Temporarily Out of Service

I have been gone....for a while. I call it "temporarily out of service". 

I wasn't broke down, sick, or stressed.....just busy.  But that's what happens when you go through the holidays and calving season starts.  There are things in my life that are more important than blogging and that's just how it goes.

In addition to the hustle and bustle of the holidays and calving season, I also got an Iphone and an Ipad, so I have been a little busy playing with my new toys.  Or should I say, battling for time on my new toys.....seems I have three men in this household that seem to think they get first dibbs on mom's new toys!!

I love this time of year.  We have roughly 50 baby calves on the ground. And I must say.....odds aren't looking real good right now.  There's three times as many bull calves as their are heifer calves.  For an operation like ours that sells purebred heifer calves in the fall.......the odds are not in our favor. 

Meet Squirt. 

He was born 30 days early and we aren't sure why.  This happened to us a few years ago and we lost the premie calf because it's lungs were not fully developed. However, Squirt is just fine.  He nurses on his own, runs, jumps, and bellars just like a calf should but his hair isn't very long.  We go the extra mile to take care of little fellas like him.  We have a clipping room in our barn that is insulated and has a duct from the furnace but when winter comes we turn that room into a warm room during the really cold days.  It's such a small room that usually the body heat from a 1200 lb cow will raise the temperature 10 degrees and that is without us opening the vent.  That's where Squirt and his mother are living - in the warm room. Their feed and water are carried to him every day.   

I didn't use my regular camera to take Squirt's picture.....I used the Instagram app on my Iphone. I'm in love with it!!! 

Here are a few more photos of my adventures over the last few weeks.

This is Olga - our newest member of the family. She's half St Bernard and half Burmese Mountain Dog. The boys plan on saddling her up by April. Just Kidding!!

Our family's Christmas picture with John Harker - better know as great-grandpa to Bugs & Squirrel. He'll be 90 years old on March 5th. I sure hope I look this good at that age.....if I make it!