Thursday, June 9, 2011
I saw this on the way out but it did explain why there were so many spectators to our BS Saturday cattle drive. We push them off the Hurricane Hill, they used to come down into - well the middle of no where, now right into a subdivision. Lawn Chairs, cameras, binoculars, and lots of kids.
My kids and I stationed ourselves at the first intersection as the main herd went through. I looked back up the hill and saw maybe 6 or so cows with 10 or so calves, and a whole slew of people (a lot of them kids but still a bunch of adults too) so I followed the main group down to the next intersection. Where I caught a ride on a truck (I had Dalton strapped on my front.).
So we wait and are following this last little group of cows and calves with 3 horses and 2 walking teenagers (I should have known then that things would go sideways) another 2 or three horses back on the trail and lots of trucks (kids galore hanging out the back). Great Hall was going to leave but I told him Darrell and I had fixed all the gates already so he stayed. We weren't more than 300 yards past the intersection when some calves decided to turn around and go find mama. Those "horsemen" (I found out later that they were "dudes") and walkers just watched them walk past them going the wrong direction! Muttering small words I jumped out of the Truck - Dad jumped off his horse (he got down to physically turn the calf around - picked it up) So now we have them headed the right direction - but remember the help that let them walk past them? Now they are between the rest of the group and these 2 calves. Guess who turned around again. When they saw us there? No problem - jump through the fence and run down the tarmac. Yup they went into the airport. Dad hands me his horse. One of the other "horsemen" decides that he is no help on the horse so he gets off and hands me his rope. Dalton strapped on front and 2 horses. When did I become a post?! I run the horses to my mom who is still in the truck (with a horde of kids) and hand the horses off to her and her teacher friend who keeps asking if she needs to help me as I run back down the street to the intersection we just passed. By the time I get there Darrell - who I guess levitated back there because when I jumped out of the truck he was driving (we just left the truck there) was pulling one of the calves into Grandpa Greats trailer (good thing he didn't leave) The 2nd calf is wandering around the road. by this time the people left up on the trail are now entering the intersection - finally some help. Dad Hall yells "push it into the chain link fence (Dog Pound - ssh - don't tell Lynn) I look around our outstanding "Dudes" are either sitting on their horses doing great statue impersonations, or have left with the rest of the group of cows. I look around and there is me (Dalton included) and Uncle Darwin on his horse and a walker (Chancen) Sure I thought push it into the fence - OK. Darwin on his horse takes the middle while Chancen and I take the two sides. The calf takes off at a dead run - right into the fence. (Side note calves rebound quite nicely - like a trampoline) He shook it off quickly and Dad Hall is yelling - "grab him". So Chancen does - dives right into the foxtails and grabls one of the hooves - less than effective at stopping him but it did slow him down. The calf is now dragging Chancen through the foxtails while I contemplate how to "grab him" with a baby strapped on the front - he slept through most of this. I had just decided that I should jump on its head when out of no where a body flies through the air and body slams the calf. He was "grabbed" Darwin got a rope around it and it was turned over to Darrell who had finished up with the first one during all of this. Dad Hall laid in the fox tails for a long time before getting up. Mom's teacher friend still wanted to know what to do to help. Mom Hall did the sensible thing and kept the green horn in the truck.
All's well that ends well. The statues moved on to the Lake flat where they watched the branding with interest. The one helpful guy who got off his horse because he knew he was no help on it actually helped with the branding.Dad Hall can use his arm again (for the most part) The spectators with the chairs missed all the fun and the teacher - she still wants to know how to help.
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