Dairy Daze...and Now Beyond

 So this photo is apropos of nothing really, just something to stick in here.  The only thing it really has to do with anything is that I see the sun setting behind this tree most every evening while I am walking.   During the six years I cared for my mom I really neglected my health and, as a result, gained a deal of weight.  The only exercise I really got was dairy chores, and they were not significant enough to do much practical good.  Unless you count tossing random buckets of grain into feed bunks and wrestling the occasional new calf to get a bottle into it.  But there wasn't much consistent effective exercise going on.   I have blogged on here about exercise before, and maybe that humorous entry is one of the ones I listed to the side.  But here is my practical entry on the subject.  I have found it difficult to get consistent exercise, even with gardening, due to random reasons...mostly excuses.  But the majority of the...

 The past 2 or 3 Saturday mornings a few people from church have been meeting at the church and going running.  Today 2 walkers joined the group; that would be me and my neighbor.  Another of the runners joined us in walking.  A---  took this photo of the runners with her phone, as she was in the center of the road.   The runners went 2 miles down the road and then back for a total of 4 miles, we walkers just went one mile back and forth for a total of 2 miles.  It was fun.  But I really need new shoes.  I just wore my old broken down shoes and now my feet hurt.   It took us walkers a bit over 40 minutes to do our two miles.  The road is pretty rolling, as you can see.  You don't really notice it that much when you are driving, but when you are on foot it's a bit of a pull up and down them all. After 3 days or so of rain and clouds it was nice and sunny today; fairly crisp actually.  It was in the upper 30s at 8 ...

  Well, it isn't new, technically.  I believe it's been growing there for decades.  But I'd never noticed it before.  It appears to be a quite old thorn tree.  This is what the trunk looks like. At first I thought the thorns were coming from the vines running up and down the trunk, but no, they are coming straight from the trunk itself.   Here are what the ends of the limbs look like: You can see the hairy, thorny-looking trunk on the left, but the limb in the foreground originates from the trunk.  Fascinating.  I'll bet not many squirrels shinny up and down THAT tree.  And no buck has ever used it as a buck rub.  Haha... That is the fun thing about nature; even when you think you have seen everything, there is always more to discover.

 Bella and I took our walk yesterday morning in the creek bottom.  No strange dogs in sight, but I always keep my pepper spray in hand.  It wasn't too terribly cold; temps hovered around mid-30s, but the wind was awful, driving the snow horizontally.  You can't really see it from this picture.  It was that dry hominy snow again, little pellets that would go up my nose in the wind.   You can see it better in this picture.  I had her leashed because we were headed back up the hill to the house.   We only got maybe a quarter inch all told, but it still blew and snew all day.  Yes, I am aware "snew" isn't a word, but it ought to be.  I mean: "blow-blew" "throw-threw."  "grow-grew."  What happened to "snow-snew?"  English is forever a frustrating mix of nonsensical rules, to which there are endless exceptions.   Yesterday evening about sundown, after 5 PM-ish, the temps finally started dipping below freezing and ...

 The dog and I just got back from our walk.  We went back down to the creek bottoms.  Unfortunately it is becoming a bit hair-raising to take walks down there.  Three days ago on our way back we encountered a pack of about 5-6 dogs.  It was difficult to count them as they were milling around in the trees and bushes.  They all looked like labs, or some sort of lab mix.  There were 2 or 3 black ones, maybe 2 golden brown ones and a golden-brown and white one.  I called out to them, Bella woofed at them, trotted toward them and they took off across the creek bed.  When they were on the upper bank across the way one or two of them barked a bit, but then they took off.  I couldn't really see which way they went other than across the creek; the trees and all are too thick down there.  The past 2 days I've taken Bella out to the fenced in garden and done my walking there.  Today we went back down to the creek.  We didn't see hide...

Not much, but enough to make our morning walk enchanting.  I don't really know as Bella cared one way or the other about taking a walk in the snow, but she enjoyed herself as usual.  I enjoyed myself, too.  Snow makes familiar sights along the walk enchanting.   I wonder if it makes it more difficult for Bella to smell where the squirrels have been.   Every weed, every vine and tree are turned into a work of art, etched over with white. I see the above vine looped over on itself most every day we go down there, but seeing it covered in white makes it really stand out.  I think it's an old grape vine.  It would have to be old.  Gary had the cows down there in summers for close on to 20 years or more, and they wouldn't have allowed a new grapevine to grow.  In fact, since there haven't been cows down there for a couple of years now, there's  more and more vegetation taking over again.  Probably even poison ivy/poison oak, though ...

...and take a walk. About 3 days ago Bella and I headed down over the ridge to the creek bottoms to wander around a bit.   We hiked across the hay field over to check on Fluffy; who is still hanging out on the fence post.  I find it incredible that the jaw is still just hanging on the wire.  It has been there closing in on 9 years now.   The moss, lichen and rodents are really taking their toll on her.  That dead limb washed up there beside the post is a great perch for squirrels or rats to reach the jaw to gnaw on it. It's hard to tell in this photo, but the white edge is where the bone has been gnawed down. Here is a shot that shows a comparison of how much has been gnawed away: The closest part isn't as easily accessible, so it hasn't been gnawed down. After we left Fluffy we wandered back up along the creek bed in the trees.  I love this group of sycamores.  They must have grown up from a stump many years ago. The two on the right are actually...

 I had thought it was too late in the season to see any frost flowers, but this morning on our walk Bella and I found some.   If you have just randomly run across this blog and really want to know what they are, you can Google it.  But simply put some plants, and only some, retain moisture in the stems or roots and when it dips to freezing the moisture in the plant also freezes and squeezes out in whorls and curls.  They are lovely to see.   This morning I was in a bit of a hurry, so I didn't get many neat pics.  Maybe tomorrow.

  A couple of mornings ago it was in the upper 20s when Bella and I took our morning amble around the back field to the West.  It was a frosty fall wonderland.  When it is this cold it's hard to get up the gumption to rig up in all my sweatshirts and coats and head out, but once outside I do enjoy it.  The crispy temps keep you on the move, no lolly-gagging, so I get my steps in pretty quick-like.  Otherwise, as you'd know if you've read my ramblings on here long enough, I tend to pause to check out curious oddities and ponder on them.   Like terrapin shells.  Here it is from a different angle, showing the chip and crack in it.  Upon studying it I don't think it was caused by a predator after all on account of the crack extends further back along the carapace.  You can sort of see it...  See how I get distracted.  I took this picture yesterday, not on the frosty morning day. 

 For the most part Bella is an outside dog.  She has a snug wooden dog house, lots of hay she scratches out the door so she doesn't have to lay on it, and lots of things to bark at as they pass by; wild animals or stray cats for the most part. But when it is too terribly cold, or when I just don't have time for a long walk I bring her in the house to vary her day, and mine too, of course.   Rarely does she ever lay on the floor like this, unless I've kept her in overnight, then she curls up on a bed of old towels in the bathroom. Her normal routine when she comes into the house is to make a bee-line for the cat's dishes, then inspect the kitchen floors to see what crumbs she might glean, if any.  After that she takes up her vigil at one or the other of the windows. She will just stand and stare outside for awhile at each window in turn.  I can tell when she actually sees something because she will wag her tail.   On one particular  morning la...

 Yesterday morning Bella, the dog I didn't want but enjoy watching run around out in the fields and woods, and I went for a walk.  I have been trying to up my daily steps and taking her for a walk is a great way to do so.  As well as the fact that Gary has the beef herd up the road, so we can walk with her off the leash out in the west pastures and woods.   After 25 years, or more, I even forget now what year Gary said he started the dairy, anyway...  After over 2 decades of dairy farming it is inevitable that bits of pieces of dairy evidence are all over the place. An ear tag from a long departed cow.  The year isn't on there, so who knows.  It might, in fact, have come off the ear of one of our beef cows Gary had out there just last week.  Since he doesn't have to milk these animals he moves them around from field to field to get all the graze they can before he has to start feeding hay.  But the tag is still a bit of farming detritus ...

 Nature has grown little plates for Christmas dinner.   Soon the squirrels will portion out acorns, walnuts and hickories on each plate, and little piles of dried berries.  There will be such a rustling of leaves as everyone take a spot, then teensy teacups of dew will be lifted after the blessing.  They will chitter and chatter as everyone chows down.  Sometimes I wonder if I am quite right in the head for having such thoughts as I tromp about in the woods.  But then again, I am sure that my walks would be boring if I didn't let my mind take such flights of fancy. 

 I spied it by the path as I walked by; The shell of a box turtle, Quite empty, but for a leaf Frost-frozen to the plastron. The carapace was chipped. A hungry predator had gnawed it But, foiled by ancient design, Had left it for an easier meal. And so the turtle had wandered on. And time had polished the sharp edges Of the shell that I picked up and wedged  In the burl of the tree.

 Yesterday morning the dog and I went for a walk down over the hill to the creek bottoms.   This is a photo of the creek bed.  We went quite a way down it.  It is always sort of sad to see it dry like this, but it's interesting to see the bottom as well.  You can see how the water carves its way around the big boulders and forms the sand and lighter rocks into berms and banks.   I didn't get pictures of it on this walk, but there are a couple of large trees fallen across the creek bed, which totally changed it, as the water, when there IS water, has swirled and carved out the gravel under it. This is something that never gets old to me; that the creek is never the same from season to season.  Even now, after a drought all summer, it is filled up with fall leaves and brush and dead limbs that have fallen from overhead.  The wind shapes the leaves into clearings and piles where you have to watch your step.  I am probably risking a twi...

  It has been a bit over two years since we retired the dairy farm.  Things have changed for sure since then.  Some things stay the same; the dog and I love our walks.  What's changed is that we are able to take walks earlier in the mornings than before when I had calves to bottle feed and grain to toss out for the cow critters.   The dog and I enjoy our early morning walks; though I haven't taken an early morning one recently.  Seems like there is always something else that needs done in the morning; errands to run, laundry, whatever.  Now, for the next two weeks it's gun season so we stay out of the woods.  I keep her on the leash and we walk around quite close to the house. But I love foggy mornings down in the creek bottoms.  Bella loves them, too.  Well, she loves walks any time of the day.  But in the mornings the fog and mist make it extra special for me.   

Most every fall the dog and I make it over to the back ridge to the old homestead.  The original house, built back in the 1800s when the property was first homesteaded, is no longer there, of course.  But this little house is there.   In front of the house is the fallen pecan tree.  When I came here 19 years ago the pecan was standing proud and tall, but about ten years ago it was blown over in a storm.  This half of the tree, which had roots still in the ground, survived and has produced pecans every year without fail.  This year I noticed the leaves look diseased.  That may, I hope, be due to the drought and insect damage over the course of the summer.  We will see how it does this coming spring.   The house itself, probably built in the early 1900s, is over 100 years old, and has become more and more dilapidated over the years.  When I came here the doors shut semi-securely and the siding was still attached.    The barn...

 What winter here is complete without a walk to the creek and a picture of Ellen down there?  None that I know of.    I love how clear the water is this time of year.  There is still a thin layer of algae on the rocks, which gives it that gold/brown color.  Following in Ellen's footsteps as we waded in the water I could track her because everywhere she had stepped the rocks were gray; her boots had cleaned the algae off of the rocks. 

A couple of days ago; Monday, I believe, Bella and  I once again forsook civilization and betook ourselves off of the ridge down to the creek.  It had rained a bit over the weekend, so it was up some, rushing along.   It was even foaming in spots.  I'd always thought when writers spoke of "foaming" waters they were being artistic in their speech.  Not true When the creek gets with it and rushes and tumbles along, it DOES churn up foam in the tree roots.  Bella wasn't too sure of the creek's being up and in a hurry.  She isn't as shy of water as she used to be but it took her a couple of tries before she made it to the other side.  She'd go in up to her elbows-like, then turn back. But she finally braved it and took off.   She was quite proud of herself when she made it to the other side, the water had actually pushed her off course a foot or two.  We went upstream a couple hundred yards or so.  The...

Oh, dear. Yet again I am tardy in getting back to my blog here. "sigh* Well, here's but one thing we have been up to. The weather has finally improved enough for long walks. So last week I loaded Ellen up on the 4-wheeler and we went down into the creek bottoms for a walk. It was a lovely evening for a walk, but mostly Ellen wanted to throw rocks into the creek. As usual, it was hard to resist skipping a few stones across the creek myself. One fun part of going to the creek for me is seeing evidence of who else has been there. Here, for my convenient picture-taking, a turkey and a 'coon left some tracks side by side. I tossed in an AA battery for size comparison. And what trip down to the creek bottoms could possibly be complete without a visit to the boneyard to remember the dearly departed? Yes, we recycle here on the dairy; ashes to ashes, dust to dust, cow to coyote...etc. And now...owing to lack of time to continue my photo walking tour, I must bid you farewel...

Here is a list of photos I took yesterday on my walk to the creek. 1. There is something enchanting about the combination of running water and mossy rocks. This is one of the two springs on our place (Hence the "formal" name of the dairy: Two Springs Dairy. But we only use this when registering the cows/calves with the Holstein Association). 2. Here is an overflowing pond that was dry just a week ago. It filled up and flooded the pasture overnight. It is fed by the second spring on our place, which isn't really visible in the picture. Only once before have I seen water in this pond and that was maybe 2-2 and a half years ago. 3. Here is a crawdad (or crayfish...maybe...those of you in the know about these things can correct my terminology if I am wrong) I ran across while wading in the creek. He obligingly swam up and parked here on this twig underwater while I was out wading. I noticed how he lines himself up with the flow of the water so as to camoflauge himself. I actu...