Kittyvision and musings

What's Kittyvision?  What I get to watch when these ornery brats like to run around the yard and play.  The mama is JJ, a stray cat from when we lived in TX.  So she's 7 or 8 now!

We had a storm roll through last night, no big damage, just a few branches here and there down and about 3/4 inch of rain.  Daisy ate the leaves off any of the limbs that came down in her area already by the time I got out there to milk.  I think Elm and Mulberry are her favorites!

I've been getting about 2 gallons a day since Fillet went to the locker last week.  She has a touch of mastitis because I didn't think A) she had that much milk and B) I knew I should of milked twice a day and thought I could get away with once a day (OAD).  Nope!  So the dogs and cats have been loving me, dumping lots of milk.  No clumps, strings or anything, just a slow-straining filter (slimy when done) and an off taste.

But you should see the creamline....she's not holding anything back!  She is an awesome cow to milk, plants that back foot like it's in cement.  Oh, she shuffles the other foot around and moves a bit, but her back foot doesn't move on my side when I'm milking.  Some days I don't even hook the stanchion board, she just eats her feed and munches her "special" hay (it's not really special, but she thinks it is because she's only getting it at milking time!) HA  Cows like her make a milkmaid's life so much easier!! 
Now I just need to get a calf to put on her to be my "next" freezer beef.  (Slow Food!)   Oh, and bring her 'boyfriend' over, it was too muddy to get him last week. 

The garden is growing well, we have a resident garter snake there.  I don't mind it, as long as I remember to look for it before it moves and catches me off guard.  (I don't like snakes, but can ignore the beneficial ones, IF they leave me alone!) 

Yesterday I spent a couple of hours digging up thistles, Pat came out and helped for a bit.  That job is done!  I'm sure I missed some little ones, but I'll find them eventually!  ;)  The front yard also got mowed, I had to use the old trusty mower because the other one didn't want to start.  Now Pat gets to fix the pull string as well, it didn't want to go back in like it should have.  Whoopsy!   I let Daisy chow down in the back yard for a bit...it needs mowed again as well.

We've been picking Strawberries, the Raspberries are almost ready, that will be fun as they are very overgrown, and thorny.  I am patiently waiting (ha--not!) for my few green tomatoes to ripen.  Hurry up I say!!  It's been a loooong time since I had fresh tomatoes!

A Happy Fathers' Day shout-out to all the dads/grandpa's out there reading.  Feel Blessed!!

Busy busy busy!

I made this wreath for our troops, it'll stay up for a long time!

It's been crazy busy again, but things are getting accomplished!   I hand weeded the beans, kale, eggplant, cucumbers, melons and garlic, then we got straw (from a farmer I know) put down on the garden.  Wowza was that an itchy job!  But hopefully it'll help with weed control and keep the moisture in.

We have a couple of green tomatoes growing (ok, a few!) and the strawberries are going crazy.  Those are still green yet, but we'll have plenty to eat and preserve when they ripen.  The pumpkins are coming up and the fruit trees have plenty of growing fruit on them.  It's going to be a busy summer/fall of preserving food!!  :-)

We had another 1/2 inch of rain, but it's getting dry again.  The rains keep going around us...I see some have cut hay/baled it already.  Fresh hay always smells so good! 

Jared called on Memorial Day, he was "bored".  But as always it's nice to hear from him.  Kyle has called a couple of times, but usually when he needs fuse/vehicle advice.  (ha)  Chandra and Tracy have been staying with her mom, so things have been quiet here.  They'll be back soon enough and Mr. Tracy will get into all kinds of things--but it's nice having them around.  :)

Here is Fillet and Daisy near the shed/milking area.  We take Fillet into the locker early next month....she's got to be pushing 1,000 pounds.  Daisy only weighs about 750....amazing what Jersey milk can do for a beef cow frame--fill it out quick and tasty!  ha

                                                                            Daisy

                                                                Fillet (and chicken) ha

All three cow photos were taken the same day.  I was trying to get a better photo of Daisy, but she wasn't being very obliging that day.
We have been getting plenty of eggs--so the neighbors are getting blessed with them as well!  I put the old bitty hen that isn't laying and got the nasty rooster into a chicken tractor by themselves.  Their destiny is the freezer, eventually on my plate! 
Two dozen eggs are getting incubated right now, a friend offered to 'hatch' them for me.  I thought the old bitty hen was going to set on eggs (I gave her three) but she only sat on them for one morning....so I told her that was her last chance to extend her freedom. 

I had an extra milk cow here for awhile, so was milking her twice a day.  Her owner had a family emergency and asked if I could milk Glenda, who had just freshened.  She was a dream to milk, and of course a Jersey baby is always cute to have around!  Daisy was jealous, because she had to wait her turn for the stanchion area.  Glenda and baby is back home, and Daisy is Queen again of her little world.  So all must be good!!  :)