Just Another Day
Well, another day on McKnight Day ranch has come to a close.
The first hydraulic motor in the series of three that run the expulsion augers on the mixer wagon blew a gasket, and we lost darn near all of the oil out of the tractor again. It's a familiar sight around here, tractors without hydraulic oil that is, it feels like we blow more hoses around here than the Hazlet fire department. Scratch that, they are in their slow season and we are deep in our hydraulic hose wrecking season. Take what you want out of that. Point is we needed a new way to feed, it's been a series of experimenting with new methods of hay delivery this season. The tub grinding and mixer wagon are new additions around here and the feeding possibilities have been exciting... at least to me. We've been able to blend some old straw in to stretch the hay a bit further and I think adding in the hay has been making the barley bales that I've been so disappointed in a touch more palatable. At least with 500 extra pounds of grain dumped on top of it, again, the barley green feed was damn disappointing this year. But, that was not what was on my mind this morning. Sierra took out green feed bales with the old reliable hay buster first thing and I set about warming up the ol 7.3 bale truck. She’s a tough looking date but she’ll get you around the feed ground, but we weren’t unrolling today. I hooked up the gooseneck flatdeck and I was on my way to the feed stack with Smith and Ole in tow. A little time in the payloader and I had a load of big squares put together. Sierra jumped in and that single cab was full but luckily we weren’t in it for long. We’ve been feeding in the home field just north of the yard this winter.
It’s been maybe 6 years since we forked big squares to the cattle, maybe more but the memories were fresh today. An old diesel truck in first gear bouncing across frozen manure, the smell of alfalfa in my nose and the itch of it under my scarf. Took me back years ago, feeding with Lane Friday on my back pocket, telling me everything he knew, which was quite a lot for a 10 year old. Joe driving, sun shining. Made me smile, hopping on and off the trailer for better leverage, racing back to the truck to stay out of the drifts. Today was Sierra’s first time forking off a moving trailer to a herd of eager cows. I think she enjoyed it, I hope so anyway since I think she’ll be doing it again tomorrow. Someone else had a first today too. I put Smith in the driver's seat as we bounced across the prairie, he hung onto the steering wheel for the first time without his dad or mom’s legs under him holding him up. He was so proud and scared. I felt very much the same. I won’t soon forget it and I don't think he will either.
After dinner we hung the new door on the stock barn, took a little wiggling and lifting but it hung like we planned it. Sierra will be able to work that new Palomino she’s so proud of in there and I’m glad. The boys played all afternoon outside while we worked away and the air did them good. Just as we got the last rollers in the track Ole came to show me just how soaking wet his mitts were and that was a good enough reason for me to call it an afternoon.
Mama came home and we are sure glad to have her back. I’m fixin to go see her right now.