Cheerful in All Weathers

Larry McMurtry published Lonesome Dove in 1985. Just four years later, his novel became a miniseries (one of my favorites), featuring Robert Duvall, Tommy Lee Jones, and Danny Glover (among other stars). While there are a number of memorable scenes and lines, one that sticks with me as a rancher is Agustus McCrae’s (Robert Duvall) eulogy for Deets (Danny Glover):

“Cheerful in all weathers. Never shirked a task.”

I was reminded of this line this morning, as I was preparing for my annual pasture lambing workshop (which I’ve led most years since 2006). The workshop was supposed to start at 8:30 a.m. Our forecast here in Auburn was for cold rain and wind, beginning around 11 a.m. We had a small group sign up this year (only 5 folks total). One of the 5 canceled yesterday (he asked if the workshop was indoors, and when I reminded him that it was a PASTURE lambing workshop, he said he wasn’t going to be able to make it). This morning, as I was picking up coffee and putting up workshop signs, I got an email from another person asking if we could reschedule for better weather. A few minutes later, a third person canceled.

I’ll admit, I was a bit annoyed. Putting on a workshop is much like accounting for overhead expenses - the work involved is much the same setting up for 5 students as it is setting up for 50. I’d ordered coffee for everyone. I’d had my assistant make information packets. I’d saved 9 lambs for students to learn how to dock and castrate. Ok, so I was a bit more than annoyed - I was pissed.

But then I started thinking about the sheep. In the 18 years we’ve lambed out ewes, we’ve realized that they operate on their own timeframe. At lambing, they often wait to lamb until we have a low pressure system (and its associated cold/wet weather) move through. I asked the ewes this morning if they’d be willing to postpone the workshop to a day with better weather - they just laughed and laughed and laughed.

Rangeland agriculture - grazing ruminants on the vegetation that Mother Nature provides - requires us to tend to our animals regardless of the conditions we (and they) are facing. I’ve fed cows and ewes in the snow. I’ve moved fence and changed water in sweltering heat - and in thick wildfire smoke. I’ve checked the lambing ewes in the middle of the night during driving rain. Unlike Deets, I’m not necessarily cheerful in all weathers, but I like to think I’ve never shirked a task when it comes to my animals.

We went ahead with our workshop today - two young women from TomKat Ranch near Pescadero, CA, made the long trip to Auburn. They were incredibly enthusiastic, and dove into the hands-on activities we’d designed. We talked about grazing management and predator protection. We moved the ewes and lambs into our catch-pen. We shared the work.

I always come away from my workshops with a sense of optimism and accomplishment - and today was no different! Today, we welcomed two more people into the community of ranchers. Today, we found two more folks who were cheerful in all weathers!