Extra, extra, read all about it! Punxsutawney Phil didn’t see his shadow this year!
Am I really going to bank an early spring coming to Northwest Arkansas? You betcha! I’m already contemplating getting potatoes planted a little earlier this year. Spring calves are dropping right and left. Our kids are already bugging me daily about wearing shorts to school. It’s been a firm no so far.
About half of our momma cows have been surrogate mothers to our neighbor’s cattle’s embryos this year. We’ve been busy checking on them a few times each day.
Earlier this week a new calf dropped and its mother needed to be called into the cattle momma’s hotline. The calf was weak and wasn’t nursing well. She would run off to the hay bales and leave him behind for long spells. We continued to bottle feed him for a few days until she finally decided to grow up and take responsibility for this precious little bull. He’s thriving with her now.
Our next emergency was a first calf heifer we checked one day after church. I took one look at her and knew she wasn’t going to calve on her own. A mother just knows.
We went back to the farm and got her up in the chute. My husband sleeved her and immediately felt a tail. Then he asked me to sleeve her to see if I thought we could get it turned. I bravely did it and immediately told him it was time to call a veterinarian. I already felt like the calf was gone and there was no way that we, in our minimal calf-bearing experience, could pull it. We called in the expert and let him take it from there.
Being responsible for checking the “maternity pasture” has been a lot of fun for the kids. The calves are adorable too. The boys have even begun contemplating raising a couple of show steers. We may let the boys give it a try this year.
My husband has been busy doing excavation work around the Northwest Arkansas area on the weekends. Recently, he was working on a project at our home place. Our 6-year-old son has been obsessed with heavy equipment for as long as I can remember.
The two of them “went to work” on this little project one afternoon. Before I knew it, I received a video of the 6-year-old running the mini-excavator with a little coaching from Dad. The motherly instinct inside of me made my heart start racing. I am amazed at what my kids aren’t afraid to try. I’m equally shocked at the things my husband is brave enough to teach them. Aren’t we supposed to encourage our kids to try new things? Or do something once in a while that scares us?
Spring has nearly sprung and the mild weather has this family out and about – counting new calves, spring cleaning and venturing into new projects. Springtime is a time of new beginnings.
What’s new with you, neighbor?
