I am still so amazed every spring when you see baby calves, bunnies, antelope, foals and birds across the desert. The thrill of new life is amazing and encouraging. We humans try so much to control the world and it's problems yet, God cares enough about the plants and animals to keep them alive and reproducing, no matter what the state of the world is in. If God can care so much about things, then certainly He has much more regard for people! It's easy to forget that we are so small and God holds all of us in the palm of His hand.
Our cows have been having babies and it's been awesome! Here's a few pictures of the first one that was born. Easton named her Suki (pronounced SOO-key). I'm not exactly sure where he got that name, but he was insistent that her name be Suki, haha!
Our cows have been having babies and it's been awesome! Here's a few pictures of the first one that was born. Easton named her Suki (pronounced SOO-key). I'm not exactly sure where he got that name, but he was insistent that her name be Suki, haha!
She looks just like her momma with that beautiful black face!
It's amazing that eating and walking is so natural for animals! This baby calf was running around and bucking within 24 hours of being born.
It wasn't all happy around the farm though. One of our other cows had a beautiful red heifer calf, just the kind that Josh and I LOVE so much. She must have given birth close to the barbed wire fence and our mules pulled the calf under the fence and trampled her to death. They are so mean!! I was literally in tears as I came to feed that morning and saw the limp, lifeless body of the baby next to the pivot wheel, well away from the safe confines of the corrals. Believe me, I wanted to find the nearest rifle and shoot the mules. Since the mom had a really good bag of milk we wanted to find a bum calf that we could bond to her. Josh called around the whole area and the closest calf we could find was going up for auction in Fort Collins, CO - a 4 1/2 hour drive away. We did the online auction and won the bid so Josh was headed off the Colorado to pick up our adopted baby calf. Luckily, my sister in law lives in Laramie, WY which is only 45 minutes from Fort Collins so she went with her boyfriend to pick up the calf and met Josh in Laramie so he wouldn't have to drive as far. The funny thing is, all my sister in law had to drive was a Jeep. What a creative way to transport a cow!
Oh, it gets even funnier. The only vehicle Josh had to drive was my Dodge Grand Caravan. I'm sad to say I don't have any pictures of the calf in the mini van but that's how she got her name - Minnie Vann. I know what you're thinking - Don't you name your pets and not your cow herd?? Well, technically yes, but our herd is still small so we can keep track of their names. Some people may not even call it a herd so much as a cow gathering. Hopefully some day we will have such a large ranch that we won't be able to keep track of names.
So far, we are still trying to get the cow that lost her calf bonded with Minnie, but she's a stubborn cow. We may have to bottle feed, but I'm ok with that. It's gives me my baby fix!
I want to thank God for the wonderful life and the livelihood these cows have given me and my family! I grew up in the city, wearing high heels to work for three years straight. We didn't even grow up with any pets except a few random goldfish here or there. But I've come to especially love these animals so much! I felt so stupid for crying in the middle of the corrals over the lost calf, but I took it personally because I was the one checking on these cows twice a day to make sure they were ok and had enough food and water or that they weren't having trouble in labor. The loss reminds me that God has the power to give and take away life and I'm really ok with that. Accepting God's will, in ALL aspects of life, is what truly brings a person closer to Him! I'm not perfect but I'm trying to trust God everyday that He knows what's best for me and my family more than I do.
I hope everyone has a great spring day!
So far, we are still trying to get the cow that lost her calf bonded with Minnie, but she's a stubborn cow. We may have to bottle feed, but I'm ok with that. It's gives me my baby fix!
I want to thank God for the wonderful life and the livelihood these cows have given me and my family! I grew up in the city, wearing high heels to work for three years straight. We didn't even grow up with any pets except a few random goldfish here or there. But I've come to especially love these animals so much! I felt so stupid for crying in the middle of the corrals over the lost calf, but I took it personally because I was the one checking on these cows twice a day to make sure they were ok and had enough food and water or that they weren't having trouble in labor. The loss reminds me that God has the power to give and take away life and I'm really ok with that. Accepting God's will, in ALL aspects of life, is what truly brings a person closer to Him! I'm not perfect but I'm trying to trust God everyday that He knows what's best for me and my family more than I do.
I hope everyone has a great spring day!