2010 - Day One Hundred Eleven...

In my travels to and from the office and points here and there, I have not been fortunate enough to see very many paintbrushes along the sides of the road. That was my mission today, to take a picture of some paintbrush. Since I was making a spacial effort to spy them, I saw some nice patches, but generally speaking I was on the wrong side of the road, or travelling at about eighty miles an hour, and really had no opportunity to stop. Once I got off the Interstate, I took special care to find some decent patches that would also give me a vantage point to pull over and contemplate my F-stop issues. Whatever... Anyway, this little patch of paintbrush was found on FM 1105, just outside New Corn Hill. Very nice!

Today was a day of both sadness and accomplishment; highs and lows, peaks and valleys. For the first time, I have experienced the death of a calf. Not even a new calf, this girl was about six or seven months old. It looks like it was the result of pneumonia. I noticed that one of the cattle was laying oddly in the far back pasture while we were having dinner. I knew there was something wrong, the cattle just do not stay that still that long. I could not concentrate on my dinner, and had to go out and see what was the problem. It was one of Doodle Bugs calfs, who had not been named, but she should have been ready to go from us really soon, if not beyond that point. I will spare you the gruesome details, and I cannot believe that I am not just weeping right now. I know this stuff happens, and it is to be expected, and I have often wondered how I would react when the inevitable happened. I am taking it okay, and I know logically that it is part of the game.

On the other hand, Daphne gave birth to another calf today. This photo shows Daphne and her beautiful new calf. In the background, on the left side of the photo is Doodle Bug. She did not want to leave her calf, but I had to kind of corral her and Daphne and the new calf and I closed off the back pasture so they would not be around the dead calf. Michael and Hubert (or one of them) will come by tomorrow and bury the calf, and life as we know it will go on. There is one calf in the back that is baying continuously, and my imagination tells me it is Doodle Bug calling her calf. Who knows... It will all be better in a couple days.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, UPS AND DOWNS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!