Sunday Morning

Good morning.

I am late popping in this morning. Last night in the hour when I usually load pictures and briefly sketch out the chat about the day, I had company. Which was lovely. Allison said that as she went off to bed, at a reasonable hour, she should have wagged her finger and said, It’s past miss c’s bedtime you know. Our John was long gone.

By the way the Honey Mead is heavenly.

My friend and I were listening to the darkening night and my mind wandered, as it does sometimes – okay often.  He had been talking about solitude and how it helps you drop back into your own body and you can see who you were and how far you have come.  I had been thinking about a post by TimeThief. She had been discussing what she had given up to blog. Her article ended with the question, what did you give up to be a blogger. This question has been slowly revolving through my mind since then and as my friend talked more and the fire flies winked on and of, shooting like drunken baby stars about the bean field, I thought to myself. This. This is what I do so little of now. Drinking wine with Friends. Sitting with still hands and a wandering mind.

Though I have to add that really the lack of company here is as much about being a shy busy  immigrant in the mid west and living in a culture where people do not wander in and out  having a cup of tea or a bite, at the drop of a hat. Or meeting for a coffee downtown. Dropping in for a Diet Pepsi (which I do not drink anyway)  is just not the same.  Making friends is hard when you do not have a job or go to school. Thank goodness I have you! And my wonderful Farm Stay Girls. In fact blogging has created friendships for me. Do you feel that too?

Daisy has had a setback. She stood on her teat again and ripped all the stitches out reopening the great gash in her teat. My vet said he could stitch it all back up again, but she will more than likely to do this again. Plus the edges are healing already. Plus she has mastitis in that quarter now too.

So here is the plan for Paisley Daisy now. I am to spray the area with a product called Vetericyn two or three times a day to keep it clean and healing. There will be a terrible scar now that it is not stitched, her teat presently looks like a wedge has been taken out of it and consequently is sticking out at an angle. But I can still milk her and it is flowing. I am to cut down on her groceries. She will eat a lower protein diet now to lessen her milk production. Very soon we will go down to Once a Day Milking (OAD). Her udder will not be as big and full.  Then  once she is mastitis-free in all quarters and settled into an OAD routine with less milk. I will dry her up. Soon. Really soon.  The milk season will come to an abrupt halt.  We have to shrink that udder to minimise the risk of further damage and quit milking her at all.

The next decision about her will depend on whether she is pregnant. Then I will consult with her vets. It may be that she can no longer be a milk cow or a nurse cow.

Once again I am trying to think what I am learning from this other than the obvious things like caring for an badly damaged udder and how I should have a comprehensive organised up to date first aid bag. Life goes on? Is that the lesson?

I feel better now that I have a plan.

In a year that is seriously financially challenged anyway with  two of my sons marrying in NZ within months of each other bless them, and Mama must be there, I am going to have to find a new milk cow with a lovely tight udder for next spring and she will cost Thousands. However there you are. Life is all about challenges. Sorrows. Failures and Successes. Challenges.

This morning Daisy is maintaining the status quo. That is good.

I hope you all have a good day

Your friend on the farmy

celi