The Dinner Bell

This time of the year we spend a lot of time feeding. Well, let me amend that...DH spends a lot of time feeding. I love going with him though and I think he kind of likes having his own personal gate opener-upper Yesterday was especially nice - the wind didn't blow which in turn, means the dirt didn't blow. The high was 68 and outside was the only place to be.

So I thought I'd drag y'all along for a feed run. Until it rains, this is our life. I'll spare you the 30 minutes of scouring the pasture in search of something that resembles a bovine, but this first little video lets you in on what the bovine dinner bell sounds like. Turn down your volume a bit - its pretty loud. DH chooses the perfect spot to stop, depending on the wind and direction of the herd that allows the siren to travel the maximum distance in order to call the cattle in. You're not missing anything if you stop the video after the siren quits. I just haven't figured out how to edit yet. :) Heck, I'm impressed that I finally figured out how to post videos!

           

Then we wait for  more of this:

                    

DH is counting what's come in and scanning the horizon for stragglers and slow pokes:

                                             

Some are quite docile:

                   

While others voice their displeasure more than others at having to wait:

                                        

Once they all arrive at the dinner table, we dole out the cake which is what we call the cubes. When the kids were little, they would often arrive at the dinner table with a soggy cube in hand that they had been gnawing on. My mother was horrified when she first saw this and said that we were raising heathens. LOL

Its not very exciting - just hungry heifers and bulls, but I've had some requests about what we do out here so here it is for your viewing pleasure:




At some point you hear 'oww'. That's just my reaction to a rut in the road that caused my backside to come in contact with a stray mesquite branch that was wedged in the tire I was sitting in. It happens.

Once everyone is happily munching, we make another circle and take role call. Everyone needs to be present and accounted for so a good count is essential. That lets us know if we've got to search for anyone. Feeding allows DH to keep a close eye on everyone. He can tell at a glance if something's off. Perhaps someone's sick or is off calving or ended up in a neighboring pasture which means fencing is added to the day's chores.

Thanks for tagging along today!