Did you burn him?

It is calving season over here, aka, Best Season Ever.

On Saturday, two heifer calves were born and all was well and right with the world. And then we noticed this gal, Daisy, running around like a lunatic in the middle of giving birth.

This was worrisome because:

A) She had gotten into the wrong field. Long story. Just accept it.

B) According to our records, it was too early.

However, she gave birth to a strapping young bull calf and all was well and right with the world.

And plus he had a matchy-matchy face! I mean. Come on.

I named him Oliver. It suits him.

Well, that was Saturday.

Sunday.

Sunday was a busy day with church and chores and also I have a lot of teacher stress going on at the moment. On Tuesday, which is now tomorrow, I have two formal observations with admin, who decided to invite some friends, and also a university student is observing me for most of the morning, and also a parent meeting got scheduled during my prep time. So Tuesday is going to be a lot. And Sunday was going to be the day to prepare and clean and get ready for the week.

But Oliver decided to go missing.

And so we searched. We searched everywhere. We spent a total of about 3 hours looking for him. And his mother? No clue where he was. Running around like a banshee with a full udder mooing and wailing for her baby.

Me, yelling at her: WHERE IS YOUR BABY?

Her:

Me: WELL?

Her:

Anyways. I enlisted the help of Niko and we looked until I was just about to give up.

Niko and I met up with David and we decided to go down the steepest part of our property and through the barbed wire fence into some brush.

And David found him!

Check out David’s hat.

That’s our cattle brand.

Oh! I am sorry! Do you NOT have your own cattle brand? I thought everyone did.

Anyways.

First, we had to pause and catch our breath at the barbed wire fence Oliver managed to get through.

In order to be the hero that we all know he is, David had to carry this calf on his shoulders up the steep part of our property all the way up to his lunatic mother.

And I had to get some snuggles in because his mama wasn’t around to forbid it.

And then we had to traverse up the steep terrain. And I had to just get myself up the hill, which was a lot to ask of me. And David had to do so with a calf on his shoulders and a Niko trying to jump up and nip the calf.

David. Hero.

We were able to reunite Oliver with his mother, and she played the part of an ungrateful brat.

And all was well. Or so we thought.

Monday. Today.

David got home before I did and checked on things and look at what I came home to:

A dying Oliver laying on the blanket on the floor of my basement.

You may ask, “Taylor!? What is wrong with Oliver?”

And I will answer, “Heck if I know.”

But here we are. And what will tomorrow bring? Tomorrow-the most stressful day ever for me, and David with his full time job, and no one around? And while I was pondering all of these things in my heart, I had a flashback to the day of my spring formal observation last year.

Last Spring, we had a calf who we named Clyde. We had to start caring for him because he had the worst mother ever. She’s definitely hamburger now. Sorry. Truth hurts.

Anyways. Clyde took a turn for the worse and David brought him into the house and put him in the wood box, because, why not?

Colton (LD) had the least pressing schedule that day, so he was elected to stay home and care for Clyde.

I had my doubts about our election when Colton came up the stairs to announce Clyde had died, but when I went back down, he was totally still alive.

I mean, he didn’t look well. He was dyING, but had had not yet died.

Anyways.

I went to school to perform my observation (yes, I said perform) (if you are a teacher, you know) and was not able to look at my phone for awhile.

Reader. While I was living the life of a showgirl in my classroom (again. you have to be teacher to understand), Colton determined Clyde was dead and added him to a burn pile.

!

Anyways. Back to present day.

I cannot miss work tomorrow. What will happen to Oliver? I am definitely not allowing Mr. Burn Pile to be in charge of that sweet face.

I am stressed.

That is all.

Keep Oliver in your thoughts and prayers.