Wordless Wednesday ~ After Breakfast

Wordless Wednesday ~ Morning Breakfast Call

Trailing Cows ~ Day 2

The weather forecast was correct this time...cold, snowy, and windy.

We pulled into the Jenkins place where the cows were left overnight expecting to see 8-10 newborn calves, but there were only two! As we separated the pairs from the herd, the snow was pelting our faces...I thought to myself that there are buckaroos out here doing this on a daily basis...this was not the glamorous part of being a buckaroo!

But, we got the lil' calves loaded into the trailer and Rancher Dan's wife (G) drove them to the ranch and put them in the barn under a heat lamp to wait for their mother's arrival. The momma cows were not too happy with us, but they joined up with the rest of the herd and headed on down the road.

A rural traffic jam

The early mornin' snow was just a shower thank goodness...the sun came and went all day with a few snow showers here and there, but the wind picked up it's pace as the day progressed.

Yes, those are red ears in that photo...Rohan is going to get his fair share of riding this year. He's been left to sit in the pasture and get fat far too long! He'll never be the cow horse Colt is, but gathering, trailing and a bit of sorting will be really good for him. It's always good to have a back up horse ready to go when needed.

Rohan is my cow pony for the day!

Today's trip is about 13 miles, and like the day before, the cows were making good time with a nice, steady pace headin' for home.

Overlooking the beginning of the Diamond Valley toward the west.

About 5 miles from the ranch, we saw one cow laying down along the side of the road...we figured she might have her calf right there. But when we reached her on horseback, she got up and headed into the middle of the herd. Shortly after that, we turned onto the road going east and the wind was to our backs with tumbleweeds rolling along with us...I felt like a tumbleweed! The wind was pretty gusty!

We took the herd through a neighboring rancher's field and then onto the 2 mile driveway...everything was going smoothly!

Almost to the ranch and the sun is shinning brightly! But the wind was still rippin'.

Rancher Dan was in the front opening gates, and My Man and I were bringing up the rear closing gates behind us as we went. By the time we got to the ranch and into the field with the end of the herd, the cow that had laid down along side the road was already giving birth...such a good ol' girl!

Just in time...this cow laid down immediately and had her calf. Yes, those are snow flakes dotting the photo.

We had to sort out the two mother cows from this morning and reunite them with their calves; they mothered up nicely. And there was another calf in the barn that had been gathered up the day before; that calf was too cold to be left behind with its mother, so G took him to the ranch (riding on the floor board of the pickup) to get warmed up and bottle fed. They locked that cow into the barn with the calf...after two days apart, the momma cow may reject the calf. But, last I heard, they were starting to mother up.

Rastus is getting a bit of cool refreshment from McCoy Creek.

We moved some heifers around for Rancher Dan, and then tied the horses up on the trailer. G had an awesome lunch for us...the end of a great day! For D & G it'll be a 24/7 job until all the cows and heifers are done calving...hard work, but well worth the doin'.

Thanks for comin' along on the drive!

Spring ~ Always Too Much To Do!

This time of year is always so busy...I haven't had time to blog...let alone read many blogs!! So, you're gonna get about two weeks worth in one post!

But, spring has finally arrived here in the high desert...even though it's been pretty cold in the mornin's! Of course, this is typical of our area...it's been known to snow in July! The apple tree is blossoming out, and the lilacs are starting to pop out too!

Apple blossoms

We've started irrigating the alfalfa to stay ahead of the game. It was dry, so we started the wheel lines, then we had two days of rain and snow.  But, we started them up again last evening.

Cold Mornin' Irrigation

The freezing temperatures in the mornin's freezes the water on the alfalfa, but as long as the water continues to run, the alfalfa won't burn as the day warms up and the ice melts...strange, but it works.

Iced Alfalfa

My three-day Mike Bridges clinic was awesome...we even had warm weather which I think is a FIRST in the two and a half years I've been doing them!! Mike taught his techniques for ground training in a square pen. This develops collection, balance and re-balance, stops and turns. The horse also learns how to handle pressure because the energy level is high and everything is done at a trot or  a canter.

This isn't a new technique, it's dated back to the 1600's according to Mike. I found an article about Harold Farren on the QuarterHorseNews.com site that states that Farren invented the square pen...so, I don't believe that statement is accurate, but you can get an idea of the use of the square pen. Harold Farren was an interesting horseman.

It really was amazing how Colt felt when I rode him right after he had been worked in the square pen...really amazing difference! Now I'm planning how My Man's gonna build my square pen!!

Training in the square pen

In other news...my Ol' Man Toby has gone on an adventure!! He left last Wednesday to help a lil' 4 year old girl learn how to ride!

Toby...25 years young!

I read on FaceBook that a local family was looking for a dead broke horse for their daughter to ride...I thought about it, then forgot about it. The gal posted again what they were looking for, and just that day, while Toby was being trimmed I thought he should be doing something. So, I contacted her and we got together.

Toby took it all in stride, and we decided to give it a try. If he doesn't work out, he'll come back home...he's just out on loan. But, I think it's going to work. It was very sad to see him loaded into the trailer and drive out the driveway...I've had him since he was 6 months old...he's my oldest child!! You can read about Toby's life and times on this post if you're interested.

But, I know that he's getting good care from very good people...and he's doing something that I think is very noble for an old horse...helping the young ones.

Reata leads Toby to the horse trailer.

Yesterday was a simply gorgeous day...and a perfect day to help Rancher Dan take his second year heifers with their calves up to their summer pasture...the sun was shining and just a slight breeze.

Those aren't Colt's ears!!!
Nope, this is the view between Rohan's ears.

Rohan is my strawberry roan mustang that I adopted from the BLM when he was a yearling, and I believe he's eight this year. I did a lot of riding on him before I got Colt. Rohan's been standing around with Stetson and Catnip (the burros) for two years!! I decided that I was not doing him or myself any favors by not using him...he's a good, broke horse, and I should keep him going.

So, I saddled him up Friday evening, had him do a few laps in the round pen, and then stepped on...not a buck in him after two years of not being ridden. We rode for 20 minutes or so...decided to take him the next day to move the pairs.

It worked out perfect. We were in the saddle for 5 hours. His steering is rusty, but other than that he was awesome!

Waterin' Hole

It took three hours to drive them up to the pasture, and only two hours for us to ride back to the ranch.

Get along lil' doggies

Rohan got his first introduction to peacocks and turkeys at Rancher Dan's place...he thought the peacocks were bad...until he saw and heard the turkeys!!! OMG!!!  Dan had to get between the approaching turkeys and Rohan so I could get Rohan through the gate...we'll have to have more "turkey" lessons I guess!

We loaded up the horses and headed for Hotel Diamond for burgers and beverages...great way to end a perfect day!

Today it's laundry, checkbook, garden and weed spraying...never a dull moment!

Wild Bunch Wednesday

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!

Wordless Wednesday

Snow Tails~

Go HERE to see more Wordless Wednesday! Happy Hump Day!!

Come along on the blog hop~

Owls, Burros and a Tack Room Makeover

This is what an owl looks like in 30 mile an hour winds!

They usually stand upright all day long in the elm

tree...but papa owl was hangin' on last week!

I know you've been wondering about the lil' baby owls...well, they're out of the nest, and I'm waiting for my brother-in-law to send me the pics he got of them while I was at my clinic last week. They're hiding somewhere on top of the rim in the sage brush...hard to find!

But on that same windy day...the Wild Bunch was goofing off...

The "Headless Donkey" aka Stetson!

Catnip is showin' Stetson a lil' bit of motherly love and

Rohan is in between coat changes...he's got to

loose all that long white hair still.

One of our other projects on last weekend's list was the beginning of the 'Tack Room Makeover'...which is part of the 'Extreme Barn Makeover!' My Man works at a lumber/hardware store in town and sometimes gets some pretty good deals on materials that have been in their yard too long. There were some floor joists that they wanted to see gone...and we needed some...so they have a new home...in our barn!

After taking all the tack and shelving out of the tack

room, you can see why we need a makeover

in here...they only used 1/2 inch plywood and

green lumber for support underneath...it was a

pretty shabby job.

The old floor is almost gutted out. You can see how bad the

support was...the broken 2 x 6 against the wall!

All the sub-flooring is in...ready for the new 1 inch

 sheets ...that's this weekend's project! 

Note the layer of plywood on the bottom

of the joists...the goal is to make the tack room rat

 and mouse proof!

I've got some paneling picked out for the walls. It's oak sheets (old, thick, nice stuff) coming out of an old building...we're just waiting for them to demolish the building; they won't let us have it until then.

My Man's going to put up shelves for storage and saddle racks that will go on the wall above the saddle stands...this'll give us a lot more room.

He's also going to build a 4 foot door...I don't know how many times we catch the dang door knob on the tiny 3 foot door we have now...

Huge thank yous to My Man!!

Between You, Me, and the Fence Post

Between You, Me, and the Fence Post...is that not a catchy ditty or what?!? Well, it's actually the blog name of the latest and newest blogger that I've had the pleasure to meet...in person...face to face!!!

Just today!

Please meet Sarah who in this photo is making fast

friends with lil' Silverbelly Stetson...momma Catnip is being

standoffish as usual in the background.

Sarah (blogger extraordinaire) and her husband Malcolm are long haul truckers. Sarah realized this morning that they would be driving by very close to our ranch...yea...like within 2 miles!!! After a couple of blog comments and a couple of phone calls, they were on their way to the Rough String!

L-R Sara, Rohan, me 'n Stetson.

While Sarah and I enjoyed chatting about blogging, the pros and cons of long haul trucking, farming and ranching, and the problem of dust and housekeeping in the west, the guys were getting acquainted. Not only did the two guys have trucking as a common denominator, but farming, ranching (including shooting varmints), and the rural way of life, which quickly bonded them as kindred spirits.

Pretty soon the two of them were out there in the alfalfa fields with .22 rifles shooting sage rats. The rats have just come out of hibernation and the guys enjoyed a few rounds of target practice. Believing that My Man's .22 was the better rifle, he had Malcolm use his rifle. But it seemed that My Man's rifle was dialed in for a left handed shooter (which non of use could figure out), but Malcolm didn't miss a one with my rifle (right handed)...so, go figure!?!

After the bullets quit flyin' the carnivores came in...including this beautiful National Bird...a Bald Eagle.

I took this photo from the front porch with the wheel line

and fence in the photo. Next time I'll get out there

closer and see if I can get a better shot.

As the afternoon went by all too quickly, it was time for Sarah and Malcolm to hit the road again. I drove them a mile down the road where they'd left their truck...which also held their precious cargo...three Chinese Crested.

Oh my gosh...what cute lil' girls they are!!!

Malcolm, Sarah, Carlie, Paris and Ella.

Cindy Sue wasn't quite sure what to think about

"The Girls," but here she is trying to

make acquaintance with Carlie and Ella is running

back to Sarah...just overly excited to see her mom!

My Man and I had the most enjoyable afternoon. Meeting fellow bloggers face to face is an absolute treasure. Sarah and Malcolm are wonderful people, and we hope that we'll be able to see them often in the future as they continue their travels throughout the Western States.

Happy trails to Sarah and Malcolm...return often~~

My Santa~~My Man

And what a good Santa My Man was to me!

I can't say that I thought I was really that good throughout the year...but maybe the stars were aligned "just right!"

This is my one and only gift...which was plenty...

and just what I wanted!

Of course, when you shop

for your own gift, it's not hard to get exactly

what you want! ;~)

The man in the brown truck brought it to our door over a week ago, and it's been sitting in the box (unopened) in the living room the whole time. My Man did wrap it for me on Christmas Eve to make it look official! Yes, he just wrapped the shipping box!

Lisa, over at the Laughing Orca Ranch, has a SX10 and I absolutely LOVE her photos! And Ed at Thoughts from the Road (Mr. Camera Man himself), thought it was the best camera for the money.

So far, I'm totally pleased with what I'm getting.

FYI, my Fuji FinePix was a good camera until the Auto Focus started messing up and driving me crazy...probably a lil' too much trail dust!

Rohan's beautiful strawberry roan coloring is exact!

As are the browns and tans of the alfalfa

field in the background.

The zoom...I'm in LOVE with the zoom!!

I'm sure I can take a photo of an owl's eye if I wanted to.

OK...I'll try that tomorrow!

Even with the dank, dark, brown yard the

action shots came out good.

Cowboy 'n Bella Jo enjoy a good game

of Tug 'n Run every day!

The zoom...did I mention that I LOVE the zoom?!?

This is our neighbor's house about a mile

up Anderson Valley...I'm amazed!

Cowboy's white eyelashes...too cute! Even in the

shadows I can see details of the subject.

The blue sky really is that blue in real life!

And, yes, the browns are brown, but the faint

sage green...ah yes...

I'm really liking the details the images pick up.

The lighting and colors are true.

Then there's the macro...not only does it have macro,

but it has a "Super Macro" too!!

What was this ant doing out in the dead of winter...

beats me?

My favorite photo of the day is a macro, and I'll

post it for Macro Monday this coming week!

My Man's a pretty good shopper if I say so myself!

Cindy Sue agrees ;~)

Thanks honey~~