Now that the CJD Ranch Rodeo for 2015 is history I can return to my normal routine, whatever that is. Since the rodeo has gone international and had two Canadians on the winning team, I may suggest that they sing “O Canada” at the next one.

After eight years and several changes it seems that the committee has come up with the right format and events. If they run next year’s with no changes it will be the first year without rule changes or event changes. Thank you to all the people that worked so hard on the event and to the generosity of all the sponsors. If Congress could accomplish as much in the same amount of time they could go home for Presidents’ Day and stay there.

Back to my routine, when I moved here I swore I would stay out of the cattle business. Too much risk, too much work, too little return on investment. I didn’t mind running cattle in California where you didn’t have to feed any hay or in Saskatchewan where they were all bought in the spring and all sold in the fall. I did weaken and take in some pasture cattle the last two years.

This involved renting more ground and therefore more irrigating. I hate moving pipe and now I have to move a lot of it. Aluminum pipe doesn’t agree with me. It’s heavier than it should be, especially when it is full of water, and it is an excellent conductor of electricity. This was brought home to me when I occasioned to touch the electrified top wire on the fence with a 40-foot pipe.

I pretty much ruin the early morning while drinking my coffee by dreading the next couple of hours of pipe moving. This not only ruins the time actually moving pipe, but also the time dreading the job, which I count at time and one half. To add to the agony I find myself stopping to catch my breath while moving pipe and losing track of time all the while dreading finishing the job. This extends the time of misery. To add to the misery, when all the pipe is moved and it is time to turn on the water, I usually find a pipe that didn’t latch and all the pipe from the end of the line has to be unlatched to re-connect the one that failed to latch.

Back to the routine. I usually can’t sleep past about 5:30 a.m., probably because I go to bed around 8 p.m. The coffee is turned on and the morning news also. I then wait patiently for the wife to waken and fix breakfast, all the while dreading the irrigation demands. I do know several fit, trim and beautiful wives that have recognized the exercise benefits of pipe moving. It is imperative to have the pipes moved by 9:30 to shower and attend the morning update at the coffee shop. It is important for any civic-minded citizen to be a part of this update. Your contribution could solve county or even world problems.

The update is over in time for me to go home and eat lunch, followed by one of Mexico’s greatest contributions to society, the siesta. It is imperative to turn your phone off for the siesta or it could be interrupted by a neighbor imagining it is of great concern that you have 10 steers on them and they want the fence fixed.

A lot of people have accused me of being lazy. In the past I have pretty much agreed with them. I pretty much hate work. I have thought a little bit about this condition and come to the conclusion that in fact I am not lazy or an under-achiever. It is just that work is boring and I am too far advanced and delicate to put up with it along with the additional discomfort of sweat and sore muscles.

Open Range columnist Barrie Qualle is an occasionally working cowboy in Wallowa County.