kink in the plans/kink in the back

ok- I was dinking around and lost track of time tonight!
Today was not the best in the land of Sara.

This morning I got up and did chores while Mom and Grandma were packing up. After chores, Ross and I cleaned up the windows on the flatbed pickup so I could actually see out of them and we headed out towards Delbert's to borrow his stock trailer. On the way out, we stopped and said goodbye to Mom and Grandma- they headed out shortly after. It was fun to have them here- my house is once again very quite tonight. :( But sometimes, that's not a bad thing considering how loud the apartment can be during the school year.

After talking with them we headed out. Merle and Adrienne were headed to Rapid today to run some errands and go to appointments. They took our stock trailer with them to get it serviced so we had to go borrow a different one to head to Risses. They (the neighbors) were rounding up cattle in their big pasture today (about 8,000 acres). They called Merle and let him know that we had a few steers in there- so Ross and I were supposed to get the trailer over to where they set up the portable corrals and load them out after they got them sorted.

So, we get directions from Merle that sounds pretty foreign to me, but Ross was supposed to understand them. After we got to Delbert's and hooked up the trailer and bedded it down, Mike showed up and told me the tires needed air. So, he helped air them up and off we went. We were plenty early but we figured it didn't hurt anyway. We started up this road. The directions were that we would cross a creek just about 2 miles south of Jim Risse's house (idk where his house is) and when we came to the top of the hill just beyond it there would be a pump. Turn at the pump and when the trail splits take the south trail. Well, we get going and we come to the top of a hill with a pump and Ross thinks we should turn. Well, this obviously wansn't right, and neither were the trails aroudn it so we keep heading north up the road. Then, we get to a really well traveled trail that is neither by a creek or a windmill but Ross says to turn. So, we go in there (I knew it obviously wasn't the right trail) in hopes that it would take us to the other trail. Nope- it takes us to May's house back in the pasture. In turn, they meet us in the driveway and call Risse's house and tell them we're lost. At that point, I wanted to crawl underneath the floor board of the pickup. The woman who called told Sue Risse that we would meet them at the house.

So, we pull out of there and continue up the road and low and behold we cross a creek and there is a trail at the top of the hill by a pump. Shock. So, we miss teh turnoff, and have to turn around further up the road so I could make the turn. Then, once wer'e on the trail I ask Ross if we shouldn't call them and let thme know not to wait for us, we found it. He insists that we don't need to and to keep going. After a couple gates there is a trail that breaks south. I said that we should take it- he said otherwise. So, I just stayed on the trail I was on even though I knew it wasn't the best route.

In the end, things worked out ok for us because we ran into them still driving the cattle in. After talking with Rocky for a while, we drove down into the portable corral set up and waited. We waited for them to get two groups in and sorted quite some time. After they did, I finally got ot pull the truck down and back it up to the tub chute. We loaded 12 steers (thank goodness they fit) and then got out of there and headed on home.

That was quite the place, with kids everywhere and some riding double, some just running around, and lots of cowboys and cowgirls, it was pretty cute. Boy, they had lots of help! Once we got back out of there Ross argued what direction was north with me for long enough that I have up and turned south. Then, he decied I was right and we had to turn around. Once we got going all was well until I came to a sandy hill that was steeper tahn expected. To make a long story short, I lost power because I didn't downshift fast enough and I got stuck on the hill in the middle o fthe road. After trying to back up, all the trailer wanted to do was hit the bank that was about 10 ft high on the road. Then, we were really stuck. Somehow, someway, Ross managed to get that trailer out of the bank longs enough to get some umpf under the tires and go. We left one heck of a mess in the road though...all because of my stupidity.

We headed back towards home and unloaded them into the holding psture with teh horses and other steers and bulls. Aterward, Ross took me hoem adn dropped me at my car so I coudl get going to my chiropractor appointment in Gordon. Meanwhile, Dean must have finished showing the well man around adn quit fo rthe day. Ross was going to go chase some horsees our of a pasture of ours while I was headed down there.

I took off and called Merle to let him knwo how th morning went. While on the phone I meantioned that info from teh paragraph above and he basically told me that Ross was going to a place where he shouldn't be chasing horses. There wans't much anyone could do from the distance we were away from town by then, but I guess well see what all he did tonight.

I got adjusted by the chiropractor and I think I already messed that up= but it felt food for a hwhile anyway. I stopped for a quick ice cream cone and then headed back out of town.
there was rain while i was gone- not a bad thing at all. In fact, if was sprinkling before I got out of Gordon. O one thing to add..on teh way down there I stopped for gas in Merriman and this car next to me pulls up and starts taking pictures of the old gas pump and tha station. I just wanted so badly to tell htem theres' s lot more where that came from if they would just keep driving down that hyway! haha

Anyway, I stopped and grabbed mail and headed home in my car on the halfway muddy road.When I got home I changed and did chores- which went fine. Afterward, I dinked around cleaning up a little but, but headed in by 7. I was tired from a ridiculous day of nothingness and ready for bed. Yet, I'm still up.

So, today could have been better, but it all turned out ok. I"m still kickin myself for getting stuck with a full load going up a sand hill today. grrr

"Courage is being scared to death-but saddling up anyway." -John Wayne