Who's Your Daddy

We shifted the herd yesterday. A few cows were left behind and did not want to play follow the leader.

These dissidents all had newborn calves. One old biddy did not have a calf and made a beeline to the other side of the field. She ran down into a gully and did not come out.

That's weird. So I walked a mile and went and looked. Her calf was stuck in some old fence in the gully.

I always carry pliers. So I jumped down into the gully and whipped them out and got to work. But little girl was wrapped up real good.

But mom kept intervening. She would charge down into the gully then I would counter-charge her and she would run away. I would cut three wires and then she would come back. Meanwhile the calf is bucking and bawling and kicking me while I am dogging it and digging for wire in its fur and peeking over the gully looking for mom.

After 20 wires, I had three left before the struggling calf could run. I looked up and did not like what I saw.

Mom came back with reinforcements. All four moms plowed into the gully, snorting snot and hurling buff cuss words at me.

I decided to stay put and finish the job. I steadied myself and cut the last wires and yanked the calf free and shoved it towards the mommie storm troopers.

I jumped up on the bank and ran out into the pasture. I ran for 20 yards and stopped to look back.

The calf was right behind me with the angry beasts right behind! The calf was running for its life and I could almost hear it calling , "Daadddddyyy!!"

I headed back for the gully and the cover the trees offered. The calf followed me, grunting and moaning all the way. The moms were right behind, but they had spread out and were circling around.

I jumped into the gully at full speed, landing flat on my back. Pain jerked through my leg causing me to stop breathing. The calf came right over the bank and landed ten yards from me.

In my mind I could see the cows leaping into the gully around me and beating me up so bad I would not get out nor would I be found..

I stood up and jumped up the bank towards the trees, clawing up the dirt face, my ankle useless.

I looked back and saw the calf trying to come up the bank as the moms swarmed over where I had just been, trying to get to the calf.

The bank defeated the calf, but I kept going, hopping on one leg, until I got to a fence. I tried to leap it but my leg would not work. I flopped on the ground and lowcrawled through the poison ivy under the bottom wire.

I stood up on the other side and saw the moms and calf run away. My leg gave away and I fell to the ground with pain so bad I could not breathe.

My ankle swelled up. I swapped into running shoes. And spent the rest of the day on the tractor planting. And spent the night with ice on my ankle.

This morning I woke to rain and smiled.

And in the shower I almost passed out from the pain when I bumped my foot.

I saw the moms this evening with their calves. They were happy and the calves were doing well.

And my ankle did not hurt as much.