Excessive Cow Selfies

I do take lots of cow selfies. I can't help it, really.

One of the benefits of having milk cows free range all over the property is that we get to know them very well. They have personalities and they know their names.

                                                       *Lucy is doing quite well!!!*

It feels very natural to snap a picture with my favorite farm animals.
They follow us around everywhere and we are able to notice more quickly when something is *off* or they don't feel themselves.

This morning we woke up to a very slight covering of snow on the ground combined with some ice. The wind is gusty and brutal, especially for a Georgia farmer.

                                                *Annabelle is due to calve in 2 months!!!!*

The chores today included extra food for everyone and knocking the ice off the water troughs and dishes. We milked the cows and made sure everyone was present and receiving a good scratch under the chin.

The calves spent each night locked up in a barn stall and the youngest, Red, still has a heat light in his stall. The babies did fine overnight but were happy to see us this morning.

                                         *Annie has grown a ton! She will be a great Angus mama one day!*

The big cows decided to cram themselves under the back deck and next to the basement door. I suppose that was a nice wind break for them, but it did mean we had to shovel cow patties off the concrete and around the door.

Now that most of the chores are done, we can spend the day inside and warm. I have chili cooking and brownies are baking. The dogs are sleeping on any soft rug or bed they can and I am hoping to sew today.

                 * I decided to burn feed bags and now the cows are thinking of making S'mores*


Everyone stay warm!
Happy Weekend Ya'll!!

Snow Day Part 2

Today the south is getting hammered with more snow. Thankfully I am in the northern parts of the state so we are being spared the ice.

The snow, however, is sticking and still falling. In fact it is supposed to fall all day long.

Here are some pictures from this morning.

The day will be filled with sledding and snowman making because tomorrow it will all melt away, and by the weekend it will be in the 50's outside.

Next weekend it is supposed to be a nice 64 degrees. Only in the South does one get to experience several seasons within a week's time.

Here's hoping all my neighbors south of here stay safe!

Happy Snow Day Ya'll!

Snow Day

This week we had a snow day. A REAL snow day, a day when the kids could actually dust off the sled we purchased 3 years ago and sled down the back hill.

Bless their hearts, we never have proper snow clothes or boots because, well...this is Georgia and snow rarely happens. The kids did their best to compile some layers of clothing and spent many hours outside, with hot chocolate breaks in between.

It was very cold out too so under the fluffy white snow was a nice layer of slick ice. Traffic was a mess and Chattanooga was a parking lot in many areas. We were all home, with the exception of Journee who had classes at Chattanooga State. She never made it home that day, but she did make it to her friends house and spent the night there. Her commute would have normally been 15 minutes but took 4 1/2 hours instead.

The cows had shelter to get under but they spent most of their time out in the snow. Crazy cows.

We were cold doing chores and keeping the water troughs clear of ice was a challenge. The good news is we are in Georgia and the temperature today will be in the 50's. It will actually climb to the 60's this weekend.
So we had two days of snow and ice and I happily welcome warmer weather, although there have been rumors of more snow late next week.



Now that the roads are all clear, we will head out after chores to fetch another bottle bull calf. This will give me 4 total bull calves to help me reach my goal of getting 10 this year. It can be a bit wild at feeding time with so many babies running around trying to lick and suckle everything in sight!

Have  a warm and wonderful weekend!

Bananas

Yesterday and today have turned into snow days. Yes, we have snow in the south, and although it makes for chaos on the roads, it is quite nice if you are home sipping hot tea.

I always bake something on cold days like these, and so I wanted to pass along one of my favorite recipes.

Banana Cookies with Lemon Icing

If you are like me the  you usually have bananas around the house and when they get too ripe you make banana bread. That is all fine and good but sometimes you need to break out of the banana bread routine and make something memorable.

When I was growing up my mom would occasionally whip these little creations up and I admit they were on the top of my *favorites* list.

They are not fancy or difficult to make, but the results are quite delicious. The lemon icing adds a nice little zing to the banana breading.
I will warn that the dough must chill in the fridge for at least an hour, so plan accordingly.

Now go bake something and enjoy your snow day!

Banana Cookies with Lemon Icing

1/2 C shortening or lard****
1 C brown sugar
2 eggs
1 C mashed banana
2 C flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 C chopped nuts

Mix first 4 ingredients well in alarge bowl. In a medium bowl, sift remaining ingredients together and then add the to the wet mixture. Mix well. Chill in fridge for at least one hour.

Preheat oven 375 degrees. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes. Cool and frost.

**** You can use butter instead of lard or shortening but the result will be different. Cookies with butter tend to flatten out more.****

Lemon-Butter Icing

1/3 C butter, softened
3 C powder sugar
2 Tb lemon juice

Mix all ingredients well. Add more or less sugar until desired consistency.