Hey y’all, today was one of those homestead days where it’s cold, it’s busy, and you’re thankful for every good thing that happens. We started out with a sweet surprise—Cookie had her first baby, a jet-black bull calf, and he’s a big one. With the rough weather coming in and temps dipping down into the 20s, I was worried she’d wait too late, but she had him in the middle of the day and he was already cleaned up and nursing. Then I had myself a scare when I couldn’t find him the next morning and thought we’d lost him, but Andy spotted him curled up tight along the woods line like he’d been there the whole time. We also talked through what we’re doing with our “sacrifice pasture” and why we’re holding the cows off the grass even though it’s starting to green up. With the rain coming off the barn roof, this spot could’ve been a mud hole, but using extra hay as bedding—our “carbonaceous diaper,” like Joel Salatin says—has kept the cows surprisingly clean and is building us a compost pile for later. Andy kept on with barn work too, getting board-and-batten siding started and sharing a few practical tips (like which way to face the cup in rough cut boards). And to finish the day right, I cooked Andy’s grandma’s chicken and dumplin’s—dropped dumplings, deep pot, don’t stir—because nothing warms you up like a bowl of comfort food after a cold farm day.