2006-05-08 - 10:36 a.m.

Quote for the day: "My type of humor is almost pure identification. A housewife reads my column and says, 'But that's happened to ME! I know just what she's talking about!'…Basically women work alone when they're at home. They think no one is feeling what they are feeling, that no one understands their daily frustrations. But we do; we all do."
-Erma Bombeck

End of the week Milking

It has been an interesting week of milking for the first time. We had some awful storms here the other day so I was thankful I didn’t have to milk at night like my neighbor who after the storm still had to go out there with flashlight to milk. I just let the kids have the morning milk by letting them be with her all night. This brings to mind that I will need some kind of light out there if this happens to me what happend to my neighbor.

I have to keep nails trimmed so I won’t pinch her especially since her teats are so short for me to grasp. Speaking of teats I am having a hard grabbing the left one and milking in properly which gets her upset.

The right one is easy to milk now when I first started it wasn’t. She is also holding back and I know this because I can be milking her and stop to adjust in my chair and try to start up and nothing! I have to push on her udders like a kid would do to get more milk and eventually she lets it go

I am still getting my quart but she is not giving much to the kid goats in the morning so I make sure they have plenty to eat in two more weeks they will be off completely and we will sell them for meat.

I am thankful to have them cause of the storm thing but for instance on Saturday I didn’t put the boys up which meant I didn’t have to get up that early. This is a commitment I will have to really think on.

How about the days I get sick? I was thinking of having my daughter do it, but I have so much trouble with her how would my daughter handle her and get all her milk out?

I am still thinking a jersey cow would be better plus a milking machine would be better for a goat and sheep in the future. It’s the end of the week and my hands hurt, it takes a toil of your fingers even writing this my hands are hurting.

I have already a gallon of milk for making cheese but haven’t found the time for it yet, I have a friend coming over today so maybe she will make cheese with me.

I am still working on her feed, she gains and loses so fast I have to keep an eye on her, she is not eating all her food on the stand cause she starts to get irritated with me hahaha, so I am offering it to her for later now to make sure she eats it.

She still bucks even with the goat hobbles on her legs and today she got out of it a few times, yesterday not once. It’s an art putting that thing on I tell ya!

Second and Third Milking - Second week milking