Moonlight arrived!

 We were so excited when our hereford, Rosie, gave birth to a heiffer, safe and sound.  We still were hoping for Iris to be pregnant, but the farmer was really having his doubts.  Then one evening he called me out to walk with him out in the pasture.  We walked out with the girls and he made Iris stand up.  Looks like a change in her udder.  We just might have another baby coming.

The very next day we were all busy about with jobs.  I sent Benaiah out to take some food garbage to chickens when he came back in and said, "Uh, Dad, I think Iris has a baby out there".  Our first reaction was to ask him if he was telling the truth.  Rosie and Iris look similar but that boy knows his animals and keeps good track of the farm right alongside his dad.  Then Josiah said that he thought he saw one too.  We scurried around getting boots on and headed out to the field.  Sure enough, a sweet little bundle lay out there next to her mama, Iris.

 We missed it by a short bit because after birth was still hanging out and there was still a lot of cleaning that needed done.  Iris sure did a great job and took care of her new baby.  Iris was the one who was always nannying the other calves when they were born, not wanting to leave them by themselves in the field when their mama's would go up to the barn.  She has been such a great mom, staying right close to her precious, white faced babe.  Since the other white faced calf was named Eclipse I guess the children decided to go with sky names and named this one Moonlight.  

The farmer's tally for the summer was 1 bull calf and 4 heiffers, though one was still born.  He is quite happy with the ending of his calving season.  Right now we have a bull with our girls hoping they'll get pregnant to be ready for next spring.  The new mamas will need some time, but the angus will be ready.  One evening Jonathon asked me to walk out in the field with him to look at his cows.  We walked through the field hand in hand talking of how happy this would all make his dad.  How he would love seeing the cows back on the farm.  How he would love seeing the children on the farm.  How he would love seeing the children love the farm, the animals, the equipment.  We feel so blessed to be here, raising our children like this.  We walked through the pasture with our boots on, tears in our eyes, and grateful hearts for this life that we live.  The animals are a blessing!  Our children are a blessing!  Oh taste and see that the Lord is good!  Our hearts are full!!!!

Summer List and Eclipse x2

We finally spent some time on the boat with my parents.  How have we gone all summer with no fishing fun?  As a kid I always loved going to Tom's Donuts by Lake James and walking up to the window to get my fresh donut.  It's become a fun thing for my children now too.  Throw donuts in with boat fun and you've got a great day!

Alegra did a blog post here about the fun on the boat but here are a few of my favorite pictures.

 Josiah got brave and jumped in.  This wouldn't have happened in previous years.

August 21 we planned to spend the day at Pokagon State Park to watch the eclipse take place.  We had invited many friends to join us for a hike, picnic lunch, and viewing party.  Our day went much different than I had planned.  I was thinking we wouldn't have very many people join us, but I was wrong on that.  I also thought we'd leave at a certain time, but we got left late.  I also thought our hike would be a long one, but that got changed as well.  Keep reading to hear about our exciting day filled with fun and what life seems to be about lately- fellowship amongst the adventure.

We had one more cow getting close to having a baby.  She's a late one, but was pregnant, so we roll with it.  We've been keeping an eye on her, and this morning, she was by herself behind the barn when Jonathon left for work around 7:45am.  He came in and reported, and I asked him if he wanted me to cancel my plans and stay home.  Nope, just go.  I was busy trying to get lunches packed but noticed out the window that Rosie (our pregnant girl) was up on the hill with the rest of the cows.  I didn't notice any discharge, so figured she would be later in the day.  But I also noticed that she walked out in the pasture further behind the barn.  I sent Josiah out to check on her, but since he couldn't see her behind the barn, he assumed she was in the lane with the rest of the girls.  I finished making sandwiches and at 9:00am when we were supposed to be leaving, I ran out to check on her after everyone was loaded up.  Ran to the lane- no Rosie.  Ran around the house to the back of the barn- no Rosie.  Wait, I see her head in the field.  Walked up the hill just enough to see she had discharge now. My mama/cow midwife self prayed for her while watching her behaviour.   She was still contracting but wasn't lifting her head like the others had done during labor, and she started mooing sweet sounds.  Wait, is she licking off a baby?  I quickly walked up the hill to see a beautiful little calf on the ground being licked and nudged to get up.  I had just missed the whole thing.  Josiah probably would've seen it happen if he would've looked to find her.  

  I ran back and told everyone they could get out to see the new baby and we stood in awe of new life on the farm once again.  It's so special and feels like blessing raining down each time it happens.  Rosie didn't seem the least bit worried about us standing there watching, but we didn't get too close either.  We have one mean mama, so we keep our distance until we know for sure how they'll be.  Everyone loaded back up, and we headed out the driveway, 30 minutes late, but we have a new baby, and I wasn't worrying about her all day.  

We arrived at Pokagon and after everyone took a potty break, we hit the trail.  I decided with Hadassah needing the potty sooner than the rest of us, we'd change what trail we were hiking, so we had better access to the bathroom for her.  We hiked down by the tobbogan and to the nature center.  

My mom came along and so did Jonathon's sister, Miranda.  We had a good hike, then took a break at the nature center.  Did puzzles, coloring, watched birds including a molting blue jay that looked quite funny, and Josiah showed my mom the bee observatory.

Back to the trail.  We were going to do Trail 1 loop, then head to the Inn, but halfway through the loop, Miranda spotted a snake going across the trail and exclaimed that it was eating a toad.  The snake sat just off the trail, so with a stick we moved some branches and greenery out of the way so we could watch this amazing act of nature.  That snake cooperated and stayed right there for us to watch.  Amazing!  The children enjoyed that very much.

Since we took a long time watching the snake, we decided to turn around and head back towards the inn.  We had friends coming to meet up for lunch, and I didn't want them to wait on us.

We had our lunch then enjoyed lots of play time with friends, playing football, viewing the eclipse, and sitting around visiting.

For me, the biggest thing that made my day feel full and complete was that I was there surrounded with so many friends.  I sat down to count the families and there was a total of 44 people that came out to view the eclipse with us.  I'm so thankful for all the people in my life from different walks, areas, and times of my life.  I would've loved to get a group photo, but with so many children that would've been near impossible.  :)  Thank you to all of you who came out to party with us!

The eclipse was really fascinating to watch.  Alegra took the picture below by putting protective glasses over her lens.  We all enjoyed taking turns with the glasses that were there, sharing with one another to get a glimpse of the rare happening, and getting to look at it through a telescope that the astronomical society brought in.  We saw crescent shadows on the ground and definitely felt a temperature change as it happened.  Since we weren't in a total eclipse area, we didn't notice other changes that happen when it gets really dark.  It did get darker but not a huge amount.  I believe our area saw 85% coverage.  The next one happening in 2024 should be much closer to being a total.  We look forward to that!

Back on the farm our new baby was doing well.  She's a beauty.  We artificially inseminated Rosie with a hereford, but I don't think it took looking at the baby.  She was also in contact with an angus bull, so I'm guessing that's where our baby got the black from.  We were anxious to see if this was a boy or girl, so we checked when we got home, and we have another girl to add to the herd.  Just what we were praying for!

Jonathon went out and gave them both a good spraying down with natural fly repellent and Rosie didn't mind him getting that close one bit.  Super happy about her demeanor with having a calf.

The farmer and I headed out after supper to get this little girl tagged as our 3rd calf on the farm.  Rosie came over and checked us out while we were doing it, but she was fine with it.  This little girl was properly named "Eclipse".  She seems strong and healthy and sweet as can be.  We're blessing Yahweh for another new calf and healthy delivery.

I'm still delighting in my day yesterday over the hugs, conversations, prayers, and fellowship with my sisters in Christ.  Some may only remember the amazing eclipse that happened in the sky, but I'll be remembering all the sweetness that surrounded me all day long.  Thank you, again, to all of you who were a part of my sweet day!

Down on the Farm

We're learning alot during this first year of calving on the farm.  Hopefully you met Briar, our first calf to be born, in a previous blog post.  His birth was amazing in that we watched the whole thing progress from start to finish.  He's a spunky little guy though, so we weren't able to get our hands on him much.  He has had a halter on, but he's not too fond of it (neither was his mama).  

Our next mama due started labor in the late morning.  Jonathon was concerned she was having a hard time, but we watched and kept an eye on her.  Eventually we saw hooves.  Uh oh, back feet coming first is not good.  Jonathon had to leave for a short bit, but I kept my eyes on her and gave him updates as I could.  At one point I text him that we needed to help her when he got home, and only 8 minutes later I went out to check her and the baby was born.  Our first still born calf.  The mama licked, nudged, and kept trying to bring her baby to life with no success.  I'll admit, I did cry.  Watching that mama try so hard to get her baby up and not leaving baby's side was quite heart wrenching.  She stayed by that baby all night and the next morning, before she finally left it's side.  Jonathon went out and brought the calf up to the barn so we could bury it.  That mama mourned for 3 days, mooing sadly and going back to the spot where she had the baby.  It really was sad.  The farmer was just as sad to watch her grieve and watch the other mama moo at her like she was trying to console her.  The animal world is fascinating.  

The farmer was even sadder when he realized that the calf was his first heifer.  Our first girl.  Jonathon, Diella and I dug a hole.  What a sad day on the farm.  

A week later, I look out my kitchen window at the cows in the field and commented how that other girl out there sure looks miserable.  Farmer thinks she'll have her baby before the end of the week.  Next morning I'm taking a shower and Alegra comes in with news that there is a calf out in the field and it looks like the mama and calf are dead.  Ugh, WHAT???  Can't I just have a peaceful shower!  Jonathon had told me that when she went into labor, he wanted me to keep a close eye on her because she looked so big.  Why hadn't he mentioned to me before he left for work that she was in labor?  Did he even know?  

So, I told Alegra to go out and check to make sure they were alive.  She came back with a happy, full of life report.  After I got out of the shower, I called the farmer, "So, you have a new member on the farm."  His response, "WHAT???"  He apparently didn't check on them before he left for work.  What a relief that her labor was during the night and all was well.  We named that cow Flo since she flowed on her own and she seemed to be a much more mellow mama than Blossom.  We were actually able to get to the calf to tag the ear (#2) and check her over.  We have us a little girl!!!  The farmer is so happy!  

On day 2 he was feeling a little concerned about her because she was sleeping out in the hot sun all day long without nursing.  We walked out to check on her, where she let me really give her some lovins.  What a sweet, sweet girl.  She's got my heart.  I just might be turning into a farmer's wife, but, shhh, don't tell the farmer.  ;)  Alegra named this one, and her name is Fern.     

 Isn't she just the sweetest thing.  Oh, and Briar is pretty fond of her too.  He was right with her in the field with her mama when we found them that first morning.  

There is more happenings on the farm too.  We're waiting for one more mama to have her baby.  She's getting bigger.  She is one of our Herefords that was artificially inseminated, so she might have a cute little hereford calf.  We are excited to see what she has.  Our other cow may or may not be pregnant.  We aren't real sure at this point.  She wouldn't be due til a little later, so we watch and wait.  Rosie is up next though.

Jonathon has also been busy doing hay to prepare for winter.  He's such a hard worker and loves his animals.  Knowing that he has cattle and machinery back on the farm does his heart good and mine too when I hear him talk about it.  It's not a luxurious life, but it's our life, and we live it together, all while raising our children to work hard, love the animals and love the land.
  

When you have a friend over who loves the country life too, she gets to learn how to bale hay. :)

And make lots of memories on the farm too.

The garden is planted and looking pretty good so far.  Strawberry plants are growing and hopefully we'll have our own to pick next year.  Herbs are planted and getting established.  Our rhubarb patch didn't do so swell, but we'll plant again in the fall in the spots where it died.  We've got chicks galore and a crazy dog who thinks he's the keeper of them.  He loves getting in their pen and keeping them herded to the designated place he makes for them.  He's becoming quite the farm dog and making up for all the times I was ready to send him back to the shelter when we first got him.  It's taken a lot of training and he still has some areas he could grow in, but overall, I can't complain since he's cooperative with Hadassah crawling all over him and he doesn't mind all the little critters that are around here.  He's been hearing, "Good boy!"  more and more.

First Calf on the Farm

                           

We've been waiting for the day that we would have some new little ones to welcome on the farm.  last Tuesday was the big day!  We knew the day was getting closer, but we weren't really sure how close.  We know of a couple signs now to look for when the heifer is within a day or two of having a calf.  The children had a couple friends staying with us which made it all the more exciting that we got to share the moment with them.  The only sad thing was that farmer Jon missed it all.  He was so sad about it but was afraid he might have been a nervous papa in wait if he would've been here.  Instead, I got to keep track of the mother and how she was progressing, report in to the farmer, and keep myself from being nervous.  I kept her covered in prayer that all would go well and she'd deliver naturally without any complications.  I sure was thankful when it was all over with and everything turned out perfectly.

We were sitting at the table working on school when Benaiah said, "Mom, I think something is coming out of the cow".  Sure enough, I looked out and quickly put on my shoes and coat to go out and get a closer look.  Looked like things were just starting from the outside appearance, but I have a feeling she was already having contractions and working on it before we could tell.  

We kept at our daily routine, but I went to the window often to check on her.  We were all so thankful that she chose to be in the closest grazing area to the house, which happens to be on the side with easy viewing windows.  After awhile the girls came downstairs (they were watching from their bedroom window) and said, "she is laying down and can't keep her legs together".  Okay, I'll check.  Then Jonathon's brother stopped on his way back to work to let us know we had a baby coming.  I looked out the window and sure enough.  Bundle up children, let's go!

The older children and one of their friends joined me and out we went to watch the happenings.  It looked quite gross and the girls weren't real sure of it all, but what an amazing feeling to watch the birth of our first calf.  I kept praying for her and quietly coached her as I would a human mama in labor.  :)   At this point, the other cows were still in the area, but they were a bit away from her and grazing without taking notice of what was going on with her.   

 This is how we found her.  Quite uncomfortable. 

 Right after we were all out there and looking, she gave a good push and out baby came halfway.

 What a view, right?  :)

 Baby stayed in that position for awhile, mama sat down on her hind quarters, then stood right up and out baby came.  

 Immediately, the other cows stopped grazing, looked over at her and after a 2 second pause from all of them, they all walked over to her.  She was busy cleaning baby up, but the other cows formed a  circle around her and looked at the new arrival for a good bit before they walked away and continued grazing.

 Checking out the new member of the family.

We made sure baby nursed and got up and walked around before we went in.  It took some time, but eventually all was fine and mama proved to be a good mama.

After Farmer Jon got home, he met me out by the fence to see the new little BOY.  He's a handsome little guy and full of spunk.  The first couple days he did a lot of sleeping, which made us wonder if he was dead or alive.  BUT he is quite alive and the cutest little thing.

Day two.  

 6 days old

 Isn't he just so cute?

He's going to be a strong, young steer someday.

Journeys on the farm continue, and we feel blessed to be a part of the rebuilding of the Bovee Farm.

Random Fall Hike, Hunt, Herefords, and Sweet Baby

Oh this weather is sweeping me off my feet!  If only I had time to sit outside and read or take more hikes in the woods or just sit and be still in meditation on the Lord.  But life doesn't slow down for those luxuries every day it's gorgeous out.  And we've had some pretty ones lately!  

On Sunday my parents called to see if anybody wanted to go for a hike to one of the local parks in Kendallville.  It's a nice little park that we enjoy hiking with a couple good elevations of hills to climb, but short enough to not get so tired.  Some of us decided to go and take Titus along.  Alegra captured some pretty sun shots through the trees.  We also had the joy of watching a pileated woodpecker flying through the woods too.  Those birds are just a delight to watch.  

 These two young 'uns ran up and down the hills.

 A nice hike and visit with my mom.

 The two adventure boys going off trail and bringing up the rear AND the ones who sighted the woodpecker.  Good job boys!

That same evening we had squash and sausage and a mixed greens salad from the garden.  As I was cutting the greens the girls came running over to watch.  They've grown to love kale (only the leafy part.  They leave the thick stem on the ground) and that's the only way we can hand feed them at this point.  Next year, it looks like I'll be planting more kale just for the cows.  ;)

 Iris is sweet and comes across more timid.  

She's got lovely thick fur and one red eye patch on her face.  

Rosie has 2 red eye patches and her build seems much stronger and sleeker.  Maybe it's because her fur isn't thick.

She comes to the fence much quicker but is still cautious at quick movements.  

 We noticed this evening that Rosie has one hoof that is reddish brown like her coat, where as the other hooves are jet black.   She's a beauty of an animal.

We recently got a bull to hang out with the girls.  We were having hard time catching them in heat, so this will allow us to not have to watch them so much and worry about how to catch them to do it the artificial way.  They are sure enjoying having that bull out there.  He sounds scary to me, so we all keep our distance and enjoy them from afar now.  :)  

The last highlight in our home lately is that Alegra has started babysitting for a friend's baby 3 days a week.  She comes here to the house, so we are getting accustomed to having a little, little one in the house again.  I must say that everyone enjoys her, and I'm glad to take my turn feeding her and snuggling her.  She's a delight and has the best smile!  Kinslee is taking over the "cute" status in our house, but as soon as she leaves, we still hear plenty of cute comments that go out to our 2 littlest.  

 Welcome Kinslee!  

And I'm sure Alegra will take pictures of her every week.  

One can't take too many pictures of babies you know.  :)

Hadassah has been getting those comments the most lately.  She is growing and getting such a personality.  With all the other children looking like a Bovee, I still just can't believe how much she looks like a Murphy.  So many Murphy expressions.  It's fun to watch and see my baby pictures in her face.  She's becoming so big and expressive, understanding more and more every day.

She is precious, and we are so blessed that our girls can begin learning to care for others, not just their own siblings.  I'm letting Alegra do most of the work with her (accept when I want my turn to feed her or snuggle her :) ).  It's been fun seeing what she decides to do when she fusses or how she puts her to sleep.  My girls are growing, and I am blessed seeing how they are turning out.

Then we had the fun of Benaiah going hunting with Grandpa and Grandma.  It was the perfect evening for him to sit with them.  He was the one to spot the buck coming and remained quiet unlike last year when he blurted out that there was a deer, scaring it away.  I believe our boy is growing up too.

 No tracking needed with a perfect shot that dropped the deer.

We all enjoy helping with the finding and watching all the excitement of getting a deer  Even more exciting and memorable when one of the children can be a part for the whole hunt.  These are great memories for our children and wonderful lessons that they are learning.  So thankful that they can experience the country life and all it entails.  A good hunt, Grandpa Dan!