Hands On

I threw Beau into the deep end yesterday and he came up swimming.  Inga, my problem child with tiny teats, proved too much for a first-time milker, perfectly understandable.  After that rocky start, Beau picked up the routine and did almost everything by himself.  Fortunately, Sheila is an easy milker and that gave Beau the confidence he needed.  Until hands on, it's difficult for a newbie to gauge how hard to grip and to get the downward rolling squeeze motion going.  It was also difficult for me not to hover like a mother hen.  I was there to offer suggestions and guide him through the process, not make Beau nervous.  By the time Tessie (on the stand) came in, he was working like a pro.  Today he will essentially do it all, including figuring out how to get Inga emptied.  I need to know he and the girls will be okay alone.  That ice-cold after-barn beer sure tasted good!

In the afternoon, Beau called to let me know there was a brush fire over on E16, moving fast but headed away from us.  The country version of neighborhood watch works well up here.  It certainly helps to get a heads-up.  Cam came up and we sat out on the deck to see the column of smoke and watch the spotter and dump planes circling.  She'd tried to go to the post office, but law enforcement had closed the road.  They seemed to get the fire under control pretty fast.

As we left the barn, Beau said he's definitely going to get a milking machine.