Rain, Milk And A Horse

Well, here I am again, I've let a bunch of time lapse between posts on this blog.  Time slips away from me and before I know it, a week goes by.  I think I'd like time to slow down, but I know that's not going to happen.

We have been blessed with rain.  It was a good six weeks, maybe longer, since we had some measurable rain.  I had not seen things so brown around here as they have been.  The only upside to this lack of rain is that I have not had to cut the grass much.  However, the paddocks are looking pretty rough.  God has blessed us with about an inch in the last two days with more in the forecast.  I am amazed at how quickly things begin to grow again after a good rain.

After a month long battle with edema and mastitis on our milk cow, she has settled into her old routine.  We are all very glad to have some fresh milk in the refrigerator agian.  This is a huge blessing as the feed bill is going through the roof with nothing to show for it, until now.  As far as preparedness goes, it is good that this has happened to test what we know of remedies and signs of illness.  I did resort to antibiotic injections for the mastitis (which she is not prone to), but, with the knowledge gained from this experience I will more readily know the signs.  There are many natural thingswe can do to prevent this from happening again.  Mint leaves, made into a poultice or tea can be given to the cow or rubbed on her udder.  For edema, you need a good diaretic, and blackberry leaves and kelp meal are two real good choices.  I was told that raspberry tea and leaves would help, but further research indicated that raspberry is not a diaretic.  I am still working on the summer sores on her belly.  This is really a parasite that causes pussy bald spots.  I was advised that Redmond Clay (Mississippi Mud) would take care of that.  I am also spraying the area with Melaleuca oil and antibacterial soap, which helps a bunch.

To top everything off, after three years of saving her money, our oldest daughter is getting her mini horse tomorrow.  She is excited.  We wanted her to relate with, work with, and take care of a small horse before graduating to a "real" one.  I am actually hoping that we can train it to pull a load.  This could be handy for pulling firewood.  If all works well, the use of this little guy would help eleviate the burden should there be a sudden shortage of fuel.  Folks, times dictate that we think outside the box on everything.

Now, I still have a car to fix and a van that needs attention and.........