Hallelujah! The Calves Sold!

I'm going to warn you beforehand, this is a total ranchwife post, so if you are allergic to anything rural, you'd better go find another blog to read today!

My father-in-law just called to tell me that we sold our calves today!!! This is a huge, huge answer to about 3 long months of anxious prayer. December, in particular, was very stressful, as these beautiful calves that we poured ourselves into, started getting sick. We lost at least 4, and it was so hard to watch! In explanation, they were getting the human equivilant of kidney stones, because they weren't watering often enough, due to the extreme cold and wind.

So we sold our calves; they go on Friday. And 60 head of bred two year old heifers are consigned for next Tuesday, at Miles City Livestock. Please pray with me that they will sell well. I'm getting a little teary, here, so it's tough to type.

I don't know how to express how personal it is, raising cattle, to me. I know some people can separate themselves from the process, but I can't. Typical girl, right? When we calve in the spring, it's great to see those cows mother the little black babies...since having kids, I empathize with them. All summer, we watch them grow and (hopefully) thrive. Since we have Angus cattle, there's nothing prettier to me than shiny black cows in the pasture. In the fall, it's such a great feeling to see how big and healthy they are, and to put them on trucks and to get ready for the next round. All winter, we feed them and anticipate the calves in the spring.

We really get to know each bunch, and a lot of the individual cows, too. I used to think it was crazy, when I was a kid, how my dad could look at a bunch of cows and tell me how that one was the one that always raised the biggest calf or how this one lost her calf in a washout last year, but this calf looks good this year. Now I understand. Now it's personal to me, too.

Anyway, we are going to get our paycheck this month! If you know anyone who wants some really good bred heifers, steer them to Miles City next Tuesday and tell them to look for the ones from Lang's Fork, Inc. If those old girls bring a good price, and there's happy hollering from a crazy lady in the sale barn, you can send another prayer of thanksgiving up for that, too.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to blow my nose and get busy baking cinnamon rolls for the truckers and cattle buyer on Friday!