When a kid grows up there is always (hopefully) an event that changes their actions forever. I remember one year about this time of year when the cows were calving (that means they were having babies) and we had a cow that was having some trouble calving. Dad sent me out to check on her and she was across the creek and about 1/4 to 1/2 mile from the house. He gave me a pretty good description of where she was I was supposed to make sure she did not need any help.
Well you may not know it but it seemed that every year there were a few cows that just struggled having a calf and we needed to assist. Let me explain how it is a little different than being in a hospital with a doctor and a staff of nurses and everyone knows the nurses do the work and the doctor gets paid. That is another story. Anyway there were many a time where the calf was being born and the cow just could not get it done on her own. So we would tie a rope around the calf legs and feet and tie that to a fence puller or wench, see picture.
Then we would either have the wench attached to the pickup or the cattle pens/shut. At that time we would start cranking and pretty soon the calf would pop out. Now there were other times when the calf was in backwards (breach) and you would have to put your arm, I mean ALL of it, inside the cow to grab the calf's head and turn them around. I considered that a little gross but it was necessary and it worked. Anyway back to the cow who was calving.
I went off reluctantly not really wanting to look for that cow and not committed fully to finding her. It was late and about to get dark so I needed to move quickly. I ran across the creek and through the woods (like the song) looking for the cow to no avail. I don't remember for sure but I was probably worried about missing one of my favorite shows like the Beverly Hillbillies or Green Acres. Did you know that Zeb of Green Acres was from PaulsValley, Oklahoma? Well not only did I not look thoroughly but when I got back to the house I told dad I found her and she was OK.
The next day Dad went to check on her just to find that the calf had died and the cow was crippled from giving birth. He confronted me and I lied again. Dad was sick about it as when you lost a calf you not only lost the income off the cow for the year but you also had to feed the cow for another year and not get paid. This sounds like free enterprise doesn't it unless you let the government get involved and then they guarantee you income and no risk. Dad never did like the government getting involved in farming, ranching and dairying. He always said it made good farmers become lazy and not good farmers.
Well I wish I could tell you that I felt so bad that I went and corrected y error but that never happened. I did feel bad about it and still do about 50 years later.
Well what do you learn in the Osage?
Well you may not know it but it seemed that every year there were a few cows that just struggled having a calf and we needed to assist. Let me explain how it is a little different than being in a hospital with a doctor and a staff of nurses and everyone knows the nurses do the work and the doctor gets paid. That is another story. Anyway there were many a time where the calf was being born and the cow just could not get it done on her own. So we would tie a rope around the calf legs and feet and tie that to a fence puller or wench, see picture.
I went off reluctantly not really wanting to look for that cow and not committed fully to finding her. It was late and about to get dark so I needed to move quickly. I ran across the creek and through the woods (like the song) looking for the cow to no avail. I don't remember for sure but I was probably worried about missing one of my favorite shows like the Beverly Hillbillies or Green Acres. Did you know that Zeb of Green Acres was from PaulsValley, Oklahoma? Well not only did I not look thoroughly but when I got back to the house I told dad I found her and she was OK.
The next day Dad went to check on her just to find that the calf had died and the cow was crippled from giving birth. He confronted me and I lied again. Dad was sick about it as when you lost a calf you not only lost the income off the cow for the year but you also had to feed the cow for another year and not get paid. This sounds like free enterprise doesn't it unless you let the government get involved and then they guarantee you income and no risk. Dad never did like the government getting involved in farming, ranching and dairying. He always said it made good farmers become lazy and not good farmers.
Well I wish I could tell you that I felt so bad that I went and corrected y error but that never happened. I did feel bad about it and still do about 50 years later.
Well what do you learn in the Osage?
- lying never feels good
- lying never goes away
- everyone suffers when you lie
- Depending on the government creates dependency on others to bail you out
- The counter to that is a government that depends on your taxes and not on being a good steward with discipline is a government out of control
Thanks for your time,
gary@thepioneerman.com
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