This Works For Me

I’m days behind in photos and activities. Some days I’m just too tired to make worthwhile posts!

So Sunday was the day Vernon and I had turned off the water in the canyon… Then Monday, we gathered the Mesa Pasture and brought the cows down to our Double Crossing Pasture. Yes, it was Halloween. As a result, Megan, Daniel, Brandon, and I dressed in our favorite cowboy costumes and started our day.

We split up, covering each direction, with Vernon on his four wheeler covering the outside corners. Grass is thick and the cows were not anxious to leave, so we had to check every little draw and hollow because it would be easy to miss contented cows. In fact, I believe I missed two that Brandon had to go retrieve for me.

I had begun to worry that there was no one in the bottom of the draw to turn the cows across a dike and up a hill. I was ready to zip down when I called Megan and she said she was at the dike already! Good girl! Sometimes cell phones can work in the hills!

I place into evidence, this photo… as Megan received a call just as we were beginning our gather!

I took Megan’s spot to kick things the right way across the canyon and Megan took off the make sure the lead followed the trail out of the canyon and over a ridge. The guys gathered the large flat and Daniel dropped along the canyon edge bringing in a few more.

Look closely and you’ll see the cows among the junipers. Behind me is another trouble spot, a small point against the fence. For some reason, cows can miss their usual turn and end up out on the narrow point. It has steep sides and cliffs on the end and it can be a bugger to get cows off of it. They don’t want to turn around and go back uphill. But as I came to this spot, there was Megan on duty.

Do you think maybe I’ve regaled her with too many stories of losing the lead? Of wrecks at this spot or that one? Of making the Very Wrong Assumption that just because a cow has done this trip every year of their lives, that they won’t turn the wrong way just to liven life up? Of enjoying being in the lead but getting happier to fall behind because my knees feel better at the end of the day if I’m not trying to keep up? No matter the reason, I’m glad she was in the right places at the right times.

The guys show up with the tail end and we turn them out of the gate.

The next few miles are photogenic and I and Megan are now at the back…I can photograph to my hearts content… for a bit.

I mean, really. Does it get better than this?

Zoom in and you can tell they’re already through the next gate!

Oh, yeah. This works for me.

Find me here!

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