Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Wistful Wednesday: Milking

This is a photo of my Great Grandmother (Hatwig) on my mothers side of the family. She only had one daughter Lela, and they are milking cows. They are sitting on three legged milking stools in their skirts. Lela has some kind of heavy stockings on. I am amazed that the cows are outside and not tied up..they must be eating.

Milking by hand was a job I didn't mind, my brother and I milked by hand for several summers, just three or four cows. I would much rather milk cows than cook, or clean, or sew! :)

10 comments:

Darla said...

Thanks for the visit....glad you got the insect info, it's so much fun! Milking cows is something that I don't do, LOL. Your school photos in the last post are way cool.

Nancy said...

Great photo and wonderful memories.

I grew up on a dairy farm and got my fill of milking cows (about sixty and thankfully NOT by hand unless the power went out) and cleaning up after them. Trust me, I prefer to knit, to clean my own house, and to sew.

Anonymous said...

What a great photo to have. I have never milked a cow myself. I heard my dad and his father talk about it when I was younger. Wouldn't you love to own one of those original milking stools now as a keepsake?

DayPhoto said...

We are tearing down our old barn...boy does it bring back all those years of milking. I loved being with the cows morning and evening, but I never ever got to the place that I like washing off the milk stone. Ugh. Hard job.

Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com

Rae said...

I never milked a cow before, but I am with you - I think it would be better than cooking and cleaning.

Pamela said...

really? my sis milked our cow, but I never did try it.

L. D. said...

What an unusual photo. We had a neighbor who had a large family, six kids, no barn, and cows all up and down the hill around the house. That was his way of making a living. They could be seen out there milking in the open with a cow tied to a post. They were so poor that they didn't have electricity in the house, but did have it to a water cooler that sat out in the open on the hill that the milk company supplied. Carried water from a well to get water into the cooler. Gosh they were so poor. Oh yes, all that milk would be used to make cheese or butter, not for milk to drink.

LadyFi said...

Anything to get out of the housework.. I agree!

This photo is a real bit of history!

Coffee with Cathy said...

Wonderful! And they look so good at it! Thanks, as always, for sharing your delightful photos.

hayseed said...

That's a neat photo-My husband's family owned cattle when he was a boy, so he knows how to milk, but I never have tried-always thought they might kick me!