I got a call today from the farmer who has Queenie over at her house, (well – in her field, Queenie in anyone’s house would be like the proverbial bull in a china shop. ) Anyway when they looked out their window yesterday morning they saw a good deal of ‘Activity’ between Queenie and the bull. So hopefully she has been bred. Just to be sure I will leave her for another four weeks. If there is no more ‘Activity’ then we can bring her home for a blood test.
A cow will come into heat every 17 to 24 days. We took her to the farm on Halloween. 25 days ago. It is possible we were only hours late. Standing heat only lasts anything from 12 to 24 hours, then they ovulate. However let’s see what happens next.
Did you notice that Poppy is a redder colour than Sheila. It is quite evident in this shot. Once again we had a flat heavy overcast day. No sun, but very little wind either. A day without wind was nice.
I am dialing down the aperture in the camera every day. And taking shots of moving targets like these ones is hard in low light. Sometimes I cheat and add a little fill in flash, but it does not feel right.
Our colour is leaching. Slowly being sucked out of the landscape.
Most everyone sleeps for the morning then they toddle out into the fields and nibble about.
Tilly is still the loudest sheep in the Midwest.
There she goes.. waa waa-ing! Making a racket. And there goes my focus, I need to train these animals to stand still on dark days. She has a lovely fleece. Tomorrow I will shift them again. The sheep are doing a good job of cleaning up the fields.
More Thanksgiving visitors arrived last night. It is getting busy. I don’t cook for Thanksgiving though. Not on the day. This is The Matriarchs holiday. It is an American feast. I just turn up on the day and eat! It is always good.
I hope you have a lovely day.
Your friend on the farmy
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
39 responses to “Working Bull”
I don’t cook Thanksgiving dinner, either. My 27 year old son and his girlfriend have taken over that task. They love working together to produce a feast. This year they’re doing it twice, once on Thursday for friends and an entirely different turkey and new side dishes on Friday for relatives. All I have to do is clean the house. Yuck. Think I’ll have another cup of coffee and read some more blogs first.
Yes, cleaning is not my specialty either, i would rather be in the barn.. WONDERFUL that the younger generation is designing and cooking food for thanksgiving.. such a hopeful thing.. c
We are turning in the shades of brown here also. The lawn is leaching out to a gray-green which will soon be taupe. Winter is so devoid of color…unless a person is fond of browns and white…which I am not.
Linda
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Poppy is living up to her name! She and Sheila are both lovely gingers. I love that Tilly hasn’t outgrown her freckly speckles. Your beautiful animals are now the color stars of your landscape. I’m so glad you don’t have to cook for tomorrow. I am trying my hand at homemade pumpkin pie this year. Wish me luck!
You were spot on with Poppy’s name!! Look at that beautiful red coat! 🐷 happy thanksgiving Miss C.
Because we have had earlier & more heat and very little rain, our spring-summer colours are faded out as well, even the sky is a little hazy. I was only thinking the other day that faded dry lawns were all I knew as a kid growing up in the country… rarely did you seen lush green lawns.
I love Poppy’s colour, very fashionable while my own is closer to Sheila’s albeit with the addition of blonde highlights.
I think it’s lovely The Matriarch hosts her day, and the guests turn up with good appetites and thankfulness… being on the receiving end of generosity is good for the soul.
Hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving!
You are so lucky to have the Matriarch to cook your Thanksgiving feast. I say this as my eyes are stinging from chopping mounds of oinion for the stuffing. I’m trying to actually be a little organized & get as much done ahead of time as I can. Also, I notice that when do a lot of the cooking, by the time everyone sits down to eat I am too tired to eat or even taste the food. Much better when all you have to do is show up, have a good time & enjoy the feast. It never fails to boggle the mind, all those hours spent shopping & preparing the food and in 20 minutes it is all over & done.
It is a good thing I am not a farmer because I had totally forgotten about dear Queenie being away for breeding. Hopefully the activity the bull’s owner saw is a positive sign. Such a small opportunity for her to be impregnated – timing is everything for cows wanting babies. Poppy is a gorgeous color. Poor Shelia pales in comparison. The two are almost the same size now. Hard to believe Poppy was a wee little sick piggy not that long ago. It is nice to see Tilly is still bleeting & blatting her thoughts to you at loud volume. Now I am off to start making the pies and after that make the stuffing, make the cranberry sauce, make the……..
Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving & if you are able to be with family – count that as something to be very grateful for. Don’t forget to think if you know anyone that is without family or has no place to go for dinner on Thanksgiving. Extend and Invitation for dinner & welcome them into your home to share your family & enjoy all that delicious food you will be having.
prepared. To my ladies from NZ who mentioned that they wished NZ celebrated their own thanksgiving, that is an excellent idea. Start a petition or get find out how to get your gov’t to pass a bill to make a New Zealand thanksgiving a nat’l holiday. It is much better holiday than Halloween (which originated in the UK, not the USA). You are right, there is always something to be thankful for.
We are not “hosting” this year and it’s so nice. No frantic kitchen frenzy, all those dishes, feelings of inadequate feast as compared to those family reunion dinners in the past (and I am so not a cook and better in the yard), and all that exhaustion. Whew. I am so thankful not to be facing that. It may be quiet and less traditional, but it’s the people there that counts! Happy gobble day to you and yours!
Dull background or not thoroughly enjoyed the photos! Cannot believe Poppy’s size compared to Sheila’s [OK, she is standing forward!] . . . she really has grown and looks very ‘pretty’ with her hair tint! Tima must be OK also as she would not have an appetite otherwise! Good that all of them can still forage outdoors. Great you do not have to cook the whole Thanksgiving meal in addition to the daily animal roster . . . . The Matriarch must have quite a number around the table this year – do, do, do have a wonderful time 🙂 !
How old is Poppy now? She’s becoming a right large gal herself. Will she attempt at breeding in the Spring? Possible little Poppies everywhere! She is such a pretty pig, she should make lovely babies.
In January she will be a year old and ready to breed. And with any luck she will produce some nice Poppy babies for us.
Happy Thanksgiving to all. Poppy is very pretty with her red coat and Sheila looks fashionable too in her more golden brown. Tima and Tane are a handsome pair, I really like the kunekune and if i could have pigs those are what I’d like to have. There were some snow flakes drifting down when I was out with the dogs. I’m thankful for finding your blog. Stay warm and have a wonderful holiday.
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. I am thankful to be a part of this warm woolly fellowship. It is a beautiful thing.
I do chuckle at some of the euphemistic language used for mating animals – like ‘activity’!! Down in Taranaki when I was a kid the farmers talked of the bulls ‘serving’ the cows. As a child I wondered whatever it meant. With your talent for naming things maybe you can come up with a fun vocabulary for frolics, fancy-footing and —well no more ‘f’ alliteration, let’s just say impregnation.
So strange how the colour of the light changes with the season…..luckily Photoshop puts a stop to all that Nature nonsense:)