Family Day

Now that we have less going on a the farm we can spend more time as a family on the weekends.  Yesterday was a full day at the farm, beginning with chores in the morning.  It was only about 35 or so out so we all bundled up and Bea helped me milk while Dan fed the pigs & chickens. I wish I had our camera. While I was milking, Bea was standing next to me warming up her cheeks on Patches' tummy - rubbing her face back and forth through her fur.  It was very sweet. Patches is so soft and smells so good, like hay and sunshine. (Please don't believe that cows are dirty & smelly.) Bea is starting to get the feel for milking and every time does a little bit more.  We've just gotten a glimpse of the cold mornings that are coming. Soon it will be too cold to have her at the farm early in the morning.  

We fed our own kitties and the family of barn cats their milk and brought the cows out to pasture.  And then on to our big project for the day - collecting leaves for compost.  We've put out signs for a leaf drop, so we'll see if anyone else adds to our pile.  Bea and Dan had a great time jumping in the big leaf pile.  

At the end of the day we hung out watching the cows eat (waiting for them to eat until contented  - if we try to bring them back to the barn before they've had their fill they can be naughty).  They were in the corner of the field where our neighbor store's his round bales, so a great time was had playing hide and seek and climbing  and jumping off of them.

We also had our first fire of the season last night, so it really felt like a day of ushering in the cold weather.  It is so nice to sit with Bea in front of the fire with the lights out right before bed time.