Never Let Down

Your guard. Received my stipend from the paper this week and opted to spend it on groceries. Thus, after the many storied joys of shopping, we started milking a bit late.

Well, more than a bit. We were a good hour plus late to let the ladies down in to eat and equally askew in the hour of putting them in the barn.

Just about dark.

Becky, who was letting them into the barn two or three at a time, so we can get the new little SWD Valiant* daughter safely into her new stall calls out to us.

"Cows are going up the hill." She hollers.

No big thing. Sometimes when they finish the feed they head back to pasture. They generally realize their mistake and come back down in a minute.

"Cows are going up the hill," she calls again.

Well, yes all right, we'll get them in a minute, just let us get the rest of them locked up in their stalls.

Then she barged into the barn in a grump and stomped off up the hill.

The other hill.

Some rotten little somebody had jumped on top of the gate that leads to the rest of the farm and bent it beyond redemption. A good third took advantage and ran off.

I won't bore you with the hour-and-a-half at least details of the chase. I stayed at the barn at the broken gate to keep the remainder of the ones who didn't get out and don't go in the barn confined. And to direct traffic when the runaways returned

Beck and the boss ranged over hill and dale, through head-high thistles and burs, in the dark, chasing the naughty beggars. 

It took a long, awful time. Eventually the escapees stampeded into the barnyard and stood, heads up, breath whistling, and obviously thinking, whoa, that was fun!

Tails full of burs are so nice at milking time. The better to beat you with, my pretty.

I felt so bad about being at the barn while they ran and tripped and stumbled and swore that I bought them sundaes for supper. Ice cream will cure a lot of ills and even if if it doesn't wipe off the bramble scratches, it does help you forget about them.

Worst of it was, as soon as those that were milked were turned back outside, they ran right up to the gate that they broke, ready to do it all again.

Joke's on them. The boss hung a monstrous feeder gate in its place. Awful heavy to open and close, but if they jump that we'll put them under saddle and take them to the Maryland Hunt Cup.  Won't we be famous then.
  

Chasing cows sure gets old fast.

*Have I mentioned finally having a daughter of the great old bull SWD Valiant? No? Guess I've been keeping quiet so as not to jinx her. I have waited over thirty years for this.