Brie

The cow, not the cheese that is. Isn't she gorgeous? She's 1 1/2yrs old and just got bred a week ago. She should calve in March, perfect for a first calf.

I was thinking it would be cool to use her milk just for Brie cheese.

I'm trying to dry off Happy. Not an easy task. She is always the first one milked, and yesterday I started milking her only once a day and hope to have her dried off next week. She didn't appreciate being left behind with Chia tonight. But with her one bad knee, and being heavy bred its better if she doesn't make the trek to be milked if she doesn't have to.

I came across some wonderful hardy perennial flowers at a little road side stand on a back road. I can't share my sources as I am hoping to snatch a few more in the next few days. Seedums, veronica, phlox,lamb's ear, bachelor's buttons,and about 7 other varieties. The price was right, and the old honor system. We shoved a bunch of $1 bills in a little box mounted on a fence post. Fabulous. We made a new rock garden for perennials, I managed to toss them in the ground and keep my sanity amidst the double whammy of black flies AND mosquitoes.

Found a spot for some of Dante's " regular " red tomatoes. He pines for regular old red tomatoes in the sea of our heirloom varieties. I suspect he doesn't trust the fancy names and just wants a red tomato to slice.

We lost Ayla's new kitten, Jelly Bean, all day, in the woods. These are not cat friendly woods which is why we have a cat coop to lure the barn cats in each night. If they don't go in, sadly its just a matter of time before something gets them. Jelly Bean is very gentle, but came from a much quieter home than ours and is a little overwhelmed. Zoie caught him in the live trap just before dark and all is well again. Tomorrow looks to be busy with 4 varieties of soft cheese in the making, and I can't forget to start yogurt in the morning.