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Luxembears:
Could I "borrow" one of your milk cows? We go through so much milk in this house that I keep threatening to get one and make the hubby milk her every day (he drinks sooooo much milk!)
Could maybe hook her up to a convenient spigot in the kitchen? :twisted: ..........(kidding!)
Tracy, I can't tell you how many times I have said..."Gosh , I need to go to the store. We're almost out of milk!" Then I look out of the kitchen window at all that milk walking around!
Our family goes through about five gallons of milk a week.
Here in Wisconsin they serve milk in bars!
LuxembearsSo Judy...what do you do in your spare time????????????
Kim-Bee BearsI think I go through a gallon of milk myself a week! I would rather drink milk than anything else 
That would be so neat to live on a farm... do you have just cows? what about chickies?
LuxembearsKimmy, we used to have three goats. Two pygmy goats and a Nubian goat. I LOVE goats...but then we got two registered llamas and they did not get along with the goats so we found new home's for them. I cried 
. I would like to get more goats. They are so neat. They come when you call them and when I used to go outside it sounded as if they were calling me " maaa-aaa-aa--aaaaaa....".
The llamas..well...I got deeper into my bear business and found less time for them. We donated them to a beautiful at-home petting farm. I think they are very happy where they are now.
My husband had chickens when he was growing up. I would like to get some but he doesn't want any.
He also had a few hogs but not for long. He said I would hate the smell. I think pigs are cute.
If our children show a big interest in horses we may get one or two down the road.
Kim-Bee BearsLOL you had me laughing about he MAAAAAA MAAA Thing! LOL... I think piggies can be rather stinky... piglets are sooo cute though!!! I would like to see a llama in person, they are such neat creatures!
West Palm Beach, FLJudi - Wow what a day. The farm is beautiful. I love to see the crops growing and the cows with their gorgeous markings. You can almost smell that "earthy" farm smell. What a great place for your kids to grow up.
Jill
LuxembearsThanks Jill. This place is quite a different climate the Florida
BEAR ME SHOOTKAJudi, what a beautiful place you live in! 
I enjoyed seeing all the photos! I have never seen anything like this in my life! :hug: :pray:
Thank you for inviting us into your amazing warm home!
I do wonder when do you sleep??? not speaking of spare time..... 
julia.
beautiful happy family1 god bless you all! :hug: :pray:
This is so interesting and fun to read! Thanks for sharing this.
I think cows are so cute. I figured running a farm takes a lot of work, but I didnt' know what was involved. I didn't realize how complicated it would be to photograph cows. I personally like the pic of you with the boots and skirt in front of the cow.
Do you miss the city or do you love the farm so much you don't care?
I showed DH the pictures and he was ready to come and visit. He thought it looked great. He said he would help with the cows.
Ha!! We've got you all beat in the milk drinking department. We go through 1 1/2 gallons a day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So Judi, can I have one of your cows?
We had a goat once named Sadie. She did that Maaa maaa thing too.......and tried to come in the house (she did sneak in a couple of times)...........and would "knock" on the back door and windows wanting to come in.........and ate my flowers......and nibble our clothes.........and tap danced on my ex's truck hood (I loved that one!!!!) We didn't have room for her when we moved, so I had to find a home for her. I miss her!!!
:hug:
Tracy
Mountain Dreamer BearsWow Judi! What an awesome tour. Thank you so much for sharing your world with us. Your family is beautiful and your farm seems like a wonderful, happy, busy place.
You have a huge operation there! I actually worked as a milk hand briefly. I enjoyed it, probably because I love cows, the country, and all sorts of farmy type things, but it isn't a life for everyone. Even though I just got a taste of dairy farming, I know that it takes a tremedous amount of work to keep things running. It is a 24/7 job in itself and yet you all also do crop farming, bear making, ballroom dancing, teaching on-line classes, TT advising, etc, etc, etc! How do you do it all? You have my total respect and admiration!
You packed so much interesting stuff into this report. I thoroughly enjoyed it and all the pictures. I can't wait for tomorrow's installment!
:hug: :hug: hugs,
Just Us BearsJudi,
I am so enjoying this window into your life! Chris and I worked the family dairy farm for 15 years and I milked cows many times too. My favourite part was feeding the calves...so cute! I can't imagine what it must be like farming where it snows. Do you shed your cows through the winter time? Is the number of cows you milk about average for your area? We used to milk 230 and that was fairly standard for a 20 a side herringbone shed in this district, but nowadays people are having to upsize to make a living and milk more that 500 cows in big rotary dairies. UGH! 
The only crops we used to do were turnips and we cut silage about six weeks before hay. Do you do sileage too? Stinks!
Loved all the pics and appreciate the work it took to bring us this bit 'o' fun too!
Dolls N DreamsWonderful pics Judi, very interesting, can't wait till tomorrow!
Jare Hares & BearsJudi -
You did a really nice job.
Trust your husband on the pigs. The can smell up a place fast. If I take the back roads to work in the summer I can smell the "money".
I grew up in town but most of the kids in school were farm kids. Our house is a farm house and use to be outside the city limits. That changed when the railroad came to town and the center of town shifted closer to our house. The neighbor lady that lived across the street had chickens when we first moved to town. I still remember her going out to feed them. As they died, the city told her that she could not replace them. Too bad really, they were fun to watch. I think when I retire I will move to the country and have a farm, with cows, horses, maybe a goat or two, dogs, cats, and chickens, lots of chickens. But by then I we be fabulously wealthy and will have a staff to care for all the animals. LOL! Like that is going to happen.
Thanks so much Judi for giving us a tour of your farm and showing us your lovely family.
Look forward to seeing what you are up to tomorrow.
Very interesting and thanks again.
Bear hugs
Carolyn
Delartful BearsOh Judi, what an amazing tour! I loved every bit of it! I LOVED learning about professional photo shoots for cows - very interesting! I am a cow person, infact I'm often called one- I take it as a compliment
Great read, can't wait for tomorrow!
Danni
Matilda Huggington-beareWell I be!!! I actually found myself completely absorberd. I was surprised when it was over. Cant wait till tomorrow. :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:
Thankyou Judi I'm looking forward to more.
DoodlebearsWow Judi, what a different life you have to me. Thank you so much for the report. I am looking forwards to the next one. Great photos too!
Hugs Jane 
Jazzy RagsThat was amazing to see what you are doing over there looks like another planet Thank you Judi .
Bumpkin Bears
oh fantastic Judi, I used to help out on the sheep farm next to my Granny's house in England and I loved it, being a true Country Bumpkin Reading about the circus for taking a photo of a cow made me laugh and reminded me about trying to get good photos of my horses, making all sorts of noises to get them to prick up their ears! Mind you, my last horse was such a poser you only had to get the camera out and he got all his feet square, lifted up his head and pricked his ears and said - ok I'm ready for my close up!! I've attached a photo of Skelm (means Little Rascal in Afrikaans - and he certainly was!) posing for the camera, he didn't even have to be held, just stood there and looked handsome
Can't wait for your next photos tomorrow
Hugs
Catherine
LuxembearsI figured running a farm takes a lot of work, but I didnt' know what was involved. I didn't realize how complicated it would be to photograph cows.
Do you miss the city or do you love the farm so much you don't care?
I showed DH the pictures and he was ready to come and visit. He thought it looked great. He said he would help with the cows. :)
Chrissie, I too, never knew how much work was involved with farming. There are no days off for Mark. Since my sister's, nephew's, and brother-in-laws unexpected passing, my family has come to realize just how important it is to stay connected. So we now try to get away once a year for a few days to meet up with my suriving sister brother, thier families, and my dad and step mom at some location in the USA. Leaving the farm can be risky. We have a good crew but only ONE guy who we can leave to be incharge of overseeing everything. We also stay in daily contact via cell phone.
I love the country so much...the view, the fresh air, the smell of the crops breaking ground inspring. I find peace, insiration, and so much beauty here. I don't think I could ever again live in the city after being on the farm..... AND...we are only 20 minutes from the nearest shopping mall!!!
LuxembearsWe had a goat once named Sadie. She did that Maaa maaa thing too.......and tried to come in the house (she did sneak in a couple of times)...........and would "knock" on the back door and windows wanting to come in.........and ate my flowers......and nibble our clothes.........and tap danced on my ex's truck hood (I loved that one!!!!)
Tracy.. Oh our goats did the same things ! They used to jump on the hood of Mark's car leaving incrimminating hoof marks. OOOOOOO he did not like the goats at all but tolerates almost anything for me. He's a gem
Luxembears
I can't imagine what it must be like farming where it snows. Do you shed your cows through the winter time? Is the number of cows you milk about average for your area? We used to milk 230 and that was fairly standard for a 20 a side herringbone shed in this district, but nowadays people are having to upsize to make a living and milk more that 500 cows in big rotary dairies. UGH!
The only crops we used to do were turnips and we cut silage about six weeks before hay. Do you do sileage too? Stinks!
:love:
The winter can be hard at times but in out barn, the heat created from the cows keeps them all pretty warm. They are only let out for a short time for exercise in during the colder months. The claves get to wear special calf coats to keep them warm.
Sounds lik eyou milked in quite a large parlor. On our farm we have stanchion stall milking. For those who havne't a clue what I am talking about, in parlor milking, the cows come to a milking location to be milked. A stanchion system is where the cows are milked in thier own stalls.
On day 3 I'll show you how we milk cows.
Baird'sBears Late as usual, but I LOVED every bit of Day One. :dance:
Gorgeous place, people and cowses. I've never met a cow I couldn't have an intelligent conversation with, except for the pair that turned out to be oxen. They just fixed me with evil glares and urinated copiously to show their contempt. Oh well . . .
I'm forcing myself to go out into the freezing wind to shop for dinner before I'm allowed to see Day Two!
Can't wait!
Eileen
Rufnut Teddy'sThanks Judi for sharing your life with us, I admire people who put in all that hard work. My parents run a Beef Cattle farm here in Australia and grow their own crops. It is a full time, 24 hour a day job.
Cow photography seems very similar to professional Dog photography. Every shot must show off a perfect top line.
Thanks again. :clap:
