I've been at a dead run for weeks. I'm leaving this morning to make a 3 hour drive to Yantis, Texas for a Texas Land Grazers Coalition meeting and pasture walk, then 3 hours back home. Last Thursday I went to the other side of Austin to pick up a puppy, 4 hours one way. Buford is the sire of the litter. The weekend May 1 and 2, I went to Gatesville for a Texas Katahdin sheep field day, 3 1/2 hours away. It was fun and informative. Last weekend friends came, Sarah and her mom Ann to cater a wedding on Saturday in Willis, only an hour and a half away! I went too and it stretched out into a very long day. We had a good visit and it was fun. Sunday morning I went to church, stumbling into the building and asked the preacher's wife to teach my little kids class. I told her I was tired and just wanted to sit in the adult class before the sermon and be an adult. She laughed at me and took the class. I'm still tired. I have no plans for the upcoming weekend, maybe I'll just do nothing.........nah, I have a puppy to play with and train!
In a spur of the moment thing, I took off for Tennessee to Mike and Teresa's and did a almost 1500 mile turn around trip to buy Red, their ram. I left out Saturday morning April 25, at 5:15 AM, got back Sunday night April 26, at 10:00 PM. Yes, it is true, the votes are in, have been counted and I am an idiot. I went up Highway 59 to Texarkana, caught I-30 to Little Rock, then I-40 to Tennessee, I-840 to I-65 down to their exit and wound through the countryside to their house. Because the fuel gauge is a known liar, keeps me in suspense in how much fuel do I really have left, I stopped every 200-250 miles to fill up. Truck stops are my friend. I noticed I have made much improvement in pulling up to the gas pumps and getting myself, truck and trailer out again without taking out the gas pump, running over anybody and doing no damage.
There are a lot of 18 wheelers on the interstates and they are a pretty well behaved lot. Gone are the days when 18 wheelers were speed demons, running 10 miles or more over the speed limit. I guess lawsuits calmed them down and companies don't want to pay out the big money for accidents. Plus now the 18 wheelers can be electronically monitored so they can't get away with much. Across Arkansas, the speed limit for 18 wheelers is 70 MPH, cars 75 MPH. 18 wheelers pretty much stayed within the law, cars-not. So when a big truck was going under 70, another big truck would pass it. Cars piled up behind the passing 18 wheeler as it S L O W L Y lumbered around the slower 18 wheeler, and then the pack of idiots floored it and took off in a cloud of concrete dust. I fell somewhere in the middle, mostly keeping to the speed limit. Didn't want to get too stupid pulling a trailer.
My plans were to use Rocky on the next breeding season, then sell him and buy another ram. I wanted a 5-6 year old ram, calm, all the stupid out of his system, with color and big. Next year. Teresa and I were talking Friday, their ram was up for sale. She lamented that no one had shown any interest and they would take him to auction with the lambs on Monday. She loved Red and really hoped for a good home for him. Red fit everything I wanted but I didn't want 3 rams to juggle again. We hung up. Minutes later she called back. She and Mike talked and they made me an offer I couldn't refuse. So, Monday morning and I unloaded Red. I called
@margali on the way back and told her what I had done, described Red and would she like to have her ewes bred to him? A quick YES was her answer. So Red now has 9 lovely ladies to keep him company.
I'll figure out breeding schedule later.
We had a good, if short, visit and Teresa had supper ready when I got there. She made sure I got breakfast before I left too. Being hungry in a truck stop makes one buy all kinds of expensive not-good-for-you crap. I appreciated their hospitality.
My truck is a flatlander truck. Let's just get that out there. We have gentle rolling hills here in east Texas. I-30 and I-40 across Arkansas is mostly flat, farmland. Elevation is higher but it is a fairly slow rise. Tennessee is a whole 'nother ball game. Mike and Teresa laughed at me and called them hills, I called them mountains and Truck called ME names that were not nice. Truck kicked in the turbo as Truck climbed those mountains, complaining all the way. Truck slung oil in the desperate climb to the top, slid down the other side then slung oil on the next climb to the top of the mountain. Truck is old, 2004 model, and leaks oil. I checked it along the way, it was ok, but Truck threw out oil in protest of climbing mountains. Truck said they were MOUNTAINS and I'm going with that.
Turned in their driveway........it's down hill (baby mountain) had to ride the brake as Truck gleefully rolled down the mountain, kicking up gravel like a young colt kicking up it's heels. Mike and Teresa's house sits on a small flat place, then down hill to the shop, another flat place carved out of the mountain, then down hill again to a flat place for turn around. I parked Truck on a down hill semi maybe sorta flat place. After Truck cooled off I popped the hood and checked the oil. It was low, not surprising. I keep a couple of gallons in the truck and Truck finished off a bottle and started on another, probably a little over a quart. Truck was thirsty, wanted whiskey but had to settle for oil.
When we loaded up Red, the plan was for me to pull into a very small flat place, back to the chute, then roll downward to the turn around and charge up the hill (Truck still insisted it was a mountain) like Teddy Roosevelt charging up San Juan Hill. (that was probably a mountain too). Mike's trailer is 12 feet, mine is 16, amazing what 4 more feet will do in a tight spot on a freaking MOUNTAIN. Truck said no. I said ok and got out, Mike said yes. He took Truck down to the turn around and charged halfway up to the chute and backed sorta halfway kinda close enough to make it work. Teresa and I got a cow panel and bridged the gap, she shook feed and Red hopped up in the trailer. Mike had to back Truck up to the very small flat spot, then charged up the hill (Truck insisted MOUNTAIN) and stopped at the house.
Hugs, then I got in Truck and we rolled for Texas.
I left Truck, trailer and Red in the driveway that night. I gave him feed, water, petted Buford and stumbled in the house at 10:10 PM. I unloaded Red the next morning. I know he was glad to get out of jail and go to that lovely resort of beautiful ladies complete with a Pallet Palace.
Red is HUGE.
He immediately started checking out
@margali ewes. My ewes came running up to check out the handsome hunk.
Big boy.
My girls…..hey! What about US?
Red is a sweetheart, big gentle giant. I've seen him breed a couple of the ewes and courting a few others. I've already made a list of my ewes for him, can't wait to see what he produces.
