A Cow, Epsom Salt, And A Baby Diaper

Life on the farm.  Happy, clean and carefree children (with nary a speck of dirt under their fingernails) playing and visiting around the old barn....

Contented cows waiting for the last days of winter to pass and the first sprouts of spring grass to arrive...

Beautiful horses dressed in their finest....

High hopes of fresh lettuces and gardens full of spring's soon-to-arrive goodness....

And loaves of freshly baked bread beckoning all to come to the warm and cozy kitchen for a slice slathered in fresh butter.

And who can resist fuzzy adorable rabbits...

and chickens providing the farm family with the freshest of eggs?  Isn't that what life on the farm is like?  Total bliss?  Everyday?

Well, while we absolutely adore this life, I must admit that children do get dirt under their fingernails (lots of it), lettuces are sometimes eaten by the goats before we can harvest a single bite, chicken hawks or skunks are forever and always looking for a fresh chicken dinner, and cows sometimes suffer injuries.  Thus the title of this post.:)

One cow recently suffered a foot injury, the foot injury caused an abcess, and Abigail recalled a wonderful tip given to her by a vet.  She put approximately one cup of epsoms salt on a disposable baby diaper, covered with just enough water to dampen the salt, and used duct tape to secure the diaper on the cows foot.  She then tied the cow up for a couple hours or just long enough to keep her out of the pasture and from running around and causing the diaper to fall off to soon.  And. It. Worked!  And we are THANKFUL!

And while the outcomes aren't always so good, a quote by Joel Salatin comes to mind:  "Don't quit.  The opposite of success is not failure, it's despair." 

And as far as the dirt under the fingernails, I've heard that cooked and baked dirt and clay are actually sold in health food stores, and some say eating dirt may actually be good for your health.  Hey, my children are getting the dirt for free.  Maybe it's boosting their immune system, too.:)

And the goats aren't eating ALL the lettuces and greens, and the chicken hawks aren't getting all the chickens, even though they do seem to think we're running an all-you-can-eat chicken buffet.

So while life, whether on or off the farm, sometimes includes setbacks, it is never boring and is oh so good. Thankful for home (wherever it is) and hoping you and yours will have a blessed evening,

Sherry