I do believe one day I would love to study or be tutored in the game, my biggest personal weakness is patience. Patience has never been my strength but I have used it as a motivating factor. Many things I have done, I most likely wouldn't have, if I had stopped to think on it. So yes I do need more of it, but recognizing a problem is half the battle.
Today I was thinking of what recently happened and how this, lead to that. Or one thing brought on another. Chess, oh yes, a game of chess. Making a move and waiting to see what their's will be. Contemplating the advantage of each move while trying to foresee the disadvantage.
For almost two years it has been a push or shoved from my ranch partners, which led to my moves. I being in defense while their's have been in offense. I don't believe that is the safest way to play chess, but if your thrown into the game when your heart isn't into it, I guess that is how this game goes.
Life in the "Range War" had been quiet. It had stayed quiet for a long time. I didn't believe it was over, just both sides had decided it was getting old and to walk away from each other, let bygones be bygones. I was happy with my little mill and pasture.
But suddenly a new move is made. One of the team players followed us on a ranch road as we were going into check our cattle. They stopped on an upper road and got out of their truck. Our cattle were up that way and took off running, like maybe they had crossed paths before. He stared us down then got in his truck and drove off. We hear two gun shots then see him return to look at us then he turns around one last time and continues down the road the way he was going the first time.
Within the hour I receive a email from a second player on the opposing team informing me that I have ten days to move off the mill I am leasing along with a survey of the well showing that it is their well (which if I truly believed it was my well I wouldn't of waited over a year to get surveyed). The survey is not signed nor has it an official stamp. We forward it to our lawyer who sends them a letter back.
On top of all this their cattle are on the well we lease. A few days earlier we had received a text from a back up player that a gate was found open but no tracks were seen through the gate and that he had closed it. We had looked around and found nothing on us either but low and behold here they were a few days later in full force.
I don't know if it was the letter from the lawyer or something else that motivated them but they removed their cattle, along with ours, who at the time were not with theirs. I found the side by side tracts leading up to where my cattle were grazing.
We called the Cattle Inspector and our Lawyer. Within a day all were returned but six. Then another call to the sheriff and lawyer and all was returned but one. This next move was genius, our lawyer informs us that they have called the Cattle Inspector on me for cattle rustling. Seems their are two heifers that have their ear marks and brand on them but also you can see where I have my brand on them. Oh for heaven sakes, are you kidding me. Really? Have they forgotten they branded my calves and the Cattle Inspector came out at shipping time with paperwork for me to rebrand them. Come on, that is when one of the players gave me that famous petty line "Your five looks like a backwards upside down two".
Well now they have the State Lieutenant General Cattle Inspector (the head honcho) involved. He sends out a statement that because of how old our leases are I can run my brand anywhere on the ranch that I would like, even with their (which lets not forget) are my cattle also.
Seems they keep making moves that only work in my favor, they kick me off the ranch and I gain a little piece to graze myself, they try to falsely accuse me of cattle rustling and I gain the whole ranch to range on.
One thing that still boggles my mind is when I go to retrieve my cattle that they return there is five piles of hay that have been munched down. Why did they have to bring hay into the best pasture on the range. Hum, that one has got me boondoggled.
Oh to update you they still can't find two of my heifers. One has been missing since the first time they took all mine and the other is one of the heifers they took the second time because they thought I had cattle rustled it. This is after three days of riding. Needless money and time away from work for riders to come up and clean up this mess. Money that I am partnership in. Boy what a waste of funds.I need my babies back home. I miss their sweet loving faces.
It just hit me, this is not a game of chess. One team can't be on the offensive and one on the defensive all the time. This is a game of Dodgeball/Red Rover Red Rover.
One teams only objective is to stay on offense by throwing the ball at their opponents while the other team dodges what is thrown while advancing forward.
I don't believe this game is worth marketing, believe me it is not fun to play.
Maybe when it is over we can play "Family". Wait, no, I forgot that game has no rules.
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