Fog creeped between trees and slunk through fields this morning. I could see a breath cloud surrounding little Miss Q as she perched on my hip with a handful of hay ready to feed the cows.  Though we had been outside for nay 5 minutes her clenched chubby fist was red from the cold. 
As Q helped call them in I beamed with joy as she touched the nose of Molly our Dexter calf and began trying to hand feed hay.  Only after had she successfully fed the cows every last particle of hay were we able to move on to other chores.  She already takes such pride in her work.

Later as she showed a few of her toddler friends the complete Melville Farms tour, I beamed with pride as she demonstrated the way to feed the chickens.  Like a seasoned pro she walked through clucking hens and scattered grain in different areas so even those lower in the pecking order could have a snack. At the age of 1 she’s in love with raising animals and I could not be more estatic.
I know there will be many times in our future when she will whine about farm chores or dread going outside on a stormy morning, but for now I will revel in her excitement, encourage her love of farming, be patient as she feeds the cows one blade off grass at a time, and try to smile when she wakes up 2 hours before dawn yelling “COWS!!!!”