I am late again today, got up late, ate my breakfast late and got out late. Who cares? Sure not me after all the celebration going on around here! We can't seem to party just a little, not with these half-grown grands around. So we stayed up, ushered in the new year and got a couple of hours of sleep!
I checked cattle and found all well. The springers are sure looking promising and I get excited about a new crop of calves. They are a calm group of cows, bunk broke and always hungry for a bite of cubes. No problems so far in the herd. You know how against the early February timing I am. Just keep hoping all goes well.
I can say I started the year in pretty good shape. Still sore but, once again, some knowledge gained! I will never think I am so experienced and won't step into the trap because the snapped ribs sure taught a lesson. I guess a toothache is the only thing I can compare it to.
Fred Newsome called us to say he is moving to town to be close to his kids. Fred is no young man, a solid eight years past ninety. I agreed to go look at his herd to see if it would fit with ours, knowing full well that it wouldn't. I was gonna buy every bovine on the place, me and the banker, and make sure the barn and house were closed up good and tight. I just told Fred we sure would go look and I'd let him know.
The offspring and I drove over the next morning to look things over and there was Fred, leaning on a fence rail. We were greeted and shook hands all around and asked why he was still out here. He said that town air was pretty stale and he couldn't hear a cow bawl or a chicken cluck at all! Fred was pretty shaky and so feeble I was worried about him making it over to our truck. We loaded up and toured the herd as promised.
I was surprised to see Fred had upgraded and was showing us a nice bunch of grade cows. No calico or Indian paints in the herd and all were in good condition. We took the herd on condition of the market for the day and I got Fred to let me take him to his town house by begging for another story about old times. The offspring brought Fred's pickup along and I did enjoy my visit. Someone a lot tougher than me should take his keys -- or, maybe, lose the keys or something -- because Fred would be a danger to himself and others on the road.
I am pretty sure we will need to fence off another pond and drill a well in the north part of the eighty acres. That runoff water comes from so many more different sources than it did when we built that tank. Now it gets highway, chicken farm and a housing project runoff, so I am not going to depend on it for healthy water. Drilling is always expensive but we will have to do it to maintain the health of the cattle there. We use that pasture for steers, and I want them to be able to gain daily.
It is my opinion, and everyone has one, this year is looming out in front of us with good ideas and rich promises. Our job is to put a muscle to the wheel and glean the treasures. There will be pitfalls, days of darkness and thunder, times of parched ground and mean winds. We knew that when we came here and came anyway! Now, with a new time facing us, we just gotta go get it! Help your family, neighbors and those who are needy. Take time to haul kids to Sunday School and stop to listen to a member of the Greatest Generation recall an incident, these treasures are for the taking!
Be good to your cook, that is the "mainest" thing!
Bill is the pen name of the Gravette area author of this weekly column. Opinions expressed are those of the author.
Editorial on 01/02/2019