From Bad to Worse

Today was our first real cold day of the winter, about -10 this morning, and it did not go well.  M went out to start his bale pickup and the battery was dead.  So, he started another pickup so he could use it to jump start the bale pickup.  It started but wouldn't come out of park.  He let it run awhile thinking that maybe if it warmed up it would go into gear--not!  Then he started our good pickup which was in the garage, backed it out and jump started the bale pickup.  I was watching out the window and told him I didn't think the hood on our good pickup was latched.  It wasn't, and it won't latch.  Something is wrong with the cable that runs from the cab.  Not sure how we're going to fix that.  By that time M was a bit upset and cursing the weather.

We went to do cow chores and found all the cows at home crowded around the wind break.  M finally felt sorry for them and rolled out a couple of bales of hay.  The pickup died, and we had a moment of panic that it wouldn't start again, but it did.  A friend showed up to look at some pasture so he and M took off to do that.  I was really hoping they wouldn't get stuck somewhere.  I didn't want to go rescue them.

They came back for lunch and to watch the Cat-Griz game.  The Cats (our team from Montana State) were leading the conference (undefeated in conference play) and ranked #1 in the nation.  The Griz are from the University of Montana and if they won would share the conference championship with the Cats.  It is a HUGE rivalry in the state, and we Bobcat fans are a bit outnumbered (but a lot nicer).  Anyway, the game went from bad to worse and the Cats lost--at home to the rotten Grizzlies.  Ruined our whole day!

After the game we put a light fixture in our kitchen that we had gotten in Rapid City a month ago.  We are trying to find something to replace our fluorescent fixtures and are not having much luck.  We don't think these are going to give enough light so we may be back to square one.  I think it's time for wine......

First Winter Rescue

Just before dark on Friday I got a call from M and heard the dreaded words, "I'm stuck.  Come get me."  He had been out and about checking on some hunters and got stuck in a coulee where the snow had blown in.  He had been across it the day before, even pulling an auger, but it had warmed up enough that the snow was soft and slick.  As he tried to come up the other side he spun and was sucked sideways into the deep stuff.  So deep that he could barely get the door open.  When I came upon him I wasn't sure where he wanted me to go so tried to stop and also slid sideways.  I was dangerously close to also being stuck (and walking home in the dark), but with much cursing he managed to get the second pickup out, and we went back to the farm to get a tractor.  M plowed a track through the snow with the tractor and then pulled the pickup out backwards.

I tried to lighten the mood by commenting that we do such fun things together, but I'm afraid if it's starting already it could be a really long winter!  I think about how many times R rescued M last winter and with him gone that leaves me.  I don't think that's a comforting thought for either of us.  M had better be more careful!

Snow!

We had a drastic change in the weather over the weekend with our first snow--and not just a skiff but several inches along with enough wind to create some drifts.  We were not impressed.  We were up early on Sunday morning with the phone ringing.  M had loads of cows and calves to haul and the owners were calling to discuss the roads and weather.  We did our cow chores and discovered one of the waterers was starting to freeze up so M had to get that figured out (which he did) before he took off in the truck.  Since I was dressed for the weather I decided I might as well shovel the drift off the driveway.  As it turned out, I did it way too soon since it continued to snow lightly most of the day.

The snow made for an interesting drive to work on Monday morning.  First I had to get out of the yard with my car.  I made the mistake of stopping to close our gate and couldn't get going again with the slight hill.  I had to back up and take another run at it before I made it out.  The highway was icy in spots--very icy, in fact.  I felt like I didn't have my winter legs under me so it was a nervous drive to town.  Thankfullly, the sun was out and the road had cleared off by the time I headed home.

They looked pretty good for November.....

What a difference a day makes.

Monday was the first day in many months that M didn't have a plan for his day.  He almost begged me to tell him what to do (not really, but it sounded good).  He actually worked on some paperwork without me having to drag him to his desk.  We did more of that on Tuesday morning.  I wondered aloud about when farming got so complicated between crop insurance reports, state land reports and government program documentation.

Tuesday afternoon we hauled some old couches out of our basement to the dumpster and headed to R's house to get it winterized and bring his couch (that he made me buy from him when he left) home.  It made me sad all over again going to his empty house.  M was a bit frustrated that I was not good help with the heavy lifting, but we managed to get everything loaded and unloaded.

Today M was back in the truck so I was on cow chore duty.  It was a beautiful day to be out.  I like to stand at the gate and wait for the heifer calves to come check me out.  I've already picked out my favorites. They are a bit curious, and sometimes they'll come up and lick my hands.  It's also fascinating to watch them stick their tongues up their noses.  Makes me laugh anyway.  Yeah, it's the little things.

Taking Advantage of a Nice Day

We have a feeling that our nice days are dwindling down so we're trying to take advantage while we can.  I spent the day cleaning out some of the outbuildings.  I hauled sacks of aluminum cans to town along with empty feed sacks and boxes that had just gotten thrown in the quonset.  Then I tackled our garage.  I've been waiting for help but realized that wasn't going to happen so I dug in.  I threw away some boxes and other junk, moved things around and swept it all out.  It'll probably look good for a week or so.

M has been super busy hauling cows and calves and seeding grass in some CRP for the neighbor.  He attempted to seed some grass near our place, got 6 acres in and got stuck so I guess that project is on hold for awhile.  He's been a bit panicked about getting the seeding done before it gets really cold but should be able to finish tomorrow.  I often ask him if the words "over-extended" mean anything to him.  I did actually hear him tell someone "no" on the phone this morning and was surprised.  Trust me, that doesn't often happen (only when I ask for something).

There are plenty of items still on the fall to-do list so we're really hoping the weather holds out a little longer.