We spent a day amongst the grass...

From right after chores were finished this morning, until a quarter to 7:00 this evening (with only taking half an hour out of that time for lunch, and Mom having a client here for a session in the morning), we were outside.  First, we loaded our 45 heifers (in 5 loads) and took them up to a separate cell of the pasture than what the main herd is in (we'll be putting a bull in with them first before putting them with the rest of the cattle).   We let them out of the pen we were holding them in so they could start grazing while we went around their fence to fix it up after Winter had taken it's toll.  Many mosquito bites later, we were finished with that pasture and moved on up to where the main herd was.  It was time to move them to the cell North of where they were at.  After trailing them up to where Dad was taking the fence down so they could go over it, and after getting the 2 pickups and the ATV over as well, we split up and went around all of that fence too to repair it where it was down; put new clips on; straighten fence posts out......    Mom and Jacob headed West on the ATV and Dad and I headed East with the 2 pickups.  There was one spot where we had to cross a slowly-flowing marshy creek area...  Dad went first with the 4-wheel drive pickup and then said I'd need to cross there too, as there was no getting around the water.   He said I'd have to take a run for it (the half-ton pickup I was driving is just 2-wheel drive) to make it through and, if I didn't make it, he could always pull me out! 

"But be sure and close your windows, as the mud is going to fly!"  Dad warned.

After taking his advice, I drove up the hill a ways so as to be able to get a good "Run" at it.  Thankfully, I didn't hit any rocks on my return fly!  And, thankfully, I made it through, and after using my windshield wipers, I could even see again.  :)

After getting up by the windmill, Dad and I went separate ways so we could get done faster.  It took me a while to fix a downed-wire that was in a swampy area, so Dad actually went around most of the rest of the fence and then helped me there too.  (And yes, we got wet feet!)  Mom and Jacob headed for home in the half-ton pickup (appropriately named "Half-Two") and Dad hopped on the ATV to go fix 2 places Mom told Dad about, but since they didn't have the fence-stretcher, they were not able to fix....   I drove Jacob's 4-wheel drive pickup back to the windmill and dropped some salt blocks off there by the herd and also mixed up some mineral and loose salt in a couple troughs.   Cows love eating mineral, so they were quite impatient and barely let me mix the two yummys together before they had their noses in it! 

It was a good day and hopefully we've got all the ticks picked off of ourselves finally... 

We heard from Andrew again and he says he was out canvassing again literally all day long.  He's happy to have his friends, Jared and Trevor there with him now...

Here are a few pictures from today:

Move along, little "doggies"!

Everything is so beautiful and wild up there!

Dad letting the heifers out of the pen we were storing them in while bringing the others.  :)

Mother, marvelling at how tall the grass is!  "Cell grazing works!"

Myself, wondering how I was ever going to find the camera battery I'd just lost in all that fine grass!