Owwwwww

Well, early this morning R and I headed out to the corrals to sort the calves...at 10 am two semi trucks with cattle liners pulled into the yard and one backed up to the loading chute....the nicely rebuilt loading chute....hahahaha  the driver even commented on it....

Our neighbour is one of the drivers of the first truck and his boss and the owner of the trucks was driving the other...along with his wife...who used to be my old neighbour when I lived closer to Barrhead..., her first husband died too and she remarried...ironically she ended up being my neighbour once again....

Anyway we started loading the steers first....and then the heifer calves....that truck full we backed the second one up and put a few more steers on it and then all the cows that we had decided to cull, some open (not bred) and others just because of shitty calves or bad attitude...if you ask me it wasn't nearly enough of them... but there may yet be another cull....when we have a total tally on the feed for the winter... we refuse to buy feed so the cows get sold instead....
By 11 am they were on their way to the auction mart...Tomorrow we will rise early and make the three hour drive down to the auction and watch them sell, and pick up the cheque at the end of the day... I am hoping they sell well so we can make all the payments...

I pack a lunch when we go to the auction....the burgers and stuff are horribly expensive there and not to tasty...we take egg salad sandwiches and carrot and celery sticks...with water and a couple of cookies with apple wedges....then we head up to the city and do a bit of grocery shopping and hit the Chinese food place...and home....

so wish us luck...the more money per pound the better...

Friends have taken pity on us and invited us to spend thanksgiving with them and their family...we have been there before...and that is always very nice of them... usually we go for Christmas too but this year, since their son's marriage has ended this fall they are taking him to Vegas for Christmas...7 days ....they are going to take the helicopter ride down and through the grand canyon...  I've always wanted to do that....R did it years ago when he was young...with friends....in a small plane....  Me, I haven't been anywhere or done anything....just work work work...I guess that's all I'm good for and not even that anymore....

today loading the cattle R kept telling me to wait until he got there to close the gate....but the cattle would always turn back by the time he got there and then we had trouble getting them to head up the chute again...so finally after about the 8th time...I just turned around and told him...." IF YOU DON'T WANT ME OUT HERE RUNNING AFTER CATTLE, YOU BETTER SELL THEM ALL, BECAUSE AS LONG AS WE HAVE THEM AND YOU NEED HELP I WILL HAVE TO BE OUT HERE DOING THIS SHIT...."    but ask me if I think it helped...., did the message get through....he just looked pissed...and then shut up...so I guess that tells me what he thinks.... he loves me but he loves the farm more....I know, I know....it's more complicated than that...he worries how we would make a living...would I be any happier.... but I can't help but take it a bit personally...after all I wonder how long we would be farmer if he had been the one to be diagnosed with a debilitating disease...and his bones were crumbling away from under him.... I always tell him, " MAKEPEACE, IF ANYTHING EVER HAPPENS TO  YOU AND YOU CAN'T DO YOUR FARM WORK...WE ARE HOOPED...CAUSE YOU'VE GOT IT SET UP SO SCREWY...THAT I WON'T BE ABLE TO DO IT FOR YOU." and we don't have any friends that are capable either...they are all a fair bit older than us or have never done farm work before... screwed I tell you, screwed...hahahahahaa

Well anyway I had better quit blogging and go make the lunch for tomorrow...we have to leave pretty early...

Oh ya, the diabetic day in the city yesterday was informative but in a very general way...but oh my god the one thing we both took home from the whole thing was the sorest asses we have ever had....hahahhahaha it was in the auditorium of the Misericordia Hospital....and the amphitheatre type seats were so old and uncomfortable.that we could barely hear the speaker for people shifting in their seats and the squeaky noise was drowning her out....hahahaha as soon as there were breaks people lept out of their seats...ahahahah  I finally gave in and moved to stand against the wall and ate my lunch....it was hell...didn't get what I really wanted from the class but it was a start....now I will look into a better one...preferably at a different site...hahahahhaha  I bet they have really short staff meetings there....

I made my ankle so sore today that I will have to figure out how to wear my ankle brace again and still wear my town shoes....rather than the shitting farm ones...hahahhaha  okay for the auction but not so cool for costco....hahahahah