It’s Wednesday, June 3, Where do the days go?
For me, they find me mowing the yard and hay lots, hoeing weeds from the garden and the little strawberry patch, getting groceries, and swatting the little black bugs/ gnats or whatever they are called.
I found shaking the bug spray bottle hard and applying, and pouring a dose of inexpensive vanilla in my hand and putting on my skin really helps. I will be glad when the bugs are gone!
Other than that, the most exciting thing last week was not finding the bull that was in a small pasture by the house. I called Erik and Steve and asked if they had moved him down to the bottom pasture with the cows and calves. The answer was no, they were planning to do it that day. While I was in the barn lot, I checked the automatic waterer and found it was dry! Not a good thing which could have meant it had not been working for several days or just a couple days, which also meant the bull had probably gone seeking water.
I could NOT find where he had escaped! Even took the tractor and drove paths through the tall grass to see if he was laying down (or dead!) in the small pasture by the barn. No bull! Erik said they would be here soon, and he found the bull had pushed a tall cattle panel and escaped to the corn field behind the house. There is a pond beside the field which he may have found, but continued to the back of the corn field and over into the neighbor’s bean field.
With the aid of a 4 x 4 vehicle, Erik drove him back along the fence line and the bull is happily turned in with his harem of cows. I guess the old saying the grass is greener on the other side of the fence can also mean there’s water on the other side of the fence.
The rest of the story is the pump on the farm well had quit working after about 45 years of use, and had to be replaced. We were able to water the cows in the north pasture by the house by running a hose from the house and filling a tank with rural water for a couple of days.
Crop prices have sure taken a dive! Corn is $4.40 and beans are $11.62 as compared to May 13 when corn was $4.77 and beans were $12.15. The progress of the second crop of corn in Argentina appears to be a record as well as Brazil. Along with that is a forecast of rain for the Corn Belt. Who needs to go to Las Vegas to gamble?
So, along with all those things, I looked out the window the other morning about 3 a.m. and saw an animal walking down the driveway. At first I thought it was a cow, then realized it was a full grown deer headed to the garden...or rather headed to the newly planted peach tree with about 6 small green peaches which were eaten along with the end of the branch! Not a happy person here! I have put bright whirlygigs in the garden, hung bars of soap on the fruit trees, and hung tin foil pie plates. Apparently none of them has worked. Next thing will be the spray available to deter deer and varmints. Then, the next thing would be a dog or at least a recording of a dog barking or maybe I could “rent a dog.”
Have a good week, and remember to smile...people will wonder what you’re up to!
Sharon Chenoweth is a resident and farmer of McDonough County. Her column focuses on rural life and will be featured every other week in the Community News Brief Friday Edition.
