It’s that time of year again when our neighbors are not too happy to have such noisy neighbors. The bawling of cattle is such a constant it drowns everything out. We just weaned our fall calvers and although its sort of sad to hear their cries its very necessary.
We wean calves so that their mothers can stop producing milk and start using that energy to put more weight back on and get ready for a new calf. We also wean calves so that the calves can start getting the feed that they need to mature out and get prepared for their life as a replacement heifer, breeding bull or to one day feed people.
When people get weaned it’s called adulting. I will never forget the day I truly started adulting. I had big dreams of moving to Texas and about a week after my parents had helped me get settled into my new apartment and ready to start school at Tarleton and gone home it happened. I was minding my own business studying in my apartment when this giant monster appeared. It was like a giant white/translucent looking cricket with a giant stinger on its back. I did what any sensible person would do I screamed and ran down to my truck and sat there thinking about what I should do. My parents were to far to bail me out so I was going to have to literally slay my own dragons. So after giving myself a big peptalk and going to get a sonic drink hoping that maybe it would just let itself out I crept back in and much to my dismay it was still there. So I took my biggest text book and tried to smash it. That did not work the monster jumped to fast so I then decided to drown it in a mix of hair spray and counter cleaner.
Now to most people this is probably silly but I was pretty proud of myself. Moving to a new state where I didn’t know many people was one of the most challenging but best things I have done. I had to learn how to use what my parents taught me like changing a trailer tire and problem solving because although they were a phone call away they couldn’t actually be there to fix everything. I met amazing lifelong friends because I had to go out and meet people. The confidence of knowing that I can go and do whatever I want by myself that I learned when I moved to Texas was priceless.
I see lots of kids now adays that don’t ever leave home or venture out on their own and I get it. It’s scary and it’s hard but I feel a little bad for them. They are missing out on so much and never get to see just how strong they can be on their own.
So although it might be hard to hear the calves cry for their moms it always takes me back to that moment fighting the giant Texas bug and I know that we are doing the right thing and in a few days things will settle down and they will move on to literally lusher and bigger pastures. Just cross your fingers our neighbors don’t pull all their hair out in the mean time…. sorry guys!
Ranch Wife Ramblings 