WELCOME – 5th calf 2013

What a day, yesterday. Started out with another emergency we needed to have the vet out for. [NOT how you want to begin a day…] Another “fluke” – just like on Good Friday, one of our bred heifers had problems. This time, feet were sticking out, but when Mike went to “help pull” like he did with Buttercup on Easter Sunday, the calf wouldn’t budge. Sadly, the calf’s head was not in the proper position, so it couldn’t come out on its own. The calf died, but the mama, Crayola is recovering well. PRAISE THE LORD!! πŸ™‚

Our boys have had an overdose of science labs this week as we’ve all witnessed veterinarians performing amazing tasks, to save an animal. Can’t say that I would have CHOSEN this path, but I realize that this is out of our control. We have all learned from these experiences, and I know the Lord will use this knowledge in our futures, somehow. πŸ™‚

That being said, the first part of yesterday was just. plain. sad. And the thought of 2 more heifers left to freshen was and is, very concerning. I found comfort in praying You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you. On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. I cling to you; your right hand upholds me. (Psalm 63:1-8 NIV) And then the phonecall came…

Mike’s mom had gone for a walk & saw a calf back in Mordor! We hadn’t noticed any imminent signs on any of the girls when we were up with them in the morning, so we were a little surprised. So up we went, just in time to see the mama cow, ScotchTape walking AWAY from her calf… (She’s behind the trees, and the calf is laying in front of the trees.)

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Not a good day to see that, so we were a little perturbed a we approached the poor little guy…

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Only as we got closer, we saw that he must have been born right after we visited the field at daybreak. He was completely cleaned, fluffed, and full-tummied. AND, HE WAS GI-NORMOUS, lol! His mama had done/did what she was supposed to do, so she went out to eat! πŸ™‚

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Next “boy” name was Tango, so it became his. Not much of a dancer, though… He wasn’t interested in walking AT ALL, lol. So Mike went down to get the baby mobile & I drove them down to the barn. Poor Mike had to lift him onto & off of the truck bed, which prompted his name to change to Tango-the-tank! πŸ™‚

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We are so grateful that we were blessed with another healthy calf – especially after losing one that morning. What an amazing day! πŸ™‚

Gotta ask for prayers for the second half of our calving season, though. Praying that the Lord will equip us to be the best caretakers we can for the remaining 5 cows & 2 heifers left to freshen. Will you unite with us in prayer?

Calves or puppy dogs?

Brought Cuke, Sahara, and SG-13 over to our barnyard (aka Green Dragon), on Saturday. (If you click on their names above, it should take you to the post from when each one was born.)

As we walk our calves with halters on, they always remind me of puppy dogs… Since we don’t have any pet dogs here, I suppose these cute guys ARE OUR puppy dogs, lol…

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I really like seeing them in the sunshine…

Here’s Cuke:

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And Sahara:

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And SG-13…

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It is always fun to watch the calves run “full throttle” for the first time…especially when they learn that woven wire fences aren’t doorways, lol! πŸ™‚

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And then there were introductions…

The boys from last year are on one side of their fence, and the girls from last year are on another side. What a difference a year makes! Thought it was pretty cute to watch them get acquainted! πŸ™‚

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Once our pastures start growing, we’ll be able to move the yearlings, and these newbies will get the whole area to ram around in. They’ve adjusted well to their new digs… πŸ™‚

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I even think the yearlings still look puppy doggish, despite the fact they are bigger… Must be their curly/fluffy coats. πŸ™‚

Here’s Augie & Romeo. Click on their names & you can see pics from their birth day last year.

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WELCOME – 4th calf 2013

This calf was actually first introduced in my last post. But here are a few more pics of her beginnings…

Mike & I witnessed Buttercup’s water break when we went up for a calf check, so we decided to hang out & capture the birth on “film”. πŸ™‚

Didn’t take long and we saw feet coming out (inside that sack)…

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We probably didn’t NEED to assist, but given Friday’s experience being fresh on our minds, we were concerned the calf’s feet weren’t moving… Mike helped a bit, and out came Milkdud!

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She walked down like a champ! We milked Buttercup & I became Milkdud’s new mama. πŸ™‚

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Her markings are so pretty – and her fur is sooo dense! πŸ™‚

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Life today – on Easter Sunday…

Started this morning out walking to the cross – celebrating the new life we have in Jesus Christ…

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Multiple generations, adding pine branches to the cross, since only one, lone daffodil dared to bloom in this chilly spring…

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Kinda cool, though – the symbolism of “evergreen” branches… Makes me think of how God is EVERlasting…

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First year we’ve ever had a dog join us, lol… πŸ™‚

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And now some “farm parallels” of NEW LIFE…
Meet Buttercup:
A gift to The Boys by my Grandma & Grandpa Cegelka back in 2005. They have since passed, so she’s extra special now, and is always asked about by my aunts and uncles… When Mike & I went up to do a calf check, we witnessed her water break, so we hung around to catch the entire miraculous birth. Thought is was significant that she chose to have her calf in a patch of briars. No, not her level of intelligence, lol, but that it reminded me of the crown of thorns piercing Jesus’ head.

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5 NIV)

And that her 3-year-old daughter, Reececup, decided to see what all the excitement was about. Made me think of “generations of families” and of Psalm 145 that we had just shared this morning…

One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts. They speak of the glorious splendor of your majestyβ€” and I will meditate on your wonderful works. They tell of the power of your awesome worksβ€” and I will proclaim your great deeds. They celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness. (Psalm 145:4-7 NIV)

(You’ll see Reesecup in the background, behind the briars…)

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Buttercup’s new calf’s name is Milkdud. Her markings are beautiful! I’ll do a separate post about Milkdud, but couldn’t resist a couple pics for this one.

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Thank You, Lord, for allowing us to witness new life coming onto this farm today. As I meditate on the significance of this Holy Week, I’m so grateful that Good Friday was not the end of Your story – that we all have the promise of eternal life through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Amen

Lead Me To The Cross

“Brooke Fraser of Hillsong wrote “Lead Me To The Cross”Chris & Conrad’s version of the song got on the radio, and Francesca Battistelli’s version is also popular.”

I personally like Chris & Conrad’s version, and have it on my playlist. Many times, I have prayed the words to this song. Speaks “Easter” to me. πŸ™‚

“Lead Me To The Cross”

Savior I come
Quiet my soul remember
Redemption’s hill
Where Your blood was spilled
For my ransom
Everything I once held dear
I count it all as lost

[Chorus:]
Lead me to the cross
Where Your love poured out
Bring me to my knees
Lord I lay me down
Rid me of myself
I belong to You
Lead me, lead me to the cross

You were as I
Tempted and trialed
Human
The word became flesh
Bore my sin and death
Now you’re risen

Everything I once held dear
I count it all as lost

[Chorus]

To your heart
To your heart
Lead me to your heart
Lead me to your heart

[Chorus]

Yesterday, Mike mowed a path through the briars for tomorrow’s sunrise worship. As I saw the path to the cross this morning, this song came to my mind. πŸ™‚

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WELCOME – 3rd calf 2013

Meet SG-13. She is the calf of OreoCookie – owned by the Sarver family. Since they are a military family, I jokingly named their calf Sarver Girl 2013 (SG-13) until they come up with her permanent name… I’ll update this post when/if they change it. πŸ™‚

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She walked all the way down following her mama. πŸ™‚

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Got down to the barnyard & found 2 more mamas happy to meet her & help clean her up, lol… πŸ™‚

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Some of the Sarver family came out to see their new addition. πŸ™‚

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Click here for a link to her sister’s post, last year. πŸ™‚

Shifting perspective

A day full of shifting perspectives:

…like waking up to 4 inches of snow on day 5 of spring is not-so-bad when the extended forecast boasts of 50 degree days around-the-corner…

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…and poison ivy & briars can be quite beautiful with a layer of glistening snow on its branches…

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…and cows don’t seem to mind rooting through cold wetness when they know the salad bar they saw the day before is hiding beneath it…

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…and roads that just a few hours before were rutted in mud are now marked by the moisture to define a clear path…

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…and sons who aren’t “babies” anymore & are taller than me can still find joy in making a snowman & snowball fights…

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Thank You, Lord, for helping me to shift my perspective from dwelling on the negative to finding the positive. Thanksgiving is such a wonderful gift! Amen

WELCOME – 2nd calf 2013

Meet Tangerine’s calf: Sahara. He is MUCH larger than his half-sister, Cuke. It will be fun to see them side-by-side! A very nice, sturdy, stubborn headstrong bull, lol. πŸ™‚

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**WARNING**WARNING**WARNING**
If you’d rather not see a graphic picture of how God has created nature to work, SKIP THE NEXT TWO PICTURES.

I didn’t intentionally set out to capture Tangerine passing her placenta, but that’s exactly what happened. With me having ZERO farming background growing up, this is something that has completely amazed me… Not so much the “event” itself, but that it is natural for the cow to EAT it. It is SUPER-HEALTHY for her, so we paused our journey while she “took care of business”, lol…

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Thankfully, Mike didn’t have to carry him… He “sorta” made the trek down to the barn on his own…with a bit of gentle prodding, lol.

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Just like we did with PeaPod & Cuke, Sahara will stay with his mom overnight, we’ll milk his mom tomorrow morning, and take over Sahara’s feedings from that point forward. To hear more about how & why we milk the way we do, click here for the link to a podcast we did a couple months ago.

PeaPod is very interested in Tangerine’s calf, lol…

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And I’ll end this post with some close-up pics… I love how “puppy doggish” he looks with his longer, curly hair! I definitely see some of his dad’s markings... πŸ™‚

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Spr-inter transition…

We actually DID get our full week to prepare for calving season to start. Just milking one cow has been quick & enjoyable. (I’m happy because I have my FRESH CREAM for my coffee now! Yeah. I’m definitely motivated by my favorite foods, lol.) πŸ™‚

Was out enjoying a walk today with Mike & took a few pics to show what the transition from winter to spring looks like here.

Here’s a pic of our dairy girls eating the round bale of hay Mike unrolled for them in Mordor. I love to see the “hay trail” across the field. Won’t be long & our pastures should be green & lush for grazing… πŸ™‚

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And then there’s the mud. A true “ugly-beautiful”, lol. Yes, it’s messy, slippery, and challenging to get around in… BUT, it means we have received moisture and it is a wonderful reminder that a season overflowing with growth & miracles is on the way! πŸ™‚

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