Colonel’s Blog, Earthdate 16 June 2023…
Hey Y’all!
Happy Fast-Jet Friday!! The pic today is Hannah in the front seat of the Mighty-Mighty F-15E Strike Eagle this week in England. Speaking of fighter squadrons, a time honored tradition of the fighter squadron is the roll call. The history of the roll call harkens back to the early days of military aviation. Beginning as early as World War I, at the end of the flying day, the squadron commander would gather the squadron together and call roll to determine who returned from their combat mission and who was lost. The tradition continued and by the time I showed up to my first fighter squadron in the late 1990s, the roll call was a vital part of the squadron. EVERY Friday we had a roll call in the squadron bar. The person in charge of the roll call is called the Mayor. The Mayor is typically a mid-level officer in the squadron with a great sense of humor and is normally a bit rough around the edges. The Mayor leads the roll call through the weekly traditions, beginning with the declaration “HACK!” to start the event. Then the Mayor actually calls roll of everyone who flies with the squadron. In my first squadron, you were either present, paid $1 to “check-in”, or you were fined $5 for your absence and failure to check in. Occasionally, the squadron would get a bit out of control, or even all the way out of control. As it became inevitable, the chant would always start from somewhere in the back of the room: “The Mayor has lost control, the Mayor has lost control, the Mayor has lost control!” The chanting never helped the Mayor regain control and it was about 50/50 that the event continued or just adjourned into chaos. You are now ready for today’s farm update.
As we went outside first thing this morning to feed the bottle lambs, Tank and TJ (the guardian dogs that are supposed to be with the ewes and lambs) met us by the barn. Frustrated that they weren’t guarding the sheep where they were supposed to be, we proceeded to feed the lambs. I left Shelley to the lambs and began walking the dogs back to where they belonged. Shortly, Shelley looked up and saw about 3/4 of the ewe/lamb flock in a pasture that we did not put them in. Finishing the lambs, she drove down to pick me up and to inform me of the status. Just that fast, and that early in the day, Shelley quipped “The Mayor has lost control!” At least it’s Friday! When you plan missions, you always plan for contingencies. Nevertheless, this was not a contingency we discussed during our morning coffee and staff meeting. We were going to move the sheep today, although not to that pasture nor at that time. So, we just moved the remaining 1/4 of the flock and the dogs into the pasture with the rest of the flock. They weren’t well contained but were satisfied with the new area and fresh grass so we left them. Daily plan basically shot, we decided to open the lane to the beef cows and get them started on their way to the pens so we could work the calves, part of the plan, but timing was off. Crisis at least under partial control, we finished the rounds. At that point, we returned to the house, ate some breakfast, then poured a cup of coffee and re-accomplished our staff meeting. New plan in place, we set up a sheep paddock around the flock. We then moved the cows into the pens and took a break for water and a snack. Back to the cows, they were not happy about all of the sheep wool in the pens and basically refused to enter that portion of the pens. We normally move them through in groups of 5-6 but were only able to get 1-2 at a time moving in the right direction. We both actually remained calm and patient, and finally got all of the cows through the pens and the 6 calves sorted into a side pen. We boosted their vaccinations and banded one of the bull calves. When complete, we returned to the sheep paddock to set up the fence charger as the lightning started popping around us. The first thunderstorm hit as we were getting back to the house. What a day! The pics today are Hannah in the F-15E, the 4 gallons of milk we got this morning in the grocery cart we use to transport it, 3 kittens living the rough life, and a flower on one of our pumpkin plants. I wish everyone an awesome weekend! Ours starts at the Farmer’s Market bright and early tomorrow morning. Hope to see some of you there!
Shelley put up a couple of YouTube Shorts, check them out!
Local Farm Report for 15 June 2023:
Harvest:
29 Chicken eggs
0 Duck eggs
1 Goose egg
7 1/4 Gallons of milk
Cheers!
Psycho & Shelley
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