I guess when you are young, before all of your brain cells have fully developed; decisions are made without much thought. That was the case when several of us decided that we should ride bulls in the rodeo. After three attempts to ride a bull, I decided not to pursue that career. While some folks measure their performance in seconds, my performance could be measured in milliseconds. I did manage to walk away with no injuries.

  The bulls at Fair Meadow Farm were fairly calm. We fed them twice a day and while they ate we rubbed their backs with insecticide to keep the flies controlled. On a couple of occasions, however one would manage to get through a gate and escape. When that happened he always went to the owner’s house and began tearing the shrubbery down. Something about those azaleas felt good when he rubbed his head in them. After a few rubs the plants looked like they had been mowed. Getting the bull back in the fence was no problem, but dealing with the owner’s wife over the shrubs was worse than any bull you will ever encounter.

While working at Fair Meadow Farm I decided that I should get into the cattle business. I asked the owner if he would sell me a cow and calf. He agreed and set the price at six hundred dollars. I did not have that much money, but with the help of my mother we came up with it. I picked out my cow and calf and paid for them. A week or so later, as I was getting ready to move them, the owner came to me and said that he thought I had picked out his best bull calf. He offered me eight hundred dollars if I would just leave them there. I took him up on his offer. This explains why I never became a cattle baron, but I can say that my personal dealings in the cattle business were very profitable.

  Later when I managed a cattle farm, we had several breeds. We had Angus, Charolaise, Hereford, Santa Gertrudis and one Brahman bull. The Brahman lived up to his reputation as being mean. He would paw the ground and run at you if you got too close. We called him “Ferdinand.” We discussed getting rid of him before someone got hurt. He was hard to catch in the head gate. His horns went straight out on both sides of his head, so the head gate had to be opened wide for him to get through. In addition his shoulders were somewhat narrow and he always charged at the head gate. One day while routinely working the cattle it became “Ferdinand’s” turn at the head gate. I missed him and caught him behind the shoulders. As I worked to turn him loose, I lost control of the gate that would have been between him and me. When he wheeled around I was in the middle of the lane through which he was about to exit. I was sure that I was a goner. Then he did something unexpected, he stopped, let me climb up on the fence and then blasted by me. After that “Ferdinand” and I got along much better. Mean as he was, he did have a soft spot in his heart. Don’t worry though; I never tried to ride him. I guess experience and a few additional brain cells can be beneficial.