I was reminded this morning of my own advice. I have told others that my number one advice for choosing to get an animal would be, "Don't get anything that you are not passionate about!" I have followed my own advice on several occasions when faced with the choice of getting various breeds or types of animals on a whim.
This morning it was evident to me that I have given good advice! It started yesterday with a howling wind bringing the wind chills down to zero or below. Our home sits on the top of a hill in the Shenandoah Valley and we get wind here even when other's have none. Last night it sounded like a locomotive was going through our house. Spencer was doing so good with the housebreaking, that I didn't want to mess him up, so I took him outside any time he looked like he might have to go. It was so cold! I don't have any idea how I ever lived in Alaska all those years! The last time I took him out was after eleven and I was back out again this morning a little after five. Thankfully, he is a good boy and goes right away most of the time!
After taking Spencer out, I crawled back in bed for about 15 minutes..........I was trying to get mentally prepared to head back out into the cold! Fortunately, I am very passionate about my cows! You have to be passionate about them to own milk cows! They require twice a day milking and feeding, no matter what the weather conditions. Recently we have been having a lot of rain and our barnyard has turned into a muddy mess. It has been a struggle to just around and the cows have been so dirty when they come in to be milked. That means additional time cleaning their udders and getting them clean enough to use the milking machine! This morning, the mud was frozen and it was bitter cold. Mike had to be away from the farm this morning and that left me with the bulk of the morning chores. Thankfully, he did make sure that the pump for the milker was working and he fed the cows before taking off. He also had to pry the gates open for me, as they were frozen, in the mud, to the ground. I took my gloves off to wash the girl's udder and then would put them back on really fast! I had to remember not to touch the metal stanchion bars with my bare wet hands! When I milked Maya, her calf Princess came in to the milking shed. Being a young calf, she wants to lick things. She kept wanting to lick the metal bar and I kept telling her it was NOT a good idea! Aside from being cold, the morning chores went well and here it is almost time to go out and do it all over again. Twice a day...........seven days a week........fifty-two weeks a year............rain, snow, sleet, hail, hot and humid, cold and windy............Now do you see why I say you must be passionate about owning animals before committing to them?