I’m thinking Fencing in the Dark, to the tune of Fishing in the Dark. It’ll be a catchy song.

We got a call at dusk. Our cows were out, they had crossed the street into the neighbors cornfield. They were very polite, manners are so important on both sides of these things, but could we please get them out?

The kids and I rushed to gather four-wheelers, fencing supplies, drinks. My husband took care of pleasantries on the phone call then joined us. We rushed to the pasture, quite a few miles away, ready to do what we could in the near dark. We were ready to run down the cornrows on foot chasing those dang cows. We met another pickup on the way who pulled up and stopped in front of our pasture. It was the neighbors .They live even more miles away from their cornfield than we do from our pasture.

I ran to block the gate, only a few head of cows, twenty or thirty or so, were already out. Others had noticed and were coming quick to follow. As I rushed to block the newcomers from the gate I realized it was the gate they were heading out. It was laid flat on the ground wide open. It is a gate that needs fence stretchers to open because it is so tight. Interesting. I turned the on coming cattle back.

The neighbors got out their drone. My son went on down the road past the gate on a four-wheeler to keep the cows from going that way. The drone headed out over the cornfield. At the other side of the cattle it’s lights came on and it flew in low behind the herd. They bellered and ran, diving back towards the gate. My son brought up the roadside rear on the four-wheeler, I held cows in that really wanted to join the others. Until the others started bolting past them away from the horrifying thing in the sky. They were off and running for the far corner of that pasture.

Which was good. We would lock them in the next pasture over until we could see if there was anything else wrong with the fence besides the opened and dropped gate. We thanked the neighbors for sparing us a late day stroll through the corn fields. We spent a very dark evening making sure the fence in the other pasture would hold them. The only thing worse than cows getting out is cows getting out twice. As the moon rose huge and red over the horizon I enjoyed the cool breeze. We marveled at the millions of stars twinkling in the sky. It really wasn’t a bad day, night, to be out there. The cows had come in amazingly well, we didn’t have to run after them through the corn. It was the best possible outcome of a bad situation.

I kind of like fencing in the dark.