September 25, 2013. Harper, Texas. The Brown Cow.

I don't even know her name.  In fact,  this cow was born on our ranch so I suspect the girls have never named her, but as I watched her tend to her calf, I wondered again about Mothers.

It was a simple pleasure for me, watching the brown cow and her calf.   I had been working in the garage and felt the need for a drink of water, so I walked to the fire pit.   As I sat and drank, I started watching the cattle in the pasture right in front.  They were all there, mothers and calves and steer.  The brown cow was tending to her calf.  First she stood still while calf suckled.  Often, Mother cows wander around slowly as the calf eats, but this brown cow stayed in one place.  

At first I did not pay much attention but when the Mother cow started cleaning the face and ears of the calf I took notice.  She groomed that baby for at least ten minutes.  At one point, another calf came over to entice the calf to play, but the Mother, using her horns, sent it packing, while her own calf stayed still to continue the attention.  By then I was ready to go back to work but the Mother was not finished.

I observed in the field the tender attention showed by a Mother to it's offspring.   It was quite a sight.