Snowman: Trouble?

Snowman the bull was covering Toots yesterday when we went to milk. It was hot enough that he let her drink, but he was not letting her get more than about two feet away. When we went out today, she was holding her tail a couple of inches out from her backside.

All is not great with that scenario, though: ten weeks and two days ago, we thought Snowman had bred Toots. I do hope Snowman isn't shooting blanks! And how distressing if Toots can't get pregnant. A year of feeding that heifer (plus the very costly drive up to the border of Canada).

Ten weeks doesn't fit into any kind of normal heat cycle, though. Perhaps Toots miscarried?

In any case, the calf I had hoped for in February 2012 is not going to be born. End of April becomes the new hope. On the plus side: what a relief that we have a bull to at least alert us to her heats. If we were trying to catch her heats in order to do AI, I think we'd be sunk.

We went and milked Catherine at 5pm yesterday, instead of 7ish. I liked that a lot more. Little Clover hadn't roused himself yet from his evening nap, and so I got a bit more milk than normal: four cups, instead of one. She still isn't fully letting down (Clover nursed as soon as I was done tonight, and I saw the milk, and even squirted a teat), so I will try to get a good peppermint lotion to assist her.

I checked the bees this evening. I was pleased to see the larger hive had only consumed about a cup of syrup. So if they are hungry, they're not desperately hungry, and they're smart enough not to drink the fake stuff. With temperatures actually at 100 (not "feels like" but actual), the bees of both hives were lounging outside their entrances. It was a bee lido deck, minus the pools.

Without a massive market garden, we're trying to figure out the best use for the newly improved two acres of soil, and for the 2160 square feet inside the large greenhouse, whenever we finish it. I am fond of the idea of a little fruit tree nursery. (Really, I'm fond of the idea of an olive grove inside the greenhouse, but that is neither cost effective, nor practical, with such amazing and inexpensive olive oil coming from Italy.) Perhaps there is a better idea, though. Virginia-grown ginger? That would probably be better under low hoops. Tulips? Too much of the year without a crop. Other ideas? Forthcoming, perhaps.

It is interesting to me that the boys pray almost every day for more fruit, "especially raspberries." So maybe a highly productive bramble patch would be a prudent use of space. I bet I would have more enthusiastic help picking than I get for peppers or tomatoes, neither a favorite food for the young men in this family.