It Ain't Over Till It's Over

I thought I was done updating the news at Zephyr Hill Farm, but the animals just reminded me that it ain't over till it's over!

This afternoon I heard a cow bellowing, and just like Miss Clavell, I knew "something was not right!"  Siobhan, good girl, was looking up at me as if to say, "What are you going to do about this?"  Sara just stood in her field and bellowed for her baby.

Cash, full of paternal spirit, hung out with the naughty babies!

The Doodad ran me down there with feed and lead ropes.  I tied up Cash and his well-behaved family.  Macree got a tub of feed for letting me catch her.

Sara got a tub of feed to keep her busy.

Tundra got shooed back where she belonged.

Everyone else got some feed, and Macree got some loving.

Cash wanted some, too . . .

... but Siobhan was NOT in the moo-ood for love!

Tundra raised one leg in the air as if she was ready to take off through the fence again, and I knew it wouldn't be long till one of the calves went to visit the other one.  Then Cash came over to see Sara, and Sara licked his nose through the fence.  Sorry, Cash, she's off limits!  That made my decision easy:

Cash and family had to move!  It was easy since Macree was still on a lead.  I led her into the Home Pasture; Siobhan followed her; and Cash followed Siobhan!

Before I had finished giving everyone else their supper, Macree was already looking for more mischief.

Her parents, meanwhile, wandered off into the sunset with Cash still looking for love and Siobhan still telling him she had a headache.  Don't give up, Cash, she'll come around.  That's what you're here for, after all.

This Is the Fence That Farmer Herb Fixed (or Kissin' Cousins, Part II)

This story is dedicated to my three dear grandchildren, Charis, Kol and Eden!

This is Macree that got into the pasture--AGAIN!

This is Siobhan that went right through the fence following Macree into the pasture AGAIN!

This is the farmer that fixed the fence that Siobhan went through following Macree into the pasture AGAIN!

This is the blood that the farmer shed when he fixed the fence that Siobhan went through following Macree into the pasture AGAIN!

This is the frustrated pair on the other side of the fence that the farmer fixed that Siobhan went through following Macree into the pasture AGAIN!

This is the bull that ignored the fence that the farmer fixed that Siobhan went through following Macree into the pasture AGAIN!

(Cash proves that the old adage about making your fences "horse high, hog tight and bull strong" is a load of, well, bull!  You better make those fences mama cow strong!)

This is the Doodad that carried the barbed wire for the fence that the farmer fixed that Siobhan went through following Macree into the pasture AGAIN!  And when the farmer was done cutting brush away from the fence line, it carried away all the trimmed sumac so it wouldn't seed into the pasture AGAIN!

This is Tundra tempting Macree on the day after the farmer shed blood when he fixed the fence that Siobhan went through following Macree into the pasture AGAIN!

This is the answer to Tundra tempting Macree on the day after the farmer shed blood when he fixed the fence that Siobhan went through following Macree into the pasture AGAIN . . .

"Sorry, something tells me I can't come play:  This is the fence that Farmer Herb fixed!"

The End

(We hope!)

Kissin' Cousins

Last Friday (while Herb was away in Ohio) two-month old Macree noticed Tundra, her one-month old cousin, in the next pasture and went over to say hello.

To be strictly factual, little Tundra is actually Macree's aunt.  Here's how it works:  
Sara is the mother of Siobhan.  
Siobhan is the mother of Macree, therefore Macree is Sara's granddaughter.  
Sara is also the mother of Tundra, therefore Tundra is Siobhan's little sister.  
Therefore Tundra is Macree's aunt.  
And there you have it, bovine genetics--more tangled than a Jeff Foxworthy redneck joke!

Tundra noticed Macree at the fence and came over to say hello back.

Kissin' cousins!

Zephyr Hill Farm is a beautiful place to be a calf growing up.

If only her cousin was truly within kissing distance, Macree thought it would be a perfect place to grow up.

Note to self:  Macree is smart and resourceful! 

On Sunday (while Herb was on his way home) Siobhan's bellowing alerted me to the fact that Macree had taken matters into her own hands hooves.

No fence was stopping her from playing with her cousin!

As cute as it is, something is not right with this picture, and I had to fix things for Siobhan.

The Doodad got me down there quickly with food on board, and after a little careful maneuvering to keep Sara and Tundra from going through the gate, I reunited Macree with her parents.  The whole family got a snack . . .

... and I got a thank you.  You're welcome, Siobhan!

An End to Shemar and His Criminal Mind

(ADVISORY:  There is a slightly graphic photo on this post, although there is no blood or guts.)

Back in October, Shemar became the Top Rooster.  For a short while he fulfilled his duties conscientiously.

Unfortunately, by December, Shemar turned from "serving and protecting" to a criminal lifestyle when he attacked Kara and drew blood through her jeans.

It got to the point that Kara and I couldn't go into the barnyard without back-up.  I detest living in fear of a 7-lb. bird, so Shemar's days were numbered.  I've said it here and I'll say it again, any mean, aggressive animal on this farm gets eaten!

We've been procrastinating since we hate to butcher in the rain, but yesterday Shemar jumped Herb while his back was turned. He didn't draw blood this time, but it didn't matter.  Like all criminals, he was stupid!  He returned to the scene of the crime one too many times!  Last night Herb plucked Shemar off his roost in the chicken coop and shut him up in a dog carrier, to Shemar's audible fury!  Right after lunch, Herb did the dastardly deed . . .

... and I finished up.  Shemar (and his criminal mind) have come to a bad end.  Or--from Kara's and my perspective--a good end!  I've promised him to Kara for a nice coq au vin.  Now that's a really good end to a bad rooster!

Soup and Salad

Soup:

and Salad:

Herb took pity on the horses and cows today and let them out of the soupy barnyard into the Home Pasture to enjoy a bit of fresh "salad."  Well, he let some of them into the Home Pasture.

Someone was a naughty girl and escaped.

Of course, she wasn't happy being separated from her horsey friends, so she galloped all over the back yard, leaving hoofprints and divots everywhere!

Being eager to rejoin her friends, you might think that Julie would let Herb put her into the pasture--but you would be wrong!  Julie is an equine which is a big word for "completely illogical animal."

So after I woke up (shamefully late!), Herb asked me to help him catch Julie.  He armed himself with apple pieces, and I took a lead rope.  Gotcha, Julie!

Equine also means "animal that thinks with its stomach!"

As easy as that, Julie went into the Home Pasture.

The first thing Julie did was take off chasing Sara and Siobhan.  Why?

Because she knew that the first thing Brandy would do was to chase her!   She was just getting even first!

What goes around, comes around, so everyone ran around in circles for awhile until everyone was even with everyone else and the barnyard pecking order had sorted itself out with Brandy on top and Sara on the bottom.  Poor Sara!

By that time, Hero and Misty saw that there was nothing more for them to do from the other side of the fence and they wandered off, leaving everyone else happily enjoying their freshly-washed salad.

Ping was the happiest one of all, "ping-ping-pinging" contentedly at having so much company come to visit!





























Merriam-Webster.com gives the following definition of "high jinks" (emphasis added by me):

high jinks

 noun plural \ˈhī-ˌjiŋks\

Definition of HIGH JINKS

: boisterous or rambunctious carryings-on : carefree antics or horseplay

Our animals want us to know that 2013 might be a New Year, but as far as their mischievous ways are concerned, it's the "same song, second verse!"  And we're quite happy with their high jinks because we know it "could be better, could be worse"--LOTS worse!

We here at Zephyr Hill Farm wish a very Happy New Year to all of you, for better instead of worse, and just as soupy as you wish your year to be!

A Romp to Brighten a Dull Day

Trust our animals not to let a dull, gray, boring day go by if there's anything they can do about it!  I finished some work upstairs in Narnia and came down to wash my brushes in the kitchen sink.  As I stood looking out the window scrubbing brushes, suddenly Siobhan galloped through the back yard followed by Hero, barking loudly.  Oops!  Just like Miss Clavell in the middle of the night, I said, "Something is not right!"

So I called Hero and Misty into the house and headed out with Zephyr to try to help Herb.

Siobhan had gone plowing down the hill through the trees behind the house, so Herb sent me in the other direction to close the top gate.  By the time I got it closed, Siobhan had gone through the lower gate into Kara's Pasture.

She still wasn't with T-Bone in the Lower Pasture, thanks to her own bull-headedness (can a heifer be bull-headed?), and they were both bellowing loudly.  The neighbor at the other end of the road, seven tenths of a mile away, heard them!

I strolled along the fence between the two pastures toward the gate that Herb had open and ready.  Done frolicking, Siobhan followed quietly along.   Herb went into the pasture to keep T-Bone from heading out again, but when Siobhan saw him through the brush, she stopped dead.  So I called Zephyr to me, and she came, followed by Siobhan.  She just needed to be encouraged to behave!

Siobhan and T-Bone were happily reunited, for the time being.  Herb moved them into the Lower Pasture because it's got plenty of stockpiled grass, and T-Bone is there to be fattened up.  Herb put a hay bale in the run-in shed (in the background) because a freeze is coming in the next few days, so we want to supplement the grass and make sure T-Bone can eat to his heart's content.

Meanwhile, the horses had served their purpose of leading the cattle into the Lower Pasture, so we caught them to move them out--no competition allowed for T-Bone's grass!  Luckily, "catching" them just involves walking up to them.  If there wasn't so much nice grass, they probably would have come to us.

As I led Brandy out, Siobhan looked at me as if to say, " Do I LOOK like I want to cooperate?"

Julie didn't even need catching.  When her buddies left, she came galloping.

While Herb maneuvered the electric fence (which keeps the horses off their favorite part of the Back Pasture so they won't eat it to death), I turned Brandy loose.  She and Julie took off running before settling down to graze.

Unfortunately, Herb fumbled the electric gate, and both he and Angel got shocked.  Poor Angel!  As soon as he turned her loose, she took off indignantly, re-igniting Brandy and Julie into motion.  I don't know if you can see Herb's face in this photo, but he was laughing at poor Angel's reaction.

So except for Angel's nose . . .

a good time was had by all!

Zephyr was waiting for us at the house, all proud of herself for having helped with Siobhan.  Any romp is well that ends well!