View from the clothesline

It's shaping up to be an unseasonably warm, sunny and, most importantly, dry day so I headed out the back door to the clothesline with a load of freshly washed sheets, pillowcases and various other laundry this morning.  As I pinned the first damp piece into place, my mind full of all the other things I need to do during this rare mid November balmy spell, I became aware of a slow, steady munching noise.  Kimora, Addison, Alice, Maple and Neysa were all standing around the breakfast bar enjoying the bales of hay set out for them by Dan before he began this morning's milking.  The first three, all Brown Swiss heifers due to freshen in February and March, and the last, Maple, a Jersey heifer due to freshen sometime next July, are all youngsters who don't need to be in with the older ladies, eating all the primo hay.  Neysa, now dry and due to freshen in about 2 months, no longer needs the best hay, but still needs a place to rest and relax until she's on the job once again.

The pleasant sound of their munching was a nice, soothing accompaniment to the fresh smell of the laundry as I hung each piece on the line.  Every now and then, those girls would look up, mouths full of hay, as they blissfully powered their way through the pile before wandering off to relax in the sun.  Life is good.