Mooooo! I am Laurence the calf. I live at Lewis Waite Farm. I am all black and I am part dairy cow. I love romping around the pastures, getting fed out of bottles, taking naps in the shade, and untying people’s shoelaces. I have some friends in the herd even though a mostly live in the barnyard with my adopted mother. Oh, look its Nancy coming with a bottle of milk! This milk is really good I am going to butt my head to see if I can get any more. This milk has given me much more energy. I am going to do my little dance. Jump, skip, wiggle. Rats, Nancy is leaving. I know what would stop her, I will go run into her! READY, AIM, FIRE! Crash. Ha ha she is laughing and petting me but, she is still going. I think I will go lay down in the shade over there it is getting awfully hot. Maybe I will go for a walk tomorrow with Nancy, but now I am going to go to sleep. Goodnight.
- Laurence the calf
Friday, August 21, 2009
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Sweet Corn Season
August 4th - Today was a challenge right from 6 am. This is the first time we have ever had to perform mechanics, swap the whole load from one van to another and still take off by 8 am to make the delivery to 12 stops throughout the city. Yesterday we had a dilemma, do we fix the big brown van's alternator and fan belt or fix the white van's wheel bearing and be confident enough to drive to NYC without much of a test drive? We chose the big brown van even though the load was smaller than usual and gave it a test drive around the farm roads but I guess the drive was not far enough. This morning by 6:15 Alan and Colin were in the van all packed up and ready to go! After a few miles they decided to turn around and not risk the journey. They got here, made a phone call to the NAPA parts store (who opened early for them) and Colin dashed off to get the wheel bearing repair kit. In the meantime Alan and I took off all the boxes, bags, eggs, route sheets, lunches and beverages for the day and packed them back in the white van, hoping that the repair would go smoothly. Miraculously, Colin pulled it off without any bashed knuckles in a very short time. They were off by 8:30 when they intended to leave by 6:30.
Once they were off, then I finally could focus on the day's activities here. The herd check went smoothly with Lawrence the calf finally drinking a bottle this morning. For the last 3 feedings he was not hungry and I was thrilled to think that a sympathetic cow had taken him on besides her own calf and was letting him drink. This morning seeing him be thirsty makes me wonder but we'll just keep checking on him with bottles to spare twice daily and see what happens next.
Without our farm help this week, I am here holding down the fort. This letter will be short today so I can head out to feed the pigs, check the herd in their new pasture and find Lawrence again. Hope you are enjoying the nice weather between the storms and hoping for a real windup to the summer.
Take care, Nancy
Once they were off, then I finally could focus on the day's activities here. The herd check went smoothly with Lawrence the calf finally drinking a bottle this morning. For the last 3 feedings he was not hungry and I was thrilled to think that a sympathetic cow had taken him on besides her own calf and was letting him drink. This morning seeing him be thirsty makes me wonder but we'll just keep checking on him with bottles to spare twice daily and see what happens next.
Without our farm help this week, I am here holding down the fort. This letter will be short today so I can head out to feed the pigs, check the herd in their new pasture and find Lawrence again. Hope you are enjoying the nice weather between the storms and hoping for a real windup to the summer.
Take care, Nancy
Summer Visitors
The pace is really picking up at the farm this month. We have lots of visitors from the City and our family members coming and going this month. Our visitors from the city include:
Astoria Hellgate members Jim, Laura and their new son Luca. It's been a long time since such a small baby was at the farm and he is very cute. Our farm was a mid-trip rest stop on their way to Mont Tremblant in Canada for a wedding.
Astoria Arrow members Stacey and David who come north each summer to visit and work at the Fort Salem Theatre. The play Corn, The Musical was performed last weekend; written and performed by a variety of local folks. David also teaches music to children while he is here for the summer. Luckily Stacey's work is flexible enough to allow her multiple visits here and when she is here she helps at our farm. We had her packing orders last week and picking blueberries as a treat.
Chelsea member Frances is here to volunteer for the Salem Historic Courthouse fundraiser, the Al Fresco dinner. This annual event feeds about 500 people under tents on the lawn with all locally grown foods. This is a lovely summer evening community event. Frances loves the hustle of the activity in the certified kitchen of the courthouse where the food is prepared. The average distance the majority of the food travels is 12 miles (except for the olive oil - which makes the average 125 miles!). It is definitely fresh and delicious.
Our sister-in-law MaryNell brought her niece and grandniece from Americus, Georgia to see the animals. Kelly, age six is interested and wary of the animals at the same time. The cows, horse and donkey are pretty large from here perspective.
Our cousin Joan and her son Zachary are arriving today for the weekend from Minnesota, They are on a week long friends and family trip through New England.
My sister Beverly and Laura came again last week to see and help care for the new calf we are bottle feeding. "Lawrence" is so cute and well trained. We brought him out into the pasture with the herd and other new calves after a week of feeding in his stall nearby. The first two time I had a halter on him and a leash and we walked around and got used to being out and able to run. The next time I brought him to the field and when he was distracted from sticking by me and trying to suck the empty bottle, I headed for the fence and let him stay with the cows. Ever since then, about two weeks ago, he comes running from the pasture when we arrive and call him. We feed him two or three times a day with the half gallon giant baby calf bottle full of milk. He is growing quickly and has graduated to three-quarters of a gallon already. When hungry the calves are very gaunt just past their ribs, in front of their hips, yet whether he is gaunt or not, Lawrence devours the entire bottle and will keep sucking for quite a while before giving up. It is great to see that he naps and runs and butts heads with the other calves since his mother is at the dairy farm and cannot teach him herd etiquette.
We have been eating well with all this company between our lush vegetable gardens, giant blueberries and picnics and dinners at our house and my sister Judy's along the Battenkill River and even dinner out on occasion. We hope you too are enjoying the bounty of the season - we are eating all the fresh corn that we can! hope each week brings you rgeat foods and great ideas for delicious recipes. Take care, Nancy and Alan
Astoria Hellgate members Jim, Laura and their new son Luca. It's been a long time since such a small baby was at the farm and he is very cute. Our farm was a mid-trip rest stop on their way to Mont Tremblant in Canada for a wedding.
Astoria Arrow members Stacey and David who come north each summer to visit and work at the Fort Salem Theatre. The play Corn, The Musical was performed last weekend; written and performed by a variety of local folks. David also teaches music to children while he is here for the summer. Luckily Stacey's work is flexible enough to allow her multiple visits here and when she is here she helps at our farm. We had her packing orders last week and picking blueberries as a treat.
Chelsea member Frances is here to volunteer for the Salem Historic Courthouse fundraiser, the Al Fresco dinner. This annual event feeds about 500 people under tents on the lawn with all locally grown foods. This is a lovely summer evening community event. Frances loves the hustle of the activity in the certified kitchen of the courthouse where the food is prepared. The average distance the majority of the food travels is 12 miles (except for the olive oil - which makes the average 125 miles!). It is definitely fresh and delicious.
Our sister-in-law MaryNell brought her niece and grandniece from Americus, Georgia to see the animals. Kelly, age six is interested and wary of the animals at the same time. The cows, horse and donkey are pretty large from here perspective.
Our cousin Joan and her son Zachary are arriving today for the weekend from Minnesota, They are on a week long friends and family trip through New England.
My sister Beverly and Laura came again last week to see and help care for the new calf we are bottle feeding. "Lawrence" is so cute and well trained. We brought him out into the pasture with the herd and other new calves after a week of feeding in his stall nearby. The first two time I had a halter on him and a leash and we walked around and got used to being out and able to run. The next time I brought him to the field and when he was distracted from sticking by me and trying to suck the empty bottle, I headed for the fence and let him stay with the cows. Ever since then, about two weeks ago, he comes running from the pasture when we arrive and call him. We feed him two or three times a day with the half gallon giant baby calf bottle full of milk. He is growing quickly and has graduated to three-quarters of a gallon already. When hungry the calves are very gaunt just past their ribs, in front of their hips, yet whether he is gaunt or not, Lawrence devours the entire bottle and will keep sucking for quite a while before giving up. It is great to see that he naps and runs and butts heads with the other calves since his mother is at the dairy farm and cannot teach him herd etiquette.
We have been eating well with all this company between our lush vegetable gardens, giant blueberries and picnics and dinners at our house and my sister Judy's along the Battenkill River and even dinner out on occasion. We hope you too are enjoying the bounty of the season - we are eating all the fresh corn that we can! hope each week brings you rgeat foods and great ideas for delicious recipes. Take care, Nancy and Alan
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