Diary of a snowy day:
5:45 a.m. Wake up and take Bana to early morning fitness at school.
6:15 a.m. Arrive home to Bryan telling me to get ready to go check calves because it had snowed all night. I dress and don't even bother to put my contacts in because It is still kind of dark.
7:00-8:00 a.m. We have the truck loaded with hay and head for the East. The cows are way up a ravine -huddled together. Their calves are pushed to the center of the bunch to keep them dry. They are glad to see us! As we pitch the hay off the truck, we find 2 brand new calves trying to walk in the 8 inches of new snow. They look pretty good. We decide to bring the newest calf home and put in the warmer for a few hours. He just lays on the floor of the truck, shivering. He is so cute.
8:15 a.m. We get back home and I put a waffle in the toaster for my breakfast and take off my wet coat and put it in the dryer. My pants are beyond that. The calf wasn't that clean. Just as my waffle finishes, Shawn calls to say he is stuck in the Meadow and has walked up the hill and could I please come get him. "Of course" I say and grab my breakfast--without syrup--and head out the door. Thankfully, he called and got a ride, so I just head to the field to start feeding there.
9:00-11:00 a.m. Alma and I finish feeding out to the Red Barn and check on our latest "graft calf" that we put in yesterday. They love each other! We load the truck again and get our calf out of the warmer and head back to the East. We find 2 new calves that Bryan and I didn't see earlier! That makes 4 up there. They all look pretty good, considering the day that they chose to be born. We took a bottle of colostrum up just in case a calf needed some milk. We found a brand new red calf that needed a boost and gave him the bottle.
11:15-12:30 p.m. We have to tube/drench a sick calf in the barn. It doesn't look one bit good. It has already been to the vet so I hope the electrolytes work. After, we meet up with Shawn, who ended up having a flat tire after he was stuck, (happy April fools!) and decide who is doing what next. Alma and I go to the Meadow and pick up the tractor used to pull Shawn out and then head to Marj's. There were 2 calves born there. That makes 6 total!
12:30-3:00 p.m. I run to Hyrum for lunch. Golden Jade today! The boys are getting the vaccines and stuff together to work the steers that Bryan bought at the sale. We end up eating lunch by the working pen so I can help them before I have to go get Savanna for her ortho appointment. The steers are a nice set and they run through pretty quickly. Unfortunately, the last calf splashes mud/poop all over me--and I had stayed so clean! I don't have time to stop at home before I have to pick Savanna up so I don't smell very good and I choose to wait in the car during her appointment.
3:15- 4:30 p.m. I am home in time to shower before I have to go to the dentist. I'm sure he would thank me if he could smell me! After the assistant cleans my teeth, she leaves me in the chair laying down. It is nice to relax for a minute--even if it is in the dentist office.
4:30-bedtime (9:30 p.m.) I fix dinner (pork chops and potatoes) while the girls serenade me with their piano practicing. I love that! Sierra is practicing for Young Artist Cup at MC tomorrow night. I could sing the song to you I've heard it so many times! She is playing Serge Prokofiew's Zweite Sonate-IV movement. It is amazing. Sierra leaves us after dinner, to be with friends, and Bryan heads to the water meeting with his mom, and Savanna and I watch the Wizard of Oz. It is so nice to spend quiet time with her. After scriptures, I tuck the girls in bed and try to stay awake to watch Good Eats but I never quite see the end. Good thing for DVR! I go to sleep wondering how the new babies are handling the light snow that is falling and I can't wait to get up and do it all over again!
Sierra participated in the Piano Festival at U. S. U. and played a very difficult Prokofiew Sonata. We had to order the music from Germany! It is in the Contemporary time period so it is a little strange sounding, but I have learned to like this one. She usually likes the Romantic period so this is quite a change for her.
The Dairy Ambassadors had a great time at their last party of the year. They skated and ran around the Fun Park oh ya, and wrote thank-you's. It was a good time with good friends that we are going to miss! The girls are: (left to right) Morgan Perkins, Savanna, Tia King, Kjia Perkins, and Becca Larsen.
These two photos were taken about 2 days apart, in the same place. However, they are backwards. The one with no snow was taken first and the snow picture was taken after it. Welcome to spring in our valley! Thankfully, the snow was gone in a day or two. Our calves rebounded quite well. We only had to doctor a couple of them because of the weather.
Cute shirt--Thanks grama
Lucky eggs for Sierra
It was too snowy and muddy to find eggs outside this year,
A whole lotta love for Grampa Reay!
Breakfast at Little America
This cow's calf had to go to the vet to be re-hydrated by IV. The calf stayed to the vet for about 36 hours. The cow needed to be milked out so that she would continue to give milk. I went up and caught her head in the head catch and then milked her out. I am proud of this picture in that I was able to milk and shoot at the same time! She was a good, gentle cow and didn't even try to kick my hand.
