Posted on October 20, 2017 by Cecilia Mary Gunther
The little cats have discovered that milking time means free hot milk.
So now there is a full crew of cats perched on beams and doors and gates all over the barn, waiting patiently for the pump to turn off when they silently converge on the milking room.
Guess what Aunty is up to? I will call her so you can see for yourself.
Aunty!? Where are you Aunty Del?
There you are, Aunty. What is going on with you Aunty. You have been behaving differently lately. Though I can’t quite put my finger on it until I saw this.
Hmm. Are you pregnant Aunty? I think maybe you might be.
Do you see dear reader? Her udder is dropping and one side of her belly is dropping too. Though she did not look pregnant last week – Carlos’s babies are so small I have had very little warning of any of them. And Aunty had a very small udder last time too.
If Del were pregnant I would be very, very surprised as I was sure she came into heat when we first brought her back from the other side. What do you think? That looked like a little udder filling up to me.
I have no intention of milking through the winter though, I am not even here at Christmas time, so if she does have a baby she can raise him herself without me milking her as well. Let’s hope her udder stays nice and small and this stays an option.
There now. That certainly was a bit of a surprise. Though I cannot bring myself to believe it. I will bring her into a field closer to the action today so I can keep an eye on her.
I hope you have a lovely day.
celi
WEATHER: One more nice, nice day.
Friday 10/20 10% / 0 in
Sunshine and some clouds. High 78F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph.
Friday Night 10/20 0% / 0 in
Partly to mostly cloudy. Low 56F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.
Sun
7:10 am 6:04 pm
Moon
New Moon, 2% visible 7:48 am 6:59 pm
c
Category: cows, Farming, Photography, Sustainable farmingTags: Barn, barncat, countrylife, cows, farming, farmlife, is my cow pregnant, pregnant cows, udders
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You’ll have a queue for milking now – all the animals with their cereal bowls!
That would make a great CARTOON! Puss in boots Cat with bowl and spoon waiting patiently.
I wonder if they’d do it for Christmas…
Yes! Puss in Boots with his long-feathered hat tucked politely under an arm (or/and?) maybe an Oliver Twist Kitten’s request for “More?”
That Carlos the Tiny has a lot to answer for….
Indeed!
Hmm, Aunty DelI… I see udder, ribs and belly. The perfect trifecta?; )
What sort of chicken are the eggs from C? When I saw that feather, my first thought was “Guinea Hen?!”)
Love the soft light in that photo with Boo and the kitten: )
Just barn chickens the feathers float about
The best laid schemes of mice and men (and Carlos) gang aft agley!
Was that a spelling error or a literary reference I did not get!? – laughter!
John Steinbeck took the title of his 1937 novel Of Mice and Men from a line contained in the penultimate stanza: “The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men / Gang aft agley” (often paraphrased in English as “The best-laid plans of mice and men / Go oft awry”).
AHA!! Thank you!!
Gaelic, I think. Maybe even Robbie Burns?
Definitely Robert Burns! Wonderful poet. I share his January birthday – and I like good haggis if I can get it!
Chris S in Canada
Homework done during lunch break . . . yep, Robbie Burns and the poem is called ‘To a Mouse’ ! Another fact added to the grey matter 🙂 !
What one learns on the farmy on a Saturday morning . . . know the book, use the saying often, was never aware of the correct ending to the line . . .
I have never seen such luscious green grass. Little wavy cushiony hassocks of it. I bet there is a wee one in there. How exciting.
It is still growing ! No calf yet I did look too! Just in case.
It’s raining cows .. er calves 🙂 Laura
Yes! We will see
Aw, I love surprises like that. Carlos the Tiny is one sneaky fellow. I envy you those eggs. Our chickens are on strike right now.
I am still getting piles of eggs – many of which I find as I work like these ones – in the barn
Aw Aunty! I just love her face. I could so adopt her….
Ha ha Carlos must of had a step ladder hidden somewhere 😂
I am still dubious – she was with him
Almost two years! Late starter I guess
Clever cats! And you never know with Aunty Del…your animals never cease to surprise us 😀
Yes – I am surprised and wondering
That would be exciting, another tiny beautiful calf. And lovely photo of the eggs.
Eggs i can depend on!!
And just when you had things all planned out, SURPRISE! Your sunshine looks so inviting,
It is beautiful here this week.
It’s like little fairie calves popping up where you least expect them. I think that looks like a pregnant belly.
Hee HEE and you thought Carlos was a dud stud! He’s out playing the ladies’ man somewhere else, now. Cute little cavorter! Sunny
Yes – I must call the guy I sold him to and see where he is – they need a warning!
It just might be that Carlos deserves to be re-christened ‘the Busy’. Small but mighty! And so far, he’s produced some mighty beautiful calves with his beautiful lady-friends-with-benefits. No—ahem!—small feat.
Keeping cows makes one udder-wise!
The ‘experts’ insist that cats are ;lactose-intolerant. Surprising how many cats completely disagree.
Seriously? That’s hilarious! I wonder how they figured that out.
I’ve never met a cat that didn’t like milk. It’s a classic!
It is fascinating to research this. It appears that the majority of humans are similarly intolerant, as it happens. They lose the ability to process the lactose. Like animals, they still like the taste so drink it for that reason. HOWEVER, if a milk diet is continued uninterrupted beyond babyhood or kitten-hood, the tolerance is retained. This doesn’t happen in the majority of countries.
That does make sense.
Don’t suppose it would have anything to do with Pasteurisation?
Truly doubt it’s the milk’s fault:/
well these things happen….who is looking after all the animals whilst you are away
Sent: Friday, October 20, 2017 at 1:42 PM
John and Jake – my usual crew
oh my….surprise! or should I say Sir Prize! and those cats are having a lovely time drinking warm milk!
Hi Ce. I found the perfect Christmas gift for a couple of real coffee hounds but unfortunately, Amazon will not send these to NZ. I guess I shall have to find something either here or in Australia, but that means you miss out.
Oh no. We must stay in touch in case Christmas festivities get the best of me
When are you comng home. Do let’s meet up if onky for coffee. I am very mobile so you dset tge time and place. Really looking forward to meeting you after all this time. JX
struggle for who should drink first
LOL, looked it up right after my comment (and then never came back to share the info… ): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_a_Mouse
GranMa said “The best-laid plans of mice and men, often go astray…” (Of course that may have been her own interpretation; )