Whoosh… my cheeks tingle in the cold, biting morning wind. Dark grey clouds loom over head, waiting to dump a flurry of snow. 

One, two, three, steps I’ve taken from the warm vehicle, I pull up my neck warmer up to the bridge of my nose. There’s no going back. I have a job to do. One, two, three, I reached the gate, I stiffly stretch out my arm out, ridged from all the layers of clothes. Pulling the chain up and out of the latch… swoosh… Grasp… Caught it before it flew away from me. I half turn wondering if Ava’s behind me,she is I spin back around leaving the gate to Ava to close. One, two, three steps I take and now I’m in the cow pen. 

One, two, three I mentally note the order of things to get done. 

One, walk the pen clockwise checking for calves and ending at the pen with the older calves . 

Two mark the new calves in the book.

 Three tag them once you know they’re doing good. 

Eyes up, scan the pen, scan the cows looking for the signs of a cow giving birth, Spinning then sniffing the ground, tail high and kinked, and blood. 

Nothing nothing nothing… oh look a new baby. 

My eyes go straight to the moms tag 26 yellow black cow ,black brockel calf.  Another one a red heifer, her first calf and a red calf. Circle the pen that’s the only new calves 68 red and 26 yellow. 

Evaluate… black calf’s good, red calf looks wet and cold still… 

Take them to the mat ward? Yes. Put the calf in the sleigh and hopefully the cow follows. She’s following she’s following she’s… not following. Well we’ll just chase her around and bring the calf after. 

We did it! We put her in the pen, got her in the head gate, got the calf to eat and now we just watch. Dylan and Layden come just as the snow starts falling. Our shift for cows is done for now.