Personal Narrative-Process Essay: The Joy Of Milking

Walk over to the refrigerator, open the door, and what do you see? That’s right, milk. That creamy, smooth, sweet tasting drink pleases the taste buds with every drop and goes perfectly with Oreos, gives us ice cream, among several other marvelous wonders. But have you ever thought about the pain, stress, and anger that the farmers have to deal with to obtain this precious liquid? Being a dairy farmer myself, I have first hand experience with the challenges and annoyances of the operation. Although it can bring tremendous joy, it also can bear with it immense pain. Endlessly, day in and day out, I am required to milk cows, which involves the slow set up, the repetitive milking process, and the tiring clean up, ultimately pushing me to my limits resulting in uttermost annoyance and irritation.

Once the last cow finishes, I turn the milking unit on to flush the system. Then I unplug the milk hose and power cord and return it to the parlor house. I do this for all eight units and then put my strip cup in the sink, take off my knee pads, throw away my gloves, and put my pouches back in my bin. At that point I take all the dirty towels and place them in a wash barrel. Since multiple people tend to be involved in clean up, I only have a few select tasks that I must complete. My jobs require me to release the cows, sweep the managers, give the extra food to the pigs, push in the cows’ feed, and then bring the towels to the house for washing. However, I can’t let the cows depart until the other people have finished their jobs, so I have to wait for them before I can begin my final clean up tasks. So again, I find myself waiting, which bores me to death. By the time I have completed the job, I am dead, the process having drained me of all the energy I had previously