John has so much work now that he is working six days a week, leaving at 4 in the morning and not getting home until after seven. Lady Astor and I wait for him. John has an habitual cough and when she hears him cough, as he walks from his truck to the barn after pulling in, she will move into the milking shed. Until then she stands outside the door and watches me watch her.
Thank goodness I have Tomoyo in the kitchen.
The calves in the West Wing Barn all ate hard and fast yesterday. Though the milk was at half strength again. We will slowly work up. They need some good nutrition now but I am so afraid of relapses. By evening they drop off a bit but they are getting stronger. Soon though the owners of these calves will come back and take them home. Let’s hope everyone is alive.
Little I will keep and maybe one of the other calves I have not made up my mind yet.
Little had two episodes yesterday when I was sure he was dying, he was prone – flat – like this ..
I called John and said I think he is dead, and when I turned back he was sitting up looking at me with that bemused expression calves have.
But each time he rallied. And is actually drinking more. By yesterday afternoon he was walking about in his pen sniffing things. Closely monitored by Nanny Boo of course (Boo barks to me from inside the pen – though I am not sure why – I am so tired now that I cannot even understand Dog. But I always go out to check the baby just in case). I have spent almost a week forcing that calf (and one other) to drink but now he drinks on his own so that is an improvement. But we will see. It is up to him really. He is nowhere near well so I am not letting my hopes rise up.
All the calves are drinking quite a bit of cold water from their barrels so that is a good sign.
Mr Flowers is losing his summer feathers at such a rate it looks like he pushed an eject button. I am collecting them. They are beautiful and so very long. We will have to decide what to do with them. I still miss Godot, the funny wee chap, but we cannot blame Mr Flowers for doing as nature intended. Though I want to.
Even the old roosters are fighting lately. Must be the time of year.
Even with all the troubles the garden keeps on producing. I am dehydrating tomatoes and making tomato sauce as fast as I can. There are not as many as there should be with the wet start to the season.
I promised Amanda that I would show some of the grubby farm shots. This is grubby. And I am only just starting the clean up that comes from having a sick animal in the barn. Then there will be lots of clean.
I hope you have a lovely day.
Your friend on the farm
celi
ps. This morning Little Bobby stood up and mooed. I have never heard his voice before. I warmed a bottle of milk and went out and fed him. He drank greedily then after a while he lay back down under his tree. This was the best I have seen him be. And he smelt different this morning.
Did I tell you that there is a big grey heron roosting in the big tree outside the bedroom window? When I go out in the night he flaps his huge wings at me. He is an enormous bird. I will try and get a sunset picture of him for you.
The Kitchen's Garden 
72 responses to “Prone Cats and Sleeping Calves”
I’m keeping my fingers crossed!
It’s amazing how good the corn field looks (and all the other vegetables), I half expected the floods to wash everything away. I hope you get a long Indian summer and an extended growing season 😉
Sending my thoughts and good energies to you and Little. xx
LOL even the sunflowers are exhausted watching you rushing around looking after those babies 😉 Has the Heron eaten all the goldfish in the barrels yet? Good news about the little Bobby 🙂 Laura
These are hard days, Celi.
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That is a bit of good news, fingers crossed. Those are beautiful tomatoes. A heron, that is amazing, we have one that shows up by the lake every now and the. Evie gets so excited when she sees him, she is a bird person. I haven’t told her about Godot yet, she will be upset.
Actually I am thinking of Big John . . . Nine hours off on six days of the week driving distances and labouring all day . . . . good that the work is there and the money that goes with it but . . . quite a guy that!!!
He gets exhausted.. if we did not milk together there would be no talking at all from one sunday to the next – whoever is in the kitchen is in charge of packing him really good lunches! c
. . . . and you probably do the talking across Lady Astor’s back . . . love to both 🙂 !
That dear Little Bobby. He’s got a will, hasn’t he? You are a force of Nature, Celi. So amazed by your strength and persistence and generosity of spirit.
Oh, Celi, I am so glad to hear the good news. It’s so lovely that Little makes you hear his voice now. Let’s keep up the good thoughts and please take care of you.
I love that bright tomatoe shot – these colors! And the still closely gathered sunflowers bow their heads as if they were deep in meditation or contemplation. Like that picture… it transports peace.
The heron getting so near to the Farmy – is he a danger to the flocks or to Little? Did he maybe wait for his passing away? Or is it imaginable that he’s just watching over him in a caring way? Ok, I know he’s not a vulture but…
The heron comes to roost there most years, I am sure they are not a danger – unless you are a fish! c
A big “MOO!” IS A good sign! I am so happy he has peace and an appetite!
I’m awfully glad you have someone to make you nourishing meals. Keeping both you and John in my thoughts.
All sounds promising good! X
As my rancher vet sister-in-law says, if they are drinking/eating some and going to the bathroom you’ve got a chance. Time will tell, but fingers crossed for Bobby.
Situations like Bobby are part of what tugs readers. You actually work with real life while most of us live to work and are apart from what is real and natural. We are insulated from the hardships and realities of raising animals, but something inside seeks to reconnect to human past and natural order of life?
Love the textures of the broom photo – authentic and honest image.
Tomatoes! Mounds of them in the kitchen. That’s summer on farms.
Oh, those feathers are worth a lot. They sell them in stores/hobby shops/decor studios. Maybe someone knows a dealer who buys or one could ebay them?
I’m worried abouot your John – please get him to check that cough out. Otherise I think we can allow a little glimmer of home to creep in for the calves? We have a lot of tomatoes and chilies in our little garden in England but there is just not enough sun to help them turn red 😦 Hey ho, tinned tomatoes will have to be bought this winter!
Those Italian tinned tomatoes are pretty good for sauce though, I like them. He absolutely and completely refuses to go to the doc for that cough – it comes and goes in severity but it has been around for a while now, though I do notice that the cough precedes a certain task, like entering the barn, puttng on his boots, opening a truck door, I think it might be a bit of a habit too.. c
You are very very sensitive! As to your observations of John’s cough I made a similar experience: Once when I had very much time for myself (and still was a smoker) I tried to observe my thoughts minutious and wrote the topics down. I was very astonished that there were very close connections between my thoughts and my cough. I went to observe my environment (esp. my collegues at my workplace) and found that there was always a interesting movement or very special activity before coughing. – But that was long ago (in the nineties) I stopped smoking meanwhile and my cough stopped too. And I never had that patience (and time) again to observe myself that way.
Now, that is interesting. Hmm. (John is not a smoker though so i cannot blame that. ) I think I would find it harder to observe myself! Well done.. c
Coughing is interesting…….when I did counselling for a living, I always perked my ears up when we were doing “hard work” and the person coughed before or during answering, it often signaled …..to me anyway, having observed actions and behaviours for over 30 years……a reluctance to speak about or delve into an issue. Not suggesting that’s why John coughs, but if he does before going to the barn perhaps he doesn’t like the barn?……or something simple like the hay and dust trigger it? So pleased Little is calling to you, a good sign, fingers crossed.
or he is worried that he will have to SPEAK!! He is the silent one remember.. c
Aah, that would be it….poor guy…..the strong silent type 🙂
Maybe it is a habit then…and I know you’ll keep track of it. Just a bit sensitive I think right now because my dad was like this for years, luckily the docs were keeping an eye on it so when it turned into the big nasty thing we all fear, they acted quickly. And three cheers for tinned tomatoes – much better for sauce when fresh ones are out of season!
Oh Celi, you’ve had such a hard time since the babies came to the farmy. I do hope they will all rally and make your work and sleeplessness be worthwhile—for your sake and for theirs. Scours is such a balancing act to treat.
I’m having a hard time not being cross with Mr. Flowers as well. However, I had two roosters that fought relentlessly (even though they were free ranging). I intervened just in time to save one. They aren’t so delicate as peafowl I suppose?
I know about those roosters. Peghorn spends most of his life under things – hiding.. c
I am continuing to hold good thoughts for Little and for you and John. It sounds like everyone is giving all they have and are running low on reserve. Be kind to yourselves as well.
I still have tons in reserve – the more I do the more I can do usually! Don’t you worry about me darling girl.. c