Social Distancing in the Oregon Outback

This whole thing seems ludicrous as we live distantly here every day. Then the governor of Oregon has claimed that the people in Eastern Oregon aren't taking the virus serious enough. All I can do is roll my eyes and tell myself that as usual, she's doesn't have a clue how we live here in her state.

Livestock need to be fed...calves are being born everyday, and they need to be branded and vaccinated. The United States and the world still needs food!!! Are we just to let our farms and ranches go to ruin with dead animals and crops?!? That's not how we live out here.

OK...I'm off my rant...well, except for the selfish people who go to the stores in our only shopping (without having to travel 3 hours) and proceed to HOARD everything on the shelves. This happened yesterday...I went for my weekly shopping and couldn't buy half the things on my list...because of hoarders!! Yes, I was pretty p!ssed off and had to let John finish with the check out before I totally lost it at the cashier (not that it's her fault). People have no respect for others...they only look out for themselves. OK...not everyone is bad...as we have many people offering help and service to those in need. But what happened to common sense?! This world needs God more than ever.

Finally...I'm done ranting.

Bert's enjoying the sun...and is oblivious to any chaos in the world! Wish I was a dog!!

Spring is starting to poke her head up here...the day lilies are 6 inches high, and I found some tulips coming up!! We had 4 inches of snow last week, and it really spurred the grass and spring plants!!

My Man and I will take a ride again today to get our ponies legged up...the first branding for us in this coming Thursday. BTW...My Man has a new ranch horse that he's really excited about. The sad news is that we lost Whiskey last winter to a bad injury, and Boone has arthritis so bad in his front knee that he can't work anymore.

My Man and his new mount Snap!

Colt is doing great, and I'm going to focus on Cowboy Dressage again this year.

We still haven't sold our ranch, but we've re-listed it with a new real estate company, we have high hopes this time 'round!!! And we still are motivated to be Montana bound!

I pray for blessings and health to all of you my dear friends and followers~

In Health & Love~

#DoLifeBetter

 

gtyyup

Good Monday...Spring Has Sprung!!

 Happy Monday everyone!!

A new find from the landfill...who would want to through
away a perfectly good flower pot?!?

Spring is rolling fast and furious around here. What little varmint reduction we got will just be what it is, the fertilizer is on, the irrigation is running, and the hay (along with all the weeds) is growing!! 

We seeded orchard grass into more of our alfalfa last fall, so we'll have a lot more alfalfa/grass mix to sell this year.

Alfalfa, orchard grass...and a few weeds. It'll make good feed this winter!

My trip to Paleo f(x) in Austin TX was exceptional...the number of speakers, vendors and events were "brain exploding!"

My Team! #PFX19

The main stage with a panel of health professionals talking
about how the brain and the gut biome are connected.

Did you know that the brain and the gut are connected? It's actually very facinating...and having a healthy gut changes your whole body!!!

Ryan, me and Sprinkles...yep, I'm short!!!

#PFX19

So, how's your gut? Consider taking the free health assessment!

#JTTA

I hope everyone has a very blessed week!

In Health & Love~ 

 #DoLifeBetter

 gtyyup

Throwback Thursday~March 2014

March 5 years ago...great memories!!!

Awwww...the newborn calves! How I miss them.
We sold our little herd two years ago in preparation of moving.

Red Dog & Rastus...running and chasing each other as spring is coming.
Not much has changed with these two! 

Sweet Martha Jo~we adopted her so she could live out her life with love.
She wasn't with us long, but it was a very special time.

What precious memories do you have in your heart from 5 years ago?

In Health & Love~ 

 #DoLifeBetter 

 gtyyup

Wordless Wednesday

In Health & Love~
 #DoLifeBetter
 gtyyup

Weekly Top Shot

Well, another great blogger is back from a blogging break...Madge Bloom at The View From Right Here.

She hosts the Weekly Top Shot meme which I always enjoyed. Glad you're back Madge!!

As of today, we are officially done with calving season as Number Three gave us a beautiful bull calf at 7:22 AM! Well, most of you know that we have a VERY small herd. But the amazing thing is that all five cows calved within one week! The sire, Willy, was a busy boy last spring and didn't waste any time in getting his job done!

As the morning sun came up yesterday, I found this calf snuggled warmly in the hay pile.
It always amazes me how their natural instincts begin immediately at birth.
Within the first half hour, they're up on their feet and nursing.
They also know the best places to stay warm and hidden from predators.

Thanks again Madge for hosting!

Weekly Top Shot

Meanwhile, Waiting for the Water Trough to Fill...

Smile!

What else would you do...but have a photo shoot!

Let's chase bunnies!

The "Get Up" command in action!

"Hey Mom...I feel stupid up here!"

Awww...but you're so handsome Rastus!

And...other stuff...

Boulder & Sage

Tumbleweed Corner...yes, in my arena...gotta get to cleanin' that mess up!

Have a wonderful Fall weekend!

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.

Wordless Wednesday ~ Mornin' Surprise

When Thoughts Come True

How many times have you ever thought of something that could happen...and then it does?

Feeding the herd this mornin', I tripped while pushing the wheelbarrow, fell forward and landed with my lower teeth on the rim of the metal wheelbarrow. Tripped over a damn rock...which I have done too many times to remember~and always thought "what if?"

One tooth is broke in half and a couple others are loose...split my lip of course, and I look like I was in a fight...and lost.

Off to the dentist...hope they can fix me up.

It can only get better from here today.
One of my favorite views...clouds and blue sky over the rim rock.

Orphaned Calves~Trials 'n Tribulations

There's no better explanation than trials 'n tribulations when you try to graft a cow to a calf. It's something that I hope we don't have to go through again...but I doubt it...if you're going to raise any type of livestock, sh!t just happens no matter what you do to prevent it!

As you might remember, the lil' brown calf died on March 9 and we brought home the orphaned black calf on March 10. We've been struggling to get the cow to accept the calf ever since. The calf wants nothing more than to have a mamma that he can nurse from...Annabelle is just being a stinker...she threatens him by slinging her head at him and stomping her back hooves...but doesn't ever actually hurt him.

The day before yesterday, I was ready to through in the towel and just bottle feed the lil' guy...it would be a lot easier than going through the frustration with Annabelle. We took off the hobbles and turned them both out with the rest of the herd hoping that she'd step up to the plate and take care of her calf...24 hours later...nothin' doin'. I decided we'd get him separated out and just start the bottle. So, I've got him alone in the pen and am working at getting him into the stall to feed him and Annabelle comes running and bawling to the gate "what are you doing to MY calf?" Pffttt...alright, I put her in the pen with the lil' guy and she wants nothing to do with him. CRAZY damn cow! So, we bottle fed him and left him in the stall for the night...and fed him again in the morning.

Meanwhile, I'm Googling last resort ideas for grafting a cow and a calf...and came across an inspiring blog post at Double H Photography (photography, writing and ranching in rural Wyoming). She had written a post called "Calf Adoption Services" where her fiance had a bottle calf that didn't know how to nurse from a very willing mother cow (he wanted his bottle!). I know, the opposite of what my problem is...but she said "This would not happen like this at my house."

So...what did they do at her ranch? Maybe she could give me some pointers...couldn't hurt to ask, so I emailed her, and she sent me back a couple of very encouraging replies. "Sounds like you've won half the battle, if not the war, since she at least likes him when he isn't trying to eat!" said Heather.

Day 11...the best feeding so far.

So, My Man and I are back at it again...I had visions of udder utter bliss between the two of them after they had been together for five days...OK...then there's reality where things take longer than anticipated. It could be worse...so, keep going and keep trying.

We've always had to put her into the lead up to the squeeze chute so she wouldn't threaten the calf when he tried to eat. This morning, I gave her a bit of hay (she had not had any hay since last evening's feeding), got her to stand against the fence in the corner, threatened her with my stock stick when she was going to be nasty to the calf...and the calf nursed while she ate...it was success! She didn't act nearly as cranky!!!

When the lil' guy had his fill, I put him in the arena next to her pen with water and a handful of calf starter grain, gave Annabelle half her breakfast, and plan to go out at noon to do it all over again. The plan is to keep her a lil' bit hungry, and she gets a reward for standing for the calf...and she also gets to have her bag pressure released...I hope she'll put two and two together and realize the lil' guy is a good thing.

Rear approach...it'll be so nice to see him stand next to her instead of behind her. But this is where the calf feels the safest...even though he keeps getting cow crap on his head...poor thing!

There you have it...we'll just keep pushing forward and pray for the ultimate success...a pair!

BTW...thanks Heather for all your help!

Oh...another BTW...my "pool time" photos from yesterday were taken almost two weeks ago when it was almost 60 degrees and Rastus just wanted into any water he could find. Now we're back to ice on the water tanks again and feeding in insulated bib because the wind chill is down to 10 degrees. Yep, it's spring!

Celebrate National Agriculture Day!

March 19 is National Agriculture Day..."so what" you say?

What Is Ag Day All About? (from the agday.org website)
Ag Day is about recognizing - and celebrating - the contribution of agriculture in our everyday lives. The National Ag Day program encourages every American to:

• Understand how food and fiber products are produced.
• Value the essential role of agriculture in maintaining a strong economy.
• Appreciate the role agriculture plays in providing safe, abundant and affordable products.

My Man and I contribute just a tiny bit to the agriculture industry, but we are proud to produce a quality product so you can have good, safe food on your table!

We do a lot of this...

(usually from May through early September)

...to grow as much of this as we can...

(three cuttings June, July and September)

...most of which is trucked off to Willamette Valley dairies...

(200 tons)

...so you can go to your local grocery store and buy milk, butter, and cheese!

What alfalfa we grow that isn't good enough for dairy cows, we feed to our own cows to raise a few of these...

(Early Girl - a 2013 calf)

...who, when old enough and fed right, will be available to you at your local grocery store.
Beef - That's what's for dinner!

Just think of all of the food products that are available to you in one place...at your local grocery store...those products didn't get there by chance or by magic. A lot of sweat, joy, heartbreak and tears goes into each of those products by farmers and ranchers all across our nation...and the world.

You gotta watch Ranching Awesome!!



And you can't forget Farmer Style!!




Say THANK YOU to a farmer or rancher today...celebrate with us National Agriculture Day!

Life's Rollercoaster

Thanks to everyone for their kind thoughts and comments on the death of the lil' brown calf. CDNCowgirl said it very well:

"Despite what the end holds for most cows to lose such a young calf is so sad."

Yes, their beef cows...raised to be eaten. But it's so hard to stand by and watch a young life slip away...knowing you've done all you could do. But God has his own plan, and we just need to go with it.

Cindy Sue is lending her support.

It makes me feel better knowing that the brown calf's last hour of life was in warmth and love instead of dying out in the cold. A lot of tears were shed.

But, we forge forward...what to do with a cow that has lots of milk to give...but we don't know if she'll accept another calf. We decided that we had to give it a try.

We put phone calls out to all the neighbor ranches and posted on FB...then yesterday afternoon, dear friend Rancher Dan called and said he had a calf that might work for us. He was about a week old, and had been abandoned by his mother...and he'd been sneaking drinks of milks from all the other cows when he could...he wasn't shy!

So, we headed over with the trailer, got him scooped up out of the field while he was sleeping in the sun, and loaded him up for home.

We put him (a bull calf) in with Annabelle, and she wasn't violent toward him, but she didn't want him to nurse...so we got her into the first section of the lead up to the squeeze chute; a board in front and a board in back...she couldn't get away.

We brought up the lil' guy behind her, and he knew exactly what to do! So in less than 24 hours, we had a calf for her...our hopes are high that this will work!

Despite being pooped and peed on, he drank and drank...

...and drank until he was full !

I tried to hobble Annabelle's hocks, but being the rookie that I am, was unsuccessful. So, we turned her loose with him in the paddock. If she won't let him nurse today, we repeat yesterday's exercise.

It looks to me that she's going to accept him, it'll just take some time.

Last evening when we left the barn, the lil' guy was snug and warm in the calf shelter...and he was still in there this mornin'. It's good to know that he's safe...now we'll see if today will bring them closer together as a pair. Wish us luck!

In Memory of the Lil' Brown Calf

That may sound silly, but it was heartbreaking for me. She had a bit of scours, but we think she probably had other issues that caused her to die. We had her in the house in front of the wood stove when she passed away.

 ~

We're hoping to find a leppy calf that we can try to graft onto the mamma, Annabelle.

Spring Horse/Ranch Keeping

Last weekend I got all the horses wormed on Saturday, and they got their annual vaccination on Sunday. It's nice to get that out of the way. They'll still need to get their West Nile vaccination, but I'll wait until the weather warms up.

Colt had some saddle fit issues last year. I took my saddle to a local maker and he tore it apart to see what might be causing the white marks that Colt had gotten on his back. Well, there were a few things wrong with it's original construction, but he was able to correct them. But the major thing is that the saddle is just too wide for Colt's narrow body shape.

A friend of mine has a vintage/antique Visalia Stock Saddle Company saddle for sale (interesting history in that link), and I'm trying it on Colt to see if it fits him. The stirrup leathers have been replaced as well as the strings and the horn wrap too. The fenders are pretty warn also, but it actually seems to fit him...and it was a comfortable ride for me too!

I'm going to take Colt and the Visalia saddle to the local saddle maker to have him check it out and see how much repair the saddle needs and the cost...it may be better to just have another saddle made with a narrow tree. But, it's kind of a neat ol' saddle, and I bet it has a lot of stories to tell! It was probably built before I was born...strange to sit in and think about that~

Visalia Saddle

Yesterday we were blessed with another newborn calf...and another heifer too. We'd prefer bull calves because they will weigh more at weaning time and bring more money, but I'd prefer a healthy calf than no calf at all!

This lil' girl is a Hereford/Jersey/Angus cross.
I think that's why she's a much lighter red color than Early Girl.

Speaking of the "one month early" thing...my error...these calves are born right on schedule. I can't seem to get my May and June dates correct!

OK...you pick a caption for this photo...I think the look on Annabelle's face is priceless!

My Man's been working REALLY hard to get the cow corrals up...and he's almost there! With Number Three being a first year heifer, we needed a place to keep her close to the barn. We also needed the corrals for working and sorting the cows when vaccination and weaning time comes around. Basically all that's left is to put up the gates.

My Man is pulling nails from the used poles we got...it was a really cost-affective deal!
LOL...there's Stetson in the background givin' him moral support!

We'll be able to get Number Three corralled this afternoon. She doesn't look like she's going to calve real soon, but that's the funny thing about heifers...they don't show signs like a mature cow does. She could very well need assistance (from us) to get her calf born safely into this world, and we'll be checking on her frequently through out the day and night. My Man put a good light up on the outside of the barn too!

We don't have any green plants sprouting out of the ground yet, but we have new calves, and spring's just 'round the corner!!! Yeah!