# Domestic Bliss



## farmersamm (Nov 2, 2017)

We bought a bull yesterday :angry: I hate any purchases like this. I question my decisions more and more these days.

Anyways...&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;

I sorta liked this one.









She liked the one on the left.









This time around it was her call.


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## Swv.farmer (Jan 2, 2016)

I like the first one better.


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## farmersamm (Nov 2, 2017)

I agree with you, but here's the deal.

Last time around, I prevailed, thought I had a winner, and now we got a bunch of small framed heifers. And the bull calves weren't anything to shout about. This came at a bad time. I'm getting older, and wanna increase the herd size to have a bit more as we get old. Hell  , we are old :lol:

Now we get to relationships. (Gawd  )

She's more into the livestock, I'm more into feeding them. I'm a mechanical kinda guy. I like the crop end of the deal.

We both come from backgrounds. We're second-time-around folks. First time in either of our lives that we found someone who gives a hoot about the other half.

First time since I was a little boy that I'll get into a car with someone other than my Father, without buckling my seatbelt. That's some serious trust, and it's goin' on a decade now.

And she's got more common sense than I do.

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We started out looking at just about everything close by. Only one guy in my area that I actually trust to give ya a square deal, and he's gone senile. It happens to all of us. So we're kinda in a dilemma. Had to go further afield.

I found one I liked, and she liked, but lil' guy was only about 7mo old. I feel you can tell a good prospect that young. Matter of fact, I had the check book out. I was SMITTEN  (Was right up there with the first time I saw K'kins&#8230;..she was bending over, wearing khaki shorts, pulling a Snapple out of the cooler in a convenience store...&#8230;.WOOOOOOOOF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.)

K'kins is sitting there in the truck suckin' on a DP (Doctor Pepper), and throws a rock under the tires.

"Kind of impractical.....have to wait a while before he's good to go" (We don't have a bull right now, dumped the crap bull, got busy, and never got around to doing what I shoulda been doing)

You can just hear the tires skidding on the blacktop. Screeeeeech.

"Well ya babe, suppose you're right" (she looks like a little girl when she's sipping on a straw, it's distracting)

I suck it up, and she gets the tablet out (still not used to that high tech stuff), finds a place to go not too far away, and we head off. I still gotta flip phone.

Get there, and do the kicking-the-tires thing. Commercial bulls.

I don't have anything against a commercial bull,, at least how it's defined around here...&#8230;.at least a papered sire. You get what yu see. As is, where is.

I walked in the pen, and liked the bull in question. Liked the overall shape...&#8230;..big strong behind, stout, and a smallish head. I'm not a scientific kinda guy. I figure he's got what I like to see at the sale barn. (Don't take that to the bank, there's more coming up)

She is just looking, and not moving much. She's letting the animals move around her. I tend to move with the animal, trying to see as much as I can see at different angles.

The dood with the goods is standing there, telling us about the greatness of everything he has to offer. Nicely pressed pair of bib overalls (probably his bull selling outfit). I just shut it out, and so does K'kins.

Time for the confab...&#8230;&#8230;

We fire up some smokes. That's generally (these days) enuff to guarantee some degree of privacy. The Holier Than Thou non-smokers run off into the woods. That's ok....I really don't like them either 

K'kins likes the longer body on her choice. Likes his hair on his noggin. But doesn't like his hind quarters. But, overall, he's her pick.

I make my case for my pick. Overall shape, deep build, great behind, small head, tends to move away from you instead of moving in on you (both of us have to handle this guy)

I still had one more negative, but I didn't bring it up. Something I sorta noticed in passing, but it's becoming more of an issue (right or wrong, it's an issue with me). I would have possibly ignored it if she was the kind of woman who let a man run over her. She's a fighter.

I trust this lady with my life. I love her dearly, and LISTEN TO WHAT SHE SAYS. But I still want the one I like.

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So...&#8230;..is this a shared thing???? She works with me, sees everything I see, and is one sharp cookie. She has opinions, and I'm a a22hole to ignore that. She's got as much at stake in this thing as I do.

I listen, and bring up the negative.

The one I like has a high tight scrotum. It was about 80ish degrees on Sunday, and the testicles were right up against the body. When I mentioned it, she had noticed it too. (These two are about 22 months old, so I figger that what you see is about what ya gonna see at this point).

So, given what our choices are. Neither of us are up to traipsing all over the state to look at more bulls. K'kins takes the day. I'm ok with it. "You tha babe" (high five). And that ain't BS, I have no second thoughts.

Gotta go pick up the critter later on this week. 1 ton has bad windshield wipers.....work when they wanna work. Not a good idea to put it out on the highway when there's a good chance of rain (she puts up with this crap :wub: )

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BTW....Mr. BibOverall Guy was about at wits end by the time we left. We don't care, it's our moola. In passing, to take the sting out of it, I told the dood "ya oughta see when we buy a new refrigerator".

I'm sure we were the topic in his house that evening. Be interesting to be a fly on the wall while they were eating supper.

Life is what you make of it, make it good, and enjoy it. It's over before ya know it.

Any day above ground is a good day.


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## farmersamm (Nov 2, 2017)

Babe, I'll give ya the tools...&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;.you run with them.

I've done ok so far, but I'm thinkin' she can do better.

I'm the raw material provider  Did it for myself all these years, and maybe it's time to pass the torch.

Not to stray too far off the subject...&#8230;..let's talk trailers. New candidate gonna come home on this.

Picked up this gem back in the early days.







About maybe 300 clams at auction. Had to pull it home at 25mph.....the axles wanted to come out from under the trailer.

Time for some surgery.









Cut out the rotten material, and build a new subfloor. SUBFLOOR...&#8230;.important word. Never did like wood floors over a frame on a stock trailer...&#8230;&#8230;.they're too weak. I like a sub floor under the wood. Expanded metal distributes the weight (moment) over a wider area. Makes it stronger.









Put the finish floor in, do some other stuff, and almost ready to go.









Back in the day, used to pull it with the old PowerWagon







Still got the ol' gurl. 400cid Mopar, sittin' out in the yard. A right runnin' truck. Turn the key, and she's ready to rock.


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## farmersamm (Nov 2, 2017)

Fast forward a lotta years. I'm livin' better. She's set me straight. Place doesn't look like crap anymore.







Trailer in for service. (Guys that don't know...&#8230;.you're lookin' at a 1964 Gooseneck Trailer the actual original Gooseneck brand) Might be off a year or two, but it's what I remember off the old spec plate on the tongue.

Okie heaven  And we've weathered the storms, and still goin'


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## Ray 54 (Aug 2, 2014)

Good that you could come to a agreement with your pardner. I am always interested in how others do it in different parts of the country. This part of the country not to many people run bulls without papers, all the EPD's :lol: so you don't end up with the little heifers.

But every once in a while I gamble just little    , one black baldy in the mix right now.

Being a dryer part of the country I have decided I don't need cows bigger than 1200 lbs.

But from your own report that calf was a little young to do you much good unless you don't turn him out till next summer.

I also liked you trailer pictures and history. I have a Hart from 75 here my dad picked up at the factory. It also is the 6 bolt wheels, hauled a heck of a lot cows. There were not many trailers goose neck trailer around here in 75. Now not that many steel ones going everybody has to have a aluminium ones.


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## farmersamm (Nov 2, 2017)

Welp........off to pick up the prize bull today.

I figured I'd get there about 2:00....ought give it enough time before sundown to get the stupid thing loaded. Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong 

Called the guy yesterday to set it up. Asked him if the bull was tied down......we had a series of tornadoes on Tuesday that were close by where the bull is. Guy didn't really see the humor in it 

100mi of driving bliss, with the check engine light on. Been on since I had the gas tank just about fill up with water when the drain hole plugged where the filler is. Drained it out, actually pumped it out using the in tank fuel pump. Might just be a hard code that has to be cleared (shrug). Might throw the reader on it this morning just to see what's up.

Stop somewhere on the way home, and get a granola bar for the bull. First impressions are important


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