Sir Loin One...Dennis Zero

Farming or ranching is not for candy asses.  You who have experienced this know what I'm talking about.  It is a farm law that the worst thing that can happen is usually what happens.

Sir Loin before he was fattened.

Sir Loin, the fattening calf, is in a pen of his own.  The cows are in summer pasture.  He has constant fresh water and a feeder so he never has any wants.  I believe he does get bored because cattle are herd creatures.

They say, Never name what you are going to eat.  We did.  Marcy hand picked her grasses from flower beds and feed the poor baby.  Dennis mows clover in the orchard to haul to Sir Loin.  The little bull is spoiled rotten food wise and other wise.

Sir Loin has become a people bovine.  When Marcy or Den are close, he yells for them to bring fresh clover although he has a constant supply of all needed things including hay.

Bonnie, our pit bull, plays tag with him.  They have grown very close and even lick each other a lot.

We THOUGHT Sir Loin was a gentleman.  That thought can kill you with cattle.

Sir Loin is probably topping nine hundred pounds.  Den weighs much less.

The gate had blown shut where Sir's shelter was.  Den's thought was to go in the large corral and open that gate to improve Sir's comfort and tie it back so this would not happen again.

Sir Loin had other thoughts.

Den was in position and pulling the gate to the fence.  Sir thought he had a playing companion.  When you weight nine hundred pounds you pretty much can do what you want to do.

Sir came running at a mad gallop to play like he does with Bonnie.  Den stepped behind the gate just in time.
Sir Loin knows how to use his head.  He repeatedly butted the gate and the fence with Den caught inbetween.

Den can't move.  He can't climb.  He's trapped.  All he has with him is a 380 and that wouldn't pistol whip an ant much less a playful bovine.

Den did mention he thought of shooting him.

The temps yesterday even with rain were in the eighties.  Luckily Andrew came home from school and distracted The Beast while Den was able to climb the fence and get out.

I missed it all.  I was hauling a car load of items to the shop.

When I returned there is an ashen Den setting in his recliner and he tells me his tale.  He is a far better story teller than I and he had me wondering if the calf still stood.  His punch line for me was, "I shot the SOB" After my mouth dropped open, Den smiled and assured me Sir Loin was still living for his June 9th date with the butcher.

Den doesn't think Sir is so cute anymore.

I did ask if he would show me what happens so I could film it.

I won't tell you what his answer was.

There will be no guilt when we eat this calf and Den escaped unscathed.

My Heroes!

The pecans trees Mom and Dad planted when they first married took quite a hit from the ice. Limbs are dangling by bark and others by wood. If they fell, they could easily kill someone. Today was a little warmer so Kubota King and Assistant Andrew went to work while I manned the camera and one end of the chain.

The only way this could be done was by standing on the tip top of the bucket, wrapping a logging chain around the limb and then hope the tractor can pull it out without any major damage to kith or kin.
Andrew was a wonderful bucket operator. We, uh, they got several limbs down and to the burn pile. See why they are my heroes?

Down comes the big one! The Kubota was standing on its hind wheels but Kubota King won the tug of war as the tree limb split and fell...on nothing, Thank God!