January 6, 2008, Texas

Today the calves go to auction in Junction Texas.  The four little girls are not pleased.  We have 8 cows, 2 steer and one bull. This year these cows produced 7 calves, so the girls have had the fun watching these calves grow up, which any  are fun to watch.  They jump straight up in the air and frisk around their mothers.  Of course all the cattle have names.  Their favourite is Rachel, also the friendliest.  She will eat right out our hand.  And the 7 calves also have names.Rachel is named after one of their cousins when she came to visit the family from Hamilton one summer.  The girls liked her, so their favourite cow is Rachel.  She is pretty in color brown and spots of black, and she makes good looking calves.  Big Tex is their next favourite.  He looks and acts as a bull, and everyone gives him wide space.  These cattle are Texas Longhorn cattle, and they look as they are named.  Their horns are big and long.  Both sexes have long horns so you have to be careful to watch out for their horns whenever you are close to them.  David stays on the opposite side of the fence from the cattle at all times except when to is driving through the pastures.

But today the calves have to go to auction.  The size of the land determines how many cattle will survive without supplemental feeding, and as we are not here all the time, the calves have to go.  In Texas, country property is taxed lower if you are in the agricultural business, and not being totally stupid, we went into the cattle business.  We choose longhorn cattle because they were bred to survive on their own, out in the pasture.  Also they seem to fit with a small ranch in Texas in the hill country.  So look it up on the map.  Our ranch is just east and north of Harper Texas.  So the calves go to auction on Monday and we will find out how much money will come from those 8 cows.  We'll let you know.