The Vintage Barn: Dairy Life

Sweet new heifer calf and cow

"I don't know how you live out here," said a friend of mine that I used to teach with. Pretty sure I couldn't live anywhere else...again.

My husband is a dairy farmer and we are lucky enough to live right on the dairy...I mean right on the dairy. We are walking distance from the milk barn, maternity barn and pen after pen of cows and heifers!

Can we keep her daddy?

The picture of the new calf above...is in the maternity barn directly a hop, skip and a jump across the street from our house. My girls have seen it all...calves being born and even bottle feeding a new calf. Pretty special...we think!

This is my "co-pilot" checking on things...

We are never bored...there is always something to do. When the weather is nice...we head out for our walk around different fields of alfalfa, corn or other grains (depending on the season.)

Flashback...moving cows a few years ago.

Working with daddy is something the girls love. We have jumped in the truck to move cows, change water or pick him up in a field getting off the tractor...life of a dairy wife (and girls!)

For the story on the following sweet twins...click HERE.

It's a sweet life...(especially when it is homemade ice cream every week in the summer) and I am thankful we live it!

Last Friday night was a "wild and crazy" one...at home with our girls...just kidding. Just a few weeks ago my husband and I DID have a fun Friday night at a George Strait concert! We still get out and have fun every now and then. But, this time...a little bit of playing around the dairy and a pizza party at home with our girls was fun!

The girls were busy riding the four wheeler around our house with their dad...so, I snuck off to the maternity barn (just across the street from our house.) Hanging out over here never gets boring for us. Our girls are lucky to have watched their daddy help cows and heifers deliver calves...clearing their nose to help them take their first breath. So special.

I walked up...just in time!

This was calf #2 making her debut...yep, twins!

Not very common that twins are born and make it...but, these did just fine. My husband has great guys that work for him, one of them was there making sure this cow and her calves were doing well and that everything was going smoothly.

This is calf #1...she is sweetly waiting for her sister. Though she is laying down, do you know that a calf will usually be able to stand within minutes of being born?

Calf #2 again...their little heads are so wobbly and cute! (I think she is giving me the "really?" look.)

Momma doing her job and getting her second calf all cleaned up.

This is the look I got from the cow...it's as if she is telling me I have taken enough pictures and can leave now. Point taken...Bessy, I am outta here!

I bought a "new to me" camera from a friend...a Nikon and got a FABULOUS deal! So, of course I think I am a photographer now (just kidding) and I am taking every opportunity to learn how to use it. I caught this beautiful sunset as I was leaving the maternity barn.