Greetings Readers
Well, this past Monday was the day that I had to leave our New Mexico Ranch and head back to my home in Denver, Colorado.
I did have a nice three-day weekend. I relaxed, I cooked and I just sort of took it easy. I did not worry about life beyond the Ranch, I did not think about work, I did not bring my laptop, I did not bring the PS3, and I did not bring a book. Matter of fact I came lightly packed.
I was woken up to the smell of breakfast, music from the transistor radio that was in the background and then I heard my dad telling me time to get up, eat and get ready for work.
“Work?” I say softly trying to wake up from my sleep in the spare room.
About one hour later I was at the corral and there were our heads of cattle in the corral. Shit. I knew this was going to happen, but somehow I just did not want to believe that this was going to happen.
Don’t get me wrong Readers, I do not hate this work, but just the thought of starting this on my last day of vacation was not pleasant.
Yet, in the end I did enjoy doing what needed to be done. After all it is just my Mom and Dad that are at our Ranch and no one else can help or that we want to help us with our cattle. With that in mind it is either my brother or myself or the both of us that has to help out our parents with the cattle when there calls for more than two people to do a job handling the cattle.
We have our Cattle Chute, our Calving Table, our portable Cattle fences, but most of the time it takes three people to do what we do all the time. And that would be giving shots, branding, castration, ear marking, dusting and ear tagging. Two people can technically do the job, but at a very slow pace. Three is better and all four of us is the best.
I am not sure if it just our family or not, but when doing the work on the cattle or feelings come out. We sometimes argue, sometimes question, but this is just what we do. There are no hard feelings at the end of the day when the last cattle is done. When the cattle are not co-operating or something goes wrong we tend to get riled up at whose fault it might have been.
Every now and then I will curse in front of my parents at the cattle. They understand, I think, that this is just what is expected of me and also I know that is when I am absorbed into the work. Not to mention that I am wearing the work. Cow shit on my shoes, my jeans, and my T-shirt. I am in zone.
At that point I actually love doing what needs to be done to the cattle.
My Dad and brother are usually the ones giving the shots and ear tagging & clipping the ears. My mom usually marks down what is being done to the cattle, the sex and what ever information that we need onto a clipboard for record keeping. Me – I help force the cattle through the chutes and then I take photographs (mug shots) of the cattle that shows the ear tag number and face of the cattle. This is for identification should our cattle gets lost, stolen or whatever. I also have a black marker to re-mark the ear tags since the ear tags fade throughout the year due to the sun and the weather in New Mexico. I also usually have a can of antiseptic to spray on the ears after ear clipping. I also use the spray on the behinds if the mosquitoes and horse flies are biting through the soft area of the cattle’s exposed skin.
During this time of the year, the calves are about 8 month old and are no longer small. These calves are now about my height and no longer fit through the calving table chute. This almost means that it takes more strength to force the cattle through the chutes. And more importantly if I am forcing the cattle through different parts of the corral and the cattle decided to turn towards me and start running I have to basically look menacing or get the fuck out the way in order not to be stampeded by out cattle(s). Yes readers, I get scared since the calves are no longer waist high to me anymore.
Six hours later we were done. Those six hours flew by and the next thing I knew it was time to get ready to leave for Albuquerque. The time was about 5 PM and it does take a few hours to reach Albuquerque. We did not have time to eat so I showered and got my gear packed. Though I was packing light since I had unloaded my Coca-Cola Reward Gifts to my parents and brother as well as the Mountain Man nuts I brought from them. I did pack all the Coca-Cola reward points that they have collected since my last visit. Considerable less, but more than I have so there is no complaint from me. And more importantly, I rewarded them for collecting the Coca-Cola points for me.
Fast Forward – I slept pretty darn well on the Americanos bus going to Denver. And that was because of the workout I got from working on the Cattle. And yes, I felt that my biceps, my pecs and basically my upper body got a fucking good workout. And it was a nice break to take from running to and from work the week before. I did not run once while on my mini-vacation.
In closing, the three best things – I did not have to shovel and transport and shit from the Ranch to the dumping ground away from the Ranch. Two – the weather was mid to high eighties and Sunny. Three - I got to spend time with my parents. Oops – there is a forth – got two presents.
Until the next time
Daryl Charley
The Fallen Athlete
Well, this past Monday was the day that I had to leave our New Mexico Ranch and head back to my home in Denver, Colorado.
I did have a nice three-day weekend. I relaxed, I cooked and I just sort of took it easy. I did not worry about life beyond the Ranch, I did not think about work, I did not bring my laptop, I did not bring the PS3, and I did not bring a book. Matter of fact I came lightly packed.
I was woken up to the smell of breakfast, music from the transistor radio that was in the background and then I heard my dad telling me time to get up, eat and get ready for work.
“Work?” I say softly trying to wake up from my sleep in the spare room.
About one hour later I was at the corral and there were our heads of cattle in the corral. Shit. I knew this was going to happen, but somehow I just did not want to believe that this was going to happen.
Don’t get me wrong Readers, I do not hate this work, but just the thought of starting this on my last day of vacation was not pleasant.
Yet, in the end I did enjoy doing what needed to be done. After all it is just my Mom and Dad that are at our Ranch and no one else can help or that we want to help us with our cattle. With that in mind it is either my brother or myself or the both of us that has to help out our parents with the cattle when there calls for more than two people to do a job handling the cattle.
We have our Cattle Chute, our Calving Table, our portable Cattle fences, but most of the time it takes three people to do what we do all the time. And that would be giving shots, branding, castration, ear marking, dusting and ear tagging. Two people can technically do the job, but at a very slow pace. Three is better and all four of us is the best.
I am not sure if it just our family or not, but when doing the work on the cattle or feelings come out. We sometimes argue, sometimes question, but this is just what we do. There are no hard feelings at the end of the day when the last cattle is done. When the cattle are not co-operating or something goes wrong we tend to get riled up at whose fault it might have been.
Every now and then I will curse in front of my parents at the cattle. They understand, I think, that this is just what is expected of me and also I know that is when I am absorbed into the work. Not to mention that I am wearing the work. Cow shit on my shoes, my jeans, and my T-shirt. I am in zone.
At that point I actually love doing what needs to be done to the cattle.
My Dad and brother are usually the ones giving the shots and ear tagging & clipping the ears. My mom usually marks down what is being done to the cattle, the sex and what ever information that we need onto a clipboard for record keeping. Me – I help force the cattle through the chutes and then I take photographs (mug shots) of the cattle that shows the ear tag number and face of the cattle. This is for identification should our cattle gets lost, stolen or whatever. I also have a black marker to re-mark the ear tags since the ear tags fade throughout the year due to the sun and the weather in New Mexico. I also usually have a can of antiseptic to spray on the ears after ear clipping. I also use the spray on the behinds if the mosquitoes and horse flies are biting through the soft area of the cattle’s exposed skin.
During this time of the year, the calves are about 8 month old and are no longer small. These calves are now about my height and no longer fit through the calving table chute. This almost means that it takes more strength to force the cattle through the chutes. And more importantly if I am forcing the cattle through different parts of the corral and the cattle decided to turn towards me and start running I have to basically look menacing or get the fuck out the way in order not to be stampeded by out cattle(s). Yes readers, I get scared since the calves are no longer waist high to me anymore.
Six hours later we were done. Those six hours flew by and the next thing I knew it was time to get ready to leave for Albuquerque. The time was about 5 PM and it does take a few hours to reach Albuquerque. We did not have time to eat so I showered and got my gear packed. Though I was packing light since I had unloaded my Coca-Cola Reward Gifts to my parents and brother as well as the Mountain Man nuts I brought from them. I did pack all the Coca-Cola reward points that they have collected since my last visit. Considerable less, but more than I have so there is no complaint from me. And more importantly, I rewarded them for collecting the Coca-Cola points for me.
Fast Forward – I slept pretty darn well on the Americanos bus going to Denver. And that was because of the workout I got from working on the Cattle. And yes, I felt that my biceps, my pecs and basically my upper body got a fucking good workout. And it was a nice break to take from running to and from work the week before. I did not run once while on my mini-vacation.
In closing, the three best things – I did not have to shovel and transport and shit from the Ranch to the dumping ground away from the Ranch. Two – the weather was mid to high eighties and Sunny. Three - I got to spend time with my parents. Oops – there is a forth – got two presents.
Until the next time
Daryl Charley
The Fallen Athlete
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