Friday, February 24, 2012

Seven Year Itch

Things were so busy this week that I missed my blogoversary. I actually started blogging on Feb 22, 2005. Since I missed the actual date for a re-post, I will re-post my second-ever post. It seems that I used to post more about being a ranch-hand. Life has grown soft - ha. We no longer have cows or as Toby would say, "We are all hat and no cow." Someday, when we get the house all settled, we would like to run a few cows on our place. That would take a bit of fence work, and we have not had time for that. But someday... As long as I don't have to get in a tractor, hook up to a plow, and go round and round, for days on end in the heat and dust, I think a few cows would be nice. Here is a taste of what my life used to be like with cows, and I have included a picture of the Bambina from another post:

Life of a Ranchhand

While feeding hay to our old cows on Saturday, I saw a new calf. Its mother was licking it clean. It had not even stood up yet. When it finally stood up, it was snow white with a few black speckles - a very pretty little calf. On Monday the momma cow started having some problems. After two visits by the Vet to try and revive her, the Momma died. Now I have a bottle baby which means going out early in the morning to give the calf a bottle and again in the afternoon.

The calf turned out to be a heifer. She is quite large actually and very pushy. From the beginning she has not had any problem with taking a bottle. In fact, she sucks her bottle down and then pushes me around wanting more. While this is amusing now, when she gets bigger, it could be trouble. In the meantime, I just enjoy the mornings with the sun just coming up, springtime in the air, milk slobber dripping down my jeans, and being butted by a greedy little heifer. It is difficult not to get attached to a bottle baby. I have to keep in mind that no matter how cute she is right now, someday she will be a huge cow, and someday dinner on someone's table. Such is life on a farm.

7 comments:

Jo Castillo said...

Awww, great story. You are right about becoming attached. Happy blogoversary!

Buck said...

Happy Blogoversary!

I think I mentioned elsewhere that I boarded a cow on my back acre in Choctaw. Well, the cow busted through our fencing the third day it was in residence and I got a call from my neighbors across the road telling me the cow was in their yard. Paula and I set out to retrieve the cow and much hilarity ensued when two city-kids with ZERO experience with farm animals tried to herd a cow back into their field.

I finally had to call the cow's owner to come help. We put up an electric fence that same day.

We were also the talk of the neighborhood for the next year and the butt of MANY jokes.

Bag Blog said...

Jo,
Thanks. I haven't had to eat too many of our own cows and have never had a problem with the ones we did eat. But some animals work their way into your heart.

Buck,
I can well imagine the site of you two herding a cow. Cows are difficult at best. At worst, well, they are always worst.

Becky G said...

Happy Blogoversary! I'm bad about forgetting mine as well. Loved the story of the little calf.

Andy said...

Hey Lou! 7 years of blogging. That's like 91 in human years.

Congratulations, ya' ranchhand, ya'!

Bag Blog said...

Thanks, Becky!

Andy, it feels like 91 years. Thanks.

Moogie P said...

Happy #7!