Morning Drive Time

The big-town radio stations talk about morning drive time. They'll play a mix of music to get commuters from suburbia to their downtown office jobs. It's where the stations sell their best advertising space, since it's when the drivers are held captive by bumper-to-bumper traffic. Or so I've been told.

I don't know about that kind of morning drive time. I do know about another kind of drive time. It was what Randy, Jim and I accomplished one morning last week as we "drove" mama cows and their babies from the Peace Creek pasture to the corrals a half mile away.

 

It was time for another round of well-baby checks. Just like we took our own children to the doctor for vaccinations and care, the baby calves have their own appointment to keep them healthy and growing.

I stayed back in a corral while Randy checked the pasture, and the baby calves curiously checked out the lady on the 4-wheeler.

This was taken another year, when my job was the pickup driver. 
I was too busy driving the 4-wheeler to get many photos this year!

Our version of a "traffic jam" came when the cows wanted to detour for a snack on the lush green wheat fields. Since the 4-wheeler accelerator is on the righthand side and my camera also requires a righthand click, it's no wonder there aren't many photos of the process. I was too busy trying to chase mamas and babies and get them moving on their way toward the corrals.

Once there, we separated the mamas from the babies so we could "work" the baby calves.

The "doctor's" waiting room was full of patients.

This little guy wanted to check out his compatriots on the other side of the fence. I doubt he wanted to go through the chute again though. Only one set of shots per customer, please!

For the return trip, we loaded the babies into a trailer. We hoped the cows would do what good mamas do - follow their babies.

After some forays into the wheat and an alfalfa field, we eventually got them moving toward the Peace Creek pasture.

Once they got over the bridge, they could see the pickup down in the corral.

Then the morning drive time tune shifted to "Anticipation" as the guys prepared to open the trailer. "Anticipation. Anticipation is making me wait."

 

Every time we return babies to their mamas, I mentally sing "Reunited, and it feels so good." Really.

The search was on for the right baby.

A snack is always good after a doctor's appointment.