Just Another Day On The Prairie

If you have an important point to make, don’t try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time a tremendous whack.

– Winston Churchill

Yep, it finally happened (well kind of). The Bossman finally ran into a wire gate that he (almost) couldn’t close. I’ve been telling him for years that some of these gates are just too darn tight and he’d just smile and ignore me. I took action a few years ago and started packin’ a twine string in my saddle pouch because even though I could open them, I sometimes (even with my rope down) could NOT close some. I’m not a weakling and I do HAVE the technique (some people just don’t, so you know). When I was alone and couldn’t get the job done I’d use my trusty twine, close the gate and ride home and make sure he knew to shut it properly next time he was by. He groused about it but………tough! Yesterday we moved some calved cows out and brought a couple of dry’s in. I was watching the dry’s while he closed the gate. It was taking a loooong time so I went back and watched his temper fit him struggling to shut it with his tie down rope. TOO FUNNY!!!! I sweetly asked if he needed help (I got the look) but he did manage to finally get the bail pulled down over the post without me. Then he proceeded to jump on each wire (trying to stretch them some) while muttering something under his breath. I did not say “I told you so”, I didn’t have to. I wish I had a picture.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Do what you can, for who you can, with what you have, where you are.

I got conned into torture the other day. My friend (HA) Heather called and asked whether I’d entered the Ladies Fest race yet because she didn’t see my name on the list. We’ve done this run (I can’t call it a race ‘cause I’d have to get the s in fat to call it that) for the past four years together. I haven’t been running this spring and had decided to sit it out this year. She guilted me into it and you know what? I can still run a mile without dieing and tonight I went for a three miler and I’m still kicking. I actually feel quite good.

I’ve been researching cameras again. Our farrier is getting married in July and asked me to help take pictures and my camera just doesn’t have what it takes anymore. The poor thing has been packed to brandings, weanings, birthdays, weddings and has taken more pictures than I ever thought it would. The Bossman told me to go ahead and replace it. I’m just not sure with what yet. I’m leaning a bit toward a Canon 40D (it’s confusing because in the US they have a different number, 450D or something), XSi or the same thing in a Nikon.   I can get a pretty good deal on a body but I’ve no idea what lens to buy. I can only have one but which one (for now wink,wink)? Any and all help would be greatly appreciated. Taking pictures is something that I’ve grown to love. There is nothing like giving someone a picture that I’ve taken of their child heeling calves in the branding corral or wrestling calves for the first time or of their dear old dad laughing at something, just nothing like it! I’m ready to re-learn F-stops and apertures again

I would rather be able to appreciate things I can not have than to have things I am not able to appreciate.

Elbert Hubbard

I finally feel like things are getting back on schedule here lately. It’s been such a weird spring weather wise and jobs that we normally have done or wouldn’t even have to do have got us behind this year. Yesterday was a long one. We rode out shortly before eight in the morning and started gathering the last of the cows that haven’t calved from the Br@dshaw field. We ended up with 20 head in the jingle field left to calve and two of them in the process. We had a couple of older calves that needed tagged and dehorned in another field and by the time that was done it was one-thirty. After a quick lunch we loaded horses and headed for the river to move the yearlings. This is what the Bossman had planned to do before I suggested the former. Why is it that men get so grumpy when you change their plans, it happens to us wimmens ALL the time? We had a gate left open and a few of the heifers had got into the north side and the rest were still on the south end. We finally split up and toured through the river breaks. I found them on the east end and had a heck of a time trying to get them up on top, it’s fairly rough country down in there. The Bossman finally showed up as the last three decided to climb out of the badlands. He’s been riding his old horse Bobby lately, trying to get him ready for some of these bigger brandings coming up. He’s hogged with him just about every time until yesterday, must have been all them hills that took the starch out of him. It started drizzling rain about the time we kicked the yearlings out the gate and we still had to ride down into the coulee to fix some fence. We got home about seven, as I said it was a looong one.

It’s trying hard to rain here today but so far there’s only about 3/10’s in the gauge which is better than a kick in the pants. It’s the kind of day that I just want to stay in the house and sew or read a book. Maybe laterJ

You can’t build a reputation on what you are going to do.

– Henry Ford

Thank-you all that left such kind comments on the “she/me” post the other day. I deleted it but it felt good to get it off my chest and now I’m done worrying about it.

I’ve been getting lots done around here. Yesterday I cleaned up the yard, the calving barn and put the roto-tiller on the Bobcat so the Bossman could work my garden. He does a MUCH better job than I do (although he doesn’t like it). I tend to make holes and the ends of the garden and he gets it level, perfect and everything straight so I let him do it. While he was out playing in the garden I got my spuds ready to plant and got them in when he was done. This morning I planted the rest of the vegetables that don’t mind the cooler temperatures and made a list of what I need for the next trip into town. Last summer was so hot the potatoes didn’t do well at all and we ended up short and ate our seed (sigh) and I had to buy some (I just about always end up throwing potatoes out). This isn’t necessarily a bad thing because I think starting fresh often makes for better spuds. This year I managed to get my hands on some Purple Viking, Kennebec and Cariebe seed but I’m still a few hills short. I always plant Norland too but couldn’t find any last time I was in town. What varieties do you plant, I’m always looking to try something different?

Everyone has some adversity. Everybody has a battle in their lives, and some are more traumatic or obvious than others. You don’t necessarily have to win. You have to endure.
Nancy Grace

……and endure we have. We have been so behind since last weeks storm and I think yesterday we finally caught up. Both of us rode yesterday morning and marked every last calf out there. Most of them we had to rope. I haven’t had to catch that many calves in years and I must say that practice makes perfect or at least better. The Bossman is riding a young horse this spring and he was hoping to introduce him to the art of roping slowly. Yesterday he just had to hurry things along and was amazed at how well that little horse did tracking and rating some pretty fast calves. I am so thankful to be riding something well broke for a change, it sure makes life easier.  We were both exhausted when we got done everything last night but there is also the satisfaction that comes with being finished even if it’s for just a day.

Never let the fear of striking out get in your way.

– Babe Ruth

………never weaken either! Our last heifer calved last night, April 30^th, less than 30 days from start to finish, WOOHOO! No more night butt checks at 2 A.M. I don’t know why we bother going out because most of them calve on their own. We had one backwards calf and one with a foot back and didn’t lose one out of the bunch. The cows are getting down in numbers too but I’ve no idea exactly how many are left. We’re a tad behind in marking calves but if we both ride in the morning maybe we can catch the last of them. I like to “bushwack” them when they’re sleeping but the older they get the harder it is to do and then roping them is the only alternative. I caught one the day before yesterday and didn’t get my dallies. The little mutt got all 50 feet of rope on me and blistered my hand quite nicely but I finally caught him (note to self, get a shorter rope). This morning I caught an older calf and could hardly take him down and the cow didn’t help either by roaring in my face. I finally got him tipped over and kept saying to myself “don’t weaken, don’t weaken” she’s only mad not mean. Sometimes I feel like I’m getting to old for this stuff.

We both got to go into town this afternoon for groceries, salt and mineral before the price of trucking makes it cost any more than it already is.

The greatest challenge to any thinker is stating the problem in a way that will allow a solution.Bertrand Russell

We’ve got warm weather and sunshine at last. Most of the snow is gone, leaving the corrals muddy but who’s complaining, certainly not me! The prairie is fairly wet in places and we’ve got water standing in a few burnouts. There’s 30 acres of crested wheat on the south side of our calving field and it’s plumb muddy in the soft ground. The grass is starting to grow and the country is starting to get a tinge of green. All didn’t go so well with everyone though. One outfit lost 50 calves out of a 200 cow herd and we heard of another one that lost over 70. That’s a pretty big loss. A few of the neighbors lost some that either got too cold or tramped in the tight quarters they were in. We’ve had a few calves that are scouring a bit but nothing serious, just something that inevitably comes after this kind of stress. The cows finally scattered out away from the windbreaks and that will solve most of that kind of problem. We’re both tired and this afternoon I slept for two solid hours, something that I hardly ever have a need to do but I feel better. I cooked a turkey and all the trimmings this morning too and it felt good to sit down to a good meal for a change instead of some quick fix, sandwich, soup or cereal and now we have leftovers!

We have two heifers left to calve and maybe 50 cows. I took this picture of old Swirly my marker cow. A few years back we visited a friend in Montana that raised sheep. Most were white but there were a few black ones dispersed amongst them and he told us that they were his marker sheep. He had one black one for every 30 white ones and if he counted the black ones he’d have a rough idea of how many sheep were in sight. Swirly is a cow I can recognize from a half mile away and she always calves in the last fifty and she hasn’t calved yet, hence there is probably close to 50 left to calve

God gives every bird his worm, but he does not throw it into the nest.

–Swedish Proverb

This morning we headed out in our finest buckaroo attire (lets be honest here, it was only 18 above F* and I hate riding and being cold at the same time) to bring in yet another three cows that had calved in the snow. Seems like those old sisters like their privacy. The Bossman had gone out just before dark and ended up loading the calves and bringing them into the shed for the night. It snowed again yesterday and was still snowing again this morning. The sun came out around noon and WE HAVE BARE PATCHES! WOOHOO! At least tonight we he won’t have to go out in the middle of the night looking for wayward cows. There is only three heifers left to calve and that means the getting up and doing butt checks in the night will soon be over too. All three will probably calve in the next week I’d say. It’s been the fastest we’ve ever calved out.