Cow Whisperer

I have been blessed with a gift, a gift that I have just barely discovered. I, Heidi Jensen, am a cow whisperer. My grandpa owns a couple acres of land and has decided to fill that land with companions…a spotted, overweight mare, a dumb yet loving dog, and six, yes six calves. My relatives are a bit frustrated sometimes because all of those animals are a lot of work, and grandpa just can’t handle things by himself anymore—yet there he is, buying whole herds of livestock!
I absolutely adore the little calves. A few weeks ago I came down and learned how to feed them. At that time they were still on milk. Grandpa showed me how you filled a bucket with warm water and powder calf formula, and then you mix it all up with a large stick he keeps by his shop. Then for the messy part…you have to stick your hand in the bucket, fully submerged in milk, so that the cow can suck on your finger to drink the milk. Of course the milk smells funny, and the impatient calves almost run you over to get the milk—but those calves are just so cute.
Even though it has only been a few weeks, those calves really have grown quite a bit. They eat hay and grain now, and they are also quite skittish around people. Whenever anyone goes up to pet one of them, they usually bolt away. This morning though, I accomplished what no one else has…I pet a cow! One of the little calves let me quietly come up next to it. Then I started scratching its forehead. The cow got really into it and started pushing his head against my hand the way a horse does. After that I started moving to the stomach and back of the cow. When I got to the rump the cow was just in ecstasy. He started wagging his little tail and leaning his whole body towards me, just like a big, really fat dog. I have never seen a cow do that before! My cousin was amazed at how the cow trusted me. He says it must be because I have a good soul…I think that it has more to do with the hay and grain that I deliver every morning and night for the little guys….I will take the title though. “Cow Whisperer” suits me just fine!