Hang up the long handles and get ready for spring

The cold rain this morning made me shiver and remember the wonderful warmth of yesterday; it’s gone but not forgotten! I worked in my shirt sleeves and was too warm parts of the time when working in the sun. I am lonesome for spring. I want to skip right through March and revel in the sweet sunshine of spring.

The calves are sorta waiting for a bell to ring or something. They didn’t present themselves over the weekend and only two on Monday. The trap is full of springing cows and we are without an answer to the question. The cows are just grazing and enjoying the special time of being in the better grass and acting like nothing is awry. I am wondering what.

I had coffee at the most famous round table this morning at about 10 and the talk was mostly about the nice Russian man we all know. Somewhere in the conversation, the talk turned to my problem of calving. Turner Ward has the answer. Someone shot a rocket and deflated the moon. We all laughed at that and I had to get on the road again but it left me thinking about the moon.

Nature was set to work by God’s plan and man has not ever come up with a better one. Our cows are not city dwellers and they don’t know what an airplane is — looks like a big noisy bird to them. They might just wait until the next full moon, March 7, to really begin dropping babies. That means all the calves are gonna be bulls, weight gained and filled out. Now that is a fearsome thought. I still had to count the steers and pay attention to my business so I put the moon thought away.

We had lunch and talked about the need for repairing the fence east of the cow pasture which is down the highway about a mile. I decided that was a job for the day and so all three of us went loaded with steeples, wire and all things for fence fixing but asked the close relative of mine to check the labor pen in a couple of hours.

We worked right along and the rain had left mud holes all along the fence row. It was taking a dire chance to take the next step because some of them were boot-top deep. I was first to step into a hole so deep I could have drowned but the boys found the deep ones too. No rubber boots on this trip made us feel stupid and wet. How in the world the cows stayed in is another thing. The wire was draped like lace along the fence decorating the landscape.

I sure didn’t think it would take more than a couple of hours to finish this job but the dang armadillos had made so many of the posts lean and almost fall with the undoing of the solid ground. I hate the holes and the labor it costs to fill in where they dig. We worked until about three and my phone rang with insistence. I figured it was to see when we would be home.

The cows were busy. We had two in labor and one calf on the ground nursing. So the spell was broken and not by the full moon. We loaded up and left the fence in much better shape and hurried on to headquarters.

Calves interested in all things and bothering the busy cows were a beautiful sight for us. The two in labor were not struggling. They were educated on calf delivery by former years in the business. We were back on schedule and very glad to be.

The lessons learned today were so many; a stop at the coffee emporium is an enlightening experience in itself. I learned facts about secret espionage, some words in Russian but only good in America and all the interesting things about disturbing the moon. I am in wonder at the facts I learned in 30 minutes.

We had four babies on the ground and several cows thinking seriously about the same thing. My close relative wasn’t exposed to our foolishness and was calm as she could be over the space between births. She is a pillar of strength and assurance at times and we are mighty blessed to be her family. She doesn’t know all the scuttle of ideas we went through and does not care. The calves come when ready.

I am telling you fellers to hang up the long handles and get ready for spring. We have to hurry the coming season and get rid of this cold. Time to get your garden tools ready; your close relatives are gonna want flowers planted first. Grit your teeth and Remember the Alamo.