2010 - Day Two Hundred Sixty Eight...

Well, today has been a different kind of day. I got up about 6 and messed around, doing my routine (habitual) things; making coffee, checking the meters, opening the coop door for the chickens, reading the paper, just the normal (normal?) things I do. Jody let the dog out in his run, and after a while, he was barking and would not quit. I went and let him in, and did not pay any attention to why he was barking; usually he just likes to hear himself bark. He came in and went and laid down in the breakfast room, waiting for handouts. I went and sat down in front of the computer in the office, and was doing a little bit of work. The next thing I new, I looked out in the yard and there was a rush of cattle in the front yard, heading for the front gate to the road. I went outside to survey the situation, and all the cattle were out of their pastures, and two of them were heading for Taylor! Jody remembered we have a front gate (we have NEVER used that gate) and I closed it which kept the other cattle inside the confines of the property.

I called our neighbors Hubert and Pauline and they came to help. By then, I was coaxing the two escapees back towards our place. They (Orchid and Minnie Moonbeam) had made it about a half-mile down the road into a freshly plowed field. They would not come back with just the enticement of the cattle cubes, so I had to traipse out into the muddy field and let them get a good sniff of the cubes, and they decided they might just as well go home. We got them back on the property and into the yard, so at least all the cattle were on our land once again. It took us all about another 20 minutes to get them back in the confines of one of the pastures, Mr. Speckles being the most ornery of them all, but it all ended up okay, and all the cattle were accounted for. This is a photo that was taken after they were all back and in the pasture they escaped from. Do they all look like they just got back from a road trip? They seem to have smug expressions on their faces, if you ask me! We have been having some work done at the property, and all we can figure is that one of the crucial gates was left open, and it took them a while to figure out they could escape if they took the right turns through the series of gates. Whatever! All is well, but I definitely got some exercise. AND, I guess I should pay more attention to what the dog is barking at next time.

We got two eggs today, and we know for sure that each of the blond sex-link chickens are the ones that are laying. So, that is more eggs than we had been expecting so far, and if the other four start laying, we will be 'in the eggs', and let the giant egg farmers be damned! I was very curious to see if we could figure out which of the chickens were laying, and I kept walking in on them while they were nesting. It reminds me of Jaston Williams in Greater Tuna...JUST STARE! What does a chicken have to do around here to get a little privacy?

Jody and I went into Georgetown for a spoiler at the Dairy Queen, then to Home Depot where I bought an edger and a few other items. We also stopped by HEB and got Hubert and Pauline an apple pie and some ice cream. They are always willing to come by and help when I do something stupid, and we are always grateful for them. When we got home, we both went down for naps, and while we were napping, we got about a quarter-inch of rain. Pretty good!

I wonder what will happen tomorrow?

Deeds, Actions, Changes, CATTLE STAMPEDES, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!