Leap Day Story

Below is a story I entered in a contest for leap day stories. I don't expect that it will win, but I am sharing it with all you kind folks anyhow......

Although our leap day story may not be the funniest it is probably a bit different. You see we are family farmers and own a small herd of registered dairy cattle, mostly Holsteins. The kids all grew up showing their pet calves at the county fair and were always eager to have a show calf born on the first of March. 

This is because the first of March is the earliest birthday for calves to be eligible for the Junior Heifer Calf class at the fair. Calves born at the start of the three month period that falls in that class are likely to be the largest and most mature in their group...both very desirable in the quest for a blue ribbon. Junior Calf is a very popular and hotly contested class among the young folks, because the babies are quite young and easier for them to handle than older, larger animals from the other calf classes.

Thus when our old cow, Byrony, who was due to calve on the first, instead had a lovely heifer on the 29th of February in 2000, our son was quite disappointed. The calf, whom he named Balsam, was a really nice baby though. 

Therefore he entered her in her proper class, Intermediate Senior Calf, anyhow, even though she was born on the very last day of that class eligibility period and would probably be the smallest one in the ring.

He was delighted though when he got to the show and discovered that Balsam would be placed in the Junior Calf Class after all. Seems the show catalog said that calves had to be born after February 28th instead of on or after March 1st as is the case at most shows. 

Balsam went on to win that class for our son, who was ten at the time, and had a wonderful career as a pet who just happened to be a show cow too, and a mother and grandmother of many much-loved animals.

Oddly enough, today she stands at one end of one of our lines of milk cows and her oldest granddaughter, Broadway, stands at the other end......though she is actually twelve years old, grandma Balsam has only had three birthdays (or will have on the 29th) and her grand baby, known affectionately as B-Dub, has had six!

Balsam is still a great big pet who will stand and wait to have her head scratched when we are turning out the cows, even though her herd mates are hustling out the door to get to their pasture.