Rodeo

So today started out pretty normal. Dean called and wanted the next two days off...how nice. So, he wasn't around. Chores were peaceful.

Afterward I went up to load up what salt and mineral we had left and dinked around in the shed while Merle fed Rylee. By the time I was headed down to pick him up so we could go pull away a dead heifer and string salt, Ross showed up.

I helped him get some oats bagged and loaded up and then we unloaded some grass clippings out of his pickup. Since he came out, Merle decided to stay back and change oil on the tractor and hook it up to the disk while we were out stringing salt in much overdue locations around the Pow Wow Grounds pasture. We managed to get all the troughs filled and were only short a few blue blocks- so we did pretty good. Then, we went and checked on where we could pull this dead heifer away to and Ross decided just to leaver her. He said she had been dead over a day and he didn't wanna touch her. Lol- I found that a little bit entertaining, I told him it could be his fault then when we got in trouble. While we were out we also checked some alfalfa and our summer fowl in the area. Then, we looped around and headed into town to pick up salt and milk replacer.

Jay was busy, Dave was there getting the baler belts fixed and Jeff Johnson was there pikcing up some stuff, along with a bunch of other people. I managed to weasle my way in and get Jay to load a pallot of salt for me. Delbert had already picked up the milk for us and brought it to Ross and Marva's house. We stopped in and ate dinner with Marva. Ham sandwiches...imagine that! I thought they tasted really good but Marva and Ross had been eating ham for a few days now I think! It was nice to sit and talk with them, but time marches on and we had to go. We stopped and grabbed my mail and then headed out to town towards home.

By the time we got all the empty bags and barrels and the ton of salt unloaded, Merle was headed our way. We decided to go to the rodeo, so it would be chore time early today. Ross and Marva weren't going so Ross picked up some bales with the hydrabed and disked the draws around home so we can plant hay millet in there to keep it from washing so bad. Merle and I went and did chores super fast. By the time we were done Sabina and her boyfriend and a couple of her friends from Switzerland had shown up. (Sabina and her family are origianlly from Switzerland if you didn't catch that before.) I said hi to them and then ran up to the house to shower quick. I got there just to figure out that i left my keys in the pickup. So I flew back down towards the draw where Ross was dangling my keys from is hand, and I snatched them and said thanks!

I finally got in the house and showered and was ready to go just in time. We all packed in the pickup (six total) and headed to Interior. They did a really nice dedication to Connor before it started with one of his horses. His sister, Sue rode in the grand entry on his other horse as well. It was hard to watch a rodeo without him entered in it, but we managed to have a good time and enjoy ourselves. Nancy, John, and Stephanie were there, as well as Andrea and her daughter Mylee, and Dave, Mary Kay, and Sue. The rodeo turned out to be kinda fun. It did rain a little, but other than that it was a nice night for a rodeo. Sabina and I tend to pick on Merle, but tonight we chose Lee. We were going to start a fan club for him and embarass him really bad, but we chickened out. When he came up to talk to us I was sure to tell him our plans and he said he had had people yell at him before but that would be the first time he had a fan club! It actually turned out that their team roping turn was a bad one. Dallas, his partner caught his leg on the barrier and really got scraped up pretty bad. They weren't sure if they were going to go up to Fort Thompson tonight or not. I hope it all turns out ok for them.

We headed home about eight and took the gravel for a better view. Sabina had been translating to her friends all night- I wonder what they thought of the rodeo!? I bet they think us westerners are crazy! We had a nice ride home and I ran the four wheeler back down to the shed and fished my pickup out and am now ready for bed.

I'm gunna try to get some things done tomorrow, but maybe we will have to goof off a little bit!
In addition to raising over 1000 dollars for the family over the last two nights, this is what was printed in the rodeo booklets and read tonight in memory of Connor. I thought it was very fitting, so have a look if you want:

In Loving Memory of Connor Sell

I'm sure God has a ranch in Heaven, a place for cowboys to call home. With dusty trails and deep passes where cows and horses freely roam. I picture you up on a ledge gazing at the draws below. Leaning up with your 20 X and hat pulled way down low. I can about hear the leather cracking, when your gleding switches feet. Your spurs softly jingle in the wind, your ropes tied on and coiled neat. There is contentment on your face. You're happy, but I can't pretend, that I'm glad you made God's journey. That I can't truly comprehend.

In my earthly ways I question the reasons God took you away. I guess the timing was just right for you to enter Heaven that day. The only comfort I have found to put my grief to rest is that God only takes the top hands because his crew's the very best. We still cry and we sure miss you and all the things that might have been. But God needed one more cowboy, and felt you'd fit right in. So he sent down all his ranch hands and an extra horse at their side.

Then he sofly wispered to you "Saddle up, my friend, let's ride!"

You will be sadly missed, always rememberd, and forever loved...Have a good ride cowboy!