Feeding Cows

Very cold morning today with a little snow on the ground. Took me back to days in the 60s on the family ranch and feeding cattle on winter days. This was in the time before the big round hay bales of today.  Would load up 10-15 bales of the old square bales on a pickup truck.  Out to the pasture, call the cows with the truck horn http://pulltight.blogspot.com/2013/03/calling-cows-and-purple-haze.html
Then throw the hay off the truck and walk around looking through and counting the cows and taking the wire off each bale of hay.
Sometimes recall a story I heard many years ago about a colder and snowier day than today.  Occurred somewhere in rural W Texas, near Amarillo as I remember.
Was a really cold Sunday after a blizzard. One old rancher shows up early to the small country church, starts a fire in the wood stove and waits for the rest of the congregation and the preacher.  The preacher living next door arrives and stands by the stove with the old rancher.  After a little while, they realize no else is venturing out on such a frigid icy morning.

“What should we do?” the preacher asked turning to the old rancher.
The old rancher replied, “Well if I went out to feed my cows on a cold blustery day like this and only one cow came when I called, I would feed that cow.”
The preacher agreed and went to the pulpit. He proceeded to pull out his notes and gave a memorable sermon, hellfire, damnation, salvation, etc. Must have really felt the spirit because he preached and shouted while striding around the pulpit for and an hour and a half. Even lead the rancher in a couple of hymns.  After finishing he thought to himself, this is one of my most loyal church members, why not ask for a little constructive criticism. So he simply says to the old rancher “What did you think about today’s service?”

The rancher stands up picks up his hat from the pew where he has been sitting, takes a long look out one of the windows and turns to the preacher and says, “If I went to feed my cows on a day like this and only one cow came, I would feed that cow." He paused for a couple of seconds and then continued,  "But, I wouldn’t give her the whole damn load.”

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