Why see the glass half empty when it is half full?

Sometimes, you just have to admit when you are just having a plain bad week.

How my week really went…

People tend to focus on the negative points in life instead of the positives. I was that way two weeks ago and tend to be a bit pessimistic.  

See, my parents went on vacation leaving the farm to the rest of us and the dairy just to me.

My dad was nice enough to send me pictures while they
were gone.. in HAWAII! 

They were gone a total of 9 days. That is 18 milkings, 9 days of feeding and cleaning alone and 216 hours of 100+ cows/calves to watch. Along with my normal household chores, holiday baking to do and cooking for a very busy weekend that was coming up. To top it all off, SNOW.

Ugh. No thank you.

Well in that time I had all these NEGATIVE things happen.

1.      It was cold

2.      Cows acted up 8 out of 9 days

3.      Snow

4.      Bedding down the barn

5.      Dead calf

6.      Pulling a calf from heifer

7.      1 broke feeder

8.      1 broke milking unit

9.      Cow manure on my face, more times than I want to admit

10.   Losing a loader bucket pin

11.   Trying to unload feed from a dump truck

12.   Staying out late to make sure everything is taken of

13.   Cows kicking me

14.   Leading to multiple bruises

15.   Hitting my head on the milking system motor

16.   Strap on coveralls broke

17.   Not being able to sleep

18.   Backaches all week

19.  Barely any time at home

20.  COLD

The list could go on and on and drag on… if I wanted to pick apart all the little things. By day 4, I wanted to cry a little. Day 7, I wanted to quit and day 9 I was thankful. THANKFUL…. Say what?

Yes, thankful.

Well in that time, really, I had all these POSITIVE things happen.

1.      It was cold- not really I had 4 days of upper 50 and lower 60’s, who can complain about that for the middle of December.

2.      Cows acted up 8 out of 9 days- they were letting me know bad weather was coming. Such smart weather ladies. (Most the time better than the actual meteorologists!)

3.      Snow- it ended up snowing later with just a little ice, we needed the moisture.

4.      Bedding down the barn- the cows need a nice warm place to lay down and they come first, plus they were out of the barn so it made it go faster and easier

5.      Dead calf- while it is never easy to lose a calf, the cow is healthy and alive 

6.      Pulling a calf from heifer- we saved the calf’s life and the cow is still alive also, we could have lost both

7.      1 broke feeder – my grandpa and brother were there to help fix it

8.      1 broke milking unit – we had a spare one and hubs came and fixed it, so I could keep milking

9.      Cow manure on my face, more times than I want to admit – it happens, part of life on the farm, easy to clean up and remember to keep extra paper towels in your pocket!

10.   Losing a loader bucket pin – ha, I really didn’t! I find out it was already missing!

11.   Trying to unload feed from a dump truck – We didn’t have to grind feed at all while my dad was gone, it was really a great thing and saved time.

12.   Staying out late to make sure everything is taken of – that is part of being a farmer. I was still able to get some sleep and wake up for another day.

13.   Cows kicking me- it is a part of the job. Not the first and last time I will ever be kicked. The cows were just warning me of the bad weather again.

14.   Leading to multiple bruises- I bruise easy, once again part of life.  

15.   Hitting my head on the milking system motor- I should probably watch what I am doing.

16.   Strap on coveralls broke- my dad made me a new clip and now no hanging strap. Thanks to baling wire.  Another thing on the farm- baling wire and duct tape fix everything!

17.   Not being able to sleep – part of life being a farmer- you can spend all night thinking of what needs to be done tomorrow or thanking of a cow, you are just watching out for your farm.

18.   Backaches all week- weather.

19.  Barely any time at home- part of working on a farm. I got to spend time with my sister, brother and husband working at the farm and I wouldn’t trade that for the world.

20.  COLD- I am just not a big fan of being cold, but I have sweatshirts, overalls, and heavy duty boots—really I was warmer than most.

I learned how my dad has felt working by himself for the last 33 years. I understand better how THANKFUL he was/is for having help from his parents and children. I learned how to work the calf puller while the cow is laying down from my brother. I learned how it really feels to be a full fledge dairy farmer, not just the milkmaid and helper.

I am THANKFUL for having my grandpa there to feed the calves every morning and night. I am THANKFUL that my brother helped me pull that calf from the heifer or else it could have been ten times worse. I am THANKFUL that my brother or hubs fed the cows their silage every day for me and helped unload the feed. I am THANKFUL after a late night of spreading straw around the barn and waking up late my brother washed the jars and set up the milk system for me. I am THANKFUL for being able to spend time working on our farm website and some new blogs. I am THANKFUL I got to spend an afternoon decorating for our family Christmas with my sister that I don’t get to see very often. I am THANKFUL for having my family there always to help and I am THANKFUL that my parents were able to take a trip of a life time.

Thankful.

One simple word that has more meaning than we take the time to appreciate.

Look past all the bad and negative and see the good and positives in our lives. Life is short, we need to be living it to our fullest trying to enjoy every moment. Not counting up all those negative things that happened during the week, but rather all the good that came from the week.

This next year, I am going to focus on just that.

The Milkmaid

Beautiful Snowy Sunrise