Meanwhile on the farm

Well, it seems the gals and Fred are doing quite well this winter. I often see Mica or one of the bays sleeping on the huge old hay pile in the sunlight, soaking up the warmth into their heavy winter coats.
We have had wild swings of temperatures. Two weeks in a row we had warm temps that got up to 50 degrees and made everything into mush.
Then someone turns the thermostat down and we get onto a freeze.
Pools of water turn into skating rinks and the mules and cattle tip toe around the icy spots.

Morris and Dixie have had a few days where they could get out and play together.

Morris won't go too far before he decides it is time to go home on our walks.
Dixie is good and doesn't complain, she defers to the elder dog and is always submissive to him.

Winter afternoons are for sitting on the porch and watching the stock tank fill with water.

Dixie has no idea that she is not a lap dog/puppy anymore. I am so glad I trained her not to jump on me, or not to try to sit on my lap while I am in a chair. She knows it is okay to 'cuddle' if I am sitting on the ground. That is a lot of dog to have in one's lap.

I put a large dog crate in the back of the Subaru and wanted to see if Dixie would go in it. When she was a pup, she did have a crate for a time in the tiny house. She was very good about 'crating' up. I showed her the crate, she put her paws on the bumper of the car and I encouraged her with a slight lift.
She was in. I gave her a treat and she practiced getting in and out. She learns new things so fast.

We are set to go on a Trail Challenge Hike together. It will be nice to have company. Dixie is very easy to talk to. ... And she never reveals what I tell her in confidence.

Morris's appetite is waning again, the vet says we can keep infusing him with fluids once in a while but his blood work is heading south...slowly. He spends 90% of his time doing this:

Once he starts showing pain we will make a decision.

Stella and Hank are doing well. I've decided to keep cleaning their 'stall' and keep them in until the weather breaks. I don't want them dealing with the wild swings of temperatures at this time.

10 large square bales were delivered by Hay Man Daryl to the ridge top. We have 10 more coming before mudseason. Those were stored in the round pen.
I've made plans for selling the culls of the Dexter herd at auction this spring.

By the end of spring, we will have the mules, 15, and 6 Dexters which will include Stella and Hank.

I've been doing a work out each day. One hour of hiking equals about a mile in our hills. Dixie accompanies me most of the time.

Rich is not doing well with the colder temperatures, it is very hard on him.

Our motto is one day at a time.

This ends the Farm Report.

Hank, Hankster,...The Hank, the Dexter Calf

So 'the calf' who was born in the cold during our Christmas Supper ... remained days without a name.
I am often hesitant about giving a name to a critter that ... well, simply put, should not survive.
Yes we already established that this young heifer had been penned with a young bull and had not been separated before what we felt would be active breeding time.
Well, we were very wrong!

I did not feel confident that without bringing the calf into the house and giving it milk replacer that I'd be able to keep it alive. The little guy was cute. All animal babies are cute.

My Kenosha Gang showed up Friday evening and we put together a heat lamp and made the little pen a bit cozier by putting plywood around it to keep the heat in and the cold air out. Well, that was the idea.

The little guy seemed okay but would sleep in one corner or another and would shiver a bit. When he was up and nursing he seemed fine.

Well I bedded them heavier with shavings, I have been cleaning their little pen each day and putting in fresh pine shavings.
I'm sure Stella would say thanks, but she is more interested in water and in hay. She does stop occasionally to pull my gloves off my hands.

The heat lamp and bedding really helped a lot. Mother Nature took its course and Stella was nursing him very well. He found the best way to nurse was to go directly under the tail.
I tried to tell the calf that perhaps one day he'd not want to do that.

He didn't listen to me at all.

While I was cleaning the stall and making arrangements on Friday before our next house guests arrived, I found myself talking to the calf and Stella while working on their little pen.

I called the calf 'Hank'. He looked like a Hank. And it stuck.

Welcome to the farm 'Hank' The Sir Prize little Dexter!

The temperatures were forecast to drop well below zero on New Years Eve. Daryl had brought a small heater and he set it up. New Years Eve we'd thought we'd do all sorts of fun things.

But Hank ended up as the main attraction. With the temperatures falling well below -12 F and the wind chills a sinister -33 or so, ... we opted for no night hike. However everyone took turns checking on Hank.
It didn't matter if it took several minutes to wrap up and put on facemaskes, heavy gloves, boots, coveralls,.... we all had to see Hank.

Yes. The Hank has defied the odds and continues to grow like a little weed.

He sometimes thinks he is a Big Boy...well, not quite yet!

However, he is doing great.

What a wonderful thing to happen on our little farm to give us hope and and joy for the New Year.