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Why were we sulking? Well, we had just finished "helping" Husband load a steer onto the trailer, and at times it seemed we were NOT much help.......the dogs by being IN the wrong place at the wrong time, and me by being a chicken and not staying in the right place at the right time! The problem is that when a 1000 pound+ steer is galloping towards me, I tend to jump out of the way, meaning, of course, that the steer is then not steered in the right direction, and we have to start all over again! Anyway, poor Husband just shakes his head and glares. I've told him many times that he married the wrong woman........he should have looked around for a stronger, BRAVER wife than I am! But, who thinks of that at age 16 while preoccupied with flirting in high school study hall!******************************
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So, there we were in the ditch amongst the newly-blooming "Yellow Goat's Beard". Quite a strange name for a plant. Its scientific name is even worse....... trapopogon pratensis! This plant has personality quirks.......its flowers always face to the EAST, for one thing! (Here's lookin' at you, blog readers........obviously, this photo was taken looking to the west.)
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"You don't ride on Superman's cape,
You don't spit into the wind,
You don't pull the mask off the ol' Lone Ranger,
And, you don't mess around with Slim (or is it Jim?)"
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HOWEVER, it is okay to go right ahead and wrestle with the Goat's Beard! That's what I was attempting to do in the next photo.......trying to get the stubborn flower head to face SOUTH in order to "pose" with the fencepost in the background! I had little success.......this bloomin' blossom definitely has a mind of its own!
If you found yourself disoriented on the prairie, perhaps these east-pointing flowers could help you regain your bearings!
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Below, on the left, is a closed-up Goat's Beard. The flowers are open in the mornings, if the sun is shining. They then close up shop by early afternoon, or if the day turns cloudy.
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And, here below, we catch a Goat's Beard fraternizing with a flock of phlox.......and, by golly, a lone little white wild strawberry blossom down below, too!
****************************************(Hey........who sang the song which includes the verse quoted above?? The tune and words came to mind as I was taking these Goat's Beard photos, but it took my aging brain a day to recall the singer's name. Who is it?)
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13 comments:
That would be Jim Croce.
I'm so glad you were sulking because look at all the lovely pictures you came to share with us.
And, we all need a bit of a sulk once in a while.
The singer was Jim Croce.
I would definitely be no good at steer sorting!
Thanks for the back link. I've been wondering how the blog got its name.
You know how I know it's Jim Croce? Because one of my many infatuations in high school was obsessed with Croce. That's deep.
Even when you're 30 and dating, there's a lot you don't think about and which will cause him to glare at you many years down the road!
And now I know what type of flower I am. That Goat's Beard is a perfect description of me :)
I tell my husband the exact same thing when we're sorting steers! He married the wrong woman. I grew up on a hog farm, and moving cattle takes a whole different skill set than moving hogs. I don't know if I'll ever catch on. And yet our 10-year-old daughter is a natural cow girl, always in the right place at the right time. We have a pesky German Shepherd that wants to help, too, but just doesn't know how yet and is usually more trouble than help. She's getting better, though - Matt needed the bull moved out of the feeder calf pen (he broke in) and the dog bit onto the bull's tail and got him moving right on out of the pen!
Jim Croce actually came to mind but I wouldn't have committed to it.
Didn't he sing 'Time in a Bottle'
So NOT the same song as "Don't Mess Around with Jim (or Slim, or whoever)
Oh, and I tell my husband I was milking cows and blocking 1000 steers while his was still in diapers.
Not true, but I am a farm girl.
Which doesn't mean I've never been scowled at in a cowyard by him before!
Everyone else guessed first. Jim Croce.
Sorry I haven't been around lately, Jeannelle. I'm having issues again. With the darn satellite internet I've acquired. Arghhh!
But the pictures here are nice.
I love Jim Croce's music. Nice photos and it is interesting about the Goats Beards. I have never seen them here.
I'm not guessing, but I sure remember those day sorting out the heifers etc. And I would run!!! but now we only deal with chickens and all I had to do was learn to twist those necks if they didn't cooperate.
But I prefer to do other things than that, like bake a cake and bring coffee out to the guys.
Great post.
Off-topic, have you heard anything from Pat in Arkansas? She hasn't blogged for a week now, and that is unusual for her....
Wow Jeannelle, I had no idea that goat's beard turned to the east. Weird. I'll have to pay more attention from now on. To tell the truth, I don't go out much, it's just too horribly wet everywhere and its so soggy you just sink in even on the grass. The dogs don't even want to walk around much.
And I sure don't blame you for avoiding the steer. LOL. I think the steer wins any heads up contest.
Hi, everyone!
Beverly & Ruth.....I'm just very impressed that you knew right away it was Jim Croce......it took me a full 24 hours to think of his name!
caution....you had an infatuation with him???? Oh, but, I had some strange ones back then, too! And let's see.....you face the morning sun and then wrap your day up by noon!!! Sounds good to me some days!!
sugarcreekfarm.....you have a bull; you are brave souls....always take care!!
Mary.....I think you're correct that Jim Croce sang "Time In A Bottle", which was extremely popular for a time when I was in high school. I think it was one of our prom themes.
Countrygirl.....Oh, good luck with the satellite system....it must be very frustrating to have it not work right.
Egghead....You knew it was Jim Croce, too....good for you!
Marg.....I have been chased by an angry chicken before!!
rhymeswithplague.....good news, you've probably seen that Pat has a post today!
Sherry.....I don't blame you for not going out, and you're kind of in the woods anyway, where things would stay soggier longer.
Thanks for all the comments!
I hope this isn't the same kind of Goat's Beard that Denver, Colorado grows! Its' end result is a hard very thorny seed that penetrates bike tires-- found this out from experience when biking with my kids on the trails in Denver! I, too am an Iowa farm girl, from SE Iowa, Iowa City, to be exact,and came upon your post after reading "My Front Porch from Judy in B.C. I help chase fat hogs instead of cattle-- but understand your angst! Loved your Little Brown Church entry!
Miriam
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