Waiting for Thoreau

Julia now leads like a dream. She’s slow, but steady. She no longer needs the nose tongs, she no longer balks, she steps quietly into the stanchion, slips her head into the gate and starts chowing down.

It feels like a miracle.

Even more miraculous is that she accidentally kicked the bucket over this morning. Her first time. It makes a terrific noise – stainless steel banging around on concrete. Julia tested the head catch once, then calmed right down and waited.

While I was sorry to lose the milk, I was glad to see her reaction.

I have a friend who has a small dairy north of us. He milks Holsteins. Says he won’t work with Jerseys.

I wonder why?