Tonight, i am sitting here waiting to check heifers and thinking about this crazy vocation that we all love so much. Now, i'm not much of a writer so bear with me, but i want to tip my hat to the folks who share my joy of cattle and the ranching lifestyle. It amazes me how hard we work. Feeding, fencing, haying, driving, calving, cleaning, mucking, repairing, planting, watering, and 100 other things that make-up a ranchers day. I have spent most of the evening trying to save a calf I preety much knew was dying. A beautiful heifer calf born early this morning under a blue sky with temps in the 30s (and not negative!). But her navel ruptured around noon time after she'd already been cleaned up and filled her belly with mama's milk. I think she may have got stepped on, but I'm not sure. By the time I found her, the damage was done but i had to try. I worked on her and cleaned and put stuff back and sewed her up, but she died about dark. Now i knew that would most likely be the result but it still sucks. Her cow was showing her concern with soft mews and nuzzled her as i took her out. Tomorrow i'll put on a graft and i think the cow will be happy to raise him. The point of my rambling is because i'll bet a lot of you all feel like i do tonight. And folks who don't live our way can never wrap thier minds around the mix of emotion we feel when things go wrong and especially when they go perfect. They can't understand how we can work so hard to save something that we intend to haul to the sale barn or the meat processor a few months later. But when you're veins have the tradition and pride and commitment to our lifestyle coursing through them, you may understand the mix of exhaustion and deep joy that I feel as i'm typing. I salute all of you and am so proud to be a card carrying member of the crazy, beautiful bunch of people that love the wonderful ways and traditions of ranching. So no matter where you read this, from your Nebraska sandhills to the Florida glades. From you frosted Canadians to the sun tanned Texans! From the great northwest to the deep south. From here on the edge of the Great Basin to the Smoky Mountains! May the good Lord look down at ya and bless your farms and herds and kids and yourselves! I tip my hat to you, to us, and hope you know the cowcamp is always open and the coffee is on. If you get in my neck of the woods, your welcome anytime. And thanks for posting you success and your failures. It gives us all hope and thats all you can ask for. Thanks for letting me vent a little. Good luck to you and yours! 