Sunday, January 07, 2007

What Happens When...

Wanna know what happens when one takes a wonderfully relaxing shower on a dairy farm? Something either breaks or gets out, or has a baby and needs immediate attention, causing the showeree (wonder if that is even a word?) to get incredibly dirty and smelly, generally more so than they were before they showered. I know this, and yet, instead of waiting to take one before bed tonight, I opted to take a nice hot shower while the rest of the family was off at Wal-Mart trying to get a new computer, more on that later. However, being the conscientious cattle owner that I am, prior to taking said shower, I went out to the barn to check on River, who was due to calve on the 10th of this month. Nothing. No baby, not in the process of having a baby, so theoretically, I should be safe, at least long enough to enjoy getting cleaned up. I got done showering, put on clean clothes, and about ten or fifteen minutes later, the family go home, computer-less (which I imagine mom will be blogging about later over at Northview Diary). I decided that it might be a good idea, despite the fact that less than an hour had passed, to go check on soon to be new momma cow River. On the way over, Lee, a heifer who we have been trying to get a hair sample from decided she liked me. So I was able to bring that back over, still having not gotten into the actual barn...when i got back over to said barn, I noticed a little, sopping wet bundle of joy curled up behind her mommy. So much for my shower. My sister took pictures of what I looked like after dealing with baby and momma. Let's just say I wasn't so clean anymore. Unless someone has some strange urge to see those things, I don't think I will ever let them be posted...EVER!!! I will however take pictures of Riptide (the newbie) tonight during milking. She has been fed, sort of (she didn't really want her bottle, ungrateful bugger, I handmilked her mother for that bottle), and is all bedded down in about a half a bale of straw, with a nice calf coat.

5 comments:

Deanna said...

I hope you got another shower later. Good work!

Rob said...

Isn't it funny how that works? There's always something to be done, like it or not. It's been a few years since I lived at the farm... I miss it more all the time.

Also, just wanted to say thanks for visiting and commenting over at my place :-)

Paintsmh said...

Hey Cubby. Yes, I got another shower, but it just wasn't the same.

Hi Rob, thanks for stopping over. I love the fact that there is always something to be done, I just would have enjoyed being clean for more than a half hour. And I truly enjoy reading your blog. You are both a talented writer and photographer.

MinorcanMeteorolgist said...

Wow. Mr. Suburbia here can't even imagine something of that sort...though I wish I could. I would say you beat me in the dirtiness game, though.

Paintsmh said...

Yah. I was covered in more than mud, blood was included, and other various unpleasantries, including Calcium Gluconate, which I had to give in an IV subq to River. And let me just say, Cal-Nate is very, very irritating to the skin. So is the Iodine that I used to dip the calf's navel. I am also discovering very interesting and colorful bruises as a result of the cow who stands next to little River. She isn't very nice.