Whatever It Takes to Make Him Happy

Almost two weeks ago I blogged about Lovey and his brother moving the head gate to our barn. Tonight Lovey asked me about my blogging, "Do you have any cow pictures on there?"  That's him showing an interest. I tease him because his phone has pictures of cows, chickens, and dogs. No wife. No kids. His day is cows, chickens, and dogs. So for Lovey, tonight I am adding more cow pictures to my blog. (He just said, "You should come take some pictures of the chickens and write about them." - Really? I told you.)

On that Friday, the brothers got the head gate positioned and ready for action. I went with Lovey to lure the cows out of the hay field and into the small lot beside the barn. This way they would be easily moved into the barn.

Saturday morning my phone rang. It was Lovey. He told me that if I came to the barn he was sure he could find something for me to do. He doesn't ask me to help very often, so I put on my work boots and headed down to the barn. When I got there, they had already moved the cows from the side lot into the barn. that task was fairly easy because we had already gotten them into the side lot. Only a few really crazy cows and the bull were left in the side lot. Lovey would be at the head gate, giving shots and pouring on fly repellent; Baby Just would be working the back gate of the head gate; while Lovey's brother and Hank would be in the barn moving cows through the shoot. My job would be to get the fly stuff ready and record cow tag numbers.

Here's Lovey pouring on the fly stuff, and Baby Jus waiting to open the gate for the next cow.

[Now, I'm new to blogging. And because I have a lot to learn, I have been happy to find suggestions on how to go about all of this. I found some good advice here. Suzanne suggests that we include that planned pictures where everyone is shined and matching, but to also include the real-life stuff. And here it is. Notice Lovey's fashionable quilted flannel shirt. I don't even know how old that thing is, but he loves it. And then check out my baby. This is way he looks everyday. Gym shorts, sleeveless shirt, and mud boots - and nothing EVER matches. These are work clothes, but he would go anywhere looking like that if I let him. And then there's that blasted barn. I've mentioned that in other posts. Every morning I look out the back door to see if it is still standing.]

I was telling him how to do his job offering him suggestions, and this is the response I got. He has just picked up this wearing a cap from his daddy - I hate it. Some people can wear caps while other should not - Baby Jus and I do not look good in caps. I had him convinced of this fact. Then his daddy brought him a new cap while I was at work. I have noticed that since Baby Jus has been on work release from school and spending lots of hours each day with his daddy, he is listening to daddy maybe a little more than me. Curses!

Lovey finally warmed up enough to shed a layer. He probably has on two or three more shirts. Remember that Baby Jus has shorts on. I had on jeans and a short-sleeved t-shirt and was hot. Lovey is very cold natured.

My job. Read the ear tag. Record the number. Pour the next dose of fly stuff.

And every ten or so cows, I had to walk over and open the gate and shoo cows out of the barn lot and into the big field.

There are always a few crazy cows that just won't cooperate. Lovey, Hank, and Joey are inspecting the shoot after two or three crazies in a row. At one point this entire section came out of the ground when a particularly crazy cow decided she wasn't going into the head gate and decided to just turn around and go out the way she had come in.

Late that afternoon, Lovey and I rode out to check his babies. The boxers love to jump in the back of the truck and take an afternoon ride.

Here's Daisy Mae Mercer riding back to the chicken houses after checking cows. She loves to stand on the tool box and stick her face in the wind. Don't tell Lovey that I didn't have pictures of the other two boxers to post; we'll be having a full blown photo shoot at the chicken houses.