"The Heifer  Poem" and "The Gathering" - Homegrown Ep. #1192

0:00Howdy, friend! Welcome to Homegrown, on your host, R.P. Smith. We've passed the halfway point on our cabin season with only a couple of visits from a veterinarian, with both visits ending in a positive manner. Both visits involve first calf heifers, one dealing with not completely cleaning, and one that's throughout our calf bed. Two situations that can go south and hurry. As we were walking back to the pickup, after Dr. Sierra had put what had been on the outside, back on the inside, I shared this poem with her. It happens to be one of my favorites that I call the Heifer Poem. I like rays of my own replacements. I guess it's in my veins. They are long on energy and often short on brains. When I ride the yearling pasture, they always come to see, and I know it's not affection, just curiosity. And then they'll probably break and run and could take out a fence. When it's done with such enthusiasm, there's a kind of innocence,

1:04and calving times are greatest. I can't tell you just why, but there's something about a brand new pair that's mighty pleased into the eye. And now we'll get acquainted. Their way to stay their best with me is for them to try and maintain their anonymity. Because familiarity breeds contempt. That is a mouth to true. The old boy that coined that phrase must have run some old cows too. Because my old cows are all guilty, proven beyond a doubt when they clean my flower, take my horse, I want to clear them out. Bad bags and other maladies. Where did things all go wrong? When they were heifers, they were the greatest, but that didn't last too long. It can be said of other species, but with cattle I can honestly tell. It's much easier to love them before you know them quite so well. Old West days, the Nebraska Cowboy poetry gathering, is next weekend.

2:12I just received the list of participants and it is pretty amazing. Performers coming from Texas, Arizona, Colorado, Wyoming, Iowa, North and South Dakota, and of course Nebraska. All coming to Valentine for not quite enough chamber bucks to buy a tank of fuel. Performers of Western song and verse are diverse, but tight net group, who love their craft, and most of all, enjoy nothing more than performing for an appreciative audience, which I am inviting you to be a part of. Information on the three ticketed shows are available at the Old West Days website, but the performers from the states I mentioned are performing for free, all day Friday, and Saturday morning at no charge, other than your effort to attend, which is what keeps events like this going. I look forward to seeing you in Valentine April 23rd

3:12through the 26th. There's a wild turkey in his stetson with his back against the wall, and a buzzard in the high seat sure that someone's going to fall. A bandy rooster on the stage stretching all his stuff, his hand is in the audience she cannot get enough. The peacock is getting ready, and he's looking mighty fine, and little lady western metal arc is working on a line. The songbirds in the hallway are practice in a tune. Well look who just wandered in, it must be Mr. Loon. Now if you wonder where this is happening, not that, it's really mattering. It's at Valentine Nebraska's Old West Days and Cowboy poultry gathering. Thanks for riding along on homegrown this morning, hoping that the Lord blesses you real good today, that he is raining on your place, and that are happy trails. Cross again soon, I'm RP Smith.