Mnemonics on the Farm

Mnemonics are useful little tricks or methods - like acronyms or poems - that help us remember important information. Or, put more simply, mnemonics give us clues to remember stuff.    

• ROY G BIV helps us remember the colors of the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. (I just saw this again this week on Kids' Baking Championship.)
  
• Lefty loosey - righty tightey. (What direction to turn a screw.)
• My very excellent mother just served us nine pizzas. (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Nepture, Pluto - the order of the planets - at least, back when poor Pluto was still a planet.)

  I have developed my own code for remembering operations on the feed truck.

 

Top o' the morning to you!

Bottoms up!

Being left-handed is "in!"

(You notice they all have exclamation points: You might as well be committed to your work, right?!)

 

Translation: 

Use the top lever first when you're turning on the truck.

Use the bottom lever first when you're turning off the truck.

Front-wheel drive is engaged when the lever is to the left. (I'm lefthanded, so I'll pretend to be "in," though I've really never been "in" anytime in my entire life.) 

My motto? Whatever works.

 

Randy and the cattle don't care how I get it done.  (They don't even care when I take momentary breaks to take photos.)

As long as I keep the feed coming, everyone's happy.

 

 While I can handle my own feed truck maneuvering, I do need a little help for a clean windshield. 

 

I certainly don't have to have pristine working conditions. I have mouse/rat bait in the cab of the truck, if that tells you anything. But it's probably best to be able to see out of the windshield - even if my route is in the middle of nowhere.

 

Since I need a step ladder to get into the truck to begin with, I don't think climbing in more precarious places is advised.

Thankfully, I have an efficient service station attendant who's willing to stretch to those hard-to-reach places.

All those factors led to satisfied customers - whether you're talking the driver or the cattle.

Napkin anyone?

Some of the customers really get into their meals.

You know those escape rooms that are so popular these days? I think this feeder calf was trying to develop the farmyard version of the game. Randy initially thought he might have to provide a little help with the escape.  But, just in time, the calf untangled itself from the bale feeder and headed off for its turn at the bunks.

More on feeding next time. (I figure when feeding is an everyday occurrence, it probably deserves more than a day of reporting.)