Show Cows will give you Grey Hair

I'm being followed

Even the retired ones. We have a number of cows due to calve over the next few weeks. As is the case with human mothers, the transition between pregnancy and lactation is fraught with peril. Extra attention to the needs of the expectant mother is of paramount importance.

Thus I have been getting up a long, sleepy time before anyone else to trudge to the barn and check on Lakota and Monday, two of Liz's retired show cows, who are "springing" as farmers say.

And Blitz, another retired queen of the spotlit shavings, who is just being kept down to keep them company. Cows like company.

This lovely, dripping, dark, chilly, gloomy, early April.....oh, wait, it's June....morning, I slogged on over to find the expectant mamas resting comfortably chewing their cuds.

Blitz however, was tucked up in a surprisingly small ball for a cow whose shoulders are about the same height as my head.

By a

Unmoving. I called out, "Hey, Blitz, ya dead?" You know from Cool Runnings, as in "Hey Sanka......"

Nothing. I went up the hill and called again, not laughing this time.

Nothing. Not even an ear twitch.

Dang. On up the hill the rest of the way, slap the side of the old yellow milkhouse for a loud, satisfying bang.

Her head came up slowly and she peered at me owlishly, not unlike a teenager roused from slumber after a busy night.

"What the heck do you want? Can't you see what time it is? Go away."

I did, but not without some head shaking and grumbling about show cows that are so tame that they consider people to be herdmates...and lower echelon herd mates at that, not at all worthy of notice. I sure hope tomorrow, which is supposed to be my morning off, someone else does the daybreak barn check......

Tail Shadow, tail shadow....