When it rains, it pours

I lost my Earthlink internet connection Monday night while doing my email and have not gotten it back since. The access phone number claims all lines are busy.

I figured Earthlink had problems Monday night, and since it was late, I went to bed. Last night I tried again and the same error. I called Earthlink and they said they would look into the problem and fix it in 2 to 10 hours, 12 hours at the max. I tried accessing late this morning - more than 12 hours later - and still the same lack of connectivity.

*argh*

I came up to the Wednesday Picnic in the Park concert and now am at the library to check my email. I hope Earthlink can get this solved soon.

Lots of other stuff has happened the past few days. I was suppose to go on a hike today but the cattle had other ideas. I awoke to find 9 of them in my middle pasture. Not sure where the rest were but could hear Street's cattle bellowing across the river. He told me Monday he planned to let his cattle and bull move from the ridge down to the field across the river from me in two or three days.

I found where "my" cattle came through my simple fence along the river bank in the middle pasture. Then I could see some of "my" cattle on the peninsula on the other side of the river. A few cattle were along the fence where it comes to the bend on the river. Then I saw in the tall grass a brown one on the other side of the fence. What?! How could it have gotten through the five strand newer fence?! And how many were on the other side?

I came home, called Dan as it was his cattle, and got sandals for crossing the river. A Hereford heifer met me on a grass/tree trail on the peninsula after I crossed the river, then turned around. Along the fence I learned it was not one of "my" cattle, but Street's bull. A very big bull. The size of a small car. His testicles were the size of ... well, you get the idea.

Only the bull was in the field. Street's other cattle were bellowing up on the ridge. It is a mystery why Street let the bull into this field alone.

Dan's Hereford heifer is in heat. Great. Just great. She wanted through the fence just as much as the bull did. Apparantly "size does matter" as she wouldn't give the time of day to the steers around her.

I had a heck of a time herding her away from the fence back to the river crossing. She went this way and that to stay along the fence. The bull followed along the fence.

The remaining eleven cattle appeared through the trees to check us out. I got the herd to the river crossing point. The bull - in a wimpy voice - called to his - at this moment - beloved. The cattle stood and wouldn't cross. Then the heifer in heat made a dash around me and ran to the fence and bull with the herd following.

*argh* Young love! Don't you know it won't last? He'll be on to another once he has had his way with you.

I again herded the cattle back to the river crossing. Now the original nine in the middle pasture came running to the river to see what the commotion was. With them calling one of the twelve cattle entered the river and made its way across. One by one the rest followed with the heifer in heat last. I had to encourage her as she stood and looked and looked at the trees waiting for the bull to join her.

Even on the gravel bar she was the last to move off it and would look back for her "beloved".

Now I had thirteen cattle in the south pasture and eight in the middle pasture as one of the eight made its way through the fence to join the twelve.

I opened the middle/south pasture gate for now. It was easier than herding the eight into the south pasture. The two that had gotten into the middle pasture a few days ago when they broke the old fence were a pain to get back into the south pasture. The nineteen wanted to join the two, not the other way around. Those two would stand in the gate with two legs in one pasture and two legs in the other pasture as I held the gate. They stood there and chewed their cud with the nineteen tried to pass by me.

Anyway, today I wanted to get to the hiking group as time was passing. I let Dan know I had things under control again.

No shower or breakfast and legs with river mud. I grabbed my hiking boots and bag and water and a few items of food and took off. I arrived at the meeting point at 7:36 am - six minutes late. The group was gone.

*augh*

Back home I decided to get my gopher traps out of the middle field even though the gophers are still active. By now the cattle had knocked over most of the marking poles and triggered some of the traps.

I couldn't find the last trap. Around and around I went. I stood on a tall stump and looked. Nothing. Later - after a long time searching - I found the "missing" trap in the north pasture. The milk jug on the marker had fallen down.

Oh yeah, while I think of it, Monday I found the trap where the gopher ran off with it. The trap - and now dead - gopher were in a gopher hole heretofore unknown to me. Just the very end of the chain was sticking out and I hit it with my shovel as I dug dirt to close the hole.

By the time I finished with the gopher traps the cattle had all settled down for their late morning seista. The morning's excitement was over. That heifer better not be dreaming about the bull while chewing her cud!!

I saw my northern neighbor Jim and let him know about the bull. He has two heifers and the black one was going nuts running along my northern fence trying to join "my" herd, all now in the middle pasture. Jim said last night his two heifers were acting 'crazy' and now he knows why.

I checked my gopher and pocket gopher traps in my NE field and found a dead pocket gopher and a triggered gopher trap. Yes, they have moved into the NE pasture. *sigh* Not only that, the gophers have two tunnel openings under the hay shed walls!

And lots of other stuff has happened the past few days like mysteriously losing my sunglasses yesterday while spraying weeds. And other stuff that I can't remember right now.

Today at the concert a young guy sat down next to me and asked what my relationship was to the Lord. Not today. It's been a day already.

The County started re-paving my road and this morning mysteriously quit and left shortly after starting and before they could do the second lane in front of my place. I wanted to be there to remind them the road is 6 inches narrow in front of my drive at the bend in the road.

I better go home now and see what's up.