From a Mother Cow's Perspective...

Well, today's as good a day as any to drop Junior, thought Lola, as she surveyed her surroundings. The weather is dry, the sky is fair, and the nearby tree-line offers some break in the heavy spring winds. Ms. Aggie-Cow is nearby with her little one offering encouragement.

When Betsy delivered a few days ago, the buzzards took up around her hoping for a stillbirth. Well, they can look elsewhere today, cause Junior's been romping inside like he's practicing for the Calf Scramble at the Rodeo! Speaking of the Rodeo, his Daddy is probably off struttin' his stuff around the other lady cows, hoping to catch their attention. He has that bravado cultivated during his years in bull riding competition. I have to admit that's what caught my eye in the first place - his confidence. Didn't hurt that he didn't slobber and had long eyelashes too. Guess you could say I was "with calf" just after that first encounter behind the sale barn.

So, here I am in the middle of the grassy pasture, not too far from the pond, calling that bull every name in the book! My, but I feel heavy with milk and the pressure is unrelenting. I lower my head and let out a rather un-ladylike sound and think, "not yet!" Well, Junior's on his own schedule and at last makes his grand entrance (or exit), depending on how you want to look at it. I count his hooves, check under his tail, and just gaze into his soft brown eyes. It takes awhile to lovingly clean him and all the while, I'm telling him about life in the pasture at the old Booth Ranch.

Old man Booth is a hoot - and the only one who rides pasture on a horse - a pretty white-faced mare with a saucy gait. The ranch hands all prefer those noisy four-wheelers and usually, there's a pack of mixed-breed dogs followin' and barkin'. Occasionally, Melissa will come down the pasture with her rambunctious grandchildren and, Junior, they always bring a bottle with sweet milk for you baby calves to suckle. The children giggle and laugh and love it if you nuzzle them. Stay inside the fence, though Boy, the road nearby is surely dangerous. If you want to explore, you can follow the fence-line all the way down past the blackberry bushes and behind the old plantation house. There, just past the blooming azaleas, is a marker about the arrival of the family in the late 1800's. So, stand tall Junior, (those wobbly legs will get stronger); be proud that you're a Registered Booth Black Angus Bull.

Inspired when we happened upon a brand-new newborn baby calf. Had we been passing by five or ten minutes earlier, we likely could have witnessed the birth! Wonder...... just what cows do think when birthing.....???

Lola and Junior