This Way To My Blog

This Way To My Blog

Monday, March 1, 2010

If Mama Ain't Happy

I know she ain't happy (Shelly Marie). John sold her big bull calf today. I'm sure she is bawling her head off along with other Mamas. Don't get attached is the motto of the ranching world, but it sure is hard not to. I didn't think they would work cattle today as it rained last night. The cowboy with his horse was right there at eight o'clock sharp. John and his daughter there with the needles and shots supply. Everything went smooth and John was home before noon. Cowboy borrowed a four wheel drive truck so he could back up to the sloppy pens and load the large calves to be sold at auction. We tracked cowboy down a few days ago to make the appointment with him. He wasn't at his usual coffee drinking place where he goes every afternoon before he goes home. The other coffee sippers said he was at home cutting a tree down that had fallen on his fence so off we went in search of cowboy. Now we know why he chose to drink his coffee and chew the fat where he does. He lives only a few blocks from there and it is on the edge of the next town over. Near town and everything but yet like country living. Lots of space and fresh air. Sure enough we find him slowly sawing a limb with a hand saw. No modern conviences for this man. No cell phone with his horse. You gotta catch him after he goes home and before he goes to bed and he goes to bed with the chickens. He is dependable and knows his cattle so that job is done until next time.

9 comments:

Leilani Schuck Weatherington said...

The farmer on the other side of the woods has a small cow/calf operation, and that on first day when he takes the babies away the mamas sure do let us know how unhappy there. They seem to get over it pretty quick though

jack69 said...

Great entry good but sad. I know it is hard to stay unattached when you have your personality. We feel sorry for Shellie Marie also. BUT the world continues to turn.
Love the story part about the Cowboy, us easterners like those stories.
Jack & Sherry

Toon said...

Most unbearable to me as a kid was listening to the calves and moms crying for each other when they were separated for weaning. That anguish was impossible to comprehend for me.

Dar said...

Lucky ya found the 'ki-boy', as a lot of the Texans say,..they are a rare breed and we sure learn a lot from their way of gettin'er done...come rain or shine, they do their job. Poor bossie, she will moooove on soon. If Mamma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy.
God Bless Ya....ranch life is hard work...I appreciate you.

Lucy said...

I got attached to EVERY ANIMAL that was allowed to be loose on the farm but the chickens that picked me when I tried to gather eggs, AND THE DREADED BULL CALF I swear they butchered my pet pig that grew up big but they said they didn't.

How I See It said...

Hey there, Mama! :)
Just back from my honeymoon...can you believe it? I'm 63 and am flying higher than a kite. Maybe I need to talk to Shelly Marie...you know? Keep her feeling positive, and all.

Martha said...

Hi Paula,
I would have to keep them all as pets - can't imagine the poor mamas being so sad. It would break my heart!

Anonymous said...

THE COWBOY SOUNDS LIKE A GOOD 'PAY AS YOU GO' CITIZEN. sam

Gerry said...

Sounds like a good cow hand to know if you are a rancher. I always marveled at how efficient good cowboys were who had been trained in the work, just like the trained cow ponies that knew their business, too, and the cows as well, who knew when it was time to leave the winter ranges and take off for the ranch, get their tags in and head for the mountain. You will soon have those turtles well trained, too. I am looking forward to a photo of that gobbler! What would break my heart is when the cows would lose track of little calves in the spring round up and both Mama and Calf would be bawling all night to let the other know they were lookng and lookng for each other, but some never succeeded in finding each other again. The Mama cows will adjust to losing big calves as they will soon be preoccupied with a new one in nature's endless cycle of reproduction.