Won't Steer You Wrong

You are resilient. You stand tall and stoic in the face of challenges—like wishing you could get to the fresh grass on the other side of this fence. — Petey Boy

(Unlike your compatriots, who solve their problems through screaming until Mom turns off the fence.)

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Here’s What’s Happening At Good Spirits Farm

There are two fewer cows in the herd this week. Last fall, a neighbor asked if I had any calves he could finish out on his farm. Saul and Jett were both old enough to be on their own, and I liked that I could keep an eye on them if they were just down the road. This week, my neighbor backed his trailer up to our gate and we shuttled Saul and Jett aboard.

Now, loading a horned, 700-pound cow onto a trailer is not the easiest of tasks. I built a funnel with temporary fencing getting narrower and narrower as it got near the gate. Todd and I worked together to separate the two boys from the herd. Then, we slowly and calmly walked forward behind the two, pausing every now and then to give them a break—keeping the whole exercise low-pressure. We kept our voices low, encouraging them forward and occasionally reminding them backward was not the way. We took deep breaths when we felt their anxiety rise, and told them they were good boys when they headed the right direction. Soon, we were through the gate and the only path forward was onto the trailer.

Our neighbor seemed surprised at how quickly we got them on, saying, “You did that like a real farmer.” Uh, yeah, I’ve been working with these cows since the day they were born. I have figured out a thing or two about convincing them to do what I want.

It will be good to have a few fewer mouths munching down the pasture this spring, and it will give me room to expand with new calves (or more sheep!) when we are ready. Ultimately, this is a working farm. I always want animals to live their best lives, but I believe their lives should be useful, too. Letting a few people in my community opt out of the factory farming system in favor of locally produced, kindly raised options, is important to me. Still, it’s always hard to say goodbye.

Here’s Saul (left) and Jett (right) from the summer of ‘22. Weren’t they cuties???

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Here’s What I Loved This Week

I am sure I have shared this recipe before, but these cinnamon rolls never disappoint. I made them on Valentine’s Day, and I’ve been thinking about them ever since. I highly recommend adding cream cheese icing.