I go to the lower barn and get it ready for milking. Make 2 trips from the basement with hot water as I cannot carry a full bucket of water with my left arm. The tunnel has about 2 inches of water, I slosh through it. Will see if I can put the sump pump up by myself tomorrow. The lower barn is also flooded as the drain seems to have frozen water in it. I walk carefully to throw the cleaning water out. Then I go fetch Star, calling for her. Pretty cool to see her head pop up when I call her. If she's lying down she'll get up for me. Not yet great on the coming to the gate part, she was there earlier today, but I went and roused Shaw as I wanted him to feed before I took her for milking, so left her there with him. By the time I had the milk parlour set-up and ready, she'd wandered off. I take the lead rope with me, as she led me a merry dance last night ! She follows readily, although I'm also careful as the ice is still treacherous. She still has a very hard back udder, kicks like crazy when I try and hand milk it. The machine doesn't seem to be able to pull anything from it. She got me good on my calf yesterday too. Probably getting about 1 1/2 gallons each day from her while feeding Shaw, even without that one quarter. After I re-dip her after milking, I immediately undo her and chase her out, even if she hasn't finished all the grain. After the first few times, she hasn't pooped or pee'd while in the stall, for which I am grateful, less cleaning for me.
When we had a complete ice-rink outside, I used to allow her to go to the original gate in the original pasture, but now that there is some muddy patches, I want her to go directly to the veggie garden. She is usually great at going back to the others, but last night she headed to the wrong gate. I went to her and she wouldn't move, so I moved behind her with lots of threats and arm-waving. She went towards the correct gate, and then just sailed right on past it. All my shouting did nothing to stop her from rounding the corner and starting up towards the bee hives, me chugging on behind her to her right, can't chase a cow directly from behind, have to do it at an angle. Headed her off, she turned around and went back, and then went straight past it again. This time Shaw saw her and started after her on the other side of the fence. I gave up and went to clean the milk parlour, giving her time to ponder on her situation. When I went back I took a lead with and hooked her up and she followed beautifully into the right gate. So now when I fetch her and take her back I use the lead. A few days should be enough to get her back into the routine of where I want her to go. Love that about the cows. They're OK if everything is the same, but put a dog in a different spot, or park the truck somewhere different, and they spook, and then are curious and have to go investigate it before carrying on.
Shaw is doing well, saw him racing around the garden this afternoon. Pity Scotchs' boy didn't make it, they'd have had so much fun together. And there will be a while before Dollys' calf comes. I'm amazed at how quickly the rest of the cows accepted him, and he them.
Walking in the veggie garden today to rouse him from where he was lying next to the hay feeder, I was pleased to see how much manure is accumulating in the garden. Think I'll plow the whole garden in the Spring this year, not just the beds like I did last year. Hmmm, maybe I could train the cows just to poop in the rows and not on the walkways :)
No sign of any lambs yet, but probably just as well. Let me deal with Star, and once that is working well, then the lambs can come.
Today I made Garlic Aioli, a fancy name for garlic mayonaise. Started with some egg yolks from eggs that were laid this morning, added mashed raw garlic and salt, then whisked it together and started dribbling grapeseed oil into it. Figured out rather quickly that my arm wasn't going to co-operate for the whole thing, so scraped it into the Cuisinart and switched to olive oil added into the lid with the hole in it, especially for this purpose. Had a nice thick emulsion, added some lemon juice, and promptly messed it all up. Had a gloopy mess. Poured it out into another bowl, scraped the Cuisinart bowl clean, added fresh egg yolks and more garlic and salt, and then little by little mixed the gloop back into it. Worked perfectly. Added more oil, a little more grapeseed, some more lemon, but also in smaller drips this time, some water and then more olive oil until it was the right consistancy. Added a little more salt and black pepper, and voila, Garlic Aioli to go with the hamburgers I make today as well. Hope Herbie likes it. He has asked for home-made mayonaise previously.
Set about putting the maple syrup piping together. Tomorrow need to make the holes in the bucket lids and drill the holes in the trees, and then we will be in the maple syrup business. Decided to tap 4 maples and one box elder. Will cook the syrups down separately to see the difference.
Also started my seedling containers, all the milk jugs that Teri collected for me and the ones I already had. Some of them don't have lids, so I'm trying to figure out what I can use to block the tops, plastic would work, but I don't have small elastic bands to hold them in place, so trying to think of alternatives. Needs to be like small hothouses withtheir own ecosystem, so open tops won't work. Plan on planting the onion, lavender and brassica seeds.
Oy vey, it's been a hard Winter on the tar driveway. It's buckled and cracked rather badly in places. Something to be added to the list for fixing come Spring.
I stopped at Menards yesterday and picked up a instant water heater for the lower barn. Herbie found it in the shed today while he was taking the feed to the sheep. We need 2 new breaker boards to accommodate it's energy needs. A 50 amp for a 220 volt power source for it, which is more than the whole barn has at present. He asked me to please not go off and buy it, as he had to look at them to decide what we needed. It will be such a blessing having hot water in the lower barn. Also need to insulate the piping as it freezes and the actual unit can't freeze. That's going to be interesting, as I think the whole lower barn freezes, well maybe not the middle dirt-floor room.
Jackie came over the other day with a beautiful cast iron Dutch Oven she'd bought at an estate sale for $20 for me if I liked it. Yep, me likee ! Still need to clean and re-season it. I'm slowly building our cast iron selection which works so well on the gas stove and on the wood stove. I think I can make pop corn in this one.