I just talked to Travis last Wednesday night about wanting to help more with the cows, and learn more about what goes on around here. He was a bit shocked that I really wanted something to do with it all, but it's true... I do. Sometimes with farm living though, this happens........
A lot of that happened last week, in our yard!!! I didn't think he'd throw me in head first, but he did. On Thursday evening, last week, I hear him open the door and then I hear, "BABE! There's a cow in the yard!" Yeah, really? Okay. Then I hear an even more panicked call from him, "BABE! The entire herd is in our yard!" Then I heard a really loud slamming of the door. As I came through the kitchen to see what was going on, to my surprise there was the entire herd grazing in our yard. Some of the gals had already ventured out the gate into the drive way.
All I could think was are you kidding me?! I asked what he wanted me to do and he told me to just hold on. My next question was if I had time to go back inside and get my camera. He told me no. All I could think was are you kidding me?! I have to have my camera, this is good stuff. I totally have to blog about this. But, he was serious. I had to stay put for a minute or so to really help! So here I was standing at the front corner of our house surrounded by the herd of cows. Carter was on the porch and he thought it was the neatest thing since sliced bread.
Travis was headed to our main gate when he yelled back for me to get the four wheeler. I had to run back inside to get my pound cake out of the oven, check on Tucker who was sleeping, and GET MY CAMERA! I opted to grab a pair of flip flops while I was in the house. I ran out to the four wheeler only to find the trailer attached to it. I tried my best to yank the trailer off the ball but it would not budge. So then I went into panic mode thinking how on earth will I back this thing up. You know backing up a trailer is a flip flopped process. You turn right to go left, and vice versa. Luckily, I got it on the first try! I, secretly, was so impressed!!!!
I take the four wheeler out to him, with the trailer, and he has to unhook it. At this point we had cows going every which way. Some still in the yard, some in the old pasture that is now nothing but dirt, some going down to the other pasture that is now home to our fish pond, it was a mess. I stood their helpless, like a blind person unsure of where to go. I kept asking what he wanted me to do. I'm sure I wasn't as helpful as I could have been but seriously.... I didn't sign up to be no cow wrangler!
After a good thirty minutes or so of throwing my arms in the air (looking completely stupid) and yelling "hey cow!" they started to move. Travis was nudging them towards the gate on the four wheeler, and I was doing the bird flap yelling hey cow. Oh if someone had secretly been watching us and videoing the event, we would be millionaires.
There were about 6-8 stubborn old gals that just refused to go towards the gate. The rest of the herd was already headed back but they wanted to buck the system a bit. I wasn't paying attention to the girls in the fence since I had already sent Carter to safer ground... the back of Travis' truck. It was about that time when I looked up at Travis and he says, "there goes our garden!" I turned to look back at our house and the herd was plowing through the garden like a bunch of locusts. At that moment my heart sank. Here was my poor husband with this new, completely useless farm hand (me), and a herd of cows plowing down the garden that he had so faithfully tended to for the past several weeks. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Finally the stubborn gals made there way towards the fence! We had conquered them, well kind of. I had to shut the gate which ended up shocking me since there is an electric wire that runs below it. I didn't pay attention that the wire and gate were going to touch, but I found out very quickly! After securing the gate I headed towards the garden. I had to laugh because it was completely comical. Here was this man that's been living farm life for as long as I've known him, then there was me, not a farming bone in my body and then there was poor Carter in the back of the truck thinking he was at the local rodeo.
It was all fun until Carter realized the cows were in his corn. All of a sudden you hear this broken little heart yell, "DADDY!!!! The cows are eating our corn, the cows are eating our corn!" He came over the back of that truck like a mad man. He ran around the front of the house, tears streaming down his face and I did my best to assure him that it would be fine and grow back. Only for Travis to say, "well son, there went our corn!" Thanks Trav, thanks a lot!
Travis shooed the girls to the gate they should have never came through and the rodeo was over for the day. This farm girl, cow girl, rodeo clown, call me what you will but I've had my fare share for a while! ;) I think I'll just wait for the boys to grow up and join in the fun of cow wrangling.
I shall not lie. It was nice to be out there helping Travis, even though I was clueless. I hope that as the years pass and I learn more that we will work this farm as a family. As for our corn, as Travis assessed the damage, I couldn't help but laugh. I told him we were a three ring circus. He just looked at me. Poor guy, I hope the boys are more help to him then I am!!! I'm sure he wanted to take my camera and beat me over the head! Although he did get a good laugh when we loaded the pictures. The corn however, not so funny. If it makes, it will be by the grace of the good Lord!!
