WWW – the dust and bellow report
A very quick post tonight I’m afraid… I am bone, muscle and EVERYTHING weary tonight after helping out with the weaning for two days. I have been riding (and even galloping) to help muster and then work the cattle through the crush (checking all electronic tags on cows and dipping them to control ticks.) Every muscle I had forgotten I owned got used over the past 48 hours and my need for Nurophen and some shut-eye has escalated to epic proportions tonight.
But I hear you saying, that’s all good and fine, but WHERE is the Weather Watch, Bush Babe? And what the HECK is weaning?
Right – enough about me then…
Weaning means taking six-month old calves from their Mamas – sorting them off and then shutting them in a yard away from each other. I know it sounds a bit rough, but it’s a really important part of our job and allows the mother cows to get some relief from the demands of their offspring as they incubate next season’s calf. The weather is getting pretty cold (even frosty) and the demands of harsh weather, drier fodder and big calves can really take their toll on cows. So its the kindest thing to do – not that either the Mama or calf thank us much for it initially.
The bellowing is EAR-splitting as we work in the yards – we honestly have to communicate via hand signals, it’s so loud. But its reassuring to know that in a day or so all will be quiet and calm once more. The calves (who are almost as big as some of the cows) will realise that vast amounts of hay are on-hand, water is plentiful, there’s lots of company and life isn’t really so bad after all. But they don’t realise that yet. And OY, did I mention the noise?
How about the dust then? Did I whinge about that yet? Winter in our part of the world is usually dry. Dry, cold and dusty. And – while we did enjoy a nice Summer wet season (the first for many years) – this cooler season is fairly typical. Despite forecasts of some decent rain in this area, only a couple of millimetres fell during the week. It settled the dust for, oh, about ten minutes.
Our forecast for next week warns us of basically more of the same…
At least the frosts are holding off (fingers crossed!). And apparently the sun is starting to rise at a reasonable hour too – almost 6.30am! FINALLY, I am getting up with the sun. Heh.
And apparently I need to look out for werewolves on May 28 – not that I have been reading too much Twilight.… why do you ask?
So there you go.
Less sun.
More dust.
More black snot.
Aren’t you glad you asked?
But enough about me… how bout YOU?? Cold, hot, wet, dusty, green snot or black?
14 Comments
Tracey
Warmer nights but cooler days forecast for down here on the coast. Got rain forecast too – though today’s showers haven’t appeared yet. Actually not lookin’ that good for the next few days. Hope they’re wrong!
And hope your poor old bod recovers alright.
.-= Tracey´s last blog ..Great Distractions =-.
Conorp
Sorry to go off topic,
I’m trying to fix your comments
.-= Conorp´s last blog ..How To Automatically Close Comments =-.
Chip Bennett
Trying to help Conorp fix your comments.
Conorp
Testing again
Bush Babe
So how did we go, fellas?? Any advance on remembering my guests? Great avatar BTW Conor!
🙂
BB
Leenie
BB: Thanks for taking time out to post before you crash into bed with some Nurophen. Hope you have access to a super hot shower. I hope a magic fairy has made your bed with high count Egyptian cotton sheets. (Yeah, I know who really makes the beds on most farms and ranches). We have a deep jetted bath that I would gladly let you use and would not mind cleaning.
Thanks to you and yours for working cattle and eating dirt so the rest of the world can eat beef. Weather here is like yours. Near frost with some wind and a chance of rain.
Bush Babe
Oh THANKS Leenie – I don’t recall eatin’ dirt as part of the job description. But hey, it all eventually comes out in the wash – or the hanky!
🙂
BB
Kelly
You’ve really had a busy time of it. We only have a few cows and I know how noisy they get when we separate them out, so I can only imagine how deafening it must be with the number you have!!
Looks to be sunny and rather warm (low 90sF) here today.
Nancy in Iowa
It’s supposed to reach 90F today, but with really high winds. We’re in for some hot days with a lot of T-storms. I really wish we could share our rain with you! So far I haven’t minded the hot days in Iowa – they don’t have the humidity that made Atlanta so miserable in the summertime.
I take it your Nurophen is a generic painkiller similar to our Ibuprofen? Good luck with that!!
Kate
That’s a tired I haven’t felt since I don’t know when. Damn, girl.
Beautiful spring day where I am in the US ~ Maryland. Perfect.
JENNY TALIA
Warm, warmer & hot even, here in Chicago
Until I get to Adelaide Tuesday
Warm?
Not so much
Happy black boogie picking to you!
JT
x
debby
Hot, humid, rainy. Oh, and ‘snot dusty here.
Cheryl
Great photos, but less of the hanky thanks 🙂 I have a cattle farm not far from me and I can hear the bellowing, when they split out the calves. It goes on for a couple of days and I hate it and I’m probably 1km from where they are so cannot imagine what it must be like amongst it. One of those things that has to happen for us to eat. My weather also cooling down, great this morning, got in a 35km ride (on a bicycle) but now very fine misty rain that will do diddly squat but is still welcome. Rest up.
Patches
Man, makes my muscles ache for you just reading that! lol
I really just wanted to suggest that dust pic for your next calendar, love it! But I suppose I’ll throw our weather out there too…it’s been cloudy, drizzly, wet and chilly around here, low 40’s-50’s. Not exactly the nearly summer weather I would expect this time of year. If I could send our rain your way I would in a heart beat!