B10
NEWS
Wallowa County Chieftain
Wednesday, February 20, 2019
WINTER CALVING
An Angus cow keeps her day-old calf close on Jim
Brick’s ranch east of Enterprise. February and March
are the principal calving months for most ranches in
Wallowa County.
Ellen Morris Bishop
By Ellen Morris Bishop
Wallowa County
Chieftain
T
hree in the
morning
comes
too
soon this time
of year. Boots don’t fi t
and buttonholes seem too
small. You feel weary and
fumble-fi ngered in the
early morning cold. You
wonder why you ever
stick with this ranching
business, anyway.
But you know she’s
out there, that fi rst-calf
heifer that stood alone
in the far calving pas-
ture corner, head down,
tail held stiffl y sideward,
waiting uncertainly for
motherhood.
Maybe, you think,
maybe you’re getting too
old for this. Maybe you
shouldn’t have kept that
heifer. What was her pel-
vic diameter anyway?
Maybe next year you
won’t keep any heifers,
maybe you’ll try a differ-
ent bull, maybe….
The kitchen door slams
behind you louder than a
cannon. Thank God the
old truck always starts.
You check for the calf
kit, rope, fl ashlight, pull-
ing chains, toss the bot-
tle of hot soapy water
into the cab, scrape the
three-hour-old frost off
the windshield, and crank
the engine to life. Next
year, you think, next year
we’ll calve the heifers in
the barn. Next year we’ll
feed in the evening and
calve in the daylight. Next
year…..
The pickup creeps
across the calving pasture.
Cows blink and bow out
of the headlight’s glare,
moving fl uidly like fi sh
in some dark pool, wide-
eyed, worried, gathering
their knobby-kneed calves
and stalking away, not
trusting your intentions.
In the pickup’s high
beams the corner looms
empty. Vacant. No heifer.
No calf. slowly you arc
the headlights northward.
Two pinpoints of light
gleam, low to the ground.
The pickup groans
deliberately in granny
gear, closer, closer. Pin-
point eyes see-saw back
and forth, up and down.
Two big eyes. And two
little ones. You stop the
truck, dim the high beams
and sigh.
She’s done it. You
knew she would. Her
calf peers goggle-eyed
into the lights as the
heifer, oblivious to any-
thing else, licks her wet
newborn to life. The fad-
ing starry night lies silent
except for the heifer’s low
murmurs to her calf, and
muted munching from the
pasture.
This is really what
the cow business is all
about, you think. This is
worth the too short, too
long, too cold nights, the
tough deliveries, the Hur-
ricane Creek winds, this
heifer and her new calf.
You share the joy of this
birth. You bred a heifer to
calve easy, watched her
grow, picked a bull with
low calving weights and
good genes. You deserve
to savor this moment. And
you wouldn’t trade it for
anything.
You reach for the calv-
ing book in your shirt
pocket. Record the time,
you think, and the date.
But all you feel in the
mellowing darkness is the
lining of the small-button-
holed shirt you donned
inside out with your mind
on bigger concerns. Well,
on nights like this you
can’t get everything right,
now, can you.
February is:
Teen Dating Violence
Awareness Month
Movie Showing- Join us for a FREE showing of “Th e Mask You
Live In” February 27th at the Wallowa Senior Center at 6 pm.
204 E. 2nd St, Wallowa, OR
Pizza and drinks will be provided.
Our Wear Orange Day Winner is: Aleigh Weaver! Of Wallowa Jr. High
Congratulations!
Common Warning Signs:
Checking cell phones, emails or social networks without permission
Extreme jealousy or insecurity. Constant belittling or put-downs,
explosive temper. Isolation from family and friends, making false
accusations. Erratic mood swings, physically infl icting pain or hurt in
any way. Possessiveness, telling someone what to do and repeatedly
pressuring someone to have sex.
Safe Harbors
401 NE 1st St. Suite B Enterprise, OR 97828
(541)426-4004 or (541)426-6565
Teen talk line (541)398-1425