The Bad List

If I had my druthers, F91 would be on her way to the sale barn.

If Jake could choose, No. 397 would be in the trailer with F91.

And you've heard of the Horse With No Name? We had a mama cow with no eartag who jumped over a corral fence and didn't win any favorite cow awards with Randy, Jake or me. We're not thrilled with adding steps to the sorting process.

I'm usually the one who is campaigning for second chances for mama calves who lose babies. Yes, I know it's not a sound business principle, but goodness knows I have needed re-dos when it came to parenting choices on occasion.

But F91? She just didn't want to cooperate when we sorted mamas and baby calves. And she lost my sympathy vote. At one point, as she was heading straight toward me, I just shut my eyes and hoped for the best. Thankfully, she shifted directions at the last moment and avoided the collision. I think I would have been on the short end of the stick in a cow vs. farm wife incident.

Jake wasn't so lucky. Earlier, when we sorted the cow-calf pairs to work baby calves, he got run over by No. 397. We were both looking out for her this time. But she evidently had reformed her ways. She sorted and loaded easily this go-around.

And, for the record, we did get No Name back where she was supposed to be.

Instead of a one-way ticket to the sale barn, F91, 397 and No Name are spending the summer in green pastures. At least, we hope they will be green pastures. We desperately need a rain for the pastures and for our cropland.

Photo taken at Ninnescah Pasture, June 2010

Today is the last day of the sorting and hauling process. With any luck, I won't be adding to my list of "bad" numbers.

I'll let you know tomorrow when I tell the rest of the story. Stay tuned.