Kentucky in November

[inyati13]

GB's chronicle of his daily life as he gets through another November brought the list below to my mind. I started thinking about the characteristics of November that provide life's pleasures. I like the saying, "don't sweat the small stuff; it is all small stuff." Humans place far too much significance on their being! I invite others to join in and share their pleasures, joys or sorrows, and the "small stuff". Here are some characteristics of November in Kentucky:

Preface: I spend time in my pasture in the fall. Mowing and hay is done. The summer chores are slowing down. A time to reflect on why I do this. Laying down beside a calf or cow. Scratching their warm fuzzy coats. Picking out a burr around an udder. Scratching matter from their eye. I transform into a member of the herd. I step out of the greedy, prejudicial and selfish life of being a producer and become a Bovine. Cows are symbolic. Gentleness, loving, good mothers, contentment, strength, beauty. They take little and leave me a lot.

Kentucky in November

Melancholy days
Clear blue days of Indian Summer
Clouds, gray skies and rain
Cold blustery days that portend of winter
Naked trees, the white oaks hold their leaves
Cool sheets at night, the days have less light
Cool breezes intermingled with warm breezes
Frost on the roof
Carefree idle days without suppressing humidity
Misty dawns and wet grass
Muddy, then windy, and dry again
Leaves blowing across the road
Walnuts on the ground
Amber Kentucky whiskey at dusk
Short stout women and tall lanky thorobreds
Rolling green pastures fresh with rain
White rail fences and ancient stone wall fences
Rustic lonely old barns
Whitewashed stone stables
Tobacco hanging in the barn
Hay is in the barn
Black cattle heads to the ground
Blue tick hounds running around
Green fields and brown weedy fields
Dark woods of hickory, oak and maple
Green lawns cut short
The last of the cool season grass
Weeds are gone
Flies are gone
The cows content in the slanting rays of the sun
Cattle standing somber in a cold rain
Weathered fields of beans and corn standing for harvest
Deer hunters in orange
Bucks in the rut
Red flaming ornamental trees
Carpet of leaves along my creek
Blue running playful in the leaves
Farmers in blue denim jackets
Farmers in brown carhartt jackets
Farmers weathered faces covered in gray stubble
Wearing old summer sweat stained ball caps
Gray hair that needs a trim
Molded frowns forever on their faces
Muddy, cow shyt covered boots



Oh Lord, I don't want to go to heaven
Let me stay here

 

[Nesikep]

Don't worry, you won't go to heaven :hide:

I noticed you haven't been around much, that explains why.. it's about -10C here now, nearly thawing in the day, and the cows just love to soak up the warmth.. I go out with them in the morning and do the same, sun sets early here now so I gotta do it while I can.

 

[inyati13]

No I will not, Efrem!

I been scanning the boards but things are quiet. I am adjusting to the cold much sooner than I wanted. I am wondering if I may face a hay shortage. I have never fed hay before January 1. This year may change that. Some producers are getting the squeeze. The summer was dry and those who do not manage their pastures well, had to start feeding during the dry spell this summer. Now they are back in the business of putting out hay because we did not get the usual late season spurt of cool season grasses. I got tons of good pasture but I wonder what this cold spell is going to do to it. I am planning on looking for some supplemental rolls this week.

I also been watching the last episodes of JUSTIFIED. That is a fun show to watch. The characters well cast.

As I stated above, this is a time of year that I spend more of my time on an individual basis with my cows and calves. I still have a few cockle burrs and I check them daily and comb them out of the places where they have to be a discomfort. I hate them around the udder and around the area where their legs articulate with the body. The cows have come to understand that I do good things. I represent a pleasure to them. They are smarter than most people think. If you spend enough time with cattle, you see behavior that represents a level of awareness that science has failed to recognize.

 

[regolith]

A log fire is a wonderful thing to come home to.
But as winter is a long distant memory here, I'm going to have to get out and cut some more firewood if it doesn't warm up soon.

We have vicious thorn hedges and yet I rarely see the thorns on the cows, only occasionally pick one out of a foot. The must be clever enough to not get stuck by them (cleverer than humans and vehicles) or they rub them off themselves without leaving visible marks.

 

[Nesikep]

Our neighbor across the river usually only starts feeding in mid january unless we've had heavy snowfall, for us it's mid december.

That august born heifer calf of mine has settled down and figured out how good pettings are and is becoming a suck, Tifa the devil has slowed down too. The bull calf behaves like he's ready to go to a show.
Remember my story about Mega pointing out where she had ONE louse? she's done that a couple times, she knows I'll look there and pick it off.

 

[greybeard]

Put out my first bales Thursday when the front was blowing thru--bahia and bermuda about done (especially the bermuda) and my winter stuff not ready to graze yet. Filled a feeder with 2-1 range meal too, tho they don't eat much of it ever. Cold air and rain in the forecast for next few days, especially Mon and tues I think it's going to be rougher on the cows than most Novembers are.
As I said, I don't like Nov because too often, this means winter just gets here without a slow approach--suddenly it's here without an autumn and the cows don't have a chance to grow a heavier coat. I'm sure it doesn't hurt 'em as much as I think it might but we ain't getting much warm sunny afternoons, tho nothing really cold either. Probably colder on me and my old bones than it is them. Already wishing it was spring and winter hasn't even really started. -Inyati's is at least 1/2 full. My glass, is half empty-
Frozen pipes and air leaks under the door.
Higher electric bills from running the heating unit.
Cold and flu medicines, sniffles and sneezing people everywhere.
Muddy ruts from moving heavy hay bales, ruts hold water when it rains, making even deeper ruts the next bale that gets moved.
The wind, cold and harsh always seeks me out.

 

[Nesikep]

I read somewhere that cattle develop their winter fur depending on daylight hours more than temperature. Mine have a modest coat right now, only the young little heifer is pretty fluffy.

 

[greybeard]

That could be nesikep--heard the same thing about how plants "know" when to stop growing.

 

[inyati13]

Put out my first bales Thursday when the front was blowing thru--bahia and bermuda about done (especially the bermuda) and my winter stuff not ready to graze yet. Filled a feeder with 2-1 range meal too, tho they don't eat much of it ever. Cold air and rain in the forecast for next few days, especially Mon and tues I think it's going to be rougher on the cows than most Novembers are.
As I said, I don't like Nov because too often, this means winter just gets here without a slow approach--suddenly it's here without an autumn and the cows don't have a chance to grow a heavier coat. I'm sure it doesn't hurt 'em as much as I think it might but we ain't getting much warm sunny afternoons, tho nothing really cold either. Probably colder on me and my old bones than it is them. Already wishing it was spring and winter hasn't even really started. -Inyati's is at least 1/2 full. My glass, is half empty-
Frozen pipes and air leaks under the door.
Higher electric bills from running the heating unit.
Cold and flu medicines, sniffles and sneezing people everywhere.
Muddy ruts from moving heavy hay bales, ruts hold water when it rains, making even deeper ruts the next bale that gets moved.
The wind, cold and harsh always seeks me out.

GB, it cannot be that bad. :lol: You got me feeling so bad I started laughing. :lol:

 

[greybeard]

Started raining last night about this time--downpour for about 45 minutes, and a slow drizzle punctuated with steady rain every minute since. Not terribly cold, but miserable on the animals and mud everywhere you walk. 45.5°F wind from N at 6mph right this minute and forecast for a low of 30 around daybreak, high tomorrow 50°F wind NNW 15-25 and low of 25°F Mon night. winter here is wet and cold with occasional much wetter and bitter cold.