OPINION? EVERYBODY HAS ONE: Your guess about winter is as good as mine

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Great morning this morning! Found that old cow that was the last one of the fall bred ones and had not calved. She was standing on the south side of the pasture with a calf standing almost directly under her belly. That little black bugger was busy, tail going and trying real hard to stand up! A wobbly calf nursing for the firstfew times is sure enough a sight to see.

I put it in Granny gear and edged up closer. Shoot, another black baby was lying on the ground and, as I approached, it jumped up and wobbled around behind the cow. She whipped around and gave both calves a quick lick! A set of twins and the cow was gonna like both of them. I could tell the firstone I saw was a heifer and figured the other a bull but, wonder of wonders, both of them are heifers!

So, and therefore, this is a good day for an old cattleman who always seems to be on the wrong end of the stick! The good Lord smiled on me and I thank Him for it! I believe that happens lots more than I realize, beings as how I remember well the dirty end of that proverbial stick. It must be human nature to be so negative, and I know it helps us to not make the same mistakes over and over; but, dang it, we ought to remember the good stuff just as quick!

I finished the rounds ofchecking the cows and went back to the headquarters to tell my close relative about our double dose. When I walked into the kitchen, I was hit in the face with the aroma of pies in the oven! What a day this was turning out to be! I had to wait on the pies to come out of the oven so we could ride back down to see the twins. A feller has to do what a feller has to do!

I am reporting that all the ponds are still full and, with winter looking us in the eye, I sure am glad. The offspring have wrapped up several fields of hay and, even if it wasn’t the best quality, the quantity makes my worrymeter relax a little. I have seen the neighbors doing the same thing and their hay isn’t anything to brag about either.

Nature has been solidly messed up and messed around this year. We have some trees trying to bud out and make new leaves. Do you suppose it will cause them great harm when winter hits good and hard and they freeze? I don’t know. How do you predict stuff that is out of the realm of normal?

It is my opinion, and everyone has one, your guess is as good as mine. I have an Old Farmers Almanac and I see where it predicts a coldand snow-laden first part of winter and then above normal temps for the second half. The woolly worms have been scarce and their stripes are different on every one, so that is out for helping us predict. I can tell you that each and every persimmon I have opened has a huge spoon in the seed. Take that for what it’s worth to you and be ready to suffer.

Lay in lots of wood, plenty of beans and fatback, coffee and flour. We have made it through a lot of winters and we can do’er again!

Bill is a pen name used by the Gravette author of this weekly column.

Opinion, Pages 6 on 10/31/2012