Baby Calves

 

 the "Three Musketeers"

Think you could find this guy in a crowd?

Love those eyes!

Baby Calves are soooo many things!  They bring to the farm what children bring to a home! I love watching them discover the world running on the green carpet of winter wheat. They always seem to remind me of the promise of spring or a renewing of life.

 ( I know sounds sappy--lol@ms)

They  are funny, cautious, full of energy,  always wanting to run, play, eat, and want their Mama.  We have taken calves that weigh in the neighborhood of 400 pounds or more and they will bellar (slang for a loud mooing calf) and cry for their Mama all night long. 

To give you and idea of how large that is, a newborn calf will weigh roughly 75 pounds. They get up and are able to walk within a few minutes.

Mother and child so precious, but soon the Teenage years.

As soon as they stand up, you can guess what they want next--Mama's Milk! They must have their Mama's colostrom for survival.  And Mama cows are ready for them to eat or suck to relieve their pressure!

He is saying
"What chew be looking at?"

Instead of a milk mustache he is going for a milk gotee!

They eat pretty much as often and as much as they want.  Mama has to eat enough wheat, hay, cake, and minerals to keep both her and the calf going. Plus she has to keep up with the active little booger.  AND, AND she has no daycare, no mother's day out, and she would never ever leave her baby with mean ole' onery Bull-daddy!!!

"You kids get back over here"

And then before you know it, they are leaving home! (teenagers!) 


Actually in about 6 months they are weaned from Mom and forced to eat green lush wheat, yummy praire grass, cow cake, molasses, and other delcious cattle delecacies! (again just like their human counter parts--you know Tacos, burgers, and cokes) 

Here's hoping you get to lay down and rest in some green place today too!

TRACTORS!

Tractors are a way of life for farmers. They are as necessary as a Firetruck is to a fireman, or a cupcake to a baker, or a heckler to a stand-up Comedian.  Most people kind of romanticize tractors with farm life.  (I can say I have had a romantic moment or two on a tractor but nothing to write poems or blog about!) You might notice too, that our tractors are not green and yellow.  Many people think that is the only color tractors are made in but it is just a brand like Chevys or Fords. 

This one is called "One-eyed Jack".

This guy has been here long enough
 to have dirt blown in under it. 

You can look around our farm and tell we are long-term farmers.  Farmers tend to "marry" their tractors  and they never ever divorce/trade-in their tractors for a newer model.  (At least not in this family.)  They are sometimes put out to pasture, but most of the time they are running as much as possible.  

This one has a brick so the little ones can climb-on
and pretend they are plowing!

The old smaller ones are used for plowing the garden spot or filling in a water hole in the dirt driveway.  One a little bigger might be used to move hay bales, or pull someone out who is stuck in the mud down the road (when we are not in a drought as we currently are experiencing).  

This tractor is named "Vera".
(Yes, we name our tractors!)
((Quit LOLing))

The one with the front-end loader might be used to take out an old stump or move a big rock, or if necessary dig a hole to bury something.  In days gone by they were the work horses that did the plowing, planting, and cultivating.

Today's tractors can plow ten times the ground of the old tractors.  They have 435 horsepower. That means there motor has the power of a really big bunch of horses.  One hard working farmer can farm as much land as 20 farmers could years ago. 

My Darlin' plowing up volunteer wheat and weeds!

What we really all need to remember about tractors is they provide many things for us.  All kinds of food for our ferocious eating habits are planted, groomed, and harvested with tractors.  Much of our wardrobe is made possible do to the hard work of tractors. Why even the very towels we use to dry off with after our showers can be traced back to the tracks of a tractor somewhere.  

So the next time you see a tractor, whether it is slowing you down on the road somewhere, in a parade, or just a picture in a storybook or magazine remember how many great things get their start behind the wheels of a tractor!

Next the plows behind these big rigs! May you find a little Country Sunshine this week!