Friday Moo-d: Nothing But Love

No matter how alone you may feel, the truth is this: You are loved and cherished.

— Benni, who loves little Jet even if he ferociously bonks her in the udder 18 million times a day

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Here’s What’s Happening At Good Spirits Farm

• Castration day is upon us! I’ve done a bunch of research on different castration methods over the past couple of weeks and found a specific type of banding that has actual data showing it’s the most humane. Basically, the bands are bigger and wider than what’s traditionally used, so they kind of act like a compression sleeve, versus a tourniquet. Given we’re in the very height of fly season, I think this is a better option than creating an open wound by surgically removing their testicles. Tonight’s the night to finally get this task done. (I promise this is the very last you’ll hear about cow balls for at least 6 months!)

• Man, it is HOT. I’m hiking over to the very far side of our farm three times a day to refresh troughs with cold water and make sure everyone is holding up.

  

  Julia, who has this really thick coat, has discovered the joy of baths. As soon as she hears the water running, she comes trotting over to be hosed down. When she arrived on our farm, she was too wild to even touch. It’s amazing that now she’s basically a big pet! (I’m also so grateful for the mobile shade shelter I had a friend weld for us last year, it’s getting a lot of use!)

  

• Does anyone need some hay bales moved, because I’m officially a tractor expert. Chris was a very patient teacher last weekend, and when a load of hay arrived Tuesday afternoon, I got them off the trailer all by myself. (I did manage to bang up one spot in the barn while putting the bales away, but the damage is totally fixable!) Progress!

  

  Here’s What I Loved This Week:

  I’m working on an essay about Sebastian, the lamb born on our farm last year with Spina bifida, and I keep thinking about the poem “The Two-Headed Calf,” by Laura Gilpin. I dare you to try and read it without feeling a whole bunch of feelings. It is just perfect.