A good day to be a cow. Nothing but lazing about in the sun, thinking about nothing.
Ears up and head up when the tractor and the dogs and I bring their hay down to the back of the field. Breakfast in bed. Lovely if you are into that kind of thing.
I always throw the hay out in small piles onto clean areas of the field, small enough and spaced out enough to avoid turning into cow beds, or pooed on and being wasted. Cows like to eat off clean ground (an oxymoron if ever I wrote one) . Cows will often poo when they are eating and do not like to eat where they have pooed, wasting hay, so I always try to find a clean table for them. It works for many reasons, the grass does not get smothered and they spread the good fertility from their manure through out the winter field and they waste very little.
Pigs love the sun too. No digging into the straw yesterday at a high of 52F (11C). Everyone was laid out in the sun.
Of course all these home barn pigs could have been outside in the sun too, the gates are always open, but they chose to sleep in their sunny pen instead. Perfectly spaced as though parked by a valet. Molly and Tahiti the two gilts are the sweetest pigs. I say roll over to one and they both throw themselves down for a belly scratch.
Tahiti has 16 nipples, Molly only 12. Though I think Molly is more beautiful with her four red legs. And Tahiti is spectacular with her large wide expressive face.
We walked between the barns again the dogs and I. The cats come a ways then wait in the long grass to lead us back on the home stretch.
Today will be even warmer which is good as the dogs and I have to drive up to Chicago and pick up Our John from the plane. He has been gone ten days. Ten very quiet, tidy days.
I hope you have a lovely day.
love celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
72 responses to “… to be a cow”
Looking at your sunning pigs, you can feel the warmth of the sun on their fat rumps. Looks nice and dry in the field for your girls. Enjoy your day.
It is dry but poggy, I use one field a winter for the cows, then it will be resown in the summer. Those big cows on that soft ground is pretty destructive. c
Yes, natural cultivators.
They definitely have it good on the farmy 😉
The winter is rest time! c
Every day is a good day to be a creature of the Farmy. Even if the weather is bad, you are still lavished with loving care, close attention and the best of everything. I should like to die and come back as one of Celi’s gilts, please. I would gambol and converse for her entertainment, beg for carrots and belly scratches and sigh blissfully as I was lovingly and lightly strewn with a straw duvet on cold nights.
Morning Kate! c
Morning, Miss C. Not long to go now….
what a great idea: if there is to be any re-incarnation, that would be my choice too.
Morning Celi,
Luv to read your posts – being raised on the farm, I walk every footstep with you!! Love feeding the cows and Boo and Ton right along side and can just see the Kitties sitting there waiting for you to lead the way back!!!
Some of your dear fellow New Zealanders cruised with us on the trip of a lifetime in the Antarctica!!! Had some great times together!! Walked with the penguins and looking at their new baby chicks! And the week old baby seals were nursing on Mama! And missing the spectacular scenery of the mountains and icebergs all around us everyday!!
But great to come back home to all of the Farmy Kids!!!
Oh you are back! Lovely. Glad you had such a good time!. c
I love the way our animals follow the sun!
Do you remember how Big Dog used to drag his blanket from sunny spot to sunny spot! c
Lazing around in the sun, thinking about nothing, sounds like a pretty ideal day for a human, let alone a cow. 🙂
Yes, I like to do that too sometimes – but usually in the company of a sleeping pig.. c
It made me laugh to read your first sentence: “A good day to be a cow.” I often say this on pleasant days, sun shining and breeze mild.
Hi Melanie! me too! funny.. c
It was a grand day for mid-January. We were out for a walk in the sun.
I was amused by your comment “Ten very quiet, tidy days.” The word tidy was studied yesterday by a blogger friend. https://wordconnections.wordpress.com/2016/01/30/tidy/
Yes, I follow Steve’s word page too.. it is a great study.. c
I enjoyed your reference to ten quiet, tidy days. If you’ve not seen Steve Schwartzman’s recent entry about the word, I think you’ll enjoy it.
Thank you too!! Steve is getting quite a bit of exposure in my comment page today. c
I would enjoy lying in a patch of sunshine and soaking up some vitamin D and warmth, as well. Pigs are smart.
Yes, Soaking up the sun is such a primitive need don’t you think? all animals do it Even lizards and snakes do it.
Snakes and lizards absolutely HAVE to bask. To digest their food, and even to move.
amazing really – what happens if they have a long stretch of cloudy days?
UVB still filters through, that’s why we can get sunburned on cloudy days.
Miss C, when did you teach Boo to drive the tractor and load hay?? Soon he will have no more room on his resume for skills and outstanding qualities 😉
Boo is the navigator! A very important job.. c
Deb, I think it was practice for driving to Chicago today. I can just imagine Boo in his peaked hat and bow tie, with Miss Celi sipping champers in the back seat!
Delicious! A cigar is missing, no? – Your thoughts and images you bring up with are just delicious – as always! Make me smile, make me laugh, make me happy. – Good Night, Marie!
Just love the expected warm days in the winter! We have expanded the garden fence, will repair the goat yard fence and will work on blazing a trail to the pond! It will be 70 degrees today!!! 🙂
I wish I had your help!!. That pond sounds so lovely…c
How lovely, they look very happy cows to me!
Good morning! yes, my cows seldom complain.. c
A big contented sigh from me, just for reading about sunshine! Thank you. We have had even more rain today – sweeping curtains of the stuff cutting out anything further than about 10 yards. I haven’t put my nose outside the door today. Now I’m sniffing good smells from the oven and drooling for supper.
Same here Viv. Perhaps the world is in Mourning for Sir Terry Wogan who died this morning.
I didn’t know that. I will really miss the old buffer. He’s been a part of my listening life for most of it!
He started work as a bank teller before going into broadcasting in Dublin. We used to rush home at lunchtime to hear him on the radio, that was before he moved to the BBC. He never changed from those early days and his relaxed Irish Charm, won fans across the world.
I remember his very first broadcasts on BBC radio when I was first married in 1960 – I think it was still the Light Programme then – and he didn’t really change his style throughout his long career. We loved him.
are Molly and Tahiti two different types of pigs? Or why does one have more nipples that the other. Curious. The photo of the piggies parked in the sun is divine-
so blissful a life with your belly scritches too! Cheers- drive safe!
No they are sisters! I just thought to count them yesterday.. when you are buying a gilt always check the nipples.. cc