Saturday, February 23, 2008

First Calf of the season

Exciting news..... the first calf has arrived. This is big here in our neck of the woods. Or sandhills. Small town rural life revolves in seasons.... that everyone knows and talks about. This is unlike big cities....(defined as anywhere with a population over 10,000 peeps) because everyone is doing their own thing and has different jobs. Here, everyone is somehow related to agriculture. So all conversations start the same and really the answer is the same, so that one who is not from here could participate if they knew which season we were in. So around Feb, March.... the convo goes like this

Anybody: Started calving yet?
Person with cows: Close, or got a few.

Around April or May:
Anybody: Finished calving yet?
Person with cows: Getting there. One never actually discloses when they are done. If you go to long.... this indicates some sort of failure on the cow owners part..... so eventually you quit disclosing that you are not done yet.

Also in May:
Anybody: Got any sick calves?
Cowowner: A few. Also represents some sort of failure... but everyone has sick ones but no one fesses up.

This whole line goes on all year.... very pridictable.... which I love somehow. We go from calving to planting, to watering, to harvesting.... to feeding through the winter... and then it starts anew. And now for the spiritual implications..... just reminds me of a time to reap, a time to sow. But this is the best time of year because the baby calves are so cute.... just like your faverite childhood farm book. Mommas standing around licking thier calves.... calves frolicking in the pasture.

Just a glimpse into farm life..... more later. :)

1 comment:

Linny Jane Vintage said...

Great entry. I feel as if I will review it before my trip out there in May - so I know how to talk to people and show them I can relate to farm life.