There Is Never a Good Time

or When It’s Easy, That’s When It’s Supposed to Happen

Now, it may seem as though the above titles are diametric opposites, but they are mystically the same thing.

The first one became known to us when we decided to have our first child. That’s when it first occurred that there would never be a good time, when everything was smooth and everything was ready and nothing seemed in the way. We figured if we waited until it seemed like the perfect time to have a kid, we’d never do it.

So we had four.

The second one I remember saying to a fiend about a desire I have to assist a large animal vet. I still believe there just might come a time when it becomes possible (easy) for me to do this. Because while I definitely decided that I have no desire to actually BE a veterinarian, I would still like to know everything a vet knows (if only to discard most of it as allopathic hogwash).

It seems like I’ve been cow shopping forever. I’ve had out feelers, been telling everyone I know for at least a couple of years. We finally found what seemed a suitable and affordable cow back in November, but she was one hundred miles away. And then everything that could get in the way of it did. There were reasons we couldn’t borrow this trailer or that one, then when we were going to rent one, the truck we were going to use blew its engine, then there was snow and cold and more snow and more cold and all that goes in to handling that. Then we found her a ride and were waiting to coordinate it with this horse owner and that horse trainer and the cow folks when suddenly it became easy.

Suddenly as in tomorrow! A sick horse needed to go to the university large animal hospital for some tests and coming home we could pick up the cow. Tomorrow. My first reaction was, oh goodness, there is no way. But then I thought, why not? There is never going to be a good time, a time when we feel like we have everything all ready and all lined up for her, and this trip was just so easy so it must be supposed to happen. See how those things do too go together? And so very suddenly we were on the road at 7 am, and back at the barn, well, I don’t know what time it was but it was dark. She spent the night in the brood mare stall, the horse who was living there generously offering it over to us for the night. She freaked out a few horses as she made her way down the barn aisle but none too badly. She brought in sightseers (horse people) from far and wide to get a glimpse of this cow in a horse barn. Even the vet got a look at her the next morning. I milked her for the first time (and it was also the first time she’d ever been hand milked ever), there, in that stall, untied, with an audience.

Then we brought her home. My horse barn boss, who was doing the hauling, knew vaguely where we lived but had never been out here before. She said she has more respect now for how far out we live! And the day the cow came home, the weather was the worst, cold, raining and blowing hard, and it had rained so much that the bridge was flowing with water which I don’t think I’ve ever seen it quite do that before. But the cow got off the trailer at the road and crossed that flooded bridge and came on up here. She’d evidently never seen chickens before and missed going in her temporary pen the first time because of them. But after a quick trip around the pasture and some quick herd introductions, she made it in the pen on the second try. She has settled in, so far, so good.

Of course, nothing is all the way easy, thus that weather, and thus her really small teats which are quite the challenge to milk by hand. And she isn’t giving a whole lot of milk just now but she is due to freshen in a few months. So there is still stuff to work out. But there always is.

I’m not doing too well with photos lately so none yet, but there will eventually be some.