Usually, I'm a fan of rain. It makes flowers bloom in the spring and grass grow in the summer, but winter rain seems to bring only trouble.

We put Ferdinand, our bull, in with the cows in August so that the resulting calves will be born in March or April. So what could go wrong?

I check the cattle every day, mostly the young stock, for shivering. If a calf is shivering, it needs help. Adult cattle with plenty of food and water can handle the cold, but I still check them for shivering or odd behavior. Cows that don't show interest in food or separate themselves from the herd can be in trouble even if they are not shivering. So far this year, I haven't seen any shivering cows or calves, but I sure have felt the cold!

Each year Charlie would sell me hay, and occasionally we'd buy cattle from each other. In 2021 he purchased a weanling black, Hereford bull from me, whom he named Buddy. When I delivered Buddy to Charlie's farm, I saw his tractor – a huge, 1950s International Super C, that he used to cut and bale hay. "Yep, that tractor won't quit. It's just like me, a relic that keeps on trucking. Besides, I know how to fix it," Charlie said with a twinkle in his eye.

One mission I had on this trip was to adopt two puppies to bring to the farm. The St. Croix Animal Shelter's vigorous spay/neuter program has cut the stray population that thrives in this tropical climate, but puppies still happen. I adopted two abandoned puppies, Joy and Jingle, as companions for Flora, a St. Croix stray I adopted last year.

Weeks before our departure to visit family in the USVI, I got a call from Michelle Miller, an energetic and successful California businesswoman in search of a Scottish Highlander cow or two.