An Evening Ritual

I drive in from work in the afternoon, usually pulling into the driveway around 6 pm.  Tricia and I visit for a little bit and then inevitably the question will be brought up, "Do you want to do chores before supper or after supper?"  Last night she made chicken fried steak, so we ate first.  Then we went out to the barn.  

It was a peaceful late afternoon, even if the mosquitoes are out with a vengeance.  Our Maker's Acres Family Farm sits on 5 acres.  I began to call the cows in.  I'm sure the neighbors are not amused.  Rosie, Clarabelle, and Elsie were as far away as you can be on five acres.  You can see them in the center left of the photo below.

Those girls did not heed my call.  No amount of beckoning could convince them to head this way.  So, I pulled out the secret weapon.  This will get them in.  I grabbed the feed bucket and put some sweet feed and a handful of alfalfa on top.  The sweet feed smells great and is sticky-sweet with molasses in it.  I picked up the plastic bucket, banged on the side of the bucket, and yelled, "C'mon girls, Come eat.  Come eat."

Like the bat signal in Gotham City to Batman and Robin, the 'bang on the bucket' trick was successful!  You can see them heading my way.

Elsie is in the lead, followed by Rosie, then Clarabelle.  They've been out there all day eating in some taller grass, so their bellies are full.  They'll sit down tonight and chew their cud.

With anticipation, the girls' steps are sure, their gaze focused.  They cannot be distracted now.

We bring them into the barn, feed the momma cows, feed the goat family, check them all out, and then move all of the animals out of the barn except for Agnes, Cupcake and Elsie.  They sleep in the barn each night.  Rosie and Clarabelle exit the barn.  They are always sure to stay right in the gate.  Right in the way.  Why do they always do this?  Rosie will lick Clarabelle's head and ears in an affectionate display.  

The chickens slowly make their way back to their roosts in the hen house and the cows and goats sit down on the other side of the barn and chew their cud.  Belle, the dog, lays out in a freshly dug hole in the yard (Argg!) and Ginger, the cat, follows us back to the house where she'll try to sneak inside when we open the door.

The sun sets beautifully in the west and we make our way back down the garden path, over the bridge and back inside.  Another day done in our little corner of the world.