Georgia - They're Here!

Georgia and Caroline arrived on a warm late-summer day in August, 2005. Mama and Daddy brought them up after hand-picking two of the healthiest-looking bred heifers in their herd. Danny and I were filled with excitement of their arrival…wondering what they would look like, how they would adjust to the “hills”, etc. We’d been wanting to start our own herd, and I was so excited that I would have a piece of home in our pasture! I had told everyone how we were getting cows on that Friday. I thought it was only fitting to name them Georgia and Caroline to represent our home states. We kept them closed up in the barnyard to help them acclimate to their new surroundings, which they seemed to do just fine. It’s amazing how a little sweet feed can train an animal so quickly! I immediately knew which one should be Georgia, and we’ve laughed often at how appropriate the name fit her. She was so sweet and gentle, always trustworthy of us, but she was quite bossy with the other cows. Sometimes she’d get so excited in the barnyard she’d double-barrel kick and run around.
We had a lot of fun watching her grow during the fall and winter. Caroline calved first, having a heifer named Daisy on January 28, so I knew Georgia would not be far behind. Georgia was a great friend to Caroline, never leaving her side and possessing a sense of protection over Caroline and her newborn. Not that Caroline needed protection…any movement within 25 feet of her calf or eye contact for more than three seconds represented a huge threat to her with the result of her charging at me or whomever she could bulldog! Georgia wouldn’t even come eat for a couple days, not until she felt satisfied leaving Caroline. One night after I had to hike up to coax her to come down to eat, I remember watching in amazement when once she finished eating, how fast this fat, pregnant cow sprinted back up the mountain to check on her comrade. I hated Danny didn’t get to see that performance, because I’ve never seen a cow bolt straight out of a barn out of sight over a mountaintop! I thought for sure she’d go into labor. After many cold morning hikes to ensure Georgia was not calving with any difficulties, she had a little heifer on the evening of February 7, right as I was returning home from work. I was thrilled I was able to witness both Caroline and Georgia giving birth. It was about 20 degrees that night, and Danny and I took some hay out to Georgia for her to have and to check on the little one. When we approached, we immediately knew something was wrong. Georgia was panicking around the spring where the cows get water, and Caroline seemed a bit on edge as well. The baby heifer, less than three hours old, had rolled down into the spring of icy water, hence the name Jill, and was unable to get up. Georgia kept nudging at her, but had no success in retrieving her from the spring. Danny was able to pull Jill out and we took her to the barn stall for a warmer environment. I was so nervous about the health of this little one, who seemed so weak and fragile, I didn’t even go to work the next day. Georgia would cover her with hay while she went to eat and drink, and was a very caring mother. I was excited about Caroline and Georgia’s calves…like I was a mother or something. I don’t have children, and anyone who’s ever known me realizes that my heart is tender when it comes to loving animals. Jill has definitely been a “mama’s girl”, always by Georgia’s side. She’s a runt though, never as large as Miss Daisy.
It’s been fun watching all the girls, especially when their new boyfriend, RedRock joined them in March of the following year. Caroline and RedRock pal around together, because Georgia was such a bully, especially when the grain appeared! Even though he seemed so fond of Caroline, we suspected that RedRock bred Georgia along with Caroline sometime in late spring. So I’ve been wondering what and when they would have, anticipating more hikes up the steep trails before heading to work in the morning. It’s sad to say that this plan of mine was apparently not that of the Lord’s. Georgia died exactly seven months after she brought little Jill into our lives, on Thursday evening, September 7, 2006.