SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW

Life is a characteristic differentiating between something that has a self-sustaining biological process from those that don't. Biology defines "life" as the state distinguishing inorganic matter from active living growing organisms. This Ozarks farm chick firmly believes that life begins at conception. Be it attained in the heated throws of passion between two moon eyed lovers or the plannin' and breeding of livestock, I believe that life begins the moment the egg and sperm unite and the microscopic cell divides. A youngster raised on a farm never has to question life or how it begins. It is all second nature to them when they hear daddy talkin' about turnnin' the bulls into the cow pasture. Our little punks got to experience the miracle of birth as soon as they could toddle around under our barn boots watchin' mama pig, cow or donkey bring a new baby animal to the Ponderosa. Another subject completing the circle of life that country young'ens learn to accept is....death.

Exactly one week after Dead Dorothy went down she finally succumbed to pneumonia. Hubby and I had high hopes working diligently to save this poor depleted animal. Dorothy did not have to overcome the Wicked Witch of the West but starvation put her in the unstable shape she was in. The sky did not fill with Flyin' Monkeys but she was unable to take nourishment on her own, so we drenched her with needed nutrients twice a day. Winkie Soldiers did not try to keep her captive but immobility took it's toll on her already weakened body. Hubby would put her in a harness standin' her up with the front loader of the tractor for short periods of time prodding her to put weight on her frail legs that couldn't hold her 355 pound body up more than a few seconds at a time. A deadly field of poppies did not put her into a comatose sleep but fluid started filling her lungs. This could of been treatable if the wheezin' bovine was mobile but sadly she was not.

We had little sparks and glimmers of 'Kansas' that gave us encouragement. One morn' Dorothy put up a bit of a fight struggling against the drench bottle. Fight in an animal means it still has spirit and at least a modest amount of strength. She began drinking a little water and eatin' the tiniest bit of feed by mouth! Woohoo, I danced... Ya'll know it doesn't take much! Then she began to rattle just a bit and we knew she would be sayin' goodbye to that yellow brick road. She would never see Kansas or a sale barn again. Friday evening Dorothy gave up the fight and entered that big old Emerald City in the sky. This chick will just have to rest in the fact knowing that we did everything in our power and Dorothy finally made it home "Somewhere Over The Rainbow!!!"