#26

I thought #26 deserved her own post seeing she was my favourite cow at the dairy. :) She had a unique personality that ranged from sweet to go-jump-in-a-lake to sweet to make-my-day to sweet to snotty to sweet again. We nicknamed her Garfield which fit her aptly.

Trying to photograph animals is a skill in itself. lol. Either they are walking away or have their nose on the camera lens. As you can see from the tag, she is from Outside whose progeny is known for good milk production.

First cow in the parlour. Cows settle into their own routines even in the parlour and you'd begin to notice certain cows coming in at certain times and/or places.

This number (in kg) was lower since it was the evening milking.

I couldn't get her to stand straight so had to settle for this one.

Her trademark tuft of hair and neckband with a curved end that always stuck up in the air.

I was probably trying to get her attention here and she was playing deaf.

Adios!

Dairy Pics

After our last bird cycle was shipped and barns were cleaned, I took a quick trip back home to Alberta. I hadn't been back since moving to Saskatchewan seven months earlier. It was fun to be back and visit with family again, especially my sister, Erin. :)

While back I worked three shifts ( a double and an afternoon) at the dairy with Erin. I loved being around the cows again since I had worked there for over a year before moving so it was all very familiar to me. The cows have so much more personality than chickens! New parlour equipment had been installed about a month before finishing there and it was almost disappointing to leave because the new system worked so much better and smoother than the old one. Nothing like losing air and having about 30 seconds to stop milk from draining from the jars into the milk line where it would then flood the two end jars and start spewing milk out everywhere. Hey, I gained a variety of experience there. :) Anyways, off that rabbit trail... According to Erin, I kept up with the milking in the parlour so obviously hadn't lost my milking touch. :)

The only downside was getting up just before 4 AM for the morning shift. I was reminded of how that time always came too early, regardless of the time you went to bed.

#92 Franz had just pulled her calf before we arrived. She is a Blitz cow which you can tell from her coat pattern.

High Group

#57 was a heifer that had just freshened before I left.

#48 I believe this cow could have made a nun swear when she freshened. No, don't worry, I didn't swear. lol! Ooohh, she could ruin a whole milking. Even as a second calver she is sensitive and can be miserable in the parlour.

This cow was also miserable when she first freshened. You wanted her to come in at the start so you could just get her milked and out of your sight and mind. haha. :P She has actually quieted down a lot and doesn't declare war when in the parlour anymore.

#20 A sweet heifer. Yes, cows can be sweet. If you don't agree, work around them for a while and you'll understand exactly what I mean. I remember this heifer when she was just a calf. It was fun to come back and see she had calved and was with the other big cows in the high group.

Low group

Milk Room

Parlour

Erin milking

Calf Barn

#40 Nicknamed Fuzz or Fuzzy Face. One of my favourite cows with a friendly personality. Erin and I were labeled responsible for turning several cows into pets. :) After getting milked she'd sometimes come back and stand at the end of the return alley and not let any cows get by.

#67 a.k.a The Freight Train which obviously describes her size.

Another Blitz. :)

#7 One of the cows with the most dairy characteristics.

Brief update

Hope to be back posting more regularly after my temporary absence these past few weeks. What I've been up to: shipping chickens, cleaning barns, traveling back to AB to visit my family, preparing barns, and placing chicks! Tomorrow I'll be helping my neighbour get the barns there ready in the morning and help place chicks later on.

And a random tip:

I recently came across a tip to get the diesel smell out of clothing that actually works. Pour Pinesol over the affected spot and let sit 1 to 2 hours before washing. The diesel being a heavier oil needs a product that will dissolve it out. The Pinesol is part oil (mixes with the diesel) and part soap (mixes with the water) so I guess that is why it works. My jacket has a bit of the lavender Pinesol scent but I prefer that over diesel. :)

An interesting and eventful New Year so far...

The start of the New Year has been active to say the least. Well, it actually first started on New Year's Eve.

My parents went to check my oldest brother's trailer(in our yard) since my brother and family had headed out to South Carolina. Some time after their departure the furnace quit resulting in the pipes freezing. After a visit from Lee's Plumbing and Heating (who found the problem to be with the igniter) and several heaters placed through the trailer, we were able to get things back to working order.

The 1st Erin started working for a dairy. Mom is trying to figure out how to get the dairy smell out of her work clothes. Usually a rinse cycle would be done first before the regular wash but our new washer doesn't have a rinse cycle. So, Mom read somewhere that Scope is supposed to help remove odors and has been applying it generously to any and every object which has been in contact with the dairy. I can't decide which is worse, the overpowering scent of Scope or dairy.

Late this morning when Erin got back, her jacket went into the washer immediately. Unfortunately after the wash was part way through, Erin remembered the cell phone was still in her inside pocket. Not a good feeling...Some situations you can hope for a good outcome but everyone knows how long a cell phone lasts doused in soap and water.

This evening my brother ended up getting his truck stuck in the snow. The gravel roads aren't in the greatest condition in some places with all the snow we've had coupled with the blustery winds. *Update* I just heard that Dad got stuck on his way over to help. So, it could be a looong night.

On a more cheeful note, a missionary from Norway called this evening wanting to stop by and visit with us the middle of this month. Last time they came through was almost 10 years ago so we are looking forward to visiting with them again.