Thursday, June 14, 2012

not on my agenda...

If you ever knew how to ride a bike...
you still know how to ride a bike!

If you ever knew how to chase cows...
you still know how.

Apparently.


We moved into our present home...
which is well-removed from the farmyard some eight years ago.
Our kids moved into the farmhouse.

In days gone by...
I was often called on to help move cows.
Or round them up if they got out.

If the cows escape now...
I'm oblivious for the most part.

Our son and the milker look after the herd...
and know each cow by name number.
Hubby...not so much anymore.

This week...
Jeremy was away.
Just like in the days of old...
I received the call...
telling me that my services were required at the barn.
The cows had opened a gate...
and were all in one big group.
Dry cows and heifers are not meant to be milked...
and would have to be separated before milking time.
Oh boy!

I found my gum boots of old...
and a pair of coveralls...
and reported to work.

Thank goodness for Corina...
our milker.
She knew exactly which 50 cows needed to be removed from the herd.
It was all black and white to her!
In about an hours time we had the girls all in their rightful place. 


And in between...
a calf was born and needed a little tending to.


The cows seemed quite relaxed about being moved here and there.
Number 915 stopped for a back rub on her way to join her milking friends.

I'm thinking of getting rid of the gum boots.
But then again...
what would wear on my feet if I get 'the call' again?

This week has been full of things that I wish were not on my agenda.
We can make plans...
but things don't always go that way.

May your day be full of good things...
whether or not they were planned!

15 comments:

  1. I hope the rest of your week and weekend goes as planned. Glad the milker wasn't away...

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  2. Judy my oldest brother's wife grew up on a dairy farm in Ireland and the times I've visited her family's farm I've always been amazed by the amount of work that goes into taking care of, and milking, a large herd of cows. It is really a 24/7 job and I know you and Elmer must appreciate your basic retirement from that constant work. I'm also sure you don't mind lending a hand when needed and taking care of such beautiful animals. Seeing a new calf be born must be a sight you never tire of! In Ireland they call the boots "Wellies" and they are always a useful accessory for many jobs. I think you should hang on to yours!

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  3. Baby calf newborn! Agenda, both lovely and unlovely flow through our lives in ways that seem uncontrolled, and yet...God is in control. It just seems like some days He decides we need to go chase real or symbolic wayward cows while we were making other plans.

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  4. Oh Judy - I passed your house on Tuesday morning and again last night and thought 'how peaceful it looks'. I guess the peaceful facade belied the reality. DON'T get rid of those boots! It sounds like you'll be 'on call' as long as you're next door. :)
    I'm sorry that the week has been full of things that you wish weren't on your agenda - here's hoping the coming week will be smoother.
    I'm just on my way out of your town - early start!

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  5. So true.. we can make our plans, but things don't always turn out that way. I hope your unexpected plans turn out well.

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  6. Yep - keep the gum boots!!!! So good you were there to help and hope your agenda goes smoothly for the rest of the week and weekend!!!

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  7. Oh, Judy, I love it!!! (One of the best things is that you took your camera along!) I live on a beef/sheep farm in Virginia and I get the call all of the time - boots at the ready. For example, Saturday we are scheduled to go to a class reunion and a new bull is to be delivered that day. Just watch, he will arrive right when we are supposed to leave for the picnic. I asked the farmer what about the reunion....and he said, well, you know how it is when you live on a farm. Well, yeah, I do know!!! And I wouldn't want to live anywhere else....but it would be nice for other events not to be interrupted so often. What's the phrase...life happens when we are making other plans. Keep the gum boots handy!

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  8. You are a helper kind and good! My week has filled up with some unexpected things as well. As a friend once said..."flexibility is a virtue! "

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  9. OH boy! You can take a girl out of a barn but you can't take a blogger away from her purpsoe. I am glad you remembered your camera. At least cow herding serves a purpose beyond your expertise.

    I am hoping all your plans the rest of the week turn out as you expect.

    Love the calf!

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  10. Oh my that sounds like fun. I think. I have helped herd cows from one field to another back when I was about 12 or 13. In flip flops. But it was on a dusty road so it was okay. I just had to watch where I stepped. Good memories. :) I think you'd better keep the boots 'just in case'.

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  11. Once again the memories flow! I will say that learing to chase a herd of cows comes in handy when you need to get Buffalo of the highway and back into the fencing. Have a wonderful day Judy!

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  12. Oh how well I can relate to making plans and not always having them end up like I planned. My week was one of like that too, although you can be sure I was not helping to round up cows though. I did that when I was young, and it sure did stir up some old memories for me. On my uncle's farm, my cousins and I would go to the meadow and lead the cows back to the barn at milking time. I wish I would have had your boots. I was a city girl and came ill equipped to my uncle's farm. Great post!

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  13. It's good to know that we don't lose our skills no matter what they might be. Haney and I milked for a while and I developed a deep respect for those who can do that job day in and day out.

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  14. Adapting to the unexpected is part of life. Sometimes it's pleasurable, like helping with the cows, other times not so much. Always good to keep the boots available, literally and metaphorically.

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  15. Dairy cows are wonderful. Always enjoyed working with the busybodies!

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'The ornament of a house is the friends who frequent it.'
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson