Morning Milking

There are many benefits to having a family cow, among them being, the abundance of fresh milk and homemade cheese. Buttercup does require work, but I think everyone in the family (whether or not they admit it) agrees that the milk is worth it. In fact, we miss it when she is dried off (the period of time we stop milking so she has a rest) in preparation for calving. Our milking schedule for Buttercup is 6am and 6pm. I admit that to get up and out at 6:00 in the morning to milk a cow can be a bit much. Even though we may get up that early, to HAVE to milk a cow can be a chore. To help with this, we have a rotation schedule in which two people at a time are responsible for milking and then it rotates to others. One benefit of milking is that we are up and outside to see the sunrise. The sun is just rising as we finish milking and it can be gorgeous! Last week, our 18 year old son took this picture: I was reminded of the verse in Jeremiah 32:17

Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for You.