no I am not going to start singing an old Doobie Brothers song, but we all do things out of love for another don't we?
Yesterday it was monsoon season in Michigan. It was a one-day event, but it must have rained for the entire day. The pastures were all soup. Of course, it is on a day like that that you have to do something out in that weather.
Suzanna's second heifer, Fancy, is about to be bred. The vet needed to come out yesterday to check where she is in her cycle. He arrived in a dumping rain, soaked, but still smiling. Fancy and Rhoda were in a pasture where much of it had sloppy mud and manure plus standing water right at the gate. I headed to the barn to grab a halter and catch her. Naturally these heifers adore Suzanna, but are always suspicious of me because the only time I do anything with them, there is something uncomfortable about it. Shots, clippers, vets.....you get the idea.
So as I walked into the pasture with my hat stuffed down over my head and my muck shoes on, I considered how embarrassing it would be if I slipped and landed on my you-know-what in that mucky, sloppy mess. I proceeded with extreme caution and thankfully stayed on my feet. As I approached the girls, Rhoda needed to be scratched. It was almost as if she knew she was safe because she is already bred. Fancy on the other hand headed out of the shelter and away from me. For a second I was thankful for all that rain, because as quick as she went out, she was back inside since it was pouring. I got the halter on her and she stood awaiting the dreaded moment. I would swear she knew what was coming. The deed was done and she was found to be cycling perfectly, given a shot and should be ready to breed by the weekend.
I slopped back across the pasture, praying that I didn't wipe out on the way and considered the fact that in this nasty weather, I was out there doing it for a kid I love and who loves me too. That made me feel a little bit warmer on the inside. The cup of coffee I had when I got back to the house helped too.
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