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May 25, 2009

Week of 5/18/09



Monday 05/18/09
Hattie gave 2 gallons this morning.
I worked from home today, and rarely saw the outdoors.
Our lab Hope is not looking so well, we believe her cancer has spread to her lymph and lung. She is on palliative care—an aspirin a day and lots of hugs.
The rattlesnake beans are finally growing by leaps and bounds!
I thinned out carrots and kale; the cows got all the tops.

Tuesday 05/19/09
We skipped milking this morning, the fridge is very full!
I worked from the Houston office today, the afternoon traffic made me thankful I don’t have to commute every day.
I picked and ate the first 3 cherry tomatoes, scrumptious!
We splurged and ordered delivery pizza for dinner, a big hit with the teenagers.

Wednesday 05/20/09
The girls gave 3 gallons this morning.
I plan to trade Clemmie for a cow that is bred, so I am milking her again.
The calf Princess is definitely growing, I had my doubts at first because she is so petite.
Dave worked outside all day; mowing, killing weeds, doing farm chores.
The pastures look like golf courses now. How did he know I had been thinking “look at all that grass, we need more cows!”
Max went to the groomer today; his coat is clean, soft and luxurious.
Thankfully, he did not make a beeline for the pond!
I picked 3 rattlesnake beans today, oh my goodness! That is the taste of spring!
I canned 5 quarts of meat (beef) this evening. Note to self: do not start this project after 5 pm (water bath for 4.5 hours)! This is another step in completely emptying the freezer. No word on when the pork will be ready to pick up.

Thursday 05/21/09
2 gallons today—we milked this evening.
It was very warm today, but beautiful and sunny.
A few more beans and a couple more cherry tomatoes did not make it to the house.
The cucumber vines are full of flowers. The zinnias are flowering as well; they are so simple and so beautiful.
We had family night out and went to Hubble and Hudson for dinner. The kids were impressed with the service, the food and the market; though it was the faucet in the restroom that really got their attention! I brought home some homemade pasta noodles.
I got one weedy bed cleaned up this morning, hope to do another tomorrow.

Friday 05/22/09
No milk this morning, we skipped a day.
I traded Clemmie for a different Jersey cow today. “Vera” is 5 yo, large, beautiful and hopefully bred to a Jersey bull that was on site at the seller’s.
She is not in milk at this time. My friend Melissa went along, we had a great time and even found a farm stand on the way! Fresh peaches, tomatoes, cantaloupe and pickles found their way home with me!
Vera did not want to get into the stanchion far enough to eat tonight, so she missed her dinner. Hattie and Princess seem to be taking her presence in stride.
Early this morning I did manage to get ½ of a garden bed weeded.
For dinner we had canned beef (warmed with sour cream stirred in) over the designer noodles, it was pretty good!

Saturday 05/23/09
Hattie gave 2.5 gallons this morning.
The 7 hens gave 6 eggs—a record for them!
Dave and I worked in the back yard most of the day. Thankfully it was cloudy so we did not burn up.
The kids went to Battle of the Bands at the high school this evening; Dave and I had a dinner date at Crabby Daddy’s (seafood and a live band)!

Sunday 05/24/09
Hattie gave 2 gallons this morning.
Vera is adjusting to the routine. She lets me pet her, brush her, and wash her udder while she is eating. She is not tame enough to let me walk up to her in the pasture—though she is learning from Hattie that this usually means there will be good things to eat. She is a stunningly beautiful cow.
I picked a dozen or so green beans, a handful or cherry tomatoes, two huge peaches and half a dozen radishes. In a month we may very well be overwhelmed with produce, right now it is just a tease!
I made quiche for dinner with some of the leftover ham, delicious!
We enjoyed the movie Mrs. Henderson Presents after dinner.
Looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow!

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