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txbikergirl

3197 Posts


Posted - Apr 04 2020 :  04:58:29 AM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Good morning y'all! Wanted to say hi, and wish everyone a wonderful April. I was up before 5am and took the pugs out and got a nice hot bath. All without anyone needing me ;> lover boy wonders why i am not still in bed, but being able to have few hours to myself without interruption or need is pure bliss.

How is everyone doing? We are doing very well. Other than being absolutely exhausted. I worked two nights this week in additional to every day Sunday through Friday, and that gets tiring. Lover boy only had to work one night this week in addition to his Monday through Friday so we are grateful for that.

Today we are trying to get organized. We have had no time to clean, and the shear amount of supplies we have had for a while, but now find ourselves messing with daily to provide for ourselves and our family, means we have a disorganized mess on our hands... thankfully our three girls love to work, so we always use the "family works as a team" concept and they really grasp on to that. They thrive on helping to make their family a team, its nice to see them embrace it and how much it means to them.

My niece has survived week one of quarantine. We plate her up dinner most nights, so i see her from afar for 5 minutes or so. Today i plan to take a lawn chair down to see her so that we can have an hour of social time across the drive from one another ;>

We are in milk from Bea. But we are back to the lovely spot of being able to skip a day here and there and just let the calf on her first thing in the morning to do our job (we only separate at night so we can milk OAD first thing in the morning). Calf and us are fat and happy with the current setup.

We have finally gotten the girls to the point where we can let them go to the back of the property and spend hours on their own. It took a long time to instill safe and proper behaviour, and given our small lake we had to spend two years on "water safety" with the youngest as it was a big hurdle. But they are all safe around water now, more importantly they are mentally and emotionally comfortable around water, so we have started to let them loose each afternoon so they can pile up their wagon with toys and food and go spend a few hours on the dock and messing with all the creatures down there. They did come across two snakes yesterday, makes me nervous given we do have the poisonness varieties as a trip to the ER is the last thing we need right now... but trying to be less concerned irrational mommy about that.

i hope everyone is doing well. if you have a business and are not sure about this SBA payroll protection program then reach out to me as we are applying for our company and it is really as simple as they make it... its intent is to keep employees employed and it looks like the government really got it right on this one.

take care, happy spring!

Firefly Hollow Farm , our little farmstead. Farmgirl living in the green piney woods of East Texas on 23 acres with a few jerseys, too many chickens, a pair of pugs and my Texan hubby (aka "lover boy")

Edited by - txbikergirl on Apr 04 2020 04:59:46 AM

NellieBelle

11214 Posts


Posted - Apr 04 2020 :  07:00:54 AM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Good morning txbikergirl! Good to see things are moving along smoothly for you and family. Nice to have warm temps. We just got a good freeze again and early spring flowers are looking a bit zapped. But one never knows from one spring to the next how things will go. We covered the tender ones but they still look like they got frosted good. 25 this morning. Sun is out and bright so hopefully things will warm up again today. Enjoy your weekend and family!

To laugh is human but to moo is bovine. Author Unknown
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maryjane

7072 Posts


Posted - Apr 04 2020 :  08:44:04 AM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Just finished milking Daisy and thought a visit here would do me good. So happy to hear from Texas and Iowa.

I am up to my eyeballs in business snags, one right after another. Let me just say holy moly mother of cow.

MaryJane Butters, author of Milk Cow Kitchen ~ striving for the stoicism of a cow standing in the rain ~
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maryjane

7072 Posts


Posted - Apr 04 2020 :  08:49:40 AM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Cindy, I signed and shipped your books yesterday.

MaryJane Butters, author of Milk Cow Kitchen ~ striving for the stoicism of a cow standing in the rain ~
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txbikergirl

3197 Posts


Posted - Apr 05 2020 :  05:31:15 AM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
good morning! another early morning, really enjoying the quiet time. i need to work during the day today, and then again tonight... so wanted some time to myself to just relax before things get hectic.

thanks for getting the books out maryjane. now they will be here in time for easter so will be presents for lover boy and my niece. i bought a few easter things online 3 weeks ago to have everything for the girls ready, so glad i did that.

the business stuff is crazy right now maryjane. it is never ending. we still have 6 sites open in CA as they are considered "essential service", but only manned by one person at a time. every monday we have our lengthy covid strategic sessions (one operational and one high-level executive) and with the operational one we always spend a portion of it looking at the next "phase"... and within days that next phase comes into play, while we were hoping we had another 1-2 weeks to get there ;> some mondays we roll out all the amazing excellent plans we had ready to go and are pleased to be ahead of the game and on the cutting edge of responses, only to find things changing so fast w/in 48-72 hours that our plans become obsolete. one monday things changed so fast that our plans we rolled out at 9am were obsolete by noon.

we rolled out mandatory face masks friday to all employees. maryjane, have you thought of having your grandgirls sew some given their skills? either for donation to medical places or for sale to the public on etsy? i am sure you are 100 steps ahead of me on this one.

it was only 52 yesterday as a high, i think this is my last date with fires for the year. gotta enjoy it while i can. going to have another fire this morning while we enjoy coffee and general house waking up time, then we'll start moving to get things accomplished.

take care everyone. enjoy your sunday. blessings from texas.

Firefly Hollow Farm , our little farmstead. Farmgirl living in the green piney woods of East Texas on 23 acres with a few jerseys, too many chickens, a pair of pugs and my Texan hubby (aka "lover boy")
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txbikergirl

3197 Posts


Posted - Apr 07 2020 :  12:22:06 AM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
hi ladies. lover boy and i are both up to work tonight, thought while some things process i would spend a few minutes on personal stuff. in the beginning lover boy and i had tried to work alternate nights so that one of us was rested, but i find it easier to force myself to work at night if he is up as well ;> otherwise i am just too tired and can't make myself work.

the weather here is beautiful, will be 80 degrees today. the girls have taken to going back to the lake each afternoon now, its just such a wonderful thing. at dinner they tell us of all their adventures which is fun to hear. i had a period of my childhood a bit like this wherein we lived in the country and ran amuk around 40 acres doing whatever we wanted... i remember it as a great time.

we had a milestone today. we have started to go over to our offices at 7am when we start, and then the girls just have to come over by 8am to start school in our offices... when they came over at 8am the eldest had made them all eggs and toast. unprompted by us. we have been trying to teach her how, but she was resistant to it all... so to have them all be so independent and have her cook eggs and toast is huge. i know it is silly, she is 13, but these are ideas that are foreign to them so its lovely when almost 3 years of work pays off. then they decided on eggs for lunch as well, and they made them for patrick and i and served us lunch in our offices.. even toasted the bread, added greens, and a bit of cheese as well. it was heartwarming to be served lunch while we toiled away. they call them "runny eggs", they are over easy, so the whole family loves themselves some runny eggs ;>

we had a stray dog adopt us during this covid thing. he is still here so we are taking care of him, after it is done we'll take him to the vet and see if he is chipped... but he arrived at just the right time for us, a large outside dog to run around the farm with the girls, and he goes with them to the lake each afternoon and they have adventures together.

take care. get rest. stay healthy.

Firefly Hollow Farm , our little farmstead. Farmgirl living in the green piney woods of East Texas on 23 acres with a few jerseys, too many chickens, a pair of pugs and my Texan hubby (aka "lover boy")
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maryjane

7072 Posts


Posted - Apr 11 2020 :  04:41:30 AM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Good morning. We've been having lots of connectivity, bandwidth problems but yesterday all was calm and routine for the better part of the day--just the way I like it. And the weather was lovely. Work was hard and long and impossible at times. So I'm taking a minute to ignore it all while my tea steeps.

Cindy, I can appreciate girls and a big dog. All four of my grandgirls have big dogs, and their outside togetherness is wonderful to watch--all kinds of picturesque, memories being made no doubt.

I'm in my bank's "queue" for the SBA loan you mentioned Cindy. We shall see. In prep, and to get some of my questions answered, I had a phone meeting with three people from the Small Business Development Center. They connected to me (on my loud and clear landline) using their cell phones at home through a computer. I had to take a guess at half of what they said. It was muffled and their voices were cutting out often. Oiy. Never been a fan of business conducted via cell phone. Even our county assessor called me from home yesterday on his cell phone. He said he's been home since last Sunday, stricken with it, the bug (not really a critter but a protein surrounded by a fat membrane that protects it from disintegrating) and has finally started to feel better.

How are you and Joe doing Janet?

Mia is obsessed with embroidery. Meg has been texting me some of her real time comments while she's hard at it, things like, "Why does embroidery make me so happy?" "I could do this all day." She's been taking her needlework to their pillow cases now that all their dish towels have some pretty.

I'm milking Daisy every 4 days now. Soon, it'll be Buttercup's turn.

Here's what I'm dreaming of.






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


Posted - Apr 11 2020 :  10:37:33 AM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Good afternoon! Enjoying spring beauty with winter sneaking in every once in a while. My flowers have been frosted more times that not this year. How in the world they survive is beyond me. 26 degrees yesterday upon arising and things were frosted good, but the flowers stand up again once the sun comes out. Amazing. Busy as always. Put in a new asparagus bed. New strawberry plants, roses, and plan on going to my usual greenhouse for more plants. Perhaps today, as it is raining gently. Cows are doing fine. Milking Nellie and Darla twice a day with a total of 7-8 gallons a day. New honey bees settled in. Starting another vegetable garden bed besides our added raised beds. I just need more space for all the vegetables and fruits. Crazy I know, but I love gardening. So good to hear of Mia's love for embroidery. A favorite of mine also. Simply living. All is well here. Have a splendid weekend.

To laugh is human but to moo is bovine. Author Unknown
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maryjane

7072 Posts


Posted - Apr 18 2020 :  07:26:27 AM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Happy to hear all is well with you and yours. What is the little white flower Janet (last photo you posted)?

We are enjoying our lane lined with daffodils two weeks earlier than last year. I'll take it! Just so very cheerful.

Adria and Alina had their first little heirloom turkey poult emerge from their incubator. The joy on their faces is unmistakable. Ashley said she's hearing some rustle from the other eggs the girls have been carefully tending.



Everyone here seems to be adjusting to home schooling okay. The girls miss their friends and Mia really misses her mad-cap science teacher. Mia was in a special class every day for several hours with seven other students. Their focus was science because Mia tests so high in that field. She showed me a mechanical robot she built earlier this week that her teacher had sent home for her to build. Mia had programmed it to move across the floor and pick up her water bottle and bring it to her. Wow.

My dairy girls are fine. I can see Buttercup's calf moving around in her tummy. I'm still getting milk from Daisy but she's slowly drying up. Her timing with Buttercup coming on is perfect.

Miss Daisy cracks me up when I'm mucking. Once I get started, she sees me and runs up from the pasture so as to bother me and be with me. She stands in my way the entire time and likes to touch the wheelbarrow or pitch fork with her nose. She has to be RIGHT there in my way the entire time. But whenever I get out my camera, she puts her ears back and turns her head away. Once I'm done she goes back to what she was doing. Buttercup tells her, No thanks, I'm staying in the pasture. I wonder what she's thinking when she "attends" to me.



We are still crazy behind with food orders. I mean crazy. Beginning mid-February we saw a 1000% hike. On April 5, we "out-of-stocked" everything so we can concentrate on getting caught up and I've been managing all the emails and phone calls that come in. It's been all hands on deck, long days, all seven.

I've managed to get some gardening prep work done and have my seedlings started, but I've had to turn my back on most of my usual spring work. Lucas and Stella have the orchard in tip-top shape. Lucas fusses while Stella drives the riding mower.

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


Posted - Apr 18 2020 :  10:01:47 AM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
The smiles and delight on the girls faces are precious. New life is a joy for sure. The little, pale blue flowers are Hepatica. A woodland prairie plant. A special treat in the spring. We had about 2" of snow yesterday morning. It was melted away by noon. Things look fine today, strong winds, but in the 60's. Spent some time around a campfire of a friends last evening. Had a pleasant walk to and from his cabin. Peaceful listening to birdsong at dusk.

To laugh is human but to moo is bovine. Author Unknown
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maryjane

7072 Posts


Posted - Apr 18 2020 :  5:06:24 PM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Wow, 2 inches. That's a lot of snow this time of year.

I always sleep soundly after an evening around a campfire. Maybe it's the hypnotic nature of it all. And I love waking up the next morning with the smell of it in my hair.



Well, I looked out my window and what did I see? Popcorn poppin' on my apricot tree ...



One of my favorite things about a first-time heifer is watching her udder blossom. Think about it. You wait close to 10 months to find out if you're getting a girl, then you wait another 14 months before you can get her pregnant, training her along the way to be a good milk cow, then you get her pregnant and wait another 9 1/2 months. And then finally you get to see what kind of udder she's going to have and what her milk with be like. And then, if she gives you a girl, the entire wait starts all over again.



Today, I hobbled her back leg, washed her udder, and handled her teats with nary an objection.

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


Posted - Apr 19 2020 :  04:25:56 AM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Good morning! I'm excited for you and for Buttercup's upcoming delivery. Waiting and wondering and much work that goes into getting a heifer ready for the milking process. I'm hoping all goes very well and you have another milk cow to join the other. I'm hoping Millie settles down this time around but her behavior is making me doubt it. She is in the weathering pen every time we clean it out, but she challenges Joe and sometimes me when we are mucking. I can brush her and pet her but when it comes to mucking the weathering pen she will charge and swing her head around, nearly knocking Joe over. I don't have much problem with her, but she has challenged me. I tell Joe she just wants his attention, but truly, I have my doubts about it. I'm afraid she will be dangerous when her next calf arrives. She's different, for sure. And I worked with her more than the other cows, so it's a conundrum. Head scratcher for certain. Face it when the time arrives. To be a beautiful day ahead and looking forward to it.

To laugh is human but to moo is bovine. Author Unknown
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