The first year. Part 3

When the time came for me to go to the hospital and have our baby I was ready! It was hard for me to milk the cows and I was leaving the calves on them most of the time. I was lucky to get enough milk each day for us but that was fine with me.

I woke up in the morning ( actually I don't think I slept at all that night, I was hurting so bad ) Told Russell it was time to go and we went. Amber was born about 11:45 am on June 21st. It was a very quick delivery and I was ready for sleep! I stayed in the hospital for a few days as I had surgery while I was there. When it was time to come home a long time friend of mine ( Megan ) came to pick me up. Russell was at work so we didn't get to much of a greeting when we got home but the quiet was nice.

It was a few more days before I could milk the cows but I had to go to the barn and see them. They all looked good and didn't care if I milked or not. Elley was also close to having her calf. Maybe a few weeks for her. What was I going to do with all the milk?

I decided to go into cow sharing. That was the best way to use up all my extra and also allow others to take part and enjoy what the cows had to offer. But it was still going to take a while to let people know I had this option for them. I could not advertise milk as it is illegal to sell, but I wasn't selling the milk, I was selling shares of my cows.

I started checking around and looking into ways to tell people about this way for them to obtain what they were looking for. LeeAnne was also doing this with her cows and had been for a while. She had a few share owners and suggested that I post my name on the WAPF website.. So I did, and nothing happened. Well not right away anyhow.

July rolled around and Elley was very miserable. The weather was hot and she was very close to calving. I was up at the house and had one of the boys go down to do evening chores. Cows were hungry and I wouldn't milk until they had dinner. When Tyler got to the barn it wasn't long before he was calling me. Elley had her calf! A heifer! What luck was that to buy a cow that was Pregnant and have the first calf be born a heifer! We named her Fawn as her color was a fawn and she looks like a little deer with those big ears and brown eyes.

I started to get loads of milk everyday and still no one contacted me about the cow shares. I had no idea what to do with it all and decide that I was just going to have to milk the 2 cows and leave Elley with her calf this go around. So in the evenings I would milk the cows and put them with the calves and in the mornings I would pull the calves off and let the milk build up again for evening. During this I found that Elley was not just a good milk cow but also would nurse any calf in the country. So big Elley became my nurse cow.

I started working for my mom part time in the fall and acquired my first share owners around that time. A gal looking for natural foods to help with cancer issues, and her sister. Word has a way of traveling and before long I had a few more people that owned shares in the cows also.

Late that winter my husband and I decided to take a trip to Montana to visit his Aunt and Uncle and also to learn how to make cheese. It was a long trip but well worth it. We stayed just a couple days but in that time I learned to make Mozzarella and Cheddar curds. Also was sent home with some water Keefer's.

Time passed and I learned more about the cheese and all the fun stuff you can make with the milk. Also my Aunt and Uncle contacted me, I grew up on my Aunts milk cows. They no longer had cows and wanted some cream for the holidays to make a Sour Cream Raisin Pie ( they are so Good!) We got to talking and my Aunt still had her old cream separator and her butter churn! So she loaned them to me ( I still have and use both of them ) and I got her some fresh cream for the holidays. It worked out great.

Once in a while as they pass through town ( they drive truck for a living ) they well stop and load up on milk and cheese and have all the "Good Stuff" for a while on their trips.

The calves were growing, The baby was growing, and the cow shares were growing also. Life was looking good, my family was in better health then they had been in a long time and the boys didn't have as bad of hay fever come spring. All due to a couple of Amazing milk cows!