Correction PLUS

 

I got it wrong!  Big Mama had a little girl, not a boy.  So we named her, Tres, because she has three white spots on her forehead.  Tres is growing and healthy.  She's becoming more independent (she will run around her mama and away from her mama) yet she still stays close when she's suppose to.

On the PLUS side of things, Blanca had a little boy today.  We named him Rorschach, Ror for short.  As you can see below, he has quite the facial pattern.  It's like he's part of the Rorschach Test.  This little guy was up and about moments after his birth.  Mama Blanca and Ror are doing great!!

Big Mama Is First

 

Big Mama has the prize for birthing the first baby of the new birthing season.  This little boy will be called, Mama's Boy.  The reason for the name, is Big Mama has dropped all of her usual activities like grazing regularly, leading the herd, and being first at the feed troughs, to care for her baby.  She's very smitten with this calf.  Mama's Boy is healthy and made his appearance yesterday afternoon.  It appears that Big Mama got pregnant in February when we had to put all the cows in with the bull because of water issues during the winter storms.  The "window" for this happening was very tight, but Big Mama and Valentino made the "best" of a bad situation.  I predict there are others who took advantage of that short February "window."  For now, we are just celebrating our new baby!!!!

Sweetie

 When we bought Sweetie as part of our original herd, she was the mama who was the babysitter for all the babies, hence her name Sweetie.  As time has past, we realized she had her horns "removed" in a very unpleasant procedure.  We think it tainted her personality in ways we can only imagine.  She is the most protective of her babies, more aggressive than the other mamas, and basically an all round b****.  

We separated the last of the babies for weening about six weeks ago and included Sweetie because she was limping badly.  The Vet was scheduled for the last baby shots and it was a good time to see what was causing Sweetie's gait problems.  Well there was nothing the Vet could see and we were noticing that Sweetie was slowly improving.  Last night, after feeding everyone, we decided to put Sweetie back with the herd.  We let her into "the trap" listening and watching as she galloped, snorting, and bellowing toward the rest of the herd. The rest of the herd ran towards her and everyone pushed and shoved their way toward the "in coming" Sweetie.  There was a lot of head butting, side swiping, and chasing as Sweetie rejoined her group.  We are unsure if they were happy to see her or just wanted her to know they were not going to put up with any of her S***!  

This morning all seems calm and serene as all the girls go about the day grazing.

Confused?

 After a dry August and early September, we've had about 6 inches of rain.  Our apple tree couldn't believe the bounty of moisture and has been blooming.  We are about 1-3 weeks away from a frost, so think the blossoms are doomed.  This poor tree was leafing out when the February winter storms hit.  It was covered in ice and a few of the more tender limbs died.  With the rains of late spring and warmth, it recovered. Now it feels like procreating....

Nature is tough...

Afternoon Naps and Cud Time

Warm afternoons are spent napping and chewing one's cud.  Here the girls are all spread out under the trees enjoying this special time of day.  

Even the babies find this time relaxing and often curl up next to their mamas.  Around 3:30 to 4:00 everyone gets up, walks over to the water trough for water, then head to a pasture to begin grazing again as temperatures fall and evening descends.  I love watching the slow sequence of their days.

Mowed

We got the Bad Boy back this past week.  I got right with the mowing and cleaning up of the grass and weeds.  I saw five snakes as I mowed.  They headed "for the hills" as I made passes mowing.  Snakes are always my biggest fear with an unkept yard.  BUT we are good now.  

Tho the sky looks like rain is coming, we got none.  It's been at least 6 weeks since any real measurable rain.  We are hoping that a "cold" front later this week will bring us some.  Mornings now are cool and pleasant and afternoon temperatures are in the low to mid 90s.  Hope the front brings lower temps!  Fall is in the air!

Goodbyes And What Happened?

Saying goodbye to five of our 2021 steers next week.  Always a sad time for us but we have given them a good chance for success and good early "calfhood."  Now they head into the economy.  

What happened to our yard?  Critters of all sorts have moved in!!!!!  Well, the Bad Boy Mower went belly up about seven weeks ago.  It has been very reliable for 6-7 years until it died.  We are scheduled to have it back tomorrow and I'll be cleaning up the lawn mess after that.  It's tough to sit and mow for three plus hours. yet will be a pleasure to get "control" again.