Fed Up

This is a view of our house and beech tree from down near the creek in the pasture. Do you see how green the pasture is? Why does my yard look greener than the pasture to the cows?? Because it's not.

I went outside the other morning and noticed that the cute little flag and pole in my newly prepared flower bed was having problems. I thought that maybe I hadn't put it deep enough in the ground or secured it well enough. We've been having some major wind here in NC!

Upon closer inspection however, I noticed this on the end of the flag pole:

Seriously?? Not only did this cow (one of the terrible three) use my flag pole to scratch himself, he also SUCKED on the flag. I'm so fed up with this cow!

More Farm Life .... in photos!

Sometimes Farm Life is also about death. A few weeks ago, a cow giving birth had some major problems. She was actually a little young and small to be having a calf...stupid bull...stupid broken fence...but that's another story! After Tim and I were unsuccessful trying to pull the calf out (who was alive, by the way), Tim roped the mom to a tree and roped the calf. We were able to gently pull the calf out.

Look at these eyelashes!


However, the damage to the mom had already been done. After a day of her not getting up and not being able to feed her calf, we brought the 2 of them down to the barn.




The mom was quite content to lay on the ground and eat the hay and drink the water that we brought to her. (talk about a new meaning for ground beef!) Nothing we did would help that mom stand up. We fed the calf some milk replacer a couple of times day..which she sucked down (2 QUARTS at a time!). We ended up calling the vet who came out to check on them. The mom was permanently paralyzed, so we had her put down. The calf also had a broken hip that was very damaged and probably wouldn't heal. The vet said "You never know though. I've been in this job too long to not believe in miracles." So, we fed her and pet her and the kids had a great time playing with her like she was a puppy or something.




However, when the medication from the vet wore off, she went downhill very quickly.
For whatever reason, "Lucky" passed away during the night. Sometimes nature takes care of things in its own way.

The Farm Pedi

What?? You've never heard of The Farm Pedi?? Well, let me tell you all about how you can get your very own:

First, wake up way too early and get the kids ready for school. Then insist on the 6 year old finishing her cereal in the van at the bus stop so you don't have to drive them to school AGAIN.

Second, look up the road to see if the neighbor is still waiting for the bus (because that means that you haven't missed it!).

Third, as you are looking up the road, notice the 4 cows that look vaguely familiar in the neighbor's front yard.

Fourth, realize that they are YOUR VERY OWN cows, sigh deeply, turn the van off and start walking toward the cows.

Fifth, follow the cows back through the neighbor's property to find out where they got out. Realize that the cows have become very adept at getting out and have been spending hours on the neighbor's property.

Sixth, grab the biggest branch you can carry wishing the whole time that you had your hot stick, and start hollering at the cows to get their sorry butts back in their own pasture.

Seventh, follow them across a creek, and promptly sink up to your knees in a mix of cold water, cow manure and mud.

Eighth, thank the cows profusely for letting you get The Farm Pedi today!

There you have it! In just 8 easy steps! The Farm Pedi! It will only cost you one pair of crocs and it will take up your whole morning. Be sure to have other plans, or you just won't get the full effect.


*On a serious note - many, many thanks go to Bryan and his friend Ethan, who were here on their day off of school hunting, but took a break and helped me! I really appreciate it...more than you know.

The View from the Office

This is what I can see when I sit at my computer: It is a Carolina Jessamine. It smells AMAZING! It's going to have to be moved though. When Tim was up in the ceiling running electricity, he noticed that the plant has invaded the house. Darn it. We're planning to try and move it to a free-standing arbor. If that doesn't work, we'll buy another one (or 2!) for the arbor.

Kirsten got an American Girl Doll for her birthday this year from Tim's mom! Her name is Rebecca. Hayleigh and Kirsten are having tons of fun playing with dolls! Hayleigh has Elizabeth. Kirsten also has a Fancy Nancy doll (also from Tim's mom!). Fancy Nancy is invited to all of the tea parties and activities that Rebecca and Elizabeth have. Hayleigh wanted to have her ears pierced for her birthday! What a conversation we had on the way to Walmart! Hayleigh also had a very loose tooth. This is how the conversation went:
Hayleigh: My tooth is really loose and it hurts. Does it hurt when they pierce your ears?
Me: It hurts for a minute or two, but not much.
Hayleigh: Does it bleed?
Me: Not really.
Hayleigh: No, I meant my tooth. Does it bleed when I wiggle it this way?
Me: I am driving and can't look at you wiggling your tooth right now.
Hayleigh: Will I cry?
Me: It's just a loose tooth. Pull it out and it won't bother you anymore.
Hayleigh: No, I meant when they pierce my ears.
And on and on for the whole 10 minutes to the store! Every time she said something, I would think she was talking about her tooth and she was annoyed because she was talking about her ears getting pierced, or vice-versa! The earrings are in now. Whew.

Happy Birthday Hayleigh!

Hayleigh and Kirsten were discussing their age progression the other day......Kirsten would say "How old will you be when I am 11?" and Hayleigh would answer "16." Then Kirsten would ask "How old will you be when I am 16?" "21" "when I am 21?" "26"...it went on and on until Kirsten got to "86". Hayleigh said "91" and Kirsten started laughing hysterically. She said "you'll be old and gray and dead!" Hayleigh said "Thanks."