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Photo: Marianne, Joseph, Mike, Claire, Ally, Christopher, Ryan, and Matt

This morning was just about as close to perfect as possible. I woke up early, put all the animals out, and gave everyone fresh water, made coffee and then sat outside with Josie. I read my book and drank my coffee; she chewed her cud. It was amazingly relaxing, just me and my cow.

We have had Josie for almost a week now, and she is settling down pretty well, but I still get frightened when she runs and bucks (which she is doing less, but still doing). The Guinea hens still startle her when they do their yakking, and their spastic movements don't sit well with her either. She seems to enjoy the company of the ducks and chickens however, and she really enjoys when the people come outside with her and just hang out. For a while she was mooing discontentedly every time anyone of the human variety walked away from her. It is clear she doesn't like being alone. Being a herd animal, it is logical that she would feel very insecure by herself. Before you even complete the thought, the kids have already suggested getting another cow for her to herd with. I'm convinced it is a good idea, but we had enough trouble finding Josie, I have no idea where I'd find another one like her.

I had some difficulty finding a vet that would care for Josie, but through a series of phone calls we finally found a vet that specializes in cows and he told me on the phone he likes Jerseys best of all--so from the sounds of it, we found the perfect vet. He is coming out next week to meet Josie and we will talk to him at that time about having her horns removed. Needless to say I want her anesthetized for this procedure. In case you are wondering, we have been told, and the vet agrees, that with small children around, we are better off dehorning her. Although dairy cows rarely get aggressive (in contrast to dairy bulls) we don't want to take any chances.

Josie is already not an organic cow. On the first day that we got her, the flies were biting her legs so much the poor thing was bleeding. She looked so totally uncomfortable; I ran directly to Agway to get her some relief. That relief comes in the form of noxious chemicals unfortunately. I will talk to the vet and also do some research on what we can do for her that might be less toxic, but there is no way we can choose not to address the issue of the flies; they are a constant annoyance to her, and their bites can be a health hazard to her as well if any of the bites should become infected. Of course I can't stand for one second to see the poor thing suffer, but I don't want a situation where the cure is worse than the problem. Some research is clearly in order.

We had a big treat today when my brother, his wife, and their three children came to visit. The first thing they all the kids said upon exiting the car was "we want to see that cow!" Josie seemed to like having all the people around, and the kids had a great time together. When it was time to leave the kids were not happy about having to break up fun play time with cousins. As my brother and his family were pulling out of the driveway to go home Claire said to me, "Mommy they are such a nice family. I'm going to go live with them."

Today's livestock count:

• 1 7-month old Jersey heifer
• 6 old chickens
• 5 adolescent chickens
• 6 baby chickens
• 9 Guinea Hens
• 6 ducks

Coming soon:

• 1 Slovak Cuvac puppy
• 15 turkey chicks