Silvies River Flood Plain

As the winter snow pack melts with the warming spring days, much of the lowlands situated around Burns Oregon become swollen with much needed water. This shot was taken on the Bell-A Ranch where I was attending a cutting horse clinic.

Silvies River Flood Plain

The flood irrigation will allow the wild meadow grasses to grow tall and lush. They will be cut and baled into some mighty fine cattle and horse hay for next winter.

Participating in Friday Fences and SkyWatch Friday!!

The Moon Jumped Over the Sagebrush

 ~ 

It's SkyWatch Friday on Saturday!

My first submission to:

Deceiving Photos

A very peaceful view...but it could make you think different...

 Barbed Wire Halo 

...by reading the road sign next to the fence...

 Yes, there are rattlesnakes up that road!
My girlfriend used to live up there in the tree line...
LOTS of rattlesnakes!

...and as I try to take some shots of the tumble weeds blowing down the road, the wind is blowing so hard I can't keep the camera straight...and it rips my ball cap off my head...I had to run 30 yards down the road to catch it...twice!! I gave up! Ah, it was still fun!

Wind-Blown Weeds

But, photos can sometimes be deceiving   ;~)


Linking up today with Life According to Jan and Jer's Friday Fences and SkyWatch Friday~

Happy Easter weekend everyone!

The Collection Fence

Over the years here, we've found numerous metal objects while working the ground or just walking through the fields and paddocks. Mostly horseshoes...some quite old, and some more recent, but we've found  lots of pieces of farm equipment and of course things that we've no idea what it was used for! One of my favs is a beat up ol' water dipper.

The Collection Fence

The metal hair pin lookin' thing close up on the right is an old gate hinge. Back in the day, it was hard to get hinges like we use now. The two straight edges were bolted to the fence post (there would be one at the bottom of the gate and one at the top), and the gate was built so the gate edge closest to the fence had a post that sat on a rock and the post swiveled in the round part of the metal. We see them quite often still in use today; they stand the test of time.

I'm linking up with Skywatch Friday and  Jan and Jer's Friday Fences blog hop...come on along!

Leanin' Left

...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!

Mornin' Ritual

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!

Veterans' Day 11-11-11

Honoring our Nation's Veterans...thank you

for the service you have given to our

country...keeping us free~

~

SkyWatch Friday

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~

SkyWatch Friday

~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!

SkyWatch Friday

~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!

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!

SkyWatch Friday

~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!

SkyWatch Friday

~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!

Before Dawn

"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!!

Malheur Wildlife Refuge 'n Ranching

~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!!