A Day of Near Misses

Phil drove a new bale of hay into the dry lot. This is always a tenuous experience, as the cows have generally finished their previous bale and eagerly anticipate the new food, crowding around the tractor while it is still backing. I am supposed to try to push the cows out of the way and manage the gate—which can mean blocking animals from escape.

Phil had several pallets on the ground, to keep the clean hay bale from sinking into the muck when the ground thawed. He set the bale down without difficulty. And then it rolled off the pallet and headed downhill.

Now I don't remember much from college physics, but I do remember that velocity increases with rolling downhill. We braced ourselves as the half ton or more bale hit the perimeter fence, cattle panels held in place by only little twists of wire.

And the fence held! Bowed out, only accessible on three sides, not protected by a bale ring (and thus subject to wastage) but not burst through! We did not have to round up fourteen cows and six sheep! A good day.

***

Phil headed down to lumber jack (he went to Charlottesville yesterday to buy new bars and chains). He managed to take down a pine try that was "hung up," a dangerous situation where a tree is cut down but doesn't fall to earth, getting stuck on a surrounding tree.

He began to cut down another tree. He noticed some debris around the base of the tree (the old chain, for example), so he gathered it. He glanced up and noticed that the tree was actively falling: directly on him!

He jumped aside, realized he'd left his chainsaw underneath, grabbed that, and jumped aside again.

He was fine, the chainsaw was fine. Two sections of cattle panel fence were collapsed. He decided to be done for the day.

***

To stay productive, he decided to run to town for propane, as our second tank was running low. He also went go get mail and make a bank run. He reached his destination before he realized that he had forgotten both tanks.

With such a day of near misses, I was relieved when he made it home a second time without a run-in with a deer!