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maryjane
7072 Posts
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 Posted - Sep 24 2018 : 08:59:48 AM
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Good morning. Leaves are turning here. How about fall colors at your farm? Even my fields of oregano are expressing autumn colors. Mia explained to me yesterday how fall is the best season because the word fall is in fall in love. I sure do enjoy seeing them off to school in the mornings.
I spent time this weekend dyeing some of my vintage crochet coverlets. How about this for a brilliant fall color?
It's called Hibiscus.
It makes a mess of your washing machine.
My pink hibiscus continues to perplex me. It's a three-in-one plant (3 grafted together). One wasn't doing so great, but two were. I fed them some of my new high-in-potassium fertilizer and this is what I woke up to on one of the healthy ones.
The other pretty-in-pink girl is still fine.
But the third one that was struggling loves her new feed and immediately began setting new leaves.
Meanwhile, my reliable stand-by, old yeller, grows like a weed no matter what I do. And fast.
I brought her indoors from my deck and immediately she turned to her new light source.
I hitched up the stock trailer yesterday and c-a-r-e-f-u-l-l-y backed it into place for capturing Ian. My new set-up for the bull pen gave me all the right gates for locking him in around his new friend, the trailer. He's been going in and out so I don't think I'll have trouble getting him off to the vet tomorrow.
I hope Nellie is improved today, Janet. No doubt she's getting the best medicine from you, large doses of love and worry.
Over on our farmgirl chatroom, we hit a million posts last week.
Enjoy your Monday. I'm picturing the Thompsons frolicking around Ireland.
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MaryJane Butters, author of Milk Cow Kitchen ~ striving for the stoicism of a cow standing in the rain ~ |
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NellieBelle
11214 Posts
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Posted - Sep 24 2018 : 09:48:55 AM
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| Good morning MaryJane! What a pretty color. Hibiscus. Will the wash machine clean up or will the stain remain? Nellie has not improved and if anything is having a more difficult time getting around. I have a call into the vet and will talk with him to see where we go from here. Checked my bees yesterday and somehow got stung. I didn't use my EpiPen, so I'm not quite up to par and have an arm swollen tight and looks and feels like a throbbing club. There will be no surplus of honey. I'm just hoping they will have plenty to winter over. I may put out some sugar syrup for a couple hives for a while until temperatures drop to freezing. Just doing work to get ready for ole man winter. That is a puzzle with your Hibiscus plant. Odd that two would do well and one wouldn't. Yes the Thompsons in Ireland and little girl River Dancers. What fun. |
To laugh is human but to moo is bovine. Author Unknown |
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maryjane
7072 Posts
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Posted - Sep 24 2018 : 6:58:38 PM
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That's too bad about Nellie. She may need more antibiotics. We had to give Miss Daisy quite the extended dose to get her better. Sounds like Nellie may have received Naxcel since it's a no-milk withdrawal antibiotic. It's awful when one of your cows is sick. Just makes you feel undone in general.
Have you tried StopsTheSting.com? I swear by it. I used to have an epipen but now I just carry a tube of it. Last summer when I got stung about 6 times on the side of my face by some mad wasps, I was sure I'd be losing my face for a while, but the next day, you couldn't even tell I'd been stung. And no itching. I've used it several times this summer and so far it continues to work for me. Hope it continues and I don't build up resistance to it.
Well, tomorrow is a big day for me--getting Ian to the vet. Ha, while Mr. Bully Bull is on the table, I'm going to give his tail a good brushing. He has such a lovely tail but spa treatments aren't his thing. |
MaryJane Butters, author of Milk Cow Kitchen ~ striving for the stoicism of a cow standing in the rain ~ |
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NellieBelle
11214 Posts
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Posted - Sep 25 2018 : 03:20:28 AM
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My vet came yesterday afternoon. We gave her a shot to make her groggy, lowered her to the ground with the rope, and proceeded to work on her hoof again. Thing is, there is nothing to see. He did a bit more scraping. Then we cleaned it good again, placing antibiotic cream in the open area. He gave her another dose of antibiotic and put a thick dressing on her hoof. .jpg?v 28213100) Gave her the reversal drug and she stood up and went outside until milking time. We are going to see how she is doing on Thursday and I'm to report to him again. I hope all goes well with Ian today. Our cows, and Mr. Bully Bull. And a spa treatment while he's on the table. No, I haven't tried StopsTheSting, but will purchase some and have it on hand for next time. Thank you! |
To laugh is human but to moo is bovine. Author Unknown |
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maryjane
7072 Posts
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Posted - Sep 25 2018 : 4:34:36 PM
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Hopefully, that will do the trick, Janet. We want Nellie better again!!!
Mr. Ian was a perfectly agreeable chap today. It was impressive because he got quite the work over but never once got angry, just a bit confused at times--never bullish at all. When Nick and I were brushing him (us on the other side of the partition in our trailer), he clearly loved it. So tonight I'm feeling like I got myself a pretty good bull. And a healthy one at that.
I look forward to more handsome babies from him; three to be exact next spring.
Meg and I just got back from the garden with a bounty of yummies in our arms.
Ashley and I broke open the Scamorza cheese today. It was perfect!!! It needed just a titch more salt but I sliced it up with cucs and 'maters for the girls after-school snack and Stell said, "Don't make any other kind of cheese!! This is the best yet."
So Stella is now Stell. She ran for Pres. of her school last week (and won) and used the name Stell for her speeches and posters. I like to call her Stellie, but Stell it is. Janet, she has her nose in book four of Laura Ingalls Wilder. |
MaryJane Butters, author of Milk Cow Kitchen ~ striving for the stoicism of a cow standing in the rain ~ |
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NellieBelle
11214 Posts
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Posted - Sep 25 2018 : 5:41:54 PM
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| It feels so good when things go right. You feel like you've done something right and all is right with the world. So happy to hear Ian behaved and was such a gentle soul to work on. Job well done. Darla went through her heat date so I'm hopeful that Millie and Darla are pregnant. Now to watch Nellie on Oct. 4th. The Scamorza sounds promising. I can't wait to give it a try. I ordered 2 of the StopstheSting today. My arm is still swollen tight but doesn't pain or itch as much. Ready for a peaceful, quiet evening, but first I have to go after my car at the shop. Front brakes needed replaced. Have a good evening! |
To laugh is human but to moo is bovine. Author Unknown |
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maryjane
7072 Posts
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Posted - Sep 25 2018 : 6:08:14 PM
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Here 'tis. We've eaten almost all of it already. Ashley said she'd make more tomorrow. The skin can be eaten and adds another note to the wonderful texture of the scamorza.
Sleep well, dear Janet! |
MaryJane Butters, author of Milk Cow Kitchen ~ striving for the stoicism of a cow standing in the rain ~ |
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NellieBelle
11214 Posts
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Posted - Sep 26 2018 : 03:35:25 AM
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| Congrats to Stella! That is exciting! The Scamorza looks so good. "Don't make any other kind of cheese" should be a stamp of approval if you need one. Laura Ingalls Wilder, and a scrumptious after school snack, sounds good to me. Sleep didn't come as I no sooner got to sleep, then I was awakened by a fluttering sound. It was a bat. I suppose it made it's way down from the attic, I don't know. But I got my butterfly net and captured it and took it outside on the front porch, opened the net and away it flew. I was too stirred up after that to sleep, so stayed downstairs. Hoping for a calmer day. |
To laugh is human but to moo is bovine. Author Unknown |
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maryjane
7072 Posts
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Posted - Sep 28 2018 : 10:19:36 AM
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Hope things have settled down for you, Janet. How is Nellie doing?
Lizzy has been trying to tell me something for a couple of days. She wasn't favoring a particular foot, but moving slow and completely unwilling to walk onto the concrete to eat in the feed bunk so I've been letting her sleep and eat elsewhere. I assumed she might have gotten into a skirmish with the other girls and fell on the concrete. Once she starting favoring a foot this morning, it became apparent.
We're going to put her in our hoof trimming chute, take it out, clean and disinfect and then treat it with a copper coating (common after hoof trims--Ian's hooves were all blue-green after his trim). Then we'll watch her like a hawk and give her penicillin if need be. |
MaryJane Butters, author of Milk Cow Kitchen ~ striving for the stoicism of a cow standing in the rain ~ |
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NellieBelle
11214 Posts
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Posted - Sep 28 2018 : 11:38:57 AM
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| Settled down? What's that? Ouch! Poor Lizzy. Like you, we're trying to stay on top of Nellie's foot problem, whatever it may be. The vet called this morning to see if her dressing remained on and said if things don't improve we may try a wood block on the good portion, but for now I'm watching and waiting to see how things go. Seems like something goes on with one or the other lately. Hoping that changes and things roll a bit more smoothly. The cooler weather feels good to me, and Darla and Millie were actually frolicking and playing last evening, Darla actually ran to one fence to the other more than once. I believe they enjoy the cooler weather too. |
To laugh is human but to moo is bovine. Author Unknown |
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maryjane
7072 Posts
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Posted - Sep 30 2018 : 07:28:34 AM
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It is indeed wonderful when our girls frolic. It feels to me like I'm a kid again just watching them. It's a welcome break from so much adultness.
Lizzy seems to be over her foot injury. How about Nellie, Janet?
It's cooling down here also and threatening to rain. Nope, not threatening, I just heard some on the roof. We are in need of some moisture.
Mr. Ian standing guard.
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MaryJane Butters, author of Milk Cow Kitchen ~ striving for the stoicism of a cow standing in the rain ~ |
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NellieBelle
11214 Posts
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Posted - Sep 30 2018 : 08:58:10 AM
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| Good morning to you on this last day of September! Drizzly and cool with 44 degrees this morning. I've been feeding and stoking the wood cook stove the last couple of days to keep the chill off. Nellie is feeling better, but not sure how her foot is doing as the dressing is still on. She is moving better. I will talk to Dr. (vet) first of the week and see how he thinks we should proceed from here. I think I would feel better if the dressing were off, but perhaps that's why she is getting around better. Anyway, nothing to alarming right at the moment. I will be watching to see if she comes in heat this week. Oct. 4th is what I have marked. I gave the new chicks some meal worms in their feed pan and it was such a hoot to watch them cock their heads this way and that wondering what on earth I'd given them. That's about it here. Have a grand week, so glad Lizzy's foot is doing better and Ian is watching his herd. |
To laugh is human but to moo is bovine. Author Unknown |
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maryjane
7072 Posts
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Posted - Sep 30 2018 : 4:54:07 PM
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We got a spattering of rain and now the sun is out. We're starting to harvest our pumpkins. We have probably 40 like this. They're an heirloom variety and good keepers so we'll have a supply until next spring. The pumpkins inspired the girls to decorate for Halloween. They put on last year's costumes and walked all the way to the end of the lane and back with their two inside legs tied together. Ah, to be young and oh so silly again.
I baked our first butternut today. Couldn't be better.
We'll harvest those next week.
My how they've grown, Buttercup and O'Mally. Buttercup gets her Bang's vaccination next week.
Janet, fingers crossed for Nellie's AI. So relieved to hear she's walking better. |
MaryJane Butters, author of Milk Cow Kitchen ~ striving for the stoicism of a cow standing in the rain ~ |
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Week of September 24, 2018
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