Michigan's two seasons, winter and fence repair

We had a prison break the night before last: my eighteen head cow herd decided they wanted grass and moved themselves across the road to their summer pasture, without leaving so much as a whole pile of poop in my grandma’s yard. Only two calves didn’t make it across and all I had to do was drop the temporary fence and shoo them across.

I spent the rest of the day (with beautiful weather, 75 degrees and 14% humidity, I might add) out repairing a bullshit mickey mouse fence. Dad said we’re holding cattle in with a piece of electric yarn and a prayer, heavy on the prayer.

Got a call mid-afternoon from neighbors almost five miles away saying they had cows out and were they ours? I got my butt down there but luckily it was someone else’s steers. That made me happy because the whole way there, I’m going “how in the hell will I get these cattle home? Horse? Trailer? What?” Thankfully, I didn’t have to and thirty minutes after Dad got home, we had electricity to the fence. And even got treated to dinner out.

The worst day farming remains better than the best day at college, I am convinced.