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Anecdotal stories, observations,comments and discussion pieces as insights into living in Rural Australia

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Living Rural - March 2007

Old Dog

March 27th 2007 03:43

The old dog - just resting

Our old sheep dog is getting slower and slower. While a couple of years ago he would tell off the other mutt when he invaded his territory in the sheep yards, now he is more likely to let any other dog do the work. Now he gets in the road when sheep are being moved from one paddock to another– not on purpose- it's just that it takes him longer to get there! Only if his master is at the sheds for more than two hours will he bother to wander down to join him. His life now tends to be a series of moves from one dug out in the garden to another - following the sun around the house.

He is actually lucky to be alive at all. As a very young dog he fell off the back of the ute and went under the full sheep feeder which is attached behind, breaking the bone at the join to the hip. The first diagnosis was “forget it”, and then the vet decided he needed the “practice” and offered to do it for nothing. (When the bill came we realized he meant he needed his practice - that is, needed to keep his veterinary practice going – as the anesthetic bill was enormous). However, despite being told the dog would never be able to jump on the tray of the ute, he has always done so for many years.
Then he had a run in with a kangaroo which meant he is not as manly as he was – if you get my drift.- more stitches.

Then there was the funny (not for him) incident when his master and friend were cleaning out a dry dam. For those who don’t know, this involves two tractors – one on either side of the dam, joined together with a scoop in the middle and long chains . The idea is that as the tractors move back and forth the chains tighten, the scoop digs into the mud and comes up the bank, the mud is deposited and then the tractors go the other way. Tractor drivers cannot see the middle of the dam, and must watch each other very carefully. So if a black dog decides to venture into the dam and happens to be astride the chain just as it goes taut, it is no wonder that the dog flying high in the air ( a bit like in the Paul Jannings story “UDF”) causes some amusement – and then relief also when he gets up and wanders home – covered in mud!
Yes he has had his adventures, but now all he craves is a decent feed, a soft bed, the occasional pat and company as he wanders up to the chook house for a look. And he gets all that and more. Now when the ute backs out, it backs to a big mound of dirt and waits – just long enough for the old dog to step onto the back rather than have to jump. Sometimes he gets an unprofessional massage when he is extra stiff, and he is allowed to hang around the shearers and get any tit-bits when they are eating.
We also tend to ignore the fact that on extra cold nights he has been known to pull open the back door and sneak in by the fire - evidenced only by a collection of black hair deposited on carpet. (He’s too clever to still be there when we get up!)
The fur’s not very shiny now, the paws are extra wide – a sign of arthritis in his joints, and getting moving in the morning is not as instant as it used to be. But there is still a cheeky smile and a tail to wag, and riding on the ute around the sheep with the wind in the ears still hold some joy.
So we will continue to grow older together.

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Posted By: bumpkin - Category: farming, observations

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The Country smells! Good and bad!

March 1st 2007 08:41

Intoxicating Red Gum Flowers

Enough rain fell today to freshen the air and stop the dry dusty smells of summer. But not enough to allow the earth to release the sweet aroma of promise that heralds a change of season – the smell that awakens grasses to germinate and for the greening to begin.
It is difficult to describe the smells of rural life. But anyone who has been to an Agricultural show would recognise some of the aromas. While city folk may cringe, those who have lived on a farm will hang around the sheep pens or cattle stalls longer than necessary just to relive memories. There is that unique smell of a shearing shed – a mixture of sheep manure, greasy wool with a hint of diesel products. Or a cattle yard where the smell of a milking cow is warm and friendly – milk and sweet biscuits.
When a stock truck goes down the main street of town, one does not even have to look up to know if it carries sheep, cattle or pigs!
Other smells come and go: the sweet intoxicating fragrance of red gums with their thick white blossoms – usually smelt before one realizes they are in bloom.
Or the smell of silage when it is being fed out – described by one astute eight year old as the same smell as sweet red wine – good in small doses but not dumped in the paddock five metres from the front door!
Then there are the sickening smells. However house proud one is, there is always the smell of mice in the cupboards and in the shed when one returns from a holiday. The smell of fly blown sheep is never forgotten and difficult to shift from hands and clothes. The only “good” thing is that dogs smell it first and can help single out and run down sick sheep so they can be treated.
And finally, talking of dogs: occasionally one walks outside and starts looking for something that died, only to discover the dog had brought home some long buried bones as trophies. Or the happy smiling mutt has had a lovely roll in the burial pit and come home to woo his friend with a “who smells the best” contest. (A forced dip in the nearest dam cures that!).
There are stories of soldiers returning from war aboard ships who could smell Australia before they could see the land. When one leaves the city, going out over the foothills, the scent of gum leaves remind us to be thankful for the smells of this land.