Pouring Up
Someone has a milk mustache.
I once nursed a very old lady called Maisy. I was very young – in my teens – dressed all in white, working in an old folks home. She was very old, round with sparse white comb over hair and wore green nightgowns. I always thought she looked a bit like a kind but sharp tongued frog. She thought I looked like a candle.
I walked into her room one morning at the start my shift and she called to me.
“What is the weather like out there this morning?”
“It’s raining,” I said, coming across. “Pouring down.”
“Well.” she said, leaning forward so I could raise her bed for breakfast. “It would look bloody silly if the rain was Pouring Up, wouldn’t it? Pass me my teeth, girl. And my glasses, no, no, not those ones – the other ones. Yes, much better, now I can see you. Good God, girl, what happened to your hair?!”
I can’t tell you how often Maisie and I went through this exact same routine.
Yesterday it poured down. Almost the whole day. By 10 am my hair was a mass of dripping curls. Maisie would have been thrilled. But the days work had to proceed, just not in the garden. I fed and cleaned and moved muck to and fro. Planted trees and more raspberries. We moved Aunty Del and Carlos the Tiny to a new field across the way. They are knee deep in grass and very happy about it.
Naomi and Difficult were happy to see company but are not allowed to visit with the bull of course so I hope everyone is respectful of my fences.
Alex and her baby are now next door to Lady Astor in the home paddocks. Lady A is still swanning about with her hard round udder full of 4 quarters of concrete swinging about as though it were a separate entity from the cow altogether but the cow completely relaxed and enjoying the cool wet weather.
Everyone else hid inside from the incessant rain. Even the tough little kunekune slept in their upturned fish tank with the hole cut out of it. (Should have let these sleeping pigs lie).
So all in all a very quiet day really.
Nice.
My next pair of Woofer Workers in Residence come on the 13th of May. Until then there will be family. Which is good as I can take a break from organising people, weed, and get the summer systems of work in order. We have a lot of young people to look forward to this summer and everything is better if I have all the systems in place and all the stores in.
I hope you have a lovely day.
celi
52 Comments on “Pouring Up”
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thekitchensgarden 
I think I like Maisie. And would you look at that calf – muscled and sturdy and quite stroppy looking, too. Good morning to you! >
She was a dear and I was with her when she died too which I have always been proud of. And proud of matron for excusing me for the day so I could sit with the old lady. c
Bless her, and you.
Love the pics — and laughed out loud at Tane & Tima! Thanks for the day brightener!
It may be wet, but it’s starting to look lush 🙂
Yes, once a little heat is added it will be amazing.. c
Your fields are greening up nicely, and Txiki is growing at the rate of knots. Laura
The year’s at the spring,
And day’s at the morn;
Morning’s at seven;
The hill-side’s dew-pearled;
The lark’s on the wing;
The snail’s on the thorn;
God’s in His heaven—
All’s right with the world! (Robert Browning)
Probably cloud cuckoo land, but hey ho that’s how this post made me feel.
love
ViV xox
Love this poem!
Merci beaucoup, Viv, for the Browning this beautiful Blue Ridge Morning at 8:45 to begin all of our Merry Month of May! (even though it may be cloud cuckoo, I feel the same way looking at Celi’s lovely creatures.) I don’t think it’s cloud cuckoo there on the Farmy as she has things so well in hand. J.
Spring is here, the grass is riz, I wonder where the birdies is.
By: I have absolutely no idea but my mom used to say it every spring.
Too sweet! c
so did mine
A cool, green Farmy, with tiny pearl drops of water on every surface, Tane with his gel-spiky hairdo and Lady A now almost solid calf with a thin skin of mama cow around the outside. Txiki is obviously getting very high quality rations, as she’s twice the size she was before. All is well, even if your hair has gone curly….
I think Txiki is going to be much bigger than her mother.. I hope Lady’s calf is not too big, that would be a disaster.. a big calf can kill a cow.. c
Then we shall hope it’s merely a little heifer taking her own good time about launching…
That has a real look of Irish weather with the hidden sky. I can almost feel the dampness from here. The the tough little kune kune in their upturned fish tank with the hole cut out of it look full of mischief to me. Alex and her baby make a perfect picture of blissful motherhood. Have a wonderful Sunday.
Funny I was thinking yesterday that the weather here was just like English weather – the sky was so low you could touch it. Very gray and it drizzled the whole day. This morning is not much better, but more rain now than drizzle.
As we say in Ireland: A grand soft day!
Pardon me if I asked this before. Where do the summer workers come from and why do they come?
They are all from the Wwoofer site. wwoofer.com. A very old organisation matching farmers and temporary workers together. They apply to come here. Many really want to farm, some are after a working holiday – all bring something special to the farm. A few have become true friends. c
Is this the organization?
https://wwoofusa.org/about/
Yes – that is the one. It is very low key. They do not vet the workers or anything. The farms register. The workers register. After that it is up to the person.. c
Good experience for both ends.
Very courageous of you to be out planting in the pouring rain.
Make hay while the sunshines, and plant in the rain. Makes sense. Hope your efforts are fruitful. I love how fresh and green everything is. Our grass is coming green, here and there in clumps and crocuses are up.
Oh lucky you! My whole life I have yearned for curls. In years past I would sleep all night with rollers on my head, get up in the morning and brush out beautiful curls. Then go outside and have the morning’s humidity make all those curls go “whomp!” and once again it would all be straight as a pin again… so disheartening. I just LOVE curls!
The mist, or rain, makes your photo’s backgrounds look like a watercolour. A very peaceful, pastoral, sort of vision. And I agree, Tziki is growing like the proverbial week. So wonderful. But I am wonder why it is that “of course” Naomi and Difficult won’t be in with Carlos. They must be a year old by now, aren’t they? How old should they be to be mated?
Hope you have a lovely day too. ~ Mame 🙂
They are allowed to be delivering a calf at two years old. So as Naomi is an April baby and Difficult – June (though she is a freemartin and should not breed) – we wait until they are at the end of their 14th month to go to the bull.
Ahh very interesting about ‘freemartins’ (had to look it up, of course). And that leads me to wonder why you’ve named and kept her. She had such a tough start to life, poor thing, but seems to have thrived since although we don’t hear much about her.
So 14 months, cool… with Naomi, that would mean an early spring calf for her, if she breeds end of June … nice.
I don’t know how she ended up with a name but she is primarily being kept for beef. Naomi is beautiful – I very much look forward to her having a calf. c
Look at those milk veins!
Poor girl!
I have been there. Swollen udder and all.
Lady A’s belt looks mighty stretched as most pregnant women at her stage does…. 🙂
Such an idyllic meditation today! Sweet, sweet.
xo
I hope you reminded Lady Astor that today is the birthday of her baby and we are all counting on her to get busy about it. Its possible that she just forgot you know. Sometimes a reminder is helpful. 😉
some day you should show us a selfie- especially a pouring down selfie!
Alex and her baby are so sweet. The baby has a very funny expression…a bit defiant, irreverent. Does he/she have a name? Or will he/she remain unnamed? Love the Maisie story.
Alex’s baby is a heifer and her name is Txiki – pronounced Chickie. It is a word from the Basque Country meaning Little.
I like the pig’s two bottom teeth … but then I like pigs – my father was a pig farmer.
Am grinning that I am obviously not the only one in the Lounge who reads post, rushes to Mr Google, and comes back all smiles and heaps more wise 🙂 ! If you do it daily ’tis amazing the knowledge you actually do make your own!!! Oh, Chikie’ is agrowin’ fast . . .
Txiki is lovely. c
Yes, Miss C, I know Miss C, I really should not take the ‘easy’ way out 🙂 !! I have misspelt words and hate it!!! And I know no Basque 🙂 !! But would love to be there to give both Mom and babe a big rub . . . well, by the time I made it, two babes and two Moms . . .
Not tonight though I think. This is the calmest Mama cow on the planet tonight.
How were you when your No 5 ‘popped out’ : ? Can’t believe it if you say ‘fussed’ 🙂 !! ‘Catching’ methinks . . . and absolutely wonderful!!!!
I miss the whole birth… crap… I’m gonna go back and ‘catch up’. Turns out a broke my ankle… For the past few years I’ve been banging myself up pretty badly… separated shoulders, broken wrists, sliced open fingers…. and now this. I had just finished washing down all the outdoor furniture, which one of my sons had help me put out ’cause we were planning a big party yesterday due to the visit of my other son and his family. I was so very pleased with myself and went to throw out the soapy water…. stepped the wrong way on a big stepping stone, when ‘ass over tea kettle’ and heard a snap.. followed by instant pain. In any event – we had one hell of a time at the party yesterday … and I had a balloon for a foot by 10:00 last night. And that’s why I missed the birth.. I’m sooo excited to see that adorable, sturdy calf. Congratulations!!!!
No calf yet cecile – we are still waiting. c
I realized I was confused when I went back to the days I’d missed. You’ll just have to resort to a ‘C section’ (only kidding…) ; o )
That milk mustache is fabulous. I love it.
It is pouring down here right now (evening) and some pretty serious thunder.
I love thunder.. c
I haven’t commented in a long time, but have to. This made me laugh out loud. About the hair!
Perfect timing. We are on vacation at the ocean and my hair… Well, let’s just say it’s seen better days! Ha!