Getting ready for winter

 & Leila's birthday

This morning I had to get out of bed at 6 am to bake a chocolate cake so we could celebrate Leila's birthday at school at 8:45. All the students have been in on her present since we were at the sea, the boys helped buy the cow that sings, and pretty soon all the girls knew, except hopefully Leila.

Everyone enjoyed cake and juice after she blew out the candles and opened her gifts (clothes and the cow). Garry had to run to the store for batteries so it would be able to talk before we lit the candles and sang happy birthday, since we did not take the ones in it last month, it was an extra charge and he figured new ones were better.

Leila has a little stuffed cow she takes to work with her, and it is pretty beat up looking. This summer the girls sewed up some holes and added new button eyes. 

Everyone knew she would be excited about a new cow. She had hoped to get a cow t shirt, but I could not find one in NJ. 

Julia and Leila have known each other since they were small in the orphanage

Yesterday the students helped with the calf/ heifer pens. The boys cut and built the panels and today in class they assembled them and moved the little calves into them. You might remember the wooden calf hutches burned up in August. Luckily there were no calves in them. The calves had been tied up in the center barn with baler twine around their necks, but now they are in comfy pens and we will be able to feed them calf starter (grain.)

they have cleaned up since the fire

the pens are build from wooden panels tied together with twine 

more pens to finish this week

 I got some photos this afternoon of the pens, and the new bigger pens for groups of bigger calves that utilize the old cement manger as feeders and will have tubs for water. The students had been carrying water to tied up calves all summer.

Dima was busy building wooden boxes this afternoon in the shop for the little calves to eat grain in the wooden pens.

three done!

Soon they will be building again, a shed inside the barnyard so the heifers and or dry cows can get out of the weather with the rain and cold starting soon. Other years they have moved inside the barn to stay out of the mud, but now they will be able to stay in the barnyard. This afternoon Garry ordered lumber for it.