Crazy daze. Can’t believe how crappy Mars has been. Brent played 80’s music this evening. I’m not sure when Chaka released this song, but it is timeless. Reminds me of my Breakin’ days. Yeah, I did a little break dance action, but I was the dancer finding gravity, not the dude doing head spins. Kicked my leg high, lots of turns, never mastered the worm. We all had a good laugh AND I fixed their toilet.
I’ll leave you here.
“We are most of the way there. Calves are coming. Mostly smooth, but some need a little special attention. It was all-on day today, for me. Not a moment to break.”
I started this post last week, but was arrested by “Bedfordshire Clanger.” I went back to the computer, as I do because everyone and animal takes me away from sitting on my arse gazing into the interwebs like a zombie that was held hostage in a deep cellar for ten years. …. aaahrg. Look! moving pictures with sound!
Wikipedia, pert on my screen, describing the Bedfordshire Clanger. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bedfordshire_clanger
The Bedfordshire Clanger gives you these sensations, in one sausage roll. Only if you eat it from left to right: Amuse-bouche, entree, fiddly salad, more wank, the real meal deal followed by dessert … and, I assume, coffee.
It’s a dish for farmers in the field. Now that I’ve heard of it, I suppose I should give ‘er a go. Why was it on my screen? I don’t have a clue, ask Brent.
I’m surprised Pizza Hut wasn’t on this. Think outside the cheese. Stick it in a bucket … or a roll?!
Otto moved some logs.
And that calf up at the top? Lust For Life, Brent had to pull him out. Quite an effort, but he is great! and running around like a he-nut.
The cake that Minty made for the school? Zelie ate it. So Zelie had to make a new cake for the school.
Meat delivered to Bordeaux today. It’s a pleasant drive and not too far away. Plus, it feels great to get grass-fed beef into customer hands.
There was a bit of traffic today. Mostly merging issues. Nothing compared to Seattle merging issues. They have issues, that Seattle. They refuse to zipper. A zipper merge is when you merge when the signs tell you to, don’t merge too early. Too early and you have a whole lot of piteous zippers not advancing. Bordeaux did okay, but too many giant trucks slowed us down. What I lost in time to my delivery point, I gained in new and exciting places in Bordeaux.
While waiting on the bridge to delivery drop number two, there it was. With an American flag, a French flag and another flag, Bastards Choppers.
Beautiful. I have thoughts about Bastards Choppers, but I don’t want to ruin the moment. I’ll let it sink in for you as it did for me. Pretend you are waiting at a red light in a left turn only lane with people in the right lane pretending they didn’t know about the left they need to make, then cutting in. Bastards! That is a broken zipper. If only I had a chopper. In France, you can split lanes with a chopper.
I think I’m becoming a little bit country. I go to big cities now and bumpkin my way around. I’ve only ever lived in cities. When I was in “go-mode,” I didn’t notice things like odd offices spaces. I would just walk under things like this getting to the next meeting or appointment. I noticed a lot of grass that was perfect for grazing. Also a lot of people on bicycles. There might be more bicycles than cars in Bordeaux.
I’ve been to Bordeaux, but I’ve never been to …. Bordeaux. I have to rush back to the farm and carry on with carry on stuff. I’m in “carry-on” mode now.
So many bridges in Bordeaux. It reminds me of Portland, Oregon ( only older ). If you drive over this bridge with the towers, Bastards Choppers is on your right.
Spring! Spring. spring. Spring is here. The eggs, they cometh.
We have brown eggs. Other brown eggs. Some green eggs. Some dark brown eggs. Where are the white ones? Still searching for white egg layers. Our American children … they need to dye some eggs!
We’ve been selling grass-fed beef for a few years now. We know and love our customers. They come to us for many reasons. Sometimes it is because the beef is grass-fed and grass finished. Sometimes it is because our beef has the flavor of beef. Sometimes they come because they want to eat food that has been raised locally, on local soil in local weather breathing local air. Sometimes they come because their children will only eat our beef burgers. Sometimes they come because they want to give Brent a hard time and have a coffee and give the dogs a pat.
Whatever your reason, we’ve finally updated our ” How To Buy Beef ” page to help you buy beef.
http://grasspunk.com/how-to-buy-beef/
( go us! )
but really, page aside, if you want to buy beef you need to give us your email address. The process isn’t really page-worthy.
These photos were taken today ( March 25, 2015 ) Green on the ground, gray in the sky. Where’s our sun?!
We arrived on this farm with some vines. Never, ever planning or paying for vine rights, the ability to do vines was transferred and our vines culled. Don’t worry, more pasture for the cows. The vine bidness is a bidness we never want to go with. So the rights were sold off and we carry on with grass-fed beef.
As it is still gloomy and not so Springy, I went back in the photo archives to capture where we started and where we are trending. Vines, vines all around.
Taken down without a sound. But look around, beautiful pasture for those abound. Mostly our cattle, but also those deer and pigs and worms. Don’t forget the worms. I know they are ugly, but worms are essential for fertility. I’m still waiting for the “Save The Worm” campaign. If only they had a fluffy tail.
We seeded and grazed this pasture for a few years now. Learning each month what is needed. Green seems to be popular. Grazing is working, but we are planning the next few months what this side of the farm needs.
Each day, each month, each year, we learn how pasture learns. How this farm will continue growing and supplying food for cattle or other livestock or people in an efficient way.
Cows in cow scratch post heaven.
Calf with something to say.
Mum licking her new calf.
Zelie expressing herself while Minty makes a cake for school.
There was a solar eclipse today. I didn’t take a photo, but this is what it looked like. Partial eclipse, total let down. Too cloudy.
We’ve been wanting to take this tree down for awhile. As you can see, it’s right next to the power lines. We get very strong winds here. When the wind comes, our sleep is interrupted as we worry about that damn tree.
The tree died because it was strangled by steel wire used for a clothes line. When we moved to the farm, Brent pushed in a post next to the tree. I took the wire off of the tree and onto the new post. But, it was too late.
We aren’t experts with giant tree felling. But we have friends that know this area. He came over to get ‘er done.
A very long rope was placed high in the tree then attached to Brent’s tractor in the distance. Mr. Fellow made sure the rope was taut and then did the first cut. I thought I was there to take photos, but no I was to raise my arm when the tree began to move. I had been crunching numbers for hours before this with a small break to look at the clouds and envision what a solar eclipse might look like. Head in a fog, I wasn’t prepared to signal the moment when the tree moved. What if I got it wrong?! I started mentally playing out the scenarios when the tree falls in an unexpected direction. What do I say? Mr. Fellow has noise cancelling ear muffs on! We agreed on one signal, the one where the tree moves in the right direction. I scoot back because one of my mentally construed scenarios was that it might fall on me. I focused and had my arm ready. The tree made a move, I raised my arm, Mr. Fellow signalled Brent, Brent eased the tractor forward and the tree fell.
Right where we wanted it to.
I’m bummed that I didn’t catch photos of the tree mid-fall. It was impressive. You didn’t see it fall, but it made a sound.
While waiting for the water bowl to fill, I grabbed some shots of the calves.
When the cows are moved, the calves get excited. They run around and then get bored. The sun is on today, so they snuggle into the grass while they wait for mum to have her tea.
Lots of chatter about the water cooler today. I stood there for thirty minutes or so waiting for the bowl to fill. But it was sunny and I haven’t sunbathed for years, so it was good times.
The herd gets cozy when it’s warm.
The grass is good.
Poor mum can’t have a break to take a drink without junior.
After a calf has a feed, they get milk nose. Milk all over their face. They really get into feeding. They butt their mother’s udders with their head and then feed. I’ve fed a bottle calf before, you must watch out because they will butt you too. They’ll butt anything to get more milk.
Brent tagged another calf today. Can you see him? He’s in the middle of a curious herd. Don’t try this at home. He has a technique. A technique based on a foundation of calm. If you are calm, then they are calm. We’ve tried other ways of tagging a calf that were successful, but this year has been smooth. He also castrates the boys as well.
I’m not a fan of tagging calves. It can be dangerous. Have you seen those horns? But regulations say we have to. In France, you tag both ears. I see that America has gotten off easy with one ear tag. If you don’t tag the calf the first day, you will never catch it. I believe there are rodeo events based on this principle.
