Record-breaking cold temperatures today. Temperature in the teens with a wind chill factor. Everyday occurrence for some locations but in Southeast Texas, people act as if the world is coming to an end.
I made my daily trip to the farm to tend to the cows. Driving up I was hopeful the tractor battery had not been pulled down by the cold weather, and it would crank without a jump. With my second-string tractor in the shop, I tried to figure out how I could move 1,000 lb. round hay bales if I couldn’t get it cranked.
My momma cows reflected the temperature had dropped by lying next to their calves in an effort to keep them warm. Yet, this didn’t change their expectations for the day. Without any regard for the weather or showing any appreciation that I had to drive on icy roads for 50 miles, they bellowed their demands in unison at the top of their voices, for their daily bales of hay and occasional bag of range cubes. They circled around me with blank expressions on their faces as they watched me use a shovel to break the ice covering the water troughs. My bulls, whose manner appear more macho than cows, quietly and methodically, walked through the snow down the hill to their feed bunk at the same speed as any other day. Apparently, bulls aren’t as concerned about their eating time as are cows.
Fortunately, my tractor started. I put out several bales of hay and 450 lbs. of feed and range cubes. I left the farm with happy animals knowing I would have the same concern and expectations tomorrow.