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and the cows jumped over the moonWhat began as a glourious day on the farm with our new arrivals ended abruptly in the early hours of the afternoon. We had been in the pasture with the cows earlier that morning and all seemed well so when company dropped by we thought nothing of going in to give them a closer look. NOT!!!! For whatever reason they were spooked and managed to get over the fence in an area where the snow was deeper and not as soft. As the headed across the fields belly deep in snow I ran down the driveway attempting to get ahead of them to turn them around but did not succeed and off they went down the lane. At the end of the driveway they were no where to be seen so Glenn headed off on foot and I returned for the truck.
I picked Glenn up a half mile down the road and at the crest of the hill the runaways were spotted another mile ahead of us. By the time we had caught up to them they had made a left turn at the intersection and were heading down Everett Road. I did manage to cut them off in the truck and turn them around but with only one vehicle we were limited in what we could do. Off they went in the other direction and again I managed to head them off but now they entered the adjacent fields and were heading south. It was decided that Glenn would follow on foot and I would head back to the farm and pick up some rope in case we caught up to them.
I returned to the pasture and began to follow the trail. The warmth of the sun had made the snow very soft and each step found me punching through the snow knee deep or higher. I scanned the horizon and saw no sign of either Glenn or the cows. Far off in the distance about a half a mile away I think I saw Glenn. It was hard to tell but I did detect movement and slowly headed in that direction. It was Glenn and he was headed back my way. By this time I was exhausted and my feet were soaked. In some areas the snow was almost up to my waist and I literally had to crawl out to get back on my feet.
Glenn was also frazzled. He had fallen through the ice in the creek and ended up in water up to his waist. The cows had split up, entered the woods and he had decided to stay in the clearing so he could be spotted. Slowly we trudged back to the truck and headed back to the farm for warm clothes and dry boots. Three hours of punching through snow had taken its toll. We are not spring chickens here and definitely were not prepared for this; our bodies clearly indicated they were pushed to their limits.
It was getting late and no point in heading back into the woods now. We visited all the neighbouring farms and houses in the area and left our names and numbers in case the cows showed up. Stiff, sore and defeated we headed back to the farm, struggled through the evening chores and collapsed shortly after.
Monday morning Glenn headed out bright and early before work. He was concerned that the cows could of also fallen into the creek so he needed to put his mind at ease before beginning his day. No indications of this and off he went and I headed out with a few friends to begin the search again. The trail was picked up and followed. It was apparent that the cows were together again and the spot where they had bedded down for the night was found. Again pushed to the limits the search was ended and at least we had a good idea of which way they were heading.
Later that day we headed out again from a different direction but this time brought snowshoes with us. Well it was not as bad as walking in boots but very close. Even with the snowshoes we were still punching through snow up to our knees. Darkness dictated the end: no cows or trails seen. With rubber legs and aching bodies we headed again back to the farm again defeated.
The cows should turn up at one of the local farms. Their keen sense of smell should direct them to other cows and a food source. With the milder temperatures there are large patches of grass available for feeding. Its not an abundance of food but at least it is something. Also wolves that were in the area had been "taken care of" by a neighbour so that was one less worry. It's a terrible feeling and longing to have an end to this waiting game I pray for the safe return of our animals. Trying to keep positive and keep those "worse case senarios" out of my mind. Kommentare (6)Melden Sie sich zum Hinzufügen eines Kommentars mit Ihrer Windows Live ID an (wenn Sie Hotmail, Messenger oder Xbox LIVE verwenden, besitzen Sie eine Windows Live ID). Anmelden Sie haben noch keine Windows Live ID? Registrieren
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