Pictures

If anyone is interested I have posted some pictures according to when they were taken. The easiest way to look at them is to just browse through all of my old posts, they are pretty easy to pick out and it won't take you long to find them. :)

Looong trip to Rapid

I'm quite glad that today is now over with!

This morning, I did chores like normal and didn't have much problem at all. Merle had called around six and said that I should bring his pickup into Rapid between ten and eleven and then I could ride home with him and Sharla. Easy enough for me. So, I did chores and still had about an hour to kill before I needed to head out so I filled oats. This took me a little longer than I expected, but I still figured I could make it in by 10:30. I changed and cleaned the pickup out and went up to fuel it before I took off. While I was up there, Jeff yelled for me to come over to the rake tractor that he was putting the alternator on and look at the door. ...the door that we put on yesterday, the one that was fine, with no chips or cracks was now completely shattered from one end to the other. There was not a lot of sign that anything hit it, we finally decided that the frame must have gotten just a little sprung or had just enough pressure that when we put the door back on and it sat for a while, it eventually busted from too much pressure on the glass. So, basically that made me frustrated right from the start. I was already late, so I hopped in the pickup and took off.

When I got to the hi-way (only like 15 miles from home), Merle called and said that they were done in town and would be ready whenever- o how wonderful, I was only an hour and a half away yet! Apparently Sharla had left a message on my phone but I couldn't understand it and didn't get it until way after I needed to- dang reception. But, they didn't sound too worried and said to keep coming, so I did, until Interior. I didn't have much of a choice when I came up on this stop sign, I knew the clutch was weak in the pickup but I had to stop. I went to take off and...yep no clutch, nothing, not even an ounce of pressure. So there I am sitting on the hiway at a busy intersection stuck. I got some cars to go by me and eventually got the dumb thing into first long enough to cross the road and park at the gas station. I couldn't get it to stay in gear once I got it in one. I waited at that gas station for probably fifteen or twenty minutes until I got ahold of Marva who got alhold of Sharla who gave the phone to Merle- kinda had the run around! He said that if I could get it to stay in gear I should try to keep coming until Country Corner (filling station about ten miles out of Rapid)...right about then I got it shoved into first and took off. I had a little trouble fishing my way around but eventually free shited back up into overdrive to get there. When I pulled in they were already there and Merle showed me where to park so that a tow truck could get to the pickup and take it the rest of the way. There are too many stoplights in Rapid to go much further. I have never been happier to get out of that pickup! Talk about stressful...but I got there and then hopped in with them and headed straight back home. I had feared that clutch would go out, I just hoped that it wouldn't right there on the hi-way, oh well I guess!

When we got back I kept on working on some odds and ends, moving branches, cleaning out pickups, other random stuff. After an hour or two, Merle came down and we took off the broken tractor door and strapped it back onto the pickup. I took the flat bed and he took the fencing pickup and we headed back up to Phillip. On the way there, the pickup I was driving decided that it was pulling a trailer and beeped most of the way up there- now it has indicator lights on and all sorts of crap. Me and pickups... We dropped that fencing pickup off at the welders shop to have the fender put back on and the frame looked at and then went to Case IH to drop off the door. While we were there, one of the service guys suggested that he price out a door instead of just the window pane because it's likely the same thing could happen again. A left front glass door for a 5250 International costs...$3,440. Seriously. That is absolutely ridiculous- we opted to pick up another 400 and some dollar window pane.

We left Phillip and headed towards Interior to pick up some pellets for the calves at the Ranch Store. Afterward we just went home through the park and decided to stop and eat at Cedar Pass Lodge. It was pretty darn good, and a lot easier than scrounging around in the fridge! We finally headed home then.

When we got back it was time for chores. Got them done, put the pellets we bought away, and worked on some things around the house. Later I managed to lose a game of cribbage- but just barely, it was totally close! lol, anyway, it's past my bedtime. I hope tomorrow is full of fewer minor disasters! ;) Not sure if we will hay or pull bulls.

Phillip and Stubble Bunnies

Ever had one of those days when it felt like all you did was kill time? Yep...that was today.

As soon as I finished chores I got my instructions from Merle for the next couple days. He headed to Rapid this afternoon to get some things done and will be back tomorrow after an appointment- sometimes driving back and fourth isn't worth it! So anyway, I dinked around checking a well and the few spayed heifers I put out in the small pasture nw or the house last week. When I finished with that I went up to the shed to help Jeff take the door and alternator off the 5250. Today, one of my jobs was to take the glass door and alternator up to Phillip to two different places and get them fixed. Another thing I needed to do was get the tire on the pickup I was planning on taking fixed. It has had a screw in it for a couple of days that has been acting as a temporary plug...well I wasn't going to drive to Phillip on it and it was starting to leak so we loaded up the door and alternator and I headed to Martin to get the tire fixed. I sat in line to get the dumb thing fixed for the next 45 min, but finally got it done. If I had known they were gunna be so busy and so many people were gunna cut in front of me I would have just changed to the dang tire and left it there! O well, instead I stood around a caught some crap from the locals ... and shot it right back! haha, yep good times in Martin.

Eventually I got out of there with a patched tire and headed to Phillip. Merle and Glen had gone up to Phillip a lot earlier this morning to haul up some fall calves Glen sold today. It wasn't going to work for him to take this stuff to Phillip and back so we both ended up there today. I actually met Merle on the hiway when he was on his way home and I was on my way there. He got back here and Sharla and him went to Rapid. I hung out at the sale barn in Phillip and sat with Glen and his wife for a while until everything was ready for me to pick up again.

The cranky guy at case IH messed me up on the belts I needed and shorted me one in the end, but he did get the alternator fixed. O- short rant-> So the windrower has a double breather/ air filter like a lot of tractors do. There is a small inside filter that has a small wing nut fastener and then a big outside filter that has a lid and bigger wing nut. Well, both nuts were stripped so I was going to pick up a couple new ones. You can buy the little one for a few bucks but the big one...you have to buy the entire $100 lid just to get the wing nut. Rip off! Seriously, I'm going to go buy a washer and nut for like a dollar and solve that problem- I hate that kind of marketing crap. ...ok now I'm done.

The welder had the door latch fixed too, so I picked that up and very, very carefully ratchet strapped it down (I was deathly afraid of breaking that door)! I managed to get home with everything in one piece. Jeff came and we put the door back on and plan on putting the alternator back on tomorrow. He had been moving bales most of the day and Ross windrowed...until he couldn't get it started and they both worked on the dumb thing until they got it to go. There is some problem or trick to getting the thing in nuetral- if you forget to do it when you shut it down it's like a rubics cube to get started again! But, they got it right about the time I showed back up at home. After we put the door on Jeff headed home and I cleaned things up around the shed. I found plenty to keep me busy for the rest of the afternoon. I cleaned out the stock trailer and unhooked it, did chores, groomed Ace and Joe- the two most unloved and underfed horses on the place (right!), and worked on my lawn. While I was mowing a strange pickup pulled in the driveway- and I'm quite a ways off the main road so this isn't exactly a common occurance. I went down to figure out who it was and caught on pretty quick. It was harvesters (there are crews all over right now) looking for a place to fish. They wanted to fish in Rissie Dam- at least I think that's what they were discribing- but I couldn't give them permission and it is the neighbors anyway so I lucked out. They fished around asking me questions for a while and I finally told them I had to get back to work- haha I have their card, better keep that one on file! If you got better looking for every tooth you lost before age 30 these guys would Tom Cruise! LOL!

They left, I finished in the lawn for the night, and came in for some lovely cereal for supper. The rest of the night was just time spent around the house. I went out after a while to lock the chickens up and none other than Ace and Joe were standing there. They have this habit (mostly Joe) that when I come out in the morning it is somehow effective to winnie at me until I feed them. Tonight, they decided to do this- an hour after they had been fed! Little farts, you would think they were starved.

Anway, I am gunna go ahead and put some picture up on this darn blog finally if I can figure it out!

Pullin' Bulls

Today was really productive.

While I was doing chores Ross went out to find the horses. By the time I was done, he still wasn't back and everyone was showing up and hooking up trailers. So, eventually Merle went out and found the horses and Ross showed up right about then...typical morning- everyone running in circles. But, we got the horses down anyway and grained them.

The plan for the day was to pull 6 bulls from Hisle Dam, 3 from Chief Bears, and another two from Techs if we got a chance. Well, we saddled up and I tried out Bowdie today. He is a really nice, experienced horse who knows his stuff. He hadn't been ridden in quite some time so it was a pretty fresh ride, but went just fine- he's a lot of fun. So anyway, Glen, Ross, Merle, Jeff, and I loaded our horses into one trailer, had two other trailers and pickups, and the panel trailer all headed to set up in the Hisle Dam pasture. We got there and set up our corrals with the tub chute that was put there yesterday and then rode out for bulls. The whole thing went pretty slick, we were able to find all six and load them into two trailers. Jeff and Glen took the trailers out to Dick's to drop them off and Ross and Merle and I stayed and rode out for the other three bulls at Chief Bears. We managed to find all of them too and bring them back to the tub and loaded them up. Ross took them down to Dicks and Merle and I stayed with the horses and started tearing down panels. When Glen and Jeff showed back up we finished tearing everything down and pinning up the tub and headed home for dinner.

After we ate we headed back out with the tub and panels to Techs. Glen and Merle and I rode while the others set up the corral. There were supposed to be two bulls but we knew we might only find one. In fact the one that we did find was on the wrong side of the fence, but they got him back and we managed to push him through the tub and into the trailer pretty easy. Jeff needed to be home early today so he headed out and Ross took the tub back and went home. That left Glen and Merle and I to try one last bull. We headed over to Bear Creek where we were short a bull the other day. I dropped them off at the gate and then hauled the bull we had just sorted off to Dicks. After dropping him off I parked at the gate and rode back to meet up with Merle and Glen who had found a bull and a stray heifer of the neighbors. He was pretty huffy, but we got them both through the gate finally and sorted the heifer back. We finally loaded up for the day and started to head back...or so we thought. We passed this herd of heifers on the other side of the fence from the trail we were on that looked all too familiar. So, we stopped and found a let down in the fence (which had electric wire that made the whole let down concept a little difficult) and drove the horses over the wire and chased the little farts back in. Then, Merle found the hole in the fence and got it fixed and we headed back out. This time we made it home without any detours. By then it was chore time, then supper, and now bedtime. After riding all day I think we were all tired out.

Tomorrow Merle won't be around most of the day so it sounds like Jeff and I will be working on odds and ends around here. Hope the weather is as cool as it was today!

Eagles Nest Butte

A pretty nice Sunday.

I didn't get up for chores until right up to the rail at 7 this morning...guess I was tired. So, after getting those done I went back into the house and took a half hour nap before I got up and got ready for church. There were only like 16 people in the building this morning- a cozy little crowd. The service was a little different because the pastor has so many chuches to go to that he is only here two Sundays of the month, the others are done by a leigh person. It was still pretty nice though. So, afterward I headed back home and started cleaning and doing laundry. Just basic around the house stuff. Meanwhile, Merle was out setting up the tub chute for tomorrow and stringing salt and mineral. When he came back he brought the lawn mower over...fun, now I don't even have an excuse! lol, I really need to mow the yard.

We went in for dinner and spent most of the afternoon haying. We had just a few odds and ends to catch up; we got most of it done except just two hay pens when my tractor decided to start in on it's crap again. It quits in the most terrible spots...I was at the end of a lane trying to turn around in a tiny, tight space and it decided not to break loose and get into gear. After some choice words and a lot of fidgeting I got in going long enough to finish what we were doing and park it. Tomorrow we are sending the alternator to Phillip- hopefully that solves the problem, we'll see- I'm not so sure.

After giving up on that we went down and did chores a little early so that we could load up two four wheelers and go to the top of the butte! Probably the coolest thing ever. Merle said I would get up there sometime before summer was over and now I have. I was surprized that there is a trail of sorts up there but it's really washed out, so you kinda have to make your own. But once you get on top it is beautiful! It was kinda hazy from the weather today but you could still see for miles and miles (might give me an excuse to go up there again). The quite and the prairie smell are pretty amazing as well. There is some really neat stuff up there like an old sundance ring and sweat lodges. We saw four spots where people had been fairly recently. (Apparently it is one place that people sometimes go on vision quests). During these quests they spend about three days (if I remember right) up there. We saw some fresh footprints in the dirt so we couldn't have been far behind someone- maybe even earlier today or yesterday. I got some cool pictures...all the more reson to get my pictures up on this site. It was definitly worth it and pretty darn amazing! But, after checking out all the good viewpoints we came back down the steep sidehill and headed for home. I ate dinner and that puts me here- ready for bed.

Tomorrow we will be pulling bulls from Hisle Dam and Chief Bears...should be fun, eh we'll see!

Bulls and Salt

Today was hot and sticky. The thermometer only said like 86 or something but it felt like 106!

After chores (which I did wake up for!) Glen, Ross, Jeff, Merle, and I headed out towards Boeman's Camp to sort bulls off of the red cows. Once again, we split up and everyone else showed up with a bull, but me. It's like I'm a negative magnet and they run away from me when they hear me coming. When we all met up we only ended up with four bulls and there were supposed to be six...so someday we will have to try again. But, at least we won't need a whole crew to do it. Ross had to be to town by noon for an appointment so Jeff brought him home while Merle, Glen, and I rode down on Bear Creek to get two more bulls. Glen and I got on the wrong trail for a while and had to get off and drag the horses through some thick stuff down by the creek but we made it- with no bull. We didn't see a sole out there. Merle managed to find one though, so we drove the one bull and one stray steer back to Dicks. It just wasn't our day to find 'em all I guess. I wouldn't have been too annoyed with the whole deal if it wasn't for my 'trusty' steed. Dan was being such a dink- typical young horse. He tried to buck me off a few times today but had no luck- he was basically upset because he had to listen and behave! ...poor guy, or not. I might have to start switching around with horses again so that we don't develop a hate for each other!

So anyway, we sorted bulls and then went in for dinner that Sharla cooked- always tasty. After dinner everybody else went home and Merle and I went to string salt and mineral. By the time we kicked the horses out, cleaned out and loaded up the pickup, and stopped at the post office on our way through town it was already like 3:00. We strung through the steers and then stopped down at the other place and picked up the tub chute to bring home for when we pull bulls out of Hisle Dam. When we made it home and finished up chores I was about ready to call it a day. Right before supper Merle said he realized that he lost his phone somewhere today. He thought it was at home but couldn't find it there. So, we went out and tried to look at a let down but didn't have any luck, and it was getting darker and a little harder to see. Hopefully it's just in the pickup, because otherwise I'm pretty sure it's history!

But, that's all the excitement I have for the day, tune in next time for some Sunday drama!

Scatter Brained

Today was fairly busy.

I didn't really get started on the right foot this morning...I was really tired last night and didn't get a lot of sleep for some reason- and I was too lazy to get up and take Tylenol PM...lol. So, this morning I woke up to two alarms going off and the phone ringing...way after chore time. Yep- I slept completely through both alarms and it's a real good thing the phone rang. When I answered, lets just say the greeting wasn't your typical 'Hello'...I had another choice word. So, another morning that I felt like an idiot...oh well- the boss just laughed at me. I think I have to try harder to get fired :P The whole thing is pretty uncharacteristic of me though.

So, because of that chores were all done for me and it was time to hay right away. I helped Merle unload the pickup full of corn and then finished greasing up my tractor. When we got all serviced and ready to go we headed out to a bottom with quite a bit of thick hay. It's on alkaline ground so it's not the most amazing hay, but there is a lot of it- something that would be good to grind and put with another high protein feedstuff. We hayed that and I lucked out because my tacometer wasn't working again today, but the few times I absolutely had to stop I managed to get going again. The only trouble I had was getting a branch plugged into the rake. But, then we went to put up a hay pen- this was all fine and dandy and then I hit a bale. It's not that uncommon, but I was looking right at it when it happened- pretty sure my depth perception is terrible! I need to wear my glasses more often- or perhaps just sleep at night!

Then, we headed back up to the shed and headed in for lunch. Jeff was still gone in Rapid; he was sent with the lawn mower to get it serviced, and Ross was out with the chisel. So, after dinner the plan was to go out and hay some more (after my tractor battery got all charged) and then string salt and mineral. But, Merle had a message that some of his steers were over in a neighbors corral on the other side of town. So, we hooked onto the trailer and headed that way. We got about 3 miles south of the house and Marva called...the fire whilstle was going off in town (our pagers get terrible reception out here so we don't carry them during the day). Sure enough, we called in and there was a car wreck 5 miles east of Vetal. So, we roared into town and took a rescue unit. I don't have all of my PPE uniform in town because the odds of us leaving from the station are a lot lower than the odds of leaving from home so I was running around stealing things from other peoples lockers! I found enough of a uniform to make it work anyway. The other units were already en route, so we took off. When we got there they already had the three people involved loaded into the ambulances and were getting ready to go back to the hospital in Martin. It was a van that had somehow drifted off the road and rolled a few times- looked like one time it even went end for end. But, the people were ok, one had a broken leg, but the others seemed to only have minor injuries. There wasn't any fire, but a lot of clean up. We spent some time getting glass off the road and picking up all the junk that got thrown into the ditches. There were already a few explorers directing traffic and the rest of us were standing around waiting for the wrecker when the captain told us we could go back because they could handle the rest. So, us and anothe rescue unit went back to the station and fueled up for the next venture out.

After we left the fire station we finally made it to the neighbors and picked up the steers. We got them dropped off into their pasture ok and then checked a couple wells as we were going home. By the time we got back it was already chore time. We unhooked and did chores. Afterward we went to find Ross and get him moved home with the tractor since he was done plowing...for a while. Then, I came back finished up what was left of chores, showered, ate, and now I'm headed for bed. It sounds like we are going to pull some more bulls in the morning.

Back to the Hay Field

Today we were pretty productive.

I got chores done around seven and we all met up at the shed. Jeff was taking the road grader out to work on some trails by Hisle for the harvesters that are in the area now! Trouble is the wheat needs about a week yet so we hope they stay busy for a while!

Jeff actually graded the driveway just a day or two ago and has been cutting hay with Ross ever since, so it was good to get this trail done. Merle and I drove out there and left a pickup for him in case of a breakdown and headed back home. We managed to spend what was left of the morning servicing our tractors and working on getting the net wrap that balls up off of the the baler with the hot iron. It works pretty slick but took while a bit of time. During all this Jeff showed back up. He had trouble with the road grader and had to go to town for parts, so Merle told him to go to Gordon and get a load of corn while he was at it. Meanwhile, we got our equipment ready to go, ate dinner, and headed out to the road ditches. It's slow, steep, and kinda nerve racking, but I'm glad we got it done. Although it was pretty frustrating because we had trouble with my dumb shuttle shift again. I stopped for to get a pop from Merle and couldn't get the dumb thing to go again. So, we tried to shut it down and start back up again and sure enough it pulled the same crap and wouldn't even turn over. Then, the fight was on. We messed around with a corroded battery post, the ground cable, the fuses, and a few other things. We were both on the phone with some pretty mechanical people and finally decided the problem was probably the alternator. We got to thinking that since the tacometer hasnt' been working for quite some time, and the way it just loses power with no charge backed up, and that corroded post- it might make sense. Ross happened to drive by when we were having problems so I hopped in with him and went and got Merle's pickup so we could jump start it. We got it going and let it charge. I unhooked and headed for home to get the hydraswing tractor but all of a sudden the tac started working then, so I turned around and headed back to the rake. We just kept on going then but I still had a lot of trouble getting it in gear- so who really knows right now. We'll see tomorrow. I just basically spent the rest of the day moving non stop, because we were afraid if I did stop I wouldn't get going again. By the time we finished the ditches I had a chance to run home and do chores while Merle baled up the last of some weeds around the yard. Then, we spent the remainder of daylight gathering pickups that were stung all over.

Jeff had one out at Hisle Dam yet and we had one in the road ditch. Ross spent the day farming, but drove his own pickup so that helped. By that time it was time to come in and eat, watch the news, and head to bed. We have quite a few things on the list tomorrow and are a little short handed but we'll figure it out. Tina has not been to work since Monday, so I am assuming she quit over an issue. I guess that's how life goes- so needless to say we have to fill in the holes here and there, we'll get it done somehow. Anyway, I need sleep!

Sale Day

Ok. So I'm guilty of one thing- I fell asleep last night and never wrote in my blog so here goes yesterday.

When I asked how early he wanted to start, Merle said: About normal, maybe a little early. I knew we had trucks coming to load out at eight. Well, I took that as maybe fifteen minutes early and came outside just before 6:30... yep just kidding. There were already five or six pickups outside my window and the chores were done. Talk about feeling like an idiot...oops. I guess everyone showed up earlier than we had expected and they even beat Merle out. But, life goes on, lol. So, we all saddled up and went out to round up the heifers. They were right here in the pasture closest to home so we didn't have to go far. They didn't round up too bad for yearlings but we had some close calls and found not one, but two new holes in the fence. We had a little trouble trying to get them into the corral, but they finally went. The trucks came just at the right time and we got both trucks filled and then put what was left in the stock trailer.

We all sat down and had a pop while the truckers headed out. I was planning on chiseling all day, but it turns out I got to ride along to the sale. That was nice surprize. So, we cleaned up and headed out. It's about an hour and a half or so to Rushville. When we got there an unloaded they said we had 135 head- we only counted 134- so either somewhere along the way we picked up and extra...or maybe we just can't count. I'm thinking the latter one. So, that was good news. We met Brandy and Judd and their kids there and ate dinner at the cafe. Then, went out and counted for owners after they had sorted the girls into weights. By then it was about sale time. Harvey was around to round up this morning, then had to run to Martin and then to Rushville, but he made it just in time to see them sell. It turned out really nicely and they weighed over 900- more than I expected. I think they were happy with the sale. So, we stayed until the end of the sale (which was rather short lived and ended by 2). Then, we stopped out at Brandy and Judd's place and looked at their 4-H calves. They want me to help fit them at the fair, that should be fun, I miss doing that. They actually had some really nice calves for just beginners- I think they will have fun! But, it was getting late so we headed for home. We stopped in Gordon at the coop for a couple things and then headed back. O, we also made a stop at the Boering (sp?) Ranch. It's a part working ranch still that was turned into a kind of tourist stop. Merle's uncle (I believe) ran it at one time and he can remember being there when it was still a working ranch. The place was really neat and I would love to stop there with some company or something sometime when they are open and check it out more.

We eventually made it home and did chores. We loaded out a stray steer of the neighbors that came in with the heifers and cleaned out the trailer. By that time it was late enough to call it a day. I fell asleep pretty early- so that pretty much ended the night!

Spayed Today

hm...where to start.

I did chores this morning with no problems and then Jeff, Merle, Ross, and I met up at the shed where Merle and Jeff were working on the stock trailer. Appartently the reason that tire blew the other day was because the tailer brake was jammed on...hmmm makes sense now. There were actually parts and pieces of bolts in the brake- that can't be a good sign. We got the brake unstuck and then couldn't get them to work at all, but they hardly ever get used so we were in a much better situation than when we started. What a nice surprize right after you get it back from being serviced...

So, they got that fixed and ready to go. Jeff started in on the road grader to try to fix up all the ruts and washouts in the driveway so that the semis can get in tomorrow. Ross started taking the sweeps off the chizel and putting on chizels and then windrowed bottoms and ditches the rest of the day. Merle and I went down and loaded up the nine heifers that needed to go to Rushville to be spayed. I took off with them while Merle went out and strung salt and mineral (I think?)

I made it to Rushville about and hour and 45 minutes later with the heifers. Of course, like an idiot, I had trouble backing the tailer up to the gates and eventually got some help, but oh well life goes on- I just need to pull more often I guess. We unloaded the heifers and they got right to work. They had a nice tub chute and alley set up so everything worked really slick. This was the first time I had ever seen a heifer spayed and it was really interesting. He did it from the back (Merle normally has it done from the side but this time of year maggots and such are too much of and issue). I should have asked him more questions about it, but just what I saw was interesting. They cleaned everything up and after he went in with his handy dandy little instrument and cut, out came the ovary- sweet! So, that was a pretty cool first time thing- next time I'm gunna drill them with questions about it. The vet and his assistant were too busy trying to set me up with this guy who apparently didn't shower much- it was fairly hillarious. But, I got the girls loaded back up and we went home. Most of the way to and from Rushville the pickup did the same dumb thing with the steering. Some ty rod or bearing is wayyy off, you get up to speed and don't even have to hit a bump and the dumb thing starts to shake from side to side terribly until you slow way down and get it to quit. Then, you get back up to speed and hope it doesn't do it again..usually it does. Because of this, we will have to bring the pickup and probably the trailer too, back to Rapid sometime soon. When i got home I brought the lovely ladies out to a small pasture and dropped them off at the well, there they started their yearling lap around the pasture.

I unhooked the trailer and stopped in the yard where Ross and Jeff were eating. O, I almost forgot a good one. So, Ace was laying flat on his side and kinda grunting like maybe he had a belly ache. I decided to walk up to him and see what was up. His eyes were wide open and I walked up to him and stood right by him for like five seconds before he realized I was there and shot up fast than you could imagine. I scared the crap out of the poor horse- but it was pretty funny! So, I talked to Ross and Jeff and then met Merle on the hill and we headed in for dinner. It was a realy quick one, becuase he had insurance guys coming on rather short notice and we had just barely started eating when they showed up. He headed off with them and I met Jeff with his hydra swing at the auto gate and he helped me move the chisel out to the field. It sits pretty low, so the trip out was rather slow, but we made it and tried a round. We were worried about the weeds, but it seemed to tear up really nicely. Then, I hopped in with him and we picked up a couple bales and headed home to drop him off so I could have a pickup in the field. By the time I dropped him off and unloaded bales it was time to turn around and go back to the tractor. I was almost there when Merle called and said that he was on him way back and we should probably start haying. So, I went up and parked the tractor for an overnight stay and headed back home. We serviced and hayed all these little spots around the yard until my rake tractor finally gave up. I've been having trouble getting it into gear, but this time it was done. We couldn't get it to go forward no matter what we tried, so we shut it down to try to reset things and guess what- it stalled and wouldn't shift back to forward postition to start it again. So it died right there in the hay. There is something wrong in the steering column with the shuttle shift - I'm pretty sure about it.

By that time, it was time for chores. It took me forever to find half of the bottle calves that were hiding in trees tonight, but I got 'em. Then, it was time to shower for teh fireman's meeting. Boy was it an interesting one. I'm still getting crap about the smokey bear song and dance, and it didn't help that I spilled my drink all over the table with direct aim for Merle. Fire meetings are kinda cool because you get to meet so many people and be social before hand when wer're eating. I had a good time, and it's a great way to meet more people still. The meeting took what seemed like forever, but we finally got out of there. That puts me right here- ready for bed!

A sea of black

Today it was pretty nice out. After chores this morning we saddled up and went out to the unit where the black cows are and rounded up bulls. I rode Dan again and this time he listened up-haha, hopefully he's scared to death of that crazy girl riding him. Delbert rode in from the other side and Merle, Glen, Ross, Jeff, Tina, and I came in from another direction. As soon as we got there it started raining, but didin't last too long- just long enough to get a person cold and wet! Not to worry, later it got nice and hot and sticky.

I split off on my own and rode on top of a ridge for quite some time. There were supposed to be eight bulls out there and I didn't find a one but I did see quite a bunch of antelope. But, when I ended up meeting up with everyone else they each had one or two, and we ended up with all eight plus one! One of Delbert's bulls was in there too. We got 'em all and even pulled a red spayed heifer that we thought was out there in a sea of black. We drove them back towards home slowly but surely and left them in a pasture just south of the place. Everyone else kept on heading north with Delbert's bull and that heifer and I split off and started riding the road ditch until Glen met up with me bringing the pickup and trailer home. He dropped me off so that I could start dinner.

After we ate, Glen went home, Ross did some windrowing until he broke a section, Delbert went home with his bull, Jeff and Merle and Tina went and chased a few heifers in that we will get spayed tomorrow, and I ran to town to drop off some bills and get a tire fixed. This time I managed not to forget anything or cut anyone off! While I was there Tina, Jeff, and Merle also managed to unload an entire load of bales and met me back home. While I was waiting for everyone else to get back with the trailer, I unloaded my groceries and hauled some oats down to the feed room. Then, I met up with them and we went out and picked up the few square bales that were left in the field. Once again, I was told to drive...I suppose I need to learn to not be so stubborn and let my dumb ribs heal! By that time is was a little later in the afternoon so Merle dropped me off at home to do chores and Tina and Jeff took their pickup and met Merle at the turnoff for Dicks and unloaded the bales that we had just picked up down there.

I finished chores, cleaned out a trailer and then for some reason or another, I decided to take a shower. By the time I was out, Merle was back waiting for me so that we could go string a little salt and mineral and pick up some bales in the road ditch. What a dink I am- why take a shower so early!? He told me I didn't have to go, but I did anyway and we got it done. By then it was supper time, and now it's bedtime! Not sure what all will go on tomorrow, we are getting some heifers spayed but I don't know who'll be hauling them up to the vet's office.

It's Sunday

Now for today.

Today was rather lax...as Harv said: It's Sunday. We did morning chores and then stood around talked for a bit. Merle headed back to his place to have breakfast with his daughter, Brandy, and I went home a took a short nap before I got ready for church.

I went back to the Episcipal church while Merle and Brandy went to the Legion Hall to help clean up. After church I couldn't find anyone home at Ross and Marva's and didn't know that the others were cleaning the Legion so I went home and bummed around the house trying to get odds and ends done. By the time they got back from town and called, I had just gotten up from another 20 min nap. I went over to the other house to eat dinner and take one more nap! lol I was all about the naps today. Then, Harv stopped in and we sat around and talked and then decided we better play this game of cribbage we've been talking about for so long. So... we did and I stayed in the lead for quite some time, but Harvey ended up beating both of us- dang! I'm gunna have to work on my skills for some revenge next time! After some cake, we all headed back out. Harvey started his treck back to Spearfish and Merle and I went out to the hay field- or the ditch I should say.

I don't think I breathed for the first hour I was raking. Trying to avoid cars (which I pretty much failed to do once), culverts, washouts, fencelines, and tipping over were just a few things. But, we managed to get it all done by eight without hitting, tipping, or bending a thing. Woo Hoo for getting that done! By then we had to do chores quick before dark and then headed in for supper. That puts me here. Another nice day, really hot- but that's why air conditioned cabs are nice! Sounds like tomorrow we are going to pull eight bulls off of the black cows- could be interesting; then we'll hay in the afternoon. Well, I need to get some sleep- It was a great weekend and I know I'm really lucky to be with a family that includes me in so many things- it really makes life a lot more fun and interesting!

Wedding Bells

Ok, I'll do a little make-up work here.

The reception kept me out late last night and when I came home, blogging was not the priority- I seemed more interested in sleep! lol

We started off with a pretty ordinary day doing chores. Then, as we were finishing up Ross and Harvey showed up. We all ended up splitting in a few directions for the morning. Ross and Harvey went out for a couple reasons. To fix some fence and to put some yearlings or cows (whichever they turned out to be) back into their respective spots. I can't remember what Ross was mostly up to, but I know he was out running around on a four wheeler. While they were busy doing that, Merle and I checked the empty coon trap (that one that got away must have told all his buddies). Then, we grabbed what we needed and went out to the hay field. We got all the way there, the entire like fifteen minute drive, when I realized that I left the tractor key in the other pickup...soooo we drove all the way back to get it, fueled up, and turned back around. Blonde Moment. We cleaned that field up, did some ditch hay, then pinned everything up and headed for home. Ross and Harvey came around the time we were leaving and got our extra pickup and the square baler. By the time we got home it was dinner time.

Harv and Ross went to town, and after dinner we moved the tractors to the shed and came back to drop Merle off. I told him the pickup he had to use was dirty (his normal one was hooked onto a full trailer of bales). He said he would just park it far aways, I said or...I could just wash it- it needed it anyway! So, I washed her up and he went on his way to town for wedding pictures...fun times.

I spent the rest of the afternoon watering my yard and doing chores. By then, I was already behind and didn't make it to the church until a half hour after I wanted to. But, I lucked out and managed to find a seat next to Harvey in the very back corner. The wedding was really nice- lots of people in a tiny church (10 attendants on each side) but it worked well. She chose pink and brown for her colors which was really pretty and different. Afterwards I went down to the Legion hall with the rest of the entire town of Martin, for the reception. We ate a super supper and then the dance afterward began a little later. I wasnt' much good for dancing because of my dang ribs, but I did some because I don't think I could go to a dance and not dance at all even if I had a broken leg! It turned out to be a really good time, I didn't know a lot of people there, but enough to be entertained and not feel like a complete stranger. But, now that is one big event to check off the list- lots of fun, but I bet it was lots of stress to get put together!

It was a good day, I hope it was all Andrea hoped for!

Idiot Cubes

Woo Hoo for yearlings.

So, I did chores just a tad bit early today so that by the time everyone got here to saddle up and round up spayed heifers we would at least be partially ready. Tina called me just after six and said she was sick and wouldn't be coming- she couldn't find Merle so I was the messenger- hopefully she gets some sleep and feels better- don't know if she'll be around tomorrow. Jeff has the rest of the week off, so we called in the reinforcements. So, today it was Glen, Ross, Delbert, Merle, and I. We saddled up and loaded into Delbert's trailer because our two are still full of hay, and headed out to round up. On the way up there we met a kid leading a horse through the pasture claiming that someone had cut all the gates and blah blah blah...well the truth was he had just left them all open and came up with this nice little story. Guess that kid is known for these things...who knew? So we made it up to the well and unloaded. We all just sorta split up and rode the pasture. I didn't see much wildlife but I eventually found quite a little herd of heifers. We got them all moved north very carefully and the drive was on. Dan and I were clashing personalities a bit today- he didn't wanna be alone, and I was sore enough that it was hard to fight with him. At one point everyone went on top of this draw and I went down because I needed to cross the creek and get the heifers on the other side. I fought with that horse for 15 minutes to get him to cross until I finally gave up because everyone was probably wondering if I died down there and because I was getting awfully sore from fighting with Dan. So, very unsatisfyingly, he won. But, regardless we got the heifers home with relatively no trouble considering they are dumb yearlings. Delbert's words of wisdom for the day: Yearlings are like teenagers, they're always in a hurry somewhere, they just don't know where that is! haha...very true.

After we made it home we tried to move a deep freeze back into my house that Marva had sent from town but the darn hinges wouldn't fit through the furnace room door, so we will have to mess with that later. Then, Glen, Merle, and Delbert started unloading bales from the trailer into the barn while Ross and I went back to the pasture to get Delbert's pickup and trailer. When we all met back home it was dinner time. Sharla made us lasagna- quite tasty! After dinner it was time for haying. We headed back out the the square bales with two empty trailers this time. My job was to run the baler- I think I can handle that at 1.2mph. I acually baled most of the afternoon after they had gone home because we only needed a couple hundred more. We ended up with 720 idot cubes in all. That's not too bad, and a good majority of them are picked up..but still need to be unloaded...o how fun. I have kinda been a slacker the entire square baling process because of my nasty little crackly ribs, but I guess it would be nice if they would heal so it's probably for the best. Besides, I was able to catch up on phone calls while travelling at warp speeds in the baler.

When I finished baling I drove a full load of bales home, did chores, pulled weeds, and then sat down and ate supper. I just realized that the chicken coup is still open, so I should probably go and fix that before there aren't any more chickens! It was a fairly productive day- we will have to make what we can of tomorrow morning because it's wedding day! O boy. lol

kitty kitty kitty

Another really nice day on the ranch.
I did morning chores this morning with no problems and met with Tina and Merle when I was done. Jeff has the rest of the week off and Ross wasn't around until later. Tina started off the day by heading to Rapid in the rental car to get the pickup and trailer picked up- everything got fixed and will be really nice to have back- we've missed both of them!

Merle and I started things off by opening the coon trap. This thing was fast, and I think he hit him on the first shot, but it's hard to say. The little fart ran into the tall tall weeds and dissapeared. We followed him around for a while and Merle did get another shot, but we were never sure if either hit or not. I would guess so, but with the smaller 9mm bullets it seems to take more to slow them down. But, whether we did or didn't get him, we finally gave up the hunt and kept on moving. The plan was to go and pick up the square baler at a shed south of Martin where Merle stores it over the off season. We loaded up some leftover seed and took to town on our way out. As we were just a mile or two north of Martin, Merle pulled into a driveway and said that we might borrow some twine (because that particular baler takes twine that is hard to find). We pulled up in their driveway and got out and none other than a bobcat come pouncing off of the porch to greet me. Yep, a bobcat, it was sooo cool! It even purred when we pet it- I totally want one- we found out later that their dog drug it up last year sometime so they raised it...neato. But, no one was there so I marveled at this really cool cat and the poor dog who was totally jealous and left to drop off the seed. After we dropped that off and stopped at the post office we kept straight on to pick up the baler. This shed is rented with another person, and when we got there there were two combines in our way to get the baler even hooked up. So here we are climbing in this Gleaner and JD 4400 series trying to get them running and moving. Kinda entertaining- between my combine knowledge and Merle stearing capabilities we got it done and got the baler out. But, it was a nice slow ride back- those square balers really get to bouncing so we had to keep it pretty slow and easy. We stopped at the grocery store so I could restock on my milk and bread on the way out and then headed home.

The driveway has so many ruts in it from all the rain and we haven't had a chance to grade it yet so we just unhooked the baler on the hill and went in for dinner. After we ate we just went back up and hooked up, then headed out to the field. It took a while to service it, string tiwne, and hook up to the baler tractor. Once we had it ready to go there was some trial and error with RPM and horsepower because that baler has always been pulled with the 560 and now it had a whole lot more ponies hooked up to it. But, it actually ended up working pretty good. Merle headed down the field at about 2 mph taking one windrow at a time and I headed back home to hook up to the trailer and do chores. I got them done and met Tina as she was coming back from chasing some of the neighbors cows out of our bales- terds. We had to change a flat on the trailer she brought home from Rapid and pull trailer mats out, then headed out to pick up bales. We started in just putting the truck in 4 low and letting it steer itself but that didnt' work too well. By the time Merle came around he kicked me in the cab to drive (my ribs don't seem to appreciate bale throwing and I was pretty much told to get in adn drive before I was put in) and Tina and Merle stacked. They stacked the big trailer and little trailer both full, which was about half the bales. Then, we all headed home. I put everything away and weeded my garden until dark. Then, ate dinner and watched the news- how exciting. So here I am, definitly need to go to sleep. We are rounding up spayed heifers tomorrow morning, it should be a good time.

ByBy Coyote

Today was a little less harsh on the body...although I still managed a few battle scars!

I did morning chores and didn't run across anything too strange. After we all met and gossiped for the day, Jeff and Tina went out to fence for a while and Ross took the windrower out to finish up a spot we are going to square bale soon and then started in on the ditch hay. Every other place is just too wet to get into yet. Merle would really like to cut the hailed wheat but it's wayyy to wet! ...guess we'll wait. So, everyone else went in the their directions and Merle and I went up to shoot this mornings coon. Yes, that would be eleven- this one was a huge male again, he opened the trap and we knew as soon as he went out he would be quick. Well, the first shot hit...we think, but not hard enough. Merle chased him until he hid in some tall weeds by the shed. Then, we could spot a couple moving and played wild goose chase until he finally ran out and stopped after the third shot hit him- tough sucker. I must admit that it was a little entertaining, but we completed that task for the day. Then, we finished up some morning odds and ends and loaded up salt and mineral. We strung for most of the morning through the black cows at duck creek. We brought the .22 because we were going through some prairie dog towns, but before we hit one, Merle spotted a coyote off on a side hill. He was a little ways off, but he asked me if I wanted to shoot it anyway. I was definitly game- so as soon as I got the gun ready of course he tried to take off but Merle called him and he stopped, and then again, and finally, boom- shot him dead in the neck. I'm not gunna lie, it was rather exciting, I've never shot a coyote. So, that made the day kinda cool:) After that we shot a few prairie dogs and then kept on mosying to finish up our stringing.

When we were done, we ended up only seven or eight miles north of town, so we just headed that direction to pick up more salt and blocks. We stopped by the H and got burgers first and ate them at the fire hall, then headed over to GE and got salt from Jay. While we were there there was and H&S salesman around, and he gave us a little info on their silage boxes/forage wagon mixers. Some of that new hydraulic stuff is really interesting! ...but way out of most anyones price range- mine for sure! We finally headed back home. Merle needed to do a little bookwork (yay for payday ;) and I really was feeling like crap today, so I cheated and took a nap while he did that. Meanwhile, Tina needed to take her dog to the vet so she took a sick steer we had here along with- haven't heard how it went, guess we'll know later. During that time Jeff started to cut hay with Ross, which means we now have a lot of hay down- almost too much, so I hope the weather cooperates for baling and exspecially the square bales that we'll put up tomorrow or the next day.

After my nice little nap, we headed back to the hayfield to finish up a little spot. We were only there about an hour and then had to head home and do chores because Merle helped me get an appointment with a chiropractor in town at 7:30. So, I showered quick and then looked for my car keys for a while...no luck. I have no idea where they are hiding- hopefully not in my locked car! Anyway, he came and got me and we headed in. After she did her adjustment and different things I could definitly tell she had moved some things around. I'm sure it will be sore for quite a while, but hopefully this will really help. She didn't think anything was broken, but if it gets bad I guess I'll just resort to x-rays- o how fun. After that we ate at Markota and saw Matt there and visted with him (Merle's nephew). Then, headed home. So here I am, ready for bed. Tomorrow sounds like maybe more salt and mineral and hay- guess we'll see!

Beat...

You know there are just some days when it would have been much much safer to stay in bed...the last two have been of that sort.

I woke up a little late this morning so I rushed right out the door to get chores done. Everything was full of water, and it took me forever to lift troughs and get the poured out because my dumb sturnam is so sore. But, I managed and was too stubborn to wait for someone else come down and help- I got it done anyway. I did the chores and Ross showed up and went to get the horses. Today we were going to take bulls out of the heifers. Well, when chores were done we could see the horses right over the hill, but no Ross in sight. He must have drove right around them and never saw them...he eventually showed up! Merle shot his coon (up to ten now and still seeing tracks) and then we saddled up and headed out. We loaded the horses in the little 5ft trailer which is a huge pain in the butt because they are used to turning around- but we got it done, sorta in a round about way. As soon as we got out there I noticed two problems: number one, I still had my rubber boots on that fit through the stirrups but are a little tight and hot, and number two, this was going to make me sore. Merle asked if riding was gunna kill and I said I would be fine, and I was... sorta, but I made it through the day- Aleve is a life saver.

We rounded up roundy bulls that were scattered all over, half of them where they weren't supposed to be in the first place, and put them in their own pasture down by Dicks. During this process I managed to get stepped on pretty good, leaving me with a lovely looking foot- although it is not nearly as bad as the neck and back, it really wasnt' pleasant...hence the first sentance of the blog! But, I will once again live...so we also sorted off some heifers to be spayed next week, I'm kinda excited to see that! We rode until about one, then talked to Jonni, loaded up and went home. I went in to start dinner (again, I don't think they realize my lack of skill) while they unsaddled. I didn't get too much done because I had to peel the tongue, not a hard job, but definitly not something a person does everyday, while doing this I managed to cut my thumb- not bad but right at the top where it bleeds a lot- eh. But, I did get it all done and heated (horray for me trying to cook)! We ate dinner and then Jeff and Tina went out to fence and Ross and Merle and I came down and cleaned the horse trailer out. After we got that done Ross and Merle went out to hay. It was already almost three by then, and I was hoping to go and visit my church group that is putting on a vacation Bible school near Mission at six, so I was told to go ahead and get ready for that- they kinda had to talk me into it cuz I hate ditching out. By the time I cleaned up it was 3:20, so I headed out and got a few things done in town. I had to cross the time line into Todd county so that put me in Mission right at about six.

It was really fun just to see some people I knew and visit. They fed me (of course really good food from the church ladies) and we just sat around a talked. There is nothing better than Lutheran Church bars and cookies don't cha know, which I had plenty of! lol I stayed there until about eight my time and then headed back home. I made it back to the ranch at about 9:20- pretty good time, it was just getting dark. That puts me here. O, I have a good one. So, we use those cute little yard/lawn tractor sprinklers that follow the hose to keep the lawn looking nice right. Well, Merle's gets used all the time and finally the tranny blew on his poor little tractor. So...when he was in Rapid yesterday he picked up a new one, only this one isn't a lovely yellow- it's John Deere!!! How dare him! He claimed it was all they had. Now, I have to walk past a JD yard tractor- I'm just not sure how I feel about that, but at least it's self propelled so I won't have to get behind the wheel like I do at Joels! lol O, good times, good times.

Now, I am going to take my sore body that has been bucked off a for wheeler, kneed in the head, stepped on, and cut to bed. I really haven't had much luck the last couple of days but I still seem to enjoy it- however that works! Hopefully I don't get into any trouble tomorrow. Sounds like we're going to string salt and mineral in the morning, that's usually a pretty safe job!

Boggin' Down

Today was nice and looong...

I did the morning chores with no unusual or unexpected happenings. As soon as I finished I went back in to pack my lunch and put on the mud boots- we were going boggin'. Merle headed out to Rapid with the pickup and trailer to get them both serviced right after he got his morning coon and Ross, Jeff, and I stayed back to fix the fences in the draws...a cruddy job, but it needs to be done. Tina had the day off today for something she was doing.

So at about 7:30 or 8:00 we got headed out. Jeff took a pickup and Ross and I each took four wheelers. (We weren't sure how muddy it would be in spots). Before we got too far down the pasture, Merle called and said there were red cows out in the wheat by Hilse. So, Ross and I headed that way and put them back in and fixed the fence while Jeff started on the first draw. We finally met back up and I started to help Jeff with the fencing. In the process, he ran across his fencing pliers that he had been looking for for months-but whithin an hour we managed to loose them somewhere down in the draw...haha just our luck.

We basically spent the remainder of the day fencing and fixing those bad spots in the draw. There were some pretty mucky spots, but we never got anything stuck. It took me a while to get use to some of the fencing because we hardly deal with barbed wire at home- mostly electric wire, steel posts, and insulators. Here, it's more barbs, staples, and clips. But, I got the hang of it and we managed to fence right on through the day. Some spots were so wet that the water was over my boots so Jeff had to put the hip waders on...talk about wet. At one point when we met back up with Ross (who was out looking for any escapees) and they gave me the sledge hammer to pound some posts in. It was pretty funny cuz I had no footing in the water and wasnt' quite sure I could pound it in with that hammer, but they said I could and I did. Darn them for being right.

So, on our last draw of the day I went down by myself with the four wheeler to check things out. I could only find a spot for one clip on first glance so I ran back to Jeff in the pickup and got some clips. I told him to just hang there at the top of the hill and wait for me because it wouldn't take lonsg. Well, there turned out to be a few posts here and there had missing staples so I started in on them. About this time Jeff drove the pickup as close as he could get to make sure I didn't need anymore tools. I just pounded in my last staples on a very stubborn post and decided to head back to the four wheeler. Before I left, I wanted to ride up on the ridge to make sure we weren't missing any important spots, so I hopped on and headed that way. So there i am on a ridge, not setting any speed records but moving anyway. I don't know how but I hit this smaller bumb and while trying to recover from the first on I hit a hug washout/draw adn sent that four wheeler flying. I went through the air in on direction and it in the other. I just should have payed closer attention I guess because now I have a huge swipe mark from the handle bars across my chest- it's actuall kinda cool! lol But, Jeff saw this whole thing go down from a distance and I got up pretty quick but that four wheeler took a run right down the ridge and into the post that I had just pounded! I was so mad that I forgot I didn't feel good and went right down the draw after the four wheeler- well to Jeff I just dissapeared so he came tearing down there thinking that I fell back down...not the case. That dumb four wheeler bucked me off and then had only one tiny adjustment made to the handlebars to make it right again- dumb thing~haha But, we got 'er done. Afterwards I drove home on the four wheeler and did some odds and ends and got the chores done, Jeff went home for the day. Right about that time Merle was pulling in from rapid so he stopped and helped me finish things up. I was going to then go with him to town to eat with Brandi and Andrea at 7:30 but he called and they were still opening weddign shower gifts...bet they still are there- so we turned around and headed back home for some hamburger. My theory was at least I was already showered and didn't have to worry about it before I went to sleep! We ate, and then I lost my first game of cribbage! Dang! I'm gunna have to brush up on my skills.

Tonight we had a pretty big storm go through , well it's not completley through yet but it sure had some lightning and made lots of noise. We put all the vehicles in sheds so of course it didn't hail- maybe that's a good tactic! lol Over the whole hour of two we got .52 inches- quite a bit! I really home it is done now so our fences won't get torn back out! Otherwise, I just decided to take my sore body to bed- I'm sure I will live, just might need some Tylenol tomorrow. Not sure what tomorrow might bring...we'll see.

dry hay and wet ground

Another sorta kinda productive Sunday...

We did chores this morning with much less obstacles than yesterday! Then, we made our daily check of the coon trap to see what we might find. Today there was a big bore raccoon hangin' out in there. We got rid of him, or shall I say Merle's revolver took care of that while he pointed and shot! Then, I helped him hook up the horse trailer and load up the four wheeler. He was headed out to check the wheat fields and maybe some more fence. It was a toss up between that and fencing but if sure looked like rain so he opted to check wheat, although the rain never did materialize.

I went back in and spent the morning with my aunts and sister. We just kinda hung out and chatted. We ate leftover steaks and fresh eggs- now that's a breakfast! No one can say I didn't eat breakfast today! :) We weeded out my yard a little and made a group decision that my garden is a lost cause after the hail:( Oh well, it probably wouldn't have been much anyway. They packed up right about the time that Merle pulled back into the yard. I introduced them and talked for a while and then Delbert showed up too. So, they met one another also and then the family decided it was time to head out before it got too late in central time. This was about noon here, so I would think they made it home by five mountain time. After they left we ate dinner, (which I almost didn't need after my huge breakfast), and then started loading fencing supplies up to start working on the spots that were torn out in the draws- this will take several days, but we needed a start. During this time Sharla was trying to mow and got the mower stuck twice- the first time she couldn't even get it out of the shed because it was sitting in a mud hole, and the second was down in the driveway by the crick. It just must not have been the day to mow. So, we got everything all loaded up and then decided that since I have to do dog chores we should probably just go hay what is down instead of fix fence. This way we didn't waste time because it's all loaded up for tomorrow.

So, we 'hit the hay' and hayed all afternoon. The hay was sure dry enough but the ground was wet...really wet. We made some nice ruts. O, and Sara's dumb move of the day: The hay thinned out on one end of the field so I turned around and headed back, but didn't realize that I was headed the wrong direction (counterclockwise instead of clockwise) until Merle said something on the radio...wow I need to get more sleep or something! lol

We got quite a bit of hay put up- forgot to ask how many bales but it was probably about halfway or really close on this field. On the way back this neighbor guy just randomly popped out of the ditch and stood in the road pointing at us. After we drove by he flipped us off. What a friendly neighbor...pretty sure there were some drugs involved on that one! lol, you just never know. As soon as we got back, I fed the horses and left Merle with the rest of the chores while I went down to Dick's to feed tho se dogs. I made it down there alright with the pickup and even met Kevin (has a neighboring pasture) on my way. There are five gates and a cattle guard just to get from the road to the house, so the trip to feed the dogs is not exactly short. But, I got there fine and checked wells and played wtih the hyper dogs for about a half hour because they had been locked up all day. I coaxed them back in with food and headed off for home. By the time I got back Merle called and said to come over for supper. We had tongue and I hadn't had it before- I think it's really pretty good...and he was afraid I wouldn't eat it- heck if that stopped me from eating it I don't know if this would be the place for me to stay! haha

After dinner we watched the news and now here I sit. Merle and Sharla are going to Rapid tomorrow to make a run. the truck and trailer both need serviced so they will probably be gone all day. Sounds like the rest of us will probably be fixing fence...fun times!

Hailing in the Company

Hmmm...where to start with a day like today.

I woke up sometime before six to the sound of pounding rain. It was pouring cats and dogs, lightining and thundering- then came the hail. It was about dime to nickel size, maybe a little bigger. By the time I got up, ate, and got ready to do chores it had just quit hailing and raining; seemed like a lul in the storm. So, I quick went outside and started feeding the cats. I got that done and went on to let the horses in. By the time I got them in and walked into the grainery to grab their feed and right then it started raining and hailing around. So here I am, hailed into the the chicken coup and the horses are wanting in the barn, but right about them, Merle showed up and let them in and saved the day. haha- o those poor horses, they'll toughen up. So, there we were, standing in the chicken coup, waiting for it to stop pouring and hailing. It eventually did, but the entire corral was under water before that happened. The fat cattle were all scrunched in a corner by the ridge, the horses in the barn, and the river flowing through all of it! We finally got chores done, but it was sure a wet start. When it was all said and done there was over 3 inches of rain dumped between 5 and 8am...that isn't completely accurate- I'll get the real stats sometime. In fact, when I came back in the national weather service called me and asked all sorts of questions about the storm. I answered what I could and then directed them to Merle- haha I figured he could deal with them and might be a littel more knowledgeable on exact amounts. So after two shots of hail and three inches of rain the place was under water. As the day went on we found gullys in every road and hill, and the draw that runs through the place became a lake and ran right over the road for the entire morning- that was fun to drive through!

After chores we just decided there wasn't much we could do because of all the rain so, we both went home and decided to meet up later. I cleaned a bit and got ready for my company- o how fun. By the time I finished that up it was about ten, and Merle had come back down this direction to let the horses out and check out the roads. We went for a short drive and decided that the rain came down so fast that most of it just packed it down and than ran off. So, we turned around and headed home. We had caught a couple more raccoons in the live trap, so he took care of those and then dropped me off back home so I could change clothes and head into town. The road was pretty good, just a few bad spots, and I made it to town in good time, just as my sister Virginia, and aunts, LeAnn and Charlene, were pulling into the fire hall to meet me. I took them right to Cho-Snazz, the restuarant in town, to have some dinner.

Dinner was pretty tasty, but next we had to decide what to do. Since it had rained so much it would be hard to go a lot of places around the ranch, so I showed them around town. We stopped at the quilt store and checked out the museum hours (we'll hit it up maybe tomorrow). Otherwise, I just gave them a nice little tour of the big city of Martin, or "Martini" as Virginia calls it. Afterward, the roads were dry enough that I had them follow me back home in the Blazer they brought, and boy was it a good thing they had it. We got back alright, and I quick stopped and stole some steaks from the deep freeze. Then, we "crossed the waters" of the driveway, which were pretty darn high, but we both made it. Then, I gave them a tour of my house and let them unpack a few things. We hung out for a while and decided what to do. I took them out to see the corrals and the horses and such, then of course we stopped at the fire trucks- lol I just think it's pretty cool that there are fire trucks on the place. After that, we headed out to see the badlands, via backroads to Interior. The roads weren't horrible, but pretty rough. You could see where it had washed out and there is even one spot where the culvert is coming clear out of the ditch, hanging on by just a few bolts at the top of a seam! But, we managed to make it and see lots of the pretty scenery along the way. When we made it to Interior we stopped at the cedar pass store and I also took them up to the Prairie Dog Ranch Store- fun times fun times. Nothing beats a photo with a ginormous p-dog! But, by about this time we were ready to head back. The trip home was fairly uneventful, we just stopped for gas in Interior and headed out.

When we made it back the water had gone down quite a bit. I came out to help finish chores but Merle had almost all of them done. He had been out checking fields and fences all afternoon and didn't have a very good report. All of the fences in the draws were washed out and the particular field he checked (not sure which one) was hailed out. This wasn't one of the amazing ones, but it's still a crappy deal. So, that wasn't real good, but what can you do but fix the fence and hope for the best for the wheat- maybe we'll have to hay it.

After chores I came in and the four of us grilled up some steaks and just kinda hung out. We had a nice supper, and pulled some weeds out of my hailed-on garden. After supper, we just sat down and my aunts read while Virginia and I worked on the computers. I went out for a bit and talked to Merle when he came back from very graciously feeding Jonni's dogs for me. While he was down there he got that darn bull back in our pasture- two of them actually, so really, he got quite a bit done. Virginia came out and had a chance to talk with us and then we all went home. That puts me about where I sit. It was a long morning, and there will be lots of clean up and fence fixing in the next week, but I'm sure we'll make it through! It's really nice to have some company, I hope they enjoyed the day, I know I loved the scenery! But, we are all tired, and they did a lot of drivng today, so we are all gunna hit the sack!

Late start

Another odds and ends day on the Ranch. I had some trouble getting up this morning, my alarms were all blaring but I didn't even hear them! Not sure what the deal was but I started out a little late...always a great way to start the day. This morning there were three raccoons in the live trap- holy moly! But, Merle took care of them while I was doing late chores. The first thing on the agenda this morning was to go and get one of Merle's bulls out of the neighbors pasture. Tina, Merle, and I saddled up while everyone else hayed.

We went way over west, almost to Mike's place (he was five miles away from where he was supposed to be) to get the bull, and it couldn't have been easier. He was right near where we parked the trailer, so we set up some panels and went out and got him. He loaded fairly easy and the whole thing was way simpler than it could have been, so we really lucked out. After we got that bull back home and unloaded, Tina headed out to the hay field. I couldn't believe it but it was already getting pretty hot and sticky by ten. Merle and I parked the trailer, put the horses back out, and then went in for an early dinner. After eating, he headed for the hay field and I headed out to do all sorts of things. First off, yesterday I was supposed to put this calf back through a let down in the fence. Well, I saw Merle stop there and chase the calf so I thought that the little fart had either crawled the fence, or he put him back with the let down. Well, neither was really true. When we drove out to get that bull, the let down was still down, with plenty of yearlings that could have walked right through on the other side. I was supposed to put it back up and just didn't realize what he had done- dumb on my part. On top of that, when we put the let down back up, I was standing on the wrong side...think I was a little slow today! haha So, got that done and headed down to the feed room to haul some oats and clean. This took quite a while since I had to shovel up oats into the agar and adjust the ladder that sits over the bunker head. But, I got it done pretty eaisly with Joe and Ace cleaning up any spills! After oats, I headed out with the hydra bed to pick up a couple round bales out of the ditch. I had never done this before but Merle told me it was really easy- and it was! Those things are slick, and I had never even used one before! So, after being slightly excited that I did at least one thing right today, I headed back home to move some waste oil out of the shed and headed to feed Jonni's dogs. But, first I had to make a quick stop through town to pick up some stuff at the General Store. While I was in town, I thought I was at this four way stop but wasn't, and ended up turning in front of this pickup...oops. Pretty sure I just kept on going and hoped that they wouldn't figure out who I was or who owned the pickup. I felt like a dink, but really wasnt' sure how mad they were so I jsut went home! Nothin' like stickin' your tail between our legs! So, I headed for Jonni's; today I had a method behind the dog feeding madness. Merle said to move this bed he has in that house back home, and it wasnt' hard to move in the house, but I needed help to get it to the pickup. So, I left the dogs to run around and play for a bit, while I went up the road and caught Connor (Merle's nephew) in the baler. Sure enough, I found him and he came down and helped- this really speeded up the process. After we got them loaded and I put the dogs back away adn dropped Connor off at his pickup. Then, I headed home for some chores.

Evening chores were pretty uneventful. I just did them and and headed out to the hay field Merle was at at about 6pm. We got quite a ways in the field, but probably will have an hour left in the morning before finishing it. When we quit, he told me to lead the way and he would shut the gates. Well, bad choice- I started going the wrong way! I found my way in there but couldn't get back out two hours later! lol It was just one of those days. So, we finally made it home, (without getting lost), and unloaded the bed off of the pickup. After we got that all done we headed in for supper. That puts me about where I'm at..tired...and in need of a shower! Tomorrow will probably be hay hay hay, until my sister and aunts come around noon.

Random Day

Alright...my dumb internet would not work last night and I was too tired to fight with it. The power surged for some reason or another yesterday and I think that may have had something do with it. But, either way, after some prodding and messing around I got it going tonight.

Yesterday was full of odds and ends. When I got up for chores that lovely dead raccoon was still waiting for me in the corral, we just threw him in the pickup to get rid of later. I went ahead and did chores as usual. We had set the live trap in a different place up by the cake feeder and managed to get another raccoon in there- thinning my chicken killers. The plan was for me to ride into town with Merle to make a few stops like the FSA office, the grocery store, etc. So, he needed to be in town by eight which meant as soon as chores were done we took off. Tina and Jeff and Ross went out to the hay field and we went to town to run errands and whatnot. I got done at the FSA office long before Merle did so I took a twenty minute nap in the pickup! lol, it was quite amazing. Then, we decided to make a few other stops, the post office, bank, grocery store, etc. Our very last stop just so happened to be the grocery store. He needed like a gallon of milk and I had this list...haha, I put it all together pretty quick. When we came out of the store Merle carried his own bags and I had quite a few so the bagger carried mine out to the pickup for me. When we got there I just told the guy that the back end would be fine and Merle was like "O, no lets put everything in the front". I thought this was kinda funny until I figured it out. Here we are in Martin, carrying around a dead raccoon in the back of the pickup...now that's ranchy! lol It was pretty funny, I dont' think the guy noticed but he did almost set my groceries right on it! We got rid of it later.

When we got back home we unloaded everything and had a quick dinner. Merle was headed out to hay and I was headed out to farm some little bottom pieces just south of the place that I had already disked once a few days ago. I didn't have too much trouble getting everything going, but those little tiny pieces can be really frustrating and time consuming- but I got 'em. After my couple hours of farming my job was to try to get Merle's new dvd/vcr player hooked up. Everyone has tried to get the dumb thing to work at least once and has had no luck. So, after lots of cords, telephone calls to tech support, and yelling at the dumb thing, I got it to work. I can see now why people couldn't get it working...it took more time than the disking did!

By then, it was chore time. So, I did the evening chores and left the horses the same was I usually do but left the gate between Ace and Joe open a hare. It's amazing, but horses must smell open gates...I went and fed calves and what not and when I came back they were both still eating, but in the opposite one's grain! lol, it was pretty cute and funny. After chores, I had to run down to Dicks to feed Jonni's dogs. She is gone for a couple days so I'm feeding two dogs and checking the place. It takes a half hour just to get down there if you go to the right gate. I've only been there like 15 times, but still had to call and make sure I was headed for the right gate becuase I had never driven myself without following anyone...talk about dumb! But, it still takes time because you have to open all the gates to get there, play with the pups, and feed 'em. I also checked a well down there. I fed them, packed back up, and headed home for the night. I tell you what, it was an odds and ends day, but I was sure tired. When, I got back home I was going to write but I had no internet so I showered and went to bed.

Caught in the Act!

Today started wayy too soon! But, I managed to perk up and take on the day fairly well. I did morning chores pretty normally, except that there was a cat in the live trap, and a horse snorting at it; I had a little trouble getting those dang bottle calves in, and I noticed that something had once again gotten into the chicken coup. We have tried to anchor the door shut lots of ways, but something continues to get in and eat the feed. It also managed to make two chickens magically dissapear a few days ago...hmmm. So, other than that thing went well but I was sure missing my little helper!

After chores Merle and I went and loaded up some salt and mineral. We strung it across Boehman's Dam and shot a couple prairie dogs and then realized it was time to go back home so that he could meet up with a friend at 9:30, and I could take my mom and Mary out riding. By the time we got there Merle's friend Pat was already there in the house talking with Mom and Mary. Bet that was the last thing either one of them expected to run into! lol, but they were having a nice time. So, Merle and Pat went off to play with a Catepillar and I took the other two out on a ride. I was able to take Joe out under saddle for the first time since I've been here! It was kindof exciting, and I think he really liked it, I will have to try to make time to do that more often. I took them up through the horse pasture and on some ridges and then down through cottonwood canyon (a pretty draw area with lots of ridges). It was really nice, and lots of fun. We even got some good pictures from it! They both really enjoyed the horses they picked (Nelly and Joe) and the scenery too! It was really fun. But, eventually we made it back and Mom grilled some steaks that Merle set out for us, and boy were they tasty. There were four steaks and between Merle, Pat, Mom, Mary, and I we only ate three of them! Yeah, they were amazingling tasty and huge! So, we ate and visited and then split up. Merle went out to hay and say goodbye to Pat and I helped (or tried to help) Mary and Mom pack up and move out. It didn't take us long and they were ready to go. It was really fun to have someone around for a few days and have an excuse to take them out on fun trips. Not to mention the 300 or so .22 brass casings that were left in the Explorer! haha, it was great! So, they headed on there way and Merle came and picked me up so we could go service the baler tractor and get it moved as well as the rake. This took a littel while, but we got the job done and decided to hay for a while until it really started to look like rain. We still had a whole bunch of new filters in the back of the pickup, so the rain wasn't worth the chance. We shut down then, and went home to do chores. After chores I brought all the left over steak and food from the last couple of days to Merle's and we ate it for supper. About the time we finished, we got paged out on a storm watching call. Now, this was really interesting. There was this absolutely huge billowing (like 4 layers of mushroom) while fluffy cloud. It had pretty much constant lightning in the sky and a few black littel tale clouds here and there. We grabbed the fire truck and were told to station ourselves right the turnoff for the place, so there we sat. We couldn't decided if it as moving toward us or away from us, and I'm pretty sure both were happening! It was pretty crazy looking, and we saw a couple (for sure one) horizintal funnel clouds. But, eventually it got far enough away and there were storm trackers closer to it, so we headed back home.

As soon as we got there I was trying to watch the news and fell asleep on the couch. By the time I woke up or was woken up- it was 11:30! Ah...dangit, I'm terrible at going to bed at a decent time! So, I drove over the hill to go home. As I was walking up the doorstep I thought I could hear something, and sure enough- it was chickens. I knew exactly what was going on. We have been trying to catch whatever is getting in there in the live trap, but it was in there right now. I dont' have any amo for my gun, so I quick called Merle and he came down to get that little sucker! We crept up on the crack in teh back of the sliding door, and there, eating the feed (caught in the act), was a huge raccoon! Somehow, I have no clue how, Merle managed to wedge his barrel through the hole in the door and nail that thing right in the jugualar (or at least I think so conisdering all the blood)! So, the culprate has been caught, but I'm sure there are more where he came from. Talk about ending the day with a boom. We just tossed him out in the corral tonight- tomorrow morning that could be interesting- oh well~Anyway, it's past my bedtime, sounds like tomorrow is some more haying and such.

Sad Day :(

This morning was kinda depressing...:( Well, it didn't start too bad, but didn't turn out real good. I did chores as usual and then helped my mom start clipping my horse. He has a disease that older horses get called cushings- a tumor on the petuitary gland, people can get it too. Because of this, he grows hair like crazy, so every once in a while he needs to be body clipped. So, she started in on him and she clipped away while I came a brushed behind. Merle had already sent Tina and Jeff out to the field to stack bales and do some hay work. Ross was out windrowing, and Merle was waiting to meet the electrician that was coming to put some lights up and wire in a welder and compressor in the shed.

As we were clipping I was trying to keep an eye on Katie because she really wasn't looking too good. She started helping me with chores earlier, but about halfway through she tuckered out and layed flat in the shade. Well, after some clipping I decided to go and brush her off, hoping that would make her feel better. I didn't even get a chance because when I walked up to her she had just died right there in the corral:( It was really sad, but at least she wasn't struggling or anything, and died where she loved to be, in the corral, around people, and right next to the chickens! So, after mom and I finished clipping and primping Joe, and Merle and I went and chatted with the electricians, we set out to dig a little grave with the other dogs from previous years on the ranch. We got this done, and got her buried with her blanket, we even marked it with a little cross I made out of an old handle. It already feels quiet and strange around here without here. In fact, Otis, the cat that always slept with her in my yard here, is sleeping out front by himslef tonight:( Sad day. We'll miss Katie. When we finished up with that rather depressing and sad task we decided it was about time to get ready to take Mom and Mary out and go hunt some more prairie dogs and try to boost up the day a little bit.

I grabbed Mom and Mary and we met Merle and headed out. We started around 10 or 10:30 i would guess and didn't quit until about 2! It was a pretty decent time. We shot about 300 22 cartridges..it was a pretty good time. Lots or p-dogs went down today. And, I found something interesting about myself out...I am a pretty darn good shot on that 22 magnum with a scope. I was shooting from quite some ways away a couple times and still managed to get em- but maybe with a try or two at times. Overall, the hunting was great, we saw lots of dogs because it was so sunny, and killed most that could be seen. ...they are soo dumb, you shoot right at them and just barely graze them and they will still stand there! haha, I guess that's good for the hunter. But, what's really funny is when you hit them and they got flying in the air, it sounds terrible to say, but it's hillarious. But, I think we all enjoyed it and it was really nice of Merle to take so much time out of his day to that that.

After we killed prairie dogs all morning, we pot lucked it at my house for dinner. By the time we ate we had decided to go string salf and mineral with what was left of the day. So, Merle and I loaded up and went to string at Hisle Dam while the other two stayed back and hung out and worked on projects of their own at my house. We threw in a gun and shot quite a few dogs while out there- guess it was jus the day to do that! We also helped Delbert and Bill and brought a pickup over there for them to get out of the field. But, as soon as we were done stringing and picking off p-dogs we headed for home to do chores and quick fast run to town for the fire meeting/training tonight. We got the evening chores done just fine and then headed in to brush up quick. There was no time for a shower, so I'm sure those fire guys really enjoyed the mixed fuel and dirt smell on me.

We headed into the meeting a little late, but definitly didn't miss the hard part. Tonight was a training meeting and instead of doing so much training we actually cleaned out all the trucks and got them ready for the fire season. It was quite the job, but we got 'er done. In fact we left a little early, but didn't miss much I don't think. By the time we got back home it was around 10pm and we were both completely shot. Merle went home and I came down here and sat in the lawn and talked with Mom and Mary for a bit, then decided to go to sleep. That puts me about where I am now. It may not have been a a really happy day, nor a productive day, but hey, it's another one at least! I'm not sure what tomorow will bring but we'll see. I will miss my little white haired buddy!