The Diamond Ring

For many women the ultimate gift would be to receive a diamond ring (or earrings, or a bracelet, etc.) from their husband. My diamond is brown and white and weighs about 800lbs. She is a 4 year old Jersey cow named Moddy. Now for some background on my diamond.

When I was a little girl, maybe 6, my family went to the county fair. In the dairy barn was a little brown and white jersey calf.  Oh My! I fell in love. From that point on my hearts desire was to have my own brown and white Jersey. And from somewhere in my juvenile brain came the name "Moddy". As I grew my dream grew  with me. I took to writing stories about girls with calves named 'Moddy". Sometimes, in the story, the girl would find an abandoned calf (if only!) or a neighbor would give her a calf. I still have one of those stories put away somewhere. My parents tried once to fulfill my dream but finances were always an issue growing up and I'm not sure they really relished the thought of taking on an actual cow . We had horses and ponies and goats and chickens and rabbits. I think a cow may have been too much for them. Fast forward to adulthood.

I married. Started having children. We had horses and ponies and goats and chickens and rabbits. But no cow. My husband knew of my silly dream and at various times we had talked of getting a cow but circumstances always seemed to conspire against it. Until October 2005. A friend from church worked at a local dairy. Sometimes the dairy would cull a cow for one reason or another and sell them at a reasonable price. We put out the word that we were looking.  And one day we got the call. We hitched up the trailer and drove out to the dairy not really knowing what to expect. Would she be old ? Would she be ugly?(some Jersey's are not brown and white but more brown and black and I SO wanted her to be brown and white) Would she be mean? After all, I was going to have to milk this thing. Well, the dairyman took us into the barn and there she was. Young, and pretty, brown with white legs and a white belly and a few white spots. No black on her at all.  My dream cow!

Fast forward 2 years. I love my cow. She is sweet and (most days) easy to milk. She gave us a beautiful heifer calf last February and has raised 4 "foster" calves for us. Her milk is delicious and healthy and we get more than enough for us, her calf and to sell to friends. All through my childhood and young adulthood I fantasized about having a cow and everything to go with. Gallons of fresh milk, cream, making my own butter (I know, I have a weird fantasy life). Sometimes , especially when it is  less than 10 degrees outside, I question whether or not I REALLY want to milk my cow. But once I am out there and it is just Mod and me (and the turkeys and the geese and the annoying kitten) I enjoy the quiet and the simpleness and the time to talk with God.

So that is the story of my "diamond". How my husband made my dream come true and provided us with milk, cream and butter at the same time. Who could ask for a better man?