Remember how I told you it got really cold the night before last but that was OK as i was all preparde for the cold? Well, I completely forgot that the milking pump and the pulsator hate cold and I left them out in the milking room, the pump sitting on its stand and the pulsator on top of the bucket, all clean and hung on the hook.
I got all ready for milking, filled buckets with dry pig feed ready for the hot milk, took the shiny milk cans from the house to the barn, carried three full buckets of hot water to the milking room, replenished the piles of clean rags, chopped up the pumpkin for the cows, got everything ready, rinsed and cleaned the cups in the hot water, turned on the music and brought in Aunty Del, I washed her udder and dried it, turned on the pump, picked up the cups, put them on and nothing, they fell straight back off. The pump turned on but there was no pressure. The pulsator was not clicking. Horrors! Aunty Del did not care, she kept munching while John and I flew through all the checks trying to work out why we had not pressure.
It stayed very cold yesterday and the pulsator was still frozen. Major error. I had to run it or ages, cupping it with my panicked hot hands before it warmed up and the pump got up a good head of ‘steam’. Aunty ate the whole pumpkn herself waiting. And after I milked her – she finished well – I had to chop up another pumpkin for Lady. Who we milked just fine. It was cold yesterday and this morning we are at 27F – not as bad! but still way below freezing.
The cows and I all got a fright so after the milking I dragged the pump on its handy wheels, across the quad, up the garden path, through the trees and stowed it in the glass house. Then carried the bucket and pulsator in theere as well. The whole apparatus is now in the glass house where it will be warm. This will be a frequent trip until I finish milking noth cows.
I had a new reader comment a few days ago that she had never seen a blog where the photos had nothing whatsoever to do with the text, she found it fascinating.
I hope she is reading today because her comment made me smile. It is not done on purpose, the images are a collection of what I saw yesterday. And the text is a recollection of only a tiny part of yesterday that comes to my mind when i have my first coffee with you. A bit like wandering about the farm looking at stuff while we talk of other stuff.
Anyway, i digress because I made another error that fist night – yesterday morning I went to feed the pigs and their food was frozen solid too – it usually sits overnight in the barn. That nice warm porridge froze overnight. I had to take out buckets of boiling water to thaw their breakfast. So now there are three big buckets of milk and grain sitting in the kitchen.
I also forgot to plug the cows water heater in so they were all standing staring at a frozen tub of water yesterday morning (and this morning too as i need to find their tank heater! I will do that today.
Of course you cannot run hoses when it is that cold as the water freezes in them unless you drain the water out and coil the hoses up on the fence.
I forgot that to0! I am laughing at myself. Here was me being all smug thinking I was so organised and I forgot to get the waters organised. Everyones water was frozen solid. You cannot fill a bowl that is already full of frozen water.
In the old days, in the winter, I would take Sheila a bucket of warm water a few times a day, now her head is too fat to fit in the bucket. But thats ok because she is trained to stand back. That is the command “Stand Back Sheila. Stand back.” This means take a step back, get your head out of the bowl I am going to fill it. And she does, she waits patiently until I fill her bowl with food or water then tucks in. You can’t muck around though she will not wait long!
I wil be carrying a lot of buckets of warm water this winter – we have more pigs than ever!
Good morning. Off I go to work,
Hope your day is lovely!
Love celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
46 responses to “oops, I forgot”
I remember those days of uncoiling hoses, watering the stock with them, and then rolling them back up and putting in the barn where they would not freeze. Somehow ended up with wet gloves every time! Hoping the Farmy and the Fellowship have a great day!
Oh aren’t wet gloves awful in the real cold – still not too cold here yet! c
I love the piglets’ chunky little bums! Good job, Poppy. What a good mom. And Geraldine. I love her so. I would buy a calendar just of Geraldine! She is so funny and judgmental. She’s like a cat with feathers!
Stay warm! It’s finally getting cold here, too!
Those healthy little piggie butts are cute as anything! Ah the water thing is about to rear its ugly head out here as well. We got our hydrant just in time, but we still will have to lug buckets, just not from the house which is a major improvement. I don’t care how many times we have to get ready for the cold, there is always something not prepared for.
I left all the water hoses hooked up last night and it’s currently 21. I’d say it’s a rookie mistake, but I’ve been doing that at least once every year for the last… Sigh…
Ha ha !! Yes I know that feeling! c
Well I am here to congratulate you! You did not forget to take more beautiful gold-filled pictures! Love the one if the barn and tree.
Oh wow…that’s cold 😮
It looks like the piglets are whispering in Boo’s ear, telling him a secret.
Or offering him kisses on his cheek. Sweet fatties.
At least with all the backwards and forward C, you will stay nice and warm.
Have a beautiful day.
🙂 Mandy xo
Cute little piggy butts love Boo n Ton giving them their morning welcome!! It’s fun to see all the Farmy interlove feelings! Love the farm scene against the skyline!! It’s aggravating when we forget those things we normally do!! Been there – done that!!! We just aren’t ready for this cold weather!! Ugg after so many 70 degree days!! Have a better day!!
The cold likes to catch us by surprise. Even when we think we’re ready. You sound like you’re ready for tomorrow though. And, I love love love the picture of the barn, wheelbarrow, and cat. What a beautiful composition!
Surely the pictures and text are relative – it’s all part of farmy philosophy 😉
I wonder how long a body can keep doing all that work you do. I never thought much about it for myself until this year. The cold adds a whole new element to hard work. At least in the south it’s not quite so brutal.
It is still pretty nice here too! c
Just love the Geraldine photo! What a shot!!! I, too, had a giggle just now about what the new reader said about the pictures often being different from the text. Once we join the farmy fellowship and become familiar with the farm family, it’s a given that we get to see them all in their daily antics. And when we don’t see one, and they are not in the daily news, we simply ask about them. And we are always treated to so many incredibly beautiful and creative photos! And, as well, thought provoking musings, and just plain fun stories of life on the farmy. Thanks Celi!!!!! xoxoxoxo
yes – you can always ask and i will chase the character down with Camera House!
I’m surprised you don’t forget more with all you have to do but then I understand forgetting just makes more work. Your temps are astounding. We won’t go down to freezing until Dec 5. But rain everyday until Dec 2. When the rain clouds go, the cold comes in. I love all you photos and especially the little pigs with Boo looking on. The fact that you take the time to write and photograph on top of all else is impressive. It would be beyond me. Thank you for making my day brighter. I just turned up the heat here.:)
Those times of brain fog always come when we are feeling rather pleased with ourselves don’t they…a little reminder that life is real and will always find a way to remind us that no one is perfect, or as organized as they think they are 😉