Monday, November 12, 2012

Fear is the Beginning of Wisdom


I have noticed an alarming trend with suburban or city folks moving to the country.  They have no fear.  Now while at first glance, this may seem like a good thing, but when you delve a little deeper, you uncover a serious cause for concern.

I am thrilled that more and more people are seeing the signs of the times and exiting cities.    They have realized that in the event of a catastrophic happening, the city is the last place they want to be.  They are embracing gardening, animal husbandry and country living.  But, more often than not, they do not understand or respect country ways.

One of the hallmarks of a person that was raised in the country is their understanding of animals.  Country folk rely on their animals, be they cow dogs, horses or milk cows.  Their animals are necessary for their survival and they care for them well, however, they understand that they are animals.  They don't attribute warm and fuzzy feelings to the Holstein bull or expect their draft horse to know it hurts when they stomp directly on their instep. They are animals, and as such, are to be treated with the respect due a 700 - 1200 pound beast.  People who have grown up around large animals realize that a horse can kick you through a fence in a heartbeat and that a cow, however gentle she may be, can kill you in an instant.   People who know animals understand that you should never put yourself between two large animals and that it is foolish to be in the midst of a pasture with a herd of horses.  Animals often don't mean to hurt people, however, due to their shear size, and the fact that they are animals, they often do.

Dogs, cats, goats, sheep, chickens - they all have their place, but they need to know where their place is.  Country folks don't let their dogs jump up on them (muddy paws and all) and they don't let their chickens have free range all of the time.  Nobody likes wading through mounds of chicken poop to get to the front door!  When it comes right down to it, country people realize that animals have their place and people have theirs.  It is unsafe and unsanitary to commingle the two.

A while ago I wrote a story about our next door neighbor, King.  He rescued my brother and I from a stampeding herd of range cattle by throwing us into a trailer that was attached to his tractor.  By the time he got us to our parents, he let loose with more than a few carefully chosen words, chastising my parents for their ignorant, city ways.  Essentially, he told them that they had better cultivate a healthy fear of large animals or they would very likely find themselves mourning over their children's graves.  King spoke from experience.  His own mother had been killed by her wonderful, gentle milk cow.

The truth of the matter is that animals are not people.  They don't think like people, they don't act like people and they don't feel like people.  They are animals.  If you are moving to the country, please, find some country people.  Watch them, learn from them, be willing to change the way you think.  Your life and the lives of the people you love may just depend on it.

Animals are wonderful.  They are necessary. They are useful.  But, they are dangerous.  Fear is the beginning of wisdom.  Exercise wisdom and live.

29 comments:

  1. Matilda stepped on my foot last week. Three toes were big, bruised, and swollen. I limped for 24 hours. You don't realize how big a Jersey is until you try to push one off your foot while cussing a blue streak.

    - Patrice

    ReplyDelete
  2. Funny, I've never really thought about it like this. 100% percent true, it just becomes habit after a while and you don't notice. My cousin came for a visit a while back, and asked why we had so many bulls in our pasture. I looked at her a little funny and told her that we only had one. She then proceeded to ask about "All the ones with horns." I have to admit, I take my country raising a bit for granted at times, but you're right. There are some things that need to be learned before you do it. And granted, there's nothing really dangerous about my story, it made me realize just how much people that don't live in the country, don't know.

    ReplyDelete
  3. And a bull is greatly dangerous...no matter how cute or docile you think he is. Male animals can kill you very easily!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Enola,

    (captaincrunch)

    My Grandfather the Cattle Rancher knew his cattle and would watch every cow in case one was ill or if something was wrong with that perticular cow. Im sure he would agree with what you wrote.

    On a sidenote, my Grandfather who only had a high school education was better educated than most kids in this modern era. My grandfather would sit on his horse for hours watching his heard and recite latin phrases he learned in high school before World War One to his cattle in the pasture.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I agree but want to add that even those in the country can be the same way. My Husband lived on a farm (but only had Dogs) growing up. where I lived on a hobby farm across town. He also asked me how I could tell a herford bull from the cow in the pasture. and Most of my friends in school didn't know much for animals either.

    ReplyDelete
  6. We always try to tell people it's not if you get injured by a large animal, but when and how badly.

    ReplyDelete
  7. well, lets hope the country doesn't turn into new cities. I was a city person 8 years ago before moving to the country. Now, I had been around animals as a city person because I always visited farms and owned a horse. But there was so much to learn to when making that jump to a self sufficient lifestyle and I'm still learning. I understood the dangers better then most.
    City folks moving to the country for the first time need to give themselves time to learn and respect nature and farm animals. Foul weather and foul animals can kill you. This is not hobby farm living.

    Shaolin

    ReplyDelete
  8. I like the idea of moving to the country and being more self sufficient; I have made some steps in that direction, however I feel daunted by the scope of things I have to learn to raise livestock and produce - While there are many self sufficiency/ prep things I can do, there are so many more that would be helpful and useful.
    I've heard people suggest starting with small animals before moving to big ones, i.e. chickens, rabbits, and goats before cows.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jonathan,

      A mature billy goat can hurt or kill you almost as easily as a cow or horse. Once they get that rock hard head down (backed with 175lbs (or more) of muscle) it's a bad scene. I would recommend only females or pygmy goats for a livestock beginner.

      Delete
  9. Oh, I want to add one more comment; I hope all this migration doesn't turn your state into a socialist haven. That's what happen to Washington and Oregon state. Thirty years ago they were conservative onclaves and now, well we know what they are now. It was all that California migration and those folks bringing their "progressive", "leave God out politics" with them. I'm in a upper southern state and I'm seeing the same thing happening here with a flood of New York and Florida migration. Our state is holding on to it's liberties and low taxes by a toenail! My last move will be to Wyoming, please, nobody follow me!! :-)


    Shaolin

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hope that not everyone judges us in the same manner. Yes, most in California are liberals. I am a country girl, born and raised in California. I am not progressive. I am as far from liberal as one can get. We are looking to move to Idaho in the near future. I pray that our new neighbors judge us by our character and not that we escaped from California. We have a daughter that is nine. She can hit the bullets eye or make a can dance at 100 yards with a 22. She can help butcher a chicken from start to finish. I hope our "California" ways show others that they should be more fair in judging the individual on their actions than their birth state.

      Delete
    2. Dear Stuck,
      We, too are refugees from Cali to Idaho. We also grew up in the rural areas and had livestock, etc and most certainly are NOT progressives. That being said, there are those who assume that all Cali people are libs, but we know what the first three letters in assume are, and that is what most of those types are. You do have to just make a decision and stick with it. But do not move to an area and then try to change it. Do lots of research before choosing a place to relocate to, and then once you choose, do some more in depth research. You sound like the kind of ex-Calibagger (yea, they say that)that would be welcomed, eventually, if you know what I mean.
      From, an ex-Calibagger,
      Paintedmoose

      Delete
    3. I'm a native born CA gal and I agree that many Californian's get a very well deserved snub from other states...and countries...because we have a very me-centered, rude, arrogant attitude. Like we are owed something that we did not work for!!! Get my drift?? I don't see that nasty, arrogance when I travel elsewhere across our country.

      Oh, please don't judge all of us as rude liberal's or progressives or whatever the latest socialist lingo is. I am a God-living, God-reverencing person who has seen our state go into the toilet, well, lower...into the sewer. Ths once beautiful state in so many ways has been destroyed by the "liberal dumb-o-cratik machine" and all the "freebies enjoyed by the welfare crowd" just as they've done to Chicago with their "welfare experiments". I'd love to move elsewhere where people do respect the land and each other, but not into the "greenie", "global warming chicken little" mentality.

      But often finances and family situations dictate where one lives especially as one gets older.
      Pat

      Delete
    4. Thank you PaintedMoose.
      I have been researching Idaho for two years. It "fits" us better than the current California.

      Delete
    5. We are an 8th generation California family living in the Sierras. Also third generation homeschoolers. Our area is conservative, Christian and in some ways a lot like when my parents were kids before WW2. A lot depends on where one lives. We attend a cowboy church, and like our friends and family grow a big garden, hunt, fish and preserve what we grow or hunt.

      So please do not lump all people from any state into a one size fits all mold.

      Delete
  10. Some years ago, I was an EMT in a very rural area (1 stop light in the entire county). While I never saw anyone killed, I still get chills recalling a man who was gored in the groin by a bull. This man was very experienced and knew what he was doing. One moment of carelessness cost him dearly though.

    Even small animals aren't to be trifled with. I came within a small fraction of any inch of losing an eye when a flock of chickens panicked and a hen's claw left me with a very nasty cut from forehead to cheek, right across my left eye. A good dose of antibiotics, and I now only have a faint scar to show for my carelessness. I now wear eye protection any time I'm around them.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Shaolin and all
    The same thing happened to parts of Montana. The California types move away from CA and immediately start making the new place just like what they left.
    Watch that the city people do not turn the farm animals into citizens ala PETA.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Shaolin,
    Don't blame Florida directly - those who moved to your area from Florida with their urban ways came here from New York and all that area. We're glad to get rid of them, but sorry they stopped in your area and not back at their home. With that said, I need to point out that there are some (very few) who move here to get away from the urban culture and have eagerly adopted the rural culture. They are few and far between, but they can be great folks when you find them.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Yes, I've not been able to understand the attachment to animals. I've heard people say "These are my babies," about their pets! We have two cats and used to have a dog, until he snapped at me. Out the door he went! If any animal threatens me or (heaven forbid) one of my children, they are out the door, or dead. I love my cats, they catch mice and are occasionally good company. Our dog was friendly and would alert us to visitors. Our chickens gave delicious eggs and tasted great in soup. But they are certainly NOT my babies. My babies are my babies.

    ~Mama of 5 in PA

    ReplyDelete
  14. It's what I call Cartoon Physics-no, animals aren't cute, fuzzy people. Animals that have been domesticated for centuries are still animals,and can hurt you. Unintentionally hurt hurts just the same. Most of my relatives live in rural areas, and the greatest danger is machines, not so much animals(though it has happened-a long time friend of mine got a serious infection after getting flogged by a rooster, and my grandfather had broken ribs after getting kicked by a horse while trying to load him into a trailer).. Open drive shafts and belts, and hot things to accidentally back into(I tripped and fell back into the exhaust manifold of a stationary engine once), open high voltages from time to time.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Good reminder, it has been a long time since we had large animals.
    All the Florida comments reminded me of several things:
    Look up Forida/Cracker cattle dog. They are unique and a disappearing breed. Most cattle ranching is between Lake Okeechobee and Orlando now. Former champion bull rider lives in that area.
    The New Yorkers that move to Florida and then go to NC or SC becaues they don't like it here are called halfbacks (well, I call them that)
    Popular bumper sticker in parts of the South "We don't care how you did it up north". Think you have something similar in the Redoubt.
    Terry
    Florida

    ReplyDelete
  16. I was raised around livestock. I have little fear - but a healthy respect. My dads mantra was always - "be alert don't get hurt". It's the careless moments that get you.

    As an aside, in the recent past when many Americans still lived on farms, deaths from animal accidents were all to common. (I suspect if one would talk to an older relative most folks would find they have had family killed or seriously injured by an animal)

    I believe that one of the main reasons artificial insemination of dairy cattle caught on was the desire of farmers to get rid of dairy bulls. A little Jersey bull looks so sweet and cute, but they are about the nastiest bulls around!

    ReplyDelete
  17. I have another one for you...city folks who think that can get five dogs and let them run now that they have a few acres. Someone needs to explain pack mentality and what dog packs do to livestock to these new neighbors.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They will learn pretty quick when those dogs are shot by neighbors and don't come home. Hard lesson but can't have them going after chickens etc.

      Also I don't think people consider the seasons when first moving into a rural area. It always angered my Dad (who's been around horses for over 70 yrs) when city folks bought a few acres and put 2-4 horses on them with a crappy stock pond. No supplemental food come winter or drought, no clean water, no worming, no checking for ear mites, no hoof maintenance....just pretty ponies in a pasture just like they wanted when they were 8 yrs old.

      Not to mention just plain stupidity. I remember as a child how the neighbor had a horse who was undisciplined and rode headlong for our barbed wire fence and tried to unload her into it.

      My Dad calmly asked for her to get off and if he could have the reins. I'll never forget the look of shock on her face as my Dad whipped the hell out of that stud horse with those reins but it worked and that horse never pulled that again nor did the city girl ask for my Dad's "help" again.

      Again, those folks just thought it was "neat" to have a horse but never considered him dangerous or in need of training and they were lucky no one was killed.

      Delete
  18. Enola,

    (captaincrunch)

    I hope Im not breaking any blogging etiquette by this, but over at the woodpile report (old' Remus and the Woodpile Report) has a "doosey" of an Essay you could say this is very, very much worth reading.

    Im going to copy and paste this one, its a keeper....

    ReplyDelete
  19. When i moved from the city to a farm i went to buy a small flock of sheep as i had no experience with animals. Being a greenhorn, i asked the rancher why he had so many rams, not knowing that his ewes had just lambed and had full udders, he was kind enough to point out the ram with only a smile on his face. He gave me some good advice as i was leaving, never turn your back on a ram, more than once that advice has saved me.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Ran across this video and it made me think of things discussed here and how fear of danger and most importantly fear of God is important. Enjoy!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1T0rLHgBWg&feature=em-unknown

    ReplyDelete
  21. Yes, that sweet little milk cow ain't so sweet when she is coming into heat! My old milk cow went berserk when I went into her large pen in the barn with fresh straw and started shaking it out on her bed area. I climbed out over the pipe fencing. The first time, I thought she was maybe coming into heat, the second time, I knew better, so after that, I let her make her own bed, if you know what I mean. I am not a greenhorn either, I have a degree in Animal Science from UCD and was a registered veterinary technician for 14 years at a clinic that dealt in large and small animals so I have dealt with livestock of all kinds in many different scenarios. I remember visiting the dairies and all the warning signs around the bulls (in English and Spanish) and being told how Jersey bulls were some of the most dangerous. I remember recently on tv there was some stupid thing on animal "abuse" at dairies and they show this man in the midst of the holstein cows whack a cow on her nose when she swung her head. They were screaming "abuse" and I was saying, no, she swung her big head at him and he hit the only soft spot that would get her attention and send her on her way. They would rather have had her trample him into the concrete than hit that "poor little" 1400lb cow in the nose. Sheesh.
    I agree with the person who wrote about the loose dog issue. As a vet tech I saw first hand the damage done by loose dogs. I have zero tolerance for loose dogs and I always know where my own dog is, usually right by my side waiting for me to tell him he can work.
    Paintedmoose

    ReplyDelete
  22. You lovely photo of the squash pie and then the pretty snowflakes cut from paper reminded me of when we take a homemade snowflake and gently lay it on the baked pie and then give a light dusting of powdered sugar, remove the snowflake and you have the snowflake design on the pie. Lovely in winter when we make so many pumpkin, butternut pies.

    ReplyDelete