Nebraska doctor takes up Tiller’s mission to keep late-term abortions available - Kansas City Star

This just makes me want to: cry, scream, grieve... Life is life... forever Amen. This man is truly a coward and mass murderer.

Nebraska doctor takes up Tiller’s mission to keep late-term abortions available - Kansas City Star

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1 person, 2 calves, 3 dogs... what was I thinking!

Last night was a night... It started out perfectly hunky dory peachy keany fine... put the valve on the tank, arm over, bottles warming. Check, check and double check... head to the big barn. Goats are screaming bloody murder (yes I've finally weaned the little girls and they aren't happy), calves are bawling and I'm letting it all just go with out stressing out. :)

At this point I had one spotted blue healer/border collie cross (Scout who is NUTZ), one fluffy NOT fat border collie/basset/??? (who loves to just chill in the truck with his head hanging out of the window) and one 40 pound giant cotton ball (great Pyrenees) puppy with me. Since the Kodman is deaf he can't hear the truck start and move. And since I didn't want to run over him I loaded him in the back set while Scout and Ranger loaded them selves to ride shotgun while we got up the moos for milking and checked the dry moos. All I can say is... it was an adventure.

I will add at this point there were about 10 small bales of hay in the back of the truck. OK so we toodle down the "lane" to the bottom, ford our way across the creek, toodle to the back of the place, ford the creek again and go through the gate. At this point things were going well, then I saw a lone buzzard. No need to panic... it's just one and we have several old trees that they like just rest in. By now Scout has jumped out and is after something (half the time it's nothing and is tracking in the opposite direction!). OK so we start heading towards a loan cow... then I see it... a lone little brown body. I pull up and he is barely alive and there were other buzzard already getting ready to feast. Dang their hides... So I load him up and am determined to get his mother to the barn. Easier said than done... she wasn't feeling so good and didn't want to move and when she did it was slow and always in the direction of some over growth of tree's and weeds... it's a mess. She would have made it if I hadn't dived the truck into it hooking a bale of hay off as did... no worries!!! I did manage to get her to the gate and thankfully she walked slowly through it and up to the water tank while I was going to zoom back and pick up the hay and to the open gate.

Well while I was getting her out of the gate Kody jumped out. Do you know how frustrating it is to call a dog who can't hear?! OK pick him up and carry him to and load him in the truck again. As big babies can't jump IN. OK stopped to pick up the hay. Is it still in bale form? NOOOO don't be silly. So while I'm trying to pick it up some deranged cow dives into the over growth, Kody jumps out again, and she decides to go after him. So between yelling at the cow, and the dogs, and picking up hay it was a little tense. Picked up Kody again... carried him like a baby... head was flopped back, paws dangling, he was happy I was not. INTO the back set again! Managed to get the window up (it doesn't work 99% of the time so we just leave it down). Wonder of wonders another baby! Back to the truck for a halter! Back to the cow and calf! It's a girl!!!!!!!! get her loaded in the truck. By now Kody had climbed in the front set. So it was Me, Kody, Scout, Ranger and a baby in the front and a baby in the back and a cow following me... it was to good to last as the cow got side tracked by a skunk. So I stopped and made Kody go BACK into the back set.

I finally manage to get back to the barn and to start working on the little guy in the back. We'll see if he made it. To top off the night all the kids got out. Except Rose who was upset she wasn't out and everyone else was upset because they were hungry...

Oh what a night... I'm glad it's a new day...

A little bit of life...

Life these days is... I don't know. It's life... valleys (these seem deep and wide... DEEP and wide) Mountains... the peaks are high and seem short lived. I personally could do with a little joy... ya know.

I should be happy that milk prices are climbing up slowly. I should be thankful we have at least 2 heifers even if one is just a half breed jersey, who thinks it's her God given right to bawl incessantly until she is fed. For the most part I am. For the most part I'm trying to keep a positive attitude even if that means keeping my mouth shut.

In other parts of life, I bought canning tomato's yesterday. What was I thinking! :) NO body knows the maters I've bought, no body knows all of the canning... :) Our maters just don't seem to want to get ripe. Why? I haven't a CLUE!

Mom got some banty cochine hens to go along with the two roosters she already had. CUTE little birds who would prefer to stay in the chicken house over coming outside. No pictures yet. But they are cute!

We have a new dog... well I did post his pic a while back. But he has managed to stay here and seems at home. Kodiak or Kody as we call him either has a SEVERE case of never listens or he's deaf. We are leaning towards the latter. He doesn't like the rain, but LOVES standing in the kiddy pool we have to the dogs. He also loves the goat waterer... it's the same height as the kiddy pool and so he feels free to stand in it after you've just put fresh water in it. :) Doesn't go over very well with the humans around here. Needless to say we try and keep him out of the barn if at all possible or keep guard over the tank. It seems that if it isn't one stress it's another.

No new calves...

No new cats... now that's a blessing!!!

Well it's time for chores... pip pip and cherrio!

Another bull...

Sigh... we seem to be on a bull run as of late. As the count stands now... 2 heifers, 5 bulls plus the one I sold. I could weep a little weep but what good would it do?

There are worse things. Like what this fellow dairy farmer and her family are facing. Something I think all dairy farmers are facing at some point. Things have got to turn around and soon. It's too late for a lot of us, but for some of us there is still a small glimmer (about the size of a speck of dust).

Is it to much to ask for a little relief? To much to ask that farmers stop taking the beating to keep this country going? To much to ask that the public learns what is really going on, besides the smoke and lightening act that is going on in government today? Is it?

Updates...

Yeah I know it's been awhile... just can't seem to wrap my fingers around the keyboard to make any sense of anything. SOOO lets just see how this goes.

Does anyone remember my post about the calves we "sold" and were brought back??? Well the one beef steer managed to either dislocate or fracture his leg coming off the trailer because they watered them on the trailer. I don't know... what can you say? other than... Hey DB and JK do you wanna come and see what you've cost us? Mr. going on my 27 or 28 missionary trip this fall? Sorry I just have problems with this person.

No new calves.... dried up 7 however. Cows that is. They aren't to thrilled but I wasn't so thrilled with one just giving a whole quart of milk for a morning milking. WOW... I keep telling out milk hauler one of these days we'll have more than a glorified DROP of milk. He keeps saying WHEN? sigh sigh sigh...

Maybe some new baby will be in the pasture tonight. Wouldn't that be loverly? (Just so you know spell check doesn't understand loverly as a properly spelled word.... who knew?!)

The weather has been great. :) No complaint's there.

I've decided to write the Secretary of Agriculture. For what ever it's worth. Hopefully the CIA or FBI won't show up after wards. :) I'll just plead insanity... or something...

2 calves

Both bulls... Yes both mommy moos are fine... but would it have hurt them to consider my feelings and had heifers? Am I really asking to much? After all it's all about me! tee hee

First off Daisy has had her third bull in a row. And to top it off all she has had is three calves. Ms.P has had one heifer... the rest bulls. Granted she is, ummm what's a nice way to put it. OK I'll speak things as not as though they be... she is about the sweet little brown bovine ever born! NEVER kicks....*rolling eyes* So really it's not such a bad thing she throws bulls.

We have been having some amazing August weather! I've been wearing a sweatshirt to do morning chores it's been so chilly. Highs have been in the high 70's - low 80's with the night temps dipping to 53. We are not complaining! I'm just wondering what the winter has in-store for us.

It's been a day, and I'm heading to bed... night all.

Joke...

This is my dear mummies current favorite joke:

There is a plane with a doctor, lawyer, a little boy and a Priest. The pilot of the plane says the plane is going down grab one of the three remaining a para-shoots and jump.

The Dr. says,"I heal people so I need to live." and precedes to take one and jump.

The lawyer says "Everyone knows lawyers are the smartest people on earth so I HAVE to live." grabs one and jumps.

The priest looks at the little boy and says "Son, I've lived a good life, you take the last one and jump."

The little boys says "Father, the smartest man on earth just jumped out with my back-pack on."

HEE HEE HO HO...... laughter is good for the soul.

Venting in reverse...

:) Yes I know I get a little ahead of myself. It's just the utter frustration of things that make me want to blow my little top. I would make a terrible tea pot... I would just boil dry then scream bloody murder and go from there.

Right now things just seem impossible. I know it's not true but... when does it end with out it ending you? If someone knows I would LOVE to hear the answer.

No new calves as of late... cows are incubating these little creatures... enough already!!! Come on 44 (you nutty little cow), Daisy... give up the calf already, MS. P we know you can milk and that you have an attitude problem... but please... some time soon ladies?! I'm not asking much... Am I? To all other moos... I'm waiting... and waiting and waiting.

Venting take no never mind...

ARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hoard's... in a nutshell those people make me so ARGH!!!!! Try as I might to stay away I'm always drawn back... maybe I like to get mad, vent my frustrations at something other than Osage Capital, this attorney and that attorney...

I'm not a fan of the CWT program, Hoard's ... well lets just say they seem to think it fine and dandy to send healthy cattle to slaughter is a STUPID (I would have written something of stronger wording but I'm trying to be good). In their Aug. 14th post it ended with and more need to go.

EXCUSE ME, HELLLLLLLLLLLO have these wonderfully intelligent people ever given thought to this... that maybe just MAYBE if we weren't importing more milk and milk products than we are producing that prices would be fine and dandy for us! BUT NOOOOO the powers that be seem to think it best to make that American farmer support the New Zealand farmer, Australian farmer, India farmer with a couple of cows from a starving country... Bless my buttons yes it seems so.

The mindset that killing cows is going to save the farmer is just foolish. It's getting the big co-ops out of it, it's fair pricing, it's processors not making a killing (literally) on our behalf. Some one, some where, at some time needs to stand up and say no more. NO MORE taking what a processor deems to pay (this just happened with our co-op and the processor not honoring their contract. We weren't going to make blend price, no we have joined the Agency... *rolling eyes* a bunch of co-ops and yes DFA is one of them. The good thing I'm told is that now DFA can't out right stab us in the back... they'll just have to get sneaky about it). And NO MORE on the farmer paying to have the milk trucked to the plant. Even our milk hauler agrees with this one...

So who is going to stand up and finally and without care of the fall out... going to say NO MORE? Anyone? Besides me...

On a happy note... the cows like the new feed. Yes we've switched again... only because I was told they wouldn't beable to bring feed do to the high cost of it to them. sigh sigh sigh sigh sigh...

A week...

It's been a busy past week.

Mom had to go to the dentist early Monday morning for an emergency appointment. Thankfully no abscess. But antibiotic was called for. Thankfully we also got some much needed rain.

We've been canning some off and on, sold a baby bull calf, worried and fretted to much, had to take a cow to the vet (still not sure between all what they think as to what's really the problem), found out what it was like to put an attorney on edge by asking a simple question of legal malpractice. Sheesh you would have thought I had thrown a bomb in a room. That was kinda fun...

On the up note I only have 4 calves on the bottle right now. YEAH!!!! I wish it were more but it will come in time. We are needing to dry off some cows and maybe some will start to freshen soon. I hope and pray so.

More upbeat and cheerful posts to come. I hope.

And the thunder rolls...

There is the distinct rumble of thunder on the northern front. For once I'm hoping that the clouds and thunder are actually bringing rain. We have really dried out and are in need of some moisture. Moisture sounds so much better than plain Jane rain.

Farm news... we are up to 4 bottle babies. 2 heifers, 2 bulls. 2 of them Jerseys 2 of them beef crosses thanks to Tim or Milt's Charolais bull/bulls. At least Annaliese has company. :) And we have a few more cows in milk. Trying to see the silver lining here.

In all honesty it really rather odd to have calves in the barn again. And having to feed them, egads. I forgot the utter joy of that over the last few months. *rolling my eyes*

So here I am typing away a semi cool morning with less humidity than yesterday, wasting it when I should be getting at chores. :) Later all...

Sunday Stills...

"Fire"
Gone but never forgotten.

"Wind"

Who is finally contained on the way to being weaned!

"Earth"
Also contained, but no where near being tame.
We have yet to touch her in a friendly way.

Water

This is what happens when you get entirely to much rain. This creek crossing has NEVER been out of it's banks as much as it was this time.

And that's all folks....

Your Opinion

This is what happened. We are trying to sell some Steers and bulls. They weigh roughly about 500 pounds give or take.

This person who shall remain nameless came and wanted to buy 2 bull for himself to raise for meat and a friend of his also wanted to buy 2 steers. We had said fine and that the price would be .75 a pound. That seemed fine with him. So a few weeks later he comes back and says he would like to set up a time to come and get them. Fine and we did.

It was on the warmest day we had had in several weeks. Over 90 and him and his wife came at 6 in the evening to pick them up. Well they wanted choice over everything we had. Fine... we chase bulls and the few steers we have which happen to be half beef (We have 4 beef cows left over from our short run with beef cattle) Anyway they took the two beef steers and they had to have 2 of the black jerseys. Fine... he goes and weighs the first two. Comes back and they decide that they don't want one of the black ones they choose but another. ARGH!!! At this point I've gone off to start other chores since they have dealt with my grandmother and think of me as just a nothing.

So come to find out they leave without paying saying they will call back and find out the price and come the next day and bring two checks. We NEVER do business this way but we are in a rather bad need to sell these animals. He calls and since he got choice we decided on .85 a pound. I've never gone anywhere (to buy animals) and gotten choice over all without paying extra, and I was being a little snitty in the fact that this so and so didn't want some runt (Like I would sell a RUNT, I keep them myself! ARGHHHH). That was fine with him. He would be out the next morning with the checks. Fine and done.

Morning comes, he calls and the other person has decided it's to much and that the sale barn price is .65 for steers and .54 for bulls. So I tell him that they are not sale barn culls and that I would come down to .75. Or they could bring them back. He precedes to tell me they can't make money off them at that price, which was news to me as they were raising them for beef only 2 days prior. Anyway he brought them back (thankfully) But here is the kicker... market reports for last Saturdays sale were 1.10-1.27 for beef steers and .77-.99 for feeder bulls. HOLSTEIN steers were .65 (NOT WHAT MINE ARE) and slaughter bulls were .54-.99. (NOT WHAT MINE ARE).

SO was I wrong in not coming down and having them bring them back? I'm not the sale barn. If I wanted sale barn price I would send them there. Why is it people always think they should pay less if they are on the farm and not in a germ infested sale barn?

All in all I'm glad my babies are home. And I hope that Jerry K. and David B. find what they are looking for and get what they pay for.

Top Five...

Facebook... it makes you think. I've been bored this afternoon, so I've been busy doing these top five things, likes, and etc.

At the moment my top five wants are (short term that is):

1. Route 44 Cherry Lime-aid. (5 miles away)

2. Fresh popped pop corn with butter and salt. (doable)

3. An overstuffed chair that is comfy. (no where NEAR doable at this point)

4. A good movie to watch... (that or the DVD player to work along with the DIRECTV so I could watch The Waltons without having to to unhook and rehook up things) (doable)

5. Some cloud cover while moving bovines tonight.

Random shots... from the P&S

These are just a few shots from the point and shoot camera I have... Enjoy! They even brought a small smile to my face... now that's doing something anymore! Note... I chuckled... another rarity.

Tessie in the bucket of the tractor... she is an odd duck for sure...

One ODD looking goat. :) Vashtie on L. Annaliese on the right. We've decided that she is NOT full Jersey... THANKS Tim or Milt! Grrrr

Our new addition!!! He has no name as of yet... other than I call him Mr. Droolyface upon occasion. :) He was dumped on us the other night. And him's just a puppy... a HUGE puppy, who's paws are larger than the palm of my hand. Egads what a big boy he's going to be!

Recent shot of the little girls... from L-R Lily, Hyacinth and Violet.

Been a little while

Yes it's true... I've been a tad bit busy. Canning is in full swing for the moment. Hopefully after today it will slow down a little. It's been a whirlwind of peaches, tomatoes, corn, apricots, and green beans. Canning is truly like farming, a lot of work for a little progress. :)

More green beans on the horizon today. I don't know if my thumbs can take it but so it goes. I'm also dedating on doing the other batch of peaches... OHHH I don't know if I'm up to that today. But we'll see.

Farm wise: Lost the preemie bull calf. :( And no others have yet calved. I'm guessing that it will be a few weeks yet. I had so hoped for calves and milk by now. Just so I could mentally have a break from the stress of it all. Oh well... I will carry on.

I'll try to come up with something more cheerful later on... it's uphill work y'all! :)

What to post...

That is the ever looming question. Lately I just can't seem to get in to anything. Whatever I think, it always comes back to the dairy industry or other personal business matters. Sigh... both are maddening and depressing.

I try to laugh (genuinely), smile (genuinely), be in the right frame of mind... (if there is such a thing) sigh sigh sigh... Right now I'm just a depressing person to around. I'm trying to remember the last time I was this out of sorts... must have been oh 2001-2002. Nope I'll not go into that... as it had nothing to do with dairying... that was totally personal matters. All I will say is good riddance to bad rubbish.

Farm wise: well we had a preemie bull calf from a cow we were trying to pull through... both are still alive which is a good thing. I just wish I knew more what to do for the cow. Peewee is about 30 pounds and stands 3" above my knee. I can fit two of his feet in my hand... what a sweetie. The one thing on his side is that he is a HE and will be a little stronger than if he was a little girlie. At least that's been my experience. I had been holding out hope that this cow would have a heifer. She never has had one and of course she is our current best cow. Sadly this will be her last calving (99% sure) and so there for there is no hope for a heifer now.

In the hen house: we got our first heifer (pullet) egg this past week. :)

Goat Eden: Started weaning the little girls and Tempest (or Tempieeeeee as I so shamelessly greet her most mornings when she comes running to see me) Weaning is NOT being taken well by Lily, Violet, and Hyacinthie... and the Tempester doesn't know what's happening yet...

House wise: we have wing walls!!!! sigh...

It's hard to believe it's August already. This year has been the slowest and fastest that I can remember. Also the coolest. For us not to be running the AC full blast is, well... shocking. And that we hardly had to put the water on the cows for the better part of July is not normal. Is anyone else noticing the cooler than normal weather?