Okay, so have you ever heard of those drivers who, instead of saying, “I ran into a deer,” they say, “A deer ran into me”?
You kind of laugh about that, right? (Actually, a couple of years ago, my son had a dent in his truck, and when I asked about it, he said, “A tree hit me.” Not kidding. LOL.)
Anyway, I’m joking a little, but I know those things happen, right—where the deer just runs into the side of the car or the tree just happens to fallas you’re driving by. People get killed that way.
So, this past week, Watson was in PA [the best stories start with that phrase, right? ; ) ] along with the little girls, and it was just Julia and me on the farm in Virginia.
I have a picture somewhere on Facebook of Charlene, one of our Akaushi cows who freshened—she had a chunky little bull calf.
Now, I’ve talked about Angus and how protective they are. Our Akaushi are even more so, if that’s possible. They’re really tame and laid-back in the pasture before they calve, but after they drop their calves, they are quite aggressive, if you can get close to them. They also like to hide their calves.
The Akaushi are kind of our pet project, and we’re pretty invested in making sure they’re healthy, so while Watson was gone, he asked me every day how they were.
So, early Friday morning, Julia and I are riding the four-wheeler around checking our herd.
We have a Brown Swiss [my favorite breed of cow : ) ] Hereford cross, Bessie, who has a calf who somehow broke its leg in the pasture. Bessie is an excellent mother—she raises a big, beefy calf every year—and we’ve been trying to baby her little heifer along, hoping her leg will heal and she’ll be okay.
Bessie is just such a great mom, and her calf is growing, gaining weight, but the calf has gotten an infection in her leg that we just haven’t been able to treat. I think we’re going to lose her, and I don’t usually mention the ones that I don’t think are going to make it, just because the world is depressing enough, right?
Anyway, the calf hasn’t been able to get herself up for the last week, and when we do get her up (she’s heavy!), she can’t walk. Also, we’ve drained the infected area (and I could go on here and really gross you out, but some of you read this over breakfast, so I won’t), and the drain is still in, so as you’re handling her, you get pus and gunk (the scientific word) all over you, and it reeks.
It’s not a pleasant job, especially first thing in the morning, but I always take my time and give her as much help as I can, because the little girl just has such a big drive to survive. Some calves just really don’t seem to care, and you put your heart into helping them, and they just don’t put any effort into surviving themselves. But this little girl…she’ll hobble on her two and a half legs (one back leg is broken, and she’s somehow twisted one front leg, so it’s swollen and painful as well and is why she can’t walk) to get to her patient mom to eat.
Julia and I drive by Charlene (whose calf is not with her, so I make a mental note that we’ll have to go look for it later) in order to work on Bessie and her calf. Charlene stops eating and comes running after us.
She follows us to Bessie and hangs around us while we work with her and her calf.
When we’re finally done, we hop on the four-wheeler and talk for a bit about where we think Charlene’s calf might be. A newborn calf is EXTREMELY hard to find in a pasture without its mom. I know that’s hard to believe, but trust me, they curl up, and you just don’t see them.
We decide to check down by the creek at the other end of the pasture. Charlene runs after the four-wheeler the whole way down to the other end.
It’s not there, so we drive back. Charlene follows us.
We stop and talk about what we’re going to do, and Charlene stops and stands right beside the four-wheeler.
I’ve never had a cow do this before, and I’m kind of eyeing her. I’ve seen cows do some pretty crazy things, and I say to Julia, “So, do you think we ought to get off the four-wheeler and let her drive it and we’ll walk?”
It’s what she’s kind of acting like she wants to do.
Anyway, the other end of the pasture kind of narrows down to a small area with some trees on a hill, and navigating in it and turning around can be tricky. I really don’t want to get stuck in that area with a cow who’s trying to get on our ATV with us.
We decide not to go the whole way to the end so we’re not trapped, but we start to motor slowly along the fence, thinking that with the way Charlene is acting, we must be close to her calf. Charlene walks along beside us.
I go a little faster. Charlene comes a little closer—almost touching—and starts to trot.
I glance over, don’t like the look in her eyes, and I let off the gas. Charlene swerves. I stop. Charlene stops right in front of us, the rack on the front of the four-wheeler against her side.
She’s blocking us from going any farther.
Maybe I read too many newspaper articles when I was younger, but at times like this, I always think about what could happen and what headline I would be: “Farmer killed on Four-Wheeler by Fresh Cow.”
“Cow Attacks Farmer on ATV.”
“Farmer’s Daughter Strangles Farmer Because Farmer Won’t Take Hint From Fresh Cow.”
Maybe it’s just me.
So, yeah, Julia and I back up, turn around, and start heading toward the house. Charlene allows us to leave and doesn’t follow us.
Just on a whim, we turn right instead of left and motor along the fence, figuring we might as well look there for the calf, although I doubt it’s there since Charlene has lost interest in us which usually means we’re not close.
Julia sees him before I do, snuggled down in the weeds along the fence, sleeping. Adorable. Charlene is nowhere in sight.
Julia says, “You know, cows have big heads, but their brains must be about the size of a walnut.”
I love cows. I really love cows who protect their babies. (I’m serious about that. I respect that.) Actually cows are my favorite animal. But I do think Julia is right.
What is your favorite animal?
USA Today best-selling author Jessie Gussman writes sweet and inspirational romance from her farm in central Virginia. Having attended, but never graduating from the school of hard knocks, Jessie uses real life on the farm to inspire her cowboy, rural and blue-collar fiction.
When she’s not chasing kids, cows and the occasional roll-away haybale, Jessie enjoys wading in Naked Creek and not cleaning her house. Most of the time her main goal is to keep from catching herself on fire…again.
If you enjoy fun stories with vivid characters showcasing strong families with a ribbon of faith tying everything together, you might enjoy Jessie’s books.
Good morning, Jessie! So good to see you. I don’t have any experience with farm animals. If we’re talking about for a pet, I would have to say a dog. That is, as long as she isn’t a sixty-pound lap dog.
Good Morning, my friend! It’s great to see you here, too! Ha! Horses were my favorite animal when I was a kid, and I’m not sure I’d ever even touched one. I just loved them. I totally agree about the dog – if it’s 60 pounds, it needs to know its place!
Loved the story. Hope your little one’s leg gets better.
Hi, Kim! Good to see you this morning! She healed up just fine. Kids are like that, right?
Good morning, Jessie! As always, your storytelling is so vivid, I’m right in the four-wheeler with you.
I, too, hope the little calf is doing better by now. I think it would be really hard to detach myself from animals that are in pain and vulnerable. A vet said once that animals process pain differently than humans do, but my goodness, two injured legs on that baby would break my heart. I’d want to take her home with me.
I marvel that you name your cows. How you keep them all straight is just amazing. 🙂
Good Morning, my friend! Thank you for your kind words. : ) I agree that animals seem to process pain differently. They are also often not very nice to other animals that are in pain or distress.
We don’t name them all. We call some of them by their numbers, but my youngest knows every number like it’s a name. And, yes, it’s hard when you fall in love with one. : )
Good morning, what a wonderful story. Charlene was intense there. Thanks for sharing about moms and their babies. I have a fondness for farm animals, especially pigs. I saved a runt once and he became an 800 lb boar. Wonderful litters once he figured out that the sow in heat wasnt out to get him. Seriously the sow would get our of her pen and start chasing Squeak, and the boar who thought he was a human would run into the bull pen squealing the whole way. And yes you guessed it, the sow would not go into the bull pen. Only Squeak was allowed. So funny. On the farm we had animals that were pets or we just kept them for eggs etc. And then we had animals that had no name because they were for the butchering block. I had a weird fascination watching the butcher do his thing. He was always so precise.
Haha! Fun stories! Pigs are intelligent and cleaner than people think. : ) I also love to watch the butcher. I haven’t for years, but there is something compelling about how they work! Thanks for the smiles. : )
I’ve always loved cows! They’re definitely a favorite, along with cats!
Sweet! I understand cows (and love the way they smell : ).
I really like monkeys. We actually had one when we were in Brazil South America –my father and mother were missionaries. Love your stories!!
That is SO neat! I definitely would not pass up the opportunity to have a monkey!
Good morning, Jessie! My favorite animal is a goat but you probably already know that. I’m keeping a very close eye on one of my favorites today because she has separated herself from the herd and is due to kid any time now.
Ha! You know I love goats too – kids are SO much fun! It’s funny, because as I’m typing this, I’m watching a mama cow outside my window who has done the same – separated herself from the herd and is due to freshen. We’re both on baby duty right now. lol Here’s to two healthy deliveries!
I always enjoy your life on the farm stories.
Even though I don’t have any pets because of allergies, dogs are my favorite. Unless you count unicorns. 😉
Haha! Oh, unicorns definitely count. And they do not cause any alergic reactions! : )
HORSES – the bigger the better!! Thanks!
Hi Jessie! I love this story!
I’m trying to think of what my favorite animal would be–I think I just love them all. I always wanted a dog when i was growing up but back then there was no where to “board” them if we wanted to leave our small town, and no way to travel with a dog, either, since the back seat was taken up completely by my two sisters and me. I had cats because they were easier to deal with in those situations. They could take care of themselves with very little supervision. So when we inherited my daughter’s Great Pyrenees after she moved somewhere with no fence, I think I have to say that dogs became my favorite animal. I still love cats, too, but I think dogs have the edge with me now.
Great post–I really enjoyed this!
Ha! I totally get that about no room in the car! lol We had a Great Pyrenees, and they are awesome dogs. So sweet, but also independent.
Thanks for your kind words!
Enjoyed your post today, thanks! My favorite animal is a dog.
Thanks – glad you stopped by! And dogs are great. : )
I love horses, but my dad calls them “black holes.” 😀
We had a cow named Brownie who was part Brahma, and she was super protective of her calves even when they were older. Thankfully, she mellowed some as she aged. Just last year, we sold a cow, Makenna, who a daughter of Brownie, and she was even worse than her mother! If you got 10 feet or closer to her calf, she would charge–no matter if you were on the gator or behind a fence. Even at farther distances, she’d still track your every move. Protective is good, but dangerously protective is not, so that was one reason she got sold.
Ha! Horses are definitely black holes. : ) But I love them anyway.
Agree. I love protective cows, but crazy dangerous is a whole different category! Good call!
Goats as they like to butt you with there heads in your bum. As much as you try and distract them they have only one thought if your anywhere near them they want to butt your bum.
Haha. They’re SO much fun to watch, though. : )
Hi Jessie, I always love reading your adventures in your farm, I just bet the little calves look so sweet sleeping. Thank you for sharing your farm stories with us. My favorite animal would have to be the dog. Have a great day and a great rest of the week.
Yeah – all stretched out in the sun, sleeping away. Super cute. : ) Thanks for stopping by!
I’ve never met a cow, but we have artwork of cows in our family room, enough pieces that it has been referred to as the cow room more than once. There’s also a large photo of elephants — cows, of course!
Haha! That’s a nice play on words! : )
I always enjoy your farm animal stories. I hope that calf heals. I love horses and cats the most. Did I miss your blog where you were going to share recipes? I don’t know how you have time to cook with all the animals you have to care for.
Jessie- Your stories always brighten my day.
I love all animal. Horses, dogs, and pigs are my absolute favorites.
Hi Jessie. We had cows forever before My Cowboy retired. They are not geniuses. They’d go from friendly, easy-going critters who LOVED My Cowboy because he feeds them!!! to acting like he’s a pack of wolves attacking her baby. Just full on DANGEROUS. No, not the brightest. My Cowboy and I agreed that, annoying as it is to have to fight the mama to save the baby, we had to respect that deep (and long useless) instinct to fight for her baby’s life.
Hi Jesse, Loved your story on the cow & her baby. However, you & everyone need to remember all animals are dangerous on the farm. I went to the cow pasture to bring them to the barn & the bull didn’t like that & tried to run me down. Horse tried to step on my foot & bite me when I was in the stall. Mommy sow tried to pull me down when I went in to feed her & her babies, they are protective also. Always be aware when you are around them.
I love animals and have had so many different ones it is a bit hard to decide. I loved our rabbits, mostly Holland Lops, but we did have several other varieties. The Ball Python was the easiest to take care of, if you don’t mind the feedings. The emus were a pain. There were two of them and both got out one day. We caught one and got it back in the pen. The other took off. Our son did eventually find it and tackle it. Unfortunately, there was no way to contain it and bring it home by himself. It got away again and we never saw it again. Someone probably had a really big Thanksgiving “turkey” that year. My favorite have been the dogs. We are on #11 now. Of all of them (all rescues), the lab mix and beagle mix were my favorites. Yes, we had cats which were our daughters’ favorites (one has 2 of her own and the other has 8 now). I just never appreciated them climbing the lace curtains, licking the frosting off cakes, or using my African violets as beds.
I remember looking for a calf one foggy morning with a neighbor that I used to “help.” It was cold, damp, and wet and we were in deep weeds near brush. He eventually set me back to the barn because he was worried the cow might charge if we got too near.. No four wheelers back then, just us walking through the field. We got our milk from a different neighbor. She only had 3 cows. Two were Brown Swiss. They are such beautiful cows and their milk is so rich. The cow and calf pictures were nice. Calves are always so cute. The Akaushi is a breed I had not heard of before. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much for sharing. Jesse. I love all your farm stories. I am not sure I have a favorite animal. I love them all. God bless you.
I remember a herd of deer were by the road and I braked because I knew somehow one would run into the road. They all headed away from the road and then one turned and ran right in front of us. We hit at a low speed, the deer flopped on the hood, fell to the ground, stayed still for a few moments, got up, looked confused, looked at us, and then ran off. We had no damage to the car. It was a weird thing.