Things that make you go "moooo" !
Since we moooved out to the country in 2002 we have become close friends with our neighbors who happen to be cows. The best thing about this is that cows, although capable of making sounds like giant dragons, don't listen to loud stereos and have wild parties at night. Not that we know of anyway.

When we first came to look at the house there were a bunch of cows in the field next to us. When we actually moved in they had been replaced by two horses and one small donkey. We eventually found the cows again. We weren't good at keeping track of them, who was new and who was leaving. All I remember is that when they took the calves away in October there was a whole lotta mooin' going on. It was very sad and the girls cried for days. :(

So, after a long winter with the cows in the barn, spring arrived and almost all of them went outside. It got a little noisy from time to time with them in the barn so close to us but it didn't really bother us. I would much rather hear something like that than loud music or screaming neighbors. Give me a mooing cow any day.

Well, enough of that. Let's get to the cows!!!

If you should happen to look out our dining room window this is what you would see on almost a daily basis.

We find them watching us eating our dinner sometimes and we like to talk to them out the windows.

A few days ago the farmer came over and told us that the cows in the field were going to be calving for the next four weeks. We were both excited and I couldn't help but hope I would get to see at least one being born. The next day we saw one that hadn't been here very long, he could hardly walk and couldn't figure out how to lay down like his mom. The next morning he had mastered that and later in the day he had a friend. We decided to name them going with the alphabet, so the first baby is Adam and the second one is Buddy. We are trying to get pictures of them as they are born and get older so make sure you check back to see how the cows are doing.
 

This is Buddy and his mom. He looks so very tiny and his hair is wavy. He can hardly walk yet.

Here's a new close-up of Buddy and Adam taken June 1st. (darker because they're wet) They were very close to the fence visiting the new kid, Howie who was born about an hour earlier. (see below) I was going to make it smaller but it was just too cute!

They finally let two slightly older babies out of the barn. They are about two months old now. Their names are Evie and Frank. They don't come close enough to get pictures but I'm sure we will eventually.
But here is the very newest arrival. Howie. He was about an hour old when this was taken and could hardly stand. He was born right next to the fence, about 6 feet from where we were standing. SO cute!!! His mother is Clara, she's one who I always talk to out the window so I don't think she was worried about us watching her new baby. So here he is trying out his new legs.

And here he is trying to get something to eat.

Here's a couple of the kids going at it the wrong way. Jack and Howie decide to take a different approach to this feeding thing.
 
Imagine our surprise when we saw a bunch of strange cows in the field next to us. We didn't know any of these cows and they clearly didn't know us. Neil talked to the farmer who informed him that all these new cows are pregnant! I guess with all the good weather they figured they could squeeze out another bunch. And then we saw the first one. Her name is Abbie. She is going to be small like her mother. Here she is, two days old.

It's October now and the newest babies are laying in the warm sun while the cold wind blows.




This page was created May 17, 2003, updated June 13, 2009.