Calves bawling and cows bawling back woke me this morning. I am immune to the occasional bellow but not the chorus that was going on at 5:30 a.m. I wanted that first cup of hot coffee but figured something else was gonna take precedence and it did. I could hear a horn honking as I pulled on my boots, so I knew I needed to hurry.
There were about 50 head of cows on the highway, calves were up and down the road in the ditches and bucking, running and, if they could have, they would have been grinning! I don't know where the old hides thought they were going and why they thought it would be better to start so dang early, but there they were. Old Dog and I headed them down the driveway and they all knew exactly where to go. I was glad I had fed them there so many times. You know an old cow is a glutton for extra grain.
The calves cavorted around for awhile, threatened to jump into the yard and stomp up some flowers, but my close relative appeared with a broom in her hand and she was going to work them over if they dared to enter! Things settled down pretty easy and the calves finally all drifted into the pen.
I enjoyed the big breakfast of steak, eggs, biscuits and gravy and that hot coffee to finish up on. No, that steak wasn't cooked for my morning meal, but left over from the evening before. If I were a king or a rich man, I might get fresh steak for breakfast but, since I am a regular old beef producer, it is a treat even if it is leftovers!
Next came the fixing the hole in the fence and, so, I loaded all the tools and drove along the road looking. I couldn't see a place and couldn't even see tracks where the herd had exited the pasture. I turned around at my fence line and started back, still looking and now wondering what in the heck had allowed the break out. The fence is fairly new around this area and the pasture has one gate on the highway, in the corner close to the barn. As I eased along, I was surprised to see the result of the herd escaping in the drive of the gate.
That particular gate is not ever locked and we have never had any problems with leaving it chained shut. Then I could see tracks like a truck had driven around the pasture and the chain was threaded through the fence backward to the way we do it. The route was sure enough plain, but the reason is not gonna be discovered by me.
It is my opinion, and everyone has one, it is so much fun to be a cowboy that many folks have a keen desire to be just that. The younger generation probably can't catch a horse and, if they did, they wouldn't know what to do with it; so the herding is done with a pickup, and a bunch of gentle old cows and calves were moved. Anyhow, that is what appears to have happened. Playing cowboy, head'em up and move'em out!
I will be glad to allow any who have the desire to play to come work with us. We will even feed you dinner and give you cold water a couple of times during the day. In the meantime, the gate is now locked!
Bill is the pen name used by the Gravette-area author of this weekly column. Opinions expressed are those of the author.
Editorial on 05/13/2015