While The Sun Shines

Our cool dry weather has the critters doing their best to get as much sun time in each day. The main herd heads back along the hillside to the more open meadow slope, the nursery field bunch sprawl out in the middle of the field with the calves nearly flattening themselves into the earth, the cows, heifers and little 3T meander around and lounge in their open pasture, the three butcher animals move out of the barn and into their open pen for sun as soon as the light breaks over the shop, and the eight bulls left in the bull pen after the departure of #58 the other day are little more than bumps amid the old white fir stumps of the grassy grazing area of the pasture.

The spring itch has begun and the animals are searching for  good areas to rub their hides. A low branch off a big tree, a fence post, the corner of the barn anything that could reach those unreachable spots become an attraction anytime they are not dozing in the sunshine.

I have notice some furtive activity with the butcher animals while they are out in their open area and realize that they have found a spot on the side of the barn where the end of the tin siding stops at the top of the four foot cement wall. They have rubbed a corner of the metal siding into a hook and use the hook to scratch their heads and shoulders. It is very rudimental in its design but effective as far as they are concerned.

That leads me to the next repair of tacking the curled edge back into place and securing it with a wooden safety rail before the curl becomes a tear in the metal and an open gap in the wall. This will be a good time to enjoy the sunshine that the cattle are currently doing because this is one repair that cannot be done from the inside or when it is raining.