Last week was rough on the ranch. We are getting close to being done with calving. Waiting on two stragglers, one older cow and one going to be new momma. I don’t stray far or long during calving season. I had a Dr. appt in town that I had already canceled and The Stauff said that they would be fine. The older cow, “Mavis” knew what to do and the younger cow looked to be out for a few more days. So I made a run for town. I got all my running done, dropped J’s stuff off to her and raced back home. Raced all day and it still took all day. Nothing is quick when you live an hour from town and 2.5 hours from the nearest “big town”.
I get home and it was getting dark. I went to find Mavis. I knew where she had been that morning and sure enough, she was still there. Although now she was pacing and looking frazzled. A little worry crept into my belly. I got off the 4 wheeler and walked down to where she was. She had been right next to the creek and sure enough, she had calved and the calf was in the creek, shivering. Mavis was frazzled to the point she was pawing the ground and flinging dirt and mud into the air that was raining down on me and the calf. Now, the calf wasn’t in a lot of water, but enough. I went and got our hook that we carry on the 4 wheeler and grabbed his back foot. I pulled him as far up the bank as I could. Mavis instantly went to town licking on him and bawling at me to get the hell away from her calf. I ran back to the house and grabbed some nurse mate to give to the calf, thinking it might help him get up. I fly back and tip toe back across the creek. Mavis was still frazzled. I couldn’t blame her, I would be the same. I eased up to the calf and gave him a shot of nurse mate. He let out a a little bawl and Mavis came running over (as my life flashed before my eyes). She went to licking on him. I grabbed all of my stuff and went home. We would see what tomorrow would be.
I didn’t sleep at all that night. I watched the clock flip to every hour. Finally at 5:30 it was light enough to go see what had happened. I grabbed my hat, and coat and set out. The calf was still in the same spot. My heart dropped knowing it was dead. I got off the 4 wheeler and walked towards it. Mavis still pacing beside it. As I got close the calf moved its head a little bit. I jumped down next to it and rubbed on it. It was alive. “Ok”, I thought, “I will try my best to save you”. I ran down to our barn and grabbed my little calf sled. I brought it back up and lifted the calf into the sled, tied it to the 4 wheeler and pulled it up out of the creek channel. Mavis followed close behind watching her baby be carried away. My plan was perfect until Mavis saw the other cows and she ran to them instead. I thought, “ok, plan B, just take the calf to our basement”. Which I did, it was closer to than the barn anyway.
I pulled the calf sled into our basement and started a fire in our stove. I left the door open on the stove so the heat could roll out to him. I grabbed blankets and started rubbing him down, from his hooves to his ears. The dogs came down to join me and to see what the fuss was about. Sydney, the older dog went into action. She started licking his nose and worked her way down his neck. His eyes were sunken in and I knew he probably had never gotten up and sucked. I ran to our tote with all the milk replacement and electrolytes. I propped him up so he wasn’t laying flat on the floor and ran upstairs to prepare his concoction of hope. I flew back down stairs and tried to give him a bottle. He swallowed a little, but never really sucked. I texted The Stauff. He said to try and call the neighbor to see if they could drench him. I texted him and he said he would be there in 10 mins.
He showed up and was able to drench him. His mouth still cold, but his belly was full. The neighbor left and I settled in beside him praying for a miracle. I would rub on him with warm towels and tried to help him stand. He remained limp and unable to stand let alone suck down a bottle. As the day wore on, he would bawl a few times and then lay back down. He gave me hopes that all was going to work out and then other times, my heart would get sad knowing deep down in my belly he wasn’t going to make it. The Stauff said he was going to come home after work and drench him again.I said to be sure to call me before you leave, as I think he is dying. He asked me why I would say that, and I told him, it was just a feeling. I stayed by his side all day, rubbing on him, trying to get him to drink, and basically asking God himself for a little help.
It was getting close for the The Stauff to be getting home and I was still sitting there talking to my little calf when I noticed tears streaming down his face. I said, “ahh sweet boy, no reason for tears, The Stauff will be here soon and he will get some warm milk in your belly. We will have you back with your Momma soon”. I wiped his steady stream of tears off of his face. About that time I got a call from the lodge asking for some groceries. I told the baby that I would be right back.
I took the stuff to the guys at the lodge and ran back. I wasn’t gone 10 mins. I got back and went back to my perch next to my new found buddy. I started rubbing on him and talking to him. My eyes glanced as his belly. Then my heart stopped when I realized that his also had stopped. He had waited until I left. Hot tears dropped on the same sweet nose that I had just wiped his tears off of. Both dogs came and sat by me as I fell to tears. I got up off the floor and went and sat in a chair beside him. The Stauff arrived about 20 minutes later.
The Stauff walked in and saw me staring at the calf with a pool of tears soaking into my sweatshirt. He looked at me and then at the calf, “Is he gone?”. I shook my head yes and said, “yea, about 20 mins ago”. He checked the calf and then picked him up and carried him out. I got up and started cleaning up my mess. Milk replacer all over the counter, different sized bottles, the drenching bottle, blankets and towels all to pick up. The Stauff came back and said that he had taken care of the calf and had put the sled away. My brain was mush. Everything that I had begged for the last 24 hours was gone and all I really wanted to do was crawl into bed and cry.
The Stauff went around the cows and found that the cow that we didn’t think was going to calve was indeed in the process. He said he would stick around and wait to make sure everything was ok with that one. He went to check and then pretty soon he came back. He said, “well, good news and bad news. Good news is, she calved and the calf is up. The bad news is, there are a bunch of cows and calves around her and the calf doesn’t understand who its mother is and being the first time mom she is getting antsy. So, let’s bring them into the barn where they can get to know each other by themselves.
I grabbed my hat, went and grabbed the sled that was just put away and away we went. The Stauff threw the calf into the sled and the Momma was hot on our tail. She followed us to the barn and after a little persuasion, she went into the barn and into her little box. We grabbed the Momma some sweet alfalfa hay and water and let them be. The Stauff had to get back to work and gave me instructions on what to do the following day.
I went home and sat on the porch with the 2 dogs. I watched Mavis walk out of the group of cows back to where she had last seen her baby. I watched her stop and look all around, holler for her baby and keep on looking for it. I fell apart knowing I failed and I wasn’t able to help her baby. If there would have been a way to tell her how sorry I was, I would have done it in a heart beat. I sat there and listened to the frantic cry of a mother who lost her baby and desperately wanted to find it. I finally collapsed into bed with swollen eyes and a broken heart.
The next morning, I again got up early and said a little prayer, to God, Jesus, Dad, Great Grandparents, spirit guides and actually anyone who would listen. I begged them to have this calf be healthy and know who it’s Momma was.
I snuck into the barn and held my breathe. Little rays of sunlight sneaking through the cracks in the wall. The calf was curled up in the opposite corner that I had left her in the previous night. The Momma was still munching on her sweet alfalfa. I walked over to the calf curled up by the fence. The Momma immediately started talking to it. I knelt beside it and she lifted her head to meet my gaze. I reached out my hand to rub her nose and there, resting on her face was a little white patch of hair in the shape of a teardrop. Considering all of our cows are 100% black, it surprised me. The Momma was sucked down and all was well. I kicked open the gate to let them out into the big pen in the corrals. The Momma started to walk out and turned and talked to her baby. The baby jumped up and wobbly legs slowly stepped into the warmth of the sunlight. The sun highlighted her white tear drop and it stopped me. Grandpa had always said when you get those little random spots they are really kisses from angels.
I dropped my head thinking of my little baby yesterday and the tears that were running down his face. He might have died, but maybe he helped save this one and in doing so, dropped her a kiss on the face just for me. I smiled as the little calf started to feel new energy run through her as she gave a few little bucks trying to keep up with her Momma. I smiled and thought, “yea, this one gets a name. I don’t care what The Stauff says”.
And so ends calving of 2026. I lost one, and I repeat a could’a, should’a, would’a every day and probably will until the day we sell our steers. Then next year, I will have another round of begging and prayers to anyone who will listen. The circle of life on a ranch. I don’t think it ever gets easier, you just learn to pivot and move and hope some frantic Momma cow doesn’t turn your ass upside down. And… did I mention we had a fire on the ranch? Oh yea.. next story.
.. at approximately 1:20 A.M., I heard some noise and then a “geezus H. Move your ass”. “Ahh”, I thought, that is when The Hound kicked me in the nose. Remembering the thought that my life was ending at the hands of some sketch shit made me chuckle. Then I heard her bark and go out, come back in.. I went through the rest of the metrics. Amazed, it all shows I slept well. I sat their pondering as I pet my hound.. the hound.. she snored all night. That damn app picked up her snoring and put it into my metrics. Which is why “I” went to sleep 9 mins after I hit the button.. damn it. First she smokes me in the nose and then steals my cool app. I can’t win..at least one us is getting good sleep.
this am J comes stumbling downstairs rubbing her eyes.. she says “Why is Magee on the couch?” I laughed “he was afraid that we were living the conjuring last night and your head was spinning.” She looked at me and says, “hmm, I thought that was a dream”. Ummm what? 
as they sat there staring at us.. 
they finally opened a door and I used my arms and hands to point directly behind them and I said a little louder, “there is a coyote over by the creek”.. and I 
quietly shut the door and smiled at them. They looked at each other with a raised eyebrow.. J says, “I don’t think they believe us”. I shooed my hand to them and they grabbed their guns and turned around. The coyote popped up into a little knoll. They both hit the ground quickly and attack mode was set into place. Magee got to the garbage cans and laid his sites on him. Pinker and I were in the kitchen watching it all go down.. all of a sudden something black darts towards the coyote. Pinker says, “yo, is that another coyote?”.. I studied the new object that entered into the picture. “Holy shit! That is a badger running after it”. The coyote is looking back at the badger and “boom”. Magee fires off the lethal shot.. the coyote falls over the hill..the badger looks around, turns and runs his ass off back to his hole. I can only imagine what was going through his mind and I died laughing. When The Stauff got in he looked at me and laughed, “I couldn’t imagine what in the hell you were doing”.. ahh life on the ranch.. never a dull moment.