A LOVEly February Day

My neighbor Colleen gave me the go-ahead and the directions for where to go in their barn to photograph the new babies at the Fern Ridge Hereford Ranch up the road. 

Colleen probably didn't realize that she'd given me the golden key to some wonderful moments in my past when our family raised Hereford cattle and I'd get up before the crack of dawn during calving season to check on the cows.  

Always wanted to be the first to run back to the house and announce another addition to the herd. If Harold wasn't already up, he wasted no time getting dressed and out the door with a syringe to give the new baby its shot and to make sure all was going well between mom and her newborn. 

Well, the babies have been arriving at the Filipowskis, and it sounds like more than half of them are here. 

I visited the barn both yesterday and the day before. Yesterday turned out to be the premium day because more calves were resting in a stall filled nice clean bedding where only calves can go AND a new baby was in the calving stall with mom trying to figure out where the dinner plate was. 

During my visit, its efforts were unsuccessful, so the little bull calf found a spot and just plopped down as mom watched him one second and me the next. 

There is a supervisor at the Filipowski barn, a pretty one at that.  Kitty Kat (don't know its real name) met me both times and happily helped out, purring and strolling along the board fence, while I was taking pictures. 

The nice part about these baby calves is that I don't have to get up early to go visit them, and I know that regardless of how the calves feel, I have a new yellow, furry friend. 

The walk to and from Filipowski's cow herd was beautiful as usual with a warm sun and a lovely blue sky.  As usual, pretty winter birds were flitting from perch to perch. 

We're all sick and tired of the stubborn ice that seems intent on hanging around in spite of the past few sunny days. I made the mistake of leaving behind my Yak tracks yesterday, thinking the road would be okay.  

Not so!  Still having to walk like an old lady carefully picking her steps.  Bill and I even ran into that problem downtown last night when we went out Valentine's Dinner----first time in years.  Ice in the dark is even worse than ice in the daylight, and if I hadn't been paying attention, I could have easily slid under the car when I stepped out.  

That curb ice was as slick as I've seen it anywhere.  After having an absolutely lovely meal with wonderful service and a pretty rose to take out the door at Baxter's Restaurant on Cedar, we walked back to the car.  This time Bill pulled forward so I could avoid that killer ice. 

If I had slid under the car, at least we were parked across from the hospital ER!

In short, Valentine's Day for the Love's was superb all day long. 

And, now we're halfway through February.  That ice can melt any time, and we won't be complaining. 

Happy Wednesday.  Enjoy the photos. 

This meatloaf, topped with delicious mushrooms and artfully placed in the midst of mashed potatoes and gravy is to die for.  As one diner noted, they give you a "brick" of meatloaf at Baxter's.  I ate all I could, and Bill, after enjoying his "fresh catch" dinner tried to finish it off but left a couple of bites.

I've had meat loaf sometimes which looks good but has a strange flavor, so I was a bit leary.  The first bite, however, assured me that it was just as tasty as it was attractive. I'd go back for more; it was that good!