Sum-sum-summer Time

It finally feels like summer here with temps to 90 degrees and a summer thunderstorm.  My sister arrived yesterday from Arizona for the all-school reunion and centennial celebration for the town of Opheim.  We had come back to my house from our Mom's and saw some storm clouds building.  We made supper and didn't think much about it until the wind came up and it started to rain.  I told my sister that I should probably check the weather service website for the radar.  I did and found out that we were in a tornado warning area.  So, off to the basement we went, margaritas in hand.  We laughed, tho, when we realized we were like our mother and had to clean up the kitchen first.  God forbid the kitchen be messy if it was going to be hit by a tornado!  Thank goodness it blew by quickly with a minimum of rain and no damage.  Some of our property in Richland didn't fare so well, however.  J saw one of our cattle trailers being nearly tipped over by the wind and a combine header was flipped over and the pole went through the side of C's grain trailer.  We heard there was baseball size hail to the southwest of here.  We don't need that!  During the storm M was in Scobey with his crop insurance agent buying hail insurance.  With the weird weather we've had all year it's probably a good bet that we'll get some freak storm.  Keeping our fingers crossed that that doesn't happen.  Welcome to summer :)

Not Really My Day

Today was rodeo day which is a big deal since it's really the only big event that happens in Opheim.  I wasn't sure M and J would take the day off to go, but they did.  I was determined to finish (start?) the mowing at my Mom's since R hasn't had time and I needed to get my mower back home.  I started mowing my yard with my old push mower that M finally got running but it died again.  My yard looks kind of funny right now.

And there I was when the mower died....

 

 

 

So, anyway, I decided that I had to mow today so the plan was to get up early and mow before going to the rodeo.  First, we didn't get up as early as we should have and M didn't get my breakfast ready fast enough (Sunday is pancake day).  Then I had to find a gas jug in Richland and fill it up before I headed to Mom's.  When I got there I discovered that the gas jug had fallen over and leaked gas all over the box of my pickup--yuck!  Then I had to get the mower off the trailer.  I had watched R load and unload it and knew it wasn't easy because the ramps are barely wide enough for the mower.  I started it up and made an attempt to back it off but panicked and decided I would just put it in neutral and push it off.  Easier said that done since then I had no steering.  I did manage to get it off, but it wasn't pretty.

Then I had to fill it with gas.  I wish someone would show me that it IS possible to pour gas out of those jugs without spilling it everywhere.  I can't manage to do it.

Finally, ready to mow--after I go wash some gas off my hands.  The grass was too tall and too thick so I had to go slow and plugged up the mower a couple of times, but the first yard was fairly uneventful.  Then I got outside of the yard where there was a barbed wire gate propped up against the fence.  I knew it was there but thought I was past it so moved in to cut closer to the fence and caught the gate.  A person can't shut down fast enough when that happens!  I went to the house to look for pliers so I could start cutting wire.  My mom had heard the noise and figured I had trouble.  I started trying to cut wire but the pliers weren't very effective.  I called M to tell him that I might need his help and all he said was "I guess we'll miss the parade."  Uh, big deal.  My brother happened to call Mom to see if she needed a ride to town, and she told him I had trouble.  He told her that I could call him if I needed help.  Didn't take long for me to dial that number and tell him I needed wire cutters.  He was there in a flash with wire cutters in hand.  We lifted up the mower and propped it up and proceeded to get the wire out without too much trouble.  He was my hero for the day.  I called M and told him not to worry about me, he could go to his damn parade!  He will, however, have to rebuild that gate although it's not used much so maybe not.

So, I mowed and mowed and mowed and almost caught another gate.  The way my day was going I was surprised that I saw it in time.  I finally finished about 2:00, an hour late for the rodeo.  M said he would come out and help me load the mower and pull the trailer home.  I knew how that would go if he was in the beer garden all afternoon so I decided to try to load it myself.  I got it loaded with no problem, hooked up the trailer and off I went to the rodeo.

M got tied up in the beer garden visiting with one of our neighbors who just always talks a line of crap.  I always ask M why he listens to his BS.  I've heard it said that you know he's lying when his lips are moving.  It started to cloud up and there were a few spits of rain so I decided I'd better get out of there in case it rained enough that I couldn't get home with the mower and trailer.  Good excuse for me to get out of there anyway.  My sister is coming to stay on Wednesday so I want to get my house and yard work done before then.

Now it's time for a shower and a margarita!

Is it a Bad Sign When There are Ducks in the Wheat Field?

That's the question I had to ask this evening as we were taking the tractor to pull out the stuck sprayer and there was water running down the edge of the field.  I missed out on all the fun today as I had a day off the farm with my mom to go to the doctor and my chiropractor.  It was such a beautiful day that I would have loved to have been outside all day.  I did get a walk in this morning.  I went to check some cows but they were hiding behind the hills, and I didn't have time to chase them down.  At least they weren't out of the pasture on the road or anything.

This evening R called to see if I would come get his dad so I headed to Richland.  When I got there, M said, "this might take a little longer than I thought."  He had just pulled out R who got stuck with the roller.  He saw water and felt the tractor start to sink and hit the brakes but when he did that the front of the tractor fell into the ground.  They had to unhook the roller and pull it back and then hook onto the tractor and pull it backwards.  About the time I got to town, J called because he had the sprayer stuck.  C is probably happy that it was J who first got it stuck with the new tires.  M said I might as well ride along.  I didn't think that was a very good idea because I get sick to my stomach watching the process of getting it unstuck and the tracks left in the field.  They broke a clevis and then a chain but eventually got it out and left a crevasse behind it.  Some of that will just not get sprayed.  The wheat crop there is incredible.  Hopefully, it will dry up and we'll get to harvest it.  M commented that the lentils nearby are taller now than they were at harvest time back in 2006.  Tall lentils are a very good thing since they aren't much fun to cut when they are four inches high.

There is rain in the forecast again for tomorrow night so they are hoping to have another good day tomorrow and get all they can sprayed and rolled.  I was happy today that I actually left home and got back on a dry road.  I wish the county road crew would get out here because the road might not get any drier and it really needs work!

Happy Father's Day

In honor of Father's Day we tested bulls today.  The vet had scheduled for Friday but we had a monsoon so he cancelled and rescheduled.  J and K came out intending to pull out a stuck tractor and got enlisted to help us with the bulls since R was MIA or maybe AWOL.  They brought our new grandbaby, a Morkie named Piper.  She is very cute and very sweet.

I had never seen the bull testing done before, and it was interesting but didn't look like much fun for anyone, bull or vet. Of course, we had to have another rain shower so we are dealing with more mud.  At least when the storm passes by we end up with a beautiful day, and this afternoon was one of those.

Now we are on our way to have supper out with M's parents, J and K.

Happy Anniversary

It was a beautiful summer day 28 years ago that I married my best friend.  We've been through a lot together, most of it good.  I love spending time with him, and he makes me laugh every single day.  I'm so lucky that he's pretty much always in good humor, and if he's not I can easily get him out of his funk.  I complain sometimes that he works too hard, but I know I could never live with a deadbeat!

And, today to celebrate our anniversary he planned something special.  We moved cows!  We had another crappy, rainy day yesterday but today the sun was out and the wind was howling so things dried up a bit.  As we left the house I noticed rain clouds in the west.  I thought maybe we could get the job done before we got rained on, but no, we got rained on.  Not much, thank goodness, and when the storm passed over the wind went down and it was just a beautiful day to be outdoors.  We rounded up and got them out the gate and M was going to go close one gate and open another.  I told him to wait until we were sure they were headed in the right direction.  Good thing!  They headed up one coulee, around a hill and right back to where they had come from.  It didn't take too much effort to get them turned around again and from there they went off across the hills.  They knew where they were going.  We only have one bunch left to move now.

Pete and a steer having a stare down

My heifer, Lacey

 Yesterday the vet was supposed to come to test bulls but that didn't happen because of the heavy rain.  I was at work and M came to town in the afternoon and got some groceries.  There has been some interest in oil leasing so he had planned to talk to one of the leasing agents but then decided he might learn just as much if he went down to the bar and talked with friends and neighbors.  He said he learned A LOT during the afternoon and evening.  I went down there after work because I didn't want to head home and face our road by myself.  I left my pickup in Richland and we rode home together.  I have to say the road isn't getting any better.  I really hope the county gets to work on it soon before it is completely impassable.

Now my wonderful hubby is grilling burgers and corn on the cob.  Yes, he cooks, too.  Gotta love him!

Prairie Scents

My sister, who is now a "city girl", once said that she missed the smell of the great outdoors at home, the pastures we used to roam.  I think of that and now pay more attention.  First thing this morning we went to check fence in a pasture in the middle of nowhere, and I breathed it all in, the mint and the sage, the grass and the wildflowers.  I love it up there where the only signs of civilization to be seen are some fences.  In some spots you can look in all directions and see nothing but hills of grass and maybe an occasional cow.  It's a banner year for wild sweet peas and hillsides are covered with them.  The bluebells aren't really blue this year, they are more of a deep purple.  The grass is thick and lush.  The cows are going to love it when they get up there.

M told me yesterday that he wanted me to go up there today and check the fence.  He's been trying to roll peas, but we had a little shower this morning so it was too wet to do that.  By the time I got up this morning he was ready to go so I grabbed a banana, a go-cup of tea and off we went on the 4-wheelers.  When we got to the pasture he went one way and I went the other and we met in the middle.  Well, not exactly.  He had a lot more repair work to do than I did so he was a little slower.  Plus, he had the stretcher and splicer so I couldn't fix the spots I found.

Prairie Smoke

 When we got back to the farm John was coming in with another load of bulls so we visited with him a bit.  Then I went to check the pumps at the in-law's house while M was getting fuel for his tractor.  The pump in the sewer wasn't working so we took it out and cleaned it up and determined that it was fried.  We moved one of the pumps from the house out there until we could find another pump.  M went to his tractor to roll and I went home to make his lunch.  On my way back from delivering lunch I checked the well at the house and it was full almost to the top so I called M to let him know.  He sent me to Richland to get another pump so I brought it back and hooked it up.  By that time he was moving through the yard and checked out the situation.  The pump doesn't have a float so I let it pump while I walked a mile or so to get M's pickup.

I went home and finished my mowing and about three hours later went back to pump again.  The in-laws are staying in Scobey this week so no one is there to keep an eye on things.

Yesterday we got two more loads of cows and calves to Opheim.  John had brought bulls up and had an empty trailer going back so we loaded up some cows and he took some to pasture and some to the sale barn for us on his way home.  That was a big help!  As soon as we were done with that R went rolling west of Opheim and M came home and relieved C on the roller here.

It was a beautiful day today and everyone was busy.  R was rolling, C was changing the wheels on the sprayer in the hope that he would be stuck less often, and J was trying to do some more seeding.  He finally got his tractor and drill stuck so we may have to call it a year.  He was calling a friend who was close by to pull him out, but neither M nor I want to call and find out how that went!

Now I just need to make supper, fold laundry, vacuum and pay some bills before I go to bed.  I finally go to work tomorrow after several weeks off, and it may be a relief.  The plan is to test and brand bulls tomorrow.  I always seem to miss that fun activity.

Right now I need to go check for ticks......

Whatever Can Go Wrong....

I was just getting sheets out of the washer to hang on the line when M came to get me to work cows.  He decided we needed to take advantage of the semi-nice day and get one group of cows sorted and moved.  Our winter is coming back to haunt us by continuing to cause us extra work.  Normally, we can sort as the cows calve but this year we had nowhere to go with them so ended up with  just a big mess.  That meant we had to get a bunch in, sort pairs and haul them to various pastures.

We had rain overnight so the road was still a muddy mess when M picked me up and hooked onto the stock trailer.  We had two miles to go from our house to the barn, and it wasn't a lot of fun.  It was about 11 when we started sorting.  The corral is sloppy so we tried to not have to run everything in there.  We tried to just run pairs into the corral out of the holding area.  It wasn't the most efficient system and M got one 4-wheeler stuck in a ditch.  It isn't an irrigation ditch but looks like one this year!  We did manage to get a trailer load together that way and took them up to a pasture north of our house.  R went first with the calves and M had the cows but got stuck trying to turn around in the yard so we had to get a tractor out to pull the pickup and trailer through.

M decided we had no choice but to run all the rest of the bunch into the corral and sort into the barn.  After much yelling and cursing we had another load ready, this one to go to Opheim.  It wasn't raining here when we left but the clouds looked ominous to the west.  Just before we got to Opheim we ran into rain and by the time we got to the pasture to unload it was pouring!  Our plan was to let the cows and calves pair up in the corral while we went for another load.  R told M he had better get out of there while he could and he would come back later and push them out of the corral and into the pasture.

M was determined to get another load over because he didn't know what he was going to do with all the cows still in the corral.  He didn't want to let them out and then have to try to get them in again tomorrow.  I told him he was crazy, there was no way we'd make it back in there the way it was raining.  I also didn't think my brother and his wife would appreciate us tearing up their road with a trailer load of cows through the mud.

It rained most of the way home but was still dry at the barn although we had a little rain after we were back to sorting.  C had been finishing up some seeding so M talked him into helping us sort some more.  We put together two more loads to go to Opheim tomorrow in separate pens and took two small loads to two other pastures.  We sorted out a cow of our neighbors and put her by herself.  While we were looking over some calves I heard a bang and then the sound of splintering wood.  That cow put her head under the gate and pushed it up and out and tore out a section of wall and broke a post.  The next time we ran her through it was with her calf and straight out the door toward the pasture she needs to be in.  M said he didn't really care where she went.  After a little repair work we were back in business.  Now we just have to decide which of the cows that lost calves we are going to keep and which ones we'll sell.

Since we were only a mile or so from R's house when the sky fell in he just went home so he was off duty at 4:30, while M and I got home about 9:30.  Then I had to retrieve my sheets from the line and dry them in the dryer since they had gotten rained on, heat up some leftovers for supper, put the sheets back on our bed and take a shower to wash all the ticks off (I found two crawling on me today--gross!)  I need a maid!

Wedding Week

Wow, it's been a week and I don't know where to start.  Tuesday we had heavy rain so we headed to town.  We picked up M's sister (Pam) and her daughter (Ashleigh) because they were not going to brave the mud anymore.  We ran around town and did a few errands and did some work at the new house.  C and M were trying to get the TV hooked up to the satellite dish and the rest of us changed out cabinet and drawer knobs in the kitchen.  Then M and R went to get haircuts while Pam, Ashleigh and I went to help put on chair covers at the reception hall with K and her other helpers. FYI, it takes a lot longer to put them on than to take them off although it didn't take too long with all the help.  J stopped in and showed us their new (to them) pickup.  I guess it was a wedding gift to each other.  From there we headed up to the bar that K's parents own and had pizza while we waited for M and R to get back from their haircuts.  It turned into a long night and some (won't name names LeeAnn) got a bit out of control.  We finally got to bed about 3 am after navigating the mud to get Pam and Ashleigh to the farm and then back to our house. 

Needless to say, we were all worthless on Wednesday.  However, a couple of bulls decided to get out of one pasture and some cows and calves out of another so M and R were busy getting them back in and fixing fence.  Have I mentioned that the critters think they need to get moved?  M's parents and sister headed to Scobey to stay at the new house for the weekend.

M was trying to finish up some seeding on Thursday so I rode to town with R who was planning to stay in town for the weekend (good plan), and M came in later for the bachelor party.  There was also a bachelorette party for K at the golf course.  We played a few games and had a few drinks and then headed uptown and ended up at the bar where the guys were.  R tried to take advantage of his brother in an inebriated state but all he had to show for it was some road rash on his elbow and knee.  We were home early--2 am, I think.

I was up early on Friday because the bride, her mom, her bridesmaids and I had pedicures scheduled which took most of the day.  I had a few errands to do in town and then we had rehearsal at 5 and the rehearsal supper following at the golf course.  M was wondering why he had to be at the rehearsal so I reminded him that he had to pour sand.  K thought it was special that both sets of parents have stayed married for many years so wanted us involved in the sand ceremony instead of having a unity candle.  M and I each poured different colors of sand into J's container and K's parents did the same for her.  Then J and K poured theirs together into another container as a keepsake.  Most of us had an early night after dinner--some didn't (bad boys).

Finally, it was wedding day on Saturday.  It turned out to be a beautiful day, sunny and warm for the most part, and the wedding went off without a hitch.  Well, other than there wasn't room for everyone in the church so the wedding was delayed while trying to get everyone seated.  Some of the overflow went to the church gym but they couldn't get the TV to work so they couldn't see anything and most just left and headed to the reception.  I guess it's a problem to be too popular.  K said if the wedding was at 5:00 we should be out of the church by 5:15.  It probably didn't get started until 5:15 and took a little longer than 15 minutes.

K had been telling everyone that there would be no crying because she thought she'd be fine unless one of the mothers cried.  Well, during rehearsal she started to cry so we were wondering how she was going to do at the ceremony but she held it together with not too much difficulty.

We felt a few sprinkles of rain as we were in the receiving line and after we got to the reception hall the sky fell and it rained hard!  Nice that it held off until everyone was inside where it was standing room only.  R had been planning his toast to the couple and did a great job.  He noted that he had lived with J for 16 years and knew it wasn't easy so wished  K luck.  He also commented on how he's seen J smile a lot more since he's been with K.

Brothers

 

 We had good food, great cake and cupcakes, wine, beer, champagne and then dancing. J chose "Simple Kind of Man" by Lynrd Skynrd for our dance.  Apparently he didn't realize how long the song was!  Oh well, it was good to dance with him, and I was happy that he was happy.  We all danced well into the night.  M and I stayed in town in our camper and woke up to a beautiful Sunday morning.  We went back to the reception hall and had breakfast pizza and watched J and K open their gifts.  Then we had to clean the hall.  We had a lot of help, and it was a fun time.  I told K she should be on her honeymoon and not worrying about cleaning up.  She was the only one who knew where everything needed to be returned to--the borrowed vases, rented chair covers and tablecloths.  She was very organized and planned it all pretty much on her own.  I keep telling her that she and her best friend need to start a party planning business.

J & K--notice the Ski-doo cake topper

Sunday afternoon we had a barbecue at the new house for some of the out-of-town relatives--we had a lot of leftover food from the rehearsal and reception.  M has been telling his mom that the patio at the house is meant for entertaining so we had to try it out.  Again, the rain held off just about long enough but we got another shower.  Another inch this weekend.

We had such a great time with our family and friends although it was hard to visit with everyone we wanted to. My sister and brother made quick trips here so they could be a part of it, and we are so glad they did.  So many people were so helpful from start to finish.  That's why it's so great to live here.

Now we are trying to get back into the swing of our normal lives.  I spent the day catching up on book work, bills and mowing while M was on the phone most of the morning with a cattle buyer, chemical salesman, crop insurance agent, John Deere salesman and a couple of neighbors.  M had told the cows that we'd be busy over the weekend and to stay put, and I guess they listened.  He needed to get the sprayer pulled out (C is stuck again) and try to mud in the last acres that we'll probably get seeded.  More rain in the forecast!

Best Laid Plans

I had originally planned to take today off from work so that I could help with wedding preparation.  That didn't happen.  M decided to move from where he was seeding back home to seed a spot that was too wet before.  With more rain in the forecast it was kind of now or never.  So, he needed me and his sister who is visiting to move the trucks first thing this morning.  His mom, sister and her daughter and granddaughter all headed to Plentywood and Scobey to look for furniture and start getting the new house organized for the weekend.  That left me on call for M.

My next mission was to take the seed truck to Richland and load it in the elevator.  I had never done that before so M talked me through it once I got there.  That entailed a lot of climbing up on the truck to adjust the spout, etc.  M once did a swan dive from a grain trailer and breaking both arms doing something similar so he warned me to be careful.  He was surprised that I didn't have any problems.

As soon as I got home I was lunch delivery duty.  I had a cooler ready for M and left it in a truck on my way by and then headed to Opheim to feed the other four guys.  Just before I got to them M called to say that the neighbor called to say we had cows out so could I see if R had time to come help.  I fed R and Jared and left a cooler for J and C.  J was trying out a different drill that the local dealer had promised him weeks ago.  I stopped to see my mom for ten minutes on my way by and then met R back at Richland where he had done some fence repair and given the cows a bale.  They know when it's time for them to be moved and sometimes try to do it themselves if we're too slow.

R went to run M's tractor while he went to spray.  I had to take a truck to town to get a load of fertilizer.  When M finished his spraying he stopped in at the house to wait for R to finish.  It wasn't long before R called to say that a packer wheel and a disc had fallen off the drill.  We went to help him fill the drill and check on the problem.  It's no wonder that R doesn't want to farm--the freak things always happen when he's running.  He's only been on the tractor and drill three times this spring and something has happened every time.  M mentioned that he could get it fixed a lot faster if I came to help him.  I was willing, but he decided I didn't need to.

M took over and moved the drill back to where he had been this morning, R went to see if J needed him, and I finally got to go home and get a shower.  So much for wedding prep today.

M got to bed at midnight last night and was up at 4:30 this morning.  Here it is midnight again and he just got home.  I think he had better hope it rains tonight because he's going to be too tired to work tomorrow.

Needle in a Haystack

Seeding continues.  R is optimistic that we can finish by tomorrow night--that is, finish what is dry enough.  There are some spots that are still too wet.  With more rain in the forecast, it doesn't look good to get it all done.  Like M's cousin said last night, this is a year we'll remember for a long time--something to tell our grandchildren about.

M called this morning and woke me out of a deep sleep and said he needed my help.  R was running the drill yesterday and had lost a metal boot along with the hose.  M didn't have another boot for that side nor did he have the hose so he wanted me to look for it.  I took off with the 4-wheeler to begin the search.  R was sure that it was okay the last time he filled the drill so I started at the last point he had seeded on the east and started working my way back west, up and down, back and forth, following the tractor tracks.  I searched for a couple of hours and all I found were a bunch of bones from a cow that had died there.  I had a feeling I had missed it right off the start so I went back there to look again.  I had made a couple of passes when R arrived so we looked together for awhile.  By that time M was ready to fill his drill (which he was running short one hose) so I headed that direction to help him while R took off by himself on the 4-wheeler.  He came back a short time later with the missing hose and boot.  I don't know how I missed it, but we had been over that area three times.

The tractor was running warm so M had to take it to the farm to blow out filters.  While he did that R and I put the boot and hose assembly back on and changed two other boots.  I'm getting to be a pro since M likes to do it when he has help.  It's a bit hard to do by yourself.  I'm pretty sure I heard "I hate mechanicking" out of R's mouth more than once today.  I hope he didn't get his mechanical ability from me--that would be bad!

R and I went to have lunch and arrived about the same time as another load of the neighbor's (John) cows.  We helped move them and then visited with John for a bit.  When we went back to the house R told me I should go wash my face.  It was a bit gritty.  I guess I had sort of a sandblast exfoliation.  Who needs a facial when you can be out in the wind and dirt and do it naturally?

Back At It

We had a bit of a rain delay.  We are used to getting a few tenths of rain at a time--not so this year.  Everytime it rains we get an inch...or two....or three.  M and J worked late Sunday night knowing that rain was coming.  We were headed to bed aboutl 2 a.m. and it started raining then.  We had heavy rain throughout the day on Monday and Monday night with a total close to two inches.  Not really what we needed.  Ditches and coulees are full of water again.  We've had almost 8 inches in May alone which is more than we usually get in a year!

The rain had stopped by yesterday morning and we've had wind so it's drying up pretty fast.  The cows decided M needed something to do yesterday and got out so he had to chase them back in.  R did some fencing so we can get them moved when we have a chance.

M had me up bright and early this mornig so we could go get his tractor and drill and move them back home.  He thought he'd be able to start seeding here sooner than at Opheim because the ground is sandier here.  He was so glad that he worked late to get that place finished.  We picked up R and Jared on our way so they could bring the trucks over.  We were hoping that we'd be able to take a shortcut back to the road, but when we went to scout it out we discovered that a coulee was full of water and running so we didn't dare try it.  The road across the creek is partially washed out so we couldn't go that way.  That meant we had to take the long way around.

We got back here at lunchtime so had lunch with the boys before we all headed up to the field, R and Jared with the trucks and J with the sprayer.  R and Jared had gone to retrieve the sprayer and had to cross the slab where the river runs and reported that it was really running, even more than a few days ago when we were last there.

Just as J and M were debating whether it was too windy to spray the wind really came up and ended the discussion.  J decided to go work on his drill and see if it was dry enough to seed.  Apparently it was because he wanted R to bring a load of fertilizer.

J's wedding is on June 11, and he's getting concerned about getting done seeding so he won't feel guilty about taking time for all the festivities.  I assured him that one way or another we'll all need a break by then.  He's hoping for "just 4 good days" so they can finish.  There are more showers in the forecast, but hopefullly 4 good days out of the next 10 is not too much to ask.