Karbon Kounty Moos

Yesterday was unseasonably warm. We had our warnings, though. The temperature dropped twenty degrees in about forty minutes, just before dusk. By six o’clock it was snowing and blowing from the north. I know, it is winter and this is Montana. I had plugged in all of the equipment that I’d need for feeding.

This morning it was still snowing and blowing. It was just below zero Fahrenheit. The yard was full of drifts. I had to shovel out of the front door and into the garage. When I went to start the feeder truck, I noticed cattle huddled by the new barn. They had knocked down the electric wire. They could have walked right into the yard, but they hadn’t. I put Sugar in the truck, but I didn’t dare start it. I chased the cows into the pasture, and picked up the wire. I didn’t have enough slack to connect it, and I couldn’t find the insulator. I dragged a couple of Powder River panels out of the ice, across the non-existent gate, and wired them shut. Then I got into the truck, which would not start. I cranked the window down, so I could push the outside button to open the door. I let Sugar out first, instead of having her knock me out the door. I held tightly to the door as I got down and out, so the wind wouldn’t slam it into the already demolished windshield.

I went into the garage, started the pickup and left it idling. I went in the house and called Lynn. He said that he’d come down and give the International a jump. I told him that I’d go get the tractor started. The tractor is in a shed about a half mile away. The road was dry - but there were some incredible drifts. There was one right against the shed doors. I had brought the scoop shovel. I got the tractor started and let it idle. When Sugar and I got back to the yard, the feeder truck was running, and Lynn was getting the hot wire back up. Thanks Lynn!

Then I saw the drifts in the alley. There was no way I would be able to feed on the north side of the lot. I had gotten stuck twice on Christmas Day in smaller drifts. The bald duals on the driver’s side probably didn’t help, either. I was not going to do that again. Fortunately, there was still silage in the north bunk. The north side of the board wall - where I usually drive around the lot was even worse. I wouldn’t attempt taking the pickup back for a look. Lynn said to leave it for today, but that he’d clear it with the tractor tomorrow. I thanked him for getting things going. He told me that Jan wanted me to come up for lunch. Everyone wants to make sure that I’m eating. I am. I put the pickup back in the garage.

Next, Sugar and I brought the feeder truck to the silage pit. Then we walked across to get the tractor. I loaded silage for the cows and heifers, and left the tractor running at the pit. I fed the girls, sliding around the alley on the ice under the snow. Then I got the pickup and drove to the shed. Back in the tractor, I speared a bale of straw and hooked a bale of hay in the bucket. I took the tractor back to the lot. After struggling with panels and gates, I fed and bedded down the boys. We went back to the stacks to do it all over. The heifer pen was so badly drifted, I didn’t think I’d ever get in the gate. Where would I be without the scoop shovel? I called Jan on my cell phone and told her that there was no way I could be there by noon at the rate I was going. I did use some words that I won’t repeat. She told me not to worry, and just come up when I could. Thanks, Jan.

I finally got enough of the drift out of the way of the gate, and went into the heifer pen. Sugar was bored, but she stayed with me the whole time. I brought the tractor back to the shed. When I came home, I took off a few layers of clothes, cleaned up and drove to Lynn and Jan’s for lunch. Which was great - and was my breakfast, too. It was wonderful just to sit and visit for a while.

I went home and I put the layers back on. My canine assistant insisted on coming with me. Once again we went to the shed and I fired up the John Deere. We went across to the stack yard for bales for the cows and bred heifers. Up and down the lane a couple more times to feed and bed down. With some luck, tomorrow I may only have to feed silage.

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 11th, 2007 at 7:45 pm and is filed under cattle, weather, my photos. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.