All windows have been framed out and ready to insert the new windows when they arrive in April. The arched French doors in the kitchen have been framed out and it is going to be so pretty when doors are installed!!! Closets have been framed out upstairs.
Office has been framed up. Plumber is suppose to start this week to complete the mess the last plumber left. All the vinyl siding has been removed from the outside and for the most part the wood clapboard is still in decent shape.
Once the new wood gets here to make repairs to the clapboard, they will began working on exterior until windows arrive. Still ify on an electrician. We are still hoping the first guy will have the integrity and pride in his work that he will want to finish what he started, but that still remains to be seen. Paul and I have been amazed at the work ethic of contractors in the building industry. Our neighbor said it best, "The building industry is the only profession that can treat people awful, not show up for work, take their time in completing something, charge whatever they want, ignore phone calls/messages and still have a job." I think this proves, America needs a balance of people that go to college and people that excel in a particular trade. Both can make very good money and both are needed.
THE ANIMALS- AKA...Our Stress Relievers
We have had quite a few new animals join Silo Springs.
1st--We got 2 pigs, Arnold and Peppa. They arrived around the last week in January and the 1st of February. Peppa is a potbelly pig and is a girl. Arnold is a cross of a Red Wattle and New American Guine. He was the Runt of his litter and was about half the size of his siblings. Both were on the wild side when we got them. Peppa sounded like you were slaughtering her if you tried to pick her up...and still does. The pigs are in a stall right now, until we can secure the fencing. Both have learned good food comes when we enter, so they come running to the gate now and will let us pet and rub on them. I do have a very funny story about Arnold. I was FaceTiming Paul when this happened. Paul is usually the calm, positive one in the family, but when he gets in a tizz....It is quite funny. Anyway, Arnold bolts out of the stall and takes off to a field....Fencing didn't stop him, he just went under the fence into the field with...apparently, Our "attack" Jersey cow...Iris. Iris takes off after the pig and is on him within secs. She starts just rolling the pig across the field with her head, tries to stomp him with her hooves. Now Remember, I am on the phone with Paul and all he is saying is, "The cows are going to kill the pig. He is going to be dead before I get to him!!" He couldn't get the latch off the gate and tells me he has got to go, the cow is killing the pig!!. I said NOOOOO, prop me up so I can see what is going on. I could only hear the squealing pig in the background. So he props the phone up on the fence post. It was like watching a reality show, however the way he set the phone all Brantlee and I could see was Lita watching the whole ordeal. Then in got real quite for about 30 seconds. The next thing we could see was Arnold tucked underneath Paul's arm. Arnold wasn't really friendly at this point, but he allowed Paul to pick him up and carry him to safety. Apparently, the donkeys even got in on the chase. Arnold was surprisingly fine and not injured at all, maybe a little traumatized but not physical hurt. He and Paul have been pretty good buddies ever since. Arnold has never tried to get out of the stall again.
2nd--Isosceles...AKA Ice, arrives.
He is a 2 year old Jersey Bull. We believe he has already taken care of Iris. Ice has a very unique coloring on his face and a very mean look. It is quite deceiving because he has turned out to be the sweetest thing. He even has a very HIGH pitched mooooo. Ice's sire was a very painted and docile bull, so we are hoping he can throw some of his dad's paint on his calves at Silo Springs and remain docile also. The previous owner said he was beginning to snort, but luckily we haven't witness any of that. He loves a good head and chin rub. He loves him some Iris too!!!😂. We had him Quarantined until all his test came back negative, but he decided quarantine was not necessary and broke out.He must have been smitten when viewing Iris through the cracks of the barn. Luckily, all his test came back negative.
3rd--On Valentine's Day we picked up two purebred Highland Yearlings....Dixie, the black one and Izzy the silver one. The farm we bought them from was 1/2 in Oklahoma and 1/2 in Arkansas. We headed up there on Saturday the 13th. We knew snow was in the forecast in Arkansas, but it wasn't suppose to arrive until later in the day on Sunday. We had arranged to pick the cows up at 8 am and to be long gone before the snow arrived. Paul and I both should have known better, because that's not how things work out for us. I woke up at 6:30 on Sunday morning and looked outside...no snow. Got my shower and as I finished getting ready, Paul said, "Have you looked outside." I said, "Yes, no snow." He said, "Maybe you should look again." 😳 The ground was covered in snow. It was exciting and scary all at the same time. (And Pretty, soooooo pretty) We met the guy we bought the cows from at a gas station on the Arkansas/Okalahoma line, because he said we wouldn't be able to make it to his farm with the snow.He backed his trailer up to ours and those sweet, beautiful cows loaded without a problem right into our trailer. So we were on the road in no time in what appeared to be a blizzard!!! By 1:30, we were ahead of the snow storm, no snow anywhere on the roads. It was pretty much that way all the way to Tennessee, until we turned onto Snow Creek Road and it was completely covered in snow/ice. The last 5 miles to the house were the most stressful, but we made it and this is where the story gets interesting. We wanted to quarantine the animals until we could get testing done. Paul had put some cattle panels up to block off a stall in our implement shed and then another one at the front of the shed once they were in there.
Cattle panels are up and Paul backed the trailer up where we could unload the cows & they couldn't get out....Right..... They went into the stall and as Paul was trying to secure the front panel he said, "give them some hay to be eating on." So I go get hay and throw it into the middle of stall and OMG. (This is the point we realized we had wild cows.) Cows start running into walls, trying to knock down cattle panels. I ran over to get one off of a panel and she tricked me because I left my corner where I was blocking the gap between the shed and trailer. She jumped off the panel, but then bolted out where the trailer and implement shed left a gap. I just stood there in the snow thinking....What just happened and how are we going to fix this. Then I realized I hadn't heard anything from Paul and I began calling... "Paul are you OK??? " Paul, the fast thinker he is, saw what was happening and ran to close up some openings in the field they had ran out in. It was so late, snowing, and cold that we hoped they stayed in this area for the night without trying to escape.
Next morning we go to check on them and they are still confined to the small area that was not really intended to be a field, however it was working. I walked toward Izzy and Dixie, talking to them, and Izzy literally plows into a fence, backs up and tries again. I did an about face and walked away hoping she would stop and that the fence wouldn't collapse. She did stop and we decided we were not going to mess with them anymore until they settled down...not even going to make eye contact!!
So they stayed in this field for a month, just watching us interact with the other cows. Watching us give treats to other cows and watching us set out treats for them and then walk off so they could eat. Dixie is definitely the braver one. She was really curious about what we were feeding the other cows. She would never get close enough to take one, but was watching closely.
We reinforced the stall we wanted them in with wood and put up a real gate. We kept water, hay, minerals in the stall so they would get use to going in there. Last weekend, I made a big production of filling 2 bowls full with sweet feed. Dixie immediately stood up and was watching with a close eye. I carried both bowls over to their stall and set it in the very back. Paul stayed behind the implement shed. It took 5- 10 minutes for them to get the nerve up, but eventually both went in the stall and began eating the sweet feed. I was talking loudly to Britta, hopefully distracting them from hearing as Paul slowly approached the gate and closed it!!!. We did it!! We caught them!!
They have been in a stall only a week and Paul actually got to pet Dixie as she was eating Monday. So, we are feeling pretty successful at the moment with Dixie and Izzy.
4th--Not a new arrival, but after about 4 months we are so excited to have Wilma and Candy back in our fields. They have been visiting Renmi at Lil' Angels Farm. They were preg tested on January 13th and both were still open. They were with Renmi another month and 1/2 and we are hoping they are pregnant. We will be checking them in the near future. If not, they will be AI'd in June with Renmi's seman. Help us pray for Pregnant cows!!!!!
5th--And saving the BEST for last. Our Sweet Britta gave birth to a bouncing baby boy on March 7th. Paul has always said, "I just want to walk out and there be a new calf."
That is exactly what happened. I could tell Britta was getting close to delivery....because I have googled and looked at cow butts more than I care to admit!!😂. We put her in a birthing suite (stall), so she and baby would be safe during the birth.
The day before Waylon was born, we let her out while we cleaned her birthing suite. Then debated about letting her stay out, but finally decided we should put her back. She really didn't seem to mind at all. Monday Morning I asked Paul to go by and check on her before going to work. He did and there was little Waylon ....It happened just like Paul wanted it too. A nice, sweet little surprise waiting for us to ooooooh and awww over.
With all that we have been through with this house, I can get discouraged really quick...Just ask Paul. As I sit here and write this this morning, I have been laughing out loud at some of the things we have done together. Stories that Paul and I will be telling our family and friends years from now. I feel so guilty as I realize that we have been truly blessed during our trials. Things have not gone perfectly, like we would have liked. There has been confrontations. We feel like people we put our trust in let us down, wronged us. But that can be expected with people, people aren't perfect. People are flawed. God isn't, He is perfect. He is always blessing us and making a way. Satan just tries to taint our mind and keep us focused on the negative. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "Trust the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths". We are going to get this house finished, with God's grace and help. I personally am trying to focus on God and His power, not on the obstacles I face. As well as, trying to do a better job of remembering/counting the blessings I am given to get through those difficult and discouraging days.
Comments
Post a Comment