The Diego Diaries: Farmin' (dd6 405)
-0-On the deck. Literally.
They shot past everyone, two blurs rushing after the bull and Bobby Epps who clung to it, knowing full well that he'd be kindling under the huge hooves of the big animal if he let go. Swiftly, the two blurs became dogs, one reddish and the other blueish. They flashed in and nipped the bull on his hooves. Bellowing, the bull slid to a stop and raised his big head. Shaking it as he turned to find the enemy nipping at his feet, Bobby Epps flew through the air and landed nearby on his back. Lying dazed a moment, he sat up then stumbled to his feet to see the dogs do battle with the bull.
Standing nearby with a long black stick in his hand, Harley Epps was whistling to his dogs, Banjo and Mud. They were working the bull as directed by their god and overall man as he calmly had them maneuver the big beast toward the door. As he did, his son, Collier who they called Collie walked into the truck with a stick his father had handed him to gently move about fifteen cows and their calves out.
They lowed and a couple mooed in distress before walking out, their big udders swaying with their big bellies. Trotting along with them, their big doe eyes filled with fear and upset, calf after calf followed. The bull finally made his way out the door into the big outside. Two other Epps, Burns called 'Burnie' who was the oldest and Alonzo Omar or 'Al' as he was called were already out there directing the bull down the dirt path to the barn far away. Following him, the cows walked along with their infants.
When that truck was emptied out, another set of doors opened and more came. Some of them were pregnant, their bellies so big it defied logic and gravity, it seemed to the bots who watched the show with amazement and deep interest. All of them liked the American West and the fauna of Earth in all its vast and stupefying glory. Prime, himself watched with a sense of wonder.
Mostly that he hadn't done this sooner.
The next truck was opened and a cow stepped out with a collar around her neck. Attached to it was a bell. Tennessee who handed off her dog to her grinning husband walked to that cow and petted her head. "Come on, Granny. Let's get everyone home," she said as she was tossed another guide stick. Tapping the cow gently on her broad flank, the cow placidly walked forward with all the rest following.
"What's that about?" Bee asked as he glanced at Harley who hadn't broken a sweat.
"That's the boss," he said with a grin. "That's the bell cow, the one who leads the herd and makes the decisions. She comes first and all the rest follow her. The bull … now he's got a mind of his own. But the rest will obey and follow her. She's got wisdom."
Bee stared at Harley, then the cow as she walked past toward the door. "Oh," he said with a sense of awe in his voice. Even First Aid grinned at him as he did. The cows walked onward, tracking up the floor as they headed out. Walking out into the bright space beyond, they moved together, plodding along to the barn way in the distance.
When the last walked out, Harley turned to the others. "Those are fine cows, Optimus. We chose Guernsey, Holstein and Jerseys. Good milk cows and mostly very easy to handle. Now and again, you get a spirited bull but Rowdy … he's going to work out."
"They seemed awfully fat," Bee said as he knelt down next to Harley as if to directly absorb his wisdom on a subject near and dear to Bee's spark.
"Some of them have babies," Harley said. "They're not ready to calve yet, but they will."
"And this separation thing … what about the baby cows?" Prowl asked.
Everyone looked at him, then Harley. Harley grinned. "I have a plan for that, Prowl. Don't you worry. These little babies get to stay with their old mamas. That's how I roll." He glanced out the door. "Time to milk. Cows wait for no one." He started out the door to walk all the way when Bee transformed. He rolled to Harley, opened his door, then the smiling elder climbed in. Omar ran to join him and they rolled out the door to drive alongside the cows. While they did, Harley and Omar would answer all of Bee's many questions until they reached the barn.
The bots stared out the door, then at each other. Almost as one, everyone stepped forward to follow with the humans, all of them, riding on the servos of the bots. Everyone including the little dogs would love it.
-0-Nearing the barn
They loped alongside the herd, moving forward, then running back as they watched the big animals make their way. This was a historic moment, one in which large fauna from Earth found a home on another world. They would be intensely studied, babied beyond anything they would ever have on Earth and visited by bot and human often. They trudged along, their babies hurrying with them as Bee finally drove forward to beat them there. Soon, around the barn would be green pastures watered by the ditch system that was being laid out by crews working diligently.
Bots who were doing the sculpting paused to watch as a herd of 60 cows and calves along with a huge bull trudged toward the newly built corral where they would live until they could range over a system of 540 acres of green grass in an alternating field system growing under an accelerated program. Standing at the barn chatting together, Harley, Omar and Bee waited. Harley gave a long whistle to his dogs who began to herd the cows toward the opening in the huge corral that would be home for a while. Situated around the area were feeders and big water vats. They trudged in and milled around, gathering together as they eyeballed their new keepers. When the last one was in, Tennessee and Collie closed the gate. The bots who were following watched from outside.
"You kids go to the barn, get the milking machinery ready. You babies can help me wash the cows to get them ready," Harley said to his grandchildren. Having been on their family's farms many times before during their dad's deployments, they knew what that meant and hollered with happiness as they ran for the barn.
Harley walked to the fence and looked up at the bots. "We have them squared away health wise, so right now we're going to milk them. Feeding them something comes next. After that, we're going to tag the calves."
"What does that mean?" Prowl asked with foreboding.
Harley glanced at his son, Al and his grandson, Bobby. "Get the devices, infants."
Both walked to the barn and entered the offices, disappearing out of sight.
"What are the devices?" Prowl asked with growing unease.
Harley grinned. "Something I had made a while back as an experiment. Remember the cone of shame from the movies? The cones dogs wear so they don't lick their wounds?"
Everyone nodded.
"I had some made with really strong materials and put them on calves when its time to wean them. I don't like to hear them cry for days for their mamas and their mamas cry, too. It's too sad for me anymore. You grow old and learn things, you see. This way they can stay together and they can't drink their mama's milk. We'll hand feed them until they wean. Works well for me. I don't like needless suffering." Harley watched as Al and Bobby walked out carrying the devices, folded cones with a large hole for the calf's head.
"Do they stay on well?" Ratchet asked as the two put the pile on the ground.
"They do. The cows might get a rub or two on their sides but they get to keep their babies and the babies get used to the cones. It takes a lot to break them. Show them, son," he said.
Al walked to the nearest cow with a calf, then gently held him as Bobby approached them cautiously. Unfolding the cone, he slipped it around the calf's neck, then the two buckled it as he bawled. The cows around them shifted uneasily, staring at the pair as they fastened the calf up with a snap of the locking buckle. Stepping away, everyone held their breath, half of them, as they watched the baby staring at them from the middle of a cone that reached the end of his nose in length.
Turning to his mother, he bounced against her, shifting toward her as she sniffed him. Staring at the humans and bots, she looked at her baby. Harley tapped her with his cane to move her forward. She did and so did her baby. "This calf can now stay with his mama. We get her milk, he gets fed by us and his mama's company. The cone might come loose and it might need adjusting but it'll work just fine for as long as its needed. Our herd is small enough that we can do this sort of thing. It's the more humane thing, I think. Folks used to laugh at me back home but in the end, my cow's milk was the milk most prized. The less strain a cow has, the less damage it does to the milk." He looked at the calf, then the bots. He grinned. "I love cows."
Inside the barn, cows were led to their places as little kids with small buckets and wash clothes walked to each to wash their big udders. Following along behind them, Collie and Burnie fixed the teat cups to the teats of each, hooking them up to be milked. Filling the troughs in front of the cows with alfalfa, Tennessee and Glorianna aka 'Gloria' Epps hurried ahead. They knew what they were doing, the Epps 'kids'.
Outside, moving the bull to a nearby enclosure, the bots watched with respect and a great sense of pleasure as Omar made it happen. Two dogs, one a reddish and another a bluish Blue Healer/Australian Cooley mix worked the bull along until he entered, then the gate was fastened. He would be by himself, the slagger, until he had a field to roam in. Nattering over the fence, everyone would see each other but there would be no shenanigans.
The smell of manure filled the air along with the clean sweet smell of the cows. Harley was explaining how they would be taken care of. He ran a clean farm, Harley Epps did, and now would be no different. They'd be washed regularly, fed well, have their health monitored, have all the clean cold water they wanted, and milked twice a day, every day. When the fields were ready, they would walk out in the early morning and come in at sundown. It would be one of the really great rhythms of life found anywhere on Mars.
Soon, three thoroughbred horses and their companion chickens from a farm in Virginia would join them.
-0-On the phone elsewhere
"So that's the plan, Mama," Olivia Bowers said to her mother on the Skype to Virginia. She was beaming with joy as she hammered out the plan to get the horses and the four chickens that had imprinted on them as babies to an airport to be picked up by the bots.
"Are you sure that the horses are going to be okay, Olivia?" her mom asked as she sat with her husband in front of the screen.
"You should see the facilities. Lord Optimus is going to be announcing things tonight to the colony and then Prowl will inform Earth of the new developments. I'm going to be working on the farm during the day to help with the animals. I have expertise to bring to the table. I can't wait to ride again, Mama. When are you and Daddy coming to visit? Joe and I are moving into the new facility. We're going to have a couple of spare rooms in our new apartment for visitors. I asked Lord Optimus to have a role at the facility and he told me to check in with Harley Epps and Les Hadden. They want me to assist with the animal husbandry program. ISN'T THAT THE GREATEST THING EVER?!"
They both grinned in spite of themselves. Her dad nodded. "Well, you always wanted to be a vet, Olivia."
"I did. Maybe not now but I know horses. We can ride when you get here. Figure it out and let me know," Olivia said. "Maybe we can use a bridge."
She would.
-0-At IntraComm that evening
Prime sat on the chair of his set listening as Jazz counted down. When the green light shown, he began. "Good evening, Autobot City. Tonight, I wish to share an update on the newest structure in the colony and its purpose. As you know, the humans of Earth wish to increase their population here and develop industries and businesses. They cannot do so with their present level of technology so they rely on us. We have helped them have a firm presence here with the N.E.S.T. Headquarters Garrison, The Family Tower for their families and others who work here, Sciences Habitat, Earth 1, Earth2, The Resort of Autobot City, Thisand the United Nations of Earth Consulate. Though their requests have been given voice, they still wish an enlarged presence to work on projects, many of which have great benefit to Earth.
"We have always considered them seriously and mostly, we have delayed or negated them for varying reasons and situations. Now, we have taken into our own hands the placement of another human habitat here on Mars. This one was the ability to house 45,000 individuals because the dreadnoughts Thrasher and Invincible have agreed to undertake the project. Given that they were hunted and abused by pirates and Decepticons for eons, this duty is something they both welcome heartily.
"They were the ships that landed and the habitat that they formulated is unique anywhere. It will be the home of humans who will work on agricultural, industrial, electronic, environmental, and health concerns for the entire benefit of Earth. They will come here over the next few weeks and take their place as industries and projects come online. They will bring with them families and create within the confines of the structure a community. There will be services and work, schools, medical facilities and recreation for them to have a full and eventful life within.
"The difference between this facility and the others will be that this one will be owned and operated by the Nation, Autobot Nation, under my direction. The entire enterprise will belong to and be facilitated by us under my command. All of the benefits derived there will be given to the people of Earth to facilitate a better life for them on that beautiful and endangered world. We will focus on the major issues facing human survival there and all that we develop will be yours. I am ultimately in charge and my decisions will be law. Those who work there will be employees of Autobot Nation same as they are on Earth. Our law will apply there as well as everywhere else on world.
"This has been a long time in the planning stages and it will be a boon to Earth and to us. We wish to have good and warm relations with Earth. T
-0-Even later that evening
Everyone was in bed when Ratchet began to pile up camping gear near the doorway. He had gotten it from storage earlier when he was rushing around doing slag that morning. Ironhide came out of the hallway, then halted. "Frag that." He walked to his chair to sit.
"You'll enjoy it."
"Frag that," Ironhide said with a grin. "Beside the point."
"Fraud," Ratchet said as he sat down. "What do you think about Prime's farm?"
"I love it. We need to walk around the place in pretender gear when it gets going," Ironhide said. "No one will know its us."
"True, that," Ratchet said. "I might get fond of Merlie's cooking."
"There's worse things. I looked it up. Okra sounds awful. Pie though … that sounds great." Ironhide grinned. "Fried green tomatoes. I don't know. Wilted vinegar lettuce salad?"
"Collard greens," Ratchet said as he scanned. "Corn bread I already like. I don't know about pigs trotters."
Ironhide frowned after a moment of surfing. "Frag no."
They chatted a while, then headed to the barn themselves.
-0-In an apartment during dinner at Unidad Terra 1
They sat around the big dining room table in their grandparent's apartment. Outside, the night was twinkling as lights switched on to beat back the darkness. It was great food and great company. All of the siblings and their spouses filled each other in as Omar and his wife, Lorie along with Harley and Merlie basked in the greatness. It was amazingly good to have everyone there. A good dozen big and little dogs along with four cats and three birds were part of the fun as the four little Epps children ate and listened to the stories.
"You were!" Tennessee said as Bobby glowered at her.
"I DON'T CARE! DON'T CALL ME TAD!" Bobby Epps said to his siblings as they trotted out story after story of what a beautiful little baby and boy he was. They were teens when he was born and as they adored him since birth, they had not aged him to adulthood. Much. It was humorous in the extreme to Lonnie who sat back with a big grin to listen to them baby her husband. He glanced at her. "WHY ARE YOU GRINNING!?"
"Because you're JUST SO CUTE!" Lonnie said as she pinched his cheek.
He was. Especially when he pouted.
-0-TBC 7-6-18
NOTES
There was a story on the news not that long ago about a dairy farmer looking for a missing calf from one of his cows. He found it eventually where she hid it. This was her fifth calf and it was too much to know that it would be taken from her soon. So she hid him in the bushes and grass near her so no one would find him. It was a heartbreaking story and I haven't forgotten it. That is the downside of dairy farming. Grew up around them, had grandpas who had them and LOVE cows. Harley Epps is my kind of farmer. The calves sometimes wear halters so putting things on them is not new. Cow cones of shame. :D:D:D
Fancy, I want to live here, too. I grew up in farm country and my grandpa had a dairy called the Square Deal Dairy. :D That's going to be the name of this one because Harley is my grandfather, Rowland. He was the most honest kind man and raised my dad to be my hero. Something about farming that keeps you straight and feeds the soul. More to come. There will be a tour given to the others in habitats on world so they can see. This is going to be fun. The bots love farming, too. :D I just adore the rovers. They're so cute and little. :*( I am such a wuss. I always make things into real things. Ask me about my car. :D
GUEST: Blackjack and Raptor got a cow because they're cute when they whine. Animals are available for everyone. :D:D:D Those who need them get preference, though.
Leoness: SQUIRT! BWAHAHA! My sister is now and always will be Sissy. :D
Kattenbelletje: I like them. Red cows are beautiful. Epps will live through the bull. Its still out on his siblings. LOL! Thanks for the 1300. I got hung up on lunch time. :D
Lackwit: Hawaii is the hardest place to do business with this stuff but I sure love it and that's why I picked it. If I can't go there right now, I can write about it. It's been too long. I was even on the big island where the volcano is. Hawaii is Alaska's Florida. Or England's Goa. Or … :D:D:D
HUGS TO ALL READERS! YOU ARE MY HEROES!