Garden Visitors~Snakes in the Grass!

Look close!

#MLAChallenge day 8

How's your summer??!! 

Full Strawberry Moon tonight and the Summer Solstice on Friday!

We have 1st cutting done!! Yahoo!! Movin' on to irrigating 2nd.

In Health & Love~ 

 #DoLifeBetter 

 gtyyup

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~

Out with the Old ~ In with the New

The beauty of the old year has faded

The dawn of a new year approaches

May there be a guiding light, love, happiness and prosperity
throughout the New Year for each of you.
~God Bless~

Wordless Wednesday ~ Garden Stalker

 ~ 

Get more Wordless HERE!!

Also participating in Wordless Wednesday Again.

Farmin' Friday

Yes, I've been missing in action...busy...but also just didn't have any umph to get a blog post done. Should I call this "Summer Hours" for blogging?

Well, it's definately spring...we've been helping brand calves and move pairs for our neighbors. We also got the new bull for our herd. No, we didn't buy one, we're trading pasture space for breeding...works good for us!

Remember Goof? Well, two reasons we didn't get him this year; One, he's Number Three's sire...so that wouldn't be good. Number two, he died last year. I was very sad to hear that, he was such a sweet ol' man. I always liked the photo below of him...it fits him to a T! Goof is also the sire of Tumbleweed and Paddy.

~RIP Goof~

So, let's introduce Herfy. He's just two years old and will make a great heifer bull for Number Three, and Annabelle and Ellie Mae are small enough that he shouldn't have any problems servicing them as well. Herfy will stay the summer and go back home in the fall to breed his owner's cows (they fall calve their herd). Since they wanted a place to put him, it worked out perfect for all of us! Another nice thing is that it's my understanding that mixing some Hereford into your herd is good...we might get some white faces next spring!

Herfy the bull is followed by Number Three...she likes him!

Lots of planting going on too...flowers and some garden items. We could very easily have frost and/or snow this time of year, so I can't get too carried away. But, the peas, onions and Brussels sprouts are in the ground. My tomatoes are transferred to larger pots and are in the green house.

Spring planting

More planting

We had 80 degree weather a week ago...and we've had the wood stove going for the past two days! I drove to Bend yesterday and came through a snow storm that dumped 3 inches of snow on a half mile stretch of the highway...so strange!!

We're supposed to help brand again tomorrow, but it's still raining today. It might be too slick to brand...we'll wait and see.

Whiskey's got his eyes on something!

Red Dog is lovin' ranch life...but I don't like having to bathe him every night!!! After changing irrigation, he's a mud ball from his chest down and of course he wants in the house (he's not spoiled you know). I took the scissors to his hind end and cut off all his pretty feathers (which were turning into dregs), and that's helped a bunch, but I still have to put him into the tub at night!

One happy ranch dog!

Speaking of dogs...Miss Cindy Sue got tangled up with another varmint...bob cat, badger...something brown in color (I didn't get a good look at it). Off to the vet on a Sunday evening for stitches. Whatever it was got her front leg and ripped the skin back in a triangle shape. Thankfully there wasn't any damage done to anything else.

I counted up and she's used up five lives...so if it's like a cat, she's only got four more! I know, I've said it before...she's gotta be on a shorter leash...literally~

More Fall Photos~Farm Photo Friday

~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~

SkyWatch Friday

~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~

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

~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!