Shari
IsItFridayYet?
Sorry, its kinda long.
***
So, last week, husband says he's got to cut hay for his dad over the weekend. With all the rain, its grown too tall to leave it til next year, but he doesn't really want all that hay. A few acres were really good - he wanted that, but the rest, he just needed cut so it wouldn't be too wooly for next year.
***
So I suggested running an electric fence and grazing it for a couple months. Will get rid of the overgrown grass, father in law won't have to spend money to bale hay he doesn't want, and will give their overgrazed pasture a break. Now, keep in mind that husband was adamantly against EVER grazing a hayfield when he first moved in here with me. For whatever reason, that was something you just don't do. Ever. It wasn't until he had almost killed the pasture that he allowed me to return to the practice of grazing the hayfield in the fall and winter, even though that's how I'd successfully done things for the 10 years prior to his arrival... So I never in a million years thought he'd pass my suggestion on. In fact, he'd told me it just wouldn't work, anyway. A) You don't graze hayfields. B) The cows won't stay in, they won't know the boundaries (uh...duh...its called a fence) C) The deer will trample the fence (that why I suggested high visibility tape...the deer won't run into what they can see....). D) There's no water in that field (we have an empty stock tank they could borrow). But you get the idea. He was killing the suggestion.
***
So imagine my surprise on Saturday when he called and asked me to stop at the store and pick up a roll of fencing tape. They were fencing the hayfield. So he not only passed along my suggestion to father in law, father in law liked it and decided to do it.
***
O M G
***
So I stopped and bought the tape and when I got home, I helped them finish the fence. Came home and gathered our stock tank and a hose, etc, and took that out. Got it all set up. father in law repeatedly made comments about it being a good idea. I was still absolutely shocked that they were doing this, and silently praying nothing went wrong, or I'd be further down the evil ladder than ever before...
***
On Sunday, we moved the cows across the road from the old pasture to the new pasture. husband used good old fashioned wire to make a "runway" to move the cows across the road. His theory? They will see the wire and think its an electric fence wire and will stay away from it and go straight across the road. OK. I can buy that. IF they are allowed to meander thru it at their own pace, so they CAN see the wire...
***
But husband is a manly man, and you don't "ask" animals to do things, you "TELL" them. So instead of letting the cows work themselves thru this new area that, for all of their lives, has been off limits, husband pushed them. And they went right thru the single strand of non-electric fence...so now we have cows everywhere. He got on the 4wheeler and started chasing them. What hadn't already made it to the "new" pasture in the hay field eventually ran "home" to the old pasture. husband was really ticked because now those cows were upset and there's no way we'd get them back up to the barn to get them moved and we'd have to "waste time" on Monday trying to get them across the road.
***
So I picked up a bucket and a little sweet feed and WALKED to the back of the pasture where the cows were. father in law has them pretty tame, so I thought what the heck. I sat down with my bucket and spent 30 minutes tossing them feed. They settled right in, and calmed right down, and I WALKED back to the barn with my bucket of feed and 2 cows, 2 calves, and a bull in tow. When husband saw me coming, he jumped on the 4wheeler and ran up behind them to push, which, of course, made them nervous all over again - after all, that machine had just chased them for the previous hour.... father in law, of all people, yelled at him to turn that *&^(#^ off and stop pushing them. After being yelled at a couple of times by father in law to leave me alone, husband shut it down.
***
And I very quietly and very slowly walked those cows straight into the pen. husband got jumpy and moved to push them a few times, but father in law made him back off, and they went in without incident. Since they were still a bit nervious, I then suggested we load them thru the chute onto the trailer and drive them across the road. father in law thought that was a great idea.
***
So 20 minutes later, everything was across the road, happily grazing in the tall, fresh grass, and my new BFF, father in law, was standing there smiling.
***
On Monday, we raked and baled the hay that father in law did want. About halfway through, he said that it would make really good horse hay, and asked if I wanted it. I said sure. He GAVE me 100 bales of lespadeeza hay for my horses. When I said I'd go get my truck to haul it home, he said not to bother, his was hooked up, we'd just use it.
***
Again. O M G
***
And THEN...a couple of bales got stuck in the baler and we needed the hay hook to get it cleaned out, so I went to his haybarn on the 4wheeler to get the hook. The haybarn is in the middle of the pasture. I left the 4wheeler running and got the hook and as I was leaving, thought I heard a moo from the wrong direction....so I shut off the 4 wheeler and listened. I heard a bit of rustling down a steep hill past the barn, and went to look, and there was a tiny newborn calf that laid down in the grass out of site just as peeked over the hill. They didn't even know they had a new calf, and we'd moved all the cows and left it behind 30 hours before! I'd guess he was 2 days old. Maybe 3.
***
I figured Two Brooms would be in an uproar. My dumb idea nearly cost them a calf. Yup, my good graces would be over when they found this out... So I snuck up on the little guy and caught him (thinking he would be somewhat weak - hahahaha) and packed him up the hill. Got him back to the other cows and reunited with mama.
***
Instead of being mad, Two Brooms and father in law were almost adoring. They were sure "glad it was me that went back there", and "they or husband don't hear well enough to have heard that baby", and etc etc etc. It was non-stop. 10 hours later, they were still thanking me. And I was sure they'd be mad cause this whole "moving the cows" thing that left a baby behind was my idea.
***
Holy moly.
***
Then they invited us to stay for supper. TWICE!
***
I don't know what happened, but it might just be the scariest thing to come from the broom closet yet....They spent the weekend liking me. OMG.
***
So, last week, husband says he's got to cut hay for his dad over the weekend. With all the rain, its grown too tall to leave it til next year, but he doesn't really want all that hay. A few acres were really good - he wanted that, but the rest, he just needed cut so it wouldn't be too wooly for next year.
***
So I suggested running an electric fence and grazing it for a couple months. Will get rid of the overgrown grass, father in law won't have to spend money to bale hay he doesn't want, and will give their overgrazed pasture a break. Now, keep in mind that husband was adamantly against EVER grazing a hayfield when he first moved in here with me. For whatever reason, that was something you just don't do. Ever. It wasn't until he had almost killed the pasture that he allowed me to return to the practice of grazing the hayfield in the fall and winter, even though that's how I'd successfully done things for the 10 years prior to his arrival... So I never in a million years thought he'd pass my suggestion on. In fact, he'd told me it just wouldn't work, anyway. A) You don't graze hayfields. B) The cows won't stay in, they won't know the boundaries (uh...duh...its called a fence) C) The deer will trample the fence (that why I suggested high visibility tape...the deer won't run into what they can see....). D) There's no water in that field (we have an empty stock tank they could borrow). But you get the idea. He was killing the suggestion.
***
So imagine my surprise on Saturday when he called and asked me to stop at the store and pick up a roll of fencing tape. They were fencing the hayfield. So he not only passed along my suggestion to father in law, father in law liked it and decided to do it.
***
O M G
***
So I stopped and bought the tape and when I got home, I helped them finish the fence. Came home and gathered our stock tank and a hose, etc, and took that out. Got it all set up. father in law repeatedly made comments about it being a good idea. I was still absolutely shocked that they were doing this, and silently praying nothing went wrong, or I'd be further down the evil ladder than ever before...
***
On Sunday, we moved the cows across the road from the old pasture to the new pasture. husband used good old fashioned wire to make a "runway" to move the cows across the road. His theory? They will see the wire and think its an electric fence wire and will stay away from it and go straight across the road. OK. I can buy that. IF they are allowed to meander thru it at their own pace, so they CAN see the wire...
***
But husband is a manly man, and you don't "ask" animals to do things, you "TELL" them. So instead of letting the cows work themselves thru this new area that, for all of their lives, has been off limits, husband pushed them. And they went right thru the single strand of non-electric fence...so now we have cows everywhere. He got on the 4wheeler and started chasing them. What hadn't already made it to the "new" pasture in the hay field eventually ran "home" to the old pasture. husband was really ticked because now those cows were upset and there's no way we'd get them back up to the barn to get them moved and we'd have to "waste time" on Monday trying to get them across the road.
***
So I picked up a bucket and a little sweet feed and WALKED to the back of the pasture where the cows were. father in law has them pretty tame, so I thought what the heck. I sat down with my bucket and spent 30 minutes tossing them feed. They settled right in, and calmed right down, and I WALKED back to the barn with my bucket of feed and 2 cows, 2 calves, and a bull in tow. When husband saw me coming, he jumped on the 4wheeler and ran up behind them to push, which, of course, made them nervous all over again - after all, that machine had just chased them for the previous hour.... father in law, of all people, yelled at him to turn that *&^(#^ off and stop pushing them. After being yelled at a couple of times by father in law to leave me alone, husband shut it down.
***
And I very quietly and very slowly walked those cows straight into the pen. husband got jumpy and moved to push them a few times, but father in law made him back off, and they went in without incident. Since they were still a bit nervious, I then suggested we load them thru the chute onto the trailer and drive them across the road. father in law thought that was a great idea.
***
So 20 minutes later, everything was across the road, happily grazing in the tall, fresh grass, and my new BFF, father in law, was standing there smiling.
***
On Monday, we raked and baled the hay that father in law did want. About halfway through, he said that it would make really good horse hay, and asked if I wanted it. I said sure. He GAVE me 100 bales of lespadeeza hay for my horses. When I said I'd go get my truck to haul it home, he said not to bother, his was hooked up, we'd just use it.
***
Again. O M G
***
And THEN...a couple of bales got stuck in the baler and we needed the hay hook to get it cleaned out, so I went to his haybarn on the 4wheeler to get the hook. The haybarn is in the middle of the pasture. I left the 4wheeler running and got the hook and as I was leaving, thought I heard a moo from the wrong direction....so I shut off the 4 wheeler and listened. I heard a bit of rustling down a steep hill past the barn, and went to look, and there was a tiny newborn calf that laid down in the grass out of site just as peeked over the hill. They didn't even know they had a new calf, and we'd moved all the cows and left it behind 30 hours before! I'd guess he was 2 days old. Maybe 3.
***
I figured Two Brooms would be in an uproar. My dumb idea nearly cost them a calf. Yup, my good graces would be over when they found this out... So I snuck up on the little guy and caught him (thinking he would be somewhat weak - hahahaha) and packed him up the hill. Got him back to the other cows and reunited with mama.
***
Instead of being mad, Two Brooms and father in law were almost adoring. They were sure "glad it was me that went back there", and "they or husband don't hear well enough to have heard that baby", and etc etc etc. It was non-stop. 10 hours later, they were still thanking me. And I was sure they'd be mad cause this whole "moving the cows" thing that left a baby behind was my idea.
***
Holy moly.
***
Then they invited us to stay for supper. TWICE!
***
I don't know what happened, but it might just be the scariest thing to come from the broom closet yet....They spent the weekend liking me. OMG.
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