Friday, August 20, 2010

MOOOO!

 I told D I was going to blog about this story.  It's not necessarily mine to tell, but, well, when your wife LOVES to blog......;-)


Wednesday was the day our little bull had an appointment at the processor in Dodge.  This has been our goal for the past few years....sending off  our own "homegrown, hormone, antibiotic  free, humanly treated...beef!

This "calf" however, has been a pain in our....necks..for some time now. He's the HOUDINI of cattle, ducking or going through fences like nothing I've ever seen before.  The plan all along was to send him for butcher, but he's attitude and actions just set that decision.

He was not cut, because when we tried, everyone who helped us agreed he was already to big, and it couldn't be done without some medications and a tranq gun.

So Tuesday, D goes out and easily gets he and one of his "ladies" in a small coral.  He leaves them in and later,  he and my brother, sort out the girlfriend out so they can easily load him up on the trailer then next morning.  That's when Party #1 started.  D said the bull realized he was being sorted out and was mad that his lady friend was running up the hill with out him.  Started breathing really heavy, and the next thing the guys knew he broke through some pipe and ran off to chase her.  

Took them a few hours, but they caught him...and a couple of girlfriends...and left them there for the night.  Next morning they would just sort out the cows, load him in the trailer, and head to Dodge.  Sounds easy, right?
They headed out at 7am, and I don't think they got him loaded until after 10:30.  Dan came flying though to get something to drink already ticked off, leaving a trail of cow poop though my living room. Nice.  Said he was heading to Dodge and would be back in a couple of hours.

Time for Party #2

He was talking on the phone with me just past Mullinville, when I heard, " Oh *@#& "  I gotta go."  CLICK. 

Not words you really want to hear your husband say when he has a 1000 lb animal in a trailer, by himself.  He called me back a bit later to tell me that he had looked in the mirror when he felt the trailer start shaking, and that stupid bull was TRYING TO JUMP OVER THE SIDE OF THE TRAILER and was about halfway up when he saw him in the mirror.  How do you fix THAT?  Well, you tap the brakes.  Can you imagine what those people in passing cars thought at the sight of a bull hanging over the side of the trailer?

 The bull had broken through the gate that closes of half the trailer, so he had to stop to fix the gate and get Mr Angry calmed down. He was started to get worried that the bull was going to cause the trailer to flip.  D said this guy continued to try to jump out, ram the side of the trailer at him.  He wanted D out cold and had that "look" in his eyes everyone talks about, but something we had never seen. By the way, did you know that bulls growl? Not snort, or breathe heavy.  Growl.  I would have peed my pants.  He finally got his head/horns tied to the sides of the trailer.  He had seriously considered calling 911 or a friend from Bucklin to see if someone could come out and just shoot him. He was too that point.  He didn't think he was going to make it to Dodge.  All D had was the end of a pool stick.  He also kept waiting for a passing motorist to stop and offer help, but NO ONE even drove by. 

An hour trip to Dodge took him well over 2.5 hours.  He felt nothing but relief pulling into the parking lot.  The owner came out and told D that they would not be unloading him into the pens, that Mr Angry would be stunned in the trailer and then immediately taken in to process. (D had called him earlier to let him know he was having "some" problems.)  D asked one of the guys if they had to do this often. "Well.......uhh........."  D took it as a big NO.

D walked across the street to get a drink, sit on the bench, and call his wife.  I've never ever heard my laid back, calm, sweet husband so amped up and freaked out.  If he was like this, I can just imagine what *I* would have been like had I been with him. It takes A LOT to get him worked up.

So, in a month, we will have our beef.  I know it will taste oh so good, but I think it will be extra tasty to D!
=-)

NEXT TIME D will not go alone....I've nominated my little brother to go along.  Because that's the type of big sister I am! hehe

MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

2 comments:

Melanie said...

Seriously!!??? I am cracking up--don't tell Dan!! Oh the life of a farmer!! Oh, I mean rancher! :-)

Sara said...

I hope you enjoy every meal this fall!