One thing about the Stew is that so many different folks with all types of background check in. I'm looking for some new 'details' to include in my stories that I tell my son. Alex (9 yrs old) often has trouble going to sleep, so I will start talking about how farmers are the backbone of our society, I'll talk about how early they get up, no days off, milk the cows, gather eggs, slop the pigs etc. How they sew the seeds, keep the critters away, harvest and pray for rain. But because I'm only an 'armchair farmer' and have no practical experience, I'm looking for some real details to change up my stories. My melodious droning will usually put him to sleep after about 10 or 15 min, but I think we both could use something new to hear. Any farm daily route stories to share? Thanks!
How about the weather. My grandparents told stories about blizzards, cold, bringing the cattle in from the high pastures and one bad year loosing it all. Weather also included the heat and dust. Grandma would hang wet sheets over the windows to keep the dust out. Times of going to the livestock auctions to sell or buy sheep, goats, pigs as well as calves/cattle. They'd put calves onto the goats. My mom got in trouble more than once by wiggling and the auctioneer thought she was buying (she was a child). They'd end up buying some unplanned critter(s). Children Driving tractor for haying, plowing, feeding cows in the winter. Staying up all night during lambing and calving. Putting up food, starting with the windfall apples for sauce and butters. Tending the garden weeding, canning from July through October. Granddad told of a time he was taking a truck load of pigs to market (auction) and there was a mishap on the freeway. The pigs got out and were running around. The woman who smacked the rig was shrieking and so were the pigs. I am sure I could come up with a few more...just don't forget the weather good bad or indifferent it always, was as much a part of the conversation as gossip about the neighbors. Get-to-gathers/dinners/holiday celebrations at the grange hall.
How about tales of sheep dogs herding sheep or cats catching mice and rats in the barns? You could tell your son some stories associated with the wildlife that's found in and around farms? Deer, racoons, squirrels whatever animals you have in your area. There must be lots of stories you could tell about nesting owls, swallows and such like. :-D
I'd almost forgotten the time I saw a coyotte and yearling calf playing tag in a field. They were taking turns chasing each other for about a half hour before they laid down together for a breather/nap. Animal stories are great and you could even view a few on utube.
How about the goat that got her head caught in a pallet. We had gone on a weeks vacation several years ago. We raised fainting goats at the time. My 83 yr. old Mom came to stay to take care of them and our little dog Tootsie. We had, had a set of triplets born to one of our does who's name was Maddy. The kids were getting old enough to start eating grain. So I nailed a 40lb. wooden pallet in one corner of their stall. That way the kids could go threw the slats and mom goat couldn't get her head threw to eat all of the grain. It had been there in the corner for 2wks with no problems. Of course not! It's only when you go away that stuff happens. Well one morning when my Mom was going down to the barn to feed the goats and let them out. She heard all this balling and crying going on in the barn. She opened the door and walked to Maddy's stall and there she stood wearing the 40lb pallet like a necklace. My Mom wasn't sure what to do except she knew she needed to get the pallet off her head. So she pulled and Maddy pulled and wiggled and finally, poof. Her head came out of the pallet slat. Now my Mom had to figure out how to move the heavy pallet out of the way. Which she finally did. Maddy the goat only had a small cut on top of her head and her 3 kids where so happy to finally have mom back to normal. Needless to say. That was the last time my Mom stayed and took care of the goats. :-| Wonder why?
Jumping steers. Our pasture borders a pasture where there is a herd of steers (if you don't want to explain "steer" to your child, substitute "cow"). One steer likes our pasture, and jumps the fence each morning, spends the day in solitary splendor munching grass, sipping from the pond, and laying in the shade of the mesquite trees. Then when it's time to go back to the shed and get his hay or grain, he hops over the fence and goes home with the rest of the herd. Bullhide. The expression "thick as bullhide" is true. A cow's hide is very thick, so it can withstand cold better than heat. In the midday sun cows naturally congregate where there is shade, either trees or the shade of a barn. The calves are put in the inner circle, and everyone can take a nap without worrying about the young ones. In the winter, when a blue norther comes in, the cows will get in the lee of a stand of trees or the barn, circle up with their bottoms to the outside and their noses together, and wait the storm out. If you run out of stories, try reading to him from the Hank the Cowdog series of children's books.
Thanks Eileen - Yes I've talked about the faithful herding dog, owls, snakes and cats hunting mice and rats in the barn. Good idea to include nesting migratory birds and other visiting wildlife. Thanks again Jewell - I used the wet sheets over the windows and bringing animals to auction stories last night. I'll be weaving all those great ideas in. Hey Tooty - that is a great story about your momma goat. I bet just watching them go through out their daily routine can be a crack up. I'll print out your story and read it as is - it is rich in details. Thank you. Thanks Marlingardener - Very nice info on the steers and their behavior in general. Good to know that even with all the breeding, that instinct to protect the young and the herd has not gone out of them. I will look up that series of books on our next week trip to the library. Thanks again to everyone.[/b]
