While Penny is getting bigger, Tulip surprised us all yesterday evening with her new son! I’ve called him Barbecue!

This is just after he was born - as you can see his umbilical cord (pink) is still looking fresh. This isn’t the best pic of him but he is actually quite the handsome young fella - so soft & silky. Tulip is already teaching him to be obedient & would not come in tonight until she had fetched him & made him come with her. This morning of course I had to start milking Tulip. Her bag was very full. Richard came down to help me graft Dolly onto her. Dolly wasn’t quite sure what to do since she has never had a mum but once we showed her there was no stopping her We always graft the “orphan” calf onto the back quarters - that way the cow can’t really see what is going on. Dolly had a long drink & then just went outside & sat as if to say, “Wow! Now I’m full!”It was such a pleasure milking Tulip - her milk flows SO easily. Of course we cannot drink it for the first four days as it is full of colostrum & a “lovely” orange color. Colostrum is what babies of any mammals need in the first 24 hours after birth. I got nearly 2 gallons off again tonight so the dogs & pigs will be enjoying some fresh milk for dinner.

Talking of pigs! We put the kids paddling pool up yesterday. I knew it wouldn’t stay clean very long as Daniel & Hannah are not the cleanest kids on the planet. Daniel was making mud hamburgers this morning & telling Hannah not to touch as it was raw meat & not cooked yet. Pigs, as you know, love to wallow so here’s the best pic of the day:

Enjoy,

Liz

OK! So we were trying to get our cow count down! Charlie arrived & then a couple weeks ago Michael was talking to his boss & somehow the conversation got onto trading a Mosquito Magnet for a Heifer calf! We have two Mosquito Magnets but do not use them as we have too many mosquitoes for them to be effective SO last Friday the trade was made & Charlie now has a new friend called Dolly. Dolly was also an orphan. She is an Angus/Hereford cross - very sweet & more gentle than Charlie.

They are both on the bottle so getting a gallon of milk each, morning & night which they gulp down as if they are starving & then look for more. Yesterday morning I captured this photo of the pair of them. What goofs!

Penny is due any day. We have moved her up to the top barn so we can keep a close eye on her. At least this time we will not be out there in the freezing cold, will just have to fight the mosquitoes.

The fox has been busy again. He is SO bad. When we were away in Glacier he wiped out all but 2 roosters down in the cow barn. Puss ‘N Boots who is “lord” of the cow barn has made a hole under the door & that must be where he is coming in when we do not shut Hazel in overnight as last night he took the old rooster, leaving just one fine gentleman down there. Obviously one rooster by himself is no fun (for him) so tonight I caught him & brought him up to the top pen where there was no rooster. (Remember the infertile eggs we tried to hatch?!) Here he is in my arms looking down at his new companions. He is a pure bred Brahma Rooster.

I put him in the coop beside a girl. You could just see his little brain working I told him to mind his manners on his first night! LOL!

Earlier today Richard went out to the top barn for some wood & heard Cheep Cheep Cheep! About 3 weeks ago Michelle came in saying that the one & only remaining black broiler chicken was sitting on some eggs. She thought the eggs would be infertile as the fox had gotten the black rooster quite a while back plus all the other hens. This last chicken hid out in a corner of the barn & lo & behold the eggs were fertile & she has hatched out 4 gorgeous chicks.

It was not safe where she was so tonight Michelle & I moved her to the top chicken coop which we will keep closed. It has big windows that open so she has plenty of fresh air but is safe from the fox. We also moved her 5 other eggs as we do not know if she was still waiting for them to hatch. We had really forgotten all about her until today - no idea how she has been surviving but we think she must have been eating cat food. When she saw this bowl of food she was VERY happy.

You might be wondering what happened to the last lot of chicks that hatched as I had said I would run another guessing competition. Well they hatched early so the Monday we got back from Glacier, we hadn’t even stopped the incubator turning & they were hatching! We got 14 chicks who are all doing great - a nice variety. No pic for you, sorry. The incubator is now full of fresh eggs for the next lot. We can’t seem to stop the fox so we just have to replenish our supplies.
Enjoy your weekend & antics of life here at Cornish Heritage Farms,

Liz

Howdy! Howdy!

Well I finally got time to look through all the photos from last weekend. We left on Thursday & delivered the cattle safely to Columbia Falls by which time we were hungry so guess what we looked for? You got it! Yep - Chinese. It was good too. After that we drove back to Hungry Horse to check into our motel & then we went on over to the Hungry Horse Dam. It was too late to head into Glacier.

Friday morning we were up bright & early & made our way to the West Glacier entrance. Unfortunately the Going to the Sun Road was only open as far as the Trail of the Cedars. They were still fighting 75 foot of snow further on & road construction. 75 foot! I can’t even imagine that. Anyways we drove as far as we could & walked the Trail of Cedars which was beautiful. We then came back to the McDonald Falls. Daniel was fixated on waterfalls the whole time. The water up there was SO clear - incredible. Daniel had to touch any water we came upon if he could. From the falls we went to Lake McDonald & took an hour’s boat trip. The weather was gorgeous the whole time we were there. I think it rained once but nothing to soak us. Just look at this picture of the lake:

Here’s Michelle on the boat:

We ate a picnic lunch each day so as to save on money & junk food. After lunch we headed out of the park - seen all we could - and went to Whitefish State Park. That is on the lake so the kids enjoyed splashing in the water & we all just relaxed. From there we found a nice restaurant which had some great food. Have you ever eaten Fried Brownies? We all fancied this Brownie Dessert & it was huge. Needless to say that didn’t put us off & we ate the lot However as we were eating the brownie pieces we realized they had been fried! It was OK but not something we would eat again if given the choice.

Saturday morning we checked out of the motel & headed all the way round to the East entrance - St Mary’s. That is a little less commercialized but what is there is rather expensive. On the way, on US2 there are some waterfalls by the roadside. Of course we had to stop.

Once on the east side we took the road up to the Jackson Overlook which was as far as the road was open. Then we came back & walked the St Mary’s & Virginia Falls Trail.

St Mary’s Falls:

Virginia Falls:

At the end of this we were exhausted & hungry so headed back to the hotel. We walked into the hotel restaurant & were seated only 5 secs before Hannah got hold of a wine glass & smashed it! Thankfully the staff were very gracious & we quickly moved Hannah to a high chair & moved all glasses out of her reach.

Next morning we went up to Many Glacier - the next entrance north. That is a short road that dead ends. We walked a mile up a mountain trail to Apikuni Falls. Hannah was NOT happy with us - she whined & cried most of the way in protest. It was worth the walk though - once we got there we all washed our faces in the cool glacial water.

We sat a while then made our way down which was so much easier This was one of the views on the way down:

Back to the hotel to pick the trailer up & home. It was a great trip but it was also nice to come home. This week just been catching up on stuff & of course we now have the sale this weekend on the store so that is keeping us hopping. Hope you have a great weekend. I think I’m going to work tomorrow & then look forward to relaxing on Sunday. Richard is working on getting his Paramedic license right now for the ambulance so he will be spending Saturday night in the ER doing assessments which is part of his training.

Take care,

Liz

….don’t you just love ‘em! LOL!

Got up this morning to discover that all our cows were out in the main pasture with the cows that we rent that pasture out to. Wouldn’t be a problem except that they do not want their Angus cows bred by Cinco - wouldn’t give them a good return on their money next year! How had they got out? About 2 weeks ago Michael had driven through the top gate, stopped, put his parking brake on, got out to shut the gate, turned around to see his truck rolling down the hill straight into the fence! You should see the shape of the T-post - quite incredible. It broke his steering column so his truck is now useless until he gets it fixed. He fixed the fence but unfortunately did not tie the gate up properly. What was so maddening was we sold the Dexter cows yesterday & have to deliver them on Thursday & as Richard & I were down there last night I said, “Let’s hope Cinco stays put for just two more days!” Oh hah! Should have known better.
Wasn’t too worried about it this morning as Charlie was missing so he was my top priority. Last night was the first night I had left him out with the others. Walked down the field the first time, found most of our cows but not Charlie & then imagine my surprise when I found a dead cow! Not one of ours so had to go get the neighbor. not sure how she died - she was only young but they are thinking that maybe she laid down & then couldn’t get back up as she was in a dip.

So then I go looking for Charlie again, find him & make him follow me all the way up. (Milk is a good bait.) Of course that was fine until we came to the mud. He didn’t want to go through that so I had to get muddy pulling him through.

By this time I was by myself as Richard had gone to court with Michael. Yes Michael got the summons yesterday to be in court this morning. A week before he got into the “mischief” in Havre he had got himself into some mischief here in Chinook so we were all expecting a summons at sometime but had been told that it would probably be just a misdemeanor. WRONG! He’s been charged with another felony & 2 misdemeanors. OUCH! Michael has been trying to talk to his lawyer since his last court date but has not been able to get through to him. When he called this morning the secretary refused to put him through saying that this guy was no longer his lawyer because he had been granted a public defender. This was the first Michael had heard about it & apparently the Public Defender had only just found out. (One less bill Michael will have to meet though.) Anyway Michael did meet the Public Defender this morning & Richard was also able to have a long chat with him which made him feel happier. This guy will be with him on both cases & warned us that this could drag out for months. SO his next court appearance here in Chinook is not until July 27th. In the meantime he has to get ready for the Havre court appearance on July 1st.

Fast forward to this evening & we have just spent 2 hours getting our cows back where they should be. Thankfully our neighbor came down to help us. Getting the girls back where they should be was no problem but Cinco had his eyes on one cow & one cow only & it wasn’t one of ours! Apparently her name is Antelope as she breaks fences & is quite the feisty one. It was hilarious to watch Cinco trotting after her. We finally got them into the top pasture & then had to figure a way how to separate them. We decided the best & safest way would be to get Cinco in the trailer ready for his journey so he could not escape anymore. We hooked up the trailer & Richard backed it into the corral & then opened the other gate so they would both go in. They did just that & then Antelope leaped into the trailer with Cinco hot on her tail. We shut him in the front part & then let Antelope out the back. Next job was to catch Lilly as she was eating hay in the other corral. Richard got her & so we now have two in the trailer & two out - Lilly’s calf & Rosie Lee. Rosie will be easy to catch but the calf will be a toad as that thing is WILD.

All this is a blessing though as we have loaded up the 2 hard ones with 36 hours to spare so no rush. We are leaving here on Thursday morning & heading out in the direction Of Glacier National Park. We are meeting the new owners on the other side & then plan on spending a couple days in Glacier. We have lived here 6 years & never been. Can you believe that? Always wanted to but just never made it. So all this is working out well. Looking forward to a break. Michael has to stay here, not allowed to travel that far so he will feed the animals. We’ll be back by Monday ready to start a new week. Chicks should start hatching next week. Penny is due the week after that & then Tulip is due July 4th so it’s going to be busy.
Hope you all enjoy the rest of your week,

Liz

Well this has certainly been an interesting weekend! Of course yesterday morning we were working like crazy things to get everything out for the yard sale that started at 1pm. It was beautiful weather although very windy so light things were blowing where they shouldn’t. Anyway we got rid a lot of the big stuff so that was good.

Just as Michael was walking through the door the stockyard called him to see if he wanted a calf. (he works there on Fridays) Of course we said, “Yes!” Charlie was born on Wednesday but the Mama was very sick so hadn’t had much milk. Charlie is a Charolais cross - a big calf & very strong despite being half starved. Last night he fought like mad not to drink his milk - stupid thing but today he has been better. We have him shut in the barn for now while he acclimatises.

After that we had to move all the yard sale stuff into the garage as the forecast was rain. Well it has rained alright. I woke up about 6:30am & just listened. Yee haa, the wind had gone but then I heard the rain so I got up quietly & went down to the garage to sort everything out as I knew there would be no outside today. We didn’t see that many folks today which was a shame so the Salvation Army has a van load of stuff coming their way. LOL! It’s not coming back in this house. I am SO glad to be rid of it.

Not complaining about the rain either as it has been so dry. Before today most of our grass had turned brown up here where we do not irrigate. That is way too early. Rain with warmer temps would have been nicer though. We have had to have fleeces on & gloves when packing up. It is rather chilly & they are calling for snow tonight! Yes snow & yes it is June. Of course it may not arrive but the forecast is a low of 35 so it will be cold. We even had to have our heating on today - how crazy is that.

Last Saturday we went to the Demo Derby in Havre & it was 90+F - so hot. Daniel was SO excited. Everytime the rounds started he just yelled. His voice has still not recovered - he’s all croaky. Now he can’t wait for the next one. The neighbor was in it so Daniel is now watching to see which car he’s going to get ready for the next one. I should tell you about the winner too. There was a raffle for a Demo Car #8 & the winner could either drive it themsleves or let someone esle drive it. Well this guy won it (I think he had done derby’s before), drove it in the derby & won! That was a pretty good $5 raffle ticket - didn’t have to build the car & won $3500!
Irrigation down in the main pasture started the week before last. The big kids were swimming in the deep channel but I took the little ones down to swim in the shallow areas. They had a blast. Yes I know, not the cleanest water on the planet but…. We spent a couple of very enjoyable afternoons down there. The mosquitoes have arrived now so it’s “cover up” time.

Richard’s birthday was 3 days after mine & I gave him a stunt kite. The day of his birthday there was no wind so he had to wait until Saturday. That day we all went down the field to play. Of course the pigs followed us. It is quite hilarious, there are many days when I am not only walking 7 dogs but also 6 pigs! Take a look at these pics. I can just imagine one piglet saying to the other, “Look what I just found. It’s fresh! Let’s roll!” For those of you who haven’t clued into what they are rolling in, it’s fresh cow manure.

Now they’re saying, “Wow! Don’t we feel better & smell so good!” LOL!

Here’s the proof of dogs & pigs together. See the one pig on the water’s edge looking at Razz?

Richard with his new kite:

Daniel flying his:

Roxie had to go to the vet yesterday. She started whining & wouldn’t eat & could hardly walk. The vet couldn’t see anything obviously wrong with her but she did have a temperature. He gave her some antibiotics. She is still pretty sick today.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend,

Liz

Sorry folks - have loads of pics & info for you BUT we have been busy getting ready for this yard sale that starts tomorrow. I will be SO glad to get this “stuff” out of here. Hoping lots of folks will come on by & buy, buy, buy!

I’ll be back in touch once it is all over.

Liz

….. to give you an update on Michael’s first court case. As we thought this first one was just a formality. His lawyer advised him to plead “Not Guilty” so that the prosecution would then have to provide all the evidence they have. Apparently this is common practice & what the judge expects. The lawyer will now review all the evidence & Michael will then change his plea accordingly.

His next court appearance is July 1st.

Thanks,

Liz

I know you’ve all been waiting to see these so enjoy

Here is the first turkey that hatched still in the incubator:

Here is a shot of their “cage” - actually a water tank. Daniel can reach in but Hannah can’t

As you can see they have newspaper on most of the container but a fleece on the top end under the lamp for them to sleep on. Why newspaper & not wood shavings? Turkeys are not the brightest birds on the planet so they will eat the wood shavings! Newspaper is therefore safer. Here’s a close up of them - they are softer than a chicken.

Aren’t they cute?!

Now for some gosling pics. The gosling needed help getting out of its shell & as I was doing that I suddenly thought “CAMERA!” Here it is with the top half of the shell picked away - still not able to squeeze out though.

Now it is almost all the ways out:

Here it is with Michelle a few hours later - still very weak & not fluffed up yet. Poor thing couldn’t even hold its head up.

Today with Daniel. This gosling is getting a LOT of attention. It is such a bright yellow. Very sweet. Geese are different than other birds - they will imprint on you. (The imprinting has to be done within the first 13 hours so it would not work if purchased from a hatchery or feed store. By that time it will have imprinted on the other geese.) SO that means that this gosling will always be friendly & probably a total pain in the butt when it is older following us everywhere! It now has control of its neck but still can’t walk very well. It will get there though.

Sleep well,

Liz

We are VERY pleased with the hatch rate - quite incredible. 16 out of 21 is very good. I will post pics tomorrow sometime when I can take a decent picture in the daylight. The gosling only just joined the turkeys - it only hatched this morning & was very weak so has taken all day to fluff up. Now it is talking to us!

So who is the winner? Well that was hard as some of you split your guessing up & others gave an overall total. There were five of you that guessed 16 SO I’m going to send you all some stamps The lucky recipients are:

#14 Aaron

#17 Jeannette

#21 Irma

#34 Joyce

#39 Cherie

Thanks for joining in the fun. We’re putting in Chicken eggs tomorrow!

Liz

Do you realize how many times in a day I think about you all & say to myself, “I must tell them this or that” but then my day just disappears & I never get to ‘talking” to you SO now I am going to do my best to catch you up on all that has been going on.

The last couple days Hazel has been in heat so Cinco has not left her side. Who needs TV?! We did shut Hazel in last night & so Cinco was not successful this time round BUT that is fine as next month will be better timing anyway.

We awoke last Wednesday (May 13th) to snow!

Yes, snow!

Remember the three chicks that hatched 4 weeks ago? Well Mrs Bantie would not take them so we ended up bringing the two surviving ones up to the house. They have been quite comical to watch so enjoy these few pics of them in the house! They have now moved out to the aviary where they are safe from the dogs’ mouths!

This image is just classic as the chicks fly & Daniel closes his eyes!

What a grin

On Daniel’s back:

Checking things out!

On my head!

Under the coffee table:

Talking of dogs, we have some addicts here! Razz & Maddie are addicted to eggs! Razz is getting quite the paunch belly They eat ALL the duck eggs & then squeeze under the fence into the turkey pen & find all the turkey eggs. The turkeys lay everywhere so hard to find unless we go out several times a day.

The turkey eggs in the incubator are due to hatch this weekend. There are 19 turkey eggs &  2 goose eggs. Hopefully this batch will be more successful than the last. SO want some stamps in the mail? Just leave a comment, between now & Sunday May 25th 2009, guessing what will hatch & I will pick a random winner of the correct entries on Monday.

Michael meets with his lawyer for the first time tomorrow. He was not able to get a Public Defender so has now hired the lawyer that was recommended to him. He has his first court appearance tomorrow afternoon.

Richard, I & the little ones took the dogs & ourselves for a walk this morning. Alas I didn’t have the camera but it was quite hilarious to look behind & also see 6 pigs following us.  They didn’t walk the whole way.

Tulip & Chuck are now out to pasture. That was the only way we could wean Daffodil & Rosie Lee. They were NOT happy. For the first few days Daffodil was very vocal & Rosie sounded like a donkey braying! LOL! Tulip was quite happy to be rid of them & eating luscious grass. Pigs are also enjoying the pasture.

This afternoon we looked out the window to see RibEye trying to drink from Daffodil! Hazel was very close by but that calf is not too bothered about his mum:

Daffodil was not at all bothered which is a good sign.It was my birthday this week, yep I was 41! Michael & Michelle bought me a new instrument! A Banjo! I LOVE the Banjo but have never played one so I guess I have a new challenge ahead of me.

Have a great rest of the week,

Liz