The time had come for Allie to leave the school barn where she made her home. August had graduated from high school and we were told she had to go. I knew this day was coming, but I was just biding my time and trying to extend her time with us as long as I could. You see, I loved her! Heck, we all did in our own way. She was part of our family, part of our daily routine. So, when the ag teacher e-mailed me to tell me that she had to get out of the barn it made me really, really sad! I talked to August about it. The options are many at the end of an ag project. Most of them involve a "little money changing hands." I wanted Allie to go to a place where I knew she would be loved. Silly, I know...but, as I said, I felt she was part of the family. I mentioned to August that it sure would be nice if we could get the breeder that we bought her from to take her back (Ed Phillips) along with her calf and to my surprise he agreed. August knew that meant he would not see any gain from his 2 year project but he assured me that he was totally okay with that. "I want her to be happy too, Mom," he told me.
I contacted Ed to see if he would be interested in Allie and her bull calf. I was a little uncertain about Ed wanting the calf, Cassius. I was worried that Cassius would be too closely related to the stock he had on his property. He asked me a little about both of them and asked me to send pictures. I let him know that we didn't want any monetary compensation but just wanted a good home for both of them. I sent the pictures to him and he e-mailed me a few days later saying that he would take them and was willing to compensate August. I was so very excited that we had found a home for them and the compensation was just an extra bonus that he certainly didn't have to offer. The next few days we began to make plans to deliver them. It was going to be hard for me to part with my little farm animals. They were beginning to eat us out of house and home but I knew this was going to be the most difficult for ME!
Allie had been "halterless"for a while but she slipped back into it easily.
Cassius, on the other hand, had a completely different idea. He hated halters and in fact would just fall out on the floor if you tried to walk him on one. We had been working with him to get him accustomed to the idea but he wasn't real happy about it this day! See what I mean...
Okay, up and at 'em, boy and let's go!
He did pretty well until we got out of the gate.
I guess you could say he was afraid of the unknown which happened to be a big white trailer waiting for him in the parking lot. Allie walked and loaded like the pro she is.
Cassius was still hanging back, even though his mother was already on the bus!
David was really struggling getting Cassus to walk. Meanwhile, Lily, the other Brahman heifer at the barn, came over to see what all the trouble was about.
She wasn't real happy to see two of her own packing up and moving out!
It was looking like David would need some help...
Cassius was definitely living up to his name of Cassius and being a fighter!
August got Allie loaded and came back to help. Cassius didn't care...he just dug in deeper. All the while this is going on while I am flitting around taking pictures and saying, "don't hurt him, don't hurt him!"
"Be nice to him," I say!
Help a brother out, Lily," I order!
"Stop bending his poor baby tail like that," I chide!
"Stop pushing on him," I yell!
August decides to get a running start...
"Oh, noooooooooooo," I screech in my best Mr. Bill voice! I've had enough. "Give me that rope," I tell them! "I'll get him on the trailer." Which, AHEM, I did! Mind you, no one got a picture of that now, did they?!? My momma always told me you can catch a lot more flies with honey, lol! Thankfully, loaded at last!
Now, let's hit the road! Ed lives in Buffalo which is a small town a couple hours up north from Houston towards Dallas. Allie was going home! Once we got to Ed's I told August I wanted to be sure and get a picture of him unloading Allie off of the trailer. I had taken a similar picture when he brought her into the barn and she had certainly grown. August had done some growing of his own. Gosh how time flies!
That was then...
This is now...
Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of Cassius leaving the trailer...he jumped off of there like he was a reindeer! Once they were off the trailer they immediately started checking out their new home.
And, yes, Ed is an Aggie so I guess that makes Allie and Cassius Aggies too. I'm okay with that...
There were lots of other cows mooing at them. I love the way Brahmans move their ears forward so they can hear better. Kind of reminds me of a puppy dog!
Is that not the most beautiful bull calf you have ever seen?!
David goes over for one last scratch. It was his job every day to go to the barn in the afternoon to let Allie and Cassius out of their stall to graze in the evening. He always spent a little time petting on them. We used to call it their "afternoon massage session."
Goodbye sweet girl!
I love you and your little bull calf!
I'll be seeing you!
I promise we'll come and visit soon!
Once we left Allie and Cassius at the barn, Ed took us on a little tour of his place. He is a hay farmer too and it just so happened that they were cutting hay. Now, I could watch that forever. Check out the cool tractor they get to drive!
That thing on the back is the baler and it was making the hay into these really big round bales. Is that not the coolest?! Yeah, it doesn't take that much to impress me!
Okay, alright, enough with the tractor pictures already! Oh, look...look at Ed's dog! He was cute too! He's even smiling at us!
We rode around in the back of Ed's truck and I took some pictures of what will soon be Allie and Cassius' new friends. I think they will like it here! The dog's ran along behind us. Heck I like it here...I think I could definitely live here!
There were these new friends...
and these new friends...
and these ones...
and then I snapped this picture and I thought, "Ack! Is that what Allie will look like one day. Poor baby, she'll only be eating hay and grass! But then I saw her number. Number 72????? Allie is Number 509. Why this must be Allie's great-great-great-great-great-grandmother! Awwwww...she's going to just love it here!
I just know it!
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