A FARM STORY

This is a piece of the farm where I grew up. The Pudding River, a winding slow muddy river, borders it on one side. I took the dogs there this morning without much on my mind. I took this picture, and then I had a lot on my mind. I think that my brother Jim wants me to tell this story.
My brother Jim wasn't there when this story happened. I think that he was doing his six months active duty in the National Guard. But before he left, he bought three White Face(Hereford) cows, a bull, and some others. I think that I was eleven or twelve years old, and he was nine or so years older than me. The herd became my task.
In general, they just stayed in the pasture and ate grass, but early that Spring the three calves were ready to calf. Every night after school, I had to find them, usually in the woods, because of the rain. If one had a calf, I had to get mam and baby to the barn.
Two of the cows and calves went without incident. I'd pick up the calf, making sure not to get charged by the cow. Put it over my shoulders, and walk to the barn. Usually the cow would follow, but sometimes it would go back to the afterbirth. I had learned to bawl like a hurt calf, and that would bring them running.
The third cow wasn't so easy. In a pouring rain, I found that she had slid down the bank of the river. Fat with her calf still in her, she was wedged between the steep bank and a tree that had fallen into the river. The more I tried to get her out the worse it got mired in the mud.
I ran to the neighbor Joe's house. He came with his tractor and some shovels, but it just kept getting worse. It must have been my mom who called the fire department in town. They brought out an army surplus truck that the had just gotten. It had a big wench on the front of it. We ran the cable up over the trees, and tied the end under her big horns. When the cable started to tighten, her eyes got bigger and bigger. It pulled her up and out of that muddy mess.
She had her calf three days later, and they were both crazy from that day on. No one could get near them, and they would charge you when ever they could. Getting those two to the barn is a story on it's own.
So, about a year later, it was decided to sell the whole lot. The buyer was to come on a Monday to load them up. I was to have them in them penned up. I got them all in, even the crazy cow, but not that calf. I chased him all day Sunday. I lost my boots in the mud, and ran barefooted. I could not corner him. Monday I went to school. Three men came and loaded the cattle, but could not get that calf. Tuesday they brought a tranquilizer gun. They shot him three times, but he wouldn't go down! Wednesday they brought a 30-30 rifle. And that was the end of the story.
Jim always wanted to be a farmer. Jim passed away last Friday.