Drought

   Drought

by

     Mike Capron

Drought is hard on lots of us here on earth.  I have heard lots of drought stories through the years, can’t tell you which is the worst, but lots of lessons come with strong test. 

One old timer told me to not fall in love with my cows and try to feed them through a drought. Take care of your country, sell the cows and get a job somewhere else.  James Kenney sold his cows in the drought of the fifties and went to riding horses for pay.  He rode, bought and sold horses and got into the cutting horse business and waited for the drought to be over.  Took a while to rain but finally did and he still had his ranch and he got back into the ranching business.  

A neighbor told me about his great grandaddy surviving a drought by selling his cows and taking a job on a ranch in Mexico where it was raining and they still had grass. He was young and willing to work for any kind of pay, as times were hard where he came from and work was scarce.  He took this job, knowing it would be tough since he was the only gringo and the youngest hand on the crew.  On his first day they gathered a big herd and had them held up for the El Corporal to work the herd.  The Corporal told him to hold the cut.  He moved away from the herd and waited.  The Corporal went into the herd and cut the biggest rankest wild steer to the cut knowing the gringo wouldn’t be able to hold him alone with no comfort zone (herd) for the steer to go to………the gringo cowboy saw no way to hold the steer except to jerk his rope down and tie him down,………which he did, as close to the middle of the place where the Corporal told him to hold the cut……………..He stood up next to the steer and hollered to the Corporal …………….Echame otro  (give me another)  ………..!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He gained the respect of the Mexican cowboys and held his job on the big Mexican Ranch, don’t know how long before it rained in Texas, but he returned to his ranch and raised a good family of Texas Ranchers.

Marshall Montgomery tells about how he had to sell all his livestock in the drought of the Fifties, except for a small herd of his goats that he thought could survive. Anything to salvage something that might bring in some income. The goats had no problem surviving the drought but the drought was broken by a huge flood and after the flood water subsided he went to check on his goat herd. All he found was a few dead goats in the tree tops, all the rest had drowned and were washed away.   Be careful what you bad mouth………not sure what good comes out of a drought………..but things could be worst……….!!!!!!!!!