Number of lessons learned this week is astronomical

This old world is a mighty fine place today. It started out really chilly and got warm enough for me to saddle a horse and ride around like a cowboy. Actually, I did ride around the very heavy belly cows in the delivery pasture. I wasn’t playing cowboy; I was just watching for signs of impending trouble or delivery.

We now have three very wet and very new babies on the ground. They are two days early but welcomed by warm weather and sunshine. Cows have been attentive and calves have been quick to learn to stand and suck.

I started early and played till really dark as this was one of the days out of 365 days that we could see and watch us make money. This birthing business is really nice if — and that is very iffy — all goes well. My close relative even spent time watching from a distance to see the herd multiply. The women in the family had a huge picnic at the fence, blankets on the ground and a chair for me! Fried chicken, potato salad and baked beans were devoured by all of us and enjoyed!

I can say that I felt years younger until we were making the schedule for tonight and forward. I just do not enjoy staying up during the wee hours anymore. Our son-in-law, on a short five-day leave, volunteered to spend the graveyard shift on horseback or in a warm pickup for the first three nights. He has lots of years already piled up at the company and is getting some extra time off. I was relieved for three days.

I attended a university class one evening last week about paying attention to sick calves. I realize most of us in the beef business have years of paying attention and know more than a wet-behind-the-ears professor. He did remind us of things to look for and the need to be sure the calves got the colostrum and plenty of it. That always is a very interesting part of the process, and how in the world he figured that out is amazing! He figured out a bunch of stuff.

We are hoping we do not have to assist any births this year as we were dead set on using a low birthweight bull. We did use our own bulls to clean up the herd but I believe there weren’t but two cows that did not settle AI. Sure gives a feller something to think about and we did put in the hours planning. I have never put in time thinking that it didn’t pay off. I have not spent enough time planning and it certainly was plain that it was an absolute mess.

The fall calves are sure pretty now and we will sort them soon, after this calving slows down. I am ready to weigh on scales instead of guessing; I always guess too low and worry about what to increase their weight, money spent for supplements and such.

We are forever watching cattle and thinking about several other things too. I hope the forecasted rain is over faster than predicted and that I can count, check and hay all the rest of the cattle in a short amount of time. I want not to skip any chore and yet when it takes three of us to deliver a backward calf, it can happen — the wonderful life of the cowboy!

I guess the amount of lessons learned this week is going to be astronomical since we constantly learn when alive, and we are alive. Even the close relative and the other women in the outfit are on their toes and helping out where they can. I figure we are all gonna be smart!

I’ve been seeing or hearing geese in the clouds already this spring. We won’t believe it is time for that for another couple of weeks but it is happening! When the geese move south early, do we have a bad spell of dry weather? I don’t know and there aren’t many folks older than me to ask. I think I need to spend a few hours at the coffee emporium to listen to the wisdom of older and wiser fellers.

Get ready for slicker weather and those darn rubber boots. I hate to know that and dread it for a bunch of hours — one of life’s gentle lessons, I reckon. I have worn my Christmas ones enough to say they are pretty broken in but they are still rubber boots!

Can’t go hunting even if I had time to participate right now. My long arms are both dirty since the last target practice and I haven’t had time to clean them. Bless my heart, I could use some friendly help some evening, and the appearance of fresh pie and coffee could happen if a feller had company! Just mentioning it as it could happen.

Take time to be good to your family and the widow women, pray often and Remember the Alamo.