It was still dark out, but David and I had been up for some time. The beauty of freshly fallen snow enthralled me as I walked the short distance to the barn to care for our pet rabbits. I love winter! I shivered a little, though, as I walked. I really needed to get out my winter boots, especially considering what was planned for that morning. Excitement mounted as I entered the barn, placed a bucket of water in its holder, helped David move some large objects out of the way, and took a final glance at the prepared place. We were ready. Now, she just need to arrive – and that would be soon! We exited the barn together. As we glanced toward the road, we saw a vehicle pass, slow down, and stopped a couple houses down. It turned around and came toward out driveway. This was earlier than we had expected, but that was no trouble. I went to meet the expected arrival while David informed the others inside…
For some time now, we have been eagerly anticipating the arrival of a new addition to our animal “family.” This morning at 6:30, she arrived! Since pictures would certainly tell the story better than my words, I escape the necessity of racking my brain for a way to describe it…
This cow is a Dexter – the smallest purebred breed of cattle. She was so small that she could not be seen over the tailgate until one went right up to it. Dexters are supposed to be one of the best as family cows due to their small size, generally friendly disposition, economic feeding habits, high milk yield for its size, and excellent meat on calves raised as beef. As can be seen, our cow is black, however, the Dexter breed also comes in “red” (more like a reddish-brown) and dun. Black is the dominant colour, so it is not impossible that we get a brown calf someday!
We’re thanking the Lord (I especially) for all He has taught us through the process of preparing for this cow. It has been and, I am certain, will continue to be a wonderful, sanctifying experience! I have learned so much thus far (not just about cows)!
So the day finally arrived at last! I was just thinking that I wrote my last comment too early. No more milk shopping!
We actually [i]will[/i] be milk shopping for a little while yet, as she will only be calving in April. But it is nice to have the cow get used to us before we start milking her!
Elizabeth, do you have a name for your "cutie pie" yet? She is very cute… I am looking forward to seeing her, Lord willing, sometime soon.
Oh my, I can’t wait to see the calf, it’ll be so cute. I was just noticing, Do you have snow?
Hi Matthew!
We’ve had snow a couple times. There was an inch or two when the cow arrived, so some suggested calling it "snowball". I think it didn’t quite work for a black cow, though. 🙂 We don’t currently have any snow, but I think we’re supposed to get some tonight.
Yes, we do have a name for her… You want to know what it is? 🙂 As Jonathan mentioned, it isn’t Snowball, though she did get quite a bit of snow on her when we let her out into the fence this afternoon. Someone suggested calling her Blackie, but several people objected, declaring that name to be a cat’s name. Other suggestions came up too: Vacha, Oreo, Cocoa, Clara, Lilac, Cupcake, Ora, Mocha, Kieta, Aurora, Gala, Mucha, amongst others. We finally decided to have a vote. I wrote out several names that were preferred by several people and had everyone mark the names they liked best. The one that came out on top was a little of a surprise to everyone. I don’t think it was anyone’s favourite, but apparently it was the one on which pretty much everyone agreed – the whole idea behind this system of naming. So, our cow now has a name. Oh, right, you want to know what that is! 🙂 We’ve settled for calling her Mocha. I know, she’s black, not brown, but it suits her well enough and everyone likes the name.
I, too, hope you can come see her soon!
What a cute name for a cute cow! I’m anxious to see her (and you)!
I like that name…thank goodness, though, that her name will have absolutely no bearing on the flavour of her milk!!!
That’s a good one Erica!!
Why, Matthew, do you mean you don’t like the taste of mocha too? What a shame! It’s a great combination – chocolate and coffee – I absolutely love it! If there was such a cow out there I would be sure to have one!!!
That’s not what I meant. I meant that thinking to name a cow a drink would cause it’s milk to taste like the drink was …. ummm….just….well, very original to say the least!!!!
This seems to be becoming a discussion about flavours. I share Erica’s view on the smell and taste of coffee, but Jonathan (a mocha lover) pointed out that even those who do like that flavour would tire rather quickly of milk tasting like it. Besides, consider the limited usage! 🙂