A Gorgeous Frosty Morning!

[quads]

It snowed the first few days of this week. Not a blizzard, and not even enough to keep my little ATV out of the woods, but just enough to freshen things up a bit.

And this morning after milking the cows I emerged from the barn to a beautiful frosty morning!

 

[hokiefan]

great pics

 

[hokiefan]

Are you milkin cows by hand??

 

[quads]

Are you milkin cows by hand??

Pipeline. Installed about 1985. Before that was the old Surge buckets.

 

[Bobbin]

Quads, I am a "morning person". I'm up by 4:30 every morning, doesn't matter if it's the dead of winter or full summer, even switching the "daylight savings" doesn't break the rhythm (I'm actually thinking of not changeing the clocks this year!). I have no trouble going to bed while it's still light and getting up the dark. Morning is my time. I love the quiet, the smell, the way the light changes in such a short time. My favorites in order:
1.) six
2.) four
3.) five
4.) seven

What breed and how many head do you milk?

Here are two from my neck of the woods that are on my way to work:

 

[bogydave]

Great pics
Quads, in pic 4, bott-left side, is that an oak tree that was pruned by lighting?

 

[quads]

Quads, I am a "morning person". I'm up by 4:30 every morning, doesn't matter if it's the dead of winter or full summer, even switching the "daylight savings" doesn't break the rhythm (I'm actually thinking of not changeing the clocks this year!). I have no trouble going to bed while it's still light and getting up the dark. Morning is my time. I love the quiet, the smell, the way the light changes in such a short time. My favorites in order:
1.) six
2.) four
3.) five
4.) seven

What breed and how many head do you milk?

Here are two from my neck of the woods that are on my way to work:

Beautiful pics Bobbin! I like twilight.

I'm an early riser too, never later than 4:00 am, but of course I have to when I milk the cows. But even when I have a day off from milking, I still get up early. I often stay up late too though, setting by the firepit in the summer with my little telescope, getting only four hours sleep most nights!

We have black and white Holsteins, mostly. I'm milking 26 right now, but the barn will hold 33.

 

[quads]

Great pics
Quads, in pic 4, bott-left side, is that an oak tree that was pruned by lighting?

Not to my knowledge, in my lifetime. It's in the cow pasture and the cows are hard on trees. They have done the damage to it. The old tree had only one small live branch on it last summer, so I expect it's long life is finally over.

 

[ohio woodburner]

Awsome pics Quads Now i know where the pictures on my free insurance calender come from

 

[hareball]

Beautiful Homestead there Quads!

Is the tree in the last pic missing it's top?

 

[quads]

Awsome pics Quads Now i know where the pictures on my free insurance calender come from

Ha! That would be cool! Our daughter doesn't post any of her pictures online just for that reason, she says she doesn't want people using them for stuff without her permission. Heck, I'd be flattered if somebody thought one of my pictures was good enough to swipe!

 

[quads]

Beautiful Homestead there Quads!

Is the tree in the last pic missing it's top?

Yes, it is missing it's top. White pine that grow out in the open here have their tops die off, for some reason. Somebody told me once why that is, but I forget! Some kind of a bug or something. The ones that grow in the shade of the woods don't have that problem.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

quads, a lot of us grew up with the Surge milkers. We did have one neighbor though who had a De Laval. You are milking about the same about as I did when still going to high school. I never minded milking and actually looked forward to it for the most part. Even looked forward to putting up the hay. The only part I didn't like was Saturday nights and Sunday mornings when I was young. There were other things that seemed to occupy my mind on weekends.

 

[quads]

I've had a lot of old retired farmers tell me that they don't miss milking cows at all. Not me. I'm retired from most of the field work now, but I still milk the cows because I enjoy it and I like the cows. I raised all of them from calves and they're my pals. Like big dogs.

 

[Bobbin]

Quads, you ever have a yoke of oxen to help you out in the woods? I'd imagine that you'd be a shoo-in for taking a couple of steer and rounding them into a very serviceable yoke, as you strike me as the patient type.

Favorite story from my town. There are a lot of dirt roads where I grew up. The shoulders can be deadly to drivers who don't know about them. You NEVER pull toward the ditch when you see someone coming at you on a narrow road. You stop, you speak to the driver and then you decide if pulling over is safe or you'll go over the axels in mud. A guy from "away" pulled over and went into the mud deep one day. He walked to a house and asked to use the 'phone to call the tow truck. Woman at home said she could probably get him pulled out. Yup, she yoked up the Holstein oxen and drove them to the stricken car. They hooked the chain onto the car and she used to goad to guide the team. Out came the car to the great relief and DISbelief of its owner.

I don't much care for pulling contests, but I love watching the classes that involve fitting and showmanship and good, overall knowledge of how to work a yoke of oxen or team of horses/ponies effectively through and around obstacles. A dying art and the real measure of animal husbandry and teamsmanship. Horse are the glamorboys but it was oxen that built this country.

 

[quads]

I've never handled oxen, my great uncle was the last person to use them on the farm. But in the spring our local antique club has a plow day/show and they use a couple of the fields on our farm. Some people plow with teams of horses and oxen, besides the antique tractors. Those guys really do a good job of plowing with the teams and they don't have to tell the animals what to do much, they're trained that well. Fun to watch.

 

[Bobbin]

I always had horses, but as the yrs. roll by riding holds less attraction than driving. I think a nice team of Lippett Morgans ( if I hit the lottery) or draft ponies would be a fitting way to round out my life. But since I think cattle are pretty cool, too, maybe a yoke would fill the bill, too.

I think you should consider it. Really! (Mrs. Quads would look fine on a sledge!)

 

[quads]

(Mrs. Quads would look fine on a sledge!)

Ha! I'm not going to give her any ideas!