Maybe we'll get that hay up today!

After a whopper of a thunderstorm yesterday morning, the sun finally came out.  Suprisingly, the hay looked pretty good when raked up, so maybe it'll make some decent hay after all.  Would be nice to get it in the barn today.
We have been keeping a close watch on my old jersey cow.  She has been very ill for a couple of days.  The vet checked her over yesterday.  We have meds we're giving her, but she's not responding.  She is due to calve mid October, but not sure if she's gonna make it.  Each one of our cows are special, and it is so hard to lose one.  The grandmother and mother of this old girl were both shown by our oldest son at the county fair.  Funny how they would never place real high in the classes, but year after year they'd keep coming back whereas many of the cows that were shown against these old girls never lasted in their herds quite like these cows.  They just keep going and going.  We have bred for longevity for several years and have found that these cows have feet and legs that will last a long time.  They may not give near as much milk as some, but they're built for grazing and many years of productive life.  When the cows are out on pasture for the night, it's interesting to look out across the pasture. The jerseys and jersey cross cows are always the last to lay down.  They will graze and make good use of the pasture that the holsteins just pass over.  They all have their own special personality and love a good scratch on the head when they're snapped into their tie stalls in the barn for milking.  One exception is "Cuddles" the holstein cow.  She'll just about run you over looking for a pat and scratch!  She just calved and is milking well.  This is her 6th calf - a bull.  She's been having bulls ever since she was a young heifer.  But her mother was the same way.  She lived to 18 and had two heifers, all the rest were bull calves.  One of her heifers was struck by lightning along with the heifer standing next to her.  So the only offspring we have out her mother - Polly - is Cuddles.  I think she's a keeper.  Farming . . .what a challenging life, but I wouldn't want any other!