In January we offered arati and treats to the cows. In previous years when we did this at the same time it was quite an austerity as it would be so cold that anyone holding the camera or arati paraphernalia would have frozen fingers before the arati was finished. This time the herd was experiencing lovely weather in the 50s and 60s and they and everyone else were not under any physical strain.
We are very thankful for the experience.
Of course this is due to the fact that we recently moved from West Virginia to Gainesville, Florida where the winters are far less severe.
This is the first bale of hay fed out this winter (January 2016). The bale was headed for the hay ring but the cows got so excited they waylaid the tractor and we had to drop the bale in the field.
This hay is really good hay. It was cut on time, meaning it was not allowed to go to seed before it was cut, and therefore has high nutritional value. And it was baled without any moisture absorbed in it. The hay comes from our neighbors, Misty Morning Hounds. The cows just love the hay.
Outreach in Orlando
Dvaipayana Das invited us to come to the Orlando, Florida ISKCON temple to give a presentation about cow protection and diet. The devotees there were very friendly, hospitable and receptive to cow protection. We were impressed with the close community atmosphere. When we open our doors here in Gainesville, Florida (sometime in March) we look forward to receiving the new friends we made in Orlando.
The presentation was a slideshow that we have presented in other places, one of them ISKCON Silicon Valley. There it was recorded and if you would like to see it please click on the video below.
Special Offering to Srila Prabhupada
In celebration of ISKCON’s 50 years the India Daiva Varnasrama Ministry is producing a number of videos concerning the importance of cow protection and varnasrama. This video is an interview of ISCOWP by His Holiness Bhakti Raghava Swami with discussions about diet and cow protection. You can view this video on Facebook here.