FOURTEEN THOUSAND SIX HUNDRED-PLUS!


Yes, that's right; 14,600+ consecutive times my husband has milked his herd. That's over 20 years of non-stop dairy-ing.


Twice a day every day. No vacations. No overnighters to the big city. No breakfast in bed. No sleeping in past 4 AM. No evening at the movies. No getting further from home than you can drive back between milkings. FOR OVER 20 YEARS!!!
Tomorrow it all ends.
Well, for a couple of days anyway. Ha.
For the next couple of days he is going to go out of town. He will leave really early and be back really late each evening, so we are having our saint of a neighbor come over and do the milking. I will still do my calf feeding and graining up the road and do the washup as well, but the neighbor will do the milking.
This should be interesting.

Comments

jel said…
next door or down the road?

MNorTS
November 26, 2007 at 9:24 PM
Donna. W said…
I once did the milking for a former dairyman when he and his family took a break. I managed just fine, but all that responsibility scared me to death! I milked cows for years, so I know how that can tie you down.
November 27, 2007 at 4:43 AM
Calfkeeper said…
MN is doing the helping out. He seems to like it. He did the milking for Tommy when he-Tom-was in the hospital last summer, or summer before last, whenever it was.

It is a lot of responsibility. Until I came here I had no idea what all went into running a dairy.
November 27, 2007 at 9:35 AM
Unknown said…
Wow! It's always good to have good neighbours! It's not easy leaving the farm, is it!? I know with my Hubby and myself, we can't really go anywhere because of the cattle and all our other animals. It's not like we can get just anyone to take over for a few days. *sigh*

PS. I thought of you the other night at supper. We were at my mother-in-law's for supper and the conversation went to cow pies and other pleasant things. LOL! Life on the farm...always entertaining.
November 27, 2007 at 11:14 AM
Calfkeeper said…
Ha ha...Yes, out in the country you'd best be ready for any topic to come up during meal time; we have been known to discuss the consistency of the calf poop...etc
November 28, 2007 at 9:39 AM
Anonymous said…
Hi Becca! It's Deanna....

just had to leave you a comment when i read this.
i read it aloud to daniel (yes, mr. jolly) and the first thing out of his mouth:

"That's a lot of nipples"
January 10, 2008 at 6:28 PM
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