Bessie's Beads

Bessie's friend Sarjan brought her a protective charm from her homeland in Turkey, where they obviously love & respect their cows. These pretty glass cow beads are blue, with woolen yarn twists - all threaded onto a hemp braided thread. They are to keep her safe and happy - and they seem to be working! Sarjan said that they bring their cows from the country into the city in the winter-time. The charm is meant for a cow with horns - but I think Bessie looks lovely even without them.

Now that Sunshine has been weaned, Bessie is giving over 2 gallons of milk a day. Lots of cheese is being made - cottage cheese and the house "Fog Line Cheddar" is made weekly.

In March and April we'll stop milking - she needs a 2 month "drying off" period before she has her next calf. Bessie is due on May 4th, 2010.

October Rain

Shark's fin Rock though a rainy-day window

A big wet and windy storm rolled in Monday night, and when we got up Tuesday there were two inches of rain in the rain gauge. The garden has been laid flat with the gale blowing off the ocean, all pointing inland.

Everyone scurried around on Monday, covering wood piles, cleaning gutters, moving tools indoors, and generally trying to hide things that don't like to get wet! By morning, the cows and sheep had hunkered down in the windbreaks and up in the trees, and the chickens and pigeons were slow to come down from their roosts.

Nice to hear the rain beating down on our snug little house, and see the water streaming down the windows! Green grass can't be far behind...

A nice load of dry wood, ready for the fireplace.

Market Day.

Every Sunday we have a market where folks bring their produce and homemade food to sell. There is coffee and best of all, the chance to see your neighbors and friends in this spread out community. We go almost every week, and take our excess produce, eggs and cheese, if we have it.

This is what we took this week in September.
By the end of the day, only a few flowers were left!

Blossoms

Wow! Is there anything more optimistic then a row of Sunflowers? I think not!

This variety is called Teddy Bear.




We also have a great crop of Dahlias in the garden: truly they are the floozies of the flower world.

Cheese

A view of the dairy refridgerator with our 9 waxed cheeses and bottled milk.
Thank you Bessie!

Monday I made cheese #13, using 3 gallons of fine Bessie milk. When she first freshened in April we were getting over 3 gallons of milk a day, but now that we are sharing milk with Miss Sunshine, we only get the overnight milk, usually about 1 gallon. So it now takes several days to accumulate enough milk for a cheese.

We are calling it Farmhouse cheese - and each one is very different from the next. They must age for a minimum of 3 months and of the 4 we've eaten so far, several have been soft like a Havarti, and several others dry and crumbly, like a Wensledale. Either way they are all delicious!

Here are a couple of photos of Bessie and Sunshine this September.

Sunshine at 5 months.

Bessie - her sweet self. Due to calve in May 2010!

A Perfect August Day.

Seldom are days as lovely as this one. Clear and gentle air, a still & vivid ocean - a world filled with bright colors. One could only stand, stare and feel lucky to be alive in this place at this time.
Here is a view of Shark's fin Rock, just as the sun was going down and an almost full moon rising. It sits just outside Stillwater Cove and is a deeply familiar and beloved sight.

A pod of six Blue Whales are staying in the area, moving up and down the shoreline, hugely lolling and puffing their giant spouts.

Update on Miss Sunshine

Bessie's calf, Miss Sunshine, is just over one month old now. She is very independent and quiet - we've only heard her snuffle a couple of times. She's starting to graze, and likes to hang out with Howdy.
The herd hangs together and don't mix with the
sheep. When we take Bessie out for milking, Howdy
moos until her return. Miss Sunshine sleeps.

Look at them Taters!

Warm weather and the spring garden is taking off - and so are the weeds. Have a look at what's growing and on the table here at the Ranch.

There are artichokes, an Italian type called "Violette" - they are purple, small and tender - you can eat them choke and all.

We have a hedge of them along the garden path.

There are peas about ready for picking......

Rapini for pasta with garlic - yum!










Broccoli and potatoes (3 different varieties.)














And lots of poppies!

Beautiful rain

Rain for the past 2 days - at last!

Wind off the ocean drove the goldfinches and house finches out of the pasture up onto the eucalyptus tree trunks in search of a safe & dry hiding place. They looked like little jewels clinging to the tree bark.

Over an inch of rain fell - green grass and a happy garden for a little longer...


Goldfinches shelter out of the wind

A mighty herd of cows

The Stillwater Cove herd. Sunshine's Birthday.

On April 11th Bessie's new calf arrived. Miss Sunshine swells the herd to three Jersey cows. They all hang out as a family group together in the pasture. Bessie is cranking out milk for her baby, and for us too - 3 gallons a day!

Yesterday we made 2 lb. of sweet, cultured butter, 2 quarts of yoghurt and, today 3 gallons of clabber for the lucky chickens.

Go Bessie!

Miss Sunshine is 2 weeks old.

Home Sweet Home

This was the Big Boy's Bunkhouse. It was built in 1930 and has been renovated in 2008. It is made of local sandstone. It has a beautiful view of the Pacific Ocean - and is a magnet for the marauding 17 peacocks who live on the property.


The Pacific Ocean