Letters to the Editor

Holidays are special to everyone for different reasons. The Thanksgiving season typically brings about reflection of the things we are grateful for – family, friends, our homes, and good health. I have a neighbor down the road who posts a daily “thankful for…” on social media every day from November first to Thanksgiving, and I always enjoy following along as she lists her blessings.

Thanksgiving (and every other holiday) in the Bigelow household starts with morning barn work at the farm. My dad and brother make up the second and third generation to own and operate the dairy. The morning routine includes milking fifty head of Holstein cows, caring for a small barn full of baby calves, cleaning the barns that house the heifers and dry cows (cows that are pregnant and have a vacation period before they give birth – their only responsibilities are eating, relaxing, and growing their calf), and feeding every hungry mooing mouth on the farm. My sister and I help with the milking and herd health and enjoy caring for the calves. Within a few hours, morning chores can be completed.

While my dad, siblings, and I are milking, my mom is hard at work preparing our Thanksgiving meal. Many of her recipes and techniques have been passed down from my Grandma Byler, who raised eleven kids who describe their childhood like this – “We didn’t have much, but we always ate like kings!”. Some years we have family in our home, or we take a meal to them. This year, we are going to enjoy Thanksgiving with another family from our church.

Following our time spent together, we’ll head back to the barn and repeat our routine from the morning – milking, feeding, and cleaning up for our bovine ladies. Milking the cows seems to bring things full circle in my mind…as farmers, we are proud to be a part of what makes everyone’s Thanksgiving a sacred time – joining together around a table full of wholesome food to enjoy our time with one another and reflect on all the blessings we’ve been given. May you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!