A hard day

Posted on December 16, 2013 by KG

MontelStationyesterday, spent dragging dead cattle out of molasses troughs, shooting cattle, pumping 5,000 litres of molasses into feed troughs and tanks. All in 40 degrees of dusty heat. (Gecko pic. Click for full size)

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28 Responses to A hard day

  1. mawm says:
    December 16, 2013 at 15:53

    Today is the day of the Covenant –

    “We stand here before the Holy God of heaven and earth, to make a vow to Him that, if He will protect us and give our enemy into our hand, we shall keep this day and date every year as a day of thanksgiving like a sabbath, and that we shall erect a house to His honour wherever it should please Him, and that we will also tell our children that they should share in that with us in memory for future generations. For the honour of His name will be glorified by giving Him the fame and honour for the victory.” – 16 December 1838.

    This vow was made before the Battle of Blood River where 470 Voortrekkers (Boers) held off 30 000 of Zulu king Dingane’s impi (soldiers) on the banks of the Ncome River. Three Boers were lightly injured, 3 000 Zulu’s were killed.

    On the 16th December at midday the sun shines through a hole in the roof of the Voortrekker Monument and illuminates the above covenant inscribed on the Cenotaph.

    • KG says:
      December 16, 2013 at 16:03

      Those were men indeed! And tough, brave women too.
      I wonder, for how much longer will the memorial stand, Mawm?

      They’ve already been all but airbrushed from history. :evil:

      • mawm says:
        December 16, 2013 at 16:32

        After ’94 the day became known as the Day of Reconciliation. Right! This was just as BEE, the RDP, AA (Affirmative Action) and all the other alphabet crap that disempowered whites and took away their job opportunities were being enforced.

        Those Voortrekkers, like the American pioneers, were tough. They also knew that they alone were responsible for their wellbeing. Self sufficiency was essential for survival.

  2. Robertv says:
    December 16, 2013 at 19:41

    How do you manage to keep your clothes clean ? No sweat ,no durt ,nothing ?http://falfn.com/CrusaderRabbit/wp-content/plugins/wp-monalisa/icons/wpml_wacko.gif

    • KG says:
      December 16, 2013 at 20:41

      The front is pretty dirty. By the time I’d finished they were a lot dirtier, Robert. Not sweaty, though– it’s far too dry and windy for that.

    • Ronbo says:
      December 16, 2013 at 20:43

      An old soldier knows how to stay clean in the field :!:

      Also, one must set the example for the rank & file who think a bath once a week and a shave every three days is good enough :mrgreen:

  3. Findalis says:
    December 17, 2013 at 02:04

    OK now explain to this city girl why cattle need molasses? I use molasses to bake cookies. I doubt the cattle are doing any baking/

    • Darin says:
      December 17, 2013 at 04:26

      Molasses= simple sugar which equals energy.We used to put it out in the winter as a suppliment to the hay which takes longer to digest than green grass.It also helps fatten them up for sale day at the stock yards.

      • Findalis says:
        December 17, 2013 at 04:57

        OK. Does that mean that the cows give whipped cream instead of milk?

        http://falfn.com/CrusaderRabbit/wp-content/plugins/wp-monalisa/icons/wpml_yahoo.gif

        • KG says:
          December 17, 2013 at 08:56

          Darin’s on to it. As usual. :grin: This molasses has urea added, which helps cattle digest and get energy from the dried-out Mitchell grass. But a lot are going to die anyway, poor things.
          No milking cows out this way, Findalis. Here, we either do without milk or get it trucked in.

  4. Darin says:
    December 17, 2013 at 04:26

    Geez,KG,still no useful amount of rain?Or is this salvage/spring cleanup? :sad:

    • KG says:
      December 17, 2013 at 06:57

      Still no rain, Darin. And the high winds, low humidity and high temperatures kills off most vegetation. :sad:
      No sign of the monsoon yet.This is ongoing work to try and keep some stock alive. Trouble is, a lot of them are calving right now too, so the dingoes and pigs are having a good time.

  5. Yokel says:
    December 17, 2013 at 06:48

    Even for a cow, that’s a nasty way to die, head first in a molasses trough. A picture like that drives home what you were writing earlier in the year about long term lack of rain.

    • KG says:
      December 17, 2013 at 07:00

      But the Greens reckon farmers are all rich and living high on the hog, Yokel….
      If anyone’s interested, Gecko has some more pics on her site which give a good idea of what the country’s like right now.

  6. Darin says:
    December 17, 2013 at 10:08

    You can use Molasses to remove rust-
    http://youtu.be/KZCFcxf5IBw

    I come here enough that Youtube and Bing think I’m Australian and set my prefrences as such :lol: :lol:

  7. Darin says:
    December 17, 2013 at 10:31

    Wow,just took a look at Gecko’s pics,man them cattle are looking rough,hope you get some rain soon!

  8. Pascal says:
    December 18, 2013 at 06:01

    Speculating on my part, but hoping you can fill in more details: Did that cow die from getting its head lodged trying to get at the last drop, or maybe from drowning in the molasses?

    Whatever the reason: how common is this scene?

    • KG says:
      December 18, 2013 at 06:11

      The trough was still about half full, Pascal so how it managed to drown is a mystery.
      It’s not a common scene but by no means the first either. Perhaps it was the jostling and squabbling that happens at food and water points.

      • Darin says:
        December 18, 2013 at 11:37

        I dunno,Bovines it seems have a nack for dying in some bizzare places even in normal times.I’ve seen them snout down in ponds,one under a truck and one Holstein in particular managed to wedge itself inbetween to concrete silos.
        Taken as a whole they are a weird animal capable of some suprising things.

  9. KG says:
    December 18, 2013 at 11:46

    “Taken as a whole they are a weird animal capable of some surprising things.”
    A bit like humans, then?