(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({ google_ad_client: "ca-pub-1163816206856645", enable_page_level_ads: true }); Northview Diary: Some days just get out of hand

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Some days just get out of hand

Fox tail fern


Last night we worked through supper time. This morning we worked through breakfast time too. It all started when Liz's show heifer, Blitz, started to calve just at the beginning of milking last night. She was still at it when Alan, Becky and I came to the house when we finished chores at about eight-fifteen. The boss and Liz stayed with the cow. It was a real good thing that they stayed. They did need to intervene a little as the calf was a great big boy, but both mother and baby came through fine. (Alan mowed lawn through the whole affair, although he did get to meet the police officers at the end. Yes, I did say police officers. And they were the nicest, most helpful, thoughtful, kind and dedicated to their job officers you could imagine too.)


As I peacefully waited for the soup to reheat, a little worried about Blitz, but aware that she was in good hands, Liz ran in to get the phone to call the police. Seems some very strange characters showed up between the two sets of barnyard gates and got their van stuck...half in and half out of the manure spreader shed. So the boss closed the lower gate and sent for reinforcements. They were scary guys I'll tell you. Several police cars and a tow truck later we finally came in for supper....at like ten thirty. Didn't get much sleep either as the creeps with their belligerent ways scared the heck out of me. We have been through this before. Our driveway is deeply rutted, there is a sign at the bottom that says it is a farm. These weirdos claimed they wished to come up to view the sunset. They were both guys. With a pit bull. A big one. They were not a bit nice.




Then this morning one of our two-year-olds, Camry, didn't come down with the cows
. The rest of the crew (I started milking alone as it is tanker day) went to find her. She was having problems calving and either the other cows rolled her down the hill or she scrambled down herself because she was in pretty tough shape and the grass was matted down in a long aisle leading from her up the hill. They lost the calf, sadly, but Camry may make it. She is at least sitting up now and was holding her ears up when we went back up to check her after milking. Meanwhile we were late for the tanker, although not too bad, and really late getting in. We went out again so the boss could bury the calf before the coyotes come and we could doctor on Camry a little more. I hope she makes it. She is wild as heck, but she is out of a good Mansion Valley Delaware cow and by Ocean View Extra Special. She is a real pretty little thing. Any how, I hope she gets up pretty soon. We left the rest of the herd in the barn for an extra hour so they won't bother her. I also hope to never see those guys again. They just radiated something that scared me....a lot. Mostly Liz, but sometimes other ones of us, go out to the barn often at night to check the springers, of which we have at least seven right now. If the boss hadn't been out there with her last night, I hate to think what might have gone on.


***I did get to take some pictures between coming to the house and returning for the fun with freaks follies.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

That is awful about the cows, I hope Camry is recovering.
What is even worse is the creeps - now I have to go armed when our cows are in their remote pastures, and we have to keep padlocks on all our exterior gates, just to slow down the metal thieves. I know what you mean about worrying about the girls at night - no one goes out here without the dogs. Last spring, we had meth heads stripping wire in our old schoolhouse, while I was in the pasture building electric fence, they started a fire on the floor to melt the plastic so they could get maybe $10 worth of copper. Be careful, you never know what those people could be on - they aren't going by the same rules as you and I!

Jan said...

Nature loving creeps with a large Pit Bull.Sounds like crack heads from here. As if your lives aren't complex enough.

Islagringo said...

I seriously doubt that the bad guys will be back. They tested your defenses and found them way too tight for their liking, I'm sure. They will be moving on to easier "pastures" where the pickings will be not so well protected. Besides, they are recognizable by the police now and they know it. Hope you sleep well! Maybe the Sheriff could step up patrols for awhile??

Linda said...

I'm thankful that we live so far out in the middle of nowhere that we seldom get creeps. Just once that I can remember and the dog that never has growled at a soul, growled! I love the pictures.

Anonymous said...

Yes you have been very busy. Loved the pics you took on the way.

threecollie said...

Nita, she got up this morning and another cow promptly knocked her down. That one will be making the one way trip next Tuesday as she is not bred and nearly dry.
Your situation sounds even worse than here and it is getting awful bad here. Crime is moving our way and terribly quickly.

Jan, that is pretty much what the police thought.

Wayne, they are going to be watching I am sure. One of them stopped by last night to update us on what is going on with the affair. They were the nicest police officers we have ever had occasion to work with.

Linda, dogs know, don't they. We had one who would never bother anybody, but some folks came off the Interstate to try to get in the house and he jumped right up on their car!

Tipper, been so crazy here....it is hard to even find time to answer comments, let alone post. Thanks for your kind words!

Anonymous said...

What a wild day you had! Will the cow who is taking the one way trip be coming back in another form? Maybe to reside in the freezer? mmmmm steak!

threecollie said...

Tim, it was crazy for sure and it hasn't calmed down one bit since....some sleep would be really nice...
That particular cow has been wanting to go to McDonald's I guess, so we will send her to auction. She has been fighting all the time, but this was the last straw.