Life on a family farm
in the wilds of
Upstate New York
Saturday, June 09, 2012
Liz Wants a Blog Post
This morning we had some up close and personal veterinary work to do on five strong, flighty, more than a year old, heifers.
They are not sick, this was just routine stuff, but it had to be done. They are housed in the old sawdust shed, which was built to keep the sawdust from running away. It served that job quite well, but despite the addition of some sturdy gates, it won't bear having heifers tied to it, or slammed against it, or handy-dandy gate moving or anything like that.
Thus these heifers had to be caught and held without the benefit of good equipment.
The boss tried. He has always been a strong, capable man, leaping tall buildings at a single bound and all. However, he has been injured a lot of times over the years, plus he broke his shoulder and dislocated it a couple years ago and it just doesn't do what he needs it to. And he is well over sixty.
Thus he couldn't just grab them by the nose and hang on like he would have done even a couple of years ago.
This work absolutely had to be done.
There was no one here but us wimmen and him. His lariat has a broken catch on it and is essentially worse than useless.
So Liz took an old calf halter, undid the nose band to form a makeshift loop, handed me her engagement ring and got in the pen.
After all the fruitless previous efforts by her dad, and there were many, in about fifteen minutes she roped all five heifers, held the rope with one hand while she did the work on them with the other, then turned them all loose. Then she took back her ring and put it back on.
She was covered with manure, bruised, battered, and has one finger that may not have been meant to bend that way originally, but the work is done and everybody is still standing up and taking nourishment.....she told me she expected a blog post out of it at the very least.
So here, it is...Upstate NY, where the men are men and the women are scary.
WW, thank you too. She is pretty amazing...not that I am prejudiced or anything. lol
Joated, thanks from Liz
Rev. Paul, thank you, likewise from Liz
Jeffro, I'll tell her...and me either. In fact I couldn't any more, although when I was younger I would have waded in as best I could. I was never that tough though.
Dani, and takes names. lol
Cathy, cool, it is so nice, as we quietly wane to see the kids waxing bold and bright.
Ruth, she will too. lol, although she was pretty lame last night when she came down to feed the pony
Caroline, it is so cool that you did! Love to see your pics of your life now.
12 comments:
Go Liz! That's awesome!
Great post!!!!
Oh, you betcha! Hurray for Liz! And her folks, too.
Yee-ha! Way to go Lizzie!
Way to go, Liz! Well done!
This is me bowing in Liz's general direction. I wouldn't want to do what she pulled off.
Oh my God. Your last line - literally - gave me goosebumps! I swear!
Still got 'em.
Alriiiiiiight!!!!
Go Liz!
I grew up in upstate NY, you are absolutely right! Go, Liz!
I grew up in upstate NY, you are absolutely right! Go, Liz!
RM, it sure was a relief that she got it done!
Rebecca thanks
WW, thank you too. She is pretty amazing...not that I am prejudiced or anything. lol
Joated, thanks from Liz
Rev. Paul, thank you, likewise from Liz
Jeffro, I'll tell her...and me either. In fact I couldn't any more, although when I was younger I would have waded in as best I could. I was never that tough though.
Dani, and takes names. lol
Cathy, cool, it is so nice, as we quietly wane to see the kids waxing bold and bright.
Ruth, she will too. lol, although she was pretty lame last night when she came down to feed the pony
Caroline, it is so cool that you did! Love to see your pics of your life now.
Ag and hard physical work seems to get to those who call themselves farmers. linda
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