Moo is Queen
of the Kirkhaven Milking Brigade once again! Rebecca gets to go on dairy
vacation and Moo takes her rightful place as Kirkhaven Family Milk Cow. It's
Moo, me, and a Kirkhaven sunrise every morning now. ~happy sigh~
There truly couldn't be a more wonderful milk
cow that my sweet Moo. She is so willing and accomodating. Such a great mother to her
calves and an excellent milk producer for us. We are so grateful to Sally Coad
and Warren Coad at Freedom Farms Dexter Cattle in Philadelphia Tennessee for
breeding such quality Dexters!
I know . . . it probably seems crazy to be so
excited about a cow that gives milk. Isn't that what they are SUPPOSED to do??
But my fellow Dexter-milk-cow owners "get it" . . . I am sure.
You see . . . Moo doesn't ~have~ to do this.
She doesn't ~have~ to stand perfectly still. She doesn't ~have~ to wait
patiently while I work. She doesn't ~have~ to share her rich, frothy milk with
the farmer. But she chooses to. The trust, on both sides, is immense.
Moo trusts me to not take ALL of the milk so
her calf won't go hungry. She trusts me to treat her udder with skill and
gentleness. She trusts me to make sure that she has plenty of healthy food and
fresh water so that her milk production is up to the challenge. She trusts that
her calf is in a safe place during her short absence from him. She trusts that
I will promptly reunite her with her baby when the milking session is over. And
she trusts that she will be released to join her herd on the brae so she can
resume her job as Herd Matriarch.
And I must trust Moo. To sit on a VERY low
stool (Moo is short) . . . with my face VERY near the back hooves of a 700+
pound animal . . . is a VERY precarious position to be in.
It's a partnership . . . Moo and me. Some
people are cavalier about their livestock. But I just feel humbled. I am
grateful to the others who have preserved these rare cattle so that I can now
raise them. I am grateful to the Lord for His blessing on my ridge-top heritage
farm. And I am grateful to Moo . . . even if she is ~only~ a cow . . . for her
gentle, kind nature.
