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....or maybe it's the possessive girls.

Yesterday the younger boys didn't want to come for the afternoon sweet feed get together. I blamed it on the boys having hard heads and selective hearing....but after watching my granddaughter Mallory guard her sweet treat (aka a sucker) today on the ride home from pre-school, I have decided it might be the girls.

It seems girls don't like to share a good thing with anyone else, especially a boy. Jake tried several times to get just one little lick on that sucker, but Mallory stood her ground and refused to allow such behavior. She scolded Jake severely everytime he even looked at her treat.

Girls rule:

1) looks can kill

2) sharing is so over rated

3) even a good friend doesn't get part of your sweet treat

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Hard headed boys..

Today when I went to feed all my cows, the older ones came running, so happy to see me and the green buckets....but the new group of boys from last week didn't bother. They just stayed way out in the middle of the field grazing and ignoring. You would have thought they had developed the same selective hearing my boys had when they were younger.

I did not know all boys shared this trait. I also did not know they shared the love of playing a little rough. The group of young boys (calves) love head butting, chasing and just kicking up dirt. Seems like little boys are little boys no matter where on the food chain they land.

Things I love about boys:

1) they can make a game out of anything

2) they can hear what they want to hear

3) they can not hear what they don't want to hear

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....27....28

Two more calves arrived today making our herd 28 strong. In five months we have reached our half way goal. We are now selling four buying five each month. The final goal is selling ten and buying ten each month. But before we celebrated our goal of being half way there we thought today's purchases weren't going to be delivered.

The farmer who sold them to us has a daughter who has been in the hospital all week. Last night she had emergency surgery and is in ICU. She is to remain in intensive care for two days. They have been very concerned about her prognosis. It is things like this that remind you of what is really important in life. Cows and making money are good things, but they are only things.

Facts of life:

1) you never know what is going to happen

2) you never know when something is going to happen

3) enjoy this minute

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Slow Learner

Confession time (again). In one of my first blogs I noted you could not herd cows in flip flops. Well....today I was in a hurry and didn't take the time to put on my work shoes (aka sh.. kickers). I believed all my cows would behave and come without any herding. (yeah, I know)

Two of the newer calves found themselves on the wrong side of the fence. They could see the other cows and the food...they just couldn't remember where the gate was located. So..being the good cattle owner that I am, I walked down the fence line to bring them to the gate. They were not bad to herd, but the flip flops were a hugh mistake.

Things to remember:

1) herding calves takes walking on rough ground

2) herding calves takes walking in

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Wishing....

I know you shouldn't wish your life away...but I am ready for fall. I am tired of hot weather. I am tired of mosquitoes. I am tired of flies. I am tired of taking two or three showers a day. I have to admit fall is my favorite time of year and I am past ready for it to get here this year.

There are things about each season I enjoy. Fall offers pumpkins, leaves, cooler weather, maybe even cool enough for a fire. There are candied apples, pecan pies and chili. Just wishing....

Why there different seasons:

1) the same old thing all the time would get boring

2) Jake enjoys air conditioning and fires

3) we need a change in chores...

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****WANTED****

Jake is in BIG trouble. Yesterday he killed one of my mother's little yellow kittens. He had a reputation as a cat chaser, but now he is a "cat killer". I just thought that was bad. This morning I was awakened by a call from the sheriff's department wanting to know if my dog was missing. I had to check; but, yes my dog was gone, again....

The dispatcher gave me an address and told me to hurry. I got dressed quickly and drove about 2 miles to the location they had given me. Sure enough, there was the sheriff's deputy, animal control, and a hysterical woman. (not me) It seems Jake had gotten in with a bad group of dogs early this morning and gone on a rampage. The dogs had killed the woman's goat and molested her dog. (luckily, I think, Jake was not among the goat killers, but he was the molester) Thankfully he has been "fixed", so no puppies will come from his horrible behavior.

Things you do not want to hear first thing in the morning:

1) this is the sheriff's department

2) this is the emergency room

3) do you have a yellow lab?

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Boy or Girl?

Well, two out of three ain't bad...at least Meat Loaf sings so. I have to confess I missed the sex on one of these three calves. The one hiding the fact she is not a he was a mistake. I thought in the rush of the auction today she was a he. (Bob is still laughing) At least she was a bargain, she cost me the least per pound I have spent on a calf yet. So,,she will stay for the four month flip period and move on. I hope I will be pleasantly surprised and make a profit....

Well, I don't claim to be an expert, but I am embarrassed. It really should be simple to sex a cow. I mean it is right there in the open....but....

Things I still need to learn:

1) to more quickly sex a calf running through the auction pen

2) to laugh at my mistakes

3) how to profit from my mistakes (they may be the only thing I profit from)

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Twins!

We are the proud owners of twins. We purchased the boys Friday. We also purchased the very, very, unhappy girl with them. The boys have been hilarious. They have run, jumped and head butted everything. The girl has hollered, and hollered, and hollered. For three days she has been calling for her mother. The boys are only three months old and she is eight months old. She has never been away from her mother and is not coping well. The boys have been away from their mother for a week and are having a ball.

You just never know how well new additions are going to cope. Kind of sounds like people doesn't it?

Signs boys will be boys:

1) they enjoy running for no apparent reason

2) they will pick on the girls

3) they will try to eat anything

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Feed by the barrel

You know you are a farmer when you order your cow feed in bulk. Something I never knew existed; large orders of cow food. (Dog food I knew about) They seem to like it just as much in a barrel as they did in a bag, and I don't have to pick it up every week.

I have increased the amount of food needed as my group of cows has increased. I now have people calling to see if I am interested in purchasing calves. I never thought I would be at this stage in just 5 months. (maybe all my brain cells aren't dead yet)

I must be doing something right facts:

1) my cows are getting bigger (think more money)

2) Jake has not run away again (yet)

3) no cows have died in the making of this farm (yet)

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Empty Handed

well....after sitting for 4 hours on a metal folding chair I didn't buy a single calf. I did sell the calves I took for a decent price. (yes!) All the calves the size and gender I was looking for were out of my price range. Some days you get lucky, sometimes you get a tired fanny.

But, there will be another sell next Wednesday and I have 2 bulls coming from another farm on Saturday. I never knew I would be on a constant look out for baby bulls. People are going to start talking about the "crazy calf lady".

Cow sale barn facts:

1) The line to the ladies' restroom is shorter than the one to the mens'

2) No one dresses up

3) They can now spell "Beauchamp"

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Squirreling...




you know that thing squirrels do right before they are run over in the road.
They run half way across the road, then run back to the curb, then half way, then curb, then....well you know how this ends. That is how I feel right now. I think I have made up my mind, then change it, then make it, then change it, then....well you know I need to end this.

I need to stick to a plan. I am going back to my first plan with a few tweaks. I am only keeping 8 cows and my bull to have some babies. I am going to sell four cows tomorrow to get my cash flow in motion. (a non-flowing cash flow is a very sad thing) I am buying four small bulls to replace the four cows....and so the cycle will continue. I need to stop second guessing myself and have faith in myself....

Why women second guess themselves:

1) they don't ever want to be wrong (an impossible goal)

2) they don't ever want to fail (another impossible goal)

3) they don't ever want to let people down (yet another impossible goal)

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Spa Day

Yes, even our cows get the special treatment. Fly treatment that is. Today they got a cool shower and a splash of ode of fly repellent. Bob got to be the ma sous, and can't you tell he just loved it.

There are a lot of things I never knew cows needed. Sundays used to be quiet. Now, they are quite a bit of work. We give the cows their weekly wash down, clean their water troughs, and check them to be sure they don't need anything doctored. Didn't know I would be a vet (a backdoor one, but one just the same).

Things I never thought I would do:

1) check cows for issues (I don't even want to talk about what these can be)

2) think Jake was a clean freak

3) think only doing four chores is a day off

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What to do when the heat index reaches 108.......

we think it is a good time to repair a fence..(not our brightest move) We had one more fence in bad condition, and I mean really bad condition. The length of fence needing help was about 200 feet long. It took all day...there was some nap breaks...but who counts those hours?

It was hot, hot, hot, hot. At one point I got out of work for a "I think I am going to faint" time-out. Bob, my brother Mitch and I did manage to finish the job; and I didn't faint. (they would never let me live that down) Tomorrow is suppose to be cooler, only 92. I wonder what fun plan we can come up with for that chilly temp.

Things to not do in 100+ temps:

1) dig post holes

2) keep Jake in the truck bed (he wanted to go, but we wouldn't let him)

3) clip hog wire to metal posts

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Picture Perfect

Just what I wanted to see today. A group of cows grazing on a field of green grass. Nothing went as planned today, but the results were good. The farmer we were supposed to pick up our new calf from couldn't meet us to get her because his wife is in the hospital. (we are not the only ones who has plans that are changed for us) This actually gave us the afternoon off. Can you say nap time?

So, when nothing happens it is usually for a good reason. We had a break, the calf gets another week with her mother, and nothing bad happened. Sometimes, that is as good as it gets..

Things to do with an unexpected break:

1) accomplish something

2) listen to Jake snore

3) snore

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Watching and Waiting

We are getting a new girl tomorrow. She is going to be a member of the herd. She is actually a registered black Angus heifer. She is about 9 months old. As you know earlier in the week the final decision on the bull was made; also a registerd black Angus. I hope they like each other, I so think blind dates are stressful. I guess you could really say it is an arranged marriage. (I am not going to explain any of this to the children)

This will make us needing a table for 25. We need another feed trough and another water one too. I can not believe we have increased our group to this number already. Next Wednesday 4 of the hiefers that didn't make the cut will be carried to the sale. I hope I can find 4 little bulls to take their place, and the cycle continues.....

Cow sales facts:

1) the more you want to not get attached the more you do

2) Jake is a little jealous of the cows (he really loves the children)

3) Jake and I might need another talk....he is under the bed again (sigh)

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The Winner Is...

You ask the winner of what??? The winner of being the "stud master" aka "babies' daddy"....

yes, I have chosen "the bull". The good looking guy with the yellow earring is the lucky one. He is still a little young to know what a big deal this is. When I told him he just acted like it was any other day. He is actually a registered black Angus, and this makes him a good choice. He also comes from a line of bulls which "throws a low birth weight". (I can not believe I know what that means and used it in a sentence.)

I still have tons and tons to learn but I have added a few new words to my vocabulary. Some of these new words I won't use in mixed company. Sometimes I use words I have no clue what they really mean, but they sound good....

New words:

1) brood cow....babies' mama

2) Jake....cow chaser

3) bull....stud master

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Monday all day long...

Never been a big Monday fan...and I guess I never will be. I think it may be a mental thing. I don't seem to accomplish much and if something can go wrong it will. Today was going fine...up early, cooked breakfast (miracles never cease), and quilted with friends. After that things took a turn for the Monday. We drove to the cow sale and found nothing but some really sad looking cows. Finally it thundered for several hours and we got several drops of rain. What we needed was several hours of rain.

The level of our pond has really begun to drop. Bob even began watering our grass today. I wish the fields could be watered, but an irrigation system isn't in our budget this week......maybe next Monday.

Monday things:

1) it comes every 7 days

2) Jake doesn't care about what day of the week it is

3) is it only me????

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Next....

Spent the morning cleaning up the feed lot (aka holding pen) for the next group of calves. It is not easy to clean an area used by 24 cows. They are not house broken, potty trained or even discreet. I shoveled, swept and washed down the area I will be keeping the new purchases. I scrubbed the water trough and filled it up ready to go. Now... we have to go shopping again. Luckily Bob is able to go to the sale barn with me tomorrow during his lunch hour.

We are planning on getting four new calves weighing between 250 and 300 pounds. They will all need to be boys. When I started this I didn't know anything about what size and sex brings the most money when you try to "flip cows" (my friends and I decided instead of flipping houses I am flipping cows). Now I know they all bring about the same at 300 pounds, but above 650 pounds the boys bring about 30 cents a pound more. So...boys it is.

Shopping points:

1) bring your checkbook

2) Jake is a boy

3) checking cow privates is still embarrassing

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Merry Christmas to me!

...I really didn't know I wanted a 5 foot mower for Christmas until now. But after 38 Christmases it gets harder to be creative. So, I think Bob did a great job of choosing something I have never gotten before; and he presented it early enough to get a lot of good out of it. Also, and this is a biggy, tractor driving lessons are included. (right now I have no clue as to how to turn on a tractor)

I knew starting a farm would open up a lot of opportunities to add skills to my resume. I just had no clue how quickly the list would grow. I can already add shot giving, ear tagging, cattle buying and selling. Soon, tractor driving and bush hogging (really?) will be new additions. I know the neighbors, family and cows can hardly wait for the show to begin.

Things I am refusing to do:

1) wear a cowboy hat

2) tie a red bandanna around Jake's neck except at Christmas proper

3) wear overalls (I do still have some pride)

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Not a good look for you....

When Jake came from his morning walk he was sporting a new do. He had spiked green hair.... I am too old to think spiked green hair looks good on anyone. I am way too old to think it looks good on Jake...mainly because I know what his styling product is. The joy of having a dog and cows. For some ungodly reason dogs think if they roll in cow poop they look good. (they are lying to themselves)

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry at his complete confidence in sporting his new look. I thought about bathing him, but I decided to put him out and let him swim in the pond. (he made this mess and I think he should clean it up) After the cleansing swim Jake and I had the talk about "appropriate behavior".... I really, really hope it took.

Things that don't make sense to me:

1) the attraction to nasty things by dogs

2) rolling in nasty things makes dogs happy

3) dogs thinking you should be happy about them rolling in nasty things

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Heat Advisory

We are under a heat advisory. It was issued for today and is in place until tomorrow night. I absolutely believe it when the weather person says you should avoid working in the heat. So, I avoided work today like the plague. I got up early to let the cows into their new pasture, and called it a day. I know, I know, you shouldn't call it a day at 7:00 am, but the weather person said to avoid getting over heated. (I am taking no chances)

I had a sandwich for lunch and a salad for dinner. (cooking can cause over heating) I read a book I bought months ago. Jake and I slept a lot in front of the fan. We enjoyed a lot of ice water. It is not every day you can blame your lack of accomplishment on someone else; so when the opportunity presents itself you have to seize chance.

Weather excuses:

1) heat advisories call for a day off

2) Jake takes every day off I do (and then some)

3) can't wait for snow (in GA one flake is a reason for a day off)

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New grazing

brown top millet is ready!

This morning the cows got the surprise of their lives. (so far) They were allowed to go into the new pasture we purchased. We planted brown top millet in it and in the field next door. We are using this pasture for grazing and the neighboring field for bailing. We have been rotating them between just two pastures and they had done a fine job of eating up all the grass. When I led them into the new area this morning they were very happy cows. (I can just tell)

We really hope the green millet turns into lots of pounds on cows. The more the cows weigh the more money we will make. (fingers and toes are crossed) So happy eating!

Green facts:

1) cows love green grazing

2) Jake loves to play in the millet field chasing crickets

3) I love seeing the animals enjoying the green field

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The Fun Just Never Ends






Just when you think you can sit down and watch "House Hunters International" you find out some fences need mending. Never mind it's 8 o'clock at night. Chores obviously can't tell time. They will come up 24/7. This morning we were up by 6:30 doing housework getting ready for my friends to come quilt. (yeah, I know not many people belong to quilting group, but I do) Then errands had to be run. After my nap the cows needed to be feed and checked.

I really thought after dinner we could call it a day. But, noooo, our new grazing is ready and the fence was in need of repairs. We need to let the cows eat and gain as much weight as possible. So, we mended fences by headlight. (not the most fun thing we have ever done by headlight)
Tomorrow is another day, at least it will be a day of new grazing.

Chore facts:

1) no one is going to break in and do them for you

2) Jake isn't going to do them either

3) Bob and I seem to be getting the short end of this chore thing