I don’t know what it is about winter that makes me think in black and white. Do you? I have to just be honest and say that I’m a summer-time girl. I like green grass, green trees, bright colored flowers, red tomatoes and yellow squash in my garden. I even like the hot, humid sweat rolling off my face!
.
Last week there was a very fun and lively discussion on Farmgirl Chit-Chat about what we Farmgirls name our cows. Every name that was thrown out there made me think of a beautiful, clean and shiny milk cow. Which we do not have. We have a small herd of beef cattle that are probably not particularly beautiful to most people. But to us they are gorgeous! Each one is an individual and each one makes us happy for different reasons. Their names reflect that.
Cyndie says: I don’t have calves or cows or even a farm…but I love to read your postings! You have a delightful way with words, my friend
Dori Troutman says: Dear Cyndie – you may not have calves, cows or a farm. BUT, you are a true Farmgirl at heart. Hugs! – Dori –
Bonnie Licking says: Loved your post. We, too, are cattle ranchers and there is nothing as peaceful and beautiful as waking up to seeing them grazing out the kitchen window. Thank you for your endearing comments on your cows.
Dori Troutman says: Hi Bonnie! Oh I totally agree with you about gazing out the window at our cows in the morning. One of our favorite things to do is sit on the porch and watch our cows! 🙂 They are such wonderful animals aren’t they? – Dori –
How fun! Love your Brahma calf and the story of his name! We raise Brahma Bucking bulls here, so the naming is even more interesting because the rodeo announcer always tells the crown their names.
I have Awesome Sauce, Broken Heart Bull, Tooth Fairy, Scary Larry and Vice. (Vice was always getting his head stuck somewhere when he was a calf.)
Naming the horses is even more fun and we have so many we are always looking for good bucking horse names! Give me a shout if you think of any good ones!
Dori Troutman says: Hi Erin! I LOVE those names!!!! I read your comment to my husband as we’ve always enjoyed the names of bucking bulls and horses! We’ll be thinking of a name or two! – Dori –
Deb Bosworth says: Oh, I just loved this posting, Dori! I’ve never had a cow in my life… but growing up in Reno, NV. they were part of the local scenery. The outskirts of town were surrounded by large cattle ranches. I especially remember the last one I lived near. I had to pass it on my way home to and from work everyday and as I drove by it I would call out to the pasture HI COOOOOOOOOOOOWS!!! I loved watching them graze out in the pasture and my heart ached that they were not mine! My grandparents were cattle ranchers in Texas. I remember my grandpa calling my granny Old Heifer…Not the most endearing nickname for a woman who bore him 8 children and took care of him all of his life. I think they had an understanding because they were married over 65 years…It’s more than a name! Hugs, Deb Beach Farmgirl
Dori Troutman says: Deb, I had to laugh at the “Old Heifer” comment! I’ve heard that before too! Some of my heifers I love so much that I would be fine being called that I think!!! 🙂 There is something about seeing cows graze out in the pasture that gives a person a contended feeling. And when they lay in the grass chewing their cud in the sunshine? The best feeling ever!! Hugs back – Dori –
Deb Bosworth says: PS. you most certainly are a REAL RANCH FARMGIRL!!! I am in love with your cows and their names!!!
Dori Troutman says: Deb, thank you so much for your support. xoxo – Dori –
This post made my heart sing! And that Brahma calf, adorable!!! Love their ears. I have an ongoing cow name list in a Word document but I never know until I see and “feel” an animal for the first time, what it’s name will be. Great pics, great names, great stories attached to each one!
Dori Troutman says: Dear MaryJane, your comment meant the world! 🙂 Nothing like cow stories to make our heart sing is there? Those Brahma calves are just the most adorable things… even when Walter was 8 months old and bigger than his mother, he was still cute! Hugs – Dori –
Shaunna Pierce says: I loved this.post. We also had a Princess-so ned because we bought 2 day old steer calves to raise on goat milk, and one of them was not a steer-so Princess she.became.and there was Leesa Moo, another bum who never quite realized she was a cow, but was the queen of the herd and a terrific mother. We got many excellent heifer calves at the auction yards in Twin Falls, ID where dairy calves were cheap
They bred the 1st calf Holstein heifers to.Angus.bulls so often the heifer calves were black. Good.qualities from both breeds!
Dori Troutman says: Hi Shaunna, You can sure get attached to those bottle fed babies huh? They become more human like than imaginable! 🙂 We had one where we lived in Utah (an old rancher brought him to me and said, If you can keep him alive you can have him). After a few weeks of me giving him a bottle I swear he started calling me “Momma”!!! Thanks for writing! – Dori –
Margaret Rohn says: We had jersey cows when I was a kid back in the 1950’s. The first cow was named Rosie. Her first calf was a little heifer we named Pinky and her second heifer became my 4-H calf I named her Sandy. Had to sell them all when we moved from an acreage to town but if I ever got to have cows again I would have Jersey’s they are so lovable and their milk and cream soooo good.
Dori Troutman says: Dear Margaret – I’ve never been around Jersey cows but they are SO BEAUTIFUL and I heard the same thing about them that they are lovable. I really and truly want one. And I love those names; Rosie, Pinky and Sandy. – Dori –
I love you cows and their names. Thanks for sharing them. I now know why my grandma Cora and her daughter Fannie (who was mentally handicapped and just precious) named their favorite Sookie…You call them in with the Sook Sook Sook..I love it..I’m now going to read my new book Milk Cow Kitchen…Thank you
Dori Troutman says: Hi Dolly, I think Sook is a universal language for all ranchers. My Dad (out West) called his cows “Sook” and they do the same here in the South… just with a little bit more drawn out Soooook drawl!!! 🙂 You will love the book – I saw on FB that you got it in the mail from MaryJane today. It is the BEST book. My favorite. – Dori –
Shelley Hatfield says: We raise beef calves that we get off of a dairy farm nearby. We get them about 3-4 days old and I bucket feed them for 6 wks. And we name all of these too, if fact we hang a board with their names on them on their pens. I love having the kids helping come up with their names.
Dori Troutman says: Hi Shelley, having kids help name is the most fun. They come up with some pretty cute things! That bucket feeding is a job huh? Do you start with the bottle and then graduate to the bucket with a nipple? I’ve only ever bottle fed a dogie (what we called the orphans out West), never bucket fed them with milk. I love that you have boards with their names on them. I need that too! – Dori –
Love your post and pictures! We have Longhorns and it is always fun to see what a new calf looks like because the markings on Longhorns can be so varied! We no longer have a bull, but his name was Nougat and he is now in our freezer are ground up into yummy hamburger. Some folks asked why we didn’t have roasts or steaks cut . . our reply was he’s a BULL . . . that doesn’t usually make for tender meat, but he sure makes tasty hamburgers.
We have two momma cows, one is “Patty” who is darker with many brindled colors. The other is “Snowflake”, who is mostly white but with butterscotch colored brindling on her neck and head. These two mommas also have very impressive sets of horns!
We have a 2-year heifer who is the offspring of Snowflake and she is also white but with less brindling, she does have butterscotch colored ears and “topknot”. We have five steers, all different ages, names are “Gunsmoke”, “Huntly”, “Peyrone”, “Stormie” and “Duncan”. They are all very different in their markings. On December 11th Patty had a heifer calf and we named her “Freckles”. She is white with red stockings, red head/hood and some red “freckles on her body. All of them have horns, in varying stages of growth.
They are kinda partial to my hubby and he spoils them. They’ve been in a huge pasture where they still have feed to graze and access to water so we haven’t had to start throwing hay or hauling water . . . saving us work and money!! We’ve had several snow storms but not enough to keep them from foraging for food.
We’re trying to pare down and just have the steers to raise to butcher! Here’s hoping!
Dori Troutman says: Hi CJ- I have never been around Longhorns before, but they are such beautiful cattle. Do you raise your steers to sell the meat to customers, or do you sell the steer themselves? We have a few customers that purchase from us every year and it’s kind of a big job to finish a grass feed steer. It takes about 18 months so it is a bit of a long wait! But the customers we have love the meat enough they are willing for the wait. I can’t imagine not having fresh meat to just pull out of the freezer. Over New Years when our kids were all home we had a huge Filet Mignon meal and Oh. My. Word. that meat was awesome! 🙂 Thanks for writing and sharing about your cows. I love their names! – Dori –
Bonnie ellis says: I love to read your blog. It makes me want to be back on my uncle’s farm again. We had jerseys, gurnseys and Holsteins. I would love to have that adorable brahma. Our son lives in Texas and I would love to have some Longhorns too. We need to have many lifetimes to try it all. Bonnie Ellis, farmgirl of the month for January 2015.
Dori Troutman says: Hi Bonnie – Yes, that Brahma was a cute little guy. But he was so huge when he was born. We knew the Momma was in distress almost immediately and we were so happy to have the Vet come and pull the calf. That’s something we haven’t had to do ourselves yet! Anyway, he said the Momma would’ve never been able to deliver the calf on her own. He was such a big boy. But, wow was he sweet. Yes, I know the feeling of needing a few lifetimes to do it all! – Dori –
Jodie says: ah…good memories from childhood that you brought up with this post. We had Rosie, Daisy, Baby, Sadie, Freckles, Woodrow, Pee-Wee, just to name a few. And then there were the chickens that we named. We had one “head chicken” who we named Bertha the Baka and we had a song we sang when we went to gather eggs. I do love to go home and hear the names Daddy has picked out for his cattle now-a-days. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
Dori Troutman says: Dear Jodie – oh my I had forgotten how my kids named their chickens too! I love your “head chicken” name!!! Darling! Our animals sure do have a special place in our hearts don’t they? I’m glad your Daddy still has cattle. So does mine. He’s turning 80 in a month and I wonder if he will ever retire? He loves ranching. Thanks for commenting! – Dori –
Karen(old cowgirl) Montoya says: Hi Dori,
As you know I love horses. However, I have always had a soft spot for the Herford’s that all the rancher’s were raising all around us. When I would go out to my friends house they always raised some for selling and some to keep for food. I can understand naming them as they were soft and cuddly. The rancher’s never named any that were going to be food or sold as it was just to hard. They only named one or two they would be keeping to add calves to the herd. Sometimes a bull if the one they had was old. Most of those were kept as long as they could produce good calve.I love the pic’s. The one of the Brahma is so adorable. He looks so soft and the coloration on him is beautiful. I understand having to sell the bull calves as there has to be only one on most acreage.
The Brahma’s were one’s our family always told us to stay clear away from especially the bulls as they were mean and most rodeo’s would have them for the cowboys to ride. They did look mean but then if they were squeezing my prized possessions I would probably be mean too.
Well, its good to see you made it through the holiday’s and into the New Year.
Hug’s from Kay
Dori Troutman says: Good morning Kay! I love those Hereford cows too. Funny thing to me is how you see them all over out West… and even The Pioneer Woman’s ranch is all Hereford cattle but out here in the South you just don’t see them. You see black (Angus cross of some sort) and Charolais the most common. Those Charolais cows are sweet – they are really huge cows with a very sweet nature. Walter was the only Brahma that I’ve ever been around (and he was a cross of course) but he sure had a sweet nature. One of our readers here raises Brahma bucking Bulls (you can see her comment above on this post). So they must have a good amount of “buck” in them! 🙂
You hit the nail on the head about it just being common cow sense that you can’t keep every bull and steer on the farm… but saying goodbye to the little heifers is very hard. But we have to since we only have one bull (who is their daddy) we don’t want any inner-breeding, so the heifers must go also. In the beginning when we purchased bred cows we kept a number of their heifers since they were not descendants of McKinley. So that was really nice, but now we can’t do that and it is so terribly hard. My husband took 4 of them to the sale barn this week – they were 8 months old and beautiful heifers. But the good thing is that they are sold as replacement heifers so someone else will raise them to breed. Which makes me happy!
Yes, I made it through the Holidays and fantastic days of company (some of it without water, as you remembered!) and it was one of the best Holiday seasons ever. Hope you’re doing well and keeping warm! Hugs back- Dori –
Gigi says: I have absolutely no experience with ranching, farming, or animal raising, so responding to your stories is purely an emotional endeavor. Every comment I’ve read in response to your column, has been from a reader whose life is similar to yours. I read FarmGirl blogs because I yearn for that kind of life. I speak with no authority, just sincere appreciation, for the love you express while writing about your daily life.
My heart sings, as I peek in the window of your ranch life and you describe lovingly your daily doings. It looks like hard, monotonous work, yet you describe it so endearingly with no bitterness or complaint.
I am in awe of the beauty you have right outside your window, across the fences and thru the pasture. Beautiful, velvety, and magnificent animals are a sight to behold, raising them lovingly is a gift. Thanks for sharing with this country hearted city girl.
Dori Troutman says: Dear Gigi, your comment really warmed my heart and made my day. Because, honestly, that is one of the hopes I have when I write about my life is to just open the door for a peek into the life of a country girl! There have been some sad things that I’ve cried about – losing that little calf Marathon was a killer for me. Mainly because of how the Momma mourned (that might be a blog post in the future so I won’t say too much!! Ha Ha!). But there are so many joys of living a simple life in the country that I cannot even describe them sometimes. Now, that’s not to say that a country hearted girl living in the city doesn’t have some awesome joyful things too! Believe you me! Thank you for reading and thank you especially for writing to me. Hugs – Dori –
Donna says: We do not have cows but we do name every thing including the cars and trucks chickens ect…
Dori Troutman says: Hi Donna, We’ve been known to name vehicles (and tractors) too! 😉 – Dori –
Deanna says: Dori…love your post as always but this one made me chuckle. As a life-long farmgirl (living the life I love, I might add), my names are a little dated. As a child my sister and I would name our milk cows. We had Daisy, named for Daisy Duck. Minnie, a big brown swiss named after Minnie Mouse and Lulu for the comic book character Little Lulu. We loved to hang around the barn when Dad milked and be around “our” cows. The calves were pets and we put a halter on them and rode them sometimes when they were big enough. Thanks for the fun memory trip!
Dori Troutman says: Hi Deanna, your comment made me happy! I just love those names, dated or not! 🙂 In MaryJanes book Milk Cow Kitchen there is a short little bit (with pictures) about a teenage girl that wanted a horse and didn’t have one so she trained one of the cows to ride. Eventually she did jumps with her and everything!! 🙂 Happy Monday. – Dori –
Wow! That Charolais/Brahma cross was a looker! Beautiful! We, too, find that sometimes the right name eludes us and other times the names are painfully obvious. Such as the case when we named our goat “Bessie” aka Bessie The Cow. She is huge compared to her barn mates so the name stuck. Your post gets me excited for kidding season when the next round of naming begins.
Dori Troutman says: Hi Penny, yes some names are just painfully obvious! 🙂 We have three calves on the ground right now that are begging to be named and I’m just not feeling it! I’ll be anxious to hear some of the names of your kids as they are born! – Dori –
Teri says: We name our cows as well. We are a small farm with a few cows, Icelandic sheep and chickens. My milk cow CeCe was a a Christmas gift in 2010. She was a five day old Holstein. I was so excited and nervous. I had never raised a calf before. She spent much of her first 6 months following me on a lead rope. She has turned into a wonderful milk cow with a good personality and a good Momma. Her first calf AnnaBelle is bred and due to calf in July. Our little black Angus heifer , Sophie came to us as a 24 hour old calf from a neighbor. She had a crooked neck and a funny knee. She needed a people Momma if she were going to survive. She is a beauty. She is bred and we await her firsf calf. We have also raised two steer calves T-Bone and Stew who reside now in the freezer and Ribeye who will join them in December. Raising bottle calves means the opportunity to love them and care for them so that they can later provide for us. This has been and continues to be a blessing in our lives.
Dori Troutman says: Teri, great names and stories! 🙂 Those little orphan calves can become like our babies can’t they? How wonderful that you have her for a milk cow. And her first calf being due in July… that will be such an exciting day for you!!! And Sophie – what a sweet story that is. Thanks for sharing about them. I loved reading it. (And so did my husband!!) – Dori –
Marci D says: Thanks for sharing all your adorable pics of your “hummies” as we called ours. It reminds me of my 4-H days when I showed steers. I had a black and white baldy one year named Wilbur that I especially loved.
Dori Troutman says: Marci, my son showed 4-H steers – oh he loved his steer project every year. Putting their halters on and taking them for walks around the neighborhood like they were puppies! 🙂 BIG puppies! Wilbur is a sweet name. – Dori –
Last week there was a very fun and lively discussion on Farmgirl Chit-Chat about what we Farmgirls name our cows. Every name that was thrown out there made me think of a beautiful, clean and shiny milk cow. Which we do not have. We have a small herd of beef cattle that are probably not particularly beautiful to most people. But to us they are gorgeous! Each one is an individual and each one makes us happy for different reasons. Their names reflect that.
Cyndie says: I don’t have calves or cows or even a farm…but I love to read your postings! You have a delightful way with words, my friend
Dori Troutman says: Dear Cyndie – you may not have calves, cows or a farm. BUT, you are a true Farmgirl at heart. Hugs! – Dori –
Bonnie Licking says: Loved your post. We, too, are cattle ranchers and there is nothing as peaceful and beautiful as waking up to seeing them grazing out the kitchen window. Thank you for your endearing comments on your cows.
Dori Troutman says: Hi Bonnie! Oh I totally agree with you about gazing out the window at our cows in the morning. One of our favorite things to do is sit on the porch and watch our cows! 🙂 They are such wonderful animals aren’t they? – Dori –
How fun! Love your Brahma calf and the story of his name! We raise Brahma Bucking bulls here, so the naming is even more interesting because the rodeo announcer always tells the crown their names.
I have Awesome Sauce, Broken Heart Bull, Tooth Fairy, Scary Larry and Vice. (Vice was always getting his head stuck somewhere when he was a calf.)
Naming the horses is even more fun and we have so many we are always looking for good bucking horse names! Give me a shout if you think of any good ones!
Dori Troutman says: Hi Erin! I LOVE those names!!!! I read your comment to my husband as we’ve always enjoyed the names of bucking bulls and horses! We’ll be thinking of a name or two! – Dori –
Deb Bosworth says: Oh, I just loved this posting, Dori! I’ve never had a cow in my life… but growing up in Reno, NV. they were part of the local scenery. The outskirts of town were surrounded by large cattle ranches. I especially remember the last one I lived near. I had to pass it on my way home to and from work everyday and as I drove by it I would call out to the pasture HI COOOOOOOOOOOOWS!!! I loved watching them graze out in the pasture and my heart ached that they were not mine! My grandparents were cattle ranchers in Texas. I remember my grandpa calling my granny Old Heifer…Not the most endearing nickname for a woman who bore him 8 children and took care of him all of his life. I think they had an understanding because they were married over 65 years…It’s more than a name! Hugs, Deb Beach Farmgirl
Dori Troutman says: Deb, I had to laugh at the “Old Heifer” comment! I’ve heard that before too! Some of my heifers I love so much that I would be fine being called that I think!!! 🙂 There is something about seeing cows graze out in the pasture that gives a person a contended feeling. And when they lay in the grass chewing their cud in the sunshine? The best feeling ever!! Hugs back – Dori –
Deb Bosworth says: PS. you most certainly are a REAL RANCH FARMGIRL!!! I am in love with your cows and their names!!!
Dori Troutman says: Deb, thank you so much for your support. xoxo – Dori –
This post made my heart sing! And that Brahma calf, adorable!!! Love their ears. I have an ongoing cow name list in a Word document but I never know until I see and “feel” an animal for the first time, what it’s name will be. Great pics, great names, great stories attached to each one!
Dori Troutman says: Dear MaryJane, your comment meant the world! 🙂 Nothing like cow stories to make our heart sing is there? Those Brahma calves are just the most adorable things… even when Walter was 8 months old and bigger than his mother, he was still cute! Hugs – Dori –
Shaunna Pierce says: I loved this.post. We also had a Princess-so ned because we bought 2 day old steer calves to raise on goat milk, and one of them was not a steer-so Princess she.became.and there was Leesa Moo, another bum who never quite realized she was a cow, but was the queen of the herd and a terrific mother. We got many excellent heifer calves at the auction yards in Twin Falls, ID where dairy calves were cheap
They bred the 1st calf Holstein heifers to.Angus.bulls so often the heifer calves were black. Good.qualities from both breeds!
Dori Troutman says: Hi Shaunna, You can sure get attached to those bottle fed babies huh? They become more human like than imaginable! 🙂 We had one where we lived in Utah (an old rancher brought him to me and said, If you can keep him alive you can have him). After a few weeks of me giving him a bottle I swear he started calling me “Momma”!!! Thanks for writing! – Dori –
Margaret Rohn says: We had jersey cows when I was a kid back in the 1950’s. The first cow was named Rosie. Her first calf was a little heifer we named Pinky and her second heifer became my 4-H calf I named her Sandy. Had to sell them all when we moved from an acreage to town but if I ever got to have cows again I would have Jersey’s they are so lovable and their milk and cream soooo good.
Dori Troutman says: Dear Margaret – I’ve never been around Jersey cows but they are SO BEAUTIFUL and I heard the same thing about them that they are lovable. I really and truly want one. And I love those names; Rosie, Pinky and Sandy. – Dori –
I love you cows and their names. Thanks for sharing them. I now know why my grandma Cora and her daughter Fannie (who was mentally handicapped and just precious) named their favorite Sookie…You call them in with the Sook Sook Sook..I love it..I’m now going to read my new book Milk Cow Kitchen…Thank you
Dori Troutman says: Hi Dolly, I think Sook is a universal language for all ranchers. My Dad (out West) called his cows “Sook” and they do the same here in the South… just with a little bit more drawn out Soooook drawl!!! 🙂 You will love the book – I saw on FB that you got it in the mail from MaryJane today. It is the BEST book. My favorite. – Dori –
Shelley Hatfield says: We raise beef calves that we get off of a dairy farm nearby. We get them about 3-4 days old and I bucket feed them for 6 wks. And we name all of these too, if fact we hang a board with their names on them on their pens. I love having the kids helping come up with their names.
Dori Troutman says: Hi Shelley, having kids help name is the most fun. They come up with some pretty cute things! That bucket feeding is a job huh? Do you start with the bottle and then graduate to the bucket with a nipple? I’ve only ever bottle fed a dogie (what we called the orphans out West), never bucket fed them with milk. I love that you have boards with their names on them. I need that too! – Dori –
Love your post and pictures! We have Longhorns and it is always fun to see what a new calf looks like because the markings on Longhorns can be so varied! We no longer have a bull, but his name was Nougat and he is now in our freezer are ground up into yummy hamburger. Some folks asked why we didn’t have roasts or steaks cut . . our reply was he’s a BULL . . . that doesn’t usually make for tender meat, but he sure makes tasty hamburgers.
We have two momma cows, one is “Patty” who is darker with many brindled colors. The other is “Snowflake”, who is mostly white but with butterscotch colored brindling on her neck and head. These two mommas also have very impressive sets of horns!
We have a 2-year heifer who is the offspring of Snowflake and she is also white but with less brindling, she does have butterscotch colored ears and “topknot”. We have five steers, all different ages, names are “Gunsmoke”, “Huntly”, “Peyrone”, “Stormie” and “Duncan”. They are all very different in their markings. On December 11th Patty had a heifer calf and we named her “Freckles”. She is white with red stockings, red head/hood and some red “freckles on her body. All of them have horns, in varying stages of growth.
They are kinda partial to my hubby and he spoils them. They’ve been in a huge pasture where they still have feed to graze and access to water so we haven’t had to start throwing hay or hauling water . . . saving us work and money!! We’ve had several snow storms but not enough to keep them from foraging for food.
We’re trying to pare down and just have the steers to raise to butcher! Here’s hoping!
Dori Troutman says: Hi CJ- I have never been around Longhorns before, but they are such beautiful cattle. Do you raise your steers to sell the meat to customers, or do you sell the steer themselves? We have a few customers that purchase from us every year and it’s kind of a big job to finish a grass feed steer. It takes about 18 months so it is a bit of a long wait! But the customers we have love the meat enough they are willing for the wait. I can’t imagine not having fresh meat to just pull out of the freezer. Over New Years when our kids were all home we had a huge Filet Mignon meal and Oh. My. Word. that meat was awesome! 🙂 Thanks for writing and sharing about your cows. I love their names! – Dori –
Bonnie ellis says: I love to read your blog. It makes me want to be back on my uncle’s farm again. We had jerseys, gurnseys and Holsteins. I would love to have that adorable brahma. Our son lives in Texas and I would love to have some Longhorns too. We need to have many lifetimes to try it all. Bonnie Ellis, farmgirl of the month for January 2015.
Dori Troutman says: Hi Bonnie – Yes, that Brahma was a cute little guy. But he was so huge when he was born. We knew the Momma was in distress almost immediately and we were so happy to have the Vet come and pull the calf. That’s something we haven’t had to do ourselves yet! Anyway, he said the Momma would’ve never been able to deliver the calf on her own. He was such a big boy. But, wow was he sweet. Yes, I know the feeling of needing a few lifetimes to do it all! – Dori –
Jodie says: ah…good memories from childhood that you brought up with this post. We had Rosie, Daisy, Baby, Sadie, Freckles, Woodrow, Pee-Wee, just to name a few. And then there were the chickens that we named. We had one “head chicken” who we named Bertha the Baka and we had a song we sang when we went to gather eggs. I do love to go home and hear the names Daddy has picked out for his cattle now-a-days. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
Dori Troutman says: Dear Jodie – oh my I had forgotten how my kids named their chickens too! I love your “head chicken” name!!! Darling! Our animals sure do have a special place in our hearts don’t they? I’m glad your Daddy still has cattle. So does mine. He’s turning 80 in a month and I wonder if he will ever retire? He loves ranching. Thanks for commenting! – Dori –
Karen(old cowgirl) Montoya says: Hi Dori,
As you know I love horses. However, I have always had a soft spot for the Herford’s that all the rancher’s were raising all around us. When I would go out to my friends house they always raised some for selling and some to keep for food. I can understand naming them as they were soft and cuddly. The rancher’s never named any that were going to be food or sold as it was just to hard. They only named one or two they would be keeping to add calves to the herd. Sometimes a bull if the one they had was old. Most of those were kept as long as they could produce good calve.I love the pic’s. The one of the Brahma is so adorable. He looks so soft and the coloration on him is beautiful. I understand having to sell the bull calves as there has to be only one on most acreage.
The Brahma’s were one’s our family always told us to stay clear away from especially the bulls as they were mean and most rodeo’s would have them for the cowboys to ride. They did look mean but then if they were squeezing my prized possessions I would probably be mean too.
Well, its good to see you made it through the holiday’s and into the New Year.
Hug’s from Kay
Dori Troutman says: Good morning Kay! I love those Hereford cows too. Funny thing to me is how you see them all over out West… and even The Pioneer Woman’s ranch is all Hereford cattle but out here in the South you just don’t see them. You see black (Angus cross of some sort) and Charolais the most common. Those Charolais cows are sweet – they are really huge cows with a very sweet nature. Walter was the only Brahma that I’ve ever been around (and he was a cross of course) but he sure had a sweet nature. One of our readers here raises Brahma bucking Bulls (you can see her comment above on this post). So they must have a good amount of “buck” in them! 🙂
You hit the nail on the head about it just being common cow sense that you can’t keep every bull and steer on the farm… but saying goodbye to the little heifers is very hard. But we have to since we only have one bull (who is their daddy) we don’t want any inner-breeding, so the heifers must go also. In the beginning when we purchased bred cows we kept a number of their heifers since they were not descendants of McKinley. So that was really nice, but now we can’t do that and it is so terribly hard. My husband took 4 of them to the sale barn this week – they were 8 months old and beautiful heifers. But the good thing is that they are sold as replacement heifers so someone else will raise them to breed. Which makes me happy!
Yes, I made it through the Holidays and fantastic days of company (some of it without water, as you remembered!) and it was one of the best Holiday seasons ever. Hope you’re doing well and keeping warm! Hugs back- Dori –
Gigi says: I have absolutely no experience with ranching, farming, or animal raising, so responding to your stories is purely an emotional endeavor. Every comment I’ve read in response to your column, has been from a reader whose life is similar to yours. I read FarmGirl blogs because I yearn for that kind of life. I speak with no authority, just sincere appreciation, for the love you express while writing about your daily life.
My heart sings, as I peek in the window of your ranch life and you describe lovingly your daily doings. It looks like hard, monotonous work, yet you describe it so endearingly with no bitterness or complaint.
I am in awe of the beauty you have right outside your window, across the fences and thru the pasture. Beautiful, velvety, and magnificent animals are a sight to behold, raising them lovingly is a gift. Thanks for sharing with this country hearted city girl.
Dori Troutman says: Dear Gigi, your comment really warmed my heart and made my day. Because, honestly, that is one of the hopes I have when I write about my life is to just open the door for a peek into the life of a country girl! There have been some sad things that I’ve cried about – losing that little calf Marathon was a killer for me. Mainly because of how the Momma mourned (that might be a blog post in the future so I won’t say too much!! Ha Ha!). But there are so many joys of living a simple life in the country that I cannot even describe them sometimes. Now, that’s not to say that a country hearted girl living in the city doesn’t have some awesome joyful things too! Believe you me! Thank you for reading and thank you especially for writing to me. Hugs – Dori –
Donna says: We do not have cows but we do name every thing including the cars and trucks chickens ect…
Dori Troutman says: Hi Donna, We’ve been known to name vehicles (and tractors) too! 😉 – Dori –
Deanna says: Dori…love your post as always but this one made me chuckle. As a life-long farmgirl (living the life I love, I might add), my names are a little dated. As a child my sister and I would name our milk cows. We had Daisy, named for Daisy Duck. Minnie, a big brown swiss named after Minnie Mouse and Lulu for the comic book character Little Lulu. We loved to hang around the barn when Dad milked and be around “our” cows. The calves were pets and we put a halter on them and rode them sometimes when they were big enough. Thanks for the fun memory trip!
Dori Troutman says: Hi Deanna, your comment made me happy! I just love those names, dated or not! 🙂 In MaryJanes book Milk Cow Kitchen there is a short little bit (with pictures) about a teenage girl that wanted a horse and didn’t have one so she trained one of the cows to ride. Eventually she did jumps with her and everything!! 🙂 Happy Monday. – Dori –
Wow! That Charolais/Brahma cross was a looker! Beautiful! We, too, find that sometimes the right name eludes us and other times the names are painfully obvious. Such as the case when we named our goat “Bessie” aka Bessie The Cow. She is huge compared to her barn mates so the name stuck. Your post gets me excited for kidding season when the next round of naming begins.
Dori Troutman says: Hi Penny, yes some names are just painfully obvious! 🙂 We have three calves on the ground right now that are begging to be named and I’m just not feeling it! I’ll be anxious to hear some of the names of your kids as they are born! – Dori –
Teri says: We name our cows as well. We are a small farm with a few cows, Icelandic sheep and chickens. My milk cow CeCe was a a Christmas gift in 2010. She was a five day old Holstein. I was so excited and nervous. I had never raised a calf before. She spent much of her first 6 months following me on a lead rope. She has turned into a wonderful milk cow with a good personality and a good Momma. Her first calf AnnaBelle is bred and due to calf in July. Our little black Angus heifer , Sophie came to us as a 24 hour old calf from a neighbor. She had a crooked neck and a funny knee. She needed a people Momma if she were going to survive. She is a beauty. She is bred and we await her firsf calf. We have also raised two steer calves T-Bone and Stew who reside now in the freezer and Ribeye who will join them in December. Raising bottle calves means the opportunity to love them and care for them so that they can later provide for us. This has been and continues to be a blessing in our lives.
Dori Troutman says: Teri, great names and stories! 🙂 Those little orphan calves can become like our babies can’t they? How wonderful that you have her for a milk cow. And her first calf being due in July… that will be such an exciting day for you!!! And Sophie – what a sweet story that is. Thanks for sharing about them. I loved reading it. (And so did my husband!!) – Dori –
Marci D says: Thanks for sharing all your adorable pics of your “hummies” as we called ours. It reminds me of my 4-H days when I showed steers. I had a black and white baldy one year named Wilbur that I especially loved.
Dori Troutman says: Marci, my son showed 4-H steers – oh he loved his steer project every year. Putting their halters on and taking them for walks around the neighborhood like they were puppies! 🙂 BIG puppies! Wilbur is a sweet name. – Dori –
is a certified farmgirl at heart. She’s happily married to her beach bum Yankee husband of 20 years. She went from career gal to being a creative homeschooling mom for two of her biggest blessings and hasn’t looked back since. Debbie left her lifelong home in the high desert of Northern Nevada 10 years ago and washed up on the shore of America’s hometown, Plymouth, MA, where she and her family are now firmly planted. They spend part of each summer in a tiny, off–grid beach cottage named “The Sea Horse.”
“I found a piece of my farmgirl heart when I discovered MaryJanesFarm. Suddenly, everything I loved just made more sense! I enjoy unwinding at the beach, writing, gardening, and turning yard-sale furniture into ‘Painted Ladies’ I’m passionate about living a creative life and encouraging others to ‘make each day their masterpiece.’”
is a “MaryJane Farmgirl” who lives in a large metropolitan area. She is a lawyer who has worked in both criminal defense and prosecution. She has been a judge, a business woman and a stay-at-home mom. In addition to her law degree, she has a Masters of Theological Studies.
“Mustering up the courage to do the things you dream about,” she says, “is the essence of being a MaryJane Farmgirl.” Learning to live more organically and closer to nature is Rebekah’s current pursuit. She finds strength and encouragement through MaryJane’s writings, life, and products. And MaryJane’s Farmgirl Connection provides her a wealth of knowledge from true-blue farmgirls.
an old-fashioned farmgirl with a pioneer spirit, lives in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. As a “lifelong learner” in the “Live-Free-or-Die” state, she fiercely values self-reliance, independence, freedom, and fresh mountain air. Married to her childhood sweetheart of 40+ years (a few of them “uphill climbs”), she’s had plenty of time to reinvent herself. From museum curator, restaurant owner, homeschool mom/conference speaker, to post-and-beam house builder and entrepreneur, she’s also a multi-media artist, with an obsession for off-grid living and alternative housing. Cathi owns and operates a 32-room mountain lodge. Her specialty has evolved to include “hermit hospitality” at her rustic cabin in the mountains, where she offers weekend workshops of special interest to women.
“Mountains speak to my soul, and farming is an important part of my heritage. I want to pass on my love of these things to others through my writing. Living in the mountains has its own particular challenges, but I delight in turning them into opportunities from which we can all learn and grow.”
Dori Troutman is the daughter of second generation cattle ranchers in New Mexico. She grew up working and playing on the ranch that her grandparents homesteaded in 1928. That ranch, with the old adobe home, is still in the family today. Dori and her husband always yearned for a ranch of their own. That dream came true when they retired to the beautiful green rolling hills of Tennessee. Truly a cattleman’s paradise!
Dori loves all things farmgirl and actually has known no other life but that. She loves to cook, craft, garden, and help with any and all things on their cattle farm.
describes herself as a goat charmer, chicken whisperer, bee maven, and farmers’ market baker renovating an 1864 farmhouse on an Ohio farm. With a degree in Design, Mary says small-town auctions and country road barn sales "always make my heart skip a beat thinking about what I could create or design out of what I’ve seen.”
Rooted in the countryside, she likes simple things and old ways … gardening, preserving the harvest, cooking, baking, and all things home. While you might find her selling baked goods from the farm’s milkhouse, teaching herself to play the fiddle, or sprucing up a vintage camper named Maizy, you will always find her in an apron!
Mary says, “I’m happiest with the simple country pleasures … an old farmhouse, too many animals, a crackling fire, books to read, and the sound of laughter … these make life just perfect.”
is a budding rural farmgirl living in Palmer, the agricultural seat of Alaska. Alex is a graduate student at Alaska Pacific University pursuing an M.S. in Outdoor and Environmental Education. She lives and works on the university’s 700 acre environmental education center, Spring Creek Farm. When Alex has time outside of school, she loves to rock climb, repurpose found objects, cross-country ski on the hay fields, travel, practice yoga, and cook with new-fangled ingredients.
Alex grew up near the Twin Cities and went to college in Madison, Wisconsin—both places where perfectly painted barns and rolling green farmland are just a short drive away. After college, she taught at a rural middle school in South Korea where she biked past verdant rice paddies and old women selling home-grown produce from sidewalk stoops. She was introduced to MaryJanesFarm after returning, and found in it what she’d been searching for—a group of incredible women living their lives in ways that benefit their families, their communities, and the greater environment. What an amazing group of farmgirls to be a part of!
Suburban Farmgirl Nicole Christensen calls herself a “vintage enthusiast”. Born and raised in Texas, she has lived most of her life in the picturesque New England suburbs of Connecticut, just a stone’s throw from New York State. An Advanced Master Gardener, she has gardened since childhood, in several states and across numerous planting zones. In addition, she teaches knitting classes, loves to preserve, and raises backyard chickens.
Married over thirty years to her Danish-born sweetheart, Nicole has worked in various fields, been a world-traveler, an entrepreneur and a homemaker, but considers being mom to her now-adult daughter her greatest accomplishment. Loving all things creative, Nicole considers her life’s motto to be “Bloom where you are planted”.
Love it! love color…hate winter with a passion…. makes me doubly depress (deal with seasonal depression-becase I can’t get enough if the D vitamin, sunshine) so color for me in the winter is stimulating too! Seeing your beautiful photographs ooze my mind to look for ways to get thru the dreary winter bles. Just love the scenery….. those rolling hills ….I miss from Pennsylvania…so here where I live I look for birds and critters in the winter. Books also get me thru the middle of winter…all that color in the book stimulate me to be creative…its probably what draws me to Mary James magazine….and Pinterest….. wish Mary Jane Farms could have a magazine issue come- out every month! I need stimulation in the winter more because of my depression! I don’t know how I would get the winter without magazines and those with color do help me! Recently I
took an interest in making some thing new once a month and reorganizing my house because of the stimulation I get from magazines.
Susana, You are SO smart having a goal to make something new once a month and reorganize your house. I set goals for myself like that too! I think it is good for all of us. – Dori –
I couldn’t say everything…because you can’t go back and flix a word once you get past a complete point, but I love the blogging capabilities where….
we can express and read because of Mary Jane Farms! Love your blog! Keep them a coming! Love your photos! Love still being a part of the farming community even though I’m just a back yard farmer. Thanks fir the lovely blog….it puts a new slant on winter photography for me! Love the back cows and stories…. it takes me back to my childhood wh’en my dad had a farm! Thanks for the memories!
Good morning Susana, winter photography can be very neat. I just need to get out in it more! 🙂 – Dori –
The book is beautiful. I would love to read it and share it with a couple friends.
Sandy, it is such a beautiful book. Everyone needs one! – Dori –
I just love those beautiful baby & mom pictures. You are blessed. I also have the book & love it & would love to win another one for my daughter who lives in Iowa. I happen to live in the evergreen state of Wa, but that does not mean we do not have winters! I love the time to catch up on reading, quilting, & rest!
Pat, Those mom and baby pictures are the best! Love those precious little babies! – Dori –
Love your pictures!
Grace, thank you! Calf pictures are the best are they not?! – Dori –
This looks like a great book. I’m a former librarian and have a great appreciation for books. I love the pictures and the feel of the pages as I turn them. Not a Kindle fan.
June, I’m not really a Kindle fan either. I have one and sometimes if I can’t sleep I night it is great because I can read without bothering my husband… but honestly, I would rather hold a book in my hands! – Dori –
Color can certainly be a mood lifter, as well as sunshine. We’ve been having some pretty unusual cold, gray days here in Colorado. I can’t wait to start my quilting class next month. It’s a beautiful quilt along with bright blues, pinks and butterflies. It will be a fun addition to welcome spring, for sure! Love the cows. I think it’s their soulful eyes that touch my heart.
Maureen, I love sunshine, that is probably what I’ve been missing the most! How fun you are taking a quilting class. I really want to start a new quilt. And yes, yours will be the perfect spring addition. Send me pictures when you’re done! Those calves eyes ARE the sweetest. – Dori –
I LOVE Mary Jane’s magazine and your blog!! It is so refreshing to step inside your world and see what it happening on the farm! Love those sweet baby calves!!
Heidi, Thank you joining me and sharing in on the farm happenings! – Dori –
As much as I love the serenity of your black and white pictures, it’s definitely the color photographs that make me smile! I recently looked through some cookbooks at a used bookstore, and there have been some major changes over the years–particularly in the photography. Look’s like MaryJane’s book has some of the best food photography I’ve ever seen!
Lisa, Funny how black and white pictures are very serene isn’t it? But, yeah… those colored pictures make us smile! Yes, the photography in MJ’s book is amazing. – Dori –
Dori, I love your black and white cow photos…I could imagine them in print, framed in a black frame, hanging on a wall or over a fireplace. Great shots! I’d want to sit and watch those cows all day!
I love your kitchen! So colorful and cheerful. I noticed your colorful vintage Pyrex right away, too. 😉 Anyway, we get bleak, grey, wet weather with no sun for long periods of time here in Connecticut. That’s when I hunker down and enjoy “indoor color”, too. I love to spend time in the kitchen, where it’s colorful and bright and cheery. I also love to craft with color, as well. Winter gives us a break from the outdoor chores of summer.
This is another great post, another one where I think, “Gosh, I want to meet this farmgirl!” 🙂
Farmgirl Hugs,
Nicole (Suburban Farmgirl Blogger)
Hi Nicole! I’m working on a photo gallery wall in my house and thinking along the same lines as you… black and white cow photos in black frames. I’ll let you know! 🙂
Oh, the vintage pyrex. I LOVE THAT STUFF!!! The awesome thing is that I use it. I have the four colored mixing bowls that I use every single day. They are my favorites!
– Dori –
P.S. Time to plan a “meet-up”?! 🙂 Deb and I have been talking about it too!
Greetings Dori from NE VT
Here winter starts early and sticks around. If you look carefully at the snow, you will notice different shades and off shades of white, not to mention the variety of textures and sounds as the snow yields to your steps. Here, sometimes our windshield ice even has a pretty shade of blue to it.
Thank you for sharing your ranch and home with us.
Thank you also for the beautiful photos of Milk Cow Kitchen. I’ve already put it on my wish list.
Hi Judy, I’ve never been to VT; I would love to though. Maybe some year. I’ve never lived where there is consistent snow and I love how you talked about the different shades of white. And the textures and sounds of the snow under your steps? I could hear it. Thanks for sharing that! – Dori –
Like you, I prefer summer but relish the winters for the change of scenery. Although I don’t live in the gorgeous countryside like you, I still like being able to see things that aren’t visible when the trees are full. Thanks for sharing your wonderful farm scenery!
Tanya, I do love the season changes. And honestly there are a lot of things I really love about winter. I especially love hearing the rain on our metal roof! – Dori –
I just love everything you do!
Wendy, that was a really sweet thing to say. Thank you! – Dori –
I agree the endless days with clouds and haze can get to a person. I live near Lake Michigan and we are in what seems to be endless clouds for days and weeks at a time. But winter has its own beauty. I love the stillness and peacefulness winter brings. I love seeing the dried grasses blow against the background of white. The biggest reason I love winter…because it makes spring so unbelievably special. I have a counter in my office at work that is counting down the days to the first day of spring…we are under 60 days! Get out those seed catalogs and start making your plans. We will be digging in the warmed earth again soon. Until then, why not make a picnic and have it on the floor of your favorite room? No, it won’t be the same without fresh sliced tomatoes, or fresh picked corn on the cob, but who can resist a good potato salad? Hang in there everyone, Spring is coming. Force some spring bulbs to brighten your day or do as my craft club is doing this weekend, make some paper flowers to brighten the corners of your room.
Lisa, I can’t imagine what it would be like around Lake Michigan with the endless clouds. I’ve heard that before. Winter does definitely have it’s own beauty. And you are so right… it does make spring that much more special! I’m thinking tea party with my grand girls is the order of the day sometime soon!!! 🙂 Thanks for planting that seed in my mind. – Dori-
I was either born to the wrong parents (city dwellers) or the wrong century. Keep up the great, and I mean great, blog.
Hi Betty, isn’t it nice that city dwellers can still be farm girls?! 🙂 Thanks for reading and following along. – Dori –
Comment!
🙂 – Dori –
I thought I was alone when it came to depressive winters but I’ finding out that it is very common. The minute children go back to school I feel challenged knowing that winter is just around the corner and I also dread the time change. Its puts me in a depressive mood thinking that my days get shorter. Knowing that other people suffer from this, and reading about it, actually helped me. I’m also very sensitive to the cold so the combination of it all just isn’t good. Thank you for your wonderful post.
Maria, I think as I get older I’m more sensitive to the cold too. That could be part of it for me! Feeling my age! – Dori –
I’m one of the odd ones who love winter.
Our Michigan winters can be cold. But God shows His beauty in ways the other seasons can’t.
But I love the fall as well.
Gail, I think it is wonderful that you love winter. And yes, God shows in beauty in so many beautiful way each season. – Dori –
Would love this beautiful cookbook to brighten my counter top!
Karen, it definitely brightens a room! – Dori –
Here in Southern California winter is the only time we get green & color. The rest of the year is so dry everything is brown. Being a Minnesota girl this is hard because I am used to just the opposite. So while the rest of the country is freezing which by the way I miss terribly I enjoy three months of green grass & trees because I know the other nine months will be brown and that’s when I will have my “summertime blues”.
Shawna, I’m a little familiar with Southern California and winter is the best time of year there! 🙂 I’m sure being from Minnesota with your beautiful summers it is a little hard to take not having that. Brown is not a fun color for the grass! – Dori –
What beautiful pictures of beautiful beasts.Thank you for taking them
Natalie, thank you! – Dori –
So…possibly relocating with a very special man. It’s an exciting proposition…living in God’s Country…rolling hills, Black Angus dotting the landscape…making a home in the country…a cozy, rustic place… “A Little Bit o’ Little House”. I’m excited for the adventure that awaits and yet, terrified of the unknown. Puttin’ on my Big Girl Boots though and packing my canner and Mason jars with love and heading North!
Michelle, relocating is hard no matter the circumstances. When we moved out here to the South, it was the most exciting days for us. We had been looking forward to and planning for years. But it was a shock to me how difficult it was adjusting. I love it now, loved it then… but it still took some time to settle in. A good attitude is key and I think you’ve got that! Good luck. Keep me posted! – Dori-
Hey there, from the driftless region of Wisconsin. Your views look very similar to mine at this time of year, though our ground is covered in snow. I too love seeing the neighboring farms just out of sight when the woods are full. Though I don’t have any cows or cattle, most of my neighbors do. I hear their animals calling from time to time and enjoy seeing them gleaning the fields now and chowing down when the grass is green. What I do have is chickens, and my rooster is the only one around. Now and then the winds blow his announcements far enough for them to hear and later tell me the happiness his raucousness brings to their ears.
Thanks for sharing the photos of your new little one and my best wishes that all the expectant moms have such success delivering this year. Give that little bull calf nose a kiss for me.
Sharon, I would love to see Wisconsin. I hear it is such a gorgeous state. Maybe sometime! – Dori –
LOVE your calf photos! We have a dairy herd and we start calving in March. (Our winters are a little more white than yours 🙂 so we don’t have any calves in the winter). It’s amazing how much joy and “color” they can bring into our lives isn’t it? MaryJane’s book looks great in your colorful house, but I can’t help admiring the spoons holding it up. Did you make that? Thanks for sharing your farm life with us and for the great giveaway!
Heather, YES those calves definitely bring job and color to our days! I hope your calving goes well. Keep me posted! – Dori –
Hi again, Heather. I forgot to respond to your question about the spoons. No I did not make those. They came from my favorite store, Anthropologie. I love them. – Dori –
I have several of Mary Jane’s books, but not this one. I love pouring over the pages, trying new recipes or sewing or crafting. So much fun!
Deb, if you don’t win this book you must buy it. It is so awesome. – Dori –
Since you said we could post on any subject, and now I am enjoying more of your photos showing your overview of the hillsides and land lower than your house, may I re-ask a question I posted to you long ago? …. What is the main water supply to your home? Are there wells and pumps? … or ??
I’d love to have that beautiful giveaway book! Please count me in!
Hi Mary, I do remember you asking that question in the beginning! I actually plan to write a post on our house and building it on our hilltop. But it might have to be a post of 10,000! If you can believe it, we have a 100 acre farm and we have CITY WATER! 🙂 But we did have to install a pump at the bottom of the hill in order to boost the water up to the top. It is an above ground pump in our little pump house – it works great! Thanks for asking the question again! – Dori –
I am truly a “farm-girl” at heart. I live in the city now but I have brought my Holstein cow collection with me and still collect unique farm things. I would love to add your “Mike Cow Kitchen” book to my recipe book collection. I love your photos and gift of writing. Keep it up!! -Diana-
Diana, I love how we can live anywhere and be farm girls at heart. How fun that you have your Holstein cow collection with you! Thanks for reading! – Dori –
Hi Dori,
That calf is a beauty! I got my first milk cow this winter. June is a 4 year old Guernsey due to calf in May (so thankful it it won’t be mid-winter for my first calf!) I purchased Milk Cow Kitchen shortly after June came to live on my farm and have been enjoying the book just as much as you. I have a friend who is my back-up milker that I would love to gift with this book. Susana – you gave me motivation to get cleaning/reorganizing. Guess I know what I will be doing this weekend!
Colette, What a great gift that would be for your friend. I really want a milk cow… trying to figure out how we can fit it in! – Dori –
When I stand on the steps to my back door, I see the world of Currier and Ives. This is seasonless, but so much more apparent in the winter. I live about two blocks from the center of Crown Point Indiana, which was established in the 1830’s. The houses aren’t as old as the original log cabins, in my neighborhood, but they have that older mood. Many are yellow, or white. With the leaves off the trees, snow on the ground, and an overcast sky, it isn’t much brighter than your black and white world. The world is pretty interesting.
I have tons of color inside. I work on quilts and go to museums in Chicago. However, seeing things without color adds clarity.
Kristy, oh my I would love to see what you see when you step out your back door. I bet your area is beautiful. I’ve been to Indiana once and loved it. The world is VERY interesting, you are so correct. And I love what you said about seeing things without color adding clarity – someone also said it adds serenity. Clarity and serenity; I love that. – Dori –
Your little calf is adorable, brings back memories of bottle feeding …they are strong even when small. Your craft/library/playroom looks bright and inviting and fun. The book looks amazing.
Angie, those little calves are very strong. It’s kind of incredible. The book is awesome! – Dori –
I love the pictures of your lovely home and land. Seems like heaven on earth!
Rebecca, thank you. Yes, our farm and surrounding area is like a little piece of heaven. – Dori –
I love the book too. It sits next to my work computer and it is so relaxing to look at a couple of pages after a meeting.
Starletta, Oh what a great place for the book. It is VERY realizing and peaceful. – Dori –
I completely agree with you about color. For some reason, I like to put something red in every room. I guess I see red as cheerful and full of depth. I really like how the color in the pictures you shared pops out from your white shelving/walls. Many blessings that the rest of your calving season goes well.
Kim, red is my go-to color too. I love it. I have red pendant barn lights in my kitchen – 4 of them! They make me so happy! – Dori –
I am one of those that live in the winter snow (Colorado) and am also a summer (sunlight) person. Luckily we get alot of sunny days in the winter. I open all the curtains and let as much light in as possible. My project this winter is to paint the inside of the house. I am only doing one wall at a time so that I don’t wear myself out, but it is coming along. It will feel so fresh and clean in the spring.
Cindy, the West really does get sunlight in the winter doesn’t it? It can be so bitterly cold but at least the sun shines! What a great wintertime project – painting the inside of your house. – Dori –
I love the seasons! Here in the mid eastern plains of CO. we get all kinds of color all year, right now it is mostly shinning white, snow with sun but oh we do have some of the best colors there are. I love how right here in my little space I do get the colors because I no longer am able to travel to see the great colors of TN. – one of my most fav places to be. But I thank God I got to go,do,see all that I did. I am totally into color for my living inside and reading cookbooks is a hobby of mine, although I’ve read them to tatters, one with great pic’s like MJ’s would be a real treat for me, thank you MJ for the offer and good luck to everyone. God Bless.
Joan, the four seasons really do give a person a lot of different colors doesn’t it? I think TN is one of my favorite places to be too! Reading cookbooks is a hobby of mine too! I always have a pile next to my bed! Ha Ha! – Dori –
The book looks fascinating! And very colorful. Would love to receive a copy!
Tracy, the book is awesome! – Dori –
I have a new sewing/craft room that looks a lot like your picture. And that book would sure look good setting on a self there!!!
Cheryl, don’t you love a bright and cheerful craft room? And yes the book would look great! – Dori –
Hi Dori,
You’re right about the colors of wintertime. It’s almost like Mother Nature is giving the farmers and gardeners time off to rest up for the coming spring, when the work springs forward again with its bright colors. Wintertime is the restful time for the soil and the soul. We too, find indoor projects to fill our hours at this time of the year. I plan our next garden, based on what worked or did not work in years past and how many vegetables will still be in the freezer when it is time to plant again.
Love your photos of the season, indoors and outdoors.
Marci, I love to think of Mother Nature giving everyone a time of rest. It really does make Spring amazingly wonderful doesn’t it?! – Dori –
Dori, the colorful pictures on your blog today gave me a lift of spirits on this gray foggy day in Oregon. Thank you for sharing a glimpse of life on your ranch. I always look forward to your blog and thank you for entering me in your giveaway.
JP, I’m glad I could lift your spirits today! And thank you for reading! – Dori –
this time of year, between the snow and the mud, a girl just needs a little color – I find myself wandering the aisles of the fabric store loading WAY too many bolts into my cart, reveling in all the colors and potential projects ahead of me. The book looks like a less expensive way to satisfy my need for color (and it won’t fill my crafts closet to the brim, either)
Kimmie, I think the mud is what really gets to me! 🙂 And yes, I go to the fabric store and do the exact same thing!! Or the scrapbook store and buy beautiful paper I don’t need! 🙂 – Dori –
Thanks for your post Dori!
I’d like to enter the book giveaway because I’d love to gift it to one of the farmgirls in our Henhouse, if I should be the lucky winner. I do own the book and love it.
Love your black and white photos and the color ones as well. I’m hoping to get to some embroidery here soon, even for a little while. Seems like it’s my plan for winter and then I don’t get to it. I have, however, been quite successful in cleaning, sorting and purging “stuff” from my house!
Thanks again Dori!
CJ
CJ, this book would be the ultimate best gift for a farm girl…I so agree with you! I love embroidery in the wintertime. I’m working on a set of tea towels for a wedding gift for my niece and they are coming along so nicely. – Dori –
Hows those tea towels coming along? Been trying to complete a few embroidered items for my daughters wedding…but can’t seem to get to them…Im trying to get my house in order before my daughters wedding…organizing, cleaning
one room, one shelf at a time. To be we can add photos here…But was wondering, did we have tl say we were interested in the book? Would be nice and cheerful. Interested .didnt know we had to say. I have no memory on my tablet for books, wish I had a Kindle. But books are nice.
I love the way nature makes things look different in different seasons! The pictures of Mama and her calf make me happy as I have such a love for how they know what to do and do it well….especially in the cold weather….being from Ohio originally, we did not see many babies born in the wintertime, but now we are in NC and we live on a dirt road….we see new borns all the time now and each new one we see as we drive past, we make sure to mention to each other how beautiful this season is and how these little ones do so well here…Thanks for your great blog! I read it all the time and I so love you pictures….love the vintage kitchen ware 🙂 we have some of the same!~!
Kellie, nature does make things look so different in each season. I do love that. I’ve never been to NC… I really want to visit there. Maybe someday! I love my vintage kitchen things too – and I use them, so it makes it all that much nicer! – Dori –
I am one of the northerners buried in snow. As long as it stays above 0, it isn’t so bad! Seems like a lot of people are housecleaning while it’s cold outside. I find I am doing the same thing! Great time to purge, and paint to brighten things up!
Brenda, I just wonder how I would manage in the snow??? I would probably be crying! And cleaning, painting, sewing, and cooking! 🙂 – Dori –
Northerner here to but in Niagara county it varies how much snow we get, I’m so close to the falls but protected from the snow fall; if the lakes are frozen over, as were in the section between two lakes.but if the lakes are thawed, we get snow. We got a heat wave this week….got up to 30 degrees today! But in the weather report, its to change back to single digits! Bbbbrrrrrrrz! What I do love about the snow is seeing it fall on my pine tree and see the footprints in the snow of the birds marking a path up to my door . The birds looking for lunch on me! seeds and bread crumbs, I put them out when the weather gets wintery, feeding them to keep them here! Life in the winter time without birds singing and chirping is like pure hell for me to deal with winter. Love the sounds of birds singing too! Hope everyone is doubling up on your vitamin D….it really does help get thru winter.
Looks like a wonderful book this farm girl would love to read.
Patti, you would definitely love to read it! – Dori –
I just uncovered an old Pennsylvania Dutch cookbook that my mother left me. There is a space in my heart for this old cookbook and a space on my shelf for this new, beautiful Milk Cow Kitchen book, too.
Mary, that is really sweet! I hope the Milk Cow Kitchen finds a way to your shelf. – Dori –
I would love a copy of this book to share with my family. I will also add it to my Birthday List for this year. Love you B&W winter pictures so pretty and peaceful.
Happy Spring very soon. Here in KS my iris are starting to perk up a little.
Margaret, Oh I’m so happy to hear that there are flowers starting to perk up somewhere! We had a few really warm sunny days and I thought maybe the buttercups would pop up, but it is probably too early for them to do that! – Dori –
We don’t get buttercups here til summer….where are you? They are viewed as weeds here, but love how they pop up when everything else disappears. They are said to be poisonous to pets ( not sure) but I would love a little color….flowers die here as soon, as we get a frost. My plants indoors are taking a beating….because its colder than usual.
Hey Dori,
I love your posts. I’ve even got my husband hooked,too. He always wants to read yours and Teal’s postings. An old farm boy too old to farm just love to see others enjoying what we enjoyed in the 40’s. Keep posting, we love it. We would love to have the book.
Doris, that is so sweet that your husband reads my posts too! 🙂 My husband likes to read all the comments! – Dori –
Hi Dori,
Looks like you have a lot of comments already. I was going to buy this book but what with saving for the move out of here to a rental for a while, I have not been able too. Would be nice to have the very book I would love to have and get it without having to wait for a year before purchasing it. Instead I could have something so interesting to read while I am waiting. Love your blog.
Hugs,
Kay
Hi Kay! How are things going for you? I hope it works out for your to move soon. Thanks for writing. – Dori –
Thanks Dori
Me too. Things are doing a bit better. Looks like maybe March will be the time they will be doing the renovations. I will have to move out until the house is again livable. Then what ever time it takes to sell. I keep telling myself not to get excited and so far so good. For now.
Hugs,
Kay
Love all the color and the beautiful pages of the book you’ve shown us. I also like the winter time when all the underbrush is dead and I can see for a distance. Did you ever notice how much more personality all the bare trees seem to have? But, I think we have to endure all the grays and dullness of winter just so we will appreciate the beautiful colors and the awakening of all the flowers, trees, and grasses in springtime just a little bit more. Am personally anxious to see the earth awaken again and get to plant my garden!
Katy, Oh I’m so thankful for your question to me about how much more personality the bare trees have. I needed that so much… I think I’m just missing things! So after reading your comment I really made a point to look at the trees this afternoon. You are so right. Loved your comment so much, thank you. – Dori –
I would probley like the book. I Love the winter !!! but then I live in the southwest desert. 70 tomorrow and the trees are already budding. It makes me anxious about the summer. 110-115 is a bit much and makes gardening a real challenge. My horses sweat like mad no matter the lengths I go to to keep them cool. The only good part about the summer around here is longer days and less clothes to wash. But you all enjoy the muggy Tenn. summer. FYI, It makes no difference if it is a dry heat, anything over 106 is HOT ! Love you blog btw 🙂 and your cows
Glenda, I’m familiar with that SW desert heat! That dry heat! 🙂 It’s all hot regardless isn’t it?! But the longer days, oh yes! Gardening in the desert just never worked for me. That is probably one of the things here that I love so much is gardening. Things GROW!!! Thanks for writing! – Dori –
Hi Dori,
I LOVE color as well. I’m a Cheesehead (and proud of it!) and I believe color got me through the long winters. I now live in Colorado and the basic color on the Front Range is brown. So once again color is my middle name. I really enjoy your posts and completely understand what it is like to uproot.
Please keep writing!
Marilyn
Marilyn, uprooting is hard isn’t it? I love it and love where we are… but change is hard. Thanks for reading and commenting! – Dori –