Today was a very warm day here on the South Dakota Prairie.
It was also pretty relaxing. We got up and did our chores, then headed to the barn where we started watering it down. When Burt arrived, we headed out with him to check the cows. A calf that was born last week has not been getting any milk from it's mother, so we ended up bringing her back with us to the barn after lunch. We got her a half bottle of milk replacer and she started to get it, but not quite so.
In the afternoon, Jenn, Melissa, and I went down to the river. The thermometer on the pick-up got all the way up to 109 degrees Fahrenheit. We spent a lovely three hours on the "beach" where we put our chairs on the edge of the water where we could have our feet in it. I spent some time reading a book that Jenn lent to me: Beyond the Homestretch by Lynn Reardon. Overall it was one of the most relaxing and mellow days we've had here at the ranch.
Once we got back, Melissa and I came back to the house where I showered before we headed back down to the barn to watch Jenn ride one of the young studs, Nutterbutter. She worked on moving his hind and getting him unstuck.
After that we came home to feed our calves. We made a quarter bottle for our new bottle calf whom we have named Annabelle (despite Burt's attempt to call her Zelda) and she did just fine. She even was starting to suck on Abby's ears, which is something calves do when they're hungry.
So now it's time for bed in hopes that the week will be much cooler than it was today.
It was also pretty relaxing. We got up and did our chores, then headed to the barn where we started watering it down. When Burt arrived, we headed out with him to check the cows. A calf that was born last week has not been getting any milk from it's mother, so we ended up bringing her back with us to the barn after lunch. We got her a half bottle of milk replacer and she started to get it, but not quite so.
In the afternoon, Jenn, Melissa, and I went down to the river. The thermometer on the pick-up got all the way up to 109 degrees Fahrenheit. We spent a lovely three hours on the "beach" where we put our chairs on the edge of the water where we could have our feet in it. I spent some time reading a book that Jenn lent to me: Beyond the Homestretch by Lynn Reardon. Overall it was one of the most relaxing and mellow days we've had here at the ranch.
Once we got back, Melissa and I came back to the house where I showered before we headed back down to the barn to watch Jenn ride one of the young studs, Nutterbutter. She worked on moving his hind and getting him unstuck.
After that we came home to feed our calves. We made a quarter bottle for our new bottle calf whom we have named Annabelle (despite Burt's attempt to call her Zelda) and she did just fine. She even was starting to suck on Abby's ears, which is something calves do when they're hungry.
So now it's time for bed in hopes that the week will be much cooler than it was today.