15 Calves on the Ground

Last year the cows at the farm in Oberlin decided that they didn't like fences.  They liked wide open spaces.  That created problems and they got an all expenses paid trip to the Sale Barn.  Fast forward to the end of the year and Dad and I decided, "Let's buy some more cows!"  We did.  We purchased 16 bred heifers and put them back at the old home place at the farm.

They had more grass than they could ever eat.  They remained fat throughout the winter and just recently began to bag up.  Calves began hitting the ground.  One after the other.  Before you knew it, we had 16 calves.  Let me correct that - 15.  One of the calves was born but the sac never burst and it suffocated and died.  Well, as someone smarter than me one said, "You can't lose 'em if you don't have 'em."

We decided to get out on Saturday.  We drove to Oberlin and opened the gate and drove in the pasture.  Right inside the gate is an enormous live oak tree like you might see in a painting.  I would think that if it could talk, it would tell you many stories.  My grandfather was raised in a house right on this property.  Now the house is no longer there, but the tree remains.  And the cows and calves do too.  We gave them a holler and they began walking toward us.

The Old Live Oak

The simplicity and serenity of the place is astounding.  It is easy to forget when you are sitting beneath the tree watching the cows that there is a pandemic.  Being out in the country is plenty of social distancing!  The cows curiously began to walk toward us and check us out.  I was quick to notice that they weren't following the "6 foot rule."  For shame!

The calves all bunched toward the front.  The momma cows and the calves are all healthy and butterball fat.  They look like they enjoy life in the country.  As we sat there watching the cows checking us out, we observed yellow flowers blooming across the pasture.  The wind gently blew and the flowers from the thistles growing in the distance floated in the air like little white parachutes.

Mom & Dad drove up and we pulled lawn chairs out of the trunk and we sat in the shade and talked for the longest time.  It was a pleasant afternoon.  The boys climbed up in the huge limbs of the live oak like I did as a boy.  The limbs are laden with Resurrection vine (appropriate for the day before Resurrection Day!)  Resurrection fern looks like it is brown and dead, but as soon as it rains, it greens up beautifully and completely covers the limbs with its lush foliage.

In the background of the above photo, you can see an old pecan orchard planted by my great-grandfather.  One of the old pecan trees has broken in half.  We'll cut up the wood for firewood.  It is a reminder to me that some things like the pecan trees succumb while other things like the live oak perseveres.  It is nice in a world of rot and decay that there are things that live on - like the live oak, like the memories.  And it is encouraging to know that new calves are on the ground and new memories can be made while enjoying those of the past.