Beware! Don't Open the Gate!

Hey you, yeah you! The one who thought it was funny to unhook the electric fence gate to the pasture where our cows graze. It's just off the road so you got easy access. The thing about it is that while you can certainly unhook it with it on, you can't re-hook without unplugging the electric fence box. Trust me: You don't want to grab that live wire. Been there, done that, nearly got a permanent wave from it, definitely got thrown several feet, and I was just trying to put it back on an insulator and the rubber handled pliers slipped.

Lucky for you, we took all those dry cows we had out with the bull inside so we could feed them and make sure they got minerals since the grass was pretty well eaten down. The bull decided to hang out around the barnyard and terrorize the cow entrance to the barn trying to get the cows back. He has a thing about 'his' cows and someone -anyone- being around 'his 'cows, or 'his' fence fence. He will take you out, and not to dinner, my friend. There is a reason we carry a long stock prod and an aluminum baseball bat when we are out in the field. He's nuts. He's dangerous. He has tried on many occasions to take me out. At the moment he is still afraid of my husband when he waves his arms and yells at him, but no one else.That could change in an instant. He actually scares the hell out of EVERYBODY that sees him. Several people have told us he needs to go, as if I haven't been begging to get rid of him for almost a year now. So when you think it's funny to let the bull out onto the road, you are not just taking the life of someone who may come across him into your hands, you are taking your own life into your hands. You've been warned.

Oh, by the way, that culvert you had to stand on - the one in the ditch next to the fence- had a nasty troll living in it. There was evidence he may have introduced himself to you. I hope you enjoyed your little meeting with the troll. In case he didn't give you his name, he goes by Skunk!

Sincerely,
Eliza Lynn Taylor, the farmer whose gate you opened.

New Roof- Bad Bull

Well, what can I say? The bull is no longer seeing me in a favorable light. After making sure my poor non-cow dog was securely in the barn, I went out to gather a few needed fence posts- the deer are decimating our corn silage bag. That goofy Jersey bull started following me again and when I turned around he was close enough that I poked him in the nose with a fence post. That, of course ticked him off and he decided I was the enemy. I had not yet realized this because the heifers had gathered up to me at that point and just getting to another post was difficult. As I was setting up the post puller (yes, there is a tool for pulling posts out of the ground) I realized the bull was after me and not in a warm and fuzzy, isn't he cute kind of way. He put his head down and came running. I moved the first time and then deliberately slugged him with the fence post. Just so you know, that isn't entirely an intelligent move. It just made him more mad. I got the post up and here he came again. Now, I was truly surprised when one of my Holsteins pulled a move straight out of his book. She ran in between us and knocked him on his butt. Hmmmm. Good girl. I think she gets a special treat. I always did like number 18. She actually stayed between me and the bull as I walked backwards to the gate back into the barn. I told my husband the next time that bull came after me, I was going to shoot him. He said I couldn't do that because we needed him to breed back the cows after they calved. Then he'd send him to market. We'll see. If he hurts me, my husband will shoot him. He said he'd be too gamey to put in the freezer because of the testosterone in his system. I'd enjoy the first bite anyway.

                         Sure he looks all innocent here. Jersey cows good- Jersey bulls, not so much.

                                          How would you like this coming at you?

                                                            Good girl! My protector.

  With all the corn still standing in the fields, why do they have to destroy the silage bag? Pretty sure I didn't bag it for the deer.


In other news... the barn roof that was causing a hold up on finishing the milk-house is finally done. Yay! The Roof Doctors out of Phillips, Wisconsin did a really good job and will most likely get the job for the other side next year. We also got a lot of the interior board done in the parlor. It's coming along, but too slow. Our son came last weekend and helped. This week the ceiling material (white tin) should be in so we can work on that next weekend. Help! I don't do heights and that parlor ceiling is really high up.

        

                                                                 Roof in progress

                                                   Roof done. It's a thing of beauty!

                    One of the walls. Still need to clean and paint some posts, but that won't take long.