World Dairy Expo

On Friday, we went to the World Dairy Expo in Madison. It is a trade show for the dairy industry. Most of the show is geared for large dairy operations, but we always manage to find a few things we can apply to our own farm. Above is a show arena, where people from all over the world bring their cattle to be judged. There are also several buildings full of exhibitors showing off their products.
Here are some cows on their way to be judged. Show cows are very pampered. They even get their nails polished.
These are Normande calves. If cuteness was the only prerequisite for adding a breed to our herd, then Normandes would be on the top of our list.

Frost Kissed

The first frost of the year.

Recent Arrivals

This one was born Wednesday, his mother's name is Linda and this is her third calf.
She was born this afternoon. Her mother's name is Carey and this is her second. Zachary is informing the calf feeding time is soon.

Salsa and Silage

Making salsa tonight. I never made salsa before.

My parents made most of the picked tomatoes go away, passing them out to the neighbors. We are glad they didn't go to waste.

Today, Zachary and my Dad started harvesting corn silage again. The corn is at the right moisture level now.

Tomatoes Anyone?

Feeling better this morning, I went out to the garden to see what was happening out there.
This is most of the ripe ones. Found one overgrown cucumber. Now to decide what to do with them. Perhaps the cows would like tomatoes in their diet...

Construction Cat and Runny Noses

Our cat, Queequeg, loves it when we tear apart our house. Just more places for her to explore.
She is loving the new beams in the kitchen.

Been a quiet week around the farm the last few days, which is fine with us... both of us have been sick with head colds.

Kitchen Update

This is the current state in our kitchen. I made some side by side images for reference, with pictures taken from about the same angle. This one is showing the 2 new skylights and the open ceiling. The other upper window is the attic window, which the attic was above the kitchen.
This angle is shows the entry to the upstairs and the dining and living rooms. We are opening up the passage ways for better flow. We are realizing bringing "open-concept" design to an old farm house can be difficult.
Here you can see the new skylights in the kitchen roof. I took the day off from work on Friday to help Zachary with the skylight installation. Zachary continues to amaze me with his construction skills. Sometimes he surprises himself. After the skylights went in, we ran the garden hose over them and no leaks! Hopefully it will stay that way.