The second day of Grandma Camp starts early, ends late and has a speed of about 1000 orbits per hour running through it. It was not intended this way, but things had to be adjusted to meet the moment. So forgive me if my post is brief and half literate!
I have an early start to the morning, because daylight comes early to the farmette, waking a little guest, and confusing her about the wake-up hour. Besides, the bug people arrive early to correctly spray some "natural" stuff to deter the newcomers -- mosquitoes who didn't get the message the first time around.
As long as two of us are up (Ed sleeps through it all), we may as well have breakfast. Outside, of course.
Now is the time to clean up the lilies and take stock of the flower beds, in a relatively mosquito free environment.
(two lilies with frogs and one without)
My visitor plays, listening to music.
And quickly enough it is time to pick up the cousins from Shakespeare camp.
We eat a very quick lunch at Barrique's.
We have a 1 pm appointment at Hinchley Dairy Farm. This is a wonderful place, about 25 minutes east of Madison. They devote time to give tours of the farm to families. There are milking cows. There are pregnant cows. There are calfs. A few months old, and a few days old. And there are pigs, goats, turkeys, ducks and geese. And lots of cats. Lots.
We take a tractor ride and are given an explanation of the cow feeding process -- the growing, harvest, storage of corn and hay. The digestion. And then the impregnating process. The birthing process. The milking process. Finally we see it all. Well, not the impregnation and birthing!
It's all extremely mechanized... Robot controlled in fact.
But here's the part I looked forward to: we also get to milk a cow. I dont remember ever doing this before. And now I have. All four of us have.
Another new adventure for me -- having two calves suck my fingers. Delightful!
(just days old)
Of course, there were, too, the other animals to admire. Including barn cats. Lots and lots of barn cats.
There was a second family along for the demonstration and observation and participation. When it came time to collect eggs though, I held back my threesome: you can do this at the farmette! Let the others get a thrill of reaching for eggs! And indeed, back at the farmette, all three went out with Ed to collect eggs.
And climb trees.
And prepare for the next art project which we will start tomorrow or the next day.
The plan was for Primrose to visit her cousins in their home tonight and indeed sleep over there. Unfortunately, little Sandpiper came home from school sick and so the only way the big three could have a sleepover was to do it at the farmhouse. My downtime is suddenly switched to a slumber party here. All three, packed in the little room upstairs.
I had no special foods prepared for them. Time to order a pizza! And watch a movie. And I am so hoping for an early bedtime but that's just not likely given the level of excitement here right now.
It was a full day!
with so much love...
