Updates, again

Disappointing news:  The deal on the house fell through.  They had their inspection, and the only thing we've heard is that there was something about the windows that they didn't like.  Not sure what that could be--there was nothing wrong with them, there was plenty of natural light, and it seems like they were looking for a way to get out of the contract.  The day before that, Jeff went to get our mail from the Palatine mailbox, and the potential buyer had already used our address to have some of his mail delivered.  Jeff took that mail, left it on the kitchen counter, and locked up the house (there was no permission asked, and potentially the buyer would have been going through our personal mail to find whatever he had mailed to himself.)  Just a bit strange. So, no sale on the house.  Disappointing, but not surprising.  I was feeling that everything was a bit flaky..... Great news (tempered with the knowledge now that the money from the house won't be in the bank):  We now have over 300 bales of various quality and type of hay in the barn.  Jeff's comment was "We wouldn't have bought all that if we didn't think that the house was selling".  My thought is:  "The cows won't starve, and God WILL provide".  We'll wait to see how that happens, exactly. 300 bales is not enough for 2 full-grown cows and a growing calf to make it completely through the winter, so Lucy is still up for sale.  It makes sense:  We can't really support two full-grown cows, either with hay or pasture, and even if we could keep Lucy, I can't milk 2 cows by hand.  What I need to keep in mind:  We have cow(s) to provide milk for our family.  Keeping two adult cows doesn't fit with that scenario, even though friends are eager to take extra raw milk off our hands!  ;) There have been some genuine responses to the ad, and a few scam responses (along the lines of "We can't pay with anything except a check.  We'll send you a check for "x" amount OVER the asking price, you deposit our check and send us that extra amount by way of a personal check from your own account, and when we receive it we'll pick up your "product".)    Sorry, no. One woman wanted a registered Dutch Belted cow, so I referred her to Farmer Bob.  Bessie is 75 % Dutch Belted with registration papers, so hopefully Bob has some cows that this woman can check out.  Other potential cow buyers wanted to buy "the other cow in the photo" (Bessie), who I specifically said was NOT for sale.  One person obviously didn't even know what the ad was for, and asked if our "pet" was still for sale". It's interesting to see what responses come along, and to sift through the worthless ones to find the honest ones. On the milk supply topic:  Bessie has decided to hold her milk back.  We're in a mental tug-of-war, it seems.  Her milk will start flowing in the stanchion and suddenly stop.  Yesterday, I kept her closed in the cow pen and shooed Lucy and baby Ruby out into the pasture.  I got a nice full gallon after just a couple of hours of having Bessie separated from her calf.  Today I did the same thing, but she had wised up to what I was doing.  Bess gave just a little bit of milk before it stopped flowing.  Then she kicked manure and straw into the bucket.  Drastic measures need to be taken, especially if the hay I'm feeding her costs $7.25 a bale!  It's not Ruby's fault, but.....little Ruby is on a halter and lead, attached to a tree in the pasture for a while right now.  She needs to learn to walk nicely on a lead anyway.  Bessie can come up to her to feed her, but this is in preparation for tomorrow's experiment.  Tomorrow morning, Ruby will be on the lead out under the pasture trees, Bessie will be separated from Ruby in the cow pen, and then Bessie and Ruby both get set free when I get a gallon of milk.  We'll keep tweaking the plan until I find something that works.  It might take Ruby being led to the nice stall that Russ and Jeff built, and then Bessie being milked right next to her.  The hitch in that plan for the moment is the idea that Ruby will allow herself to be "led" anywhere.  Hence, the halter and the lead, and the attachment to the tree, to get the young calf used to the idea of being anything other than free to go wherever she pleases.  She inherited that stubborn cow personality from her mom, for sure! Well, enough cow-talk for now.  We have potential renters for the Palatine house.  That is what we're praying for now.  A buyer, a renter.....whatever creative way God might have in mind to occupy that house and keep our bank account from bleeding out slowly with each mortgage payment. Laura.