Oh What a Day

It has been a very fun (not) and exciting day here at the farm. As usual, I was up and out of bed getting my coffee as dawn hit the horizon. Let me just say, that standing in the big bay windows of our house, watching the sun peak out over the hills, lighting the fog and mist and sky a warm golden red and orange is an experience you just cant get in the same way in the city. Anyway. Anyone who knows cattle, knows that the cows you worry over the most at calving, tend to wait the longest and go the farthest over due every single year. I've been getting up early and staying up late checking these two cows, Rumpleteaser (my old Jersey Holstein cross), and Hattie(my first home bred registered Jersey), since about the last week in April. I stayed up until after 10 last night, which is really late for me, to check on them. They were not doing diddly. Notta. No mucous, no straining, no evidence that either was planning to have a calf within the next 6-18 hours. So I went to bed. And got up, usual time of 5 am. And got over to the barn, coffee and a slice of toast in hand, to feed the calves and my bull, and check on the two darlings. And there toddling around the barn was Rumpie's new baby. Almost 10 days late. And yet still a heifer. So awesome.

Anyway I dealt with the new baby, got all my other chores done, and managed to make it back to the house and shower in time to hop in my truck and still make it to class on time.

Then my lab this afternoon got out late because we were on yet another field trip. So I got home a bit later than usual. And decided to grab some more toast before I headed out to work. Becky came over and goes "your new baby is so little and cute." My automatic come back was 'little, try lifting the darn thing, shes freakin heavy'. And she goes, 'no, your other new baby'. My brain blanked. Then, suddenly, it hit me, Hattie calved. But nah, its gotta be a bull. I mean, whats the odds of two late calves being born on the same day being females. Nope, I was wrong, and I am very pleased to say that. She is a little cutie. Becky asked if we could name her 'Hicktown' after the Jason Aldean song. Sounds good to me. So Maqua-Kil Moments Hicktown she is, provided it fits on the registration forms.

And the last 'good' news of the day, Little Sugar has her 'official' name, and I hate it. Her name is Suzzette. While I have nothing against the name, it seems a bit ridiculous for a cow. So she will continue to be called Sugar.

I have a ton of photos of the new mommy cows and the new babies, which I will post tomorrow at school, where the computers run much faster than here at home!