I am shipping steers today so I am up early and have the cattle penned and fed.
They remember how to come to the feed troughs and how to shove the others around to get in the exact spot they want! Yep, they are pretty now, fat and slick and I hate to see them go but that is the goal we shoot for! Now, the heat is terrific in the feedlot country and the feed is high; fat and gaining steers are always looking for a place to die and so we pray for the pen riders to keep a keen eye on ours. All said to say, I am a thankful feller today!
We got things wrapped up tight yesterday afternoon around three and decided to go to the pond on the new place. We stocked it when we were renting it and seldom have put a hook in the water, but we did yesterday. We had a good couple of hours of catching catfish and perch and laughing! We caught enough to have a good mess for supper and they were very good. I hate cleaning catfish but it is my favorite to eat and, so, I did it and my close relative fried it for us!
The grass has taken a hit with the heat but is still green and growing a little. The flies worry me more than the grass right now. No pinkeye but I expect some and something even worse could happen with all the pests we seem to have. We will spray again in July, have to get them all penned to do a good job. I have fed the grain and mineral that supposedly inhibits flies but didn't see it made a nickel's worth of difference. This overload of insects might be caused by the political climate of the land!
We are fighting the thistles again and the hemlock is thick on the neighbor's side. What do you do? You do your best on the ones you can and leave the other feller alone. I pulled purple mint out of the tomato row my close relative has planted and couldn't imagine how it got there. There were about thirty or forty nasty stalks of it about an inch or two high, and then along the edge of her garden, I was surprised to see how much polk was growing. I went to the barn; a hoe just won't fit my hand!
Yes, a fine day and a day for getting things done is ours! I hope the old body holds together good and old Dog is ready for the activity during loading. He is the quick one to offer to help whenever business occurs but he sleeps soundly in the pickup under the air conditioner instead of paying attention!
It is my opinion, and everyone has one, the world won't end because the dishwasher won't come on or the clothes dryer didn't heat up. My work can be done without all the fine tools and cool pickup rides or the tractors with cabs and AC. We did it for most of our lives and we are so pitiful now if one little thing goes bad!
I don't want to go back to the old ways but I would know how to live! The thing now is to check on the folks that may not have all the new stuff, like the air conditioners, and are not able financially to provide one for themselves. We have some six widow neighbors who are using fans and seem to be fine, but check on them and offer something -- at the least a gallon of ice cream!
Keep yourself busy and polish up old Betsy! Remember the Alamo!
Bill is the pen name used by the Gravette area author of this weekly column. Opinions expressed are those of the author.