Rescuing Rusty

The storm has passed. The sun is shinning. The wind has slowed, a little. Now the guys are out in the big tractors trying to dig their way in to feed cattle and clear the drive so we can get out again. The calves are stretched out on the soft warm hay sleeping in the sun. The horses stand hind leg cocked, heads hanging, as they rest and soak in the warmth. We made it through another one.
This one was long lived at two full days and colder than the last two have been. Still it was a spring storm so the snow was melting underneath as it came down. Icicles formed on everything, blowing sideways as they melted and froze.
We got somewhere around two feet of snow, more than the last one that gave us about a foot of heavy wet straight down snow that blanketed everything and provided good moisture because it didn’t all end up in drifts. Less than the big one that buried our whole world in.
My husband and I hiked out yesterday afternoon to check cows. I had tried to get out there on a fourwheeler but the lane was drifted full and there would be no getting down that without some serious digging. The drive back from the failed attempt was nearly impossible. Driving straight into the wind with snow striking like bullets to my face and eyes. Each pellet burned and stung making sight nearly impossible. I tried to steer by watching the tracks on the ground from the trip out. They were becoming almost invisible, covered already by blowing snow. A good example of the difference a windbreak makes.
Walking was preferable. We stayed next to the trees row, taking advantage of their shelter. The biggest drifts were avoidable. The ones that weren’t we waded through above our knees.
The cows looked mostly comfortable pressed against the drifts that were now forming windbreaks themselves. They ate or slept or called for calves that were too busy playing with friends to listen. No calves born that we could find, we are in a bit of a lull before the late calvers start. Cows will hold off in that weather, when they can. The wind was blocked but snow fell like mist around us.
Coming back we paused to listen to the birds singing in the trees and to say hi to Poppy.

This snow really could stop any time. It wouldn’t hurt my feelings.
I felt pretty good about things when I went to bed last night. The cows and calves were tucked up against the windbreak and it wasn’t too bad there out of the wind. I tucked the horses away in the barn but had doubts about the necessity. It was hardly snowing anymore. Surely the storm would have moved out by morning.
We woke this morning to howling wind and lots more snow.
I went out first thing and fed Blossom. I forced the horses out of the barn for awhile. They need to move around a little, get a big drink, just get outside even of the weather is bad. Their bale is well protected here, out of the wind. I just put them in the barn because they’re wimps and it makes me, and them, happy. My mom keeps telling e that Smoke is an inside sort of horse. He’s never had to be outside in bad weather before! I’m trying to keep it that way.
I walked out and checked the bunch of cows and calves here by the buildings. They have the old horse barn to go in. It is called the horse barn not because my horses will ever be near it, it’s falling down pretty bad and way to dangerous for them, but because it was once the barn at an old country school down the road from here for the kids to put their horses in after they rode to school. I wish there was enough of it left to fix up. I love its history.
The calves were mostly in there, dry and warm and happy. That made me happy. Their moms weren’t quite as happy. They can’t get in that barn. But they were still sheltered and had lots of hay to eat.
When my husband finally got in from feeding the big bunch I asked him how things were out there? He just looked at me and asked why even bother to ask? It was awful.
They had put bales of hay right up against the trees. The cows can keep their bellies full and stay warm eating that way. Then the calves will bed down in the hay as the cows pull the bale apart. It’s nice for them to have a warmer spot to lay than in the snow.
I walked out and took Poppy a big bag of cake. There is a barn open that the cows could get in if they would. Forcing cows into a sheltered spot is like trying to make a horse drink. Has anyone not heard that wonderful Paul Harvey Christmas special? About the farmer who doesn’t want to go to the Christmas service with his wife and kids? He stays home and ends up trying to get some freezing birds into the barn where they would be warm. Here it is if you haven’t https://youtu.be/ddai8rkXWRs I miss Paul Harvey. I often feel that way about cows. which I realize is not the point of this story, but still.
I can lead Poppy to it even if I can’t chase the others into it. I dumped her bag of cake in there. Now the staying part is her choice.

Here we go again.
The snow from the last two has mostly melted, the ground was getting dry enough to ride and the weather warm. Of course it was time for more snow.
This isn’t late for us to be getting snow. It’s fairly common for us to get snow into May. One year we didn’t have a snow day on the last day of the year but only because you just can’t do that! As the superintendent at that time said. The ones this year aren’t rare occurrences, just impressive examples. These are bringing LOTS of snow.
We spent yesterday bringing cattle into the corrals, getting baby calves out of the pasture in hopes of only allowing them options to go lay in that have shelter. Mama cows will lay their babies out in the wide open then go eat. By penning them up we hope to prevent that. We moved the cattle, bulls, a handful of yearlings, and one pen of pairs that got stuck on this side of the water in the big blizzard and have just stayed separated, closer and into the best shelter we have. The horses got put up in the very front because they would end up in the barn anyway.
This morning we woke to ice. Ice a quarter inch thick on grass, cars, and fences. School was already canceled yesterday. We got to sleep in. It was still wet and drizzly when I went to feed Blossom. It wasn’t long before it changed to snow.
The horses are tucked away in the barn. The cattle are fed up well behind the windbreaks. Now we wait to see how much snow we get this time around. Hopefully we stick to the bottom end of the predictions, 5 to 10 inches is much easier to deal with than 15 to 20.