Why I Love My Job

• I have social anxieties and poor social skills. Working on a dairy farm means, I don’t have to interact with people all that much. I have known my boss since I was a little girl and my co-workers are all easy to get along with.
• I get to work with animals. I may not get along with people, but I love working with animals. They don’t judge.
• It doesn’t matter if I’m having a bad day. If I’m sad, a lot of the cows are calm and friendly enough that I can grab a hold of their necks or heads and just hug them. In particular, one red and white Holstein, Little Red (#1008), lets me do this at any time. On the other hand, if I’m in an irritated mood, the physical labor helps me work out my aggression.
• I get to be a sassy, little smartass any time I want to.
• Milking cows is a valuable skill. There will always be jobs in farming. People need to eat. No farms = no food. So, you better damn well appreciate the farmer.
• If I had never started milking cows, I probably never would have gotten together with my boyfriend.

 

In Which, Home

So, I’ve been home for the past week. I started work this past Monday. I returned to the dairy farm I worked at last summer. And last Sunday…. I FINALLY TOLD ALEX I LOVE HIM!!

We had been watching He’s Just Not That Into You and twice during the movie I felt my heart rate quicken and the nerves settle in my stomach; the feeling I always get when I want to say something important, but am slightly afraid to say. At the end of the movie, when the sweet, romantic voice-over is being said, Alex tightened his arm around my shoulders and kissed the top of my head.

Then I had to leave because both of us were tired and I still had an our long drive to go. I hadn’t brought a jacket and it had gotten chilly, so he let me borrow his. Standing outside of his house, next to my truck, I said, “I love you.” His words were a little mumbled, but he clearly replied with, “I love you too.” ♥

 

In Which, Tragedy

When most people complain about the price of milk, it is the consumer at the check-out line in the grocery store. However, when a farmer complains about the price of milk, they are looking at the check that represents the profits of their whole livelyhood. A few days ago, one such Maine farmer looked at his milk check, and the results were tragic.

My father, a John Deere tractor salesman that is out on the road very often, visiting the farms that have bought from him, received a call from a farm that raises both beef and dairy cattle. The farmer that contacted my dad informed him that a mutual acquaintances of theirs, not to mention one of my father’s very good customers, attempted to commit suicide.

The weapon used was a gun and the man shot himself at the back of the head. Sadly, the shot didn’t make a clean kill. His family, his wife and five children, heard the shot and quickly called an ambulance. He was rushed to the hospital. However, the next day doctors told the family that their husband and father was in a coma and had no brain activity. The wife made the difficult decision to pull the plug.

The funeral was this past Saturday. My father, who had an amazing personal basis with this partiicular dairy farm, attended the funeral. He said it was very sad, but touching. Each of the children wrote letters to their father and one of them even had the strength to read it aloud to everyone.

When the funeral ended, everyone crossed the street to the farm where they lived, which was in sight of the cemetary. The day ended on a light note. Where the farmhouse was across the street from the cemetary, everyone could see when one lone, escaped heifer was calmly walking between the graves. A number of the group of mourners began to try to bring the heifer back in, all dressed in the suits. The wife shook her head and told them to leave the calf alone; her husband was probably the one that let her out.

 

In Which, A Summary

I know, I know. It has been forever since I last wrote. I have no excuse. I won’t go into the details of everything that has happened between now and the last time I wrote. Not now anyway. I’ll just make a short list. Maybe short…

• I finished my first year of college.
• I made the Dean’s list.
• Taylor and I are officially over.
• In fact, as of the 16th of June, it will be three months since we were over.
• As of now, it may also seem like our friendship is over too. Which makes me very sad.
• For the summer, I am working at a local dairy farm. I mostly just milk cows.
• I think it may be the best job ever for me. For now anyway, until I can get into writing full time.
• I have a boyfriend, one that is not Taylor.
• I can now say that I’m a Navy girlfriend. ^.^
• The distance sucks, but I’m happy.
• At least when Taylor isn’t being a total d-bag.
• I received a two goats as a reward for making the Dean’s List. A mother and her buck kid.
• It is amazing how like dogs goats can be.

I feel like that pretty much sums everything up. Here’s to hoping I keep this updated better!