A Day in the Life

Some of you may have been concerned that Dana and I took a break from blogging. Believe me, we had good reason! We were busy working on the farm in Austria. Check out what kept us so busy!

We would wake up at 7 and after being ready, we would head downstairs for breakfast. We would eat delicious homemade bread, butter, and jam. And tea, of course!

Next stop, the barn! When we first arrived to the farm, the cows stayed in the barn and we scraped behind them. As the weather warmed up, the cows went out to pasture during the day. This made cleaning easier as the cows seemed to always poop as soon as we put fresh saw dust down. We also pushed up the feed for the cows and heifers. Our time in the barn always brought back memories of cleaning the barn at home as we were growing up!

The cheese house was where we headed next! Dana spent a lot of time washing the dishes while I took cheese out of the cups I filled the day before, salted the cheese and added herbs. I would next take the fresh cheese from the cheese cloth that we prepared the day before to refill the cups. If needed, Dana stirred the cow milk cheese to keep the curds at the perfect size. We finished the tasks and cleaned up!

After we finished in the cheese house, we usually worked in the garden. We accomplished many things including weeding, tilling and transplanting Johannes berre (red currant) plants. It was nice to feel the soil on our hands!

If there wasn't work in the garden or if it was too wet, we might help with dinner. We helped make Austrian potato salad, buchteln, and other amazing Austrian dishes.

Around 12:30, we sat down to dinner. This is traditionally the big meal of the day. Typically we had soup or salad, a dish with meat, potatoes or noodles, followed by something sweet and coffee. We enjoyed Dana's favorite treat, topfen knudeln!

After filling our bellies Dana and I had a break from chores. We loved going on walks in the mountains, reading while playing with the baby goats, or yes, sometimes we took a nap. We also did a puzzle while we were on the farm!

Around 16:45, it was chore time. We put the little goats back in, scraped the barn if the cows were inside, and loaded up the wheel barrow with hay for the mama goats. This was always an adventure, especially if we had help and if we couldn't get the "hay hammock" (unofficial name) just so. After washing our hands, we went to milk the goats! Usually with our host mom, we milked 17 goats!

Once chores were finished we would often play fetch with Bella and Dana would attack Black Knight (the cat whom we named).

The evening ended with traditional Austrian supper - bread, butter, and cheese. It was awesome to eat some of the cheese that we helped make. We enjoyed talking with our host family and sharing stories around the table. After our day, Dana and I relaxed with a book and prepared for the next day!

Just like at home, days vary from one another a little and sometimes there are special events. On one of our last days, the closest city had a festival along with the weekly market. Our hosts sold their cheese at the market each week. We got the chance to attend the fest and take in music and visit with people from the community. We blended in well, one person not believing that we were from the U.S. Another day, our host mom rang the dinner bell before we thought it would be ready. We arrived downstairs just in time to see the most vibrant rainbow we had ever seen!

We loved our stay in the mountains and would like to thank our hosts for the wonderful experience! We hope to return one day as well as share with others the amazing hospitality outer family provided and the super cheese and coffee they have for sale! Danke schön!