the others, then a thunderstorm happened in the afternoon, with wind and rain. It was really hot outside too, heat index in the triple digits. Around 3:30 pm I looked for Minnie and she was laying down, but she soon got up and I could see she was trying to have her baby. She would lay back down and I could see her pushing but the baby wouldn't come out. Just it's front hooves with a little of the legs and a bit of the nose was all that was out. I tried to call Larry's brother.... no answer, I called the neighbor who has helped his granddad-in-law pull calves.... no answer. I called Larry's other brother to see if the neighbor was at his house.... no answer. I called Marty to see if he was close by to help, no..... he's in Huntsville. BUT, he did have the neighbor's cell number so he called and asked him to come down and help me. Then Larry's brother called me back and said he would be over to help. Well, he made it just as the neighbor got the calf out. Minnie the mom, started to clean her baby off right away, and it wasn't long before Smoky the new little heifer was on her feet, wobbly, but up. She is grey in color, her mom is white, and her dad, Buddy, was a red color but looking more blackish now. These pictures was the only ones I have gotten so far. She sleeps a lot. In a few days she may get up more and run around with Stormy. That should be some good pictures!

Stormy the Calf

Well, the first new baby calf is finally here. And because of the thunderstorm we had last night, her name is....Stormy!!! She is pretty, I think. So here are some pictures of her taken at 6:30 am this morning, June 10, 2010. Larry just checked on her and she is already jumping around and bucking. I love to watch babies play, two legs or four legs, they are sooo cute.

The waiting game

I have always heard that a watched pot never boils. And I am anxiously awaiting the new calves we should start having any time now. This is RED, and she is resting in the shade at the pond. Hopefully she will have a calf sometime this weekend. MINNIE, the white heifer, is due soon too. Marty and Misty's calves will be later, I'm thinking July or August. Gina asked what we would name it, and I haven't thought of a name yet. Any suggestions? For a heifer (girl) or a bull (boy)? So next post will be the baby pics. LOL

The Garden

I know the garden looks like it is as big as last year, but really it's not. The rows are wider. Larry has worked it out beautifully, inbetween the fishing trips! But as hot as it is getting the fishing may be coming to a halt. Time for staying in the air conditioned house!!!

The

Can't seem to get away from the snow! When we left Alabama for Ann Arbor Michigan, there was very little snow and mostly in Tennessee. Ohio and Michigan didn't have any. But that all changed in a matter of days. The pictures are in reverse order. The first one is the morning after we got back home, and the next one is in Kentucky, Ohio, the temperture in Ohio, and then at Gina and Greg's home. But we had a good visit with Greg and Gina and celebrated Gina's 30th Birthday with her, a month late, but we still celebrated!!

January in Alabama

ROLL TIDE!!! Alabama won the National Championship, as if that was news to anyone.

Larry and I have been hunting and as much as we can, as I can if the weather is ok. I'm a fair weather hunter. I don't like the bitter cold, blowing wind, clouds. I like to sit in the sun. Anyway, at 55 years, 11 months, and 2 days old, I got my first deer. We had been at the cabin in Paint Rock for 2 nights and I didn't see any deer. Larry saw one. It was cold and windy, 18 degrees this morning. So, we packed it up and came home. It turned out to be a nice day, 45 degrees. So we decided to go to the "Rock Pile" and afternoon hunt. This was my first time to hunt there.

I got in the stand by the "green field" and sat and sat, my mind wondering here and there, thinking of things I could be doing instead of sitting in a tree stand. But, I wanted to go hunting with Larry and he has been excited for me to go with him. I looked around and was picking out spots that I might be able to get a shot at a deer if one came out in that area. I had pulled my hood over my head and was still sitting when I heard something behind me. I sat still and waited and a doe and a smaller one came out to my left. I had to ease my gun around to get the shot. Now, I had held the gun up and looked through the scope and checked all that out before hand. But when it came down to shooting the gun I hadn't. Things kept popping up in my mind, like do I hold my breath or let it out as I shoot, squeeze the trigger don't pull it, get the crosshair behind the shoulder blade. With all the clothes on and the angle I had to hold the gun (shooting to the left) with the gun on my shoulder, I put the crosshair on the doe but could not reach the trigger! So I put the gun under my arm and well that's when the scope got me on the nose. I thought I was far enough away from the scope. But with the gun butt under my arm there was nothing to stop the gun from sliding backwards as it kicked. I knew my nose was hit but it didn't hurt. I kept my eye on the doe and was watching her to see where she was going. She headed up the mountain a short ways, and then I had to just listen to tell where she was, AND try to stop the blood, it was going all down around my nose, mouth , chin and hands. I didn't have anything to stop it with but my gloves. I finally found a piece of tissue and stuffed some in my nose. That finally stopped it. I waited for about 30 minutes before I got down out of the tree ( as Larry had told me too) and just sat on a rock to wait for him. He was in a stand past me. We looked for blood where I shot her but there was none. Larry went up the mountain and I looked around the area where I had shot her but still didn't find any blood. So we fanned out and I finally came across her about 50 yards from where she had been shot, in a down the mountain pose. I hit her VERY close to where I was aiming. The pressure is off now, and I can be selective in what I shoot next. LOOKING FOR A RACK.

That's all my adventure for now. Larry had gotten a doe on Saturday, and a buck. Of course he has tales too, but this is my blog and I do the story telling!!LOL I may have pictures of a racoon in the near future (ME) :)