In the midst of Spring heifer calving, my husband headed to camp to gather cattle for several days. I assured him I could handle any difficulties that arose and sent him on his way. The weather was mild, thus I did not need to worry about frozen newborns. The grass was greening up, which helps reduce the need for late night checks. I was confidant it would be an uneventful week.
Life is like that. The moment you become complacent or over-confidant, something arises to shake you up. Monday morning, my kids and I had errands and appointments in town, so I only had time for a cursory check of the heifers. Upon returning that afternoon, I saddled my horse, filled my pockets with eartags, and headed out. Calves frolicked among the heavily pregnant heifers on the feed ground, their mothers registered discomfort with my proximity with a snort and a shake of the head. There were no freshly hatched calves to be tagged, but several heifers were in the early stages of labor and one troublesome Hereford heifer was in serious need of attention.
The boss and I had run her in several days earlier for a cursory obstetrics examination, despite her obvious discomfort we didn’t observe additional signs of labor. We unceremoniously turned her back out with her cohort. Upon gathering her this second time, I found very large calf in an a-typical presentation, obstructing a smaller than desired birth canal. There was little to be done for the calf. However, the heifer could be saved, so I called the vet. With his assistance the calf was delivered and the cow will recover.
It is easy after an experience like this, to begin questioning every decision you make. In the successive days, fifteen additional calves were born healthy, without assistance. I sat quietly on my horse and watched several of them make their entrance into the world. Each time, fighting the urge to herd their mother into the barn and act the midwife for each of them, should some unforeseen difficulty arise. Although, I know more often than not, that nature knows best.
Life is like calving heifers, both experiences are wrought with success and failure, pain and joy. If you do it right the positive outweighs the negative. If it does not, you learn to carefully, cultivate gratitude for that which is good. In the wake of the bombing in Boston, I find it essential to say thank you for all that is good within my life. Thank you, thank you, thank you. My thoughts are with those affected by this thoughtless tragedy.
This hit home; I was left many times, really, with heifers calving and a list of people to call. The only time I had to call anyone, it was your Uncle Tim that came to my rescue. And we had quite the challenge. It was successful, though.
Well written, well said. The Boston tragedy touched us all, wherever we were. You said it so eloquently…..look for the good in life and show appreciation for it. Thank YOU!
You didn’t make a bad decision.My bet is the boss would have done exactly the same thing 🙂 It’s always so sad to lose a baby,but the heifer is good and it was probably the same outcome destined no matter who was in charge.Uncertainty both positive and negative is part of the deal with animals,and that mystery is part of the attraction for me.Mourn the baby.Feel good that you handled a bad situation as well as anyone could.
…and yeah…be grateful every day,every minute.!!
LOVE your blog,it’s always well worth the time to read,and to re-read.Thanks!!
We see enough death in this game we are in, but to see a new animal being born reinforces the reasons we are playing. Another great post, thanks Rachel.
As a city girl, born and bred, with only cursory cow-experience, and that with a dairy herd, I relate minimally with your serious concerns about your heifers. However, we all make decisions, some which we regret, and others which turn out to be excellent despite all our efforts to mess them up. Overall, life is good, and gratitude makes it even better. Having recently lost an adult child, tears come more easily to my eyes than smiles, but they both come, eventually, and my gratitude is eternal. To all those directly affected by the events in Boston, I wish you peace in your heart, know that we all care about you, and we will do our best to help, even though we know that nothing can make you whole. Peace.
Thank you for sharing your beautiful thoughts, Lynne. Wishing you peace, Rachel.
Thank you for this. I needed it!
What a great blog post! I blogged last week too about the ups and downs that calving season brings. Great minds think alike! Although I’m a bit envious of you talking about calving on green grass…we were “blessed” with over a foot of heavy, wet snow this weekend and our winter accumulation hasn’t left either! All the best calving & Happy Trails!
Thank you, Jill. You envy our green grass, but believe it or not, we envy your snow. Any moisture is good moisture here!
I so enjoyed this story. Thank you.
Thank you, Joani.