Uncle Barney

Uncle Barney and Me

My stepfather had family that farmed a section of land in East Texas; as a child we would visit the farm.  The farm belonged to his aunt and uncle – Uncle Barney; although they were not my family by blood, I claim them by right of heart. It has been decades since my last visit to that farm; they, and my parents, have long ago passed from this life.

Their home was a small wood-frame farmhouse set upon blocks with a metal roof and a wide front porch accessed by steps that seemed to a 4 year old to go on forever. While they did have electricity, water was hand pumped to the house from an old style well. There was a huge barn set back from the house with corrals for Uncle Barney’s team of mules for plowing and cultivating the farmland; Uncle Barney grew corn and watermelons for a living. In the monetary sense, Uncle Barney and my Aunt were by no means wealthy people, but they were wealthy in other ways – it is impossible to put a dollar value on the love their shared for each other and those around them. I have thought many times what a shame they were never blessed with children of their own.

Visits to the farm were always met with lots of laughter, hugs, and barking dogs running everywhere. First things first after greetings, Uncle Barney would take my hand and off we would go to the barn. He stored hay and corn on the cob for his mules in the barn; he would call the mules up to the barn so I could feed them corn cobs. On many occasions, hand in hand we would walk through the fields of corn and watermelons as he checked the status of the crops and quietly talked about life on the farm. Uncle Barney did not talk much unless it was about farming. At the end of the day, meals were shared at an old table in their big kitchen and afterwards we would all sit on the front porch and watch the sunset. When the weather was bad, after dinner my Aunt would break out the dominos – and all the adults would play while I watched. My how that lady loved to play dominos – and she usually won!

When I was 10, my Aunt, and Uncle Barney left the farm and moved into the city a few blocks from our home. Uncle Barney could no longer work the farm, he had developed Diabetes – he was blind and bedridden. The house they lived in was located between our home and the elementary school I attended. On many afternoons, I would stop by their home to visit with Uncle Barney on my way home from school. He would ask me to read to him – the Bible, sections of the newspaper, sometimes from books from my school’s library; many times he would just hold my hand as he talked about the farm – planting and harvesting, the years of bad weather, the years of good crops, his mules. It was obvious even to a 10 year old this was a man who loved the land. And then one morning Mother told me Uncle Barney has passed away during the night. On one hand, I was glad he was no longer suffering; on the other hand, I felt his passing left a big hole in my heart that could never be filled again.

At one point in my teens, I was going through a particularly stressful time; one night I dreamed of Uncle Barney and the farm. The dream was so vivid I could feel my hand in his, the sun and breeze on my face as we walked across the fields, I could smell the fresh-turned Earth. I heard his voice and although I could not make out the words, a sense of calm just seemed to flood my mind. When I awoke, the problems I faced were still there, but they didn’t seem so overwhelming anymore.

Timed passed and I didn’t actively think of Uncle Barney again until one day years later while driving home from work alone. Traffic was particularly bad that day – bumper to bumper – a large box van was in front of me on the roadway; when we came to an intersection not far from home, the van signaled a left turn. I decided to go around the van by passing on the right using the shoulder of the road. I pulled around beside the van and was about to enter the intersection when I heard a voice screaming at me to stop! I slammed on the brake almost an instant before a car came barreling through the intersection – the driver of the car had run the red light. If I had entered the intersection, he would have broadsided my car on the driver’s side; as fast as he was driving there is no doubt in my mind I would have been killed that day. I recognized the voice that had spoken to me.

As we age we tend to reflect upon the past - remembering people, places, and events that shaped or had an effect on our lives. Some memories are crisp and some are like fleeting shadows through our mind that briefly reach out to us at unexpected times and in unexpected ways. I have often thought about these two particular incidents over the years and have come to the conclusion that if Guardian Angels are real; I have one – Uncle Barney.

To this day, there are times when I can close my eyes and envision that kitchen - the sound of laughter, the smell of my Aunt’s homemade biscuits. I can hear the rain on that metal roof as I lay in bed at night. I can hear Uncle Barney calling the mules to the barn and feel the sun on my face while walking through the fields of watermelons hand in hand - listening to Uncle Barney’s voice.

Simple, but happy times stay in the heart and the mind forever!

In loving memory of -

Uncle Barney

Born: October 7, 1900 – Died: March 16, 1960

Gone but never forgotten!

Deborah's Granola Recipe



For several health reasons, I shy away from consuming wheat or wheat gluten. This has not been an easy task as I have found products containing one or both in surprising numbers – many of them I cannot even understand why the product contains wheat or wheat gluten, like some ice creams!

The one thing I have missed most over the years has been my morning cereal, so this week I decided to find out if granola could serve as a satisfying and tasty replacement for some of the cereal brands I was fond of in the past.

I tried several different recipes and found that none were quite what I wanted – one of the main reasons being the recipes called for way too much sugar and/or other sweeteners. Ultimately, I developed my own recipe and to my surprise my husband really likes it, too!

So, for those of you who may have been considering making your own granola or have used other recipes and found them too sweet for your palate and are fond of pecans– try this one.

Ingredients:

3 cups rolled oats
1 cup slivered almonds
1 cup chopped pecans
¾ cup shredded sweetened coconut
2 level TBS light brown sugar
¼ cup maple syrup (not corn syrup)
¼ cup walnut oil
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp salt

1 cup raisins

Directions:

Preheat oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.

Combine the oat, almonds, pecans, and coconut in a large bowl.

In a separate bowl combine brown sugar, maple syrup, walnut oil, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt – mix well and pour mixture in larger bowl with oats, almonds, pecans and coconut.

Mix all ingredients well.

Pour mixture onto a 13 X 18 X 1 sheet pan. Spread mixture evenly in pan with a spatula.

Place pan in oven and set timer for 15 minutes. At alarm, turn mixture with spatula and re-spread evenly in pan. Repeat this process 4 times, so the mixture is baked for approximately one hour. During the last 15 minutes watch the color of the granola – during this time the granola should develop an even golden brown color. If it begins to get too dark cease baking and remove pan from oven.

Allow the granola to cool and then mix in the cup of raisins. Store the granola in an airtight container.

The granola should keep in the airtight container for about a month.

Eight Things I Learned Working With Cattle

I have learned many, many more things than just eight working with cattle; it seems as if I learn something new every day; however, these eight are some of the things I learned early on that have been proven valuable on an on-going basis.

1) Cattle can open gates – many of the livestock gates on the market nowadays have a small, slanted slot about half way up the gate on one side. For deployment in a gateway, the gate has prongs that allow the gate to be mounted on one fence post while a length of chain is used to secure the gate to a solid post on the other side of the gateway. One link of the chain is fitted into the slot and is intended to serve as the “locking” mechanism for the gate. Calves are attracted to things with color or that make tinkling noises as the chains do when wind is rocking the gates or the cattle are brushing against them. After watching a calf stand and play with one of the chains until it became dislodged from the slot allowing the gate to swing open, we began using snap hooks with the chains to prevent the cattle from opening the gates.

2) There is a right and a wrong way to open gates – by nature cattle are nomadic grazers, much like the buffalo herds of old. Humans domesticated cattle and placed them in controlled grazing areas, but the nomadic instinct is still there. So, it is prudent to assume cattle view an open gate as an invitation to access fresh grazing areas; they get excited and sometimes try to rush through an open gate creating a situation in which you may be injured; keep this in mind when entering or leaving areas that contain cattle. When opening gates in areas containing cattle, always pull the gate away from the direction of the cattle. By opening the gate in this manner, you are in effect creating a barrier between you and the cattle; when you move to close the gate it presents a much bigger barrier than your body alone, as well as eliminating the need to step into an open gateway to grab the gate to pull it closed.  In my experience, the slightest movement of the gate towards the cattle is the same as putting up a “red” traffic signal – they understand it means stop now!

3) Cattle love to scratch on things – just like humans, cattle get “itches”; to relieve itches, they scratch on objects. If you want a good laugh watch a cow scratching her rear end or her neck on a downed tree branch. Not so funny is when you catch her scratching on the rear view mirrors of your truck, your baling equipment, barn doors, etc. Bulls are very prone to scratching on objects. They can all be quite destructive trying to quell an itch! We tack barb wire to the barn doors and posts we do not want the cattle scratching on and do not leave equipment where they can access it. We do, however, leave a high stump or two in the pastures so they can relieve those itches!

4) Flowing water is not a barrier to cattle - we have a small creek that flows from our property under one of the perimeter fences onto our neighbor’s property. Because of the geography of the creek, when we pulled the new fences there was a small opening less than 18 inches between the lowest wire and the flowing water. We assumed due to the movement of the water, this would not present a problem – wrong! Our 1600 lb. bull discovered this and used it as an escape route; he took 6 cows with him - real bummer of a day for us! I wish I had had a camera on that spot and watched how he managed to wriggle through that space! After retrieving the escapees, we drove multiple metal posts in the creek spanning the opening, hung cinder blocks from the top of key posts to produce downward thrust and keep the water from pushing the posts out of alignment; then we put barb wire between the posts. That escape route was cut off! J

5) Calves can be goofy – it never fails if there is even a tiny opening in or under the fence, at least one calf will find it and escape. When the Mother realizes her calf is not around to nurse or the calf gets hungry and starts bawling for its Mother is when things get interesting. Both Mother and calf will be bawling and frantically march up and down the fence line. Unless the calf has managed to get out into area where injury is imminent, like a public roadway – I discovered it is best to just note where the calf got through the fence and back off, then come back in about an hour or so after the bawling starts. You will usually find the calf back on your side of the fence happily nursing. The calf will find and come back through the same hole, if not pressured by humans. Plug the hole up so you don’t have a repeat of this – at least not with that particular hole! Calves run and jump playing tag with each other; when you are trying to herd the cattle, they run in every direction except the one you want them to go. It is amazing the amount of trouble they can get into – I found one upside down in a feed trough struggling to get out, luckily she was small enough that I could up-end the trough and literally pour her out of it. They can be very curious and I am never surprised to turn around and find a group of them standing behind me watching what I am doing and then run away when they realize I have seen them.

6) Some cows hide their calves – like deer hide their newly-born fawns while they go off to graze, some cows will do the same with their newborns. They may hide them in tall grass, under bushes or trees. Never drive a vehicle, or any equipment through the pasture where these new Mothers are located unless you know exactly where all the calves are, else you run the risk of running over the calf and killing it. Additionally, when rotating cattle between pastures, take a head count and make sure all the calves get moved with the Mothers.

7) Cattle establish a social order – in any given herd the cattle will establish a social order. The cows can be seen pushing each other around in the pasture and sometimes get really aggressive with each other until one cow emerges as the dominant female; I call her the “Queen of the Pasture”. She will usually be the first through the gate, the first to the water or feed trough and if not, she pushes the others out of the way. Train the “Queen” and the others will follow her lead. If two mature bulls end up in the same pasture, whether they are purposely placed together or one breaks through a fence, it may initiate a struggle for dominance much more aggressive than that of the females. One or both of the bulls may be injured, sometimes to the point the animal(s) injuries prevent them from being used for breeding. It is best to keep mature bulls separated, especially during breeding time. There are few things that make your heart sink faster than watching your registered bull in a fight for dominance with the neighbor’s commercial grade bull that has broken through the perimeter fence!

8) Cattle have a routine – under normal circumstances, cattle develop a routine – time to drink, time to graze, and favorite places to lay in the shade and ruminate. For example, if your cattle typically arrive at a water source to drink twice a day take note of the average time when this is taking place. I can see the pond from my kitchen window, I know approximately what time they come down from the pastures to drink and watch for them; I take a “head-count”. If all are not there or I do not see them within 30 minutes to an hour of their normal time to drink, this is a signal that something has happened - I go out to look for the missing animals. They may have escaped the pasture, predators may be bothering the herd, a gate may have swung closed preventing their reaching the water source (this can be deadly to cattle during times of extreme heat), one of them may have been injured, etc. Being aware of the cattle’s routine can alert you to possible problems, so they can be dealt with expeditiously.

Folks, there is always something new to learn when working with livestock – they can be great teachers if you open your eyes, your mind, and your heart to them!