A Cow with Stripes

Greetings from Minnesota. It got down to the low 20’s last night, and everything was cold, frosty and dark when I left for work this morning.

Today I thought I would show off one of our more unique cows. Meet 2389. I also call her Tiger. Maybe I should get points for creativity on that name?

“Tiger” the Cow

Aside from looking unique with her orange-y color and black stripes, she also has other interesting qualities. She’s actually one of our shortest and smallest cows (though it’s hard to tell from the picture), and I think she’s got relatively large ears and a large muzzle (nose/mouth) in relation to the rest of her. These aren’t bad traits, but I rather think they add to her overall appeal 🙂

You may be wondering how a cow comes to look like Tiger? Well, She’s a crossbred, or more than one breed, and is actually a three-way cross. Her mother (dam) is half Holstein and half Brown Swiss, and her father (sire) is Swedish Red. Most of our cows are pure Holstein, but we’re also learning a lot from seeing how crossbreds do in terms of milk production, health, reproduction and longevity in our herd. Besides, Tiger is one cool lookin’ cow!

Running Tales

It’s been a busy few days of meetings and events for work, so I took Wednesday and Thursday as rest days. Today I did 5 miles at an average (for me) pace of about 9:40.  No chart because my GPS signal kept getting goofed up and giving strange readings or stalling completely. Luckily I was on a route where I knew how far I’d gone. The weather was a crisp 40ish degrees, and the sub-10 minute pace felt surprisingly easy over 5 miles. As much as I hate to admit it, I think I have better runs (that feel easier) when I take more rest or cross training days.

One of my goals for winter is to try to do at least 2 non-running workouts each week. (And 1 would be better than none if I can’t get 2 done!) This could mean 2 days of strength/weight training or just 1 day of strength plus one day of biking or other non-running activity. I know I’d probably be better off to do weight training multiple times per week plus biking, swimming, skiing, etc, but I also know I’m destined to fail if I set my sites that high. I need to be realistic, and I hope this is a doable plan.

No question for today. Rather, I just have a simple request. My “safe” blog world can be insulated from sorrow if I don’t acknowledge it, but I finally decided  I need to ask for your thoughts, prayers and hope.

My husband’s grandpa, who is a wonderful, energetic guy and probably healthier than most people half his age, was in a severe car accident yesterday. Things don’t look good, and I also realize things are beyond my control. We’re heading to the hospital now. Pray for him. And what I most ask for are prayers for my husband’s family as they struggle to cope. Thank you all.