Thanksgiving is my favourite American holiday. Mainly because there are no expectation of gifts or silly songs or garish decorations and you only have to eat once that day. It is all about the food and family and friends. Of course as I am a New Zealander I don’t have to cook a Thanksgiving lunch. My food would be ALL WRONG, thank goodness.
So with my woolly hat firmly on my head I worked almost the whole day with a break for lunch and I did not go into the kitchen once. This IS a holiday for me believe it or not. To be able to muck about in the barn – this is what I love.
My mother in law cooked a lovely local turkey (not one of mine) and all the associated family dishes. I just worked happily on the farm in the morning, had a long boozy lunch, then worked all afternoon on the farm again and right into the night. This gave me plenty of time to watch and observe all my animals.
Not having to feed any people at all is as good as a rest for me.
Carlos is out in the field with the big cows and holding his own quite nicely – we are having a spell of warmish and wettish weather and the grass is actually growing. So all the cows are munching as fast as they can.
Tima was her usual self this morning, (much to my surprise after the tough delivery of a still-born unfinished piglet the night before). Though she was not terribly chatty.
I kept her and Tane in the clean pen for most of the day so she would be forced to rest. Mostly (as usual) she just wanted to eat. Imagine being able to live so completely in the moment.
I don’t know if it was my imagination or not but the barn seemed calmer yesterday – gentler – everyone seemed to have settled down a notch. 
I spent quite a bit of time observing Alex the new Dexter heifer. She is timid but she does not lower her head or threaten me at all. (Not like Elsie). She would just rather I kept my distance. She has not been handled since she was a calf. So today I am going to get a halter on her (which might be a drama) and begin to get Close and Personal with her. That coat of hers is going to be getting lots and lots of brushing. And she and I will get to know each other better. She is a heifer (has never had a calf) and was confirmed pregnant by a vet and if this proves correct she should be having a calf in early June. And I need her gentled for the milking. And familiar with the areas she will traverse in her milking career here.
So if all our pregnancies go to term ( and there are no guarantees about anything, ever, at all, as we know), next years calving calendar might look like this .
- May 1st – Lady Astor
- June – Alex
- July 10 – Aunty Del
Not too bad. The gestation period for a cow is a little over nine months – give or take.
Poppy will go to visit Manu in January – hopefully giving us piglets in May ready to wean by the middle of June.
The gestation period for a pig is three months, three weeks and three days.
This coming Wednesday the two little Holstein calves will be sold. They will never be healthy enough to live on an organically managed farm. So they are being sold on to a larger more conventional farm with a warmer barn and a nice farmer and medicine. I do not have the space to keep them separated (they still cough) and adequately housed in the cold.
December 9th the Plonkers will leave the farm for the abbatoir. They have got quite chubby on their vegetarian diet. I am very pleased with their progress.
At the end of the winter /early spring Queenie’s Bobby will go to the abbatoir too. He is about ready and completely pasture raised and all the families will be needing the beef. I am a small farm. And we must not lose sight of the fact that we are raising food here. It is not a petting zoo – though everyone loves to be petted (except Alex but she will learn that a little loving is good for the soul). And we do have some pets!
But I make sure that every life is treated with respect and care. Even short lives can be good.
I can’t remember if I told you already but I am giving myself a treat and on December 11 I am going to fly out to Canada and spend a few days with my eldest son up in the mountains. Jake and John will take over the farm for those few days. And you and I will have some different adventures. He trains avalanche dogs so I will be paying close attention. And YES – I have checked my passport!
I just need a wee getaway. And you know how I LOVE to travel.
I hope you have a good day.
Love celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
72 responses to “A Gentle Day”
So glad you had a day of restful activity on the farm and that someone else cooked for you! Thanksgiving is my favorite as well.
I Love to be cooked for! Hope you had a great day too! c
Have a very calm Thanksgiving myself – just cooked for me (oh and the dogs/cats). Had a Rib Eye steak from a local farmer, with salad and chips (double cooked in lard). with chocolate ice cream for afters! So unlike a lot of people today I do not still feel stuffed to the gills LOL.
So glad you have everything mapped out with the animals – I expect you keep a chart somewhere?
Yes you do need a break – what a lovely chance to go watch dogs being trained for such a good job. Wish I could come with you!
That sounds like a perfect dinner to me – I LOVE a good rib-eye.. I don’t have a chart but I still use my old style teaching diaries.. they keep me in order but I really need to get next years set up – so far next year is all notes! c
Great news that Tima is well. I was excited when I heard you were visiting Canada, thought if close to me we could meet. But the mountains are very far from me, the Farmy would be closer!
I hope you have a wonderful time, that is only a week away!
I go up to Canmore – a trek up from Calgary – beautiful big country.. c
Oh my goodness! Canmore? That’s only 5.5 hours from me! You will love it!!!
A lovely bit of holiday and an adventure to look forward to in the near future? Well deserved! You work hard.
I love to travel off and visit my kids – they are such a wonderful bunch.. c
I just learned that December 11 is National Mountain Day. International is okay, too. Have a wonderful time in Canada!
wow, there is going to be quite a step up for Carlos IV to Aunty Del 🙂 Good for you for claiming a wee break away, enjoy. Laura
Yes, i don’t think he will be able to reach an Ayrshire, he does have quite a bit of growing to do though and she is 18 months older than he is. c
This is all good news, and a restored Tima is excellent news… You have your calendar well in hand, both for the creatures and for yourself: I just want to remind you about Melbourne in February before you disappear into the wilds of Canada. I am holding 29th free, so hopefully that will still work for you?
I have your name on the 29th and thank you ! I will rattle my dags and book my return from Wellington to Melbourne today, once that is final i will let you know for sure! c
Great!
This is such good news Celi. I’m so happy that the drama is behind you and you were spared yesterday’s traditional cooking nightmare. (Although that is one thing about America that I love. Our Canadian Thanksgiving is sort of lost in October and doesn’t herald in the Christmas season) I’m so glad you’re getting away…although Alberta is not the usual, tropical sort of get away, it’ll be wonderful for you to catch up with your son and his family. You made me chuckle about the passport. I checked mine too, as I’m off in a few days. Isn’t that the way though? You come to Canada and close to me, just as I leave for the other end of the old globe. Figures! 😀
Do you remember last time I went to canada and found to my horror a week away from flying that my passport was out of date and Chicago John driving the new to me at the airport! just before I flew out – mercy that was a close call!.. c
yes that was a mighty close call!! I think I lost a few hairs then too!! but thankfully you made it to the wedding!!
You were a star Carol – You ran an excellent back up mission!
Oh boy do I ever! We were all on pins and needles for you! 😀 That’s what made me chuckle and now I’m going to be a serial passport checker too! PS. mine expires in 2016!
I remember that, there was much holding of breath, finger crossing and a multitude of prayers, we don’t want to do that again 🙂
Alex looks young. Like a teenager mother. I love those days that feel like settling…so good. Perfect setting for being thankful.
I was a teenage mother and now that you mention it my hair was pretty rugged looking too!! c
Celi, you made me smile!
Happy thanksgiving! I’m looking forward to your trip as well, though surely not nearly as much as you!
We all love to get out a bit – even if it is only vicariously! c
This post was a welcome update today. It can be quite easy, with so many in the cast coming and going, to forget which way is up as a reader. Knowing that some of the familiar faces will be gone soon (Queenies Bobbie in particular) is rather sad, but then we have all these new faces to become accustomed to. It has come to my notice that you have an uncanny way of writing mostly about the animals that are long term guests on the farm, and conversely, spending less time telling and showing us about those who are destined for food or other homes. Rather intentional or not Miss C, I appreciate this plan. I am less likely to become virtually attached to one of the group when you post infrequently about their days and nights and shenanigans for as you note, you are running a farm with a purpose.
I think it is an extension of how I work. I tend to feed and gently care for the animals destined for the table and photograph and EXtend the animals I will keep for a while.. I also do not allow too much of an attachment. Selling animals on is one thing but growing specifically for our food is another. So I think I am looking after my own heart and yours. it works.
It’s good to know the programme for arrivals and departures. I will miss the plonkers and the bobbies, but quite understand the philosophy of the Farmy. Producing food has to be the most worthwhile aim. I hope you have a wonderful time with your son, and pray for a smooth term of office for John and Jake.
Love,
ViV xox
Not for a few weeks yet – and by the time I leave everyone will be in their winter quarters for good… at the moment it had warmed up and everyone is out in the field! In the rain! c
What a perfectly lovely day!! Question – what types of sides did your mother-in-law serve yesterday? I find it rather interesting how each state…and even areas within a state… have their own ‘traditional sides’ for Thanksgiving. Being of French Canadian heritage, we always serve both a meat stuffing and bread stuffing, for instance. ++ Looking forward to your posts when you’re in Canada visiting your son!! ; o )
I’d love to visit your farm someday and rent that adorable ‘guest area’ AND I would LOVE to do the cooking !!! As well as help around the farm! ; o )
she makes a bread stuffing that she calls a dressing and turkey and salad and fruit salad and mashed potatoes, beans. And I would love you come to be our cook too! There is always plenty to do. Let me know when you get closer to making a plan! c
If you have the time……. I’d love to have your mother-in-law’s recipe for bread stuffing so I could post it on my blog! And I will, for sure, be in touch when the time is good for me to come ‘cook and help’!!
I will ask her .. c
Happy thanksgiving. Yours is the best kind of farming – love and kindness is a very good thing 🙂
oh I’m relieved to hear you had a good day yesterday ~ just spending the day in the barn with all the “Kids”. They all had a day of Thanksgiving with just having their Master around them. And life goes on for Tima ~ I’m glad to hear you took a break and enjoyed a “long boozy lunch”!! Made me chuckle!!