Friendly Farm Girl Meets the Notorious P.E.T.

On our farm in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia - Our cow, The Pet, is very independent yet trusting holstein cow. In this video, she is dry (pregnant). A cow is called dry when it is pregnant and not producing milk anymore. I think The Pet likes Little John the best. When she was young thing, she had fun running around after she got a bucket on her head. After she finally managed to get in off, another little calf tried to investigate the bucket to find out its magical properties, lol!

"Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."
~ Isaiah 40:30-31~

Check my main website, kathleenannmontgomery.com to find out more about me personally.

I have COPD
COPD: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Lung Problems Caused
By Occupational Exposure to Polluted Air!
Farmer's Lung, Home Heated with Wood, and Schools Heated with Coal, etc!

My name is Kathleen Ann Montgomery. I grew up on a dairy and beef farm in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Carroll County, Virginia. From the age of five, I got bronchitis or pneumonia every year. As a result, my Pulmologist (Lung Doctor) from Duke University diagnosed me with COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) when I was seventeen. COPD is a life threatening lung disease. Most people get COPD from smoking, but I got COPD even though I have never smoked and have rarely been around anyone who smoked. My lungs were sensitive, tight, and weak. Most of the time, just breathing hurt! Dr. Steele discovered that there was no air getting to the lower part of my right lung. He discussed that removing that section in my lung might make it easier for me to breathe. My breathing was low enough to where people are usually put on oxygen. However, Dr. Steele did not want me to get me dependent on oxygen. He wanted me to keep fighting to get better. Young bodies heal easier and I was only 17, so he wanted to give me a fighting chance! After getting bronchitis and pneumonia for so many years, my body was way too weak for my lungs to clean themselves. Since my lungs were damaged from bronchitis, I produced a lot of mucus. It was my lungs' way of trying desperately to clean themselves. In addition, plugs were formed from mucus left over from the bronchitis and pneumonia, which blocked many of my airways. Even though my lungs were ready to collapse at any second, my family and I were determined that I lift weights, no matter how light or few of reps I did. That helped me to keep up my strength. Dr. Steele, my Duke Pulmonologist (Lung Doctor) suggested that the salt air from the east coast of Florida might help my lungs. He wanted us to try it out as an alternative to lung surgery. Upon visiting eastern Florida beaches, it felt like God was sweeping out my lungs! So when I was seventeen in August of 2001, my mother, brother, and I moved to Cape Canaveral, Florida. I was able to breathe a whole lot better, and I coughed up several blockages (plugs) from my lungs. Dr. Steele said it was from the warm salt air and everything I was doing. When there was a strong odor or allergen in the air, I had to wear a mask just to have a chance of breathing clearer air. Even so, I did what ever I could to improve my health. I used a mixture of salt and water to clean out my nose, a saline spray to moisten my nose, hot steam to moisten my lungs, and spent time in the pool or ocean to moisten my lungs. All this helped to keep me going!
Since we have moved to Florida, I haven't gotten pneumonia. From April 2004 until April 2005, I didn't have bronchitis due to the fact I took four different doses of steroids (prescribed to help my breathing). The steroids have a side effect of weakening the immune system, which was already weak. So, it was a vicious cycle. I was always weak, short of air, and had to constantly push myself to get anything done. As soon as the year was up I got bronchitis, again! Then I had gone for another a year without getting bronchitis again, but the 2006 Florida Wildfires weakened me down and I developed bronchitis, again! My mom and brother John thought I was going to die for sure. However, it has now been well over a year since I've caught bronchitis or pneumonia.

Check out my website, kathleenannmontgomery.com to see how I got better!

• Category

  Pets & Animals

[londongal006]

wat exactly was te point of this video??

[seagirlkat]

To record our cattle and show what farm life in the Mountains of Virginia is like and to educate people on what cows are like. Also, I just wanted to make our cows celebrities.

[holsteincowboy]

You have very beautiful cows - Do you or your dad / brother show them at Carroll County fair ?

[seagirlkat]

Actually, we just started having a Carroll County fair, and the animal showing is just for kids now. Little John and I used to show calves at the regional fair, though.

[seagirlkat]

Yes, farm life is great, but one has to be careful not to get all the farm dust down the lungs. There are commonsense things like baling hay in a tractor with a cab and wearing masks when using chemicals or working the hay. Grain dust can also be a problem. Working the farm is one of the most fulfilling ways of making a living, I think. It seems complete in itself. If I was physically able, I would enjoy working the rest of my life on the farm.