Rain, jailbreak, gophers

The weather has finally changed. After months of above normal temperatures and no rain, we are suppose to be below normal with changes of rain. It had rained earlier after sunset and only seems to have rained enough to get stuff wet.

I guess this is better than back in SE Minnesota where I had lived. It started raining Friday and continued all weekend. With 5, 7, and more inches of rain it is flooding all over. Some people died from the flooding. Most of my friends have replied and they are alright, though wet.

This afternoon I had sprayed more weeds. While I was spraying the cattle came from the river, and after licking some salt, went into the hayfield to check for apples, eat, and lay down to chew their cud. I counted and recounted and the best I could get was 28 cattle. A little while later I noticed two cattle in the south pasture near the fence.They looked to be in the pasture so I finished spraying.

After I returned with another tank of herbicide I noticed the cattle again along the south fence. I looked closer and found they were outside the fence in the narrow grass strip along the fence in the plowed field.

Oh, great!

Fortunately the cattle were fairly close to the gate and I opened it. I stepped through and back so they would understand one could pass through the gate. The two cattle were Dan's cattle. They wouldn't make a move to the corner and the gate.

*sigh*

I went through the gate into the plowed field to do a little herding. The cattle were in a excited mood and before I could get into position they started to run along the fence away from the corner.

*argh*

I had to re-enter the hayfield and do an end walk to the west and cross the fence back to the plowed field. Slowly I advanced on the cattle and herded them to the corner. At the corner they began to move south.

Wrong!

Eventually one of them noticed the opening in the fence and went through. Then the other one did. Once they were back in the pasture they kicked up their heels and then they ran to join the herd taking a siesta in the hayfield.

I checked the fence line all the way to the river. All good. I checked the fence on the neighbor's land to the south and found a broken barb wire. A few years ago I had refurbished this fence to keep my cattle out. I used my oldest rustiest barb wire. Time for an upgrade now that I have more barb wire.

I returned with a number of 2x4s to pound in the ground as posts and added them to a few spots where the fence "looked" open. I repaired the broken wire and added a new line of barb wire where the fence had been broken. I could see where the cattle had trampled piles of branches from the fence to the river. You'd think the cattle would not bother walking over this stuff, but nooo.

It began to try to sprinkle as I repaired the fence. A very, very light rain. No matter I was very happy to have rain after all this time. Other parts of the valley looked to be getting more moisture than I. The clouds replaced the smoke and I could again see the mountains. Hurray!

The pocket gophers must like this cooler weather. I caught 5 pocket gophers in my six traps. I don't remember when I last had caught more than two pocket gophers in one day. I now have caught more pocket gophers this year than regular gophers.

Once the rain started I came in the house, earlier than normal. Which is good as I got up after 6 am and I am falling asleep now.