Life at the Rough String

Sunday Stills~Nature's Frames

2012-01-30T06:43:00.000-08:00

Sunday Stills on Monday...always a day late and a dollar short. OH well.

I climbed up to the top of the rim rock and had some fun playing around yesterday. I just didn't get time to post. BTW, I would never climb around up there at any other time but winter...you just might find something that rattles hidin' in one of those crevices!!

A Rock Window looking out to Anderson Valley.

Hat Butte in the distance.

The spot below is really what I wanted to get to...but the gap in the boulders was way beyond where I could reach...off that edge was a straight drop for about 20 feet...I played it on the safe side...

Where's the gap?

...the zoom lens will have to do~

Lookin' through the gap (with the zoom lens!)

It's not too late to check out the other participants in yesterday's Sunday Stills!

Friday Fences~Mornin' Fence Sittin'

2012-01-27T09:39:00.000-08:00

Yes, I've surfaced out of the deep, dark hole...it's been a few weeks since I've posted. I think it's the annual frump I seem to get into about this time of year when riding time is at it's lowest.

The camera hasn't even called my name...but this mornin' came cool and crisp with hardly a cloud in the sky...the sun shining brightly...and it's Friday Fences day!

So, out to feed the herd with camera in hand to see what I might find...

Mornin' Fence Sittin'

We've got hundreds of these lil' guys, and they love the chicken coop...well, they actually love the chicken lay pellets! Fat lil' buggers aren't they?

OK...I'm back up on my bloggin' horse so to speak!

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend~

I Have It All~

2012-01-07T07:30:00.000-08:00

And I have the BEST!! What more does a girl need?!?

Thanks to my friend Nancy for the perfect Christmas gift!

Friday Fences ~ It's a Job

2012-01-06T09:31:00.000-08:00

Participating in this week's Friday Fences...check it out!!

My fence this week isn't pretty or photogenic...but it's where all fences begin~

A fence can be many things...from decorative to useful...wood, plastic, rock or metal (and anything and everything in between)...they all have one thing in common...it had to be built.

Putting in a good H brace is key for a strong fence.
Having friends (in this case the brother-in-law) help is BONUS!!

This particular fence boarders our side yard toward the hill and needed to be rebuilt. The posts had rotted off at the base, but the wire was still good to reuse. We've been propping up the fence with boards to keep it from falling over for the past two years. It's a 6 foot fence that keeps the deer out and the dogs in.

Fence building takes lots of contemplation...and
tools...and equipment...and a maybe a good dog too.
Starring at it doesn't get it done, but you hope it prevents
you from making a mistake and having to do it over!

Tenacity, perseverance, grit, muscle...and maybe a few bad words muttered
under your breath helps get the job done.
My Man loves to build fence (Lord knows why), but when he
builds one, it stays up for a LONG time. He learned that from his dad.

Straight.
The fence, according to My Man, must be straight or it's not a good fence!

And, it's still a work in progress...

The first four photos were from Thanksgiving weekend and the above photo is from this morning. The fence still needs the rail across the top (like the two posts in the foreground) and the bottom, between each post, will have a 4 x 6 retaining wall to keep the erosion dirt out of the yard...which also keeps the dogs from digging under the fence.

For now it's keeping the dogs in...just another project that isn't finished. Hmmmmm...what was that New Year's resolution on yesterday's post?...finish projects!!! Ha! Just one of many projects that need finishing.

Have a great weekend everyone!

January 5, 2012 ???!!!???

2012-01-05T12:27:00.000-08:00

What happened to days 1-4?!?

I guess there's just too much happening, and I can't keep up with it all.

Let's see...laying more laminate flooring, working at the Post Office, working on ag surveys, Colt was lame for a couple of days (don't know what the problem was), My Man and I are searching for a new vehicle on the internet (really mind boggling), thinking of blogging my top ten something (never did get that done obviously)...blah, blah, blah...

So, I'll just take off from here!

My last photo of 2011 on Dec 30...a gorgeous sunrise.
So many pretty shades of blue and orange.

The past few days here in Harney County, we've had record high temperatures. The normal high is in the low to mid 30's. Yesterday was 54 degrees! Over in Central Oregon, it reached 66 degrees...pretty soon the trees are going to start turning green if it doesn't turn cold again.

We sure need moisture...snow pack on Steens Mountain was too high last year, but now there's none. Well, winter just got here, so we'll be praying for winter and moisture to come eventually.

Bella Jo and Red are getting along really well...as you can see by the photo below! These are from my first photos of 2012. It was still early in the mornin' and the sun wasn't up yet, so the photos are grainy.

One of my goals for 2012 is to keep on improving my photography. Here I probably needed to change my ISO, but I never seem to think about that stuff when I whip out the camera for some action shots.

Bella Jo and Red are becoming BFF's.
They're good for each other, but it's hard keeping track of five dogs!

Bella Jo is really athletic. We knew that she was getting out of the yard by jumping on top of the dog houses and jumping onto and over the rail fence. So, we moved the dog houses away from the fence, and she was still getting out. She was leaping a 6 foot span from the dog house to the rail and on over...we moved the dog houses again...problem solved...finally!

I CAN'T have her teaching Red bad habits!!!

Eye in the Blur.

Resolutions or goals...whatever you want to call them...for me in 2012...

Improve my photography
Organize my photos
Sell or give away stuff we don't need
BE EFFECTIVE...get stuff done!!! (less or no Facebook...it's becoming really irritating to me anyhow)
Finish projects that I've started (once I've done that, I can start new projects!!)
Get organized, keep it simple...and get stuff done (did I say that already?)
Oh yes...the all elusive buckle...I want to win a buckle on Colt!! (sixth year's a charm, right?)

OK, that's enough stuff for one year!!

I want to thank all my readers for coming along for the ride in 2011...and hope you'll keep on ridin' in 2012.

~Wishing everyone a very healthy, happy, and prosperous New Year~

Friday Fences ~ The Filly

2011-12-30T09:54:00.000-08:00

This lil' weanling filly is here at my place for weaning from her mother and basic halter training. She's got a very pretty smokey buttermilk dun color and her leg markings are not really bars, they're more like honeycombs.

The mornin' shadows created an interesting photo. I'm naming it
Fenced In, Fenced On.

Because of the zoom, she looks all boxed in, but the panel on the right is actually parallel to the round rail fence...and the row of sagebrush is an eighth of a mile behind her! In actuality, there are three fences, one gate and a panel in this photo!

She's an active lil' girl...hard to get her to stand still for a decent photo!

Yes, that's a small scratch below her left eye...of course I can't figure out how she did it, but it was just the hair that got scraped off, it didn't puncture her skin.

This is the pattern on her legs. I think she's going to be a very
flashy girl when she grows up!

We just call her The Filly because I don't know if Ty gave her a name yet or not! She's been here since about December 14. Ty unloaded both the mare and filly into the run, and then we haltered the mare and loaded her back into the trailer and he left.

I had my Ol' Man Toby in the run next to her, but of course she cried for about a week. But, she's all over that now and is really coming along quickly. She learned how to lead the first day I worked with her (Dec 26...I had my hands full at the Post Office), but she had the "I don't want to" work ethic. She's getting over that very quickly since I am just staying soft and consistent with her.

When I'm finished with her training for the day, she follows me around like a puppy wanting more. She's fun to have around. I haven't halter trained a youngster for quite a few years. I enjoy shaping their minds so they can live a good life with respect for the human not fear and learn how to be a partner.

Check out the other participants on this week's Friday Fences over at Life According to Jan and Jer!

Wild Bunch Wednesday

2011-12-28T06:55:00.000-08:00

We had just a skiff of snow yesterday morning...we need a LOT more. It's dry. The temps have been 0-10 degrees every morning for the past month or so, but no snow.

As I was feeding the horses behind the barn, I spotted the Wild Bunch up on the rim.

Psssst...look up here...

...yea...it's us!! (Catnip is using her ears as weather indicators)

I see you!

What's for breakfast?!?

We'll just wait right here 'til ya get it up to us Mom!
Me: NO, I'm not bringing your hay all the way up there!

Awwww come on...how could you refuse our cute lil' faces?!?

As you can see, they aren't lacking any food! We've let them graze the hill, but we've been giving them two flakes of grass hay split between the three of them...they're on a diet!

This mornin' it's a balmy 40 degrees, raining and the wind is blowing; we'll take the moisture...but the dogs are going to be a muddy mess!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We got an unexpected FaceBook message from the family that took Bella Jo. I guess she killed one of their chickens on Christmas Eve, which they said wasn't a big deal. But when she dug under the chicken coop and killed the rest of them, that was the end. So, they took her into town and dropped her off with My Man yesterday and she's back home.

Five dogs is beyond our limit, so we'll be looking for the "right" home for Bella Jo...obviously one without chickens!! In the meantime, Red and Bella Jo became BFF's within 5 minutes...they'll be wearing each other out playing!

Red is Mr. Postman!

2011-12-27T07:12:00.000-08:00

I wanted to title this post "Red Goes Postal"...but didn't think it was very appropriate.

I worked eight days in a row at the post office before Christmas, and Red was allowed to come with me! He was a very good boy...and loved to see everyone who came in!

Hi!!! I'm Red...who are you??!!

My Man and I were laughing at his photo here and I said "Isn't there a song about that somewhere?" Well of course (just Google)...how could I have forgotten...now that I've listened to it half a dozen times, it's stuck in my head!!

Red was a very good Postman...always willing to help...

Do you need me to help you lick those stamps?!?

And everyone thought he as the cutest...yep, he is!

Happy Yee-Halidays!!

2011-12-22T06:27:00.000-08:00

Templeton Thompson (remember Girls and Horses?) and her sweet voice does it again with an awesome Christmas song that you'll want to add to your collection!

Thanks Templeton!!

Merry Christmas to everyone~

Wordless Wednesday ~ Frosty the PostMan

2011-12-21T06:45:00.000-08:00

Go Wordless!!

Happy Winter Solstice...one of the best days of the year!!

BTW...this is where I've been spending all of my time lately...working :(

Friday Fences ~ At the Ol' Corral

2011-12-16T06:10:00.000-08:00

This beautiful set of corrals is located in Central Oregon...I would sure like to have it on my property!

Check out more Friday Fences at Life According to Jan and Jer's blog hop!

Happy Friday~

Wordless Wednesday ~ Ruby Springs

2011-12-14T08:52:00.000-08:00

Get Wordless!!!

Leanin' Left

2011-12-09T09:10:00.001-08:00

...and I think the only thing that's holdin' up the post is the barbed wire!

Participating in Friday Fences and SkyWatch Friday!! Have a GREAT weekend!

Wordless Wednesday~Whoo Whoo

2011-11-30T11:13:00.001-08:00

Wordless Wednesday

Settling In

2011-11-29T08:44:00.001-08:00

Red that is...he is settling in very nicely! I have to be careful where I step because he is always laying at my feet...even at the kitchen sink when I'm making dinner or doing dishes! He really is sweet.

He's learning how to play fetch (among other things)...he brings back the toy pretty well, but Cowboy wants to snag it before Red gets it to me!

We had a slightly frosty, foggy morning today and the sunrise was spectacular...it lit up half of the sky with orange clouds. I should have been out there with the camera, but I was tired of taking sunrise photos...but I'm kicking myself for not being out there for this one!

I've been on the computer way too much the past two days...sorting through photos...picking out shots for a calendar. My Man's mother loves the calendars with all of the ranch photos; she requests one every year for Christmas.

I don't have any sorting or organization for my photos except by date...I need to do something about that. How do you organize your photos?

Thanksgiving Hodgepodge

2011-11-27T13:28:00.001-08:00

I don't know what the deal is, but we've had the most beautiful sunrises this fall...more than I remember in the past...but my grey hair gets in the way of my memory, so I may be just full of it!

No matter...a good sunrise always makes the start of the day special. This photo was taken on the eve of Thanksgiving...pie making day. I was hoping that the sunrise was an omen that my pie crust would turn out perfect, but that was not going to be the case. On a scale of 1-10 I'd say the crust turned out a 7...the apple and pumpkin pies still looked good and tasted great, so I can't complain too much.

Another beautiful sunrise

My older brother and his wife came over from Portland and stayed three nights. We had a great time catching up on family news, playing cards and telling stories from our past. The last time we saw my brother was in the spring during sage rat hunting season, and I hadn't seen my sister-in-law since last Christmas.

Since we got Red, My Man's been working on rebuilding the fence in the back yard. It had some holes along the bottom where Bella Jo would get out and the posts were rotted off and the whole fence was going to fall over if we didn't do something. So, that was the project for the four-day weekend that My Man decided to do...with help from my brother, they got the old fence ripped out and all the posts in...between all the other stuff happening...like Thanksgiving dinner and Black Friday shopping in town.

Yep, we all went to the lil' town of Burns for Black Friday...it was fun! Red and Cindy Sue came with us. We went to the farm store and of course Red and CS get to go inside. Red really well, some people he didn't seem to like...others he loved. I'd say he just knows a good dog person and who isn't a good dog person...gotta give him credit for that.

Tamping in the posts

My Man is surveying the situation...and Red is inspecting
the quality of the work! Red loves to hang out with his dad.
So far, he hasn't become just a mommy's boy!

For Thanksgiving dinner, we decided to try smoking/grilling a turkey on My Man's Traeger grill. It was only a 13 pound turkey, but it was still too big to get into the Traeger! So, I went to the Traeger FaceBook page and found that someone else had the same problem, and the solution was to spatchcock the turkey...huh?...I said the same thing...what the hell is that?!?

The internet is an amazing source of information...in case you didn't already know ;~)

Just Google it and you'll learn all about it. But, in a nut shell, you remove the backbone from the turkey and break the breast bone. That allows the turkey to be laid out flat in the roasting pan.

I felt like a turkey murderer as I was cutting out the backbone!!! Then I had to stand on a stool to get high enough to get any leverage to break the breast bone...which I really didn't break good enough...I'll explain...

The Traeger smoked turkey...1 hour from being done.

I found a smoked turkey recipe that I liked which was simply onions and an apple with some garlic and a can of carbonated cola...yep, Coke! All the reviews were excellent, so we decided to give it a try. I placed the spatchcocked turkey on a bed of onion, apple and coke in the roasting pan, and smoked it for 30 minutes, then turned the heat up to medium (350 degrees or so). We used hickory pellets. It should have taken about 2 hours at medium heat to reach the correct temperature.

The legs were done before the breast though...so, I think the problem was that the breast bone didn't get broken enough to lay flat in the roasting pan...so it took an extra hour to get the breast meat up to the right temperature. It was one of those awful waiting games where everything is ready to eat except for one thing!

But, it all turned out perfect...the turkey was totally awesome!!!! We all went into a turkey coma after dinner!!

My Man, your's truly, brother Larry and sister-in-law Laura...
and yes, I do have another brother...named Darrell ;~)

Saturday morning, Red and I had our first training class. It's a very informal get-to-gather of a few people and their dogs. We first did some obedience, then a lil' bit of agility, and then some search. Red had already done all of this with his foster family (B & B), so he was very comfortable in the surroundings. This is giving Red and I a good bonding tool and an opportunity to really get to know one another.

I have only done one obedience class and one agility class in my lifetime, and that was 12 years ago with Abby...I definitely need the refresher!!! I really enjoyed it, and Red did too. We'll do this every Saturday as long as the winter weather doesn't get too nasty.

The Red dog...look at that dirty red nose! He'd been digging!

My brother brought his 100+ pound dog Sydney. He and Red got along very nicely...they played and shared toys. The angle in the photo below doesn't show how big Sydney really is...but, he's huge for a Golden Retriever...and he fills up a room in no time when he lays down!! Sydney is just as sweet as he is big...he's a great dog.

Red and Sydney

This afternoon our neighbor stopped by. He has the dog named Missy that Bella Jo loved to play with...well, it wasn't much different with Red...they hit it off great!!

Play time!! Red and Missy.

I hope that you all had as wonderful of a Thanksgiving as we did!

Guess this means we're officially into the Christmas season!!

Wordless Wednesday ~ In a Heap

2011-11-23T07:21:00.001-08:00

Check out other Wordless Wednesday photos HERE.

Red Comes Home

2011-11-21T11:14:00.001-08:00

After we helped the 3J Ranch gather up the last bunch of cow/calf pairs for the year, we went over to see Red. Actually, I went to town the day before and had some extra time, so I stopped by B & B's house to meet Red...I liked him right off the bat.

So this visit was to see if My Man liked Red and decide if we wanted to give him a try. If he doesn't work out for us, B & B will always take him back...but I have a feeling that's not going to be the case.

The Red boy...totally sweet!

It was dark when we got home last evening and we had to unload horses, unsaddle, feed...and we have a new dog in tow...and Red needed to meet three dogs!

First I got Cindy Sue out of the house, Abby into the yard and Cowboy was already at the truck. I put Red on a long line and we made quick introductions to CS & Cowboy...all was good there. Then I had to tie him inside the barn where he wouldn't get stepped on...he just wanted to sniff everything in sight.

Once we got the horses settled, I needed to clean out the stalls and Red kept getting wrapped up around everything, so I let him off line and he stayed close. That was a very good sign!

We got the outside chores done and then it was time for Red to meet Abby. That went well until we tried to get all four dogs into the mud room and get Red and CS into the main part of the house. That was too close of quarters for Abby and she pounced on Red. I quickly got between them and was able to get Abby back outside and get Red where he needed to be and close the baby gate between the rooms...OK...all's well.

Even though Red seemed a bit confused as to what was going on, he tried to just take it as it came. Everyone got dinner, I took a shower, and there was Red sitting at the bathroom door waiting for me...how sweet! My Man, CS, Red and I sat at the wood stove for a while and he took all the toys out of the toy basket and every once in a while he would go to the sliding glass door in the bedroom and look down the driveway...was he looking for B & B to come get him?

At bed time, I tied him to the bed with the long line. He jumped up onto the bed a couple of times, stepped on Cindy Sue once and she had a temper tantrum at him, but then he settled on his bed next to our bed. All was good through out the night.

This morning he was VERY ready to go out and feed the horses. We started out on the long line, but I had to lead Colt and Whiskey out to their pastures, so I let Red off line. He was awesome...stayed close, came when I called, and spent a lot of energy just running...go, go go!! He went to heel at Colt and I told him no and he stopped...he was a very good boy!

We got back to the yard and had some play time...

Play? I LOVE to play!!!

Run? I LOVE to run!!!

First Cowboy decided it looked like fun...

Then even ol' Abby decided that it looked like fun!
Cindy Sue would have nothing to do with all that rambunctiousness...
I think she'll get better with time.

After play time, it was breakfast, and now Red's laying at me feet...I guess it's all go or none...I call that perfect!

A really exciting thing I learned yesterday is that there IS a dog trainer in our area (I've been here 6 years and hadn't a clue)! So, I'm going to give the trainer a call and talk about what it is I want to do with Red...from what B & B said, it sounds very promising...she knows herding!!

At this point, I've got all winter to work with Red before we'll have a opportunity to help anyone move cows...so the timing is perfect.

Friday Fences

2011-11-19T09:07:00.001-08:00

Yes, I know, it's Saturday...but I found this meme and I like it...so I'm just going to do it a day late!

Friday Fences is a blog hop...hop on over and check it out!

Mornin' Ritual

2011-11-18T07:48:00.001-08:00

Unless I'm heading off to help a rancher work cows or working at the PostOffice, every mornin' is sort of the same...

Watch the sun come up for another beautiful day~

Feed some hungry critters~

Listen to the lil' birds chatter on the electric lines and fence lines...
wondering what they all have to say~

Checkin' to see what the owls are doing. Momma owl is on the right,
but we still don't know if it is Pappa owl or one of the owlets
sitting with her...I'm beginning to believe (and we hope) it's Pappa owl~

It was a serene, pretty mornin' an hour ago...but now it's snowin' 'n blowin'...we'll see what the day will bring.

Happy Friday everyone!

Participating in Skywatch Friday ~ Farm Friend Friday ~ Farmgirl Friday!

Coat Time for Cindy Sue

2011-11-17T11:38:00.001-08:00

Actually, Cindy Sue's been wearing her coat for a couple of weeks now...poor lil' thing has no hair!! We had that bit of snow almost three weeks ago and it's been dry, cold and windy ever since. We had a sprinkle of rain this mornin' but it lasted a whole 10 minutes.

But, it's supposed to be cooling off this afternoon and a front is coming in with some chance of snow tonight and all day tomorrow. It doesn't look like too much snow is going to fall, but the wind is really blowing the leaves off the trees finally!

We're practicing for this week's Sunday Stills~Portraits~without too much success :(
And yes, I promised Cindy Sue a new coat...it's on my "never ending to do" list.

The 3J Ranch has another batch of cow/calf pairs that need gathering and sorted for weaning, and I guess we're going to help them on Saturday or Sunday...which ever day's going to have the best weather so the calves won't get too stressed.

If you've been wondering about Bella Jo, all is good in her world it seems (it's still way too quiet around the house without her)! I spoke with the gal and Bella Jo's fitting in really nicely. The lil' grand daughter is actually 4 years old...her name is Sophie...and all the first evening she had to keep going out to the garage and see Bella Jo.

I guess Sophie's been caught in the cat's bed with the cat before (that would be a cute photo!)...so it won't surprise me that she'll be doing the same with Bella Jo! The grandmother said that Sophie is the animal lover of all the grand kids, and it sounds like she is...lucky for Bella Jo!! The gal is supposed to give me a call this weekend with an update, and if all is well, I'll mail her all of Bella Jo's vet records...I guess that would make it pretty official.

Do you believe in fate? Whether it's fate or just something that's meant to be...there's always a reason. A friend of mine hadn't stopped by my blog for a while and decided to do so just after I had posted about Bella Jo going to a new home.

Timing is everything...

She's done "unofficial" rescue for many years and has been fostering an Australian Shepherd...the dog had been dumped at the public rest area west of Burns and left to starve...they've had the dog for about 9 months or so...waiting for the right home to come along...and if it didn't, well, they'd just keep him...he will always have a home with them.

This is Red

Red is most likely a purebred Australian Shepherd from some good blood lines. They tried him on their neighbor's cows and he's got lots of drive...pure instinct. He's about a year and a half old, loyal, affectionate, crate trained, travels well, and gets along with other dogs...been neutered...all that good stuff.

So, we're scheduled to go take a look at Red this weekend. I've been reading as much as time will allow on training a dog correctly...something that I didn't do as well as I should have with Bella Jo...and I'm just hoping that he's not too much dog and that I can finish train him correctly. My friend has done a lot of the basics with him...she says he needs to just get tuned in.

The training thing is confusing enough in itself with so many people with their own programs out there...it's just as bad as trying to choose a horse trainer!!!

I'm not getting too excited...I'm actually more apprehensive of making the right decision...

Wordless Wednesday ~ Gather & Trail

2011-11-16T07:54:00.001-08:00

Get more Wordless Wednesday!!!

Monday Music ~ Dave Stamey

2011-11-14T04:00:00.000-08:00

I came upon this video via another FaceBook user. He posted a Dave Stamey video...which lead me to this one...

So, I get to watchin' this video...lovin' the music...and toward the end I see two people I know!!! One is my farrier, Pat, and the other is his best buddy...I knew they went to the Vaquero Fiesta, but I didn't know that there was a video...Pat's been holdin' out on me ;~)

The first thing I did was go to iTunes and buy the song...

Well, now I can't get this song out of my head...probably 'cause I keep playin' it over and over and over and over and over...must have somethin' with Spinnin' the Pony ;~)

Hope you enjoy~

Happy Monday!!

Bella Jo Meets a New Family

2011-11-12T17:21:00.001-08:00

My, how the days, months and years fly by! November 7th was Bella Jo's 2nd year Gotcha Day anniversary with us.

She has turned out to be such a nice dog...loving and quiet yet playful with lots of energy at the right times. But, she never did like working cows (which is why I got her). Her last outing with us was the first day of the two day cattle drive at the beginning of October. On the morning of the second day, we had the horses loaded and I opened the door for her to get into the back seat of the truck, and she ran into one of the dog houses and laid down...she wouldn't come.

I still don't know why...nothing bad happened...it was a good day, and she had a blast. Since then, I've asked her to get into the truck to go somewhere (without horses) and she still wouldn't get in...she'd run and hide in a dog house.

Beautiful Bella Jo

A couple of days ago, I happened to see an ad on FaceBook's Harney County Free Classified's from a gal that was wanting to give away a border collie. Another woman made a comment about having just lost her 17 year old cattle dog and they were looking for another...so I messaged the woman that was looking for a dog.

It's one of those things that you really don't think anything will come of it...and I really hadn't made a plan for Bella Jo; I just knew that I wanted/needed a dog that will help me. Bella Jo would always have a home here...but it seemed like an option to explore.

So the woman called me and we talked and they made arrangements to come and see her Saturday afternoon. I was working at the PostOffice that day and told them I'd be home at 3:30, but My Man would be home all day.

Well, they (husband and wife of retirement age) came a little before 3 o'clock...tagging along were their 3 grandchildren...the littlest one who was probably 2 years old. The wife said the little one was the animal lover and was their biggest concern...the dog had to love children. The lil' one was hugging and playing with Bella Jo in all of two minutes...best friends. When asked if this was the dog she wanted the answer was "Yes, I like this dog." The lil' girl loved Bella Jo and kept repeating her name over and over again.

My Man told them about her bad experience with her first owner and riding in the bed of a pick up (she's scared to death to do that) and that Bella Jo hadn't been wanting to go in the back seat of our pick up lately. The man asked if she would get in their hatch back type car...they opened the back and two kids got in, My Man asked Bella Jo to load up and she hopped right in. The man closed the back and there she sat with her new best friends.

The man and wife talked about her food and some other details...then down the driveway they went...Bella Jo sitting between the two kids...seeming quite happy.

They were very caring people (they had had their other dog for 17 years), they have 50 acres so Bella Jo will have plenty of room to run, and they were impressed with how well mannered Bella Jo was...it seemed like a very good fit.

The last photo I took of Bella Jo.

I didn't get to say good bye...and I've shed a lot of tears...the house seems very quiet. My heart is sad, yet happy as long as Bella Jo is happy. I've called the folks this morning and left a message...I hope to hear from them this afternoon...Bella Jo will always have a home here~

Veterans' Day 11-11-11

2011-11-11T08:34:00.001-08:00

Honoring our Nation's Veterans...thank you

for the service you have given to our

country...keeping us free~

SkyWatch Friday

Wordless Wednesday~Jet Streams

2011-11-08T20:21:00.000-08:00

Monday Mornin' Moo's

2011-11-07T07:46:00.000-08:00

~There ain't no time for lookin' pretty when

ya gotta slop the pigs.~

~Haddy Rennet 1877~

Hey, I feel like that some days...and we don't even have pigs!!!

The momma cows are still bawling and running up and down the two track up to the hill pasture, but not quite as often as on Saturday.

Saturday was weaning day for the calves...'bout time...those calves were almost as big as their mommas! Since Number Three is going to be permanent in our herd, we decided to take them to a friend's place for 30 days.

Number Three and Black Calf at 7 months...and probably 600 pounds.
Yes, they should have been weaned a month or two ago!
Here they're having a quick snack before we loaded them into the trailer.

And they loaded very nicely...we still don't have our corrals set up, so we used my round pen panels, got them squeezed in to the back of the trailer and in they hopped...well, they didn't have anywhere else to go!

Arriving at the destination resort!

Ha ya...the resort...the first thing we do is get them in the squeeze chute and vaccinate them!!

Number Three was very quiet in the chute...I like to see that.
Black Calf bawled and kicked like crazy...he wanted nothin' to do with us!

They'll be fine. They've got some other heifers to run with and they'll have plenty of good hay. Black Calf will go to the sale when our friend takes a load of his after Thanksgiving. The prices are good...hope they stay that way!

Checkin' out the new digs.

My Man also got the fertilizer spread on the irrigated pasture. With the little bit of snow we've had, it should take it into the ground nicely as we get warmer temperatures this week. It's cold this mornin'...20 degrees...and we had another skiff of snow fall last night.

Looks like winter really is here~

First Snow & Farewell to Brego

2011-11-05T09:19:00.000-07:00

~I have a very special talent: I know how to make a man laugh.~

~Nancy Paston 1879~

We woke to the first snow of the season Friday mornin'. It started spitting snow Thursday evening and by mornin' we had just a 1/2 inch. By noon, when it quit, we had about an inch. Not much, but enough to settle the dust!

My lilac bush/tree is bowing to the arrival of winter.
The leaves are hanging on longer than normal this year.
They're freeze drying!

I think even my lil' hardy pansies are done :(

Friday was also Brego's big day to head off to his new adventure in life. It's amazing that he's gone...it took 4 years to get him sold...something we thought would take 6 months...but, he's found his person, so life will be good for him.

~The Last ~~Supper~~ Breakfast~

Corinne the trainer came to pick him up about noon. He hadn't been in the horse trailer since the summer of 2008. I asked him to step up to the trailer and he cautiously did so and took a couple of sniffs. Then I just asked him to come forward into the trailer and he hopped right in!! He does retain training from years ago obviously.

Good bye Brego...we wish you and your new mom all the best!!

The End...of a very long story with a happy ending~

Farm Photo Friday~A Day In the Saddle

2011-11-04T10:39:00.000-07:00

~Young 'uns are better off farmin' than schoolin'.~

~Pauline Hunter 1910~

Yesterday was a good day in the saddle helping the 3J Ranch gather, sort and move cows. The calves had already been weaned off and moved to their other ranch.

Ty on Cole...the dried grasses and the sun shining through
the low, thin clouds make for a pretty photo.

We gathered over 150 head and brought them to the corrals. Then the fun part begins...sorting! Cows like the red one below are old and not productive for the ranch and need to be culled out. Colt got to use some fancy moves on those old, wise cows that didn't want to go out the gate.

My fav view. You can see by Colt's mane that the wind was blowing.

After sorting out the culls, taking them to a field by the house, it's time for lunch...and warm up! The wind was unmerciful and eventually drives the cold right through your winter clothes.

Then it's time to move the herd to a winter pasture where they will stay until it's cold enough and the feed is too sparse to sustain them and their unborn calf that they're carrying. They'll then be driven back to the ranch and be fed hay.

Counting...the cow boss always does a lot of counting...
it's important to know how many cows you turn out to a field.
When they come back a few months later, you hope you have the same amount.
It's not always the case. There are predator and illness deaths...and cows
seem to think the grass on the other side of the fence is better.

The whole trip was probably only 2 miles. But the cows had never been to this field before. Cows have an amazing sense of direction once they've gone there before...they will draw a line across the desert in their mind and start walking...most often they're right on.

So, we had to keep adjusting their course when they wanted to go left and they needed to go right.

Across the flat...up and over the ridge.

At the top of the ridge it was an awesome view, but the cloud cover was increasing...and the temperatures were dropping.

Father and son...and a few good workin' dogs.
Notice the butte in the background?
That's Hat Butte from the SE...it's out my kitchen window from the SW.

Cows love to run downhill...they do it every time!! Behind the little rise there's one last downhill stretch where the water source is. If you don't show the cows where the water is, they'll tear down the fences back to where their last known water source was.

It's a downhill cow race!

We arrived at the ol' homestead where the water trough had lots of cool, clean water...I wish I could have tied Colt up and explored the old buildings...but, there wasn't any time to dally.

The ol' homestead...imagine what it looked like in the early 1900's.

Water...everyone takes a turn...

Ahhhhh...good stuff!

We left the cows milling around the ol' homestead and the water trough...hoping they decide to stick around there and not try to come back home...you never know with a cow!

Happy Friday everyone...have a great weekend!!!

Linking into Farm Chick's Farm Photo Friday and Farm Friend Friday ~

Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-02T06:30:00.000-07:00

You can see more Wordless photos at Wordless Wednesday home page.

Champagne Anyone? There's Cause for Celebration!

2011-10-30T11:29:00.000-07:00

Come on...let's celebrate!!!

Hmmmmm...looks like it's gonna be a BYOB celebration.
This bottle's empty!!

Oops...sorry we didn't save any for you...but I can tell you that it tasted good!!

What's the big celebration for? Well, Brego's found his person...and he'll be moving to Virginia!! Yep, Virginia!! We're all pretty excited...Brego, J (the buyer), and me!

J flew into Portland OR and then had to drive the 6 hours to get to Burns...but she made it. Yesterday afternoon, my friend Andi, local trainer Corinne Elser and J came out to the ranch to check him out.

I showed his round pen work and then rode him and ponied Colt down to the arena...Colt was there for moral support!! Brego has never had 5 people all around staring at him! He took it all in stride...I was very proud of him.

We rode in the arena; walk, trot, and canter...stop and back...he's doing beautiful circles and his stop is awesome.

Corinne is checking out Brego's mind...she's testing how well
he can handle movement of her body while riding him.

Next trainer Corinne, winner of the Western States Mustang Challenge in 2008 at the age of 22, spent some time evaluating Brego's temperament and ability. If J decided to purchase Brego, he would be spending the winter in training with Corinne.

Of course the ultimate test is whether J and Brego make a connection with each other.

Getting to know each other...the mind meld.

Brego has always been leery of strangers...we don't get a lot of people out to the ranch, so he's pretty much a one person horse at this point.

But after just a little bit of handling and trust building with Corinne, he was fine with her...and the same with J. His heart is big, and he wants to please...he's just cautious.

In the end, J and Brego hit it off very nicely!!

After putting Brego and Colt back out to pasture, we enjoyed a wonderful dinner (which My Man cooked...what a man he is!!!). Five horse people at the dinner table is a lot of fun!

Congratulations J, you've found the horse that can let you achieve your goals...and congratulations Brego, for finding the home that you've been searching for for many years.

We wish you both all the best~

CHEERS!!

More Fall Photos~Farm Photo Friday

2011-10-28T09:46:00.000-07:00

~I've won more bets than any man I know.~

~Alberta Canyon 1886~

This post just kinda expands on yesterday's post...fall activities from the past few weeks...pics I liked, but didn't get a chance to post. I thought today would be a good day to get 'er done!

I'm participating in Fresh from the Farm's Farm Photo Friday...check out the other farm photos!!

My expanded raised garden beds gave us a wonderful bounty this year. I don't think anything tastes better than food grown in your own garden.

Fresh from the Garden

When the weather forecast predicted night time temps to get down into the teens, I decided I better get the last of the onions pulled and save anything else I could from the freezing temperatures. The Walla Walla Sweet onions proved to be quite a wheelbarrow full!

I've got them in a cool, dry, dark place, and would like to make onion braids. Has anyone done them before and have any tips? Please leave a comment and let me know!

Onions anyone? I think onion rings!!

Fruit trees aren't real common here in SE Oregon...with the short growing season, cold springs, and it's been known to snow in July, some years you just don't get a crop...but this year was the best I've seen in the six year's we've been here. We just have the one apple tree; a Northern Spy we think. They made wonderful apple crisp and applesauce!

An Apple a Day

We're late in getting our two calves weaned...but this weekend the deed will get done. Number Three and Black Calf will go over to a friend of ours and pasture with his 50 head of calves. After 30 days, we'll bring Number Three back home to be part of our cow herd...Black Calf will go to Producers auction...he'll make some mighty fine beef. Goof sure makes nice calves!

Number Three is growing nicely...she'll be a nice lil' heifer!
We're excited to expand our tiny herd.

Fall time is a busy time for the ranchers. I always like getting a phone call for help. On a day ride, we gathered Rancher Dan's first year heifers off of Moon Hill and trailed them down to their ranch.

Gathering first year heifers for Rancher Dan.

Heading down into the canyon.

Here the heifers are home at McCoy Creek Canyon...
one of the prettiest places in Harney County.

On another weekend, we helped trail his mother cows north to their winter pasture...a two day drive.

Me and Colt...trailing the herd.

It's about a 23 mile trip. As we drive the cows along the county road, pickups with horse trailers come through...off to do the same thing on another ranch, and livestock semi trucks come through loaded with calves heading for market...like I said...everyone's busy getting things done before winter sets in.

Arriving at winter pasture.

These cows will calve here next spring...the calves will get branded...and we move them back south to summer pasture...the circle of life goes on~

Fall Days

2011-10-27T10:04:00.000-07:00

~I try to trust life, but it keeps knocking me on my bottom.~

~Laura Dawn 1875~

We've had pretty sunrises all week, but the mornings have been cold; it's been in the mid teens the past few mornin's...a whoppin' 20 this morn. We took the tank floats out last weekend, but haven't put the tank heaters in yet...tryin' to deny that winter is coming...but we're breaking ice on the tanks...

Pastel Dawn

...guess our awesome fall has probably come to a close. It's supposed to be in the low 60's during the day and mid 30's this weekend...I can do that!!

Ol' Man Toby is gettin' his costume ready for Halloween...
Scarecrow?!?

I remember when I first started blogging that I carved a pumpkin and posted for Halloween...so I checked the date...two days ago 10/25/11, was the three year blogiversary for Life at the Rough String. My, how the years fly by! This past summer I didn't get very many posts done...other things seemed to take precedence. Lately I've been trying to figure out how to cut out the distractions...I think the biggest distraction is FaceBook...that stupid ticker thing keeps rolling and it's addicting. I like to see the new photos people are posting...but I've had it up to my eyeballs with the stupid jokes and cartoons...if you've got a suggestion how to get that stuff off of FaceBook, let me know!!

Great Horned Owl...youngster or adult?

I have some bad news about the owl family. While I was gone at the Mike Bridges Clinic a month ago, My Man found one of the owls on the ground at the irrigation pump. It most likely died from electrocution. We found a stray cat up on the electric pole one time...not alive...ewwy; poor thing.

What we can't figure out is whether the owl that died was the male adult or one of the youngsters. I'm pretty sure that the female is still here in the elm trees, then I spotted this one yesterday too. The youngsters are now 8 months old, so I don't think they have any of their baby fuzz left. This one doesn't have any, but neither did the one that was found dead...it's sad.

I've done some internet searching, but wasn't able to find whether the pairs mate for life. I hope not, and that the female will find a new mate. We enjoy seeing them, and that round hole in the rim rock is the perfect nest. If you have any info, please leave a comment.

On a happier note, Dr. Jessica came out yesterday to perform Brego's pre-purchase exam.

Smile for the Camera!

Brego has a prospective buyer...and a few back up options too. But, this buyer will be flying out from Virginia to meet Brego this weekend! If the buyer decides to take him, Brego will go into training for the winter months with Corrine Elser. She's an awesome young trainer with lots of mustang experience...as well as just good common sense horsemanship. Then in the spring, he'll get shipped back to Virginia where he'll be venturing into some Cowboy Dressage (from what I understand). It's very exciting...but nothing's final yet.

Saturday will be the day of "yea or nay"...or would that be Yeah or Neigh?!? Keep those good thoughts for Brego comin'...

Wordless Wednesday

2011-10-26T07:04:00.000-07:00

Participating in Wordless Wednesday!

Sunday Stills ~ Rocks and Rock Formations

2011-10-23T11:10:00.000-07:00

~Men can be really wonderful

when they listen to you.~

~Mabel Potts 1877~

Rocks...and more rocks...

Well, if we could grow alfalfa like we can grow rocks around here, we'd be rich!

This natural fence line runs three quarters of a mile through our ranch.
Our alfalfa fields at the base of the rim have some
of the best soil in the county because through the centuries the wind
has blown the top soil off of the upper level onto the lower level.

The Hunter's Full Moon rising over Hat Butte from October 11.
Buttes such as this are most common.

Every little crack gathers soil has something trying to plant it's roots into it.
Over this edge is a 30 foot drop. The background is BLM land where
you can see the horizontal lines the cattle have made while grazing.

While gathering cow/calf pairs in late September it was
nice to see big trees in the Rattlesnake allotment area.
Here again, plants are growing out of the rock.

Two weeks ago we did a two day cattle drive taking Rancher Dan's
mother cows to his winter ranch in the Princeton area.
This gap in the trail is one of my favorites spots where the
trail narrows. I believe the gap is natural even though
the electrical lines go through.

I always love looking at this small butte. We have arrived at the
half way point on the two day drive. The cows are watered and fed,
and we meet back here first thing in the morning to drive them
the rest of the way...another 14 miles.

This pretty view is on the edge of the Diamond Craters...a very
unique 17,000 acres of volcanic rock formations.

Check out the other participants in this week's Sunday Stills!!

Wordless Wednesday ~ N, S, E, & W

2011-10-19T06:48:00.000-07:00

Happy Wordless Wednesday~

It's All About Brego

2011-10-18T11:02:00.000-07:00

~A gal's gotta do what a gal's gotta do.~

~Minnie Cody 1901~

October 6-8 was the "Kiger Kraze" wild horse extravaganza and adoption at the Burns Wild Horse Corrals here in SE Oregon. With my crazy schedule of clinics, hay, Pendleton, moving cows...blah, blah, blah...the adoption took me by surprise. It was my intention to be there with a pile of fliers of Brego...he really needs to go to his new home...wherever that may be.

Probably my fav photo of Brego.

Well, I'd just got back from my week-long clinic with Colt and was committed to help move cows for Rancher Dan...so, there I sat the day after the adoption weekend with Brego grazing quietly on the hill...not down the road like I had intended.

Then came the results of the adoption via email to me:

- Total people in attendance: 200
- Total number of competitive bidders: 69
- Number of Kiger/Riddle horses offered: 117
- Number of Kiger/Riddle horses adopted: 88
- Total adoption fees from Kiger/Riddle horses: $76,550
- Highest bid: $8,750 (for a 2 year old dark bronze/dun stallion from the Riddle HMA)
- Average adoption fee for Kiger/Riddle horses: $869
- Number of horses from other HMAs adopted: 5

Notice the highest bid horse? Well, some guy bought this stud colt and a bunch of prospective young brood mares (to the tune of $30K) to breed them in captivity...which I think is the stupidest thing with the poor shape of our horse industry right now.

IMHO...shame on the BLM to allow stud horses be adopted out without being gelded...any HMA studs should be gelded...even the Kiger/Riddle. But, then the BLM would not be making the $$$ they did at this adoption. They say these Kiger's are "special"...so special that they're considered a breed...not in my book. They're just another wild horse...then after being gentled they're just another horse.

And, if you're a horse person at all, you know that in today's economy, you can't give a horse away...but let's breed some more of them!

Yep, see the soap box I'm standin' on...shouting at the top of my lungs!!!

I've been trying to sell Brego for 4 years...and not ONE "Kiger person" has showed any interest in purchasing him. My friend Andi made a statement the other day on FaceBook that pretty much hit the nail on the head "Because Brego is a gelding, he is of no use to any of the Kiger people." So much for these "Kiger Krazed" people taking care of their own.

Yes, I'm pretty miffed to say the least. I have $1200 invested into Brego (not including feed and care for the last 4 years)...I'm talking cash. I'm down to asking $500 for him...have still yet to see much more than a bunch of tire kickers from FaceBook and CraigsList. Thanks to all my friends on FB, he is getting a lot of hits...something is going to come of this.

So, with this trail of events, I've been on a rant for the past week...vowing the Brego will be gone, one way or another, before winter sets in.

This is Brego in mid-April of 2007...the day he was gelded,
and the day he arrived here at the Rough String.
He was wild...couldn't touch him. I suspect that
the vet put the halter on him when he was
under sedation from the gelding procedure.
Pretty pathetic looking~

Here he is in mid-July just 90 days later. I put a lot of hard
work and hours into this horse.

The owners who had hired me to train him realized after 30 days that he was not going to make a "family horse" for their pre-school children...I knew that before he ever arrived, but I did the best I could for both them and Brego.

After trying to sell him for the next 60 days, there were no takers. I put him out to pasture with another gelding and he got to be a horse again for the first time since he roamed the range with him dam.

I brought him back to the barn and into training again to prepare him for the 2007 Kiger adoption (yes, they had gathered that HMA again that year). I took him and did demos and advertised him as for sale at $1200...you guessed it...no takers. But, the highest selling horse that year was $7000...I've got a gentled, under saddle Kiger for $1200 and some ~~idiot~~ person paid $7000 for a mare...well, of course they were going to breed her *rolling my eyes into the back of my head.*

The owners only option for a place for him to go was to a boarding stable in Portland Oregon, where his sister boarded her horses...where no one knew a thing about him or how to help him if he got fearful...

So I bought him for $1200...stupidly thinking that I could sell him in the spring for $1200...what's a lil' bit of hay through the winter.

Time marches on...now it's October 2011...and Brego still lives here...

The photos and video below are from yesterday...day 3 of Brego back into training...day 2 of riding after being off for about a year. All I've been doing with him is worm him and trim his feet.

I'm on a mission...as I said before, he's going to be gone before winter sets in!

I like to take the rein from the opposite side of the horse, put
it around the back of the cantle, pull to arc the horse and double
him back around, and pull him through to face me again.
It's an exercise I use all the time with young colts before I mount.
I do it both directions.

Mounting from both left and right hand sides.

So, this is where all my energy is going these days!!! Feel free to pass this along to anyone that might be interested!!!

But, it's supposed to be 68 degrees today and my apple tree is loaded with nice apples this year. I've got to get out there and pick a bunch of them...I think My Man will like a nice apple cobbler!

Then, I'm going to go ride Brego again~

My New Favorite Breakfast for One

2011-10-15T09:04:00.000-07:00

~Hold your tongue when it comes

to talking badly about a friend.~

~Mary Lloyd 1880~

It's been ages since I blogged a recipe. As I was rounding up my ingredients for breakfast this mornin', I decided that since I'm addicted to this new recipe I found, I really should share it.

Ever since we got chickens...5 years ago...I can't seem to go without an egg for breakfast. Cereal just doesn't stick with me, and I'm starving by 10 AM. With an egg breakfast I can eat just two meals a day...suites me perfect!

My favorite recipe web site is Allrecipes.com which is where I found "Omelet in a Mug."

Four simple ingredients and a microwave...you've got breakfast in just a few minutes.

The four simple ingredients.

You can use either a microwave safe mug or small bowl.

1. Coat the inside of the mug or bowl with spray cooking oil, butter, or (my favorite) a dab of bacon grease.

2. Beat 2 eggs with salt and pepper to taste.

3. Mix in the rest of the ingredients: 2 tablespoons fully cooked cubed ham; 2 tablespoons grated cheese (my fav is medium Tillamook cheddar), and 1 tablespoon chopped green pepper.

You can use either a microwave safe mug or bowl.

4. Cook in microwave for 1 minute; stir.

5. Cook for another 1 1/2 minutes or until eggs are set.

I find that using my fresh eggs, it sometimes takes another 30 seconds
for the eggs to completely cook. I think they are just larger
than regular store-bought eggs.

6. Enjoy!!! You can eat it right out of the bowl, or scoop it out onto a plate.

I like my Omelet with an English muffin and a dab of
home-made strawberry/rhubarb freezer jam!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

I'm heading out to saddle up Colt to bring down the Wild Bunch off the hill...I have a prospective buyer for Brego coming today...please send good thoughts my way to find a new, good home for Brego.

Sharing this with Farm Chick's recipe linky party!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-10-12T07:05:00.000-07:00

The Feel of Autumn

2011-09-24T17:46:00.000-07:00

Forever Autumn

The summer sun is fading as the year grows old

And darker days are drawing near

The winter winds will be much colder

Now you're not here...

the opening lyrics of the song by The Moody Blues

Someone posted this music video on FaceBook yesterday, I had to listen to it...over and over again. Today, I still can't get it out of my head...but that's not all bad. I loved this song from back in my high school days, and hearing the song takes me back to many good memories.

Colt and I got out on Thursday to help the neighbors gather up pairs and sort some out that didn't belong to them...only 5 pair, but it's way easier to have two horses when you've got 200 pair to get them out of. I hadn't ridden Colt since the Futurity...it was a very welcome outing for both of us!!

The perfect view...between my horse's ears ;~)

Back home again and I'm rescuing Cindy Sue from inside the house.
She want's to be a cow dog and go with me, but she'd only be trouble!

My fall Mike Bridges clinic starts next week...where are the days going?!?

My Man has all 6 cord of juniper wood split and stacked in the wood shed. We unloaded and stacked the last of the grass hay into the barn today (12 1/2 ton total). We figure that if the horses have hay and we've got wood, we're ready for winter...

But, it's been a really nice end of summer. The temp reached 90 today, but tomorrow it's only supposed to be 72...but then we get another warming trend next week. I hope it holds out through the clinic. I won't be back until probably October 7...keepin' my fingers crossed for sunshine and warm temps!!

Time to get my nose back to the grindstone and get stuff done...hope everyone is having as nice of a weekend as I am!

101st Pendleton Roundup~We Survived Another!

2011-09-23T13:05:00.000-07:00

~Sometimes at night, I lie awake

thinking of faraway places.~

~Martha Lloyd 1904~

This was my 15th consecutive year to attend one of the biggest rodeos in the nation; the Pendleton Roundup. You know how I dislike change...well, in those 15 years, there really hasn't been all that much change. We see the same people year after year, we've parked our living quarters horse trailer in the same place, we walk everywhere we go, we eat at many of the same places...it's almost the feeling of deja vu!

My first attempt at doing something in PhotoShop Elements.
I put two photos together.

There were some pretty big changes last year for the 100th Anniversary. The West bleachers were replaced with a covered grandstand, the statue (below) was put in, and the whole front cyclone fence was replaced with a brick and wrought iron fence.

But really, that's about all that's changed.

Is My Man "tough enough to wear pink?"
I think so!
Every Thursday is Tough Enough to Wear Pink day
to raise breast cancer awareness and funds for that cause.

We scored some North grandstand tickets for Thursday, so it's always fun to sit up behind the chutes and watch the action.

As we walked around to the North side, I spied this group of rough stock horses...I do believe they were deep in conversation among themselves as to how best whip the cowboys that day!

"Hey Pard...which cowboy did you draw today?"

Every grand entry is always emotional and sets the stage for a great rodeo!

This is the man who is responsible for opening the chute gate for every cowboy.
He definitely takes the job seriously...which is a good thing.

Cowboy LifeSavers...I enjoy watching them and their awesome horses
just as much as watching the contestants.

Joe Baumgartner doing what he does best...saving a cowboy.
Pendleton was his last rodeo...he's retiring from fighting bulls.
He's been at every Roundup since I've been going.
What an awesome athlete he is...and he'll be missed by everyone.

There's always something good to look at...

I'm lookin' at the horse's butt...whatcha think I was talkin' 'bout? hee hee!!

The Indian relay racers are totally crazy...but they're sure good at what they do!

Running full bore...bareback...amazing!

Friday morning's parade was the usual "Fantastic"...no motorized vehicles...just horses, mules, and oxen.

These four followed the American flag...and behind them
came 100 more riders carrying American flags...totally inspiring.

The native Americans play a very large part of the Roundup....since the rodeo's inception 101 years ago. Saturday morning, we watched some of the dance competitions. The costumes, drums, and chanting were awesome. I took some video and will get that posted later...it really gives you the true appreciation of how hard they work to carry on their tribe's tradition and history. Tribes from all over the country come to participate.

Different costumes signify the tribes.

You can see the bells on this dancer. Only the men dancers wore the bells.
I loved the colors of their beading.

In the old days, I'm sure the Indians wore actual animal skins.
In the modern age, I suppose PETA would be all over them.
I'd prefer to see the true traditions.

I suppose we'll be back again next year...until then...Let 'er Buck!

Harney County Reined Stock Horse Futurity~Part 3~Final

2011-09-13T12:12:00.000-07:00

~I have some clashes with my horse,

but we're both high-strung as can be.~

~L. H. Wheeler 1899~

It was a pretty hot day, and it felt good to take a break after the dry and fence work. Colt and Whisper were at the horse trailer sharing a hay bag and relaxing. Cindy Sue and I headed into the fair in search of something to eat. We found a good hot dog with delicious grilled onions and peppers.

The Ranch Horse class was being held and it was fun to sit with friends in the grandstands and watch. I think the most exciting to watch was Whisper's owner's grandchild...10 years old and fearless. That kid makes us all look like a bunch of wimps!!! He can rope like he's shootin' an arrow...amazing!

But time was closing in on me...I got Colt bridled up again...time for the final event...roping.

Last spring I had asked my good friend Mary if she would be one of my two heelers (you get two in case the first heeler misses). She'd been coaching me at the brandings, and I felt really comfortable with her in the pen with me. Stewart Severe had been giving me a couple of roping lessons...he offered to help in the pen too, so I had a good crew to help me.

Of the six - 6 year olds in my class, one rider chose not to rope, so that left 5 horses. We were last in the draw. The rule is that once a cow had been roped, it's marked and can't be roped again. There is a 2 and 1/2 minute time limit.

My first two shots were misses...and I totally wasted my second shot because of my lack of patience to wait for the cow to present itself properly...but my third shot was a catch!!!

Makin' the catch!!

With my first two shots, I was trying for a smaller cow, but Stewart said "catch the big one"...she was set up just right...so I did. My gosh...poor Colt didn't know what to do with her...she was probably 700 pounds, and he'd only dragged 200 pound calves before!

Colt pulled for all he was worth!

None of this roping is the easy part...the catch is just the first part, then you need to drag it for the heeler to catch...and Colt gave it all he had. Stewart came in first for the heels and missed...then he said "It's up to you Mary." Mary came in behind, told me to keep it moving, and scooped up the hind two feet slick as can be!!! That's my girlfriend!!!

I took out the first two missed shots to make the video shorter...

You can tell I was pretty excited, and I had tears again...but we got'er done! I was so happy to see Mary there at the other end of that cow...it was even more exhilarating to me than the fence work...probably because I'd never done it before. BTW, if we had not made the catch or gotten the cow turned within the time allowed, we would have gotten a zero score...and we would not have placed...no pressure at all ;~)

So, at the end of the day where did we land?

1st place total score was 283.5
2nd place total score was 277.5
3rd place total score was 270.5

Colt and I took 2nd place...just 6 points behind the professional trainer...and 7 points ahead of the other professional trainer!!!

WhoooooHoooooo Colt...what a ride!!!

2nd place in the 6 Year Old Class!

Breathing a sigh of relief...we did it...we competed every year since Colt was a 2 year old...we placed 2nd or 3rd every year...we achieved our goal and surpassed all expectations.

Colt is a very exceptional horse. A friend told me that it will be a long time before I find another horse like Colt...and he's right. Colt's willingness to be trained has allowed me to get him here. I can't say how proud I am of this horse...he'll probably be the best horse I'll ever have the privilege to train and ride. Thanks Colt for just being you.

Thanks to all of my personal friends and neighbors who have helped me, and thanks to all of my internet/blogging friends. Your support and comments through the years have helped me so much. I raise my lil' glass of wine to you and say "cheers!"

Of course, last but not least, is a huge Thank You to My Man. He's put up with a lot of stuff...a wife that can be a lil' bit high-strung and a wife that spent a lot of money on getting this horse trained. I didn't hire a trainer, but with all the lessons, shows, and equipment, I'm afraid to add it all up! My Man has been there for me as often as he could. Head photographer, head EMT (equine maintenance technician), driver, gofer, whatever...and the shoulder to cry on when needed. I can't put into words how much you mean to me~

OK...on to our next adventure!!!

9-11 A Day of Reflection

2011-09-11T09:40:00.000-07:00

Today is a solemn day of reflection here in
America as we remember those

who lost their lives 10 years ago.

The day that changed the world,
and the day that will never be forgotten.

Harney County Reined Stock Horse Futurity~Part 2

2011-09-10T12:43:00.000-07:00

~No one can tell me what is best for me;

only I know that.~

~Laura Benchly 1900~

Thursday mornin' comes all too early...My Man brings me coffee at 4 AM...in bed...what a Man!!! I get my butt in gear and head to the barn to feed, clean stalls, and brush the horses while they eat. Then it's feed the dogs, feed myself, make the bed and back to the barn to saddle. I only saddled Whisper at home since it would be quite a wait for Colt's class.

We leave at 6:15...right on time. The race track is in use from 6-7 AM, so we can't cross it with our rigs while they have use. I just want to get there early enough to ride Whisper in the arena before the two year old class starts at 8 AM.

She was a star!!! There wasn't one thing in that arena that spooked her...and she'd never seen bucking chutes, the digital scoreboard for the race horses, grandstands...all that normal stuff that you see at a fairgrounds arena. We loped some circles and did a general warm up...she was perfect.

There were 21 horses in the 3 year old class and we were in the middle of the pack. So, we had plenty of time to relax before our go. We're at the gate chatting with friends and watching the other horses do their dry work (reining pattern). That's all she has left to do as a 3 year old.

So, our turn comes up and we trot into the arena and go past the crow's nest and there's a few guys sitting under it and she gave them the one eyed look, but didn't spook! We then make our way to the center, stop and start our pattern. I make my circles and then get to the first turn around and something felt off...like I was turning the wrong way, but I kept going with what I thought was right. We finish the pattern and they announce my score: a zero...off pattern...hmmmm...

I'm racking my brain trying to think where I went wrong and finally found a friend of mine and asked if she saw what I did wrong..."Yep, you started out in the wrong direction...circles started to the right and you went left." Well duh me!!! I couldn't believe I made such a "grey haired" mistake!!! Boy did I feel stupid...but, her owner was fine with it. We wouldn't have made a high score anyhow because she's so green...she was just thrilled that she went in there and tried her lil' heart out!

And I do mean little...

Whisper and Colt...the little and the big! But, isn't she cute?!?
Everyone teased me that I finally found a horse my size!!!

Well, you can bet your boots that I wouldn't make that mistake again!!! My circles on Colt were going to start to the RIGHT!!!

The 4 year old class was next, and they also just did a dry work. The 5 year old and 6 year old classes are required to do the fence work. As each horse finishes their dry work, the rider calls for their cow and they immediately box the cow at one end, make their two or three turns on the long side of the arena and circle up the cow to complete the pattern.

Watching a reining pattern can be like watching paint dry, so I won't bore you with all that. I put in a couple of circles and a turnaround...then the video moves on to the fence work. I think this was Colt's best effort yet with the fence work. It was the same score as what we got in Lakeview the week before, but I felt he was rating much better with the cow...like he was really beginning to understand where he needed to be.

I couldn't help but come out of the arena with a big cheesy smile on my face!!! We scored a 69.5 on the dry and a 68 on the fence. Some day when we get our stops down, we'll make much better scores. I heard from a friend that the judge was hoping I'd do a big run down with him for my stops, but they never work for me...they always look and feel like crap. So, I played it safe and decided to take the penalty for not being as fast as he should have been. But, I was really pleased with his turn arounds and everything else...the fence work is just a kick in the pants no matter how you look at it...what an adrenaline rush!!!

We get a break after this while the Ranch Horse class takes place...next up...the roping event that is required of the 6 year old class...to be continued...

Harney County Reined Stock Horse Futurity~Part 1

2011-09-09T10:14:00.000-07:00

~I have a mind of my own,

and I'm a very stubborn and determined person.~

~Iris Gordon 1905~

Well, it won't surprise me if you've forgotten me...it's been three weeks since I last blogged!!!

What have I been doing? Well, I had to look at the calendar to figure that out...in a nutshell: I got a horse in for training that needed a crash course for the Futurity (a green 3 year old by the name of Whisper), worked Colt for the Futurity, irrigating, moved cows with Rancher Dan, took a couple of roping lessons (Colt and I had to rope a 700-800 lb steer at the Futurity), attended a two day training clinic with Smoky Pritchett, got my hair cut (twice a year thing whether I need it or not), worked at the Post Office a couple of days, and attended the cow horse show at Lakeview for two days (yes, I know I was supposed to blog about that but didn't).

I know, poor excuses for not blogging, but to tell ya the truth, I've been pretty high strung about the Futurity and just didn't feel like opening up. I kept my nose to grindstone as much as possible and tried to stay focused.

But, as of yesterday afternoon I can breath freely again...Colt and I completed our first journey together. Five years of training and five Futurity shows later, we can officially say we made it!!

In that journey, we surpassed all expectations of what we could achieve. My main goal was to learn how to train a cow horse and not embarrass me or my horse. We not only did that, but we placed every year in the Futurity with respectable scores. Something I never dreamed possible~

Tuesday, after riding both Colt and Whisper, I clipped and bathed them and tucked them into their stalls for the night. Showing two horses is a lot harder than showing one (but, I have a friend who showed five...she's crazy!!!) Herd work is always held at the Bell A Ranch on Wednesday, and we needed to leave home by 8 AM.

The three year old class was first. I took Colt with me to the warm up arena and as I rode Whisper, Colt is having a temper tantrum like a 2 year old's first time away from home. Bucking and carrying on...I wanted to disown him...I wondered if that was going to be his attitude for the whole day!

We moved over to the cutting pen for the judges meeting, and I tied Colt to the fence with some other horses and inched my way further and further away from him. He finally settled down.

I got Whisper showed. We scored a 60, which is what both her owner and I expected. She had never worked cows out of a herd before, and she'd only followed cows on two other occasions. But, she tried her hardest to listen to me, she never got upset, and her owner was happy. The goal for Whisper was to show her this year so she'll still be qualified to show next year.

Then showed the four year olds and the five year olds...and finally my six year old class. I got a lucky draw...first...which also means I get to choose who will be settling our herd of heifers. I chose my good friend Michelle Severe...you know Michelle who did my awesome drawing in the two-rein on the right panel of my blog. These were a great pen of heifers, and she did a great job.

I chose an all girl team. My friend Wendy sat in one corner (a perfect spot for her to coach me), Peggy in the other corner and Michelle and Melanie turned back for me. It was the most awesome run Colt and I have ever had. We scored a 73...my best herd work score ever...and we won the class!!! In fact, we had the highest score of all the aged classes (3 year old to 6 year old).

Wendy told me after the class that she knew I had a perfect run going and didn't want to say a thing and jinx it...she just let me do my thing...

Wendy and I are celebrating...Colt and her horse Houdini don't seem to give a rip!!
Colt had no idea how well he did...I wish I could talk to him.

One leg down...three more to go...dry, fence, and roping. We do all of that at the fairgrounds the following day...so, I'll leave this to be continued...

SkyWatch Friday

2011-08-19T07:51:00.000-07:00

~When I'm not fair with my partners,

I end up ridin' alone.~

~Mary H. Cutter, 1865~

Dedicated to fellow blogger and awesome photographer at SkyWatch Friday...

Klaus Peter 1960 - 2011

Good Mornin' Sunshine

This volunteer sunflower showed up in my garden. The wild birds must have dropped a seed...all it takes is one lil' seed, dirt, and some water...God makes everything beautiful.

Note the half moon in the sky too. OH...and the fly is in there for a lil' bit of protein ;~)

May your day be filled with happiness~

Is the Adventure Ending?

2011-08-18T08:09:00.000-07:00

~No one can keep me down if I have a mind to get up.~

~Netta Simpson 1902~

When I started blogging in Oct of 2008, I had a lot of stuff to talk about...things that I wanted to explain, so the readers would understand what I was doing. One of those posts was in January 2009.

River Bug Rambler (aka "Colt")

That post told the story of how and why I got Colt, and what we had done since I bought him in November of 2006. It was a LONG post, since it covered a little over 2 years of training and showing.

The day I picked Colt out of the pen of long yearlings. Nov 2006
He wasn't my first choice, but he was the right choice in hind sight.

My Man had to come over to Todd's place to see this new acquisition I'd made! Dec 2006

The first line of that old post read: "This is the story of my adventure...a challenge to myself...to train a horse as a working cow horse."

If you've been following me along, you've probably read quite a few of the 100 posts that I've done on Colt. Of course this is another Colt post...documenting yet another monumental event in his training.

Colt in the bridle.

Tuesday is the first day that I rode Colt without the hackamore under the bridle...no crutch to fall back on. My hand felt almost naked without that wad of reins in my hand. I spent time walking him around the arena just pondering the things we'd done in the past 5 1/2 years.

I remember taking him to that 2 year old Futurity halter class. Our class was the first thing in the morning. But, I spent the rest of the day watching the other horses. The 3 year old class in the snaffle...the 4 year old class in the hackamore...the 5 year old class in the two-rein...and the final stage, the 6 year old class in the bridle (and they had to rope a steer too)...oh my...what had I gotten myself into. Would I ever be able to ride a horse like the fine ranch/cow horses I was seeing...and train it myself?!? I had so much to learn myself...let alone teach it to a green horse! I din't know how to cut a cow, do a spin, or do a flying lead change!

But, here we are. In a very short 20 days, we'll be at the Futurity...the final stage as a 6 year old. We're just going to do the best we can...and have fun while we're at it!!!

What will we do after that? Well, at the time I bought Colt, I had never heard of Mike Bridges and his 5 year Project. And, even though Colt is working pretty good in the bridle, he has a lot of holes. There are a lot of steps that I didn't do (because I didn't know about them...remember, I'm just doing this by the seat of my pants) so, we'll be going back to the hackamore and completing the Project with Mike Bridges; following the steps that he has outlined through years of experience to build a true "California Vaquero Bridle Horse."

I almost quit the Futurity at the two-rein stage because of the 5 year Project, but a friend of mine said I couldn't do that...she wouldn't let me do that. She said that I needed to finish what I set out to do no matter what, and that Colt and I were a team.

Why couldn't I do both? I thought it would be very confusing for Colt and didn't want to screw him all up. But, Colt is a very flexible horse...through all my goof ups in his training...doing something wrong and having to fix it...he's always had the attitude of "OK, we'll just do it this way now." He never argues about it. I've never had such a willing horse in all my life...and probably won't again.

So, Colt and I are coming close to the end of our first "adventure," but we'll just be moving on to the next one!

Sometimes You Just Don't Know Why

2011-08-17T09:21:00.000-07:00

~The stars out here are so bright,

I can ride my horse anywhere at night.~

~Edith Wright 1862~

If you're a horse person, then you know how hard we work to make our places safe for our horses. But, yesterday, I found that making something safe for my horses was a death trap for another species...deer.

When we built the fence line for the irrigated pasture, it met here in the corner with another fence at an angle which made a really tight spot for the horses to get into a wreck if they got to fighting or just playing too hard. So, we put three rails up across that corner (which made a tiny triangle) to prevent any accidents. The new fence is built of woven wire that we call sheep fencing, and we brought it across the H braces to the gate.

At the far end of the irrigated pasture, the existing fence is 4 strands of barbed wire which I have put two lines of hot wire up with it to keep the horses away from the barbed wire.

I rode two horses yesterday and was out there for almost 4 hours (until about 2 PM). I didn't see anything strange at the time. But at feeding time, I found the body of a baby deer inside the triangle of the corner.

It was awful. The poor thing had its front leg through the fence and its head was turned around over its back. All of the hair had been scraped off of its neck and there was blood splattered everywhere. It was quite evident that it had been struggling for a long time and died a horrible, painful death. The body was cold and already stiff. I'm assuming that it had been trying to get through the fence and that's how it lost all the fur from its neck.

What I can't figure out is if its leg was actually stuck in the fence and it couldn't pull it out. The other thing that is bothering me is if Colt chased the baby into the corner. When we put a cow with its calf out in his pasture last summer, all he would do was chase the cow...well, duh, he's a cow horse. But would he chase a baby deer? Or, did I just not see the body while making four trips to the gates with the horses?!?

I'm just feeling awful about the whole thing...no matter how it happened. I think I'm going to cut a hole in the fence so if that ever happened again, the lil' one could get out.

Life is hard...we have to take the good with the bad~

SkyWatch Friday

2011-08-12T07:57:00.000-07:00

~I've been called a fun-lovin' woman by many a man.~

~Betsy Mueller 1902~

The days are getting shorter...we're moving wheel lines in the mornin' before the sun comes up...sort of by Braille since we can't see much. But we're up early enough to see the beautiful sunrises!

The Canadian Geese are already flying over...does this mean an early winter? I surely hope not...but the cool mornings are starting to feel like fall already.

Click HERE to see more SkyWatch Friday photos!

Gathering in the Forest

2011-08-11T10:39:00.000-07:00

~When things get ya down, go for a ride.

You can think better in the open.~

~J.P. Harder 1898~

We don't live too far from the forest, but we rarely get time to go there to ride. Last Sunday I got a call from Ty asking if I could help gather and move pairs on Tuesday in the forest...what a treat!!! I'll be there!!

Ty and I were up at the meeting spot by 8 AM, but the other riders were already out on their horses. We rode up to the top of the hill where the boundary fence was and found Glen. We all split up at that point. I took the fence line since I hadn't ridden up in this country before, and I could keep my bearings.

OH my gosh...the smell of the pine trees was incredible!!! I don't think I'd been in the trees since February when I drove to Portland. I love my sagebrush ground, but trees are nice too!

Ty and I met back up at a two-track road by a cattle guard as planned. I didn't find any pairs, but Ty found a few pairs. We started them out moving north along a fence line.

Moving Along the Fence Line

Ty headed out toward the ridge to the west to find some more pairs, and I kept the herd going on north. Cows will be cows of course and instead of staying on the fence line, they took off toward the northwest as they topped the rise...and took off at a run down the hill...in a cloud of dust.

Colt and I just kept up a good long trot down the hill following the dust cloud!

I caught up to them when they hit this two-track.

Beginning last summer, and infestation of White Pine Butterflies started killing the pine trees. At that time, it was just a hundred acres or so...this year they have devastated thousands of acres...and at this point, the government is letting it go unchecked. Right now they are in the worm stage...there are literally thousands of these inch long green worms crawling on every pine tree...spinning their sticky, silky threads...sucking the life out of every tree.

The trees on the hill on the horizon are ones that have been
killed by the butterflies vs the trees in the foreground that they haven't touched yet.

Cows are creatures of habit and have a pretty good sense of direction too...they knew exactly where they needed to go, and we came out in Cabin Meadow where Glen and his dad Ron were waiting with the pairs they had gathered.

A clean, fresh spring is piping water into this hand hewn log water trough.

This log trough will out last metal water tanks by decades.

Colt enjoyed a cool, fresh drink!

The government requires that the cattle owners fence off all of the meadows to prevent over grazing and protect the riparian areas. The meadows are very beautiful.

I liked the capture of Ron riding his horse through the meadow (he'd gone through the gate to check the spring. He's 76 years old and still puts a good day's work in the saddle. I hope I can do that when I'm his age!

Riding the meadow

As we were waiting for Ty to get down with his bunch, one cow took off out of the herd. She headed back up the hill lookin' for her calf (which may or may not have been in the herd). I went after her, and every time I got in front of her, she'd blow past me. There were too many rocks and trees in the way to keep her from getting past us. But, I kept trying. Pretty soon I'm in the middle of a small herd that had been missed.

I got them all together going down the hill (including the renegade cow). But, pretty soon, the herd split. Again, with the rocks and trees, it was impossible to get them back together. I followed two pair down to the meadow, met up with Ty and he went back up for the others.

We finally got everything gathered up and started them down the road toward the new field.

Buckaroos, good horses, and good dogs...teamwork.
L-R is Ron, Ty and Glen

Glen brought two horses...he rode one and the other one just followed along...totally loose, not lead. His second horse was a young two year old, so when the work was easy, he'd switch to the young horse and his older horse would just tag along...Glen's quite the horseman!

Taggin' Along

Well, those boys all got to go back up on Wednesday and do it all over again (I had to work at the Post Office). We had found maybe half of what was up in that field. It usually takes two days to get them all flushed out. And still they usually find a few pair down at the meadow as the snow starts to fly that are finally wanting to head for home...and hay!

Thanks for comin' along for the ride!!

High Desert Cutters~2011 Final Show

2011-08-08T15:05:00.000-07:00

~You can be happy in any

circumstances if you have to~

~Pauline Cody 1903~

Our local cutting club, the High Desert Cutters, had its final show for the season on Saturday. It was held at the Harney County fairgrounds this time and the cattle were trucked in.

We had 5 shows this season. Some years we've had more, but the availability of cattle is not easy...even if we are in cattle country! Everyone's cows are out on grazing land and they're not readily available. So, we take what we can get.

Colt and I missed the first show in April when I was at my Mike Bridges Clinic. The second show, we did OK, but Colt and I hadn't worked a herd of cows since September of 2010. We didn't have a high enough score to earn us any points.

But we were getting better...the last two shows Colt and I won our class, and that put us into second place...in the running for that coveted 1st place buckle!

I've been riding up into the next class above me for a warm up. The last two shows it was a wreck. But Saturday, Colt felt really on!

The first cow was perfect and it was an awesome feeling. But, something happened and the cows in the herd decided to come forward and they got in the way of the cow I was cutting. I didn't want to stir up the herd, so I just backed off and lost the cow. We still scored a 65...it would have been a 71 if things had gone right. Stuff like that happens.

Then in my class, Colt felt really good. The first cow was pretty nice, but I was being cautious because this particular herd was a lil' more flighty than the previous herd in the 150 class. When I worked the second cow, I made it a quick work, 'cause I had this feelin' the cow would get pushy real quick and I'd loose him...so I quit while I was ahead. I just got my third cow out and my time was up...we scored a 69...and won the class!!!

I was so excited...that was three classes in a row (3 different shows in the 125 class) that I'd won...would I have enough points to take first place and win the buckle?!?

Nope...I was one point behind the leading horse in the year end standings...

But, I'm not sad or frustrated by any means. Colt worked wonderfully and I'm SOOOOO PROUD of him!!! If we keep it up, we'll do just as good or better when we go to the Lakeview Stock Horse Show and when we compete in our Harney County Reined Stock Horse Futurity...this is Colt's last year as a 6 year old in the Futurity!

So, that was our big day on Saturday...lots of fun, good horses, good cattle, great friends, and lots of sunshine...a perfect day!!!

In the video, the first cow is from the 150 class that I rode up into and the second and third cows are from my 125 class.

Thanks for comin' along...and I appreciate all your well wishes...they mean a lot to me!

OH...and a big thank you to My Man for all his support, and thanks to my friend Andi for the use of her great photos!

Sunday Stills~Sunrise or Sunset

2011-08-07T08:43:00.000-07:00

~The land is beautiful and hard, like life itself.~

~Pearl Morgan 1900~

This week's Sunday Stills photo challenge is sunrises or sunsets...I chose the later.

We don't get the spectacular sunsets like Arizona gets, but when the elements are just right, they can be quite pretty.

Summer Sunset to the west (of course).

And like Ed has stressed in the past...look behind you...

Reflection of the Summer Sunset looking Northwest.

Check out all the other sunrise and sunset photos over at Sunday Stills...look in the comments for the links!

Farm Photo Friday~Hay & Hollyhocks

2011-08-05T10:48:00.000-07:00

Come along on the Farmchick's Farm Photo Friday Linky Party!!

With the dry weather, it took a few days longer to get the hay baled...no moisture. Yea, I know, folks say that they usually have too much moisture...not here on the high desert. We pray that the night or the morning brings in enough moisture to get some baling done.

Cindy Sue says "I love farmin' wiff my mom!"
As I drove the backhoe stacking the big bales into twos,
Cindy Sue has to co-pilot of course!

We were extremely lucky that Hay Man Rudy was able to get the baling finished on Wednesday. My Man and I got the big bales off the field that same day, and Rudy came over with his hay wagon yesterday and picked up the two-string bales and got them stacked...just before a huge storm came through!

It started with distant thunder...then we could see the lightening coming in from the east...and then it started coming in from the west...the wind took off blowing huge clouds of dust (quick...close all the windows in the house) and then the rain followed that...and it rained for a good three hours!

I know there were lots of ground strikes, but no reports of fires yet...hopefully the rain put them out. But a hay stack was hit and burned...bummer.

Second cutting...two-string and 3x3 bales in the field.

My Man and I got all the wheel lines up and running before the storm came in too. So, we're back to the early to rise and late to bed schedule...only one more cutting to go!

Then there's my pretty Heirloom Hollyhocks. And I'm calling them heirloom because I found them in the alfalfa field close to where the old farmstead used to sit. I dug them up and transplanted them to spots around the house.

Heirloom Hollyhocks

They look gorgeous at this angle...but then look at the whole plant...

They're dying on me!!!

It started about two weeks ago with these cobweb type things encasing the shorter plant tops...and then the leaves started dying. It's slowly working its way up to the top of the plants.

I've looked for bugs and didn't see any, but I sprinkled Sevin on them anyway. I hope the problem doesn't kill the plants forever.

Does anyone know what the problem is? How did you treat it? Thanks for any info you can give me!

We're off to the last cutting show tomorrow...see ya! Have a great weekend and do lots of fun stuff!!

SkyWatch Friday

2011-08-05T08:15:00.000-07:00

~I want to think for myself and not be influenced by men.~

~Abbey Salter 1901~

I always love the morning light. As the grass begins to show that we are well into summer, the colors of the sage brush and grasses, mixed with the lichen on the rim rock always makes a pretty picture. Add a few fluffy white clouds with a bright blue sky...and a good cup of coffee...it's another perfect day!

Sky Above the Rim Rock

Participating in SkyWatch Friday...where you can enjoy photos of the skies from around the world!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-08-03T06:10:00.000-07:00

Click to go see more Wordless Wednesday photos HERE!

A Coltster Post!

2011-08-02T08:16:00.000-07:00

~I've always wondered if other women feel

like I do about their life.~

~Mary Hayward 1901~

It's been a crazy weekend and a crazy week...and it's only Tuesday!

But, I only have time to say a few words...Saturday was another High Desert Cutters competition. As usual, we did really crappy in the 150 class...then we did awesome in our 125 class.

We scored a 71...

...and won our class!

This coming Saturday is our last cutting...we're in second place for the year end standings...we have a chance to win...but I'm not countin' my eggs before they're hatched!!

Hope everyone is having a great week~

Early Mornin's at the Rough String~Post #500

2011-07-29T09:55:00.000-07:00

~No man can know the thoughts of a woman.~

~Martha Austin 1899~

Unbelievably to me...this is my 500th post! I had no idea how much enjoyment I would get out of blogging...or the number of wonderful people I would meet...or how much I had to say! I started in October of 2008 when a Dogster mom friend mentioned her blog (an awesome artist and her sidekick Rat Terrier Cloud)...I hadn't a clue what the word "blog" even meant!

Well, it didn't take long to figure it out and because of all of you it's been quite a ride!

I want to thank everyone for stoppin' by and reading about my snippets of life here at the Rough String, and I truly appreciate your comments! I will try harder to respond to your questions (I'm very bad at following up in that department and apologize). I've really enjoyed the photo aspect of blogging too...telling a story through photos...well, it's probably 'cause I'm a lil' more of a visual person.

But...

Really what I want to say is...

I'm glad you're along for the ride!!

Well, it's Friday again, and I've enjoyed posting the past few weeks with a couple of blog hops that focus on farming/country life living/ranching. One is Dandelion House (but her blog has disappeared...I hope she finds her way out of the internet black hole pretty soon), and the other is Farmchick's Farm Photo Friday ~ Link Party. Please visit her blog...good food recipes and farm life abound over there!

So...on with today's post!!

This mornin' before the sun came up, we woke to the wonderful sound of a tractor and the squeak of the rake. There was moisture in the air and the heavenly smell of alfalfa filled our home. Ahhhhh...life doesn't get much better than that!! We hope to be stacking bales out of our field on Sunday!! Second cutting is gorgeous...beautifully green...those dairy cows are gonna LOVE it!

Hay Man Rudy's wife is at the helm...along with three dogs in the cab!
Now that's a Farm Girl!!!

As I make my way out of the house with a cup of coffee in hand, I enjoy the droning sound of the tractor and squeak of the rake at the end of each row, deeply breathe in the aroma (I'll need to remember these days when it's 0 degrees and the snow is blowin' sideways), and watch the sun come up over Hat Butte. The barn is the first stop...I let Colt out of his stall/run to graze on pasture for the day and clean up the manure.

Then I head for the garden. I know there's peas to be picked and hope they're not too ripe. I'm sure glad My Man and I worked so hard at expending the raised beds this past spring...I had room to spare for more plants...OK, next year I'll do that!

The new section of the garden has bush beans, zucchini, tomatoes
cabbage, bell peppers and hot peppers.

Oh good...the peas look like I'm not too late!

A basket full of peas with a cherry tomato on top!
I picked that one tomato before the birds ate it like they did the first few!

Walla Walla Sweet Onions...my best crop of them yet.
I have another section just like this one.
We're gonna have onions comin' outa our ears!

A volunteer onion from last year popped up,
and it has these beautiful seed buds on top...
guess I better pull that onion, it's ready to eat!

Yesterday was another yearly mornin' too...up at 4 AM to get Colt fed...myself fed...the dogs fed...get Colt saddled...Ty would be there by 6 AM to pick us up to help move cow/calf pairs.

Ahhhhhh....it sure felt good to be out movin' cows again!

These pairs are grazing on BLM allotments. They are rotated between three allotments so they don't over graze the land. So, we gather up everything from one field and trail them to the next one. Proper grazing management is essential for the continued healthy growth of grass for years to come. These allotments cover thousands of acres and gathering and trailing by horseback is the only way it can be done.

Colt loves his job!

As you can see by Colt's head gear, I'm still riding him in the two-rein, but am working more and more off the bit. He's doing well...I've got to have him straight up in the bridle by September...just a month away!

Colt 'n I have a lil' bunch moving west. Ty was off on our left pushing more
pairs up to us...our bunch kept getting growing.

One happy, cool Cow Dog! There are water troughs through out
the BLM allotments. They not only supply water to cattle but to
the native wildlife too...and occasionally a hot dog or two!

The view across the valley...Steens Mountain is on the horizon on the right.
Riddle Mountain begins with the rolling hills on the left.

We rode back to the ranch house and arrived by 1 PM...and it was plenty hot by then. Colt got unsaddled and put into a paddock with Ty's horse Cole for a good roll and some cool water. Then a tasty lunch and a cool drink ended another good day in the saddle.

Thanks for ridin' with me...have a great Friday and a fantastic fun-filled weekend!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-07-27T06:37:00.000-07:00

You'll find more Wordless Wednesday HERE!

Mr. & Mrs. Robin~Round Two!

2011-07-22T08:46:00.000-07:00

~If you can reason with a man

you might be able to get along with him.~

~Edna May Randall 1907~

The two of them are back at the same nest in the wood shed that they built earlier this spring.

One Ruffle Feathered Momma Robin!

There were 4 pretty blue eggs again (here's photos from my post back in May), but it looks like there's only three babies. That nest sure fills up in a hurry...they grow like weeds!!

Overflowing the Nest

This was the best pic I could get of the babies in the nest...I was duckin' 'n divin' to keep from gettin' scalped by momma Robin!!!

I'm sure these lil' ones will be out of the nest within the week...now, to keep the dogs from gettin' 'um...

I'm linking this post us with FarmChick's Farm Photo Friday!!

Check out some other great photos!

SkyWatch Friday

2011-07-21T16:56:00.000-07:00

~When I'm finished with a man, I never look back.~

~Virginia Barry 1900~

Alfalfa hay in bloom.

We're getting close to begin our 2nd cutting of hay. For the dairy quality that we strive for, it's best to have no more than 10% of your plants in bloom. This year we just aren't getting the 90-95 degree days that are normal. We've yet to hit 90 I believe! I'm not complainin' 'bout the weather at all...I like these 75-80 degree days, it sure is strange though. But, what the cooler weather means is that we're way ahead on irrigating, so we've stopped...we'll see how much it continues to grow in the next week or so.

Hope everyone has a great Friday and a super weekend...and go on over and check out some other sky photos from around the globe at SkyWatch Friday!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-07-20T07:29:00.000-07:00

Happy Wordless Wednesday...get more Wordless HERE!

RattieRanch Dog Tells it Like it Is!

2011-07-19T08:08:00.000-07:00

Lil' Miss Cindy Sue was insistent that she get to

be the blogger today...how can you argue with her

cute lil' face 'n that flop ear?!?

Hey!!!!! Howdy everyone...RattieRanch Dog aka Cindy Sue here!!! Finally...mom's lettin' me do the talkin'!!! 'bout time don'tcha think?!?

I've been havin' a pretty big summer. We've had lots of ranchin' 'n farmin' to do...'n I keep mom 'n dad on the straight 'n narrow! I just wish we didn't have to get up so early in the mornin'...it's still dark out!!! I need my beauty sleep!

Oh well...I'll make up for it in the winter when we're not irrigating. You know, that's my main job... besides keepin' the couch warm... "head irrigation helper." Yep! That's me!

There's a slight problem when the alfalfa gets real tall...but that's when my ears come in handy! I know exactly where everyone is at all times...even if I can't see 'um!

Here you can see my dad movin' the #1 wheel line...they all got numbers so we know which one is which. In the afternoons, I get right out there in the field. The wet alfalfa sure cools a pup off on the hot days.

But, I'm no body's fool dog...In the mornin's when it's cold out...I stay on the edge of the field!!! I can see if they're doin' their jobs just fine from that vantage point too! I let mom 'n dad get all wet and cold...BOL!!!

But, even when the alfalfa gets really tall, I can always tell where home is...I just have to look for the rim rock and there's home!!! Hey...look closely on that hill...

Look at those lazy critters! Rohan, Stetson and Catnip. All they ever do is laze around and eat and sleep. They should be doin' a job like me!

After we're done with the big field, we head on over to the smaller field. This field is my favorite. There's lots of deer tracks to sniff and bunnies to chase too!!! But, I smell lots of coyote stink...gotta be careful 'bout them no good knivin' @&%#$* OOPS! Didn't mean to say that...well, yes I DID mean to say that...they're NASTY!!

I suppose a lot of you have been wonderin' how I've been since the Coyote Attack...well, as you can see, them two coyotes didn't do me any permanent damage...just maybe wounded my pride a lil' bit. But, I sure appreciate how y'all helped me get better. I'm fine as frog hair now!!! Who made that sayin' up...it's stupid isn't it?!?

Well, that's all I've got to say for now, so I'll head on back to the couch while mom does inside stuff. Hopefully mom will let me back on here again sometime soon!

Hugs 'n lots of wet, sloppy Rattie kisses to y'all xoxoxo

Cindy Sue~

Sunday Stills~People

2011-07-17T10:57:00.000-07:00

This week's Sunday Stills photo challenge is People. I actually realized this week that I enjoy taking candid photos of people...finding angles, facial expressions and body positions that make the photo interesting is fun. It actually may be my favorite thing to photograph.

Yesterday, My Man, Colt, Cindy Sue and I drove down to the Roaring Springs Ranch for our local cutting club competition. It was a beautiful day despite the thunder storm that drenched us for a good 10 minutes first thing...then the sun came out nicely!

I'll let the photos speak for themselves~

OH...BTW...Colt & I rode in two classes. We rode up into the class above "our class" and it was disastrous...I didn't have my head on straight...totally my fault...we scored a 60 (the lowest score you can get except for being disqualified with a no score). But, I really learned from my mistakes and we won our class with a 70 1/2 score!!! Colt did awesome!!!

Then last weekend was the annual Harney County Ranch Hand Rodeo...I didn't get very good action shots (just the one below), but I enjoyed the people shots...

OK...this next one may not look like people...but he was watchin' the rodeo like the rest of us...he thought he was people!!!

Check out the other Sunday Stills participants by going HERE and you'll find links in the comments.

Have a great Sunday!!

SkyWatch Friday

2011-07-15T07:28:00.000-07:00

~Life could be just a series of fates.~

~Annabella Ransom 1900~

Today, I'm sharing a couple of views from the ranch with SkyWatch Friday! And, today SkyWatch Friday begins its 5th season...amazing!

Perfectly clear blue skies are nice...but I think a few clouds always adds a lil' more interesting aspect to a photo. Hat Butte is shadowed by this afternoon cloud.

Mid-Summer Clouds

A local rancher brought a nice big herd of cow/calf pairs to graze the property across the road from us (these are just a handful). I'd much rather see this kind of new neighbor than seeing new houses going in! I love seeing and hearing these cows all day!

A few of our new neighbors!

Enjoy your Friday...and have a GREAT weekend!! We're off to a cutting show tomorrow at Roaring Springs Ranch...see ya Sunday!

Of Bulls and Owls

2011-07-14T10:24:00.000-07:00

~I wonder if all women spend their time

cooking, sewing, and tending the chickens and pigs.~

~Sarah Brown 1900~

Come on!!! Hop along with Deborah Jean's Dandelion House FarmGirl Friday blog hop!!!

Goof's gone home...never to return to his Cowgirls again...as he loaded into the trailer, the Cowgirls look a lil' forlorn.

Number Three and Black Calf will miss him too...the two of them loved to hang out with Goof. I think they must have known that he was their daddy!

Next year, Number Three will be bred, so we'll need a different bull other than Goof to cover the herd.

The difficult job of loading Goof into the trailer...NOT!

Come on Bully, Bully...right on over here to the trailer!

Ha...and in he stepped...and off to home he went! Thanks for the visit!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Earlier this year I had made my mind up that I would be keepin' better tabs on this year's Great Horned owletts. Well, the days go by so fast that before ya know it...they're flyin'!!!

Look at me!!! I can FLY!!! (photo taken 7/8/11)

On June 26, I hiked up toward the base of the rim rock to see if I could find the owlets and take some photos. I found one of the parents stayin' cool in the shade of the rocks and grass...

Hiding in the rim rock and grass is one of the parent owls.

Then I finally spotted the other up on a ledge (quite a way up). I didn't even see the owlet until I downloaded my photos onto the computer that evening...what a nice surprise!

And here is the other parent...and...OH Look! It's an owlet too!
Doesn't he look cute with all that fluffy down?!
Mother Nature provides them with good camouflage!

Last evening I saw one of the owlets fly onto the top of the chicken coop...so, they are gettin' around pretty well.

This mornin' I decided to see if they were in the elm trees in the yard...sure enough they were...it just took me a while to spot them because the leaves and branches are so thick.

"You lookin' for us?"

I decided to get on top of the house roof and see if I could get some closer shots. Both parents flew over to another tree...but these two (of the three) owlets tried to stay still and quiet...

Whoooo...Whoooo...Me?

Mother owl closely watched my every move...I've been dive bombed before by the owls for gettin' too close to their owlets, so I didn't want to upset her. I stayed low and moved slowly.

Mother owl is definitely givin' me that "Don't mess with my kids" look!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-07-13T06:09:00.000-07:00

You'll find more Wordless Wednesday over HERE!

Chimin' in Harmony~12 Years 'n Countin'

2011-07-10T10:45:00.000-07:00

~You are born a girl,

but with a lot of work,

you become a woman.~

~Kate Preen 1902~

Another year goes by...but 12 years sure have gone by fast! July 10, 1999, My Man and I were married in a simple, outdoor wedding with family, friends and critters in attendance.

My Man rode Carina (who we lost a couple of winters ago) and I rode my ol' man Toby (who at 24 is still the horse boss of the pastures).

Abby was the ring bearer with a tiny doll backpack attached to her collar. Cowboy was just supposed to follow along, but got tipsy before the wedding when he licked up some spilled wine...he finally made it, but was a lil' bit sloshed!

We celebrated the day yesterday by goin' into the fairgrounds and watchin' the annual Harney County Ranch Hand Rodeo...then dinner out at the Pine Room. It was a fun day of visiting with friends and just doin' nothin'!

Last Christmas I saw (and heard) these beautiful wind chimes at one of our local merchants...and decided that we had to have one for our front yard makeover...so we treated ourselves...and absolutely LOVE them!

Take a listen...

Today, we're back to doin' chores and movin' wheel lines. This evenin' we'll BBQ on the Traeger and enjoy some "deck time" listening to the chimes and watching sprinklers go 'round 'n 'round...a perfect way to spend our anniversary!

Cheers to many more years My Man!

Just Another Week

2011-07-08T07:09:00.000-07:00

~If you always tell the truth,

you'll feel good about yourself.~

~Mabel Wheeler 1878~

Participating in:

SkyWatch Friday

FarmGirl Friday Blog Hop

Farmchick's Farm Photo Friday

It's been a busy week...but that's typical of course for summer. Moving irrigation wheel lines twice a day...over and over again...

But, when you're up with the birds, you get to see gorgeous sunrises!

Mornin' Flight

And, at the end of the day as the sun begins to set, the views are just as spectacular as in the mornin'. Pivots and wheel lines all across the valley are running 24/7...growing alfalfa to feed hungry cows who in turn provide us with milk products and beef.

High Desert Farmland

This photo of our 1st cutting bales was taken on 6/26/11 (just 12 days ago). We started irrigating this field that evening.

Stacked in Two's

It's amazing what a lot of summer heat and good water will do...after just 12 days, the alfalfa is over the tops of my rubber boots...and I had damp jeans this mornin'! Grow alfalfa grow!!!!

When the Wind Blows

Tomorrow, My Man and I are headin' into town for the annual Harney County Ranch Hand Rodeo...a day to relax, visit with friends, eat good food, and watch a bunch of great buckaroos and horses do what they do best...brand, rope and ride!

What are your plans for this beautiful summer weekend? Whatever you do...have a great time doin' it!

Shadow Horse

2011-07-07T13:11:00.000-07:00

~The gold rush nearly killed what decency we had.~

~Katherine Potts 1890~

I've been bad and not shown Colt's handsome face on my blog for a while...well, here's half of him!

I'll work harder to get the whole handsome fella next time...and maybe more than just a shadow!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-07-06T06:10:00.000-07:00

Happy hump day and Wordless Wednesday!!!

Beauty and the Beast

2011-07-05T08:19:00.000-07:00

~Nothing men do surprises me. Some of

'em'are a little rough around the edges.~

~Patricia Calm 1900~

Ah, yes...beauty.

This is my first Columbine bloom from the starts I got from
my sweet neighbor, Shirley. Her plants have been in
her garden for decades. They are all different brilliant colors, so I
was surprised to see this totally white one bloom out!

An then there's the beast.

Well, obviously it's not much of a beast...but snakes always startle me.

Our elm trees always loose branches when we get a good wind goin'. So, I was doin' my normal routine of picking up branches and small sticks before mowing the lawn...when I realized this one that I was walking over to pick up wasn't a stick!

"Who me?!? I'm no beast! I'm just enjoying the
cool, wet grass where the sprinkler had been.
I was findin' all sorts of snacks too!"
(I had my aperture set at 5.7 so I think that's why
his head didn't come out clear in this photo...and I was
zooming in from at least 10 feet.)

Over exposed...yes. But I still like how it
enhanced the snake's eye and nostril.

OK...so does anyone know what kind of snake this is? It was very patient as I went to the house to get the camera, because he was still there when I got back! After about 2-3 minutes he seemed to notice that I was there; threw his head up...and took off like a flash!

Update: I had a comment left on my Flickr photo from Natalie McNear

"Cool find! This is a Western Yellow-bellied Racer, Coluber constrictor mormon. These guys are harmless and feed on a wide variety of prey, from insects to rodents, so they are beneficial to have around the yard."

Thank you Natalie!

I've seen one other of these two years ago. It was on the water spigot on a hot day...when I went to grab for the handle...that gave me a start!!

Have a great week!!

Sunday Stills~Patriotism

2011-07-03T08:13:00.000-07:00

I pledge allegiance to
the Flag of the United States of America,
and to the Republic for which it stands:
one Nation under God, indivisible,
With Liberty and Justice for all.

Patriotism is alive and well in rural America.

Enjoy more patriotic photos from other Sunday Stills participants.

Happy 4th of July to all my fellow Americans...and Happy Canada Day to my friends up north!

Before Dawn

2011-07-01T06:49:00.000-07:00

"Up before the sunrise

it's a rocky way back home

and the dust won't be near settled

as where we just come from..."

Lyrics from Don Edwards' song Say Goodbye to Montana

That is one of my favorite songs from Don Edwards...and changing wheel lines as the sun comes up over Hat Butte always brings that song into my mind.

Participating in

SkyWatch Friday

Farm Girl Friday Blog Hop

Golden Sunrise

While I'm gettin' at least one cup of coffee in me...My Man goes out at about 4:45 to shut down the two lines we change in the mornin'.

Steppin' out into the fresh new day's air...scents of horses, cows, hay, sage brush, and the dew wake me as good as a second cup of coffee.

Walkin' out to the field I'm greeted by views of the rim rock, the valley going east with horses and cows grazing, the neighbor's pivot moving slowly across the green alfalfa...another day of livin' the dream...

Before Dawn

First cutting is done...and the temperatures are supposed to warm up in the next week...our alfalfa will be growing like crazy...you'd swear you can see it grow with the hot weather and lots of water!

I have to throw in one more photo from the Stackin' Hay day...

The RattieRanchDog Nose

If Cindy Sue could reach the floorboard, she'd like to drive semi truck!!

Hey...it's Friday...have a great holiday weekend!!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-06-29T06:15:00.000-07:00

Have a great Wordless Wednesday and see more participants HERE!

Stackin' Hay 'n Cuttin' Cows

2011-06-27T11:40:00.000-07:00

~I wonder how many more times I'm

goin' to fall for the same kind of cowboy.~

~Bell Floyd 1900~

Yesterday was a busy day getting the 1st cutting out of the east field and getting the irrigation goin' again. Hay Man Rudy ran out of moisture by mid mornin' and wasn't able to finish the west field. But, he did get it finished today...so guess what My Man and I'll be doin' when he gets home from work tonight?!?

Me 'n my co-pilot!! I drive the semi truck while My Man loads the trailer.

A lil' bit of mirror action.

The backhoe was had a bad hose, so we had to borrow Hay Man Rudy's
tractor...it was terrible for My Man to have to sit in the AC
with the Sirius radio goin' ;~)

Oops...look what got baled up! It wasn't a rattlesnake, just a bull snake.
He did not survive the accident.

Cowboy 'n Bella Jo were snoopervising...they did a good job too!

Even though the hay got rained on (about 3/8 of an inch), it dried out
just fine...and the dairy can't wait to get it. We were very lucky.

I climbed up toward the rim in search of owlets and
thought this made a pretty picture.
We're almost into July...it's never been this green in
the 6 years we've been here!

The thirsty alfalfa plants are glad to get a drink. So, we're back
to changin' wheel lines twice a day.

We did find a rattle snake in Colt's irrigated pasture when we were adjusting the hand lines. Of course Colt was dying to stick his nose on the dang thing...we escorted him off of the property!

Join Fresh from the Farm's "Farm Photo Friday!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On Saturday, the local cutting club held their 2nd cutting of the season. We missed the first cutting, and we haven't had an opportunity to practice herd work, so I was pleased with Colt's performance even though we lost a pushy cow. We haven't done this since last September!

Enjoy your week!

Sunday Stills~Black and White or Sepia

2011-06-26T09:48:00.000-07:00

~A fearful woman never feels free.~

~Judy Forte 1899~

It's been so busy lately that I've missed quite a few Sunday Stills photo challenges. But, I've been wanting to get some shots of my pretty Irises and thought they might make a good subject. There was some nice lighting this mornin' so, I went out in the yard and took these in my slippers! Their shadows on the side of the house seems to add an extra dimension. I opted for the sepia look which I applied in PhotoShop Elements.

Iris' Shadow

Morning Iris Shadows

Check out the other Sunday Stills photographers by clicking HERE!

Enjoy your Sunday!

Malheur Wildlife Refuge 'n Ranching

2011-06-24T06:49:00.000-07:00

~When I try not to say bad things about someone, I feel better.~

~Vera Loader 1872~

Participating in:

SkyWatch Friday

FarmGirl Friday Blog Hop

Check 'um out!

The Malheur Wildlife Refuge is one of the highlights of Harney County in SE Oregon. There is an interesting mix of uses in the area since private ranches boarder the refuge and the water level goes up and down through the years. In the 1980's, homes were flooded so badly, that many gave up their land and moved to higher ground.

"Malheur National Wildlife Refuge was established on August 18, 1908 by President Theodore Roosevelt as the Lake Malheur Bird Reservation. Roosevelt set aside unclaimed lands encompassed by Malheur, Mud and Harney Lakes “as a preserve and breeding ground for native birds.” The newly established “Lake Malheur Bird Reservation” was the 19th of 51 wildlife refuges created by Roosevelt during his tenure as president. At the time, Malheur was the third refuge in Oregon and one of only six refuges west of the Mississippi."

With regard to the flooding this year:

"Considering the amount of water remaining on Steens Mountain to the south and Snow Mountain to the north, the Refuge is predicting that Malheur Lake will increase in elevation to 4098 feet – a rise of 4.5 feet since the beginning of the year! At this elevation Malheur Lake will extend across 81,100 acres."

Standing at the southern end of Harney Lake looking north

toward Burns Oregon, you can feel the amazing expanse of land

and water that the Wildlife Refuge encompasses.

In this "finger" of shoreline of Harney Lake you can see the fences
of a local rancher's field. Natural meadow grass is cut for dry hay
for cattle and then grazed in the fall.
It's questionable if they will get a hay crop this year.

The ol' tree at The Narrows stood for decades even though it was dead.
It finally gave in to Mother Nature a few weeks ago.
This location is where Harney Lake, Mud Lake
and Malheur Lake come together.

Have a great Friday and a super weekend!!

Mistake Lake to Frazier Lake

2011-06-23T09:42:00.000-07:00

~I'm rough and tough and I don't wear bloomers.~

~Nellie Braken 1887~

It actually felt like summer yesterday...upper 80's and sunny!!! A few thunder clouds came through late in the day, but nothin' too serious.

Colt and I spent the day gatherin' 'n movin' pairs. It had its ups and downs, but all in all, it was a pretty good day.

Gretchen and I started at the north end of the field, and the gate we needed the cows to go to was south west. But, this time the cows had their direction all screwed up and insisted they were supposed to go south east...and there was nothin' stoppin' 'um!

Bossman Dan trailer'd his horse to the south east corner and was workin' on gettin' his bunch movin' west when my bunch came over the top of the ridge and down to Mistake Lake (which of course caused his bunch to quit on him)...once we got them all gathered there, we were able to get them movin' off west.

Mistake Lake

Once we got the herd movin', I took the herd and Bossman Dan headed back up to the ridge to see what Gretchen had goin'.

Movin' the herd west along the fence line.

I think there was somethin' 'bout the Summer Solstice (or I suppose you can pick any ol' excuse), but the bulls were quite feisty! This type of Bull Play went on all day. It wasn't just this pair...all the bulls were full o' bull!

Colt hates it when the bulls get to fightin' like this.
They can move so fast, and they don't care who or what they run over.
Colt and I keep a wide berth.

As we approached this narrow spot along the fence line, those two bulls got into it again and just about took out the fence. I saw the Hereford bull up on his back legs and fell backward; I was afraid he was going to impale himself on the t-post. They loosened up the fence pretty good and one calf somehow ended up on the other side of the fence. Big Hereford seemed a lil' sore after that bout. But, everything else was OK.

Gettin' through the tight spot.

We gathered up everything into this SW corner. But, the cows on the other side of the fence belong to another rancher. So, they had to be driven out of the way while we crossed through their field to our herd's new field.

Normally, the water in Frazier Lake isn't this high, and we don't have to cut through the other rancher's field. But this year from the heavy snow pack and wet spring, the gate that is normally used and part of the fence is all under water.

Holdin' the herd. See the water in the background? That's Frazier Lake; our destination.

Once we got everyone to the new field, it's time to get them to mother up...Ha...all those mother cows had on their minds was eatin'! Can you blame them with belly high grass?!?

We probably spent an hour and a half trying to keep them all together. The cows just wanted to drift off up the hill...and the calves were trying to go back the way we came through the fence...we finally just let them be...and Bossman Dan will go back today to sort out any problems.

These were definitely some happy cows with all this feed!

But, hey...it was a good day. Even though Bossman Dan gets frustrated and say it's not fun and games with stupid cows some days, I think it's GREAT fun ;~) Guess I'm still a newbie...

Frazier Lake...with its fence line under water.

And after a day in the saddle...burgers 'n fries at Hotel Diamond...what a great way to end the day!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Last Sunday, My Man and I headed out with Colt at 4 AM for the Lake County Spring Cow Horse Classic. It was a really fun day...sunny skies, great people and fantastic horses! I entered Colt in the hackamore class. They offer that class for horses up to six years of age...so this will be Colt's last year.

As usual, we were so close to winnin' the buckle...came in second, one point behind the winner. But, the winner, Robin Shine, was well deserving of that buckle!!!

Circlin' up the cow.

My Man took a video so the above shot is a still from the video. I have so much to learn about doin' the fence work with the cow, but every time we go out and do it, we both learn a lil' bit more...that's all we can do! I was very proud of Colt...we just keep on keepin' on...

Wordless Wednesday

2011-06-22T07:34:00.000-07:00

Happy Wordless Wednesday!!

First Cutting & Springtime on the Hill

2011-06-17T07:51:00.000-07:00

~There's something about riding a horse that gives me freedom of spirit.~

~Robin Pearl 1880~

Participating this week in:

SkyWatch Friday

FarmGirl Friday Blog Hop

This wet, cool spring has been good on our electric bill as far as pumping irrigation water (we only irrigated 5 days since May 11), but it's been hard to get a really good growth. We came to a point where we had to decide whether to irrigate or cut it...last week we decided to have Hay Man Rudy cut it on Thursday of this week.

As soon as the dew had dried, which wasn't until mid afternoon, the beautiful sound of tractor and swather engines filled the air echoing off the rim rock.

Hay Man Rudy doin' what he loves to do!

Beautiful green rows of fresh cut alfalfa...destined for a dairy
in the Willamette Valley.

Dueling swathers...we hire our neighbors, a husband and wife team, to
cut, rake and bale. For the amount of acres we grow, it's much
more cost effective for us to contract it out.

This week, I took a couple of rides with Colt up on our hill. I hadn't been up there since last fall...it's absolutely gorgeous up there...the grass and flowers are abundant and the critters are quite happy!

The Welcoming Committee...more commonly known as The Wild Bunch;
two previously wild horses and two burros.

Brego the Kiger Mustang rushes up to Colt and I to say Howdy!

The happy lil' herd. This spring grass sure has put some growth on
our calves! It seems like they were just born a few weeks ago,
but it's been almost three months!

Goof. Doesn't he look purdy with yellow and purple flowers?
He seems to be enjoying his work/vacation with our Cowgirls.
But, neither Annabelle or Ellie Mae have come into cycle yet.
Goof looks bored ;~)

Spring flowers are in full bloom.
There are a lot of Indian Paint Brush in bloom too.

Colt enjoys our outings up on the hill.

Cindy Sue gets lost in the tall grass. In the 5 years we've been here,
this is the best spring grass we've had.

Bella Jo of course is in her element...she ran a coyote off for us too.
Gotta protect lil' Cindy Sue.

I think I'd enjoy being a horse or a cow up on our hill...how 'bout you?!?

Enjoy your Friday and your weekend! Head on over to SkyWatch Friday and FarmGirl Friday and see what everyone's up to!