Mom… I Couldn’t Wait To Tell You…

About the experience I had the other day.  You know that I’m living at cousin Carol’s now since December and that Walter is there also. We are all three doing as well as can be expected and we all get along great so we know that you and Aunt Mack are looking down on us smiling…

Enough of that for now, we can catch up on that later.  I had the most incredible experience of my life, next to being with Sarah when she had her girl.  Carol’s boy Scott was up at the house to grab a bite of lunch as he does most everyday.  He had a fellow helping him, fertilizing a pasture about a half mile or less from the house.  Anyway, Dusty called Scott that there was a heifer that was a first timer that was in labor and he could see the front feet of the baby and nothing else.  Scott thought he better go check on her and I asked if I could go.  I jumped climbed into the backhoe with him and off we went and in my excitement I flat forgot to grab my camera because we left so quick.  I’d get out and open the gates for Scott and then close them after he was through them so the other cows would stay in their own pastures.  Sure enough we got there and little momma was laying down and all you could see was two tiny little hooves.

Scott, knowing she was a first time mother to be decided that it would be better to drive her back up to the barn in case the baby had to be pulled so he started herding her with the backhoe along the fence line to get her to the gate that would put us in the pasture closer to the barn.

He was doing great until she got into a place with some trees and brush so I got out and he told me which wire was the hot one and I went in after her and drove her out and then just kept driving her while Scott went and opened the gate so she could just go on into that pasture just east of the barn.  I was doing pretty good slapping and flinging my arms and hollering, “Get going little mama!”  until we got through the gate and headed up towards the barn area and she decided to go up the side of the dam where the big pond is and I knew I had to get up there to keep her from turning back towards the east end of the dam.

I’m here to tell you momma that even though I quit smoking over ten years ago I was sucking for air by the time I scrambled up that dang steep side of the dam to keep driving her towards the barn and not let her get turned around and heading the other way.

Scott was driving around the long way and I was gasping for air and trying to wave at him to hurry around to the south side of the pond to help me out.  About the time that crazy heifer decided she’d wade through the skinny end of that pond, Dusty was driving his tractor up, still with the fertilizer dispenser on it  and I hollered at him that I didn’t mind herding that heifer on foot but I was not going to do the same short cut that she did because I knew the water would be too cold.  He laughed at me and went on around where he could cut her off and get her headed back on up to the barn…

Scott could tell that she was in some trouble and had said that they might have to help momma out and pull that calf since it was her first.  Finally we get her up in the pens and about the time I got the heavy gate shut and headed up to see what I could help with Scott hollered for me to go get the long chain he had on the floor of his back hoe.  Now mom, I’m 65 now and way out of shape and I’m gasping for breath but I turned right around and climbed over that gate (mostly because I wasn’t sure I could lift that heavy sucker again), climbed up into the cab of the backhoe thanking the good Lord that there were hand holds I could use to pull myself up with, saw the chain that Scott had asked for and made my way back out and pulled that long chain that felt like a hundred pounds out and was just dragging in behind me because I didn’t have the strength left in me to pick it up and carry it…

I got back to the gate, stopped and looked at it and said no way was I climbing that again so I skinnied under the gate thanking the Lord that it was pretty dry mud and cow patties, got up and headed towards where Scott was and about that time Dusty got there and he took the chain for me and I was able to stop, bend over and try to suck some air into my burning lungs.

They drove the momma to be up in a chute like tight space between a couple of gates and Scott put the chain behind her so she couldn’t back out, he went into the barn and came out with a bucket of water that I assume had some antiseptic in it because of the color of the water, what looked like a choke chain for a large dog but about 3 foot long. Dusty brought up a pole like contraption with a winch on one end in case they couldn’t pull the baby by hand. 

All this time I’m asking questions and Scott is being very patient and explaining things to me and kinda getting a laugh at this greenhorn but he knows I love to learn so he wasn’t laughing too hard at me.   Time he got all this stuff together, mom, that baby had pulled his feet back in but even I could tell that the sack had broken and they needed to get him out of his momma.  I said it was a bull calf because he was being so stubborn and in the end I was right.

Anyhow, Scott said, “Who’s gonna hold her tail?”   I immediately volunteered because I wasn’t quite ready to go fishing for feet… I grabbed ahold of her tail and held on for dear life because I remembered from childhood’s hours watching Scott’s granddaddy milk and getting angry and tying a cows tail to a post in the barn where he was milking her and she was swatting at flies and caught Uncle Bud upside the head with a nasty, crappy tail and he was not happy so I wanted to make sure that I held on so the same thing wouldn’t happen to Scott.

He splashed some of the antiseptic water around her nether regions, looped the ends of that long dog choke collar looking chain around each of his wrists and he carefully went in fishing for feet.  He got them out and slipped the loop of the chain around each little foot and he and Dusty, both being strong, stout lads, each had a handle that they hooked onto the chain and proceeded to pull on those little feet with every labor pain and they both ended up sitting on their butts with their feet propped  against fence posts for more pulling leverage and were pulling strong and steady when Dusty looked over at Scott and said, “You are gonna catch this baby, right? ‘Cause I sure ain’t!”  Scott had to laugh at that for sure. 

Those strapping lads weren’t making much headway so they rigged up the calf puller.  It is essentially a contraption on a long pole that butts up to the heifer’s backside with a strap that goes over her back and at the other end of the pole is a winch with a cable that has a hook that hooks onto the chain around the calf’s feet.  Scott had Dusty on the winch, I was holding onto that tail for dear life and Scott went fishing again to make sure the baby’s head was in the right position and he had Dusty start cranking as he was trying to work that head out of the cow with out having to cut her.   Dusty steadily cranked with each labor pain and Scott managed to work that baby’s nose out and wipe out his nostrils and he had Dusty keep on cranking and a minute later out pops the calf past his shoulders.  Scott took the tail from me and pulled the heifer over on her side and got everything unhooked and momma took over as soon as Scott pulled the baby the rest of the way out.  It was so awesome! 

This little guy was all grungy and still had half the birth sack on his back and back feet but he was breathing and alive.  And I got to see it and even help (a little).  I was so excited I was walking about 3 feet off the ground.  I borrowed Scott’s phone and called Bro and my Cuz answered and I told her where my camera was and would she or Bro run it up the road to me so I could get some pictures of the mom and the baby.  When I went to the house I was telling them all about it and I’d head to my room and think of something else and go back and tell them about whatever else it was I thought about.  Several times I did that and they were laughing at seeing me so excited about helping (sort of) birthing a calf.  I told them that if I’d had a heart attack and died it would have been worth it helping to get that critter into this world, safe and sound with no ill effects on mom or son from having to be pulled. 

All I could think of was I wished I could call you and tell you all about it because I knew you would be so excited with me and for me getting to experience this renewal and regeneration of life.  So I decided to write this novella to you because it has been a while since I was so elated about something that I wished I could call you and tell you about whatever it was that was so very special.

Even though it will be sixteen years in another almost two weeks since you died there are things that happen in my life that I so wish I could call you up or stop by the house and share them with you.  I know you are always with me and I always carry you close in my heart.  I love you, momma, and miss you so much sometimes that I just need to do something like this to feel I’m sharing with you.

Love from your baby girl…

Helen

P.S.  That little bull calf… I called him Ornery Cuss because he even started out as a pain in his momma’s backside.  I love you momma.

There’s Thieving Going On…

And I caught the perpetrator on camera.  Yep, there’s no denying that there is a thief in the neighborhood…

The culprit… two-toned brown suit, flippy tail, little beady eyes…

The target… the sunflower feeder right outside my bedroom window.

Casing the joint… looking out for hidden cameras, cats, dogs and/or people with guns…

Here he comes…

Dropping in…

He quickly sets about stuffing his face, trying to blend in but not doing a good enough job for this ace detective.

This is an actual photo taken during the theft by this intrepid reporter.  If you spot this arch (and fast) criminal DO NOT attempt to apprehend.  He may be armed toothed and dangerous.  Report him to authorities and you might be the one to receive a reward…

Fried squirrel with mashed potatoes and squirrel gravy.  Mmmmm.  Aren’t you glad you stopped by this Sunday!

Back Now To My Awesome Day…

All through the Garden is a pond with some beautiful Koi swimming lazily around. 

The water was so still today that the fish looked like they were swimming in the limbs of the trees that were reflected all around the park…  Some examples for those Koi lovers among us.

This fish was about14-16 inches long.  One of the smaller large Koi that we saw…

Ben told me that if I get a polarization filter the  fish will be a lot clearer but I kind of like the ethereal feeling of fish swimming in the sky…

There is just something magical about watching these beautifully colored fish that fascinates me and soothes my soul.

The cherry blossoms on the trees that were out in the sun were just starting to come on…

The tiny bursts of color around the Garden would just make you catch your breath for a moment at the blessings of the rebirth of the earth just on the edge of bursting out in full glorious songs.

Ben showed me how I could manipulate the exposure of the camera to pull out textures without having to go to Photoshop.  This and the next are examples of this action…

I love textures and there was loads of them to capture around the Garden.

I think these are Cyprus stumps guarding the edge of the water.  A beautiful contrast to the feathery grass growing along the banks of the big pond.

 

More of what I called the “guardians” from the other side of the pond.  Notice the turtle sunning on the rock in the front.

The sounds of  water spilling over the the small spillways built at different areas permeated the air with such calming sounds. With all the families that were walking around with children all was hushed and the kids were not running loose like banshees.  It was just such a peaceful stroll despite the others in the park.

But then we turned a corner on the path and here was the biggest blessing of this turn through the Garden…

This beautiful blue heron was less than six feet from us.

Be prepared for heron overload, if that’s even a possible thing.

This I took from behind the big bird.  His markings look like there are eyes and the long slender feathers look almost like a beak.  We figured it was the protective markings that make the bird look like he is watching any predators that may be approaching from behind.

This was his camouflage from the side that the sun was coming from…

  My Baby Bro and I were both so thrilled.  Neither of us had ever been so close to one of these magnificent birds.  If you look back up at the first picture you will notice that it looks like one wing is hanging down lower.  We figure that he was an injured bird that was rescued and is unable to fly so he was socialized and now lives in the Japanese Garden with lots of small fish in the pond to sustain him.

As we stroll out I will leave you with pictures of more plants and of the curved bridge.  Thanks for letting me share this wonderful day with all of you.  I hope that the length of this post was not offsetting and that you enjoyed this visit to the Japanese Gardens in Ft. Worth almost as much as if you were there with us.

Nandina, commonly know as heavenly bamboo…

Ferns just unfurling to greet spring…

A look back along the edge if the pond.

The large bridge across a portion of the pond.

 

Other than the heron photos this is probably my favorite of the day.

And one more surprise as we turned another bend in the walkway…

A reminder of how we should try to live our lives… See no evil, speak no evil and hear no evil.

The canopy of Japanese maples that shaded us as we were walking out of the park to go meet our sister and brother-in-law for lunch after his chemo.  The knowledge that the earth is reawakening gives us the strength to face the trials that we know we will be facing in the year to come.

What an incredible cycle of life.

Some Days Just Sparkle…

Do you ever have those days that will stand out in your mind for ever how long you have your mind?  Last Wednesday was one of those for me.

I had gone to Ft. Worth for a quickie visit to pick up my new glasses (thank you B. & D.)  Diane, my s.i.l., had had to have her back injected so that left Baby Brother Ben and I to our own devices.  He loaned me a new (to me) camera that can do a lot more than my current point and shoot and while you can’t change the lens it has a much better lens with wider options and way longer telephoto capabilities as well as macro capabilities. He initially loaned it to me for thirty years but then decided to make that twenty eight years because he didn’t trust me with it for thirty.

He wanted to take me to the Ft. Worth Botanical Gardens for the butterfly exhibit so we could try out the new equipment and he could show me things about the camera to get me off to a quicker start but as we got closer we realized that people were parked up to a mile out and walking in… It was spring break week, it was a beautiful day and people were out in droves with their children.  We later found out that the Ft. Worth Zoo had a record day that day also, over 25,000 visitors.

So we drove on down just a little ways to the Ft. Worth Japanese Gardens.  We were able to find a close in parking spot and off we went to play with our cameras for a  while before meeting my sis and her husband after his chemo for lunch…  What follows gives you a clue as to a few of the reasons this day was so very special to me.

My first view as we walked in was the shape of this gorgeous weeping cherry that is just starting to bud.

The roof line on the ticket hut… The back view of the weeping cherry… can you see what looks to be an owl right above the curve of the tree trunk?

My Baby Bro Ben…my teacher and mentor in all things camera.

A Tulip tree blossom just opening up.

A look down into a peaceful grotto and stream and soft grass area.

Bamboo fencing that they’ve started making from their own bamboo gardens.

They have a lot of holly bushes lining some of the walkways still with their beautiful berries.

There's more to come... some friends just walked in for lunch.

The Rest of The Story…

To borrow a phrase from the wonderful Paul Harvey,  Spud the mud puppy saga continued…

When we left, Spud, our hero (or villain, depending on how you look at it) was being hauled off to the shower.

He had a real good time playing in the mud and now came the time to pay the piper.

The alien dog has met his come-uppence… Momma has the water turned on and she is moving in with the shampoo.  He is helpless to act.  It is a bath or being shut up for the night instead of cuddling in the nice warm, soft bed.

Not the welcome home that the “alien” mud puppy expected… Just when he got to smelling really good to himself, Mom is gonna wash that good smelling ‘mud con cow poop’ smell off him.  She just didn’t appreciate all the trouble he had gone to to get the filth and smell just right. 

 It’s enough to flat wear a Jack Russell out. 

The question remains… Why does Spud, the pup that gets out and swims around in the ponds biting at the bubbles so not likes getting a bath?

Adventures Of A Spud Puppy…

Saturday evening the phone rang and it was Bailey, Cuz’s youngest granddaughter… “Granny, Spud looks like an alien! He’s been up here at the dairy barn and mom and I’ve been giving Candy Cane her bath and he’s been playing in the water and got all muddy!”

Sure enough when they got through with the heifer and came down to the house here came the ‘alien’ dog… And since I haven’t learned how to PhotoShop out the reflective flashback in animals eyes, well, it just adds to the whole alien look about the pup.  Bailey told us he looked a lot worse up at the barn but they managed to get some of the filth off him. Off we headed to the walk-in shower…

Please… Don’t leave me in here with HER!!!

Windows Live Writer is being stupid today.  It keeps quitting so this story will be continued…

These Are The Nights…

Or mornings that try women’s souls.  The nights that drag by, the nights that it seems I hear every clock tick in this marvelous world of battery operated clocks that in truth, don’t…  This is one of those nights that thoughts bounce around in my head like ping pong balls, one of those nights where my mind can’t really settle on one thing to lull myself to sleep with, instead I’m jerked like a fish on a hook from one thought  to the next.

How much iodine did we mix with baby oil back in the day when it was far from any doctor’s mind that tanning might not be really very good for your skin, much less the possibility of being lethal…?

Have I ever written about learning to ride a bike on my big sister’s bike?  The one that the seat was too high for me to sit on but I wanted to learn so badly to ride that I would stand on the pedals, my hands having to reach up above my shoulders to hold onto the handlebars…

Or about the times that we, my brother and the neighbor kids and I, would have ‘hoe-downs’ in the front yard that were nothing more than our mother’s prayers being answered that we were running off the excess energy before bedtime, wrestling or chasing fireflies to catch and put in a jar with holes carefully punched in the lid so we wouldn’t suffocate them, no matter that occasionally we would pinch their glowing butts off to make rings for our fingers or a pin on our t-shirts…

Maybe it was an evening for playing ‘statue’ when the bigger kids would whirl us around and then let our hands go and how we stopped we had to hold that position… until we were itchy from falling in the grass on sweaty summer evenings until we were called in for our baths before bedtime and how sweet and fresh the sheets smelled from being hung out on the clothesline to dry in the sunshine and summer breeze back in the day before clothes ‘dryers’ came to live in our basement.

Did I ever tell you that I could dribble a basketball one hundred  times without missing a beat before I was four or that my mom had her first heart attack the summer I was twelve and I thought for years it was my fault because I had been out playing all day and she didn’t know where I was?  Of course it was no different than any other summer day when my baby brother and me and the next door neighbor had been out riding our bikes, playing in our hideouts or walking to the neighborhood store three blocks away back when kids could walk to neighborhood stores but still I knew it had to be my fault…

Or about the crush I had on the cutest boy in the sixth grade class, a little blond/tow headed kid that right now I can’t remember his last name but I can remember riding bikes with around the school yard singing every song I could think of from the musical “Oklahoma” thinkin’ I could get him to fall in love with me even though I didn’t have a clue, though I thought I did, about what love really was… probably the very first crush I ever had on anyone that I can recall right now?

Or about the crush I had on my p.e. teacher the very next year that drove that little blond/tow-headed boy that had gone on to another school right out of my memory?  And did each and every one of us have a crush on our p.e. teacher or band teacher or English teacher no matter what sex they were?

Thinking about how Hallie loves weiners and how I love schnauzers and how wonderful it is to have all these differences that make us each so unique and to really enjoy the facets that make us all bright and shining stars in a universe, a galaxy, a milky way of personalities and how we find each other by such random ways in our different worlds…  A coincidence? The birds of a feather axiom?

All these thoughts and more… and it is now six in the morning, I’ve been to bed four times only to toss and turn, finally giving in and getting up to go read stuff on FaceBook or to play Farmville or Cafe World trying to lull myself into mind numbing stupidity to slow my brain down enough to finally fall asleep and, obviously since I’m typing this missile, it hasn’t worked and since I’m going to get my hair cut at nine I will just give up, plan on staying up and hopefully watching the sun that we haven’t seen in a day or three rise in the east only to be fighting sleep in the chair while getting my hair cut or, better yet, laying getting my hair washed and my scalp massaged and feeling totally pampered…

Or is all of this brought on by withdrawal from watching more butts that you could bounce a silver dollar off of during the past two weeks, glutes and pecs and traps that were hewn and cut by hours, weeks and years of a single pursuit, a focus and a direction that I never in my a.d.h.d. life ever knew for more than, oh, perhaps twelve minutes whether in pursuit of my next meal or Olympic Gold?

Or is this no more than the sleepless ravings of a feverish mind?

Who knows…?

The Shadow knows…

Who cares?

Hallie, when did you corner the market on Ambien and why won’t you share?