IT"S TWINS!

This is our other White Park cow. She was so huge yesterday Brian and I had to help her roll up on her belly so she could stand up. . .

Today she had twins!

I took this pic when the second calf had just been born. Isn't 10x zoom wonderful? She was still licking it to clean it up. I'm sure it will be just as white as the first on in a few more minutes. 

I'm posting more pics on our facebook page... check it out!

Dexter bull + White Park cow = skunk

Yep that's right now we have a skunk calf. lol
We bred our Dexter bull, Will to our 2 White Park cows. White Park calves are usually white with a black noses, black in their ears and black "freckles" on their backs and legsThe crossbred calf came out with a black body and head and a white stripe down his back like a skunk.
Looks like 2009 is in black and white around here :)

What a surprize!

Brian called me at work last night. He never calls me at work unless something is wrong so my heart skipped a beat as I picked up the phone.
"It's a girl!" he laughed.
"What do you mean 'It's a girl!' Did Brandy have her calf?"
"Nope," he said. "Rosie did!!"
I was speachless, Rosie wasn't even showing any signs of being close when we checked her yesterday morning. We thought she'd be at least another 10-14 days.
It seems my sister was coming up to visit and noticed a calf in our field, so she told Brian. He didn't really believe her since we have sheep in that field too and she could have been mistaken. He asked her to look again on her way out the driveway. She called him back from her cell phone "Yep, it's a calf!"
She stayed and helped Brian get Rosie and her new dunn heifer into the barn with the others.
This little girl is the biggest of the Dexter calves so far. She's beautiful and perfect. Her momma is very protective of her. Rosie staked out the warmest corner of the barn for her baby.
Guess what we're naming her?
KMGF Grass Kissed Evening Surprize!

Of Winter Gear and frosty mornings...

IT's COLD!

I've been trying to get up and do chores on my days off before Brian wakes up. He really needs to take it easy on his foot until after he's had his surgery on the 30th and recovered for 6 weeks. So this morning I glanced at the thermometer; -10 degrees, looked out the window; tree limbs waving in the wind- and wondered how many layers I could put on and still be able to walk.
Turtle neck, followed by polar fleece hoody, over leggings with sweatpants, 2 pairs of socks - 1 cotton, 1 insulated hunting socks. Next comes the Carhart subzero overalls, then the balaclava with the hood of my polar fleece jacket pulled up over it. Finally on top of it all was my Carhart coat. Add 2 pairs of knit gloves and boots. There that about does it. I can't find a scarf this morning.
I step over the dogs in front of the heater on my way out. They aren't moving. First I feed the big hogs and then the small hogs. They aren't moving either. They just look up at me from their hay nests and snuggle back down. Then up the driveway to check the cows and their babies. Everybody's up eating hay.
Nursing mommas need lots of water. The ice on the water trough in the barn has to be broken. It's nearly 6 inches thick. I close my eyes with every whack of the pick to avoid getting ice slivers in my eyes.
By now my eye lashes are full of frost. Thank goodness there is a heater in the other water trough. A couple of bucket of water from the heated trough get carried over to the mommas' trough in the barn. Then a quick head count of cows, horses and sheep and I'm headed back to the house.
I stop on the way to feed the cats and fill the bird feeders...
Here is a "self portrait"! Note the frost in my hair!
IT's really COLD! :)