Buffalo Chips

Today was cold and soggy. It never got over 50 degrees. It rained 7/10ths last night! That is super, but it really boggs things up and creates a lot of mud! It just kinda misted and was foggy all day long.

I did my morning chores this morning; Merle came out and helped me finish and then we decided to start putting up panels at the corral down at another place that Merle owns to get ready for the buffalo chase. O, and we turned the bucket calves out on a bigger pasture this morning and they were hillarious running around kicking and such! It was just Merle and I today, Jeff and Tina had the day off and Ross stayed home. I could have had it off but I would much rather run around and help do things than sit in the house all day- that would drive me nuts!

So, we hooked up to our panel trailer and started up the driveway with the old fencing pickup. We got no further than halfway up the hill when we fell down into a slight rut and got stuck. Eventually with lots of horsepower and some seriously locked in hubs we got out without completely jacknifing the trailer. So, we headed on up the road to meet Delbert. While we were waiting for him we kinda took a gander through the pickup and found all sorts of treasures and food- including: snuf, copenhagen, sunflower seeds (new and used), nachos, doritos, wheat thins, sweatshirts, water jugs, and the best of all- a shed antler that had drawings all over it! lol, you could tell that it was the fencing pickup. But, eventually Delbert showed up and ruined the fun, and we went in and set up about sixty panels around the electric fence. Then came the fun part.

We went back to the house and each got on a four wheeler. Then, drove up the road to meet Tyler (Delbert's son) who was bringing a fourth four wheeler. He and his girlfriend Cassie showed up and rode double and we all headed off on a wild buffalo chase. These suckers (Merles' buffalo) have been all over the country and have been chased in tons of times, but they continue to run through every kind of fence that is put up- including electic. ...and yesterday Delbert found them in his wheat so he decided that was it, we were moving them into the corral. There were fifteen of them and one little cute calf. Merle had a deal to sell them and was going to keep them until winter but decided it wasn't worth chasing them around all summer and decided to trade them for partial payment on a new pickup! haha- I think that's awesome and quite hillarious:)

We started in the wheat field, but didn't find them there. After searching for a while we found them in with some of Merle's cows and started in with the chase. If you don't know anything about buffalo (and I would probably fall close in this category having no prior experience with them) they don't drive like cattle do. You can't use a horse because they challenge horses and upset them, so you have to use a four wheeler. They will usually stay in a herd- and that sometimes is a problem because when one does something they all do the exact same thing, and when you start to chase them they just take off- you definitly don't wanna be in the way! We didn't have too much trouble getting them in through all of the gates except the last one- but very very luckily we got them turned around and up into the paneled area. With some time and slight coaxing we managed to get them into the corral eventually and gave them a bale of hay. But, if they wanted they could easily jump the fence so we are really hoping they stay there until we can haul them out on Monday! On the way out I did something pretty funny. I pulled up to a gate, opened it, let Merle and Delbert through and then started to shut it...with my four wheeler on the other side! They laughed and said I was getting way to used to opening and closing gates! Merle made the comment this evening that today..."You went chasing buffalo with three wild Indians!" Lol- o man! It's true!

After our little fun time with the buffalo we headed in for a tasty dinner that Sharla made and Delbert, Tyler, and Cassie headed home afterwards. Merle and I decided to string salt and mineral and pick up troughs. So, we go to pull out the hydra-bed pickup and I notice this nasty wet spot on the shed floor...so we crawl underneath the pickup and sure enough it's leaking antifreeze like a siv. So, now we can't drive that and need to get it to Rapid somehow- and we already have the main ranch truck there right now...so that leaves us with the old old chevy, the fencing pickup that has an entire five miles of fence in the back, or the other ranch pickup that the back window is busted out of. Lol- non of which have the reciever hitch we need for the trailer. So, we resort to getting the truck with the busted window out and used the fire truck to power wash the bed that was full of nasty smelly rotten hydaulic fluid that got caught under the mat. Then, we decided to clean that pickup out too and found lots more treasures. The best of all was a book called "The Vetrainarian's guide for Farmers," it was published in the fifties and really cool. Merle had no idea how it even got there. But, we got the pickup cleaned out and the troughs and empty barrels picked up and hauled in. Then, it was chore time- Katie was picking on a chicken and Joe and Ace would not be chased with a fourwheeler, and the bucket calves are getting really big...the usual chore time stuff. Merle and I chatted for a bit and then I headed in and baked some Jiffy mix muffins (only requires an egg and 1/4 cup milk) - definitly my style. I also managed to fry myself some hamburgers...this is very impressive for me! haha But, I think I'm gunna head to bed and try church somewhere tomorrow!