Saturday, August 29, 2009

1 person, 2 calves, 3 dogs... what was I thinking!

Last night was a night... It started out perfectly hunky dory peachy keany fine... put the valve on the tank, arm over, bottles warming. Check, check and double check... head to the big barn. Goats are screaming bloody murder (yes I've finally weaned the little girls and they aren't happy), calves are bawling and I'm letting it all just go with out stressing out. :)

At this point I had one spotted blue healer/border collie cross (Scout who is NUTZ), one fluffy NOT fat border collie/basset/??? (who loves to just chill in the truck with his head hanging out of the window) and one 40 pound giant cotton ball (great Pyrenees) puppy with me. Since the Kodman is deaf he can't hear the truck start and move. And since I didn't want to run over him I loaded him in the back set while Scout and Ranger loaded them selves to ride shotgun while we got up the moos for milking and checked the dry moos. All I can say is... it was an adventure.

I will add at this point there were about 10 small bales of hay in the back of the truck. OK so we toodle down the "lane" to the bottom, ford our way across the creek, toodle to the back of the place, ford the creek again and go through the gate. At this point things were going well, then I saw a lone buzzard. No need to panic... it's just one and we have several old trees that they like just rest in. By now Scout has jumped out and is after something (half the time it's nothing and is tracking in the opposite direction!). OK so we start heading towards a loan cow... then I see it... a lone little brown body. I pull up and he is barely alive and there were other buzzard already getting ready to feast. Dang their hides... So I load him up and am determined to get his mother to the barn. Easier said than done... she wasn't feeling so good and didn't want to move and when she did it was slow and always in the direction of some over growth of tree's and weeds... it's a mess. She would have made it if I hadn't dived the truck into it hooking a bale of hay off as did... no worries!!! I did manage to get her to the gate and thankfully she walked slowly through it and up to the water tank while I was going to zoom back and pick up the hay and to the open gate.

Well while I was getting her out of the gate Kody jumped out. Do you know how frustrating it is to call a dog who can't hear?! OK pick him up and carry him to and load him in the truck again. As big babies can't jump IN. OK stopped to pick up the hay. Is it still in bale form? NOOOO don't be silly. So while I'm trying to pick it up some deranged cow dives into the over growth, Kody jumps out again, and she decides to go after him. So between yelling at the cow, and the dogs, and picking up hay it was a little tense. Picked up Kody again... carried him like a baby... head was flopped back, paws dangling, he was happy I was not. INTO the back set again! Managed to get the window up (it doesn't work 99% of the time so we just leave it down). Wonder of wonders another baby! Back to the truck for a halter! Back to the cow and calf! It's a girl!!!!!!!! get her loaded in the truck. By now Kody had climbed in the front set. So it was Me, Kody, Scout, Ranger and a baby in the front and a baby in the back and a cow following me... it was to good to last as the cow got side tracked by a skunk. So I stopped and made Kody go BACK into the back set.

I finally manage to get back to the barn and to start working on the little guy in the back. We'll see if he made it. To top off the night all the kids got out. Except Rose who was upset she wasn't out and everyone else was upset because they were hungry...

Oh what a night... I'm glad it's a new day...

2 comments:

  1. Whew! What a day...I hate buzzards!
    Glad you got a heifer finally anyhow and hope the little guy and mama are all right.

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  2. I'm exhausted just reading about it. Hope everyone's okay.

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