Monday, April 4, 2011

Gardening - Cow in Milk Parlor!

3:15 AM 59°, windy.

A storm front is moving in. Rains for tonight and tomorrow with very high winds.

Saturday was just a perfect day for working outside and I did....almost all day.

I got the entire Kitchen Garden tilled and ready for planting. No planting yet. I hope to do some this morning early.

I can't show this area well but the west end is about 25 x 45 feet and the east end, divided by the path from the gate is about 18 x 25.



The shadow on the lower left by the post hand is the hoop frame that I grow pole beans on.
The wooden spool is in the path that divides the section.

DH picked up the rose trimmings....not up to his usual quality....he was so afraid the basketball game would start without him!

I am determined to layout a plan for the garden....on paper, and follow it.

I haven't been milking lately. Willow has misbehaved a few times and I went tumbling. She doesn't kick, but jerks forward or backward which throws me off balance. Ever since we got her, I have wanted to milk her in the Milk Parlor where she can be contained snugly in stanchions where we milked the dairy cows. Things have deteriorated in the barn badly but will still work for her. I knew it would be an issue getting her up the ramp and into the barn. We used an extra cattle panel in front of the ramp and got her locked in there first. Once we got her on the ramp it went pretty smoothly....she took one step at a time and finally we locked her in.
I let her just stand and eat...no milking. Then I released her off to some beautiful new grass where she grazed all afternoon. She is still very skittish around me. I think I will try again in the morning, no calf, no feed until in the barn. If all goes well, I will milk standing up with her on the platform. Hopefully pictures to follow. I still want to get the milk bucket activated then milking can be finished in 4 minutes. Cleanup is a nuisance but so be it.
Here she is looking a little apprehensive....didn't eat a bite.

I saw a Red Admiral Butterfly yesterday. This picture was taken last year on DH's back; I didn't have the camera with me.
Photobucket

Random Flower Picture:

I saw another different violet this morning. These all cross readily.

6 comments:

  1. Good grief that is one big garden! I'm looking forward to seeing your beans on that arch down there. I see a lot of steel posts along the edges, do you put up a wire fence during the season to keep out animals? Your soil looks really nice. Hope you get tons of veggies this year.

    Hope the storms don't give you any grief. We're hunkering down for the bad weather today too. Up side is that it is actually above 50 this morning! Wow. I think my outdoor thermometer is in shock... :-D

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  2. Glenda...first let me say I MISS YOU here where the WiFi stinks...I tire of trying & getting kicked off! I'm glad you have a plan for milking Willow..I do not like it when she's fresh as I don't want her to hurt you. Your garden will be wonderful, I'm sure. I am homesick...:)JP

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  3. Wonderful pictures, as always. I recall dealing with cantankerous cows when we lived on the farm. I hope she will do better for you in the milking stanchion. Fresh milk is so much better than what you get in the store.

    Your garden soil looks so nice. Hope you have great success with your garden this year.

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  4. I forgot to tell you I planted some asparagus last spring. It didn't get very big. I hope it comes up. How cool, that you are eating some already!

    We've had a lot of wind, too. Have fun planning and planting!

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  5. Glenda ~ What a lovely, huge garden area. You really amaze me with your energy and with all that you do. Thanks for being the inspiration that you are.

    Hugs ~ FlowerLady

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  6. I envy you those precious violets! Wish I had a place for a garden like that. Wow!

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