Friday, May 19, 2017

Cowz R Back,and So R Da Bugz





I could hear them loud and clear this morning, coming from all directions.  The pastures along South Center Valley are alive with the Sound of MOOsic.  

Baritone bulls and soprano moms are calling out across the valley for a variety of reasons. 


Seems there's always one calf which has left its mommy and is hiding in the deep green grass somewhere. When Mom takes a break from eating and can't see her baby, she begins the high-pitched chant beckoning for the young bovine to show itself so she can go back to grazing. 


Those bulls do a lot of bellering and digging and flinging dirt. I'm thinking they just want to remind other bulls to stay out of their territory.


Anyway, it's nice to have the herds back for the summer.  Bert Wood's cows, calves and one Angus bull showed up next door earlier this week.  


The Taylors also moved some of their cattle to the Lockwood place just up the road, across from where Bert's are pastured. 


Yesterday afternoon I drove by just in time to see the ultimate bovine scratching session, as one of Taylor's herd found a perfect prop for soothing all of its itches.  


I was thinking that stump also provided a perfect setting for some enterprising photographer to embark a business called "Pasture Portraitures." Definitely a background with some great framing.  


In other news, today marks the beginning of the Tom Sherry weather promise:  several sunny days and summer-like weather.  It also marks the day when I'll once more glide across soggy grass trying to annihilate every dandelion and ragged spear of grass that I can find. 


That is----I'll be doing that job if I can get the zero-turn mower out of the last squishy place by the manure pile where I got it stuck.  It's been stuck three times so far, and I've mowed the lawn only twice.  Ironically, the surface around here is even wetter than it was two weeks ago.


With all that wet we've had of late cometh the bugs.  


Yup, last night I attempted to go for a walk after dinner.  It was short-lived because I spent so much time batting away a swarm of pesky critters which formed an irritating halo around my head, taking turns landing every so often inside my ears and around my eyes. 


By the time I arrived back at the driveway, the Schwan's man was there, and I arrived in ear shot just in time to hear Bill telling how he had tried to play Chuck-it with the dogs in the back yard but had to retreat to the house because the bugs were so bad. 


Always something, it seems to keep us humble and a reminder of that oft-used saying, "Be careful what you wish for."  


In this case, in our desire for warmer weather, we forgot about the bugs and other critters that come with higher temps.  


Lots on the plate today, so that's it for now.


Happy Friday.  














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