It was a balmy -20C or so this afternoon with a windchill temperature that would freeze the hair in your nostrils, take away your breath and turn your skin blue. I went to the cattle auction this morning with a couple of friends Clayton Clark and Clayton Farrell. It was the first auction of the year and the first in a new premises. I wasn't sure how to dress; I figured either really warm, all bundled up like an Inuit or a little more casual. Good thing I dressed to be warm as the auction place wasn't heated, and as if that wasn't bad enough, the seating accommodations were fold-up metal chairs. Even with about 75 people clustered together, it was possible to see one's breath. My bum was numb and I can tell you in all honesty, if I'd a let go a wet fart, I would have left the auction building with a metal chair frozen to my ass.
However, despite the coldness, for the first auction of the year, I would have to say there was a good turn out. I'm hardly a cattleman or a rancher of any type but my main reason for accompanying my friends to the auction was to check out the price of beef on the hoof. Two small calves, a Holstein and a Charolais, weighing approximately 100 pounds sold for 60 cents a pound. Several Black Angus heifers weighing between 600 and 800 pounds went from $1.00 to about $1.50 per pound, which was about equal to the price of the dairy cows. A huge bull weighing about 1,800 pounds, because he caused such a ruckus, even destroyed the weighing scale, was just too wild to bring out into the spectator ring - anyone who was interested in the bull had to go into the barn and make their bids - have no idea how much that great big mean sucker sold for. A 600 pound pig came up for bid; now let me tell you, that's one hellova lot of bacon but it couldn't be sold for even a measly 20 bucks. Not sure what the reasoning for that was all about - maybe because the porker was covered in its own manure could have been why - the stink almost knocked a load of us off our chairs. Besides the cattle and the pig, 3 mallard ducks, a male and 2 females sold for $24.00 and some chickens, mainly roosters went for about $7.50 apiece. Clayton Clark bought a rooster for $4.00 and then sold it for 5 bucks; a whopping profit of a buck; probably better than taking it home. I was tempted to bid on the ducks but because I'm not really set up here for ducks and our water supply is always iffy, decided against it.
Hopefully, with a whole lot or red-nosed people who were sitting near by sneezing and coughing, I won't pick up a cold bug. Oh, I forgot, I was one of those red-nosed people; hope I didn't pass on my germs to anyone. Despite the freezing atmosphere and the bone-chilling chairs, I'd have to say that the two Claytons and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves; we must have, because we're planning to attend the auction next Monday; however, the auctioneer said the building will be heated then - I sure hope so.
The sun is very low and the top of the ridge is still bathed in sunlight that is quickly diminishing. Looks like it will be a clear night, so I suspect the temperature will plummet to a bum-numbing minus degree; glad I'll be indoors and snuggled up to my wife - nothing like another body to help keep a person warm. Although I'm basically warm now, except for my curled up toes, I think a hot toddy will be order when I go into the house for the night - cheers, eh!
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