[mother katherine]

Please, please what would you/he consider a reasonable offer?
our rake just bit the dust and I’d love a dump rake. I’ve also been looking for a mower, but they nearly all went to the scrap yard when steel price was up.
Where is Barnard? You may just have made my decision to go to NE power days instead of Rhinebeck.
oxnun

[mother katherine]

My condolences. I’m sure there will be a big hole in your hearts for awhile.
oxnun

[mother katherine]

Thanks so much for these discussions. I’m only in my 2nd year making hay and appreciate all your words of wisdom.
I’m learning about leaving green hay to “cook in the wagon”/ stand it upright to breathe and throwing a little salt on it from the older timers around here.
The covered round bales I fed out last December or so looked REALLY green in that arctic weather.
I just learned about “better than eating snowballs last week”. I thought it was pretty funny.
Thanks for putting your work down on paper for us.
oxnun

[mother katherine]

One of the reasons I prefer winter – no biting bugs.
oxnun

[mother katherine]

I agree, that every time we interact with the guys is a time to assert the dominance in a nonthreatening way. I have someone riding me right now because I’m not “training” or “working with” my younger pair of bulls. What he doesn’t understand is, that in every interaction we have, I expect the boys to do as I say – BECAUSE I am the leader/dominant. That takes the form of “head up”, “come up”, changes of direction while walking and when they may have another grazing area or not. If all these kinds of things are under the teamster’s direction on a regular basis, the work under yoke is a bonus and comes much easier.
My bigger guys seem to be coming out of a “just testing” stage: they’re Jersey crosses and about 18 months. They, too, must do as I direct when they’re not under yoke. When they’re “on” they’re pretty near perfect, even just connected by the halter. They’re very much imprinted as calves, but I reassert the dominance in a variety of ways: calm and accepting, showing great pleasure in their performance when they’re “on”; but not so calm or quiet when they’re not. They know they MUST do as I indicate and MUST pay the consequences when they screw up, including touching me with their horns. They even know the the “No”. They also know that “easy” when they’re in my personal space is different from “easy” when we’re out on a load.
They’re smart buggers and expect me to be, too.
oxnun

[mother katherine]

Robin, where is the Otisville fair?
What kind of cattle do you have?
Any plans to start a new team?
Glad you’re out there enlightening the masses about the great world of working cattle. if we’re all out there doing our part, maybe we can draw a few more younger ones into our world.
oxnun

[mother katherine]

Good going, Dominiquer.
I had hoped to get my guys up to the Washington county fair but time, energy,finances got in the way.
We went out and played last night night to make up for it and the guys did good. Doesn’t quite make up for schmoozing with the other teamsters, but we have a good time by ourselves.
oxnun

[mother katherine]

Beautiful job!! Now I can try one for my cattle
Thanks for the idea.
oxnun

[mother katherine]

Bivol, I love your arguments! I’m reading a book called “12 by 12” having to do with people getting “off the grid” and leaving the carbon footprint of a Bangladeshi.
I’ll see if I can locate the book you’re talikng about.
About the conferences: I’m beginning to suspect that big business has these things to find where the opposition is, their names, etc – so they can go after specific pockets(people) of resistance.
I don’t think I’m all that paranoid.
oxnun

[mother katherine]

On the other hand, Bivol, you have knowledge of your own people’s ways and breeds that we/I love to learn about: things like the Podolian cattle and Busa cattle. Then there’s that beautiful article on the ox teamsters you shared in the last year or so. Then there’s that story of the old guy who slaughtered his ox.
There might be some of these vanishing people you could interview. I know, when is there time to interview, write up and submit?
But, that would be something we all could do. RH might even make a category for these reminiscences of/about the past generation(s) of teamsters.
Updates on a pull or a logging/driving class might make it in, as well.
Here in NY, such are nearly nonexistent; but, I’ll try to heed my own advice.
oxnun

[mother katherine]

Yo, Bivol,
So glad you have time to write again. i’ve missed your interesting information bits.
oxnun

[mother katherine]

Oldkat PS I am from the mountains of Maine, raised amongst farmers and French Canadian millworkers, probably won’t be much removed from what I’ve heard before.
I like to think PC stands for politically CONVENIENT.
oxnun

[mother katherine]

Oldkat
Thanks for the link. Oh, yes, I do spend long periods of time (re)reading the few books we have and watching the two videos we have of working cattle. Sometimes I just get a breed book out of the library and look at the pictures. There’s a smallherd of Simmental crosses a short way from us: I stop repeatedly and talk to them from the vehicle – bull’s in with them. After a bit, the calves recognise me and come forward.
oxnun

[mother katherine]

Thanks for telling us about Cy. I’ve watched “Dead River” down here in exile in NY. How are the guys?
Yeah, they’re rough but real. We need more.
oxnun

[mother katherine]

What a pair of cuties. What are their names?
My Jersey cross boys are now about 18 months old. They’re been ;loafing a lot in this hot/humid weather. The humidity finally broke and we went out for a moderately long walk and they pulled the rake a little for practice. We had a great time.
oxnun

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