We've been heat detecting and A-Iing this week. You spend a lot of time observing. It's good for maresy to have to sit still. She doesn't have a lot of patience. I have to give her credit though, I know she gets thoroughly annoyed when the heifers surround her and stick their noses right in her face. Ray's horse will snap at them, but she just jerks her head away. But even I won't tolerate them when they start chewing on her tail. I've seen those chewed off appaloosa-looking tails of horses that have been penned with other tail-eating animals. It's pretty sad.
When the kids were little, I took them with me in the truck to heat detect a bunch of heifers down at the end of a big pasture. It didn't take long, and they were bored and whining. The girls, who were 3 and 4, wanted to get out and pick some flowers. The heifers had moved off over a little rise, so I let the girls get out in a little sage brush hollow that had a good patch of wild iris.
“OK girls, if I let you get out, you have to promise me that you'll stay right here. We'll be back to check on you in a few minutes.” They gave me their solemn promise. Clayton and I drove over the rise to watch the heifers. It wasn't 5 minutes, and the heifer's heads starting coming up and staring intently at something behind us. Pretty quick a few of them started wandering over in the direction where I'd left the girls who had gotten worried, and were making their way back towards the truck. Afraid that they were missing out on something, the rest of the heifers took off bucking and kicking to catch up to their sisters.
It was mean of me I know, but I decided this was a good time to teach all 3 kids, that when I told them something, there was a good reason they'd better mind me. Clayton and I sat there for a minute, and by that time we could hear the girls squalling. Even Clayon started crying. The louder they squalled, the more curious the heifers got. By the time we came to their rescue, the girls were totally surrounded by a huge circle of black hides breathing that nasty cow breath about 10 feet away from them. Those poor little girls were scared silly, and oh so thankful to see Mom come walking through the herd. They were totally content to sit quietly in the truck after that.
Somehow those silly, sweet, little girls survived and grew up to be gracious, sweet, lovely young ladies. It's going to be another big year of life changes, since they are moving half way across the world to work with missionaries who work with the people and orphans of Moldova. They will be working mostly with teen-age girls who are required to leave the orphanage at 16, but aren't allowed to get a job until they are 18. They're not problem kids, they're kids with problems. Heart-breaking problems.
In my own selfish way, I hate to see them go. But for their sakes, and for the sake of those young people, I rejoice that God has chosen them to be a blessing to someone who so desperately needs it. We're not losing our daughters, we're gaining a whole new passle of them. That is exciting!
And how we got from heifers to missionaries is a mystery to me...
"...Feed my lambs." John 21:15
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| Kristy and Anna feeding bum (orphan) lambs. |
