I have two things that scare me, one is the dark and the other is heights. So when my dad told me to put fifteen steer heads on the roof of the barn, I was terrified. It was a horrifying experience, but it needed to be done. So I swallowed my fears and climbed up the giant ladder to the top of the roof. Before I get too far into this story, let me tell you what the purpose of putting these steer heads on the barn was.
The whole purpose of putting the heads up there was to help them dry out. They were wet, and if they were left unattended on the ground an animal would find them and chew them up and make a huge mess. So by putting them on the roof of the barn, the sun would help dry them faster and it would keep any wild animals (or the dogs) from tearing them up. Now, let's go back to the fact that the barn was huge, and that it took a big ladder to climb to the top.
The only way to carry these heads up the ladder with me was to hold on one of the horns on a head and use the other hand to hold on to the ladder. Then when I would get to the top, I would have to pull myself and the head onto the roof. It never failed, that I would look down and Blacky (my dog) would be staring up at me, wagging his tail, and looking like a tiny ant. Then I would start shaking and tell myself to never look down again. But it never failed that I would get to the top and then I would look down again.
Now after about 6 or 7 years later, the steer heads are still on top of the barn. I guess no one else wanted to crawl up there and take them off the roof. Either that, or everyone forgot that I put them up there. Maybe after all this time, they've dried out enough.
Is there something that you've always been scared of? Do you have any questions about ranching? Tell me about it in the comment
