We recently took a trip to PA. Our 10 year old granddaughter, Jaci, came along back with us for several weeks. She has been getting a front row seat to the perils of the "wild west".
She and I had just returned from an outing and were getting out of the truck when we heard a low rumble. It really sounded like a cow in major distress. I looked toward the garden and saw a cow pawing the ground, throwing dirt high in the air. I knew that wasn't a cow...it was one of the neighbors bulls. He saw us and started walking towards us. Jaci, heading for the house, called, "Come on Grandma, hurry! He's coming after us" I called Rob to see what I should do. He told me to drive across the road, the bull's owner was working in the nearby corral. We ran for the car hoping the bull wouldn't see us. As we drove around the house we met the bull heading back out the driveway. We followed him, until he stopped at our fence and was watching our cows. I looked for something in the car to hit him with, Jaci found my purple umbrella. I couldn't reach him but I shook it at him, he was not impressed but he did start moving again. He reached the cattle guard, we watched as he gingerly stepped on the pipes back onto his own turf. That explained why he was such a frequent visitor, he was quite an experienced pipe walker! We drove back to the house, Jaci ran to the garden to see what damage was done. She was back in a moment, "Come quick, there's a snake in the garden." You're kidding, a snake? what next! She ran to get my "snake stick". (which was just a wooden flag pole that nobody ever put up) I watched the little snake head for the weeds. She came running with the snake stick, "Should I knock his head off?" Me, "Not yet, Annie Oakley, I'm more interested in seeing what the bull did." What the bull did was walk down our two meager rows of sweet corn and eat the tops off every stalk. "Well, Jac, if you want to knock somebody's head off...." I texted Rob to see if the corn would grow back, immediately my phone rang, He said, " Bring the mule I've got a fire. " Jaci and I headed for the hay field that Rob had been mowing. He figured he hit a rock and sparked the hay. He didn't realize there was a fire till he got to the end of the field and turned around, then he saw the smoke. When we got to the field lane there were already vehicles parked along the road. People were standing on the back of their pick ups watching. We picked Rob up at the end of the field and drove to the fire. Our rancher neighbor was already there trying to beat the flames with a shovel.
It was 6 o'clock so I started supper, and Jaci took a shower. Rob came home and informed us he still needed to vaccinate about 30 calves. He took Jaci out to help him separate the calves from the cows. I was grilling chicken when he called and said he needed more help so I shut down the grill and went out to help, not very enthusiastically I might add. Of all the chores on a farm, separating animals is my least favorite job. I usually get sent back to the house, which was what I was hoping would happen this time too. We had about 9 or 10 calves separated from their mothers, Jaci was being traumatized by an ornery mother cow who was furious her calf was in the corral.
I had just got off the phone with Kristen when Rob came back up the drive. He jumped into the tractor and hitched up the disc and went back to the fire. He said the fire was already out of control when he got there so he called the fire company. They were there in a few minutes. He said he knows now why the settlers used buffalo chips for fuel, they smolder for a long time and then explode into flame. The firemen were walking around with shovels, when they saw a cow chip spark they would break it apart and douse it with water.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Kristen and Bobby arrived. We decided to go ahead with the task at hand. We had no idea when Rob would show up again. Kristen had also called her other brother Josiah, he knew how to vaccinate calves so we were good to go. I told them I was no good at herding but I was great at moral support. It turns out I am also a great go fer.
They decided to vaccinate the calves that were already separated and then herd all the cows and calves into the corral and run all the animals through the chute, stopping the ones that needed vaccinated.
It wasn't quite as easy as it sounds, three calves were too small for the chute and slipped out through the head lock while Josiah was loading his syringe. Jaci was manning the squeeze bars, and was enjoying her job so much she almost squeezed Josiah while he was in the chute with a smaller calf.
Rob finally arrived sometime during the process. It was about 10 oclock when I went looking for flashlights. The job was finally completed around 11 oclock.
Rob was planning on sleeping in his truck out at the fire site, but Bobby wanted to stay and take a shift too. I think he was really hoping to see a coyote and do some target practicing. So Bobby took the first shift. Rob was going to go out about 3am.
As Jaci was heading up the ladder to her bedroom she said, "It sure is exciting here!" Too exciting!! We were especially thankful no one got hurt and we lost less than 2 acres of hay. Most of what burnt was our pasture land. It had jumped the fence and started in the sage but the firemen were on it right away. When it gets in the sage there is no stopping it!
When Rob left the field some of the neighbors were sitting on their 4 wheelers. "You didn't come down to help, were you afraid of getting dirty?" One of them said, "No, we thought you were having a hotdog roast, and we didn't want to miss anything."
Speaking of food the chicken was still on the cold grill. Most of us were too tired to eat so it went in the frig for the next day.
The day actually ended around 1:30, Bobby called to tell Rob it was raining. He came back to the house and bunked on the couch. We could finally relax and get a few hours of sleep.
