Chrysanthemum

Chrysanthemum wasn’t always Chrysanthemum.

When Pansy gave birth to a dainty, lively little heifer, we named her Aster. Happily, Aster was up on her feet and nursing within minutes. “She’s a smart one,” Hubby remarked. Other newborns were arriving, one of which was having trouble standing and nursing, so I didn’t get a chance to take Aster’s baby picture until evening. That’s when I noticed her face.

For one thing, Pansy still hadn’t licked the pink and yellow birth fluids from Aster’s face, something that mama cows usually do right after delivery. Second, Aster’s nose looked too skinny because it lacked the normal amount of fluff. What hair she did have was fine and short.

We wondered if perhaps Aster was born prematurely, or even if she had some milder form of birth defect known to occur in Herefords, in which calves are born with little to no hair. Aster had more than that, but we worried about sunburn and cold. Was she smart enough to stay in shade or shelter when needed?

We prayed, and I rechristened her after the fluffiest flower that I could think of: Chrysanthemum. 

In many respects, Chrysanthemum is strong and healthy. She loves playing with her siblings and can run faster than most. (Less wind resistance?) Her face has gradually gained fluff, although she still doesn’t have enough hair around her eyes.

It irritates me that Pansy never has licked her heifer’s face clean. A cow pasture isn’t spic and span, but the other mamas wash their babies several times a day. I don’t know if she’s embarrassed of Chrysanthemum or just a slob.

What Chrysanthemum lacks in beautiful locks, though, she makes up for in smarts and style. One cold, rainy, windy morning when Hubby was feeding the herd, he watched Chrysanthemum come out of the calf shed. Instead of heading into the wind-propelled rain to get to the hay, she promptly turned and backed all 75 or so feet to breakfast. He was impressed.

        1 DAY OLD

1 WEEK OLD

                                                                                                  3 WEEKS OLD         

TODAY (5 WEEKS)

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"Let your hope keep you joyful, be patient in your troubles, and pray at all times." ~Romans 12:12  TEV

Molly and Butch

Molly's sweet face really is this white. Thanks to Fancy, her mama, Molly may very well be the cleanest person on this outfit. 

When these pictures were taken, Molly was just hours old. Her legs swiveled every which way but loose, but they've since straightened up.

Pearl blessed us with Butch (as in Cassidy), a fun-loving little outlaw. Case in point: Pearl provides him plenty of milk, but Butch tries to sneak up on other cows to see if he can steal a drink of theirs--just for kicks--which he often gets.  

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"If your problem is too big for you, it's just the right size for God." ~Steven Furtick

Paint in the Sage

We interrupt our regularly scheduled agricultural programming for a sneak preview of the 2017 Wyoming Sagebrush Steppe Art Festival, featuring Castilleja linariifolia (Indian paintbrush). 

About the festival:

• New works pop up every day. 
• Western meadowlarks and horned larks provide live music.
• Admission is free for the walking.
• No crowds, no lines, no signs saying DO NOT TOUCH.
• Refreshments not provided; BYOGB (bring your own granola bars).

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"Sometimes the fear of failure steals the beauty we were meant to create." ~Angie Smith

Alive and Very Well

After our crazy cold winter, many trees in our little orchard have been reluctant to awake from hibernation. Not so our "poodle" tree. The blossoms are spare and some branches are bare, but it's alive and crazy happy to be so. I pray that no matter what your "winter" has been, you're blooming like crazy too.

"The Lord your God is living among you.
He is a mighty savior.
He will take delight in you with gladness.
With His love, he will calm all your fears.
He will rejoice over you with joyful songs." ~Zephaniah 3:17 NLT

Apricot

Annabelle, queen of our herd and the world, recently added Apricot to the family dynasty. Apricot's arrival makes Annabelle the mother of five females and grandmother of three more females. Bella, Annabelle's daughter, is expecting her first calf soon, so it's possible the population of Belles could increase yet again in 2017. No one's complaining, though, since the Belles are great mamas with lots of milk and very gentle dispositions. 

Apricot was a big little princess who was so happy to be out and about! Even though we were privy to most of the proceedings, it was hard to imagine how Annabelle managed to carry Apricot around lo, these many months, let alone give birth to her without assistance.

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"But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name." ~John 1:12 NKJV

Spunk and Swagger

Clearly, I'm no professional photographer, but I do love sharing images of our calves. Their cuteness, however, isn't so much about their features as it is their audacity. Within hours, sometimes minutes, of delivery and a warm drink of milk, calves are already beginning to explore, run, buck, kick, and butt whoever will let them. I doubt anyone could convince a baby calf that the world isn't the more wonderful for its birth.

From whence comes their enviable mettle? Do their mamas assure them, at first lick, that they're both adored and adorable? Or do bovines simply carry the Joe Cool gene?

McQueen

Rowdy

Junior

Magnolia

Little Red

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"Faith is the audacity to believe that God's promises apply to us." ~Angie Smith