While waiting for Miss Spencer this afternoon, I pruned the 5 roses, 7 dogwood bushes, 2 hydrangeas, 3 butterfly bushes, 1 flowering pomegranate, 1 rose of sharon, 1 weeping cherry, 7 blueberry bushes, 1 elderberry and the 10 grapevines. Only 2 were on my to-do list. Anni always tries to "help" me when I'm out cutting stuff, usually with the chainsaw, so she "helped" today as well, as did all 8 puppies. Very difficult to use pruning shears with 9 eager faces burrowing in the bushes, pulling, biting. Tried to pile up the branches, but they scattered these everywhere, so I gave up. Will have to do a pick-up tomorrow, but by the sounds of the wind tonight, maybe I won't have to !
After milking tonight, went over to Teri and Andy. It's the first time in a long while that I've gone out in the evening, even if it wasn't for long. Had a bit of a barter, product for thermals - works for me.
Buttercup was on top form as usual. She needs coaxing out of the pasture, I scratch her head and throat, and she takes two steps, I scratch some more, she stands and looks at me. I tug, she digs in her hooves and won't move. I go behind her, slap her on the rump, and maybe she'll move, a little. I call for Anni to help (pointless as she doesn't like coming into the pasture when the cows are there, they go for her) and maybe Buttercup knows as it doesn't make her move either. Once on her way though, she's OK. Milking in the first stall at present as the piping is having issues with frozen water, but she is used to the furtherest stall, so have to grab and tug her into position. After milking, while I was hanging the milker, and before I could even dip her, she pooped a big splashy poop. She hadn't even finished eating ! Thanks Buttercup. When I used the spade to scrape it out, she kicked out backwards, fortunately I wasn't directly behind her, but had to wash poop of all three buckets, the clean water one, the washing one and the waste water one. That's a reason the milk bucket is placed closer to her head. Anni helped me take her back to the pasture as she usually does, with one puppy trailing behind.
Fried up all the aubergine (eggplant) tasted it and discovered that I should have soaked it longer in water; very salty. Re-washed the pieces not yet done, and put the first batch into balsamic vinegar and olive oil, Voila, Aubergine Salad. My friend Salle loved this. Made a large bowl of Honey Vanilla yoghurt, and even had some
Well, rather an eventful day, so off to bed, methinks.