Back on topic.  

42* this morning on the way into work. Wasn't that bad.  I could probably stand mid 30's but then it wouldn't be warm enough for the ride home to make it worth it.

Yesterday I had a final inspection on a new street at 2 PM.  This is the next to last project of mine that is being completed prior to my semi-retirement - there is a another street that will have the last street section removed on Monday and it will be poured on Tuesday, and a sewage pump station needs to have the electric service connected and all the tests performed........then all the projects I designed and bid this year are done!

The street inspection was not far from home - so I stopped by the house and got the Honda as it was in the 60's and sunny.  It was a nice ride that was over too soon.

This morning it is 36 degrees, rainy with a bit of snowflakes mixed in - my Saturday ride to Lenoxburg for lunch will not happen today (that is the little store where we met the Wildlife Ranger when the group was up here for a ride last summer).  The week forecast doesn't look promising for any enjoyable riding - it looks like the rider will be doing too much shivering!

Dave ,  

I'm really glad things are "Shaping-up" for ya !  I enjoyed all those rides we went on in your area .   That stop at the store was great , and that 13 gal. Kawasaki was a good place too.  

I've been doing my "retirement" job , (selling calves) , but there nothing exciting about that ...
Well , that not totally true ...

Last Wednesday me and Anders had two sellers in the back alley - one of them decided she would rather run-me-over and leave rather than go on up the back-alley.  

So , she put her head down , went to hollering like a crazy cow and charged right at me --- (6 foot wide alley)  ---    

It was kind of exciting  

I stepped into the middle of the ally and reached in to meet her but she was going really fast when she got to me

My plan was to put my fingers into her eyes if she slowed down to "Rub-me-into-the dirt" , but I barely got my hands to her eyes and she turned away .

Well Anders was at the other end of the alley where it got a little wider -You know he has had 5 years of Karate ...

He was ready to put a size 13 up-side here face so she decided I looked like the easier target .

On her way back to me she seen the other cow (800#Bull) going into the stall at the upper end of the alley where I wanted them to go in the first place.  

So she blew past me and caught the 800#er.  

The trailer was backed up to the other end of the upper stall waiting on the two of them.

She squeezed  past 800#er and got into the trailer before he did , thought she was doing something to get loose , but I was right behind her slamming doors , and then she couldn't get out of the trailer because 800#boy was going in through the door .... then SLAM went the trailer door !      

Loading two of them took all of 45 seconds .... but it was intense and a little exciting .    

And that's the news from    Lake Wobegon    M&MRanch .  

I'd been trying 4 years to get her in a trailer , without having to kill her first !  

O' yea , Lancer

1200 lbs. of MAD-COW , is nothing to play with or be taken lightly !  

I try to look-out for God's interest and chores here on earth and in turn the good Lord looks out for me , I just hope I can be forgiven for all the Chores I don't see and/or miss .

I didn't get away "Scott Free" on the Mad Cow Loading either ... as I was getting her off me ... my right pinky finger got bent the wrong way ... 6 days now and its still mighty tender !!!       Sprung it way out of shape ... it was red as a beet for the first 3 days and I still cant get my hand in my jeans without using the other hand to  open the pocket first.  It seems to be healing , so I'm good with letting time do its thing .  

Nest exciting chore will be ,  bush hogging  a neighbors hill-side , those are always exciting !        But they make the tractor payments well !  

Cow hide protects us from serious road rash, BIG TIME.
Need to do really hard manual labor outside ? Get a pair of cowhide gloves!

A cow is a dumb animal but sometimes that's not true. I get cows grazing in my front yard some times, so I got to run them off. Most just run away but sometimes you get a cow the size of a pick up truck 1100 / 1200 lbs of beef that won't move so I got my cow stick a long broom handle to jab them in the ribs and they get the message to move out, but then you get one that calls your bluff and runs at you for that I use the other end of the stick , I ran a big wood screw in it cut off the head and sharpened it and I jab them with that and most move on but still you get one that keeps on running at you a smarter than average cow and that's when I throw the stick at them and RUN !

No ridding on Friday  !   Rain on and off all day long ...  

All we got to do to make the rain show up is plan something !!!