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September 7, 2024
Summer Cattle... from May Your Bobbin Always Be Full


Oh, the lazy days of summer... 


Elsa, the frozen calf is on the left...

she is 18 months old now.






This is Althea Pink....a real beauty





Eloise, the white roan, is a yearling heifer

and will have her first calf next Spring...





This is the heifer field, across the river from

our home place, in the background.





Butter Cup, oh so cute !

She is also a heifer and expecting her

first calf in the Spring...





All the cattle are fat and slick in the summer...





In the summer, the living is easy ...

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July 20, 2024
Quilting and Baling Hay... from May Your Bobbin Always Be Full

 

I am creating a Comfort Quilt...



I pulled a bunch of large floral fabric scraps

that have been in the stash for 20 years or so...





I chose this gladiolus fabric for the center.

They measure about 8 inches tall...





There was enough of this pink zinnia fabric

for a border around the gladiolus...





Before I knew it, there are 3 borders on

and it measures 60 inches square.

I will put one last border on...



Out in the last hay field:


We are finishing things up...

I am raking and the Cowboy is baling...





The Cowboy is baling up ...

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July 14, 2024
Vintage Christmas Quilt....Top Done from May Your Bobbin Always Be Full


This is what the Christmas quilt

looked like last month...


The pick up truck blocks were completed...





and stitched into rows with the trees...





Last week I added a narrow white border

and a narrow red border...





It is now complete with a wide

green border...

Quilting and binding are next!





We are in the 3rd hay field this week...





I was able to get the mowing and raking done

after the heat wave was over...





 The Cowboy is baling it today...

One more hay field left to do.


View my Instagram feed HERE


CLICK HERE:  to see My Quilts ...

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July 8, 2024
Cow Camp Tree... from May Your Bobbin Always Be Full

 

We're in the 2nd hay field today.

I got my raking done early in the morning

when it was still cool...


It is 105 degrees this afternoon and I am 

looking for somewhere to shade up...





So I went where our cattle shade up...

The Cow Camp Tree





I pulled the pick up under the tree limbs,

opened the doors and a beautiful breeze

blew right through the cab...



The Cow Camp Tree is enormous...


This picture will give you an idea of just

how HUGE this tree really is !



This picture was taken last Spring

of our cow ...

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July 6, 2024
Baling Hay.... from May Your Bobbin Always Be Full


Once the mowing and raking are done...

 


It's time to get it baled up !


 


We have been making round bales for

over 20 years now...





Even after 20 years,  I still get

a kick out of watching them pop out

the back of the baler !





100 degrees this week !





A couple more weeks of this

and hay season will be over...





The first field is baled...

on to the next one.


View my Instagram feed HERE


CLICK HERE:  to see My Quilts




May Your Bobbin Always Be Full,

LuAnn Kessi 


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July 5, 2024
Life in the Hay Fields... from May Your Bobbin Always Be Full

 

Life continues here in the hay fields...



I am now mowing the second hay field.

I am not alone...




Just across the fence is the Cowboy...






He is raking the first hay field...





Once the raking was done,

he hooked up the round baler...





The round bales weight 1,000 pounds...





Lots of mowing, raking and baling going on...





The Cowboy baled up 120 bales in the

first hay field...

You can view our hay field videos on Instagram


View my Instagram feed HERE


CLICK HERE:  to see My Quilts




May Your Bobbin Always Be Full,

LuAnn Kessi 


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June 4, 2024
Working Cattle.....Spring 2024 from May Your Bobbin Always Be Full


It is Spring here in Western Oregon...

time to get the cattle worked


Today we are working the heifers...

heifers are the females who have just had

their very first calf.





The cow and calf pairs are herded into the corral

then sorted into different pens.

Mamas in one pen, calves in the other.





They don't like to be separated,

so they start bawling and it gets loud !





We have a tiny chute just for the calves...

it keeps them secure and safe so we can

get them worked quickly and back with their

mamas in just a ...

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May 11, 2024
Sorting and pitching! from Crazy Quilter on a Bike!

Wow!!!! What a day! We spotted one coyote and one moose on the way to the farm. There were never moose in this area, but their habitat is changing, so I guess they are in the area now. We also have bears -the big kind, but I haven't seen any here, although I had a dream about them last night. Little Bear, meeting a real bear! 

However, the most "exciting" critters I met were SIX ticks. I found one on my forehead while taking a break, one in the truck on the way home, and another on my head ...

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May 3, 2024
The Wedding Quilt... from May Your Bobbin Always Be Full


We live along the Big Elk River...


When we rise in the morning, 

we see the Elk through the fog,

grazing just outside the yard fence...





The Elk are calving right now and will 

bring their calves into our hay fields in June...





Two winters ago an orphan elk calf took up

with our cow herd and ate hay right off

the hay truck when we fed each morning...





When you live in this little valley,

you learn to live with the elk...





Our neighbors are getting married in August...






They also live along the Big Elk River...





This Elk ...

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April 30, 2024
Pasture Management... from May Your Bobbin Always Be Full


I won't be listening to the 

hum of my sewing machine today...



I will be listening to the roar of this

John Deere 4440 tractor...





Climb aboard and check out

the cockpit...





This is where I will spend the day...

that is an oh so comfy hydraulic seat !





This is a room with a view...





My mission today is to flatten out 

these mole hills...





The mole hills are big...





There are hundreds and hundreds of them

in the pastures and hay fields...





The implement attached to the back of the

tractor is called a "drag"





Here is a ...

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April 21, 2024
The Golden Girls... from May Your Bobbin Always Be Full


Super Cuteness... 


Golden Girl.....Born 2016





Golden Girl....a curious yearling heifer




2022...Golden Girl with her calf, 

Golden Delicious

Yes, they are twins !





2023...Golden Girl with her calf, Elsa

We now have a herd of Golden Girls !





2024...Here are Golden Girl's calves 

all grown up:

Golden Delicious and Elsa

They look just like their mama.





Golden Delicious and Elsa

They live in the same pasture right now...





As you can see...

Golden Delicious is expecting her first baby.

She is round like a barrel !




I check on these girls 2 or 3 times a day,

but ...

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Hot Pads... from May Your Bobbin Always Be Full

 

My stock pile of hot pads is running low...



I like to keep them around for gift giving...

everybody needs a new hot pad !

A great way to use up those

fabric scraps...



Insulbrite batting as the base

and then stitch & flip the fabric strips in place...





Similar to log cabin blocks...

A pile of tops all done.




All finished with the backings,

then turned right side out

with top stitching all around the edges.





They pile up quickly !





The best part is....no binding necessary.





Give them away to everyone you meet up with !



4 weeks left in the ...

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April 14, 2024
Side View Mirror... from May Your Bobbin Always Be Full


Each morning as we feed the cattle...

 


this is my view out the side view mirror...





The Cowboy is flaking alfalfa off the back

of the pick up flat bed and

the cattle gather behind and begin eating...





We drive slowly as the Cowboy pushes off 

one flake at a time...





It is a good time to check the mama cows

to see who is getting ready to have a calf...





It is our morning routine...

all of us...

the Cowboy, the Cattle and me.


View my Instagram feed HERE


CLICK HERE:  to see My Quilts




May Your Bobbin Always ...

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April 12, 2024
Elsa...The Frozen Calf from May Your Bobbin Always Be Full

 Remember Elsa the Frozen Calf ?



This is Elsa a year ago with her mama...





She froze the night she was born and we

thawed her out with a hairdryer...



Fast forward to today....a year later:


This is Elsa now weighing in at 1,000 lbs.




She is the biggest and best heifer in the herd.

I thought you might appreciate an update on Elsa.

You can click here to read her story.


View my Instagram feed HERE


CLICK HERE:  to see My Quilts




May Your Bobbin Always Be Full,

LuAnn Kessi


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April 3, 2024
Super Cuteness... from May Your Bobbin Always Be Full


Here's your hit of cuteness for the day... 


" Brookie "

Heifer calf......Golden Girl's new baby




This is Golden Delicious...

Golden Girl's 2 year old calf.

Standing beside her is "Slash" (not her calf)


41 calves on the ground so far...

More To Come !


View my Instagram feed HERE


CLICK HERE:  to see My Quilts




May Your Bobbin Always Be Full,

LuAnn Kessi


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April 1, 2024
39 Calves... from May Your Bobbin Always Be Full


39 calves on the ground...

 


Baby Calf Number 32





The tulips are in full bloom...




It's definitely Spring here in the

Pacific Northwest



View my Instagram feed HERE


CLICK HERE:  to see My Quilts




May Your Bobbin Always Be Full,

LuAnn Kessi


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March 27, 2024
35 Calves... from May Your Bobbin Always Be Full


This is my view each morning...

 


The Side View Mirror





I drive the feed wagon

while the Cowboy flakes the hay off the back...





The cattle follow the piles of hay

falling off the back of the truck...



This is Little Goldie...


She has a brand new calf...





It is very dark brown now,

but in a few weeks it will be golden

just like its' mama...





We are a month into calving and there

are 35 calves on the ground so far...


View my Instagram feed HERE


CLICK HERE:  to see My Quilts




May Your Bobbin Always Be Full ...

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March 20, 2024
Cattle... from May Your Bobbin Always Be Full


Super Cuteness... 


This is Cleeve...

He is the second calf born this year

and he loves to play calf games

with all the other calves every morning !





The mama cows coming over the hill

at sunrise...





Feeding time...





Calf Number 23.....born yesterday





Heifers in the sunshine...




My hard working Cowboy


View my Instagram feed HERE


CLICK HERE:  to see My Quilts




May Your Bobbin Always Be Full,

LuAnn Kessi


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March 17, 2024
ยป May Your Bobbin Always Be Full


How super cute is number 6 ... 


This is a little bull calf born a week ago...





His mama is eating clover pellets

behind the barn...





Replacement heifers in the side view mirror...

None of them are calving just yet.





Dollface had her calf yesterday...





Feeding heifers across the river from

our home place.

We have been enjoying sunny weather.

It was 76 degrees today !

We have 19 calves on the ground so far.

The cows will be calving through May.


View my Instagram feed HERE


CLICK HERE:  to see My Quilts




May Your Bobbin Always Be Full,

LuAnn Kessi


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March 13, 2024
12 calves in 12 days... from May Your Bobbin Always Be Full


Calving season is just getting started...

 


We will continue to have calves into May...





This is Edith with her new bull calf...





Most of the heifers will not have their calves

until April...




Things aren't too busy just yet,

so I have been able to spend time out

in the Thread Shed listening to the

hum of my sewing machine....aaah.


View my Instagram feed HERE


CLICK HERE:  to see My Quilts




May Your Bobbin Always Be Full,

LuAnn Kessi


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