Twelve Photos from 2014

These are not chosen as my best quality photos, but as some of my favorite photos representing events and life changes in the year 2014.

Miss Cindy Sue starts the month of January. It's been a year now, and her PRA (progressive retina atrophy) has left her almost blind now. Her eyes are a milky white color. She still loves to go to the barn, but we have keep a close watch on her. It's been hard watching her eyesight fail, but dogs are amazing...she is adapting quite well.

February ~ Ah yes Mr. Red Dog...I do love this photo of him!

March ~ This photo just makes me laugh. Our brandings are so NOT traditional!! We had three bull calves and one heifer to vaccinate and brand...and of course castrate the bull calves.
No horses...just brute strength man power!

April ~ Our beloved Martha Jo, a VERY senior Chihuahua, came to live with us in April as a friend for Cindy Sue since CS can no longer go on trail rides or irrigate. My Man and I both just loved this lil' lady to the moon. She was picked up as a stray in Madras Oregon, and we adopted her through Three Rivers Humane Society. We gave her the best we could to make her life meaningful in her golden years...but we lost her in October. Her lil' spirit lives in our hearts. Rest in Peace Martha Jo~

May ~ We were blessed to be invited to numerous brandings for our friends and neighbors. My Man took this nice shot of me and Colt at the Thompson branding in Diamond...the branding with the most wind and dust of the year!!
My camera will never be the same :( 

June ~ We had a pretty good year for our hay. Our decision on when to cut second cutting should have been about a week later. The hot weather during the growth of third cutting made it grow faster than second cutting...really abnormal for that time of year. We could have gotten a fourth cutting, but opted not to take the chance. So, now in January, we have lots of deer feeding in our fields which is nice to see.

July ~ Off to school goes Pierce! He's not the perfectly willing, forgiving horse that Colt is...I will have to step up to the plate on his training. I'm glad that I decided to do the Mike Bridges Project with him...it'll help me keep focused...and our friend/neighbor Brian will also be in the same Project...that'll be great support!

August ~ Trailin' Cattle...gather and trail with Colt and Rastus = Awesome!

September ~ The beautiful Indian Summer lasted well into November...VERY unusual for our area. My planter of hummingbird flowers bloomed on and on despite the deer who kept trimming off the top blooms!

October ~ My sweet boy Rastus. We spent an exciting two days at Crowley Ranch in October gathering pairs and moving them into fields close to headquarters just prior to their shipping date. It's the most remote ranch I've worked on...loved it!!! We passed the test...because we're invited back this spring to help turn out onto summer grazing...can't wait!

November ~ Our Kids! I'd been looking for a good day to do a family photo shoot and finally got one. Hard to believe that the Nasturtiums were still blooming in November!! The blooms made for a wonderful background.
Shortly after this, we had a major freeze, and they were done. 

December ~ On the 20th, our newest lil' treasure came into our lives. We are pleased to introduce tiny lil' Mindy Mae. At 4.7 pounds, she's just a drop in the bucket compared even to Cindy Sue!! Mindy Mae is another stray out of Madras which we adopted from Three Rivers Humane Society. She's just 3 1/2 years old and is in very good health! She LOVES the wood stove obviously, but she also loves Cindy Sue, Rastus and Red Dog.
My Man and I have lost our hearts to her~

OK...let's make it thirteen!!!

My Man is always here to support me...so, this one gets my vote for favorite photo of the year!

Thanks for ridin' along...happy trails~

Fall Branding & My Man's Birthday!

Sunday was just about as fun as it can get for us...branding in beautiful fall weather. Well, as usual, my hands were busy with a rope and a wad full of two-rein gear on Colt! But I got My Man to take a few photos of Pierce and Colt after the branding.

The Bros!
After the branding, I took the boys to the creek for a drink, and then lead Pierce back across the wood bridge...he did so nice. Colt pawed water right into Pierce's face at the creek (that's why he looks so splotchy)!

It's time to take Pierce to every outing we can. I saddled him at home with the other boys and when we got to Diamond, I tied him to the trailer, gave him a hay net and rode away.

Occasionally I'd hear Pierce whinny, but all in all, he was a very good boy!!

We had to sort off the slick eared cow/calf pairs, the bulls, and the neighbor's stock that was mixed in with Rancher Dan's herd...I love the sorting! Once we had all the slicks together, there ended up being about 30 calves!! And oh my...some of them were big enough to go through the squeeze chute!

We had the son-in-law there who's a professional buckaroo...we let him and his buddy do most of the really big calves. But, we learned a lot about handling those big ones and got in on a couple...it was a really good experience.

Ah yes...the birthday boy :~)

Happy Birthday dear husband!!

Gretchen had to work at the Hotel...so for lunch, we all headed over to the Hotel for beverages and the best burgers!!

Branding goes hand in hand with good food!!

This is why we always say that "We're livin' the dream!" Friends and life experiences just don't get any better than this.

Sunday Stills ~ Circles

The braided reata is not only a working tool, but a beautiful piece of art. Buckaroos who use them to rope livestock take pride in them and care for them as a treasure...they are expensive!

The coils of the reata form beautiful circles...there are other circles in the photo too if you search for them.

Neatly organized coils of a hand braided rawhide reata.

Below, another buckaroo uses a nylon ranch rope; personal preference, economics, and sometimes the weather dictates what the buckaroo will use on a particular day.

Either way, a loop is thrown to catch the calf's head and another one to catch the calf's heels for branding, vaccinations and castration if it's a bull calf.

The circle loop is thrown with practiced accuracy and lands around the calf's neck. It's branding day.

(Yes, I cheated and used my archives)

Check out other circle photos at Sunday Stills!

Day Dreaming...Branding Season

Yes, I've been day dreaming...sparked by baby calves.

A lot of the ranches around here are starting to get calves on the ground...it's an exciting time. I saw many on my drive to town yesterday. So far the weather's been holding pretty good. A lot of ranchers won't start calving until March (like us); it's a personal preference...decisions made by past experience usually, or maybe tradition.

January and February can be pretty harsh in SE Oregon, and loosing calves to bad weather is terrible...if you only have a few head, it's easy to keep an eye on everyone. But many ranches have hundreds or even thousands of cows to calve out, which makes it very difficult to make sure every calf gets up to nurse for that first time.

I dug through my archives from last year's brandings for this photo. Since I was usually holding a rope instead of a camera last year, I don't have near the number of photos I've had in year's past.

But, I'm ready to hold the rope again...it's an addiction ;~)

A steady ranch horse holds a calf at the fire for vaccinations, branding and castration.

My Man found this video the other night...it's always fun to find something that hits close to home. The photographer is from our area, JoAnna Lamb, and she's got some awesome photos of the Great Basin Buckaroos (and Buckaretts!) hard at work doing what they do best.

And the music is by Dave Stamey...who I can listen to all day long. The song is the perfect accompaniment to JoAnna's photos. I think you'll enjoy~

I'm joining Madge Bloom's new meme:

Tuesday Tune ~ Adrian Buckaroogirl

A little on the lighter side today...don't ya think after yesterday's coyote discussion?

But, I've got to say that I enjoyed reading everyone's comments and appreciate the understanding of those who have been there and have experienced the cruelty of nature (and shared your stories), and I appreciate the open mindedness of those who hope they never have to live it themselves but are ready to do what's necessary to protect their family.

Like Cindy D. commented "it's their prerogative"...and yes, indeed it is...and we'll just leave it at that.

So, let's get on to some fun!

I haven't done a tune for a while on the blog...not sure if you enjoy them or not, but I do! My Man and I don't listen to "country" music...we favor "cowboy" music.

This song, Old Time Vaquero, is almost haunting when you watch the video with the awesome old photos from way back when. It was written by Adrian and her father, David Brannan; composed by Adrian.

Looking closely at the photos, I'm amazed by how similar the way the cow work was done back then to how it's done today where we live. It gave me a flashback; it's why I was in tears sitting on Colt at the fire with my first calf to brand...I got to live the dream.

You'll want to take note of the horses, their gear, the construction of the corrals...everything in these photos are a treasure.

Adrian and I are nothing alike...she likes horses that buck, and I like mine to keep their feet on the ground...she wears make up and looks like a gorgeous doll, and I don't even own a tube of lipstick. But I love her music and her youthful exuberance for life!

Hope you enjoy!

Adrian Buckaroogirl Blog

Adrian's website with music and concert dates etc.

Have an awesome Tuesday!!

Rural Thursday ~ Spring Branding

It's addicting...this brandin' thing!!

Saturday was brandin' day for Rancher Dan's calves. A lot of planning goes into making the day run smoothly. Last week we had gathered all the wayward cows and calves that were let out of their field by someone who had left the gate open...thankfully they were all still where they were supposed to be this time!

Rancher Dan's checklist for the day:

Vaccinations...check
Doctoring supplies...check
Branding irons...check
Firewood & starter...check
Sharp knives...check
Refreshments...check
Food...check
Gather up a crew...check
50 other miscellaneous things...check

We arrived around 9:30 and once the field is gathered and all the cows and calves are put into the branding pen...the fun begins!

Now, there are two ways to catch the calves...heels first or neck first. Rancher Dan prefers heels first, but the majority are caught by the neck first.

Colt works hard and steady to pull the calf for the heeler.
I was very proud of him...if my roping skills were better, we'd get done a lot quicker!

Do you think we have enough ground crew help?!?
Colt is very good to stand with the right amount of pressure on the rope
while the crew gets the job done.

Every calf gets vaccinated, both ears notched, and branded. The bull calves are castrated. Brands are registered with the State of Oregon and are unique in their style and placement on the calf. The ear notches are registered along with the brand too and are mostly for easy identification when your calves are mixed with another rancher's calves during the sorting process in the fall.

The most important part...the brand...clean and easily read.

It's just as much fun to watch a branding as it is to participate...I enjoyed taking photos when I wasn't roping.

Throwing a long loop.

The benefit of watching is noting what you should...or shouldn't do in the branding pen. Learning how to get the job done with the least amount of stress on the calves is the main goal.

Catching the heels.

This young horse is learning his job well.

I enjoy looking at all the gear the horses are using...nothing fancy...just good working gear.

Standing firm and steady while holding the calf at the fire
is necessary for every horse to get the job done.

This gentleman has a horse that is a half-brother to Colt. He didn't bring him, but wished he had because this nice roan horse was pretty tired at the end of the day. Hopefully I'll get to see the half-brother at another branding this year.

Last but not least is a photo of my dear friend Mary. She roped the heels on my cow at last summer's futurity...she's a gritty lil' thing and sure knows her way around a ranch...something I really admire.

My friend Mary...I want to be able to rope like her...she's a hand.

After the last calf was branded, the horses are watered and the food was laid out on two tailgates...Gretchen does the BEST dutch oven over a fire. The perfect ending to a perfect day~

Come along on the Rural Thursday blog hop...see what else is happening in rural places around the world!

Colt + Sheep = Not On Your Life!

~A large bird circled around me like a hungry man.~

~Katherine Richards 1901~

And Colt thought he was gonna be eaten by the shaggy, wooly THING!

"Who me??!?? I'm just an innocent bystander! I won't hurt you horsey"

At one of Thompson's brandings this lovely sheep was gathered into the pen with the cows and calves. How did it get there? Well, the story as I've been told is that two years ago, Thompson's brought home their pairs from summer grazing and this lil' sheep was mixed in with the herd and just came home with them. Sheep do share the BLM grazing allotments sometimes and this one somehow lost its way and hooked up with the cows. So, it's been at their ranch ever since!

As you can tell, it's never been sheared. Before the branding began, they were going to shear it and get it out of the branding pen. So, they got the generator and the clippers out, but the blades were the wrong ones, so it didn't get sheared.

Colt wanted NOTHING to do with that sheep! He side-stepped, back-peddled and did everything but bolt 'n run (which he would have like to do if I didn't keep him facin' the sheep!) If the sheep had been sheared, it might have been different, but with all that wool, every time the sheep moved, he jiggled...one big bouncing, jiggling THING!! I'm still laughing at Colt. But he wasn't the only horse that had a dislike for the THING! The sheep was finally escorted out of the branding pen.

"Yes...YOU...I don't know what you are,
but I don't wanna have anything to do with YOU!!!"

Then, two weeks later I go back to help move the pairs out to summer grazing...and of course the THING is still there! Martin and David's horses had seen the sheep for two years and didn't mind it at all, but cuttin' a sheep from the herd is a lot harder than cuttin' a cow out...that sheep was stayin'.

So they roped it!

It was quite entertaining to see these two cowboys ropin' the sheep and tyin' it up so we could get the cows and calves out of the field!

Brothers David and Martin gettin' the problem solved.
(No sheep was hurt in this photo!)

It was a grand day for moving the pairs...a lil' bit on the warm side for the livestock, but the views were spectacular~

Great Basin Cattle Country
Steens Mountain stands majestically in the background.

I hope everyone has a great week!!

Bringin' 'um to the Fire

~The way to avoid housework is to live outside.~

~Sandra Blacksmith 1900~

No truer words have ever been spoken!!! And yesterday was the perfect day to be outside in what I consider "God's Country."

Not only was it just the right temperature (60 F) with just a slight breeze, the sun was shinning gloriously!!!

My Man and I were invited up to Bossman Dan's branding...you know the one with all the dutch oven cookin'? There weren't too many ropers, and a couple of them I new I could do better. So, I put my big girl panties on and got Colt ready. I asked Dan if I could give it a try, and he said OK...take lil' ones, watch out for the other ropers, and be careful. YES!

Our neighbor Martin was in the pen on his horse, and he said to take a lil' one...so I did...well, I missed the one I was aimin' for. The loop landed just behind the calf's ears and then conveniently slid to the left right around the head of calf next to it...hey...it wasn't branded yet, so I'll take it!

Ropin' isn't easy is all I can say. Someone was lookin' out for me on our first calf...now remember, neither Colt nor I have ever roped before. I know the sayin'...green on green makes black and blue...but Colt was perfect! His instincts kicked in (and our years of hard work training), and he did everything I asked him to do.

First calf caught...pulling him forward for Martin to catch the heels.

Martin missed his shot, but my friend Pat caught, and we got the calf to the fire.

Pat and I get this calf to the fire and I'm smilin' 'n cryin' at the same time...I'm sitting there on my trusty steed holding a calf to be branded...somethin' I never would have imagined myself doing five years ago. It was just the greatest feelin'!

Keeping the tension made me nervous...worried about Colt moving and stretching the calf too much.

My friends Pat and Mary thought it'd be best if I let them head and I take the heel shots...it would be better for Colt and myself since we are beginners. It made sense to me.

I made lots more misses than catches, but we helped get quite a few to the fire.

The last two calves of the day. Pat's on the heels of one and I'm on the heels of the other.

A couple of calves got through the brandin' pen fence and we had to round them up to finish the day. I got a good heel shot in and was thrilled to end the day sitting on Colt next to Pat on Lil' Joe with the last two calves of the day!

L-R Mary, myself, and Pat...the ending of a truly awesome day!

Well, you won't be hearin' from me for a week. The trailer's loaded with a ton of warm cloths and winter weather gear. The forecast says 90% chance of rain tomorrow...and we don't ride in an indoor arena at the clinic either...gotta Cowgirl Up!!

Hope you all have a great week...and many blessings to you and yours on this Easter Sunday.

Wordless Wednesday

Check out more Wordless Wednesday photos HERE!

More branding photos can be seen on yesterday's post.

Thanks for stoppin' by~Happy Hump Day!