Looks like Maggie's breeding "took"!

A bit over three weeks ago, we had Maggie (our Jersey cow) bred by artificial insemination.

The AI expert, Andrea, said to watch for signs of heat on Sept 29, which would be three weeks later, since that's the length of a cow's cycle.

Well, Monday the 29th came and went, and there were absolutely no signs Maggie was in heat. In contrast, Mignon, our yearling heifer, was in heat last week, and boy did we know it. Not least, Romeo was all over her (even though he's a steer).

But with Maggie ... pffff. Nothing. Therefore it looks like we can expect a happy event in mid to late June of next year.

A productive day

Have you ever had one of those days that was just satisfyingly productive? Yesterday (Monday) was one such day. I don't have photos of everything we did, but you'll get the idea.

Don and I started out in the barn where we moved a new hay bale in place. The cows are eating dry food as well as grazing on whatever new growth is coming up from the occasional autumn rains, which isn't much. This bale is the last of a rather iffy-quality batch of hay we got to tide us over last spring. We've been working on clearing the barn so the better-quality hay we purchased for the winter can be moved indoors.

Next, while I cleaned the barn, Don finished pouring concrete to form the last pier block needed to build the awning that will go on the back of the barn, which will offer the cows more shelter this winter. The pier will need to cure for a few days before doing anything further.

The rest of the morning and early afternoon was spent cleaning up. We have rain expected overnight...

...and we've been doing some fall cleanup anyway, so this gave us some extra incentive to get things done. To use up the last of the gas from the lawn mower before storing it away, I mowed the front and back lawns. Don collected assorted plywood and lumber that's been laying around, and stored it under cover. We collected tools (rakes, shovels, etc.) and put them in the shed. Don organized one of our outdoor sheds to better fit things. I cleaned off the back porch, which often gets messy because it tends to act as a staging area for miscellaneous projects.

By the time we finished mid-afternoon, the porch and yard and front of the barn were gratifyingly tidy.

Then, because we just had a cord of log rounds delivered for an extra boost of firewood, I spent about two hours splitting a good amount of it.

So yeah, it was just one of those satisfying and productive days. The summer heat is finally over, and we can work outside comfortably. We figure we have about four to six weeks to finish all the projects we want to get done before winter.

Product Review Monday

This week's book review is entitled "The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon" by David Grann.

There is a movie based on the book, but I'm not a movie buff so I read the book instead. It's an astounding tale of investigative sleuthing and adventure. The Amazon summary says it better than I can:

After stumbling upon a hidden trove of diaries, acclaimed writer David Grann set out to determine what happened to the British explorer Percy Fawcett and his quest for the Lost City of Z. For centuries Europeans believed the Amazon, the world’s largest rain forest, concealed the glittering kingdom of El Dorado. Thousands had died looking for it, leaving many scientists convinced that the Amazon was truly inimical to humankind. In 1925 Fawcett ventured into the Amazon to find an ancient civilization, hoping to make one of the most important discoveries in history. Then he vanished. Over the years countless perished trying to find evidence of his party and the place he called “The Lost City of Z.”
 
In this masterpiece, journalist David Grann interweaves the spellbinding stories of Fawcett’s quest for “Z” and his own journey into the deadly jungle.

One thing is certain: After I finished reading this book I have far less interest in ever visiting the Amazon jungle. But it's a riveting tale, nonetheless. "The Lost City of Z" will keep you on the edge of your seat.
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This week's product review is something everyone keeps asking about: My camera. Specifically, my pocket-sized Panasonic Lumix DMC ZS50. I first purchased this model about 20 years ago, and I'm on my third identical camera because, let's face it, I beat the poor things to death.

It's not that this particular model is the best, or has the slimmest profile, or any other outstanding feature. But it was available at the time, and Panasonic is a reputable brand. It turned out to be a very good, solid, dependable piece of equipment with very nice zoom and macro features. I love mine to pieces.

Pocket cameras are disappearing from the market now that the ubiquitous smart phone has taken over the industry (and, to be fair, often do a better job), but I am absolutely devoted to the genre, especially since I have no interest in getting a smart phone.

In fact, in the interests of this post, we checked the model's availability on Amazon. There is one new model left in stock, and a few reburbished ones, so its availability is limited.

However Don recently purchased a very inexpensive pocket camera of his own. Unlike me, he has no aspirations of amateur photography; however he's often working on projects that require documentation for purposes of magazine illustrations. If I'm not around with my own camera, he needed something he could use for photos. To that end, he purchased this little pocket camera that works very well.

He notes there is a delay of about one second between pushing the shutter button and the actual photo capture, so it's not suitable for "action" shots. (He also admits he doesn't know much about the camera's features, so this might be an issue he's overlooking.) Nonetheless, it works fine for his needs and is certainly a more frugal alternative to my pricier model.

(Obligatory disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Affiliate, if you purchase through those links, we earn a small commission.)

(Don't forget: A complete list of all our book and product recommendations are linked here and at the upper-right column of the blog.)

Abundant butterflies

When Don and I went on our big lunch date a couple weeks ago, we observed something interesting while we were getting ready to leave the small mountain town where we had lunch. Don was driving, and he pulled into a parking lot so we could switch drivers.

"Look, a dust devil," I noted, pointing at a few hundred leaves caught up in a circular dance in the parking lot.

But a closer look revealed it wasn't a dust devil. Those leaves were butterflies. Hundreds and hundreds of California tortoiseshell butterflies swirling in a circular formation.

All of a sudden, we saw these butterflies everywhere on the drive home. Why all of a sudden? We speculated the day's temperature had warmed up just enough to make them active.

We're seeing a lot more California tortoiseshells here at home too, even this late in September.

California tortoiseshells are kind of fun. With their wings upright, they're a dull brown-black, which resembles bark...

...but in the open position, they have a bright pop of orange and black color.

Apparently the California tortoiseshell is restricted to laying its eggs on various Ceanothus species (snowbrush, deer brush, wild lilac, etc.), but I have not observed any Ceanothus plants in our area. (They're easily identified by the three large midveins in the leaves – various Ceanothus species were common in Oregon where we used to live.)

However the tortoiseshell is also known for periodic population explosions (termed "irruptions") which may send them into areas far outside their normal breeding range, so perhaps that's what we're seeing at the moment. We may also be in the midst of a migration.

Whatever the reason, they're pretty creatures.

Breeding Maggie

Last year, we bred Maggie, our Jersey heifer, to a neighbor's young Angus bull.

It was a convenient arrangement, and little Stormy was the product of that breeding.

But our neighbors no longer have that little bull, so we were trying to figure out how to get Maggie bred this year. After some discussion, we decided to use AI (Artificial Insemination; it had the "AI" abbreviation decades before computers were a thing). 

It took a few phone calls, but finally we connected with a highly experienced AI expert named Andrea. The cost of the process was reasonable, even factoring in the mileage.

But first, let's go back about 27 years ago, when we got our first cow Bossy. We tried three times to AI her. Twice it failed, and once it succeeded. Those weren't terribly good odds. Part of the problem is we didn't do any estrus synchronization protocols, so we kinda winged it when it came to timing the breeding. (There is a fairly short window of time for optimum results.)

It's also why we always kept a bull at our last place, since we had the space. We figured it was easier than AI'ing our cows. And so it proved; we ended up with way too many cattle as a result.

But AI has improved drastically since that time we tried it. Forgive me if I have any details wrong, but here's how I believe it worked. Apologies in advance if things get too anatomically graphic.

After the initial consultation by phone, we decided to breed Maggie to a Jersey bull. The process takes ten days. Initially Andrea came out to give Maggie a shot of prostaglandin, which is responsible for ending the estrous cycle and allows the cow to reenter a period of estrus.

Then Andrea inserted a vaginal insert to administer progesterone. This looked like a gigantic IUD and had a blue cord hanging out Maggie's backside. Andrea said to let her know if the blue cord disappeared inside Maggie.

She left us with a syringe of (I think) gonadotropin-releasing hormone, which Don administered to Maggie midway through the week, at the same time I pulled out the vaginal insert.

Then, on the tenth day, Andrea returned with the straws of semen and performed the actual breeding.

So anyway. On the first appointment, Andrea seemed very pleased by our milking-stall setup, which allowed her easy access to Maggie's neck (for the shot) and backside (for the vaginal insert). Things were lively and a bit dark in the barn during the process, so I wasn't able to get any clear photographs, but here is Andrea inserting the vaginal IUD-like device.

Here's the cord sticking out, which I was tasked with pulling out a week later.'

Andrea drew a circle on Maggie's neck so Don would know the exact spot to administer the shot mid-week.

After everything was done, we stood around talking with Andrea for a few minutes. We mentioned that if Maggie had a bull calf, we would steer him for beef; and if she had a heifer calf, we might keep it as another milker.

Then Andrea said something startling. She asked, "Do you want a heifer calf?"

Yes, it seems AI has vastly improved since we tried it decades ago. Apparently now there is a technique to select the gender of the resulting calf. Yowza. It cost an extra fifty bucks, but we decided it was worth it. Andrea stressed it wasn't 100% guaranteed, but of the eight or nine gender-specific breedings she's done so far, she's hit the mark every time.

So yes, we requested a heifer.

A week later, Don administered the second shot, and I removed the vaginal device. This is what it looked like.

On the appointed breeding day, Andrea returned. She asked for a glass of warm water at a specific temperature to thaw the straw of semen. She had what amounted to a small chemistry lab in the back of her car.

This is the tank of liquid nitrogen where the straws of semen are kept frozen.

It was at this point Andrea performed her magic trick to separate the female sperm from the male sperm. Dunno what she did, though.

Then, with the loaded syringe of semen tucked into the front of Andrea's shirt, we all trooped out to the barn and got Maggie locked into the milking stall. Andrea donned a shoulder-length plastic glove over her left arm, which she then inserted deep into Maggie's rectum, groping and feeling. Then, using her right hand, she withdrew the syringe from her shirt front and plunged the semen home in Maggie's vagina.

And that was pretty much it. It will be three weeks this upcoming Monday (Sept. 29) since the breeding, and we'll know if it "took" on that day by noting whether or not Maggie is in heat. (Cows cycle every 21 days.)

If all goes well and the breeding was a success, we can expect a calf in nine months and ten days, which would put the birth around late June.

Despite the cost, we'll probably continue to use AI to breed Maggie and any future heifers. If we combine breedings with any neighbors around us who also want AI breeding, we'll save on Andrea's travel costs.

Yep, things have come a long way in the world of artificial insemination on the farm. Now we'll see what happens.

The true sign of fall

The fall equinox has come and gone, and officially it's now fall.

However in the Lewis household, the true sign of fall is the Changing of the Sheets.

Yes, bedsheets. During the hot summer months, we strip the bed down to cotton sheets and a light blanket. But when fall comes, I wash the cotton sheets and hang them to dry...

...before packing them away for the next nine months. Then out come the flannel sheets.

Ah, bliss. Both Don and I sleep better in a snuggly bed with flannel sheets and more blankets.

Yep, the true sign of fall.

"The Amish Baker's Redemption" available for pre-order

Remember how thrilled I was with the cover art for my upcoming book "The Amish Baker's Redemption"? (The book is due to be released next March.)

Well, the book is now available for pre-order on Amazon, either as a paperback or an ebook.

This is the sequel to the book that hit the New York Times ("An Amish Marriage Agreement") and is, I feel, even a better story. Plus it has WAY better art, ha ha. (No goofy-looking hero on the cover.)

Just thought I'd put the word out in case anyone's interested.

Product Review Monday

This week's book review is "The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible" by A.J. Jacobs.

From the Amazon summary: A.J. Jacobs chronicles his hilarious and thoughtful year spent obeying – as literally as possible – the tenets of the Bible.

Raised in a secular family but increasingly interested in the relevance of faith in our modern world, A.J. Jacobs decides to dive in headfirst and attempt to obey the Bible as literally as possible for one full year. He vows to follow the Ten Commandments. To be fruitful and multiply. To love his neighbor. But also to obey the hundreds of less publicized rules: to avoid wearing clothes made of mixed fibers; to play a ten-string harp; to stone adulterers.

The resulting spiritual journey is at once funny and profound, reverent and irreverent, personal and universal and will make you see history’s most influential book with new eyes.

I've owned this book for years and have read it and re-read it over and over and over again. One of the reasons I find it fascinating is because it's written from the perspective of someone who is pretty much a polar opposite of me: An urban liberal secular Jew. Despite his (massive) doubts about faith (of both Judaism and Christianity), Jacobs gives following the Bible a real, honest-to-goodness try, including prayer, faith, and belief. He admits his limitations and addresses his shortfalls in a way that's both honest and humorous.

Jacobs is a brilliant writer and he will absolutely draw you in to his faith journey. "The Year of Living Biblically" is highly recommended.

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This week's product recommendation is Don's faithful 3M radio ear phones.

He writes:

I'm kind of surprised I haven't posted these earphones as a product review already. I've owned these earphones for so many years I can't remember when I bought them. They're old enough that I used to listen to Rush Limbaugh on them daily in my wood shop.

As you can see, these earphones have a lot of mileage on them. I use them practically every day, especially when I'm working on power tools, because not only can I listen to AM, FM, or a connected MP3 player, but they also do a pretty good job of cutting the noise from the tools.

As you can see in the photo above, the ear pads are shot. I just bought replacement pads, which I'll install when they arrive; but the radio keeps on working.

These earphones are tough. I've dropped them so hard that the batteries have popped out, and I've forgotten them outside in the rain overnight. I've bashed them, abused them, and manhandled them. They just don't quit, and they get pretty good reception too. When I misplace them, I ask a higher power (Patrice) if she's seen my "ears."

3M makes other varieties of these earphones with more modern features, like Bluetooth and a graphics screen, but I've never used them so I can't make a personal recommendation. I guess I'm just old school (or just old).

For durability, comfort, and enjoyment, I can truly recommend my "ears."

(Obligatory disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Affiliate, if you purchase through those links, we earn a small commission.)

(Don't forget: A complete list of all our book and product recommendations are linked here and at the upper-right column of the blog.)