Good job Greg wasn't around !!!

Bringing the cows home here at Gentle Giant Meadows Ranch is never quite the same. Each day around 2pm Molly Moo and her pasture pals mooch aimlessly down to the watering hole and sometimes they do what they do best…nothing. Molly, Daisy Mae, Hol-ley Rodney and Macho collapse in an ungainly heap, grass sleepy and mellow. The three rapidly growing calves invariably loiter never far away using the older cows as their mentors, where to eat, where to drink and when. Jaws work in unison as they recycle the days intake and wait for the gate to open. Sometimes Greg has to be the mechanised cowboy and with Bran the Border Collie balanced precariously on the hood of the atv the disinclined animals are rounded up and, ably assisted by Bran ( ?) returned to the safety of the barn. With the gates safely closed behind the last rolling round butt, each animal locates it’s respective grain allowance in it’s respective feed station. That’s how it should… and sometimes does happen !  Then there are the occasions when, sadly,the exercise is less than perfectly executed…. last night, Goliath Samson and Delilah galloped down to the gate, anxious to be home. The girl team galloped to the gate…anxious to get them in and then, reality hit  this was not going to be the slam dunk we had anticipated !... Molly Moo and her chums were still loitering around the watering hole at the top of Cow Lane and weren't looking like moving anytime soon.   Some were in and some were out... and now we had a problem…actually 5 problems. A little vocal persuasion eventually enticed little Hol-ley home and whilst some of the girl team tried to keep three calves securely located in the pen the remainder endeavoured to convince Molly Moo,Rodney and Macho to meander in the right direction without too many diversions on the way. Daisy Mae heavily pregnant, miserable and  lumbering brought up the rear party and eventually joined the melee in the cow pen, all  looking for their evening ration, a routine procedure that had degenerated into chaos reminiscent of a poorly supervised game of musical chairs ! The confusion was in no small part thanks to Bran the Border Collie who, recognizing that things weren’t as they should be set about trying to  herd everything with four legs a head and a tail that so much as breathed. Eventually, Rodney safely locked in his pen found his bucket which had almost evaporated after a quick visit from Goliath, the three calves had located the big cow’s rations for a triple taster test and Macho the buck disgustedly  refused to partake of his supper after Daisy Mae had checked it out and likely seasoned well with cow drool. Fortunately, Greg…principal cow person wasn’t around to witness the confusion and with the last animals nose buried in a bucket ( with the exception of Macho ) and the gates firmly secured we were able to turn our attention to the waiting ewes. The sheep and their lambs waiting by the gate were anxious, it was grain time, the cows were home and why the delay?   The girl team made an impetuous decision and their starter gate was opened. The sheep derby led by Katie, closely followed by Bandit and Chance hurtled down cow lane and headed straight for the sheep barn where all screeched to a halt in total disgust. The girl team in their hurry to bring everyone home had neglected to fill the sheep feeder, the formation eating team were not slow in expressing their disgust and we were met by a deafening bawl that resounded around the barn. Not our usual methodical, by the book kind of day but everyone made it home safely and Greg wasn’t there to witness the chaos and anarchy.
 Time to go down for the evening shift…it’s raining cats and dogs and sure to be a very bad hair day.
Take care, keep safe, M