The Circle of Life...

*Warning...some photos could be considered graphic, or at least really sad. 

This is rural life.

Summer 2010

Living in the country, surrounded by cattlemen and farmers, is sometimes not a pleasant experience. Oh, it's a happy day when a new calf is born but when death comes it's not pleasant. Not at all.

Our elderly neighbor, who runs about 60 head of cattle at any given time, made a hasty approach to our front door on Monday. He had a cow down. She wasn't dead, just down. He wanted my boys to come over and help him get her up. She's old and only weighs about 800 lbs so of course we said yes, and hurried to get boots and coats on. I grabbed my camera so I could take pictures of the joyous moment when they get her up right.

*Poor Gertrude!

While they were getting the tractor and some other items to help raise her up to a standing position, I went over and started talking to her. I know. Kind of dumb, huh? But I talk to these cows all the time. They eat grass right across my driveway and occasionally...in my yard. I told her she could do it. She could get up. I encouraged her, and clapped my hands to get her attention. She looked at me with one ear raised up and gave it a good try several times. She just couldn't do it on her own.

*feeding time

In the meantime, some of the other cows are getting fed so they will mind their own business and not interfere with the rescue operation. They're really curious creatures and will come right up to you when they think something interesting is happening.

*Hey, Gertrude, Whatcha' doin' down there?

I guess they didn't get enough to eat because they came over anyway. Maybe they were trying to encourage the old girl to get up and grab some dinner. It was about noon, after all. Our neighbor is tying a rope around her neck (it's very loose!) so he can lift her up enough with the tractor for my boys to take over and push her up. We were all assuming she would only need an umph to get going. She wasn't injured in any way by the rope.

*Heave Ho, boys!

Notice the rope is no longer around her neck. I didn't want to cause anyone nightmares by actually showing the rope pulling her up, just that they were successful in getting her to this point so that my boys could give her the boost! 

*She needed a little talking to. I'm not sure she's listening.

*The cow whisperer took over, giving some encouraging words. 

She stayed upright like that for quite awhile. We couldn't hang around any longer as the boys had to get back to their school work. And at this point, I kind of figured it might not end well. I'm sorry to say I never got that photo of the miraculous moment she would get up and run off with her friends.

She was quite old and nature was taking its course. She never did get enough energy to get up. She died. My neighbor said my boys did a good job helping him try to save her. He didn't expect she'd live but he at least had to try. 

*In her healthier days munching grass with her friends

I felt bad that it was her time to go, but she birthed many calves over the years and because of that, we have the joy of seeing and hearing these fabulous beasts across our front yard.

Images are mine. Please don't take them without asking. Not that anyone would want them. I'm just sayin'.