Country Gal by Vanita Blundell 2-14-06
I have come an important conclusion. I should not have a more than 11 cows in one pasture, absolutely no more than 30. I have found that I have a terrible time counting. It gets very frustrating I count my cows and thinking that I have one missing, so I drive all over the pasture looking for one stretched out and can not find anything. This gets exasperating and with the price of gas it is expensive, then I go back to the herd and count again and find that they are all there. I would like to think that while I went off to look for the straggler she came in behind me. Or as I am counting I am looking out the window that will not go down, while not running over the baby calves who just love to get in front of me, while trying figure out if there is one or more cows behind the bull that stands in the most difficult position. Sometimes I think that Dad was right about those devils sitting on the fence posts. I am not a multi-purpose gal. I have also learned that is essential to string the feed in one line, when you feed in two or three lines the cows are inconsiderate and will not stay in one line, no, they move all around.
I have a framed picture that was Jim’s dads, it was an old calendar, it is entitled ‘Short Cut’. It is a cowboy on horseback counting the Hereford cows going out a pasture gate. The cows are just pouring out and the dirt is flying, but behind him the fence is down and there are cows spilling out the hole, so his count will not be correct.
Sometimes when I look at it, I think that is just about the way life goes. Even when you are doing the best you can and what needs to be done, nothing is for certain. One time my mom asked Keith Marsh if he felt secure with his job. He told her that the only thing that he was secure in was the Lord.
Other times I remember that Dad liked this picture. He thought it looked like Jims dad, Vernon, Dad would talk to the picture and say, “Vernon, your count will be off”. Then he would just laugh.
When we worked cattle for the other ranchers you knew that the day was almost over when we took the cows back to pasture and two cowboys would get on each side of the gate, we would slow the herd down as they wanted to get an accurate count as to what went back in. It was great when both of them got the same number. I was always glad to be in the back and not the counter. I have one neighbor that is gifted with counting. He gets a perfect tally almost every time. Sometimes I think it might be easier to count their feet and divide by 4.