The morning started just after midnight. Gordon is up pacing the floor over the turn of events at Webb Basin Dairy. The greatest sell-day Webb's have seen in years will take place today. The somatic cell count in the milking herd has risen to dangerous levels of contamination. Tests the past 3 days have revealed mastitis in numerous cows both in first and second pen: the top producers. Agonizing lists of cows to sell off are quickly being made as results come back showing where the infection is spreading. The numbers started in the tens, twenties, fifties, and then jumped quickly to over a hundred, and now well over two hundred cows being infected and must be sold immediately. Eight loads will go to market today! As I sit here at the computer I see one truck with trailer hooked up and driving towards the dairy after fueling up.
Yesterday was spent on the road to Jerome's cattle auction where Gordon and Mike nodded the day away bidding on replacement heifers supplementing the great loss incurred. Thankfully the price of cull cows is up, alleviating the burden of restocking the herd. The concern now is locating the cause of the infection and isolating it. Newly remodeled lighting could be sending out stray electrical currents through the ground under the cows or… new inflations the herdsman installed are a few of the possible causes but nothing concrete yet.
Along with this breaking news, Jenny, our oldest granddaughter is crawling. Attached are her first sequential moves. She now crawls around with her new-found mobility and chases her dad.
Anna and Steve and Little Francie are flying out this afternoon to Virginia where they will spend the next few days with Jessica. Clayton is in California on a training mission with the tanks he will be utilizing in Iraq this next fall.
Larsen has become plumber, carpenter, electrician and inventor as he completes the mobile kitchen and grill he'll be using this summer. I have a restraining order not to say anymore.
New York was the destination of my call yesterday as I spent two hours interviewing Earnie Sites, a professional cowboy singer and entertainer. His 90 and 80 year old father and mother live in Wendell where Boston had his basketball game last night so I took the privilege to visit with them also. I was greatly surprised to see them hale and hearty, enthusiastic about life at their age. He was a former professional baseball player for the Pittsburg Pirates prior to WWll. Over a bowl of homemade chili and hand pressed apple cider I listened to their stories. Their upstairs was cluttered with their son's professional paraphernalia: banjos, guitars, ropes, boots, hats, posters and more posters of his success. Out on an old shed next to their house was a row of guitars tacked to the wall, weathered with age. This will be a fun article to write.
Considering all that is going on with the dairy, I still consider us blessed. Hopefully the "wreck at the barn" (as Gordon calls it) will get straightened out.
A quote from the new Church Handbook 2010 has given me a renewed hope in the future….
Husband and Wife "A couple is to become one in establishing their family as the basis of a righteous life. Latter-day Saint husbands and wives leave behind their single life and establish their marriage as the first priority in their lives. They allow no other person or interest to have greater priority in their lives than keeping the covenants they have made with God and each other. Nonetheless, married couples continue to love and support parents and siblings while focusing on their own families. Similarly, wise parents realize that their family responsibilities continue throughout life in a spirit of love and encouragement." (1.3.1 Page 3, emphasis added)
I love each of you and thank you for your kindness. I look forward to many more happy times with you in our eternal relationship.
Sincerely, Paula/Mom
No comments:
Post a Comment