Old Dog and my close relative woke me up about 2 a.m. howling and knocking around in the room. Actually, my close relative was knocking around and Dog was outside doing the howling. I sat up when I heard the crash of what sounded like the ceiling falling in to find her setting the chair back up and replacing the basket of unreal flowers that sit on a shelf above it. The flowers are to filter out the dust in the air, I suppose. Anyway, they catch plenty of it.
The coyotes were chorusing at the feed room door or at the yard gate. They were sure enough close and loud. I must have been in that part of sleep called REM and so far out that the noise hadn't penetrated my brain before the big scramble in the bedroom. I asked her where she was going, and she said out to throw a shoe at the varmints! Beings as I was awake, she suggested I go throw some lead at them instead!
We settled down and I tried to get back to sleep, but my head was awake and I wanted coffee. I got up and made a pot of the elixir, got the first cup and went into the living room to read the rest of the paper. There is something about a feller's chair that brings on rest and relaxation like no other place. I was asleep in less time than it took for me to drink that cup of coffee.
The day has progressed into the usual sequence of farm chores, mud, cold and costs. I had the barn chores done and was scraping mud off my coveralls when the offspring came up to inform me we had a tree down on the fence and cows enjoying the neighbor's pasture. We headed out to correct the mess, me in my truck and the offspring on their four wheelers.
I knew the cows were going to be a headache before we got there because the moon had changed, the south wind was bringing in warm air and the old hides were full. It took the three of us almost two hours to run the silly bovine back home. I finally pulled a couple of iron posts and made the hole bigger before they would attempt to go back into their pasture. Cattle are unable to return through a passage they used to escape. It must have something to do with their genetics -- the idiot gene being dominant and passed on forever!
It is my opinion, and everyone has one, raising cattle appears to be the easiest occupation in the world. It looks like you just fence in some grass, put out some cows and a bull and they begin to make money. The necessary equipment is a new pickup, hat and boots, stock dog, and shirt pocket bulging with a fat check book. It looks good at the sale barn and better if you have britches legs half way in the boot tops. All I can say about that as I sit here very weary is that it is a misconception of the whole business. Our day went on and on, missed dinner by an hour, ate a cold sandwich in the utility room so I didn't have to take off boots and muddy clothes and I have spent all the extra cash I had repairing the fence.
Good fences make good neighbors, check yours today! I wonder if I could get a desk job somewhere.
Bill is the pen name of the Gravette area author of this weekly column. Opinions expressed are those of the author.
Editorial on 03/11/2015