NOVEMBER MEMORIES

[I wrote this nearly 2 years ago and found it as 'unpublished' ... enjoy a bit of nostalgia.]

Sometimes life gets so hectic that I cannot take a minute to linger longer with this blog.

Everyone tells me to 'take a time out' and then one more unintended event squeezes

itself into my 'down' time.

That said, I did take time to take a few photographs during the fabulous month of November.

Even though it snowed, we had a great Fall.

Below, is an image from our back yard.

If you look closely you will see cows munching on grass and enjoying our warm weather.

At least before the snow that hit all of us about mid-month.

Doesn't this look like a Courier and Ives painting?
Sun glistens on empty fields.  Green grass lingers as deciduous trees loose their leaves.

This farm is to the left of the one you see above.
 We drive by it daily and think nothing of what goes on inside.
 Little do we know that these two farms grow feed
for the pampered "Kryder Cows" about a mile down the road.

In November we were offered a tour of the Kryder estate that has been around for well over 100 years.
This is the 'main' house that has been passed down from one family member to another.
From their front door they can see the entire 'cow' operation.

I always wondered why a very 'high tech' farm had rubber tires laying around.

It's the best weight and mobility to move on top of special tarps that cover a 

specific mix of feed hay for the cows.  As the heat from the 'mix' expands, the tires 

hold the gasses 'in check.'  

The tires have holes in the rubber rims so that they

can 'breathe' and not cause more expansion problems as 

tarp rises from the heat of the mixture.

This is what we see when the tires and tarp are removed.

It's a very dense, rich mix of feed for these pampered queens.

Nothing like seeing the backs of cows.  They are milked three times every 

twenty-four hours.  Only two people work the rotating circle.

This woman washes and cleans the cows.  A guy we don't see (far left) 

cleans and attaches the mechanical pumps to the udders.

In the time it takes for the cow to go 'full circle' the milking is done.

The cows can't wait to be milked.  Once led into the milking barn from their well kept 'digs,' 

they move automatically to the single opening of the 'round about.'

This milking process is Kosher - a rabbi lives on the premises and comes to the 

milking barn every 1/2 hour before the next milking (every eight hours) to 

make sure the entire process of preparation for milking is kept 'kosher.'

It's an exacting process so this rabbi is busy.

Here is a better shot of the cows streaming in on their own. 

They know what they like and go for it.

The only two humans we saw were the two who were

cleaning and attaching the mechanical milkers to the udders.

Along with cows, this farm is one of the largest producers of eggs in Pennsylvania.

This 'high tech' feed process is state of the art.

Chickens are kept pristine clean, given the right amount of space and fed

with a very nutritious feed.  Chicken and cow manure is processed in such

a way that it does not smell.  It is turned into a fine powder that is so 

sanitary that it is used for cow bedding. This photo is taken showing the 'pit' in the foreground.