Princess in the Country

Bossy. To know her is to love her. And affectionately call her “Mouthy.” She’s not a First or even Second Wife. Scandal alert! She’s Eight’s daughter, so yes, Fritz is apparently okay with the age difference. But she is the absolute loudest and first one to complain when dinner is late. I started calling her 'Mouthy' when we first moved here, only to find that she's already been named 'Bossy.' No matter, as both names fit and neither stops her from speaker her mind. Truth be told, she’s also a very good momma and a willing babysitter for the daycare crowd. When it’s time to wean any of her calves, she spends a few days complaining at the corrals, blocking my path, and telling me off. A range cube or two tends to appease her momentarily, and before long she’s back to complaining about the food service, Her bull calves include Tex, Mistletoe and Pearl, and her heifers so far are Valentina and Andie. Valentina. Born on Valentine's Day, this little one quickly went from "Valentine" (gender neutral – I’m learning) to "Valentino" (thought we had a bull calf) to "Valentina" (nope, definitely a heifer). With a quiet start to 2019 and only one brother to keep her company for the first few months, she was quite the prim-and-proper little lady. With a mom like Bossy, that was a shock to us all. She had a beautiful light coat and gentle eyes, always curious about what was going on anywhere that she wasn’t. She waited for me at any gate that was bound to be opened, anxious to see if she could sneak past and continue exploring. Clover made an appearance on St. Patrick’s Day, following the example of his slightly-older sister. He had the not-so-lucky distinction of being Bling’s offspring, which meant he quickly leaned on Bossy as a surrogate momma to keep him with the herd when Bling wondered off for goodness-knows-what. Bossy had very little need to keep Valentina in line, which was a blessing. Clover was all boy, rambunctious and wandering like his momma. Bossy had her work cut out for her. When it came time to wean them in late 2019, the contrast between their personalities provided moments of lightness as the days got shorter. It was strange to only have the two to wean, but it was also a little blessing as 2019 was a heavy year. Returning to the ranch to enjoy their company was a nice, slow transition back to ranch chores. Of course, separating them from the herd wasn't the easiest. Instead of the usual "Follow the hay!" or "Find the lady with the bucket!" they decided they would rather enjoy their time in the pasture. I got to round 'em up modern-day style: whoopin' and hollerin' from the Gator. Clearly, I don't care what my neighbors think of my crazy antics.