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A Gentle Day

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

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.

Tima

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. cows

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.

heifers

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.

cows

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!

peahens

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

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72 responses to “A Gentle Day”

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  2. There is nothing in the world like the hugs from a much missed son. Or daughter. I so understand. No matter how old they get, they are still children of your heart. I have both of my children close now but remember the days that was not so. And I’ve lived continents away from my family.. I did the cooking this year for the first time in many. It was crazy, hectic and absolutely wonderful. My daughter was so impressed that I could gently remove myself while the adult women did their own things in my kitchen. Hey, have at it I said, sitting and resting my weary bones. It’s the most fun I’ve had in years. I like your kind of Thanksgiving too. A gentle one. I’m delighted the day went so kindly for you.

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  3. It’s good to have a plan and thank you for reviewing it for us. I remember the farm days and being aware of who was up next for the pot. I’m glad the fringe players are the ones who will touch and go, while the creatures you’ve shared will hopefully be around to brighten our day. Have a great trip!

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  4. I love that Alex is a dun. We had our first dun heifer a few weeks ago. They’re harder to come by than the blacks or reds. My entire herd is black except now for this sweet, wild little thing. Dexters are fast learners and friendlier than a lot of breeds so Alex should gentle in no time. It only took our 4 year old bull a few months to warm up to full body rubs and brushing. He’s a real attention whore now! I think you’ll be very please with Dexters. By the way, we butchered our first Dexter calf this past September and the meat has been the best we’ve ever had. Tender and beautiful. I can’t imagine not having them.

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    • Thank you Jennifer – this is great to hear. I was offered Alex and had no idea that the dun was hard to come by – Just luck for me. She is quite lovely. Does your dun heifer have these golden eyes? They are amazing. c

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  5. With all the hullabaloo that comprises Thanksgiving around here, I had a small thought in the back of my mind for you, Miss C, worried that Thanksgiving was akin to Christmas for you. I’m very glad to hear it is not. I just love the new mini cattle, btw, and our Del is all grown up!

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  6. So great that you had a day off and you could enjoy it that way you liked it. I’m glad that everything is ok at/on the Farmy. Being content and grateful – that’s what Thanksgiving means, no?
    It’s the second time these days you mention that “living in the moment” (in connection with Tima). I like this, it talks to me. Loudly.
    I like Naomi’s belly and fur. Love, that she’s around and close by Alex. Helps her that way to accomodate…
    That is me a breeding clinic here….. 😉 – Lots of work and lots of news lying ahead. Great. I like your plannings and your forsight.…
    I love that you have this trip to Canada looking forward to – it’s around your birthday, isn’t it?

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  7. One of the I things I like that the Farmy demonstrates well is that food production cycle, the animals have good lives, hoisting the standard of food production done with care and ethics… as opposed to CAFOS. You don’t shout it but it underpins what you do.
    Nice that you are taking off for a bit 🙂

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    • And there is no reason why we cannot buy meat and vegetables grown with care – they are more expensive but honestly we don’t need to eat AS MUCH as we do. The sheer volume of food consumed now is crazy!

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      • It once was the case that farmers markets were overall more expensive but we’re just back from the local Saturday inner city farmers market and our shopping cost less than when we had no time last week and went to the supermarket and bought their premium priced version of organic and free range. And what a sad food week that was for us but this week we can look forward to real food 🙂

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    • Kim, it’s not you – I have had no end of problems on Celi’s site for the last 10-odd days: have to print everything out at least twice!

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  10. Oh so we ever remember that wedding trip to Canmore and holding our collective breaths that passport would arrive in time from London! Don’t think you ever realized how many worried emails sped across the world 😀 !! But your diary both home and abroad does sound smile-creating . . . . probably won’t get to Melbourne myself but a local phone call we can surely arrange . . . don’t seem to get around taking a photo but a voice I can ‘produce’ . . .

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  11. You deserved a calm quiet day yesterday after the difficult one the day before, Tima sounds like a ‘get up, dress up and show up’ kinda gal, so pleased she is doing well. A little break is what you need with special hugs. I am looking forward to special hugs tomorrow, when Elly & George come for the day. Alas I gave them a bit of a fright on Thursday.. a few quiet days have given my old ticker some time to settle down again. Only the good die young! 😆

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    • Yes , well, grannymar darling the good may well die young but I am not quite ready for you to join the throng. So take it VERY easy until Elly gets there. And tell her to tell me if you get ill again so we can send well wishes!! merciful heavens.

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      • Poor Elly has no siblings to share the burden of her mother! She wants to see me for herself before heading off on another work trip to China on 2 December. Alas, ischaemic heart disease and angina have rented space in my heart for over twelve years now, I know when to rest and when to call 911. Thankfully I was due for a cardiac review, and the problem showed up on the tracing (it does not always do so). Just like the animals of the farmy, we all have an allotted time and none of us are promised tomorrow, I come from along line of ‘heart problems’, mammy and her five brothers all succumbed and several of my younger cousins have lost the battle too. I don’t dwell on it and am grateful for each new day and being able to laugh. I have often said: I have so much to be thankful for, and on the days I cannot run the roads, the world comes in to me through blogging and Facebook. WhatsApp gives immediate access to Elly without intruding if she is busy, she always comes back to me as soon as she can. Life is good.

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  13. That does free up one’s day–not having to cook. Dec. 11 is not far off, so glad you are able to fit in the trip to your son’s.

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