Even the Heifers & Dairy Cows Are Enjoying The Indian Summer

It's mid November, you would expect it to be rainy, cold and about 50 degrees out here in northern California, but not this year, not this November.  Just when I put away my summer clothes and began wearing boots, scarves and cozy coats, I had to bring out the summer pants, flip flops and paint my toenails again because it's 80 degrees!

I don't dare complain about it though.  I know what's around the corner, even as close as this up-coming weekend.  I'll just enjoy it while we have it and be thankful for this sunny, Indian summer weather.  Maybe more of my green tomatoes will ripen?  We'll see.

You know who else is enjoying the sunny weather?  Take a look at these girls.......  



If only I could read their mind.  I imagine they're thinking it's great to live here.  We're out on pasture, it's sunny and warm, AND we have fresh, new, sweet and tender green grass to graze upon from all the rain we had in October!

I, myself had to take a walk up the hill behind our home to pay the girls a little visit {no bull in sight}.  Cows are the most curious animals.  They are very trusting and walk right up to you, unafraid and gentle.

Here they come, all of them.

I'm pretty sure if I had stayed around a little longer, they would have used me for a salt lick.

But instead, I walked back down the cow trail to the house.

And look who was waiting for me!  Little Miss Chloe, the wanna-be-cow-dog.

Happy Tuesday!
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Where's the Beef? It's time to move them back down.

It's that time of year again, where we move our pairs (mamas and calves) of beef from the top of the hill behind Stafford Lake, back down to the bottom to wean the 10 month old calves from their mamas.  My father in law, George found 30 pairs a couple of days ago and moved them to a lower lying area but couldn't find the rest of them.  There's approximately 1200 acres they have to roam and graze upon during the summer.  They do a great job for fire protection.....good grass mowers!  When they're moved back down to our own 250 acres, they'll be ready to calve again sometime in September.

Chloe wanted to help, much to Dominic's chagrin.  Chloe likes to sit in the driver's lap and Dominic was driving.  But she also loves to hang out an open window so I kept mine down and she stayed in my lap.

She's a happy girl.

Great view of Stafford Lake from up here.

Up and down through the hills and valleys we looked.

Bryce also enjoyed helping.

Oooh!  We found one......but only one. See the black spot in the center of the photo near the trees?  That's her.

I love the scenery from up at the top.  For the non-locals, you can see how dry our grass becomes in the summer time.

Here we are at the very top, looking towards the south.  If you look really close, on the left, in the valley between the first two hills, you can see a fog covered San Francisco.

Since we couldn't find the cows on our drive to the top, Dominic started an alfalfa trail on the way back down in hopes that the cows will follow it down the hill to a spot where we can find them in the next day or so.

Look how lazy I am!  I snapped almost every photo from the seat in the truck!

Here's a shot of the ranch.  You can see our house up and to the left of the barns....it looks like a little brown clump in a clearing.

Only one casualty.  Before we headed up the hill, one of the beef cows at the lower level spotted the alfalfa bale in the back of the truck and tried to jump in.  Anything for food!  Poor truck :(

Hopefully all the pairs will be down the hill in the next day.

Happy Saturday!

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