Izzy was my gorgeous Jersey and I will miss her so much.
I don't want to get all maudlin here, but it was like another nail in the coffin of my dreams. I had always wanted to be a homeschooling, homesteading family - think Joel Salatin, Ben Hewitt, and half the blogs I read every day. I feel this lifestyle is the best for a family unit and it is important to me.
But hubby and I are not in agreeance on this. The cows were just creating too much of a problem - with all the internal fencing down at the moment, they were wreaking havoc. And a milking cow is a big commitment with no help. So I figured it was simply easier to let her go. Izzy has gone to a friend (so I can still visit her!) and I know she will be happy there. Cocoa will be going to the butcher next week.
I will just have to focus my homesteading pursuits on the plant world at the moment - things that stay where you put them!
I am just thankful that we do live on acreage and that hubby is willing to help with some of the building projects required. Once the infrastructure is in place, I will be able to potter on quite nicely by myself. So that will be wonderful. I will just have to keep it to small animals that I can manage alone and fruit and veggies.
So not much work being done around here today - I'm a bit too sooky!
Hope you are all having a more productive weekend.
I'm so sorry this didn't work out. Maybe it just isn't the right time?
ReplyDeleteI used to report on agriculture for a daily newspaper, and I learned how grueling animal care is! And nothing is more labor-intensive than milking. Large animals involve so much work and they can be troublesome.
The good news is that you don't have any problem finding other things to nurture!
That is true! She was a lot of work when in milk and I will have other animals. Maybe goats one day?! There's an idea!
DeleteSometimes one door is shut so another one can be opened. May you find that other door and be immensely blessed.
ReplyDeleteJust a side note: Goats are a lot of work too, but they are fun.
That is so true - that is the way I am trying to look at my life at the moment. Just waiting for God to show me where that other door is!
DeleteI was just thinking goats as they are smaller and maybe I could handle them on my own a bit better than the cows.
Oh I know how you feel! We had to get rid of my three dairy goats and I was rather heartbroken. At least with a dairy goat the milking can be just once a day and they are much easier to handle, especially if you start with a doe who has freshened and been milked previously. But it is super hard to do any homesteading if you're doing it alone.
ReplyDeleteIt is much harder, especially with little ones. It was hard to milk if no one could watch the littlies. She was pretty gentle but cows are BIG and if they get the idea to move suddenly, littlies can get trampled pretty fast. I read a book once where the author's three year old son was run down and killed by a cow and I have never forgotten it. That's why I was hoping goats one day. But at the moment, I am just focusing on the fruit and veggie side. Once that is in full swing, maybe I'll look at goats!
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