Cows and Their Calves

Cows & Their Calves

Cows and Calves are an integral part of Country Life.  

On our place, cattle have always been a part of our life, and it just wouldn't feel right if you couldn't look out across  the pastures and see cattle grazing and their calves staying together in a group,  and running around with their tails high just getting their exercise.

One of the favorite things for the grandchildren to do when coming to the farm was to check out the cows, help Mr. George, the old gentleman that fed the cows each morning during the winter months, feed the cows and just be a part of relating to the cows. 

Joel has always has a special talent of getting the attention of the little calves.  He would just go out in the pasture or in the barn, sit still and make gentle movements with his hands and get the trust of the calves and would almost always get them to creep up to him and sniff his hand before they'd shy away.

We always named our cows and calves.  While growing up, we had Lindy; who would use her horns to unlatch her stall door and get out;  Sadie, who was a white gentle milk cow; Maude who would chase Mother out of the lot; Rose the gentle milk cow and her calf, June who would just push on her stall door until something gave and she'd get out; Frosty that Joe bought to replace Sadie that was gentle enough but was very hard to milk; Zella who was the mammy of Lou, Misfit and Miss Priss who I toted out of the creek when she was 2 days old, and many many more names.  Some of the names were related to the month they were born, some after members of the family or friends.  Sometimes we'd use quite a bit of imagination to come up with names.

As noted above, "Cattle are an integral part of Country Life!"

Now, we own none of the cattle on the place as we've leased the barn and pastures out, yet we still have the cattle on the place and can get out amongst them, watched the little calves run and play and, in general, keep and eye on them all.