Sunday morning coming down 10-1-06

[Soapweed]

Swans on Wilson Lake

Calves and swans seem to be compatible

Only the lonely

Here are the swans; where is the Schwan's man

Red meat, inside and out

Historic old house in planned burn

Up in smoke

I could feel the heat back where I was standing

Practice for the volunteer firemen

Going

Going

About gone

Cattle drive through downtown Merriman

Moving right along

Fast moving leaders

Ya-hooooooo

The cows didn't obey the sign

Clippin' along

Colorful calf with the town brand boards in the back

Yippee kiyi yippee yippee yay

Owner of the cows

Looking south on Main Street

Bringing up the drag

Autumn colors

This used to be the highway

A tourist lady that stopped with her husband to take pictures of the cattle and the trees

Cottonwoods and cattle

 

[the_jersey_lilly_2000]

Who told em to hang a right at the stop sign?

 

[Soapweed]

Who told em to hang a right at the stop sign?

Just instinct and many years of practice, I guess. :wink:

 

[the_jersey_lilly_2000]

We don't hafta ever move ours......I know a couple that moves theres from one side of the road to the other, gates are almost lined up exactly where all they gotta do is open two gates and run em across the road...I think we could handle that....but if we had to move cows like some of you do....there would be no "experienced cow" and they'd head out the gate with nothin but FREEDOM on their minds....and none of em would know which way to go. So they'd all go seperate ways LOL

 

[JF Ranch]

Oh Lilly, you would be surprised. Once you'd get your cows headed out, a lead cow would take over and they would move like any other bunch of cattle. Even this bunch of apparently "automated" cattle that Soapweed shows here, required a certain amount of cowboying to get going and kept going straight. You say that you wouldn't know how to do it but once underway, your instincts would suprise you too!

 

[IL Rancher]

We run ours across roads a few times a year. The first time every year is a disaster because of the calves. Than it gets a little better the next time (Although we hve to hunt for calves that get left behind) and by fal they all have it under control that one person can move them. The more fun one is down the county road which is a once a year thing (We trailer them there but drive them back).. Loads of fun, especially since you always have someone new to deal with.. Longest we have them on the road is maybe a quarter of a mile unless we have an escape...Than t a been up to mile.I'm just glad when I have fence on one side so I can hold them there ad no have tem end up in a corn field. Cow in cornfield means good luck finding me...

 

[Shortgrass]

We used to rent a pasture where we had blacktop to cross. Getting cattle to step on the pavement was the trick for me. Usually patience would do it, but a couple of times I remember that my twine won out over patience. Merriman looks like it did 30 or more years ago. Soapweed I don't think I ever thanked you for the updates On Jess & Doris and Vince & Betty. I sure learned a lot from Vince about time management. Sure wish I would have learned more. He was a good manager.

 

[nr]

Ever have trouble with town folks getting trampled ?? How do you let everyone know the herd is coming through?

neat pictures!!

 

[IL Rancher]

With our cows we have enough now that know what pavement is that they cross it just fine but this spring I had a bull that sweared if he touched that pavement he would burst into flames instantly... Finally got him across but it took forever and I gave the drivers by a few good laughts I guess, if you need a laugh drive by this place when we are 1) working cattle or 2) moving cattle...

 

[the_jersey_lilly_2000]

The clippidy clop of cloven hooves and all the mooin prolly gets any sidewalk walkers outta the way. Seems when we pen cows they all gotta talk to each other. Kinda like lil kindergarten kids in line waitin to go out to recess LOL They can't be quiet.

 

[nr]

The clippidy clop of cloven hooves and all the mooin prolly gets any sidewalk walkers outta the way. Seems when we pen cows they all gotta talk to each other. Kinda like lil kindergarten kids in line waitin to go out to recess LOL They can't be quiet.

Lily, you've got a descriptive way of talking! lol Surely enjoy you posts always.

 

[the_jersey_lilly_2000]

LOL @ "descriptive way of talking" ya mean my accent? Bleave me I've heard myself talk on video. And I try real hard to keep my mouth shut when I'm operatin the camera, cuz it sounds so hickey. But oh well, it don't work....I can't keep quiet LOL

 

[nr]

LOL @ "descriptive way of talking" ya mean my accent? Bleave me I've heard myself talk on video. And I try real hard to keep my mouth shut when I'm operatin the camera, cuz it sounds so hickey. But oh well, it don't work....I can't keep quiet LOL

I can only imagine your accent! unless you post a video of yourself sometime! Actually in my head I hear you sounding like my friend from Arkansas.
No, I meant when you describe cattle like school children etc. that it is very descriptive. Over the years I've had the fun part of writing drummed out of me as a nurse where we were told to write "only the facts ma'am, the facts" in the nursing notes. Yours is much more enjoyable.

 

[Faster horses]

Her personality just comes shining through in her posts, doesn't it, nr?
I enjoy them too. I can imagine her talking in my ear as I read.

 

[HAY MAKER]

Nice pictures soapweed,thanks for posting em,Im glad we dont move cattle on the hoof on roads anymore,too many city folks around nowadays,neighbors move their cattle across the road to the river pature, but the county put a culvert in the road for them to move cattle under the road,had to bridge a low area anyway, so they put about a 6 foot high culvert in there for drainage and cattle to cross.............good luck

 

[Denny]

We trailed ours 4 miles down the road yeasterday,9:30 last night I got a call a cow was traveling back to the pasture to get her calf.I drove up there and followed her back to the pasture where her calf was waiting.She crossed the highway with no problems which was a bonus as a black cow on a black road in the black of night is hard to see.

 

[Soapweed]

Whenever we cross a highway with cattle, I always take a few minutes and shovel some sand onto the blacktop. If there are any white lines involved, it sure pays to cover them up. Usually there is a gopher mound or loose sand available to throw on the road, but if there isn't, this is an excellent time to clean out a horse trailer. A little preparation saves a lot of hassle later.

 

[the_jersey_lilly_2000]

them stripes on the road can be useful too. There's a state park, Monahans Sandhills State park, when i was a kid they took out the cattle guard that was at the entrance, and painted yellow strips in it's place. the cattle that were ran in the sandhills never crossed those painted lines. No depth perception.

 

[Jinglebob]

LOL @ "descriptive way of talking" ya mean my accent? Bleave me I've heard myself talk on video. And I try real hard to keep my mouth shut when I'm operatin the camera, cuz it sounds so hickey. But oh well, it don't work....I can't keep quiet LOL

You don't sound "hickey", you sound country. And who don't like a lady with a little southern country twang , to her voice?

Hickey's is what we used to get on our necks when we was younger and courtin'! :wink:

 

[the_jersey_lilly_2000]

nuh uh...my mama woulda wore me out good if I ever came home with a hickey on me........ :shock: