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!
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Monday, July 6, 2009
Branding and P-Dogs
Branding Day. Today started off pretty normal. Ross was here early and started chores; I came out to join him around 6:30. My mom, Loretta, actually woke me up a little early which created some time for cereal...and today I definitly needed it. As soon as we finished chores we saddled up and got ready to head out to Dave's (Merle's brother in law- Marykay's huband) branding. Beau, Tina, Merle, Mom, and I all headed out in two vehicles- Mom and I just followed Merle in the flatbed pickup. When we got out there, everyone was still ariving and saddling up. We all knew that there would be some big calves to wrastle with so there were lots of reinforcements coming in! We rode out to a far pasture and pushed the heard into a corner to sort. Apparently, they had tried to sort a lot of them off last night but it got too dark so we had to do it this morning. There were 24 riders all together and between a majority of us we managed to hold and sort the herd. The first sorting took over two hours...it was a long two hours at that. Tina and I and some others helped hold while five or six guys sorted. We didn't have too much trouble considering how many cattle there were to sort (probably over 200), but it sure kept you on the edge of your seat/saddle! I think mom really enjoyed coming and helping and taking pictures, I hope so anyway~ We moved that first herd in and started branding. I thought that they would have to use forks to hold them down but we managed to do it just with wrestlers...well I shouldn't say "we", I actually vaccinated at this branding because I must just look wimpy- but hey it's a job that has to be done. We got the first group through and then went and got another much smaller bunch. I poured the second time. Tina wrestled and did some vaccinating, Merle cut and roped, Beau wrestled, and Mom actually got recruited to vaccinate too. All in all, things didn't go too bad- especially considering no one got really hurt with such big calves to work with. We all went to the house for a great meal afterwards...short rant on this: Ok, so we're all sitting there and the food is ready but no one will go and eat it. Merle says, "ladies first" and tells me and Tina to go and start eating...I was like- heck no let someone who actually worked hard go...but they wouldn't. So here we are in a room full of big, tough cowboys and they are all afaid to go first, but soon as we started they all piled right on in...really? lol So we ate, then headed home.
On the way back we dropped off Tina at her car and then stopped at the fire hall to put some gear away that was hanging out from being wet the other night. Apparently while we were branding this morning we missed a call. This local guy who is a little off his rocker by the name of Ringo, called the cops threatening to blow himself up in his house. So, the cops reported to the scene and sure enough, he blew it up right in front of them! So, of course the fire department was out and careflight came and got him, I have no idea what the injuries were like. Anyway, it sounded interesting and I guess we had just missed the crowd coming back to the station. So, we quick put our stuff away and I gave mom a short tour. I also noticed that there were smoky bear stickers on lots of gear in the station and I am now becoming nervous that my stuff is gunna be sabataged! lol...wouldn't doubt it. Then, we started for home via the grocery store. Mom needed an onion for some potato salad she was making me, so I asked Merle if I could buy an onion at the store and charge it to him and pay him late- haha only I would ask that. We made a quick stop at the store and grabbed the onion and headed home.
When we got back the horses were already unsaddled but we had another fun job to do- clean nuts. Somehow the pretty darn big pale of nuts from the branding got put in Merle's pickup. So, Beau, Merle, and I cleaned nuts for quite some time in the basement sink while we talked to Mom and Mary. When we got that done and cleaned up our mess it was chore time. We noticed that we are short two chickens and there are lots of feathers around so I think the raccoons are getting in at night; we tried to jam the door shut for the night and we'll see if it's like that in the morning. Dang raccoons, killin' my good herd! lol After chores I ran a few little errands here and there around the house and then it was time for some prairie dog hunting! Merle offered to take us out to Hisle Dam and boy was it worth it.
Mary shot out one side and I took the other. We did pretty good but mostly just had a good time. Everytime she would get one she was sooo excited- it was great! I think we all just had a fun time; Merle has been saying we should head out for a week or two so we finally got it done. But, it was beginning to get a little cooler and the sun wasn't out so they weren't coming out as much and were harder to see. So, we decided to quit for the night and come back out tomorrow. We used my mom's Ford Explorer to shoot out of because it is the only car on the place that had four wheel drive and we could fit four people in- bet that car has never seen anything quite like that before!
When we got back we all (Mom, Mary, Merle, and I) came down to my house to eat some supper. Mom fried some hamburgers and we all sat down and had a great time. In fact, I think we talked, told stories, and BSed for over two hours! haha, it was lots of fun. They told some good stories on me and on each other- not to mention some good Delbert stories! lol But, all in all it was a good day. We noticed that Katie has been a little sluggish, I think it's just the heat, but either way I hope she gets to feeling better! She's like my best bud! Well, I better get to bed sounds like I got some serious p-dog hunting to do tomorrow! haha
On the way back we dropped off Tina at her car and then stopped at the fire hall to put some gear away that was hanging out from being wet the other night. Apparently while we were branding this morning we missed a call. This local guy who is a little off his rocker by the name of Ringo, called the cops threatening to blow himself up in his house. So, the cops reported to the scene and sure enough, he blew it up right in front of them! So, of course the fire department was out and careflight came and got him, I have no idea what the injuries were like. Anyway, it sounded interesting and I guess we had just missed the crowd coming back to the station. So, we quick put our stuff away and I gave mom a short tour. I also noticed that there were smoky bear stickers on lots of gear in the station and I am now becoming nervous that my stuff is gunna be sabataged! lol...wouldn't doubt it. Then, we started for home via the grocery store. Mom needed an onion for some potato salad she was making me, so I asked Merle if I could buy an onion at the store and charge it to him and pay him late- haha only I would ask that. We made a quick stop at the store and grabbed the onion and headed home.
When we got back the horses were already unsaddled but we had another fun job to do- clean nuts. Somehow the pretty darn big pale of nuts from the branding got put in Merle's pickup. So, Beau, Merle, and I cleaned nuts for quite some time in the basement sink while we talked to Mom and Mary. When we got that done and cleaned up our mess it was chore time. We noticed that we are short two chickens and there are lots of feathers around so I think the raccoons are getting in at night; we tried to jam the door shut for the night and we'll see if it's like that in the morning. Dang raccoons, killin' my good herd! lol After chores I ran a few little errands here and there around the house and then it was time for some prairie dog hunting! Merle offered to take us out to Hisle Dam and boy was it worth it.
Mary shot out one side and I took the other. We did pretty good but mostly just had a good time. Everytime she would get one she was sooo excited- it was great! I think we all just had a fun time; Merle has been saying we should head out for a week or two so we finally got it done. But, it was beginning to get a little cooler and the sun wasn't out so they weren't coming out as much and were harder to see. So, we decided to quit for the night and come back out tomorrow. We used my mom's Ford Explorer to shoot out of because it is the only car on the place that had four wheel drive and we could fit four people in- bet that car has never seen anything quite like that before!
When we got back we all (Mom, Mary, Merle, and I) came down to my house to eat some supper. Mom fried some hamburgers and we all sat down and had a great time. In fact, I think we talked, told stories, and BSed for over two hours! haha, it was lots of fun. They told some good stories on me and on each other- not to mention some good Delbert stories! lol But, all in all it was a good day. We noticed that Katie has been a little sluggish, I think it's just the heat, but either way I hope she gets to feeling better! She's like my best bud! Well, I better get to bed sounds like I got some serious p-dog hunting to do tomorrow! haha
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Rodeo!
The day after I got no sleep which was also the day after the day after I got no sleep as well. Basically sleep has been limited this week.
Today was kinda slack. I woke up and did chores, which were fairly uneventful and then came back in to take a quick nap before getting ready for church. I took the flatbed pickup into town because it was still a little wet and went to the Episcipol church. I was able to sit with Marva, which was really nice. The church is even smaller than the Lutheran one, probably less than twenty people there, but I really liked it. I was the youngest one there by at least an average of 30 years, but everyone was very welcoming and I really enjoyed the pastor/priest and his sermon. Afterward they had coffee and it really made me laugh because it felt like home. Most of the women sat at one table and the men at the other. We had this ruhbarb dessert and it was really really good...the woman who made it was of course there. So, we all get to talking about how good it is and all of a sudden I find myself sitting at the table watching a bunch of women quiz her on what is in it and how to make it. So there I was in the basement of the church listening to this woman's rubarb dessert recipe! Hillarious! So anyway, I enjoyed meeting people and hope to head back next Sunday.
After church I just went straight home and called to see if I was needed for anything. Merle and Ross were just catching up on some haying and it sounded like otherwise we were just going to take it easy and try to catch up on some seriously lost sleep from last night (and the night before;)). Since I wasn't needed in the field I just started doing some odds and ends around the house and finall got my flowers planted! That was nice to have done. By this time, I was ready to take an hour nap and then head outside for some really really early 2:30pm chores.
See, Merle said he was going to go meet Andrea at the Interior rodeo and I pretty much invited myself along- "rodeo...where?!" In order to get there on time and find seats we had to leave around 3-3:30 ish. So, we did some extremely early chores and then changed clothes quick and headed out. During this time my mom and her friend Mary were headed this direction. They got here while we were at the rodeo. But, back to Interior...when we got there we met up with Andrea and then found some bleachair seats. For such a tiny town they sure had a big rodeo, and it was lots of fun too! They ran everything a little slow but the stock was pretty good and the riders were too. It was just fun to go out and do something like that just for the enjoyment of it-and I really love rodeos! The kept on from 4:30 until about 8:30 when we decided to leave, and at that point they still had another 8 teams to do team roping. But my favorite event had to be the mutton bustin'! So cute! But otherwise I thought there were some decent bronc rides that were fun to watch.
When we made it home I just headed back to my house and met up with mom and Mary. They were just hanging out here and we talked for a while and now everyone is all tired out and ready for bed. I think they had too much fun today! haha...you never know with those two! But, I must go take a shower and such. Tomorrow we are going to Marykay and Daves branding- it will be an interesting time for me because the calves will be a lot bigger than the other brandings we were at earlier, guess I'll just have to buck up!
Today was kinda slack. I woke up and did chores, which were fairly uneventful and then came back in to take a quick nap before getting ready for church. I took the flatbed pickup into town because it was still a little wet and went to the Episcipol church. I was able to sit with Marva, which was really nice. The church is even smaller than the Lutheran one, probably less than twenty people there, but I really liked it. I was the youngest one there by at least an average of 30 years, but everyone was very welcoming and I really enjoyed the pastor/priest and his sermon. Afterward they had coffee and it really made me laugh because it felt like home. Most of the women sat at one table and the men at the other. We had this ruhbarb dessert and it was really really good...the woman who made it was of course there. So, we all get to talking about how good it is and all of a sudden I find myself sitting at the table watching a bunch of women quiz her on what is in it and how to make it. So there I was in the basement of the church listening to this woman's rubarb dessert recipe! Hillarious! So anyway, I enjoyed meeting people and hope to head back next Sunday.
After church I just went straight home and called to see if I was needed for anything. Merle and Ross were just catching up on some haying and it sounded like otherwise we were just going to take it easy and try to catch up on some seriously lost sleep from last night (and the night before;)). Since I wasn't needed in the field I just started doing some odds and ends around the house and finall got my flowers planted! That was nice to have done. By this time, I was ready to take an hour nap and then head outside for some really really early 2:30pm chores.
See, Merle said he was going to go meet Andrea at the Interior rodeo and I pretty much invited myself along- "rodeo...where?!" In order to get there on time and find seats we had to leave around 3-3:30 ish. So, we did some extremely early chores and then changed clothes quick and headed out. During this time my mom and her friend Mary were headed this direction. They got here while we were at the rodeo. But, back to Interior...when we got there we met up with Andrea and then found some bleachair seats. For such a tiny town they sure had a big rodeo, and it was lots of fun too! They ran everything a little slow but the stock was pretty good and the riders were too. It was just fun to go out and do something like that just for the enjoyment of it-and I really love rodeos! The kept on from 4:30 until about 8:30 when we decided to leave, and at that point they still had another 8 teams to do team roping. But my favorite event had to be the mutton bustin'! So cute! But otherwise I thought there were some decent bronc rides that were fun to watch.
When we made it home I just headed back to my house and met up with mom and Mary. They were just hanging out here and we talked for a while and now everyone is all tired out and ready for bed. I think they had too much fun today! haha...you never know with those two! But, I must go take a shower and such. Tomorrow we are going to Marykay and Daves branding- it will be an interesting time for me because the calves will be a lot bigger than the other brandings we were at earlier, guess I'll just have to buck up!
Independance Day...in flames
Today was pretty lax. I got up just an hour and a half after I went to bed and did morning chores. It was anothe soggy day and Rachel was still here with me, and I probably looked about as pathetic as I felt! So, Merle told me to go back to bed, lol. I came in and ate breakfast and then we both went back to bed for a bit. When we finally got back up and moving we decided to go for a drive and look around at the country since it was misting a little too much for four wheelers.
I called Merle to tell him that I was stealing a pickup for a while and he offered us some dinner, so we stopped down at his house for a while and talked. By the time we ate, the mist was going away and we had a chance to go on a short four wheeler tour before Rachel had to head home. It was really nice just to get out and ride around and put the landscape into perspective. He took us up on top of a hill that was tall enough to really see a lot of his pastures. I had never been at this spot before and it turns out I am glad we went there because it really put the idea of what pasture is where into perspective for me. But, we eventually had to head back home and let Rachel go back to Nebraska, so that's just what we did. I was so glad she came, we had a great time and hopefully we can do it again:) Sadly, she left so that she could make it to work on time this afternoon. After she headed out I spent a couple hours cleaning the house. This is just one of those things that had to be done that I rarely have time for. So, I cleaned for a while and then took a nap. Merle did chores during this time (oops...I slept through them!) and then he headed into town to eat supper with some of Sharla's family. I stayed back, finished off my nap, fed the horses, and got all my fire gear together. I made it to town by about seven. We loaded up the fireworks and such and headed out to the park.
The fireworks were quite the ordeal. We got all suited up in our bunker gear and got a system down. I was a runner. Basically what you do is grab a firework from the passer outer and put it in the right size hole and then hold the fuze cover on until someone comes to light it. It's sort of like being in a mine field because there are fireworks going off all around you out of the other holes, so you have to be careful of what you're doing! But, it all went really well, we had no duds and I didn't screw anything up too bad. The show lasted about 25 minutes...the hottest and sweatiest 25 minutes ever! It was probably a really cool show but I never got to see it because I was too busy loading the tubes. It was a great first time experience...all the while being teased about my campfire song and dance!
We got the fireworks deal all cleaned up and headed back to the station. Just as everyone had their gear taken off, dispatch came over the radio and paged us to be mutual aid at a fire in Wanblee. So, we all suited back up and hopped back into the trucks. I rode in the rescue truck with six other people. It's about a fourty mile drive...so it's not exactly a fast response time if you can imagine. The call was for an old head start building that was fully engulfed with a propane tank behind it. When we got there the Kadoka department was already spraying it down, so we had no choice but to do the same, even though it probably would have been better to just let it burn completely and then wet it down. I started out helping to back the hose. Then, they gave it to me. Yup...I ran a fire hose for a couple hours...scary right? It was a pretty cool experience. Fighting fire might sound and look easy, but it really isn't. We finally got the flames put out around 1:40am and got back to the station about 2:00. The building was done for before we got there but at least now the flames were out. Needless, to say, I'm tired and it's another late night/early morining (however you wanna look at it). I need sleep! Ahhh! Not sure what tomorrow will bring but I do know that my mom and her friend Mary are coming out to stay for a few days. That will be fun:) Happy Fourth!
I called Merle to tell him that I was stealing a pickup for a while and he offered us some dinner, so we stopped down at his house for a while and talked. By the time we ate, the mist was going away and we had a chance to go on a short four wheeler tour before Rachel had to head home. It was really nice just to get out and ride around and put the landscape into perspective. He took us up on top of a hill that was tall enough to really see a lot of his pastures. I had never been at this spot before and it turns out I am glad we went there because it really put the idea of what pasture is where into perspective for me. But, we eventually had to head back home and let Rachel go back to Nebraska, so that's just what we did. I was so glad she came, we had a great time and hopefully we can do it again:) Sadly, she left so that she could make it to work on time this afternoon. After she headed out I spent a couple hours cleaning the house. This is just one of those things that had to be done that I rarely have time for. So, I cleaned for a while and then took a nap. Merle did chores during this time (oops...I slept through them!) and then he headed into town to eat supper with some of Sharla's family. I stayed back, finished off my nap, fed the horses, and got all my fire gear together. I made it to town by about seven. We loaded up the fireworks and such and headed out to the park.
The fireworks were quite the ordeal. We got all suited up in our bunker gear and got a system down. I was a runner. Basically what you do is grab a firework from the passer outer and put it in the right size hole and then hold the fuze cover on until someone comes to light it. It's sort of like being in a mine field because there are fireworks going off all around you out of the other holes, so you have to be careful of what you're doing! But, it all went really well, we had no duds and I didn't screw anything up too bad. The show lasted about 25 minutes...the hottest and sweatiest 25 minutes ever! It was probably a really cool show but I never got to see it because I was too busy loading the tubes. It was a great first time experience...all the while being teased about my campfire song and dance!
We got the fireworks deal all cleaned up and headed back to the station. Just as everyone had their gear taken off, dispatch came over the radio and paged us to be mutual aid at a fire in Wanblee. So, we all suited back up and hopped back into the trucks. I rode in the rescue truck with six other people. It's about a fourty mile drive...so it's not exactly a fast response time if you can imagine. The call was for an old head start building that was fully engulfed with a propane tank behind it. When we got there the Kadoka department was already spraying it down, so we had no choice but to do the same, even though it probably would have been better to just let it burn completely and then wet it down. I started out helping to back the hose. Then, they gave it to me. Yup...I ran a fire hose for a couple hours...scary right? It was a pretty cool experience. Fighting fire might sound and look easy, but it really isn't. We finally got the flames put out around 1:40am and got back to the station about 2:00. The building was done for before we got there but at least now the flames were out. Needless, to say, I'm tired and it's another late night/early morining (however you wanna look at it). I need sleep! Ahhh! Not sure what tomorrow will bring but I do know that my mom and her friend Mary are coming out to stay for a few days. That will be fun:) Happy Fourth!
Tryin' to beat the mornin' paper home
Ok...I have not fallen off the face of the earth, I only came very close!
I will start with yesterday. It finally rained out here to amount to something, so the day was rather soggy. When I came outside to do morning chores I noticed something not so good. There were two, very grumpy looking geldings looking at me from the corral. I had fed them at evening chores the night before and then forgot to come back and let them out. They were just fine, but very displeased and were sure to eat their morning grain quick to prove a point! haha- o the boys. As soon as we finished chores we decided to road trip to Interior to pick up some alfalfa seed. Since it was too muddy to make it worth chasing and sorting a bull that is out, or stringing salt and mineral, we went on a road trip.
We found the place just fine, but first had to stop at the gas station to grab some sugar. Of course, we saw people that knew Merle there and they talked for a while. Apparently the Interior rodeo was today and will finish tomorrow, so it was all the talk at Cowboy Corner. But, we made it out of there and just a couple miles down the road to the seed guy. We loaded up our seed and headed back home. This whole time I was trying to get ahold of my friend Rachel who was coming up for the day, but her phone line was always busy. Come to find out, the darn thing got struck by lightning the night before! But anyway, we came back, unloaded and stacked the seed and then started changing the oil on the pump engines for the fire trucks. We were short a filter and needed a few other things in town, so as soon as we finished servicing, Merle made me start both pumps (easiest way for me to learn is to do it myself like that), and then we went in for dinner. After dinner we went and changed and headed into town to help with this Smokey Bear fire safety deal at the fire hall.
So we pull in and here are these fire prevention people with the BIA setting up, and a few of the Martin fire fighters just kinda hangin' out. I so much as walk in the door and this BIA woman grabs me and tells me she has a great job for me...:S So, she puts me at this station with a coloring sheet. Easy, I thought. O no, that wasn't all. After they got done drawing and coloring themselves as Smokey's helpers they got to learn the campfire song and dance~and guess who had to teach it to every single group? ...yeah that's right, me. So, it went something like this: You put the water on the fire and you stir it and you stir it. You put the water on the fire and you stir it and you stir it. You put the water on the fire and you stir it and you stir it! ...Follow by "How many times do you stir it??? 3 times!" Yeah talk about embarrasing. So this whole time I'm also thinking that the Smokey Bear person that I made do the song with me is somebody with the BIA. Nope, turns out it's Dalan, a kid on the department who I already have a BS war going on with. Lol, so needless to say the whole thing was perfect for all the guys to blackmale me with - they claim that I'm in for a surprize at the next meeting...I'm not gunna lie that scares me a bit! But, I will survive the wrath of the MVFD BSathon! So, during this lovely campfire song time, Rachel shows up! Yay, a friend! As soon as we finished up at the fire hall, we just rode around town with Merle and ran some errands. After we got all of them done we headed back home and did chores. By the time they were over it was time to go and get ready to head to Phillip for the street dance and fireworks. Rachel was pretty much ready but I had nothing ready to go, so I quick threw on some clothes and brought about half of my kitchen and bathroom with so that I could get ready and eat while Rachel drove. I was shuffling things everywhere...then to top it off I got pizza sauce on my new, white shirt- so I grabbed another one and jumped in the pickup. Well, we go no further than halfway down the driveway when I realized we had to turn around because I grabbed the wrong clothes and my o my was it hard to get out of here but we finally did. We sort of rushed up there so we wouldn't miss the fireworks but when we did finally follow the cars out to the lake, they didn't go off until much later like 9:45. It was rainy so I think they had to hold off for a while. The fireworks were really pretty and I enjoyed just watching them and hanging out, but soon enough they were done, so we called up our friends the Trask boys. We couldn't get ahold of them at first and the street dance wasn't even set up yet, (not to mention it was still gunna be outside and it was really cold!) There we were in Phillip, aimlessly wandering around waiting to see or hear from someone we knew. After about 20 minutes, Mark finally got cell service and got my voicemail so he called me back. Our plan was then to go out and get them and drive everyone back to the street dance if we wanted.
So, Rachel and I head out to Quinn, SD. If you are drawing a blank look it up sometime...just not on a mad cuz it might not be incorporated! lol Anyway, we found the house and bunk house that Evan, (the other friend the boys were with), lives in.. We sat down there on a cooler and started talking and just telling stories. Turns out, we sat there for three or four hours and had such a good time we forgot about much else. Rachel and I finally decided we had better head home at about 2:30. The crappy thing about here is that home is never real close. With one gas stop, we made it home by 4:30. I think that is the latest I have ever come home! I mean at one point we realized that it was beginning to get lighter rather than darker! But, when we pulled in Merle's lights weren't on yet so at least we made it home before he woke up for the day! haha! As we were walking in the rooster started crowing...sure sign that you're late/early. This is why there was no blog last night...it was a bit late. We just came in and crashed. But it was all worth it, we had a great time and got to see some friends!
I will start with yesterday. It finally rained out here to amount to something, so the day was rather soggy. When I came outside to do morning chores I noticed something not so good. There were two, very grumpy looking geldings looking at me from the corral. I had fed them at evening chores the night before and then forgot to come back and let them out. They were just fine, but very displeased and were sure to eat their morning grain quick to prove a point! haha- o the boys. As soon as we finished chores we decided to road trip to Interior to pick up some alfalfa seed. Since it was too muddy to make it worth chasing and sorting a bull that is out, or stringing salt and mineral, we went on a road trip.
We found the place just fine, but first had to stop at the gas station to grab some sugar. Of course, we saw people that knew Merle there and they talked for a while. Apparently the Interior rodeo was today and will finish tomorrow, so it was all the talk at Cowboy Corner. But, we made it out of there and just a couple miles down the road to the seed guy. We loaded up our seed and headed back home. This whole time I was trying to get ahold of my friend Rachel who was coming up for the day, but her phone line was always busy. Come to find out, the darn thing got struck by lightning the night before! But anyway, we came back, unloaded and stacked the seed and then started changing the oil on the pump engines for the fire trucks. We were short a filter and needed a few other things in town, so as soon as we finished servicing, Merle made me start both pumps (easiest way for me to learn is to do it myself like that), and then we went in for dinner. After dinner we went and changed and headed into town to help with this Smokey Bear fire safety deal at the fire hall.
So we pull in and here are these fire prevention people with the BIA setting up, and a few of the Martin fire fighters just kinda hangin' out. I so much as walk in the door and this BIA woman grabs me and tells me she has a great job for me...:S So, she puts me at this station with a coloring sheet. Easy, I thought. O no, that wasn't all. After they got done drawing and coloring themselves as Smokey's helpers they got to learn the campfire song and dance~and guess who had to teach it to every single group? ...yeah that's right, me. So, it went something like this: You put the water on the fire and you stir it and you stir it. You put the water on the fire and you stir it and you stir it. You put the water on the fire and you stir it and you stir it! ...Follow by "How many times do you stir it??? 3 times!" Yeah talk about embarrasing. So this whole time I'm also thinking that the Smokey Bear person that I made do the song with me is somebody with the BIA. Nope, turns out it's Dalan, a kid on the department who I already have a BS war going on with. Lol, so needless to say the whole thing was perfect for all the guys to blackmale me with - they claim that I'm in for a surprize at the next meeting...I'm not gunna lie that scares me a bit! But, I will survive the wrath of the MVFD BSathon! So, during this lovely campfire song time, Rachel shows up! Yay, a friend! As soon as we finished up at the fire hall, we just rode around town with Merle and ran some errands. After we got all of them done we headed back home and did chores. By the time they were over it was time to go and get ready to head to Phillip for the street dance and fireworks. Rachel was pretty much ready but I had nothing ready to go, so I quick threw on some clothes and brought about half of my kitchen and bathroom with so that I could get ready and eat while Rachel drove. I was shuffling things everywhere...then to top it off I got pizza sauce on my new, white shirt- so I grabbed another one and jumped in the pickup. Well, we go no further than halfway down the driveway when I realized we had to turn around because I grabbed the wrong clothes and my o my was it hard to get out of here but we finally did. We sort of rushed up there so we wouldn't miss the fireworks but when we did finally follow the cars out to the lake, they didn't go off until much later like 9:45. It was rainy so I think they had to hold off for a while. The fireworks were really pretty and I enjoyed just watching them and hanging out, but soon enough they were done, so we called up our friends the Trask boys. We couldn't get ahold of them at first and the street dance wasn't even set up yet, (not to mention it was still gunna be outside and it was really cold!) There we were in Phillip, aimlessly wandering around waiting to see or hear from someone we knew. After about 20 minutes, Mark finally got cell service and got my voicemail so he called me back. Our plan was then to go out and get them and drive everyone back to the street dance if we wanted.
So, Rachel and I head out to Quinn, SD. If you are drawing a blank look it up sometime...just not on a mad cuz it might not be incorporated! lol Anyway, we found the house and bunk house that Evan, (the other friend the boys were with), lives in.. We sat down there on a cooler and started talking and just telling stories. Turns out, we sat there for three or four hours and had such a good time we forgot about much else. Rachel and I finally decided we had better head home at about 2:30. The crappy thing about here is that home is never real close. With one gas stop, we made it home by 4:30. I think that is the latest I have ever come home! I mean at one point we realized that it was beginning to get lighter rather than darker! But, when we pulled in Merle's lights weren't on yet so at least we made it home before he woke up for the day! haha! As we were walking in the rooster started crowing...sure sign that you're late/early. This is why there was no blog last night...it was a bit late. We just came in and crashed. But it was all worth it, we had a great time and got to see some friends!
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Quilly
Today was full of odds and ends.
When I went out for chores this morning I had more in store for me than I thought. As I went to feed the calves I noticed something quite unpleasant. One of the poor bucket calves had gajillions of porcupine quills in his front leg. Fist of all, how the heck did it manage to get them in a front leg, and secondly- how painful! Just as I finished feeding up Merle was pulling up. He had found a dead bull snake all wrapped up in some net in a tree, and he thought this was the excitement for the morning...just kidding. We went out and he grabbed a leg and I grabbed the other and flipped the little calf over. Merle sat on him and held him down while I pulled quills with a plier...more than 30 of them. But, they weren't in too far and he had some tough hyde so it wasn't terrible- just funny lookin. We got that done just as Jeff and Tina were pulling in. We finished up chores and then decided where we were all headed for the day. Jeff went and stacked bales, and Tina and Merle were going to hay. Merle took me out to show me a couple bottom fields he wanted disked up and then dropped me off at the tractor. I serviced it with no grease gun explosions...and went to farming. I later found out that during this time Merle went and got the locked box of rattle snakes out of my cellar (they were supposed to go to some guys who wanted live snakes but it never worked out) and killed all ten or twelve of them. He said he didn't want to gross me out, but I think it would have been cool to see someone catch them one by one in the box and then try to get em'! Not to mention he got rid of the snapping turtle too, but i kinda like turtles- not gunna lie- so it's ok that I missed that one. But, when he got done killing things he went out to bale. But, he didn't get started right away there either becuase of some servicing and other problems with the baler...but eventually they got going.
When I finished farming I started in on odds and ends. I filled up the oats barrels in the grainery and worked on my yard, then went in for dinner. While I was inside I noticed Connor pulling up to hook onto a rake. So, I went out and helped him do that for a few minutes- then headed in and finished my dinner. After dinner I went out and started weeding flower beds so that I can plant the flowers that have been on my kitchen table for two weeks! This took forever...adn ever. I soaked the ground and pulled weed after weed, until it looked halfway decent. Somewhere in the middle of my weeding I also had to stop and go pick up Bill (Delbert's hired man) and bring him back to his pickup sprayer. So, that took some time out of the day too. But, finally I got the flower beds weeded just in time for the wind to come up and the rain to come down...so much for planting flowers. So, I opted to go and sweep out the shed. I spent a good five minutes trying to find the master switch to move the fire truck- but finally I found it directly in front of my face and moved it out of the way. I got about half the shed swept before it rained much. Merle showed back up about this time too and was wondering if I had done chores. Most logically thinking people would have done chores as soon as it looked like the rain was gunna come down, but nope, not me I would rather get soaked and feed animals that aren't going to come out and eat anyway! We headed down to do chores and stood in the shed for quite a few minutes waiting for it to quit enough to go out and feed, and after all the shed is tin roofed...sounds a little worse than it really is in there. But, we made it out and fed everyone, this time with no porcupine quills. After chores I went in and ate and showered for the fireman's meeting this evening. We were cleaning the fire hall out and getting fireworks ready for the fourth. I am pretty excited to get to help with the firework stuff! oooo, cool. We got everything moved around and cleaned out there in just a little over an hour. But, I really enjoyed it because I got to spend time around new people and meet some more! After that, we came home and I am now headed to bed.
I really didn't get that much done today- but hopefully I will make up for it. Sounds like tomorrow we will need to move a bull and string salt and mineral. There is some kind of fireworks display and dance in Phillip, I might head up to that, we'll see. Night!
When I went out for chores this morning I had more in store for me than I thought. As I went to feed the calves I noticed something quite unpleasant. One of the poor bucket calves had gajillions of porcupine quills in his front leg. Fist of all, how the heck did it manage to get them in a front leg, and secondly- how painful! Just as I finished feeding up Merle was pulling up. He had found a dead bull snake all wrapped up in some net in a tree, and he thought this was the excitement for the morning...just kidding. We went out and he grabbed a leg and I grabbed the other and flipped the little calf over. Merle sat on him and held him down while I pulled quills with a plier...more than 30 of them. But, they weren't in too far and he had some tough hyde so it wasn't terrible- just funny lookin. We got that done just as Jeff and Tina were pulling in. We finished up chores and then decided where we were all headed for the day. Jeff went and stacked bales, and Tina and Merle were going to hay. Merle took me out to show me a couple bottom fields he wanted disked up and then dropped me off at the tractor. I serviced it with no grease gun explosions...and went to farming. I later found out that during this time Merle went and got the locked box of rattle snakes out of my cellar (they were supposed to go to some guys who wanted live snakes but it never worked out) and killed all ten or twelve of them. He said he didn't want to gross me out, but I think it would have been cool to see someone catch them one by one in the box and then try to get em'! Not to mention he got rid of the snapping turtle too, but i kinda like turtles- not gunna lie- so it's ok that I missed that one. But, when he got done killing things he went out to bale. But, he didn't get started right away there either becuase of some servicing and other problems with the baler...but eventually they got going.
When I finished farming I started in on odds and ends. I filled up the oats barrels in the grainery and worked on my yard, then went in for dinner. While I was inside I noticed Connor pulling up to hook onto a rake. So, I went out and helped him do that for a few minutes- then headed in and finished my dinner. After dinner I went out and started weeding flower beds so that I can plant the flowers that have been on my kitchen table for two weeks! This took forever...adn ever. I soaked the ground and pulled weed after weed, until it looked halfway decent. Somewhere in the middle of my weeding I also had to stop and go pick up Bill (Delbert's hired man) and bring him back to his pickup sprayer. So, that took some time out of the day too. But, finally I got the flower beds weeded just in time for the wind to come up and the rain to come down...so much for planting flowers. So, I opted to go and sweep out the shed. I spent a good five minutes trying to find the master switch to move the fire truck- but finally I found it directly in front of my face and moved it out of the way. I got about half the shed swept before it rained much. Merle showed back up about this time too and was wondering if I had done chores. Most logically thinking people would have done chores as soon as it looked like the rain was gunna come down, but nope, not me I would rather get soaked and feed animals that aren't going to come out and eat anyway! We headed down to do chores and stood in the shed for quite a few minutes waiting for it to quit enough to go out and feed, and after all the shed is tin roofed...sounds a little worse than it really is in there. But, we made it out and fed everyone, this time with no porcupine quills. After chores I went in and ate and showered for the fireman's meeting this evening. We were cleaning the fire hall out and getting fireworks ready for the fourth. I am pretty excited to get to help with the firework stuff! oooo, cool. We got everything moved around and cleaned out there in just a little over an hour. But, I really enjoyed it because I got to spend time around new people and meet some more! After that, we came home and I am now headed to bed.
I really didn't get that much done today- but hopefully I will make up for it. Sounds like tomorrow we will need to move a bull and string salt and mineral. There is some kind of fireworks display and dance in Phillip, I might head up to that, we'll see. Night!
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Freezin'
Fun times had by all today. We started off with the normal chores and then met at the shed to figure out where everyone was headed. Merle had an appointment in Pine Ridge today, so haying would be real slow, as there wouldn't be a baler. Ross went out and started cutting hay while Tina and Jeff tackled a few tasks. They drilled holes in the shed floor to anchor the air compressor down, and then put the loader and bale mover attachments back on the tractors to move bales. They eventually spent most of their day stacking bales. I, on the other hand had a completely different task. I defrosed deep freezers- one of those things that you need to do but it never gets done. I started with a bunch of coolers and had to clean them out before I let them thaw. In the mean time, I ran to town and picked up Merle's half a beef to fill it back up with. While I was in town I got to stop at the post office...only one bill in the box, how lovely.
By the time I made it back the freezer had thawed enough to clean it, then Merle helped me put the meat in since he was in the house doing some bookwork before he left. When I finished that I came down to the milk house and did the same thing with another freezer. Let me tell you, we will not be running out of beef or buffalo any time soon. I packed four coolers full of buffalo meat and then ran up and picked up the lawn mower that Merle said had run out of gas. So, I filled it up and went to start it- no luck. To me, it sounded like the engine wasn't getting fuel so I poked around a while until I found that the fuel line was dissconnected and let one tank go completely dry. That explained the running out and not restarting. I managed to get that fixed, finish the mowing, and put the mower back in the shed. I also spent a few minutes helping Jeff move a fuel tank too. The freezer still hadn't thawed out so I decided to head out and poison some p-dogs. Boy, poison wheat is so much easier than those phos toxin pills. I found plenty of holes to hit and I hope it does the trick. The hardest part was getting it far enough down the holes in the horse pasture so that they won't get to it, those little farts, they would probably try that. But, I got the job done and came back just in time, before the four wheeler ran out of gas in the middle of nowhere, and with enough time to clean out the freezer. So, after I got everything all put away and whatnot, I headed back and cleaned out the freezer. Then, I started putting the meat back in; about this time Merle got back and helped me put all the meat back in.
As soon as we finished up the cooler task, Merle went out to the field and I stayed back and did chores. When I finished them, I headed right back out to the hay field to take over the rake for Tina. We hayed until about 8:30 when it started to get dark, then headed in and ate supper.
All in all it was a good day with all sorts of fun things to do, but now I must go to bed. Sounded like it could storm tonight, so we'll be watching the weather close- hopefully no hail!
By the time I made it back the freezer had thawed enough to clean it, then Merle helped me put the meat in since he was in the house doing some bookwork before he left. When I finished that I came down to the milk house and did the same thing with another freezer. Let me tell you, we will not be running out of beef or buffalo any time soon. I packed four coolers full of buffalo meat and then ran up and picked up the lawn mower that Merle said had run out of gas. So, I filled it up and went to start it- no luck. To me, it sounded like the engine wasn't getting fuel so I poked around a while until I found that the fuel line was dissconnected and let one tank go completely dry. That explained the running out and not restarting. I managed to get that fixed, finish the mowing, and put the mower back in the shed. I also spent a few minutes helping Jeff move a fuel tank too. The freezer still hadn't thawed out so I decided to head out and poison some p-dogs. Boy, poison wheat is so much easier than those phos toxin pills. I found plenty of holes to hit and I hope it does the trick. The hardest part was getting it far enough down the holes in the horse pasture so that they won't get to it, those little farts, they would probably try that. But, I got the job done and came back just in time, before the four wheeler ran out of gas in the middle of nowhere, and with enough time to clean out the freezer. So, after I got everything all put away and whatnot, I headed back and cleaned out the freezer. Then, I started putting the meat back in; about this time Merle got back and helped me put all the meat back in.
As soon as we finished up the cooler task, Merle went out to the field and I stayed back and did chores. When I finished them, I headed right back out to the hay field to take over the rake for Tina. We hayed until about 8:30 when it started to get dark, then headed in and ate supper.
All in all it was a good day with all sorts of fun things to do, but now I must go to bed. Sounded like it could storm tonight, so we'll be watching the weather close- hopefully no hail!
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