Happy Summer Solstice!

This year the crops are doing very well. Much fewer problems than last year at this time. But then, last year we had so much rain and cold in May and June, it's amazing that things did as well as they did. This year it is dry, but fortunately we have our well and irrigation system all set up. Otherwise everything would be withered by now.

Happy Summer Solstice! A week late, but nevertheless. The longest day of the year has already passed us by. Solstices remind me of the yin-yang symbol. Just when we feel like summer is here in all her glory, that is also the time when the opposite of summer starts manifesting, the shortening days that eventually culminate in the shortest day of the year at winter solstice, December 21. I love how that is such a clear example of everything containing its opposite within itself, or, an example of wholeness.
I want to remember that wholeness is inherent in the natural course of things when I reject something as negative, while welcoming its opposite as positive. Like sadness and happiness, or love and fear, life and death and so on.

This is also the time of year when we are super busy. We're still getting crops in the ground, and now the harvest is also taking up significant time. The weeds need constant attention, ans all kinds of bugs, good and bad, are out and need scouting for. The CSA is in full swing, so there are all kinds of administrative tasks that go with that. Even though the days are long there still do not seem to be enough hours in the day to get everything done.
This has really been wearing on Ed, and he's been unhappy about how much we work and how little time we have to relax. It's been going on for some time, but it's taking a toll now not only on him but on our relationship. So things have been difficult that way.

Relationships are difficult. At least that is my experience. The best way I have of dealing with this type of difficulty is to see it as an opportunity to learn and grow and practice. Sometimes I do think that Ed is my spiritual teacher, whether he knows it or not, and he would scoff at me saying so, but he forces me to deal with the most difficult aspects of myself, and himself, and the only way to move through is with awareness. Most of the time, when difficult situations come up, I feel that I am reactive rather than aware. But it's a process.

I made fresh chevre-type cheese with Opal's milk. I seasoned it with salt and pepper, and some with fresh dill and chives. Everyone thought it was good.

The fireflies are out over the field at night, like dancing flashes of light. Watching them is makes me happy, no matter how tired I feel, or what weariness I carry. They remind me of something much vaster that my tiny world.

Peace

Heat, finally

It is hot today, over 80F, and tomorrow we're expecting the same. This is good for the plants, which have been waiting for heat and sun. I do wish for some more rain though. It's been too dry for a lot of crops, and no matter how much we irrigate, it's not the same as rain.
The cows really don't like this heat. It brings out the black flies and they bite hard. I'm not a heat and humidity lover myself. But I am grateful nevertheless because it helps the plants.

My vitamin D level is quite low, which is not a big surprise, it's low every year, but this year is lower than it's been before. This, the doctor thinks, explains why I've been feeling tired and low in energy since March. I'm taking some supplements to address it, and hopefuly they'll work, as they have in the past. The funny thing is that I am outside a lot, more than most people, and yet my D is low. I was told that since we live in a norhtern latitude, we just don't get enough sun overall, plus my skin is somewhat darker than average so I need more than someone who is more pale... In any case, I am happy to have some kind of explanation.

I also started some exercise classes, twice a week, at the community center near my house. I'm trying to strengthen core muscles that will prevent further back problems. The teacher laughed today when I told her that I was out for one whole day when my back locked up. I guess that's not much. Still, I can't afford it to get any worse, there are no sick days on the farm. If one of us gets sick it just puts so much more pressure on the other person, and especially at this time of year, that makes things really difficult.

Sena and Aiyana have been helping out on the farm more and more. They wash vegetables on CSA days, and help Ed with setting up cow fencing on other days. They also have their routine chores, such as dishes, sweeping, laundry, etc. Some days we still argue about what needs to get done and who does it, but other days things run very smoothly and everything gets done. Yesterday Sena made strawberry crisp with freshly picked strawberries. It was a surprise at the end of the day, and it was delicious.

My favorite thing lately has been sitting down with Aiyana and reading Thornton Burgess books. If you have children of any age above 5, I highly recommend Burgess for family reading. We started with Jimmy Skunk and have read all his books over and over. They're entertaining, and wise, and just great for children and adults alike.

I have not found "Mr. Right" for my cows yet, but I'm still looking.

Quite the matchmaker…

I have spent quite a bit of time this week trying to find the right mate for Opal and Jasmine.

It’s soon going to be time for them to be pregnant and I’ve been busy making arrangements. It will be Jasmine’s first and Opal’s third pregnancies. We need to get them pregnant if we want to have milk again next year.

Our options are: buy a bull of our own, hire someone else’s bull, or do AI, which stands for Artificial Insemination. Even though in general I tend to opt for the natural over the man-made or man-interfered-with, in this case, I’d rather not have a bull here. They can be aggressive and I’m worried about the kids, and then once he’s done his job, what would we do with him?

So we’re going down the AI path. It’s been an interesting-slash-challenging learning experience. First we had to find bull semen. There are companies specializing in selling this, such as “Select Sires” (a very classy name), but Dexters being kind of a not-so-popular breed, it’s a little difficult to find them. Then we had to figure out what we’re looking for in a bull. Is this what online dating is like? We figured we’re looking for good genetics, good personality, good milking lines, and A2/A2 (which is a type of milk which some argue is healthier than A1/A1 or A1/A2 milk, which is most commercial milk sold in the US). Other than that, I don’t know what to look for, although I’m sure there are other important things.

The bulls whose services are being offered by these companies all have very macho names, such as Stardust, Stonewall, Legend and so on. Some of these bulls are very highly sought after, and bring $40 and more per straw, with one straw being good for one mating event.

Someone told us about this one bull who was worth so much money that he went around from farm to farm mating with the ladies with an entire entourage of human attendants who were paid to make sure nothing bad happens to him.

Other than figuring out which bull we want, we also had to find a special tank to store his semen, and an AI technician to inseminate the cows. I found an AI technician nearby who has a tank and who’s willing to inseminate for us for a very low price. Now our job is to figure out when the cows are in heat so that the AI guy can come and inseminate at the right time. Now, if we had a bull, this would be a non-issue. The bull would know, and the cows would know, and everything would work out. But without having a bull here, we have to learn what he instinctively knows, the signs of a cow being in heat. We had an intern working with us earlier this year, and her project was to do research on the specifics of getting cows pregnant. She wrote about heat, and apparently we should be watching for the cows mounting each other (we’ve already seen this) and for changes in their private parts as well as behavior changes. 

Where we are right now is that we still have to find “the right bull”, and figure out when Opal and Jasmine are in heat. We have the tank and AI guy all lined up, and hopefully we’ll figure out the rest soon. We should get Opal pregnant in the next month, and Jasmine soon after that.

That’s what’s going on. 

Pictures from our hike

Aiyana in a meadow of clover and buttercups

We found an old chimney in the woods. There must've been a house there long ago (there was also a stone wall nearby). But nature reclaimed what man built, and now the chimney stands silent in the woods.

Peace

Treat

Sena with fresh strawberries she picked. We had them with whipped cream I made from Opal's milk. Quite a treat.

Aiyana's doggie friend is staying with us for the weekend. We're taking him for a hike today, and I look forward to that. It's been a while since I went hiking.

We had an inch of rain yesterday, and now the sun is out. We should be seeing some accelerated plant growth in the next few days. It's always exciting to go out in the morning ans see an inch of growth on cucumbers, and larger, greener leaves on chard, beets, kale, etc.

The first week of CSA went well. It is always nice to see everyone again. This year we have all return members, so we know everyone. One nice thing about seeing the same people over the years is that you build a relationship. We want to have that, instead of just having people come and go like at the supermarket. We want the people who come to our farm to feel some sort of connection with this land that grows their food, and with us. Last year our CSA got too big, and it was hard to establish that connection. This year we cut back on the number of members by about one third, which is a lot. It was a deliberate decision we made because we felt we wanted to have more time for homeschooling, and the cows, and because we felt the CSA was just getting too big. It was a hard decision, for me at least, because I wasn't sure what the implications would be financially. Of course, our income would be lower, but we planne dto lower our expenses as well, and getting the cows was part of that. But none of that stuff is very clear until the season is done. In any case, I think this was a good decision. We already feel like we're doing a better job homeschooling, devoting more time to the kids in general.

I find that in having your own business, you always have to evaluate where you're at, and see if you're still in line with your goals. In this culture, we're predisposed to think that a business main goal is to make money. And of course, that needs to be part of it, but that is not my primary goal. For me the goal is to just keep doing what we're doing, and as long as the farm generates enough income to pay our taxes and minimal personal expense, and to run itself, I am fine with that. I want to be able to take care of the land, work the land and grow food, take care of the cows, take care of my children, and be able to live this lifestyle. If the farm and our energy level can support that, I am happy.

Peace

Better

My back's a lot better. It got better a little bit each day since Monday. I'm about 80% back to normal now.
Yesterday Opal gave us 1 gallon of milk! Her milk is yellowish from all the good grass she's eating, all that beta carotene, and Ed and I think it must be about 5% butter fat based on the cream layer that rises to the top.

For breakfast I have eggs from our chickens and milk from Opal. I feel like Heidi. She was one of my favorite characters when I grew up. I always liked reading about her granfather's hut on top of the mountain, with fir trees surrounding it, and a view of the valley below. I've always wanted to go to Switzerland because of Heidi, to see the mountains for myself. Have's been there yet, but I do see them in my dreams at night, and I see beautiful meadows too, full of flowers...
Today I'm making Feta. Monday the CSA begins. We're ready for it.

Sun-Grass-Cow-Milk

Peace

Pretty stiff

I threw out my back pretty badly. A couple of weeks ago, I thinned some carrots for two hours straight, and didn't stretch or anything, and my back was tight afterwards for a few days. But then it started to feel better. But last week was very stressful, and I could feel my back tightening again. Got a little worse every day until yesterday, I was trying to open up the greenhouse, and thinking "why is this so hard", and then my back locked right up. I've never had anything like this before, where it's so painful to do anything. I lay in bed the rest of the day yesterday, trying not to breathe too deeply... Today I can walk around and sit, and am generally feeling better, but still tight and painful. Sneezing or coughing are the worst. I guess I'd better start taking care of myself a little more. Have not been doing anything other than working and worrying lately. Lots of stuff needing attention - the farm, the cows, and the family, and I'm caught in the middle of it all.

My good friend S. came over today and she said that life is not supposed to be easy and pleasant all the time. She said our generation has been sold a lie as to how we're supposed to be happy all the time. She made me laugh (which was painful on my back), and I am grateful to her for reminding me of that.

Peace

Milk!

We got two and a half liters (quarts) of milk from Opal yesterday. Her milk is good and beautiful with a thick layer of pale yellow cream on top. I am very grateful to her. Drinking her milk makes me more aware of the amazing process through which sunlight is converted to grass, which is eaten by a cow and converted to milk, which then nourishes our bodies. It seems like a few simple steps: sunlight-cow-human, and I see this process happen right in front of my eyes, and yet, it is amazing verging on the miraculous, and I doubt I’ll ever understand.

Yesterday I was feeling quite fragile. Ed and I had had a hard time the night before, and it affected me emotionally and physically. I had a busy day harvesting and selling, all the while feeling shaky. At night I had supper alone, while Ed and the girls were at karate. I could see the cows grazing and playing outside. At one point, Olive, the calf, started running and jumping from one end of the pasture to the other. It looked like she was having so much fun, she’d just run as fast as she could, bucking once in a while. Her mother, Opal, grazed and watched, and Jasmine, who’s still a calf herself, joined in running with Olive once in a while. It struck me that whatever it is that makes Olive run so joyfully, that’s the stuff that we need to reconnect with inside ourselves. She was just running for pure joy, and it gave me hope to see her that and realize that we all have that spark inside of us.

Peace

Olive

Opal had her calf last Monday night around 8pm. She had a little heifer we named Olive. The birth went very well, quick and easy. The excitement really started afterwards, because she gave birth in the open pasture and we had to move her and the calf to the barn. As soon as she gave birth, Opal’s instincts kicked in as if a switch had been activated. She became super vigilant, and being out on pasture, exposed, she was very anxious about the smallest movemets. The cats were driving her crazy moving through the tall grass, and they were drawn to the birth site and kept coming towards her. The other problem was that the when the baby stood and started walking around, she didn’t know anything about the electric fence and kept walking into it getting zapped. At one point she got on the other side of it and Opal was getting frantic. In addition, Ed and I had not seen the baby nurse, and we had read that it was best if she got colostrum in the first 2 hours after birth, so we were worried that with all the stress of the open pasture, the cats, and the electric fence, it was making it harder for both mother and calf to nurse.

So at around midnight, we decided to move everyone into the barns at the other end of the field. We moved Jasmine first with no problem. She had been with Opal throughout the birth, and we knew that they’d get stressed if separated. When we got to moving Opal, Ed picked up the calf and we thought about putting the lead rope on Opal, but then we decided not to, thinking that she’d just follow wherever her calf was being taken. This is not how it happened.

We took a few steps and Opal walked nicely with us. Then she bolted and all we could see was her behind, running surprisingly fast for one who’s just given birth, between the carrot beds and the apple trees, udder swinging from side to side. Ed said that things were going from bad to worse, here we were in the pitch dark, with a newborn calf and a loose cow frantically running across the fields, possibly getting hurt. Fortunately we did not panic for too long, because we walked to the barn with Olive still in Ed’s arms, and there was Opal waiting at the barn door.

Things got much better once everyone was in the barn. Opal and Olive settled in one stall, and Jasmine in the other. We still did not see Olive nurse, and Ed we tried putting her on the teat, which didn’t work, and eventually we went to bed exhausted, but at least knowing that everyone was safe in the barn.

It was around 1:30 when we went back to the house, and I slept until next morning at 6:30, but Ed heard the wind pick up during the night, and it was blowing strong at around 3:30am, so he got up to tie the chicken coops to the ground so that they would not be blown away (happened in the past).

The next day, we still had not seen Olive nurse, so we ended up milking a little colostrum from Opal and giving it to Olive in a bottle. This was not easy. Opal was very cooperative, but Olive was not. She did not want to drink and the whole thing was a struggle. I was not too worried because Olive looked good and perky. Ed and I called some people more experienced with cows that we are, and they said that Olive is probably nursing when we are not there, otherwise she’d be bleating and looking weak. Finally, that night, while I was out voting at a town meeting, Ed saw Olive nurse, and after that we were much relieved.

Now, we’ve been trying to milk Opal since Friday. At first we tried in the stanchion and it was a mess, she was trying to get out and was very stressed about her baby who was in and out of sight. Her eyes were rolled up in her head – not an ideal state for milking. Later, we tried milking in the open pasture, which went much better as far as Opal being comfortable. But we barely got any milk. We milked again yesterday and got maybe 1.5cups in all. Today a friend is coming to show us how he milks. We’ll see how much he gets. It feels like Opal has a lot, but I think maybe our milking technique is not good, and maybe she’s not letting down for us. Or maybe it’s too early to expect a lot, like, 1 quart, for example? We’re on the step part of the learning curve, obviously.

The vegetables are mostly doing well. But the flea beetles are bad this year, and I’m worried about the kale. They’re on it, and on the collards, and making a mess of both of them. I have a second planting of kale which I will put in a different part of the field. And I ordered a special cover which is supposed to protect against flea beetles, and I plan to put it on the kale. I do hope it works because it was very expensive. I feel that we need to do all we can to save the kale, since its popularity has increased dramatically in the past two years, and now everyone wants it.

The flea beetles are beginning to go on the eggplants too, but we’ll cover them after we transplant them this week, and hopefully that will stop any damage.

Carrots, beets, chard, peas, strawberries, lettuces, spinach and tomatoes are all looking good.

Here are some pictures:
First time we saw Olive nurse, a great relief.

 Olive and Opal

Aiyana with one of Cutiepie's chicks

 Sena and Aiyana homeschooling

Peace

New chicks

Sena and Aiyana have 3 hens and a rooster which they’ve saved from the soup pot, and are now fully responsible for. This spring, they let one of the hens, Cutiepie, sit on eggs, and this week, 3 out of 7 eggs hatched. The first chick died because he somehow fell out of the nest and could not get back under his mother. But the other two are doing well, and Sena and Aiyana are very excited. They check on the hen and her chicks many times during the day, making sure that they have all they need, and that nobody falls out. We built up their nest too, so it’s a little safer, and so far so good. Here's Cutiepie with one of her new chicks:

The cows are now in a pasture close to the house, and I can see them from the kitchen window. I love taking a peek at them every once in a while as work in the kitchen. Before this, they were on a pasture towards the back of the property, where we could not see them from the house. I like it much better now.

My cheddar came out really well. I aged it for 4 weeks and then tasted it, and we all agreed that it was too bland. I put it back in the “cave”, which is actually my root cellar, and let it age another two weeks. When I took it out, my expectations were pretty low, but the girls loved it, and ed and I agreed that it tasted like “cascaval”, a tasty cheese they make in Romania. I had to add a little salt, because the recipe called for too little, but other than that I am very happy with my cheddar. I am in the process of making another wheel, this time three times larger. Sena and Aiyana are pretty picky about cheddar. We’ve tried a lot of different types from the grocery store, and the one they like is Cabot, which I agree tastes good, but it’s not organic and I don’t trust their practices and the integrity of the ingredients that go into the cheese. So I am relieved that they like my cheddar even better, and that we won’t have to buy Cabot anymore. I thought the chances of that happening were pretty low…

Everything outside looks beautiful. Spring is a magical time of transformation that takes place right before our eyes. Everything is fertile and new life and growth are everywhere. Right now there are tiny bright green leaves on the trees, and the apples and peaches blossoms are about to open. The grass is growing quickly, which makes the cows happy. Many different birds call from morning till night, and bees and butterflies fly all over the field. When I can stop and pay attention to all this, and for a moment get over myself with my worries and fatigue, it feels so beautiful and real and mysterious that it’s almost too much to bear.

Peace