Number 22

What is Number 22?

Not a color of thread or a favorite number.

She was one of my favorite cows.

Number 22

Nothing cute... just a well mannered, easy to deal with cow.

And with my history of abuse from the legs of cows, I have come to appreciate well mannered.

She passed away yesterday.

She was probably the oldest cow we have ever had. Bought her as a yearling around 1995 and she has been bringing up babies ever since.

As Justin said, not very often does a cow outlive their number.

Last summer, when we round up the cows from the pasture, we could not find her so we presumed she had died out there.



Grandma



A week later, she showed up at the gate at the corner, wondering where everyone had gone.

She had arthritis and was a real slow mover in her late years. It took her that long to get to the gate.

So I hooked on to the trailer, loaded the quad and headed back to the pasture.

I drove into the middle of the pasture and opened the trailer door to unload the quad but thought 'what the heck...I will ask her if she wants to come home.  Maybe she will just get in the trailer."

Well, That's exactly what she did.

Cows are in rodeos for a reason.

They need to be chased or rounded up as they never go on their own. But after years of trust and handling, she was so glad to see a familiar face and wanted to come home.

How can you 'ship' a good ol' cow like that?

I know.....

 It is not good financial sense to keep a cow that is no longer productive but I think she earned her place to live out her last days in a respectful manner. 

 She has become a family member earning the name Grandma (no corrilation to anyone one we know!!).

A cow stays in a herd for around 8 years before they lose their productivity but some just earn a place in your heart.

Yes...I AM talking about a cow.

R.I.P

Grandma

1995-2012

Gone to Greener Pastures.....

Christa