I know on the surface it seems too soft a name for a bull, bronc, or even a tornado - I might go so far as to name a hurricane May and June. Thoughts of May for many people entice images of flowers, caps and gowns, bbq's. June entices images of camping, of proud dads receiving Hallmark cards from their doting children.
RIGHTTTTTTTT.....
Here's another look at May. It's the last month of school which usually means field trips, state finals, and class finals. Final grades, students madly trying to get the last minute projects, tests, or extra credit finalized before letting go of the year and entering into the next grade level. Teacher meetings, banquets, award ceremonies... Yes, there's graduation - several of them in fact - and congratulations to all the graduating seniors. You've reached another milestone on your journey into the crazy fantastic future. Enjoy and remember as much as you can!!!
There's more to May!
In the agriculture world of Northern New Mexico and Southern Colorado there's so much more to May. May is when the New Mexico 4H state shoot is held. It's when 4H animals need to have been purchased. Paper work for small animals needs filing. Paperwork and payment for camps and schools and clinics needs turning in. Fortunately, all large livestock paperwork is usually taken care of by February. It's when water is released from the reservoirs. Ditches need cleaning, sprinklers need servicing, ground needs worked, crops need planting. It's when calves need branding, cattle need sorting and then shipped to their perspective summer pastures. It's when shoes need resetting (horse's shoes that is). Health papers for hauling and inspection papers for hauling need be double checked lest someone get stopped. Oh yeah...and Mother's Day is in there somewhere. We're either branding or sorting and shipping on a day when many mothers get to sleep in and have breakfast in bed. The moms on this place do get thanked for lunch though - if the morning has gone smoothly. The moms are also covered in as much dust, blood, smoke, and cow pucky as anyone else is.
June! We can't forget June, though it kind of sort of bleeds into May and if not for the arrival of bills we might not know of the transition. June brings its own mix to the ride. With the coming of June come 4H livestock weigh-ins, 4H horse school, 4H livestock school, summer camps, little league (and no two kids in one family can ever seem to have practices or games on the same evenings), sports camps, rodeos, shows...*sigh* and then some. Also in June is irrigating (provided we have water in this season of drought), servicing equipment, fixing equipment, trips to the parts store...trips BACK to the part store, trips to the summer pasture to ride fence, keep count, check water holes, and the constant replenishing of ice cold sweet tea (our fridge is rarely without it - past lessons having been learned).
Ohhhh and Father's Day. It's in there somewhere and usually we have to be reminded of it via the big signs and posters popping up everywhere in Wal Mart stores. There's been more than once when I've told myself to remember and told myself to remember, only to be in a Wal Mart frowning up at one of those posters because...that was today? I didn't forget the dads on the place, I just forgot what day I was in. No matter how far I've gone from home or how busy I've gotten I will NEVER forget the dads!!! or the moms for that matter!!! and I will never stop loving them. Back to June. June ends - sometimes - with first cutting alfalfa. In other parts of the agriculture world, June brings wheat to cut as well, but here it's mostly alfalfa which in itself can promise hours of waiting on the dew and watching rain clouds as they threaten their wrath. We can't forget more trips to the parts stores. They are friendly faces and usually have the coffee waiting for us when we get there :)
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The combination of May and June is one crazy ride. It could be called a roller coaster but a roller coaster has a defined path - yeah up and down but you know when the ups and downs are coming and can see the path before you strap yourself in for the ride. May and June don't give you the opportunity to get a good look at the ride you're about to embark on. Yes, there's the familiar schedule and we usually know what we're up against - we did sign up for this life after all and were well aware of the fine print. However, there's those dips, bumps, and gullies that come up throughout the ride.
Maybe after some thought May and June wouldn't make a good name for a bull or bronc. After all, stock contractors need something that will sometimes unseat the rider. We've felt the pressure and might have lost a stirrup or our center a time or two but when July arrives we're all still in the saddle.
