Newman... our new baby bull

I happy to report the days are getting sunnier and dryer. That's not to say we're not getting rain anymore... oh, we are... but the weather pattern seems to alternate from one day to the next. Monday rained most of the day. Tuesday was gorgeous (a very nice birthday treat, for sure). Wednesday didn't rain too much, but felt English weather gloomy. Thursday was a mix of both... beautiful morning.. and HOT HOT HOT... but by the afternoon, the clouds rolled in. Yesterday was much the same but in reverse. Cloudy morning with sun in the afternoons. So far, this morning the sky is blue and it's lovely out. Who knows what this afternoon will bring... we mustn't tempt the weather gods.

And our electricity has been playing up all week. Normally, if we lose power it's only for a few minutes and then it starts right back up... it may do this a few times in one day, but we're rarely left without any power for too long. Two days this week we lost power for over 9 hours. Hopefully, whatever is causing these hiccups will sort themselves out before our guests arrive! Although, it is Costa Rica... there's always something happening. Oh speaking of which, one of the dormant volcanoes in Turrialba erupted on Nov 1st (I forgot to mention it). Kevin and I drove down the Pan American Highway on Thursday to pick up some of the organic insecticide and we saw the white plume of smoke bellowing out of the volcano's mouth. I'm sure it's even more impressive at night as the white turns to red. We don't live anywhere volcanoes (I mean, none close enough to cause any damage or feed any fears) so it's kind of cool.

Yesterday, we received a call from a farmer up the road in La Trinidad. He had a two-week old baby bull ready to be picked up. Kevin and Martin didn't waste any time. They hitched the trailer up to the SUV and off they went. And
they came home with this little guy.... his name is Newman (as in Paul)

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The good news is that he's already drinking straight out of the bucket, no need to bother with bottle feeding him, which is awesome. He's really strong and taller than Redford, but slightly smaller than Jackson. At the other farm, it appears he was being kept in an enclosure about 5 x 6 ft sq. He was a bit timid when he first arrived, but this morning Kevin went up to feed all 3 baby bulls and Newman was sprite. When Kevin opened the door to the shelter to let them out in the pasture for the day, Newman wasted no time to run out and explore his new surroundings. As I type this, I can see him running around after Jackson. Looks like they're playing a game of tag. Redford, still more cautious and wobbly, seems to be joining in as well. It's nice to see they are getting along... our experience is that's not always the case when adding animals to the fold.

Although Kevin is still feeding them milk, he's weaning them off slowly as they get used to eating more grass. His little project seems to be working very well. With Martin's 3 bulls (Chuck Norris (7 months old), Bruce Lee and Rambo (both 4 months old) and our 3 bulls (Jackson, Redford and now Newman), we're all set for a few months.