A new baby calf was born the night of the snowstorm. Go figure. You would have thought the mother would have planned a little better than that. The calf is cute, really little, so it seems to me. Me, the experienced cowgirl of all of not more than 6 months. We named the calf , "Snowflake." We don't know if it is a boy or girl calf yet. Snowflake is really cute, has a white spot on his back and part of his tail is white and his belly is partially white. The rest of him is black. Snowflake wasn't getting around too good, and the mama didn't seem to be feeding him and keeping him warm like she should. How do I know? That is a good question. Facebook has the answers. So, today my husband calls me from work and says he is concerned. Maybe we should catch the calf, put it in the barn, and bottle feed it. He says, have Jack go catch it and carry it to the barn. Jack, being out of school because of the inch of snow we received two days ago. So, we put on our coats and head out to play cowboys and cowgirls, Molly was out of school too, same reason.
Now there are a couple of things you should know about me, one I was raised in big cities. Houston, Athens, Greece, London, England, I all call home. Two, I am a girl. I like girl things, pink, lace, sewing, etc. Three, I don't however like to change clothes. This morning when I got up, knowing I wasn't going anywhere due to the inch of snow on the ground. I put on a denim skirt, knee socks, and knit top and a cardigan. I know, I dress like a dork. I am okay with that, however, my fashion plate daughters wish differently. But oh well. I am dressed.
Now, I have to help catch a calf, and who knows what else. Well, we head out to the cows, which are behind the house on the far side of the creek, quietly eating hay and minding their own business. We go through the gate. The cows back away. I send Jack to go around and cut them off. The boy moves sooo slow. I think there is something wrong with him. That, however is another story. Well, the cows take off. Snowflake can not keep up, but is too fast for us. So, we go back to the house. We absolutely fail at cattle catching, herding, whatever it is called.
A little while later, I notice out the window that the cows are back. Snowflake is all by himself. So, I send Jack, in his Father's coat and hat. That way the cows will think it is Jerry and just stand there. I tell Jack to catch that calf and carry it to the barn. I watch from the window. Obviously, the calf is a little heavier than Jack's father led us to believe. I go out there with the calf bottle to help. There is absolutely no way, Jack and I can carry this calf all the way to the barn. We did get him out of the pasture. I send Jack for the wheelbarrow. We put the calf in the wheelbarrow. I am leaning on the calf to keep him from standing, Jack is pulling the wheelbarrow towards the barn. We finally get Snowflake in the stall in the barn. After stepping over, while carrying Snowflake, three lawnmowers, two gas cans, and who knows what else. You have to understand our barn is full of stuff. It has two stalls. One is full of chickens, don't ask. The other is empty, more or less. It is also dark. Very bad lighting in this barn. But we got it done. Now, if we could just get him to take the bottle. So, I have to traipse up to the barn every so often to check on Snowflake and try to get him to take a bottle. And yes, I did all of this in my denim skirt and tennis shoes.
I really think, I would be so much better at being a cowgirl with a hat and boots. Don't you?
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