By Carole Marshall

The drive is beautiful. As far as the eye can see there are rolling hills, red barns, an occasional silo, grazing cattle, majestic horses prancing in fields. Farmhouses, chimney smoke, a tractor chugging along the road complete the bucolic locale. It’s mid-winter in Upstate New York. The trees are bare. Snow is beginning to fall. We’re on our way to a working dairy farm to learn what keeps two hearty farmers going.

Kathie and David took over the farm in 1997 and are the epitome of hard work and loyalty to a profession often taken for granted. Both well past the usual retirement age, they could give it all up for rest and relaxation. Maybe they’d travel or discover new talents. Or maybe they’ll keep to their grueling schedule since retirement isn’t on the agenda. When it comes to aging with gusto, my sister-in-law and her husband are stellar examples.

For David, farming is a way of life; both his father and grandfather were farmers. “I’ve always done it,” he says. “My dad and I worked together and now I do it.” Milking and caring for the current 72 cows and calves is clearly more than a job for him. “I like being with the cows, they’re like family. Over the years you watch them grow from a little calf, each with their own unique personality.”

Kathie wasn’t born into the farming life. A girl from Brooklyn, New York, she moved to the country as a young adult. “It was an easy transition,” she says. “I love animals and this way of life is healthy. It’s not really work.” The positive attitude that they both display is admirable given the exhausting daily routine that goes along with dairy farming. Also, some years the money is good, others not so much, but they hang in there doing what they love.

It’s a 16-hour day, seven days a week, hot or cold, pouring rain, blowing snow. If there are equipment problems, or a cow having a calf, they can be working until midnight. “No matter what you have to do, the cows come first,” David says. “They are cleaned and fed before you eat. Rarely can you say I have an appointment at a certain time.”

Since it’s hard to find good help, this reliable team knows each job well, from cleaning and sanitizing lines, to feeding, milking, barn cleaning, and shoveling manure. “Some days we talk and others we just work,” says Kathie. Along with the barn chores, they also grow and cut their own hay and corn.

In addition to tending to the cows, David adds there are other jobs you learn to do out of necessity. “I’m a mechanic, fence builder, plumber. As much as possible you do it all.”  Fortunately, the local farmers are a tight group, helping each other when time allows. And as if the cows weren’t enough, farming life wouldn’t be complete without the cats.

There are three felines in the barn and four in the farmhouse. “The barn cats are like having kids,” David says. “They follow me around for all my chores and ride everywhere in the supply wagon.” The house kitties started out in the barn, but when health issues developed, they were moved indoors for extra TLC. Clearly the cats are family, too.

David and Kathie are a great couple. “You better have an understanding partner,” David advises would-be farmers, since they often spend more time together working in the barn than they do relaxing in the house. “There’s lots of stress. Sometimes I get a little cranky, but it doesn’t mean anything,” he adds. “An amazing wife helps,” quips Kathie.

It's 9:30 p.m. and they’re just home from the barn. I asked them about continuing to work as they age. “I like doing what I’m doing,” says David. “I see others less active and less healthy. I feel young staying active.” Kathie sums it up well. “As long as I wake up in the morning, I’m happy. Being active helps me age gracefully.”

This writer’s main connection to cows is yogurt, made possible thanks to these dedicated behind-the-scenes seniors. They are the cream of the crop.

Carole Marshall is a former columnist and feature writer for a national magazine. She’s had stories published in Chicken Soup for the Soul books, and has written two novels and one fitness book. She is working on aging in good spirits. Contact her at cmkstudio2@gmail.com.