Where Did the Year Go?!?

It's hard to believe that 2012 will be over in a few hours.  It seems like it just flew by, and I keep thinking that spring will be here before we know it--yay!  If only we could make the time go a bit slower during spring and summer.  So far, we've had pretty mild winter temperatures, not much wind and not too much snow so that makes the winter more bearable.

We had a busy Christmas week.  M's sister and her family were here for almost a week, and it was just a party every day!  Throw in M's mom's birthday on the 22nd and our nephew's birthday on Christmas day just to add more reasons to celebrate.  We used to always have Christmas Eve supper at the in-laws and Christmas Day dinner at my house.  Now that the in-laws have moved to town in the winters everything happens in town.  That might make it easier for everyone else, but we don't like it.  I have no reason to get my house cleaned and decorated since no one comes to see it, and I really had a hard time getting into the spirit this year.  There were 18 in the house on Christmas Day--that's too many for me although I don't know who I would have kicked out!

R is camping out in the house at the farm enjoying the quietness.  He has two roommates at school and says there are usually 5 or 6 people there all the time so he's happy to have his own space for awhile.  He's been helping with cow feeding chores, and Marty is taking advantage of that and getting some other things done.

J took off today for his annual snowmobile trip to Cooke City.  I always breathe a sigh of relief when he comes home safe and sound.  I remember that the first year he went I cried.  I kept thinking of the fun we had going on family snowmobile trips and now he was all grown up and going without us.  He didn't even check in with me before he left this time--bad boy!

We are looking forward to the new year as we always do--hoping for a healthy family, good crops and maybe a bit more fun and a little less work.  So, I'm off to my couch with a glass of wine hoping I can make it until midnight.......or ten o'clock.  Happy New Year everyone!

We've had a bit of fog...and frost!

Piper dressed up for Christmas

Surprise!

One of my brothers and I had the best idea to surprise our other brother on his 60th birthday.  So, bright and early on Sunday morning we start out on a 400+ mile jaunt across the state for supper.  We were blessed with decent roads and weather and the smiles, hugs and "what are you doing here" made it worth the trip.  We had a nice visit and good food (of course) and beautiful scenery with the snow-covered mountains and trees.  He's on his way to the state legislature so we had a lot to talk about.

Some may think it crazy to make that trip for just an overnight stay, but we don't get together often enough and you never know how many more of those moments you'll get.  My brother is one of the most wonderful people I know, and I'm not just saying that because he's my brother.  He's smart, kind, sensible, and a no-nonsense kind of person (it's genetical), and I love spending time with him and his family.

The bonus was spending time on the road with another brother and helping him Christmas shop for his wife.  We think we travel well together so may have to be planning another road trip!  Love you guys!!

Back To Work

I finally went back to my "real" job this week.  Up until the middle of last week I really wasn't feeling up to it since I have to be on my feet all day.  I was pretty tired by the end of the day but didn't have much pain so that's a good sign.  My boss accused me of throwing things on the floor so he'd have to pick them up, but I swear that wasn't the case!  I also had to have a coworker pull open the door of the safe for me--that sucker is heavy--and get some things off the bottom shelf of of a cabinet.  I'll be so glad when I get out of this stupid, uncomfortable brace and get some mobility back.  It was payday the day that I was there, but there was no paycheck for me since I took the whole month of November off.  I felt a bit left out.

We have had crazy weather with rain (never good in December) and then ice.  M fell the other day and whacked his elbow and worries about me falling.  I'm pretty nervous about that, too, so am super careful and really, sadly, don't get out much.  I do most of my walking on the treadmill which I don't enjoy too much but have found that I can read at the same time and the time goes by much faster.  Something has gone haywire though since it says I'm walking 180 mph and I do about 75 miles at a time.  Yeah, I'm a super woman!

I have been going crazy over my dirty house since I can't vacuum or sweep.  Actually, I do sweep (slowly and carefully) but then I have to leave piles of dirt (and dog hair) for M to scoop up when he gets home.  I finally got him to vacuum the other day, but he needs to do it again.  I don't think I will get much Christmas decorating done without his help, and I don't see that happening, so I may be off the hook for that, too.

M has been busy working on his cow water project and hauling cows and calves around the area.  He's out on his last scheduled load today so the fall run may be over and maybe things will slow down for him a bit.  We're usually in Hawaii this time of year, and I'm sure there are days he really wishes we were there this year.

We've been busy the past few days planning our trip to Florida for the Daytona 500 in February.  M wouldn't make any plans until he was sure I was going to be healed up and ready to go.  I should be back to normal by then, I hope.  Merry Christmas to us!

Improving

I'm now two-plus weeks post surgery and getting better every day.  The compression socks are off so now I can dress myself right down to my socks.  I'm sure M is happy about that!  I am walking really well and getting up and down a lot better.  I can also take stairs like an adult again.  The twinges I was feeling in my hip after surgery from the nerve being so irritated for so long are gone and the feeling is coming back in my foot.  If I could only ditch the stupid, uncomfortable brace and sleep through the night, I'd be great.  The brace serves many purposes though--keeps me from bending or twisting, keeps my belly in and now I have no need for a push-up bra!  Sleeping is a problem because I really only have one comfortable position--on my back--and that isn't comfortable after too many hours.  I am permitted to sleep on my side, which I'd love to do, but it just doesn't feel right and I can't get comfortable although that is getting some better as well.  And, getting in and out of bed is getting to be a cinch.

I've ventured out of the house a few times, but it's a bit icy out and I don't want to fall so I've been doing most of my walking on the treadmill.  We went to a Cat-Griz game party (go CATS!) and went to J's in-laws for Thanksgiving dinner.  I walked to the mailbox one day, and one day I went with M to do chores so I could check out our heifer calves.  I need to spend some time with them so I can make my picks.  Apparently, I picked too well last year because M says that this year we have to negotiate on which ones I get.  I have my eye on a couple as does he.  They are doing well so far and learning the feeding system.  We also have a pen full of the neighbor's calves.  They are a little more flighty so we're hoping we have some success calming them down.  We had a few nice days with temps above freezing, but it's getting cold again so I'm not that excited about going out.  M has been hoping for nice enough weather to get his water project done, but it looks like tomorrow might be it for awhile.  He has still been hauling a few loads of cows and calves here and there but has actually had time to get some things done at home.  I'm feeling bad that I'm no help to him right now and need him to do things for me.  I need a maid.

Laid Up

We left for Billings bright and early on Monday.  I had to see my doctor, check in at the hospital and get fitted for a brace.  We made a quick run to the mall, had an early supper and were in our motel room and ready to crash early.  The busy shipping weekend had caught up to us plus the fact that I hadn't slept well in quite awhile.

My surgery was scheduled for 2:00 pm on Tuesday and I had to be at the hospital by noon.  We spent the morning working on state reports and crop insurance production reports so that we could get the state reports in the mail as soon as we got home.  Yes, there is always work to do--ugh!

Once at the hospital, things moved along fairly rapidly and I was actually taken back to surgery about 1:30.  All I remember is the anesthesiologist saying, "I'm going to put a little something in your IV".  Lights out!  The surgery took about 3 1/2 hours which seems like a long time since he ended up not doing all he had planned.  He was going to take out part of the disc and put in mesh with bone graft to fuse the joint.  He decided not to do that and did posterior fusions instead.  It sounds like it was a lot of work to get to the cyst and get it out.  It was close to 7:00 by the time I was in my room.  I have such a hard time waking up from anesthesia.  M thought I was being rude to the nurses because I'd hardly answer their questions.  He didn't understand that I could hardly even make myself talk!  I could form the words in my head but wasn't sure they'd come out of my mouth.  Apparently being on your face for 3 1/2 hours isn't a good thing and my face was really swollen.  I'm glad I didn't see myself at that point.

The nurses thought I was a rock star since I didn't need any pain meds during the night.  After I had been up a few times the next day I needed some, though.  Just as I thought, I had less pain after surgery than I did before surgery, and they didn't give me pain pills for that!  Since I was doing so well the doctor said I could go home on Thursday to beat the storm that was moving into the state.  We were out of Billings by 10:00 am.  We ran into a little snow in one area but the roads were good all the way.  They were snowy and icy the next day so I'm glad we got home when we did.  M was worried about all his animals and didn't want J to have to deal with problems if the weather got bad.

I've been adjusting pretty well at home.  I have to wear a brace and transitions from sitting to standing, etc. are difficult but getting better.  I'm up pretty early in the mornings because my legs start to ache.  I can dress myself and pretty much take care of myself.  We borrowed a walker, a grabber and an elevated toilet seat from our 80+-year-old neighbors.  Made me feel kind of old!

We've had snow and wind ever since we've been home so I haven't been out of the house.  I need to go check on the heifer calves before M gets the jump on me and picks out all the good ones for himself.  He does give me some credit for how gentle our heifers turned out this year so I need to make an appearance before too long.  I'm hoping that my recovery is quick because I'm already bored!  I bet M is hoping so, too, because he's already gotten the tractor stuck and his bale pickup is on the fritz and he's got no help.

Shipping Day

It's been a busy weekend on the ranch.  R was home with his cousin and two of their friends and M made good use of the help.  We had to move some cows home from Opheim and pregnancy test them and then round up the big group and move them home.

The "city boys" wanted to help, but sometimes they were just in the way and things didn't go quite as smoothly as they could have.  We had to laugh that after working outdoors all day they came to the house to watch the Oregon football game and all fell asleep before supper. The late night the night before may have contributed to that as well.

Today was shipping day and did not go as smoothly as we had hoped.  The cows and calves didn't want to go into the corral and then cutting off the cows was not as easy as it is sometimes.  The day started out icy as we had rain overnight and then it was sunny and pretty nice for awhile, then the fog rolled in and the wind started to blow.  The trucks couldn't make it up the hill to the neighbor's ranch where we were loading out of so had to take a detour and then had trouble negotiating a corner because it was slick, but they finally made it.  After the trucks were loaded we brought some of the neighbor's heifer calves home.  Once there we had some cull cows to cut out and little chores to do before we could come home to catch the end of the Nascar race.

We just sold steers so far so M has 130 heifer calves to feed for awhile, some of ours and some of our neighbor's.  I'm wondering if he's going to think that is a good idea once his help is laid up (his brother is having shoulder surgery on the 14th).  J will have to bear the brunt of it for a few days while we are in Billings.  He's not fond of cows so we will owe him big time!  Hopefully, free beef for the rest of his life will suffice.

Updating

I've been busy since I last blogged.  We had been talking with M's sister about going to Kansas City for the Nascar race off and on for awhile.  She is a credit union manager and had a repossessed pickup in Joplin, MO so thought it would be good to mix business with pleasure.  First she could go, then she couldn't so we thought about flying down, then she decided she could go so we made the reservations for tickets and rooms for M and I and his sister and her husband.  Two days later I have a really restless night with back pain and get up in the morning and literally can't walk for the pain and spasms down my leg.  I don't think I have ever been in that much pain.  I broke into a sweat and thought I was going to pass out and told M he had to take me to the ER because I couldn't handle it.  I finally laid on the floor, and it got better.  Then M says, "are you ready to go help me load hay".  Sure....and I did it.

The problem with my leg progressed to numbness in my foot.  I had less pain when I was up and around and yet it was hard to walk because my foot was numb.  I knew M would have no problem leaving me at home to go to the race so I had to buck up and deal with it.  Then, Pam's husband was unable to go.  What to do with the extra ticket?  R saved the day and decided he'd go.  He (and we) were worried about him missing three days of school, but it turned out to not be a big deal.  To make a long story short, I survived the drive to Kansas and back, and we had a great time.  We've picked out our motel for next year so we can walk to the track.  We loved the area, the track facility is great and the weather was perfect.

M has been busy with his fall cattle hauling run.  His brother was kind enough to take care of the loads he had scheduled while we were gone and not in the best of conditions--strong winds one day and rain snow and mud another day.  I finally succeeded in getting them to sell the old cattle trailer, but another one is on the way home as we speak.  Damn Ebay!  I think M's privileges need to be taken away.  Thank goodness he doesn't know the PayPal password!

My leg problem has not improved so I saw my back doctor this week.  I have another (this is my 3rd) facet cyst causing all the problems so I'll be having a lumbar fusion on Tuesday.  That means at least three days in the hospital, a brace for eight weeks and no strenuous activity for three months or more.  I wonder if M is rethinking his bright idea to feed 100 heifer calves this winter now that he won't have help.  I guess I will still be able to open and close gates and keep an eye on things if I need to.  I'm always telling him that he needs better help than me because I can't do everything he wants me to.  Maybe now he's listening.  They've been swamped in the pharmacy, too, and I feel like I'm letting them down also by being incapacitated indefinitely.

While we were gone we had hunters from Minnesota here and they were successful in bagging a couple of mule deer.  They thoroughly enjoyed their stay here.  We're not sure if it was them or some other hunters that left a gate open, and we had cows where they weren't supposed to be this morning.  That meant some rounding up and chasing had to be done.  Once we got them started they knew where they were supposed to be, thank goodness.  I was in the Jeep which was warmer than being on a 4-wheeler like M was, but my clutch leg is my bad one so it makes it a bit of a challenge.

We'll have a busy weekend shipping our calves.  R will be making a quick trip home to help along with our nephew and two friends.  One is from Massachusetts and will be getting his first taste of working cows.  J commented that we wouldn't need him since it sounded like we would have lots of help.  I'm thinking most of that "help" should probably just stay out of the way!

I almost forgot the most exciting thing that has happened....we are going to be grandparents.  J and K are expecting in May.  There is no one in the world more like my dad than J so I think it would be perfect if the baby came on the 14th which is my dad's birthday.  K is a Halloween fanatic so this Halloween "present" was how they told us the news.  Not sure how she managed to get pregnant during harvest when J was never home!  We are pretty excited.  M's words to his brother were "help is on the way!"

I've been thinking a lot about my dad the past few days since we lost him on Halloween eight years ago.  We've had the same gray weather that we had then and it brings it all back.  I still miss him so much.

What Can Go Wrong...Will!

It was a beautiful day in our neighborhood, no race to watch since it was last night, and our football teams weren't on TV so it was a day to round up some cows.  It was a really beautiful day, but things didn't go quite as smoothly as they could have, from a cow that wouldn't cross the highway (she'd get to the yellow line and then turn around) to a gate left open at the wrong time.

We had a small group of 24 pairs and a couple of butcher steers in a pasture near Richland.  We needed to get them home so we could vaccinate the calves and pregnancy test the cows.  We usually trail them home from there (about 8 miles), but this year we had a lot of our older cows down there so we decided to haul them home instead.  We wanted to sort the early calves from the late ones because we were going to put them in different places once we got them home; however, the facilities there have seen better days so it's always an adventure, and we wonder if it's all going to fall apart one of these days. Add to that weeds in the corral up to my armpits making it hard to maneuver.  We made one attempt at trying to cut out some cows but soon decided it would be easier to haul them home and then sort. 

Those old cows are pretty smart and were pretty resistant to being loaded.  I had to tell M that if he didn't calm down I was going to quit working with him.  We finally got them all loaded and home and took a lunch break.  After lunch we sorted the early calves from the late ones and vaccinated them and then sent them out to pasture. 

Tonight, M said he was amazed that just the two of us (and me a bit debilitated this week) accomplished what we had.  I just smiled and said, "you're welcome".

Switching Gears

It was time to forget about farming for awhile and go to cow work.  Last Sunday we moved our heifers closer to home to get ready for pregnancy testing.  We were wondering how that would go because, well, they are heifers and because we had hauled them to pasture instead of trailing them.  We always laugh that when we drive into the pasture on a 4-wheeler they come running to us.  It wasn't much trouble to get them out of the pasture and they seemed to know where they were headed.  The nice thing about heifers is that they move right along, so the move didn't take long.  We wanted to cut the bull out and M thought we'd have to get them all in the corral to do that.  I didn't think it would be hard to get just the bull in so I suggested we try that first.  He hazed him out of the group with the 4-wheeler and he ran right into the corral by himself.  M hates it when I'm right.  I just think it's worth trying something the easy way before you try to do it the hard way.

We also cut a cow out of a pasture to put with the heifers so that we could test her.  The next day M said all the heifers were near the fence, and he didn't think she was with them.  We rode into the pasture she had come from and sure enough, she was back in there and had taken a heifer with her.  We didn't have any luck getting the cow back out, but we did get the heifer out and back with the others, but she did it the hard way and put on more miles than she would have had to.  The cow is a bit of trouble so she may just go to market.

On Wednesday we rounded up our big herd to vaccinate the calves and pregnancy test.  It was a crisp, cool morning and within the first 10 minutes I couldn't feel my fingers--even with gloves.  It did warm up quickly, thank goodness.  Of course, there were cows about as far away from the gate as possible so it took a little while to get them moved.  We had to cross a stubble field and the dust was horrible.  Made us wonder if we were doing the right thing by vaccinating while it's so dry.  There have been some cases of dust pneumonia in the area.

We sorted and ran the calves through and vaccinated and then had lunch and waited for the vet to pregnancy test the cows.  J thought he'd get out of helping us (not really a cow person) but we needed him to bring the loader tractor up to unload some pipe for the neighbor so he got roped into running the chute.  I always say it's the price they pay for free meat.

The cows tested good, and we were happy with our AI catch in the heifers.  I think J thought I had lost my mind since I had to pet my favorite heifers.  There was some head shaking going on.

The most difficult part of the day was getting the cows and calves to head back out of the corral.  We wanted to take them through the grass so there wasn't so much dust, but they had their own idea so we had to take them through the field again.  The dust cloud was so bad that we couldn't even see them for awhile.

We hauled bulls home along with a fat open cow that will make good hamburger and called it a day--12 hours later.  Then we packed for a much-needed weekend away.

NOW we're done!

J finished cutting yesterday afternoon and parked the combine so our harvest is officially over!!  It was a successful harvest, and we can't complain.  Great weather (we actually wished for a rain delay a few times), good yields (cut A LOT of 40 bushel wheat and some up to 60), no major breakdowns or problems, and we all survived without killing each other.  Actually, everyone remained in pretty good humor throughout even though we were all exhausted.

We had a lot of help, too, which made it a bit easier.  We always say we're equal opportunity and this year had helpers from ages 15 to 84!  We had R for a couple of weeks which was SO nice.  One of J's friends helped one day--he said he was tired of cleaning corrals while waiting for his flax to be ready to cut.  Another friend helped for a few days, and we had Uncle Bud who was just going to come out for a day or two when we had a long way to haul and ended up helping for a few weeks.  He has helped us a lot through the years but had a tough year last year with heart surgery, chemotherapy, radiation and surgery for colon cancer.  He's doing great now.  He came out a little later in the morning, and we let him go home before dark generally.  He can fall asleep in seconds so gets a lot of little naps in, too.  It was nice to have him back.

Some days I get a bit miffed that we don't get much help from the other Thievin wives who are busy with their jobs, but one day it occurred to me that I'm kind of sad for them because they don't get to see the interaction and camaraderie between the guys.  There is generally a lot of good-natured ribbing (and occasionally some not so good-natured-haha).  They are just not going to understand how things really work around here if they're not here to see it.  They are going to get a skewed view if they just listen to their husbands' side of a story.

For example, there is a road sign on a bridge near Richland that the guys can't get around with their headers on.  For a few years someone would go pull it out of the ground until they got by and then put it back.  At some point J had this bright idea to cut the post and put a hinge in it.  That way they could just fold it down when they needed to go by and then flip it back up.  One day we were moving and C had flipped the sign down.  J went through and as M was getting ready to go through C sees a car coming, point to it and flips the sign back up.  M is going 10 mph and can't stop so hits it with his header and messes up the hinge.  When L and I got there C was in a panic trying to fix it and says "I don't think he thinks sometimes."  So I'm thinking M wasn't paying attention and hit it.  Then when I see M, he says "I don't know what he was thinking" because he couldn't stop in time and didn't know why he would flip the sign back up when he did.  Some of us had a good laugh over that one.  (C wasn't laughing.)  I'm just wondering what version of the story C's wife heard that night.

The other day M came home and said he did a bad thing.  Of course, that made me nervous.  He had called the John Deere dealer about a loader tractor.  They have one in the area so they brought it to him last night to try out, and that's where he is right now.  Remember how I said before that most things they try out never go back......yeah, I'm worried.

It's finally a beautiful day after five straight days of gale force winds so I think we'll take in the football game and the local high school.  Jared is a freshman and plays so we'll go see if he gets any playing time....although it would also be a good day for yard work.

Done! (sort of)

We finished cutting on Friday except for the few acres we had to leave at Opheim.  It was on some breaking and the alfalfa wouldn't die so they sprayed it again.  J was on his way over with the combine yesterday and blew a transmission line so his combine is sitting by the side of the road just out of Richland.  It's pretty rare that they don't fix things themselves, but he had to call the John Deere mechanic for this one.  It should be under warranty anyway.

While we were having lunch on Friday a neighbor called to say they were working their cows and found one of our calves with theirs.  M sent C to take the rental combine back to town so they could get it cleaned up and ready to go back while we went to get a trailer to get the calf.  As we were on our way, C called to say he was just about to Richland and had blown a back tire.  Bad luck!  The only time he'd been on that combine.  They managed to find a tire and get it put on by the time we got the calf, delivered it to our pasture, and got home again.

Everyone took some much needed time off over the weekend before starting on the "after harvest" list.  M is hauling hay, C is hauling grain and J is trying to get his drill ready to seed winter wheat.  We may need a little rain before he tries to seed, however.  We've had quite a long dry spell.

I finally went back to my job on Monday after five weeks off.  It was good to be back to civilization.

Almost Done.......

Wow, it's been a busy few weeks and I (and everyone else) am exhausted.  M is afraid I'm getting overtired and cranky so he's letting me off the hook for the last few hundred acres.  We are cutting on the neighbor's now and it's sandy, poor land with a disappointing crop so the truck drivers should be able to keep up easily.

I have had a few cranky moments--like when the field is really rough, the truck drivers don't park the trucks like I think they should, one person tells me one thing and another person tells me something different.  I just about had a meltdown one night--after 13 busy hours with the grain cart I found I just can't focus anymore.  We had moved to the last field on our place west of Opheim just before dark.  It is an odd-shaped piece with a grass coulee and washouts in the middle.  I wasn't completely familiar with the layout and then J was saying "don't fall in the sprayer tracks" (where he had gotten stuck with the sprayer this summer).  Add darkness and lots of dust so that I could barely see where I was going.  I really wanted to stop and go home, but the guys were determined to finish so we could move first thing in the morning and they made me keep going.  At one point I could see J's lights but didn't know how to get to him.  C was watching from the truck so guided me along on the radio.  Then when I went back to dump on the truck I hit the wrong lever and overfilled it just a tad.  I wanted to cry.  Earlier that day I fell in a huge washout.  I had just dumped J and was headed to catch M.  I saw a small washout so had slowed down for that but didn't see the big one after that and WHAM, my front wheels fell in.  Not good! 

We spent about a week west of Opheim and hauled A LOT of grain out of there.  We were all so happy when we got moved out of there and closer to home.  It took about a hour to get home from there so some nights it would be 11:00 before we got home, then find something for supper, get a shower and get to bed by midnight.  Ugh!

We, like lots of folks in this area, have had to pile grain on the ground.  We have built 5 new bins in the past two years and still don't have enough room.  We still have a lot of last year's wheat stored.  It's hard to get it moved when the elevators can't keep up because they can't ship it out.  We have about a 12,000 bushel pile on the ground, two 12,000 bushel bags, and a quonset filled with about 15,000 bushels.  That all needs to get moved ASAP.

We had a rainstorm on Saturday night.  J had been watching the radar and said a storm was moving our way.  I was parked facing to the east and every now and then saw a flash and wondered if it was lightning.  When I turned to the west I saw quite a lightning show.  M and J were debating whether we should quit or keep going and finally decided to quit.  We got everything tarped and headed to the trucks to go home and it started to rain and it poured on us for the 2 miles home.  Everyone had a much-needed chance to sleep in on Sunday morning but we were back to cutting by 2:00 that afternoon.

I am on lunch duty today since my in-laws went to their house in town to see some relatives from Canada.  I haven't been to the grocery store in three weeks so I'm lucky I still have food in the house.  M says I don't have to be on the grain cart anymore, but I'd better be prepared because he's lied to me before.....

"There's Nothing She Can't Do"

That was what my husband told his sister last night as I was tarping the truck when he was done for the night.  She wanted me to know that he said that.  I told her that was the nicest thing he's said to/about me in awhile--almost brought a tear to my eye.  I was busy with a little bit of everything yesterday.  We had a bin to clean out (every time I clean out a bin I think about how when I left home I swore I'd never clean another grain bin), a combine header to fix (J sprung a leak in a hydraulic line at quitting time the night before), fueling to be done, combines to clean later as they were done with the lentils, another move to make.

Once they finished the hailed on lentils out west, M moved back to my mom's to try the mustard while J stayed out west and started cutting the wheat there.  M's sister, Pam, and I and Uncle Bud got him moved over and C came to get a sample to test.  It was under the limit of the moisture tester so it was definitely a go.  Pam and I had time to go have a little visit with my mom (and use her bathroom).  Uncle Bud was in the truck but it wasn't filling very fast.  Jared had been with J but needed to go home (school starts for him today) so he came and picked up his grandpa (our Uncle Bud).  They got the truck backed in to the auger and then headed home while I dumped it.  I also swear I don't do augers anymore--wonder how long that will last.  I took the truck back to the field and then had time to finish my book--it was a good one!  (One day I had no 3G so couldn't play Words With Friends or get on Facebook AND the battery on my Kindle died--talk about bored!)

Pam has been here about five days and has gotten in on cutting wheat, lentils and now mustard.  She's been a lot of help and has had a lot of time to bond with her brothers.  That's a good thing....I think?!?  I always wonder why she'd want to come for harvest but I guess it is good family time when we all come together for a common goal.  One evening she helped me chase some calves in and fix the fence.  All we could find to fix it with were some tarp straps.  She was totally impressed by my ingenuity.  I'm not sure M was so impressed when he went to fix it properly the next morning.  It did the job.

Sadly, we haven't seen much of her granddaughter, Makennah, who has been hanging out with her great grandparents.  She is almost 5 and wasn't impressed with the field work but has been having a great time playing outside and having some freedom for a change (those poor city kids!).  We left Pete with her a couple of days and they wore each other out!  I have a hunch that great grandma may be worn out by the time the visitors go home tomorrow.  We are going to be so sad to see them go!

There is a chance of showers today so things may not move very fast.  M let me stay home this morning to catch up on some things.  I need to make a list so I get it all done.....wash jeans, make iced tea, pay bills and get them in the mail, empty the dishwasher, fold the laundry I did three or four days ago and put it away, make a plan for supper........I know I'm forgetting something!

Plugging Along

We continue to make progress in our harvest, slow but sure.  R and I agreed that Tuesday just kind of sucked.  No major problems, just a series of little things like trouble with truck tarps and augers, etc.  Sad thing was that was his last day of work and I still have weeks to go. We were in what we call the hell-hole and I was not having fun with the hills and grass coulees and no straight strips.  I said whoever broke up that land must have been crazy.  It was M that broke it up, and I knew that.  It always raises our best crop so he thinks I'm crazy!  I think they all had a good laugh at me being lost when it got dark.  All those grass coulees looked alike and I didn't want to dive into one that I shouldn't have.  They had about 40 acres left when they ran out of trucks so couldn't finish.  We had rain that night so everyone had a chance to sleep in at least. 

We always have a long "if it rains" list.  M sent J and C to haul a few loads of wheat to the elevator in Wolf Point.  R worked on packing and I got a haircut.  When I saw there was rain in the forecast I called my hairdresser and asked if she could get me in if it rained.  Thank goodness it worked out.  M's bale pickup was being worked on so he rode to Scobey with me to get it.  We also took Pete along since he was due for his shots.

We didn't get started cutting yesterday until after lunch but worked until 10:00 pm so still put in a good day.  We made a series of short moves which broke the day up a bit.  There was a flat tire on one truck so C was busy working on that which meant I had to load the semi trailers myself.  I don't like to do it because I don't judge the "piles" very well.  I get different instructions from everyone so I'm never sure if I'm doing it right.  I seem to have a tendency to load them too heavy in C's opinion.  J covered for me yesterday and told him that M loaded the truck and pup.  I always ask why they make those trailers so big if you can't fill them up.

R headed back to South Dakota yesterday so we are back to our bare-bones crew.  We had hoped that our nephew could come for a couple of weeks, but it doesn't look like that will be happening so neither C nor I will get any relief.  Gotta run....duty calls!

Hurry Up.......and Wait!

I have been having a really hard time dragging myself out of bed lately.  Partly because I don't want to go to the field and partly because, well, I'm just tired.  I don't get quality sleep since my back/hips hurt whenever I try to roll over.  So, I keep wondering why I have to get up with the guys when they won't need me for an hour or two.  One day I could have stayed home until noon and not have been missed at all since we had a rain shower as soon as we got to the field but I was out the door at 7:30.  Another day we left at 7:30 and by the time the guys had augers moved, trucks dumped and the combines serviced it was 10:00.  This morning we again had a rain shower as soon as we got to the field and didn't get to cutting until 11:00.  These "short" days are going to make for a looooonnnggg harvest!

I have been a bit apprehensive about getting back to the grain cart but finally had to do it.  I guess it's sort of like riding a bike.  It all came back to me.  Of course, I still get different instructions from different people on how to load the trucks.  R and I agree that the hardest part is reading the minds of the combine operators!

Friday was a day that worked out pretty perfectly.  We finished cutting lentils in one spot, moved, and finished the rest of them before dark.  K brought out pizzas and John Deere cupcakes to celebrate J's birthday which was on Wednesday (I've been asking myself what I was thinking having a baby during harvest.  Poor planning on someone's part!).  It was a beautiful evening so we sat outside and ate and watched a storm gathering to the north.  Just as we headed to our respective machines the wind came up...a lot!  We moved the combines and grain cart back to the wheat we were going to start on and went back for one last truck so it was about midnight by the time we got to bed.  We had rain early Saturday morning so we all got to sleep in, thank goodness.

Everyone but R, that is.  He was up at 5:00 am to get to Great Falls before noon to pick up fans and auger flighting for our new bins.  He was back home by 5:00 pm and ready for bed by 6:00!  I finally had time to catch up on laundry before we all ran out of underwear.

We hope to get some of the more remote areas done while R is still here, but his days are numbered...we'll only have him for two more days.  It's been so great to have him home for awhile.  I'll miss his smile and sense of humor (although he is almost always giving me a hard time) and his cooking!  He was home before us one night and made us the most amazing chicken and fettucine alfredo.  So good!

We weren't sure if Jared was done for the year since he started football practice, but he showed up today.  He has two practices a day but plans to come out in between.  That means that I am off duty until 5:00 when he has to head back to town.  More time to do laundry......

The Craziness Begins...

Harvest has officially begun so my life is over.  I know, that's a little dramatic, but things get a bit crazy this time of year.  J started cutting peas last week and they have started desiccating lentils so we'll have those ready as soon as we're done with the peas.  I'm hoping they get a lot done before R and Jared have to go back to school because that will mean less time that I have to spend on the grain cart.  The in-laws have moved back to the farm for harvest and everyone is happy about that.  It's so odd to not have them here all the time.

I always feel bad at harvest because the guys are kind of excited to reap the fruits of their labor, and I really hate it.  It's hot and dirty with long, long hours and stress.  I don't want to be in the middle of things but feel really guilty if I'm not.  I just can't win.

R has been swathing CRP hay for a neighbor and has been able to help us a couple of days.  He's happy to be keeping busy and making $$$ to get him through another school year.  He's healing well from his hernia operation.

R had a bit of excitement yesterday, however.  I was at work and the fire whistle in town blew.  I said to my boss, "I hope that's not R, he's out swathing."  I texted him just to be sure and he said "I started it."  Then I got worried.  He called me later to let me know all was well.  Something must have sparked off a rock and started the grass on fire.  He called for reinforcements and had it pretty much out before the fire trucks arrived so it only burned a couple of acres.  They were lucky to get it stopped before it hit a pea field.  When I was leaving town after work the fire whistle blew again and I thought, oh no, but it was south of town so nowhere near R.  There have been quite a few fires in the area, from swathers, lightning and a vehicle fire in a grass field.  One of my sisters commented that she didn't remember there being fires when we were kids and I agreed, but the world was a lot different when we were kids.  At that time, there was a lot of fallow ground and the CRP program didn't exist.  Now there are miles and miles and miles of grass and crops without any black ground.  The last two springs and summers have been nice and wet which encourages a lot of growth that inevitably becomes dead and brown when the dog days of summer arrive in July and August providing lots of fuel should a fire start.

We had a storm roll through last night just as we were going to bed with high wind, thunder, lightning and a little bit of rain.  I couldn't sleep and had to close some windows because the rain was coming in.  The storm was over pretty quickly so I opened the windows back up to cool the house down and could smell smoke.  I prowled the house going from window to window looking for flames but never did see any.  The way the wind came up there could have been a fire a long distance from here causing smoke in the air.  I always wonder about a fire starting from lightning in the middle of the night and how far it could go before someone noticed.  A big fear of mine obviously.

Today was another hot, windy day.  I took lunch to C, R and Jared in the field.  M and J had been desiccating at Opheim and were on their way back so I left the cooler for them and headed out to take salt and mineral to the cows.  M had told me the easy way to go and then another way from where I was at lunchtime.  He doesn't give me good directions, and I don't take them well.  If I can't visualize what he's talking about I can't follow.  Anyway, to make a long story short, I wandered around for awhile before I found the right gates to get me to where I wanted to go.  I lost track after 7 gates.  He warned me that I should take a wire stretcher along so I could open and close those gates.  NEVER a good sign.  Of course, I grabbed the POS stretcher that slips all the time so that made things more difficult.  I came back the easy way--with NO gates!  Pete and I were hot and tired and cranky(well, at least one of us was cranky) by the time we got home.

The fair is in town this week so M says whoever wants to can take at least part of tomorrow off to go to the  demolition derby.  Jared will be going so so my house will be quiet.  I might just stay home and enjoy that!

Catching Up

I feel like I've been out of touch with my world lately.  I worked a couple of days while my boss was gone, we went to the lake (Fort Peck) for the weekend, I worked Monday and then left Tuesday to go to Rapid City to be with R while he had surgery for an umbilical hernia.  We came home on Friday so yesterday I finally had a day to survey what's been going on.

M and I were up early to go check cows.  He and Jared had moved them on Monday so we don't have to go start the generator and pump water every day.  I wasn't sure of the best way to get there since it is a new pasture for us so I wanted to go along.  Along the way I checked out the radishes and turnips planted as a cover crop.  I hadn't been up that way since they were seeded.  J planted some last year as part of his CSP program and they did amazing things for the land he had them on and were HUGE!  We have peas almost ready to cut and even some of the early wheat is starting to ripen.  The guys are thinking we'll be cutting peas by the end of the week.  I'm not ready for harvest!!

I also went to check on the heifers in a different pasture.  The heifers were all accounted for, but I wanted to check the mineral tubs which were on the other side of a coulee.  M and I had gotten the 4-wheeler stuck there about a month ago, but he assured me I could cross if I didn't "lollygag".  He was wrong!  I just about made it but just couldn't get up the other side.  Pete jumped to safety while I managed to back my way out of it--to my surprise!  I and the 4-wheeler were a muddy mess.

Today I had to run around helping M get his swather and baler moved back home.  I also caught up on laundry, mowed my yard and washed my car.

R will be home now for about a month recovering from his surgery.  He already put in a long day on the swather today which may not have been the wisest thing to do.  There is a hay shortage all over the state but here so the calls are coming in wanting swathing done.  He could be a very busy boy or at least as busy as he wants to be.

A little muddy!

Haying Time

M is busying with haying season, not one of my favorite times.  His hours are crazy (I guess that's not too out of the ordinary) and I don't have much to do with it.  We have had hot, mostly dry weather so he bounces from swathing to raking to baling depending on the conditions.  He is pretty particular about his bales so conditions have to be just right for him.  J hates swathing and that is usually R's job, but he doesn't mind baling.  With R gone at the moment, M is having to do it all.  M's cousin's son, Jared, who is 15, is with us again so he may get trained to do some of those things.  Jared just finished driver's ed so he's a little more legal than he was last year!

We had quite a storm roll through last week.  Thank goodness it didn't last long.  I always say it's never a good sign when the weather service calls our house wondering what is happening, and they called that day.  We had high winds, heavy rain and some hail.  I didn't find out how bad the wind was until the next day when I saw this in our back yard.

 I've been wanting that shed moved, but not like this.  I don't think we'll be using it again.  

We also had a cattle trailer tipped over.  Luckily, it was the older, smaller one and it was laid over onto the hay trailer so it was at about a 45-degree angle.  The guys were able to chain onto it and pull it back up, and it doesn't have a mark on it.  We also discovered that M's parents lost some trees.

Broken tree

Just missed the corner of the garage when it fell

I have been trying to work on the clean up.  The front yard was full of little twigs and branches and some really big branches, too.  I ended up raking the whole front yard.  I need to do the side yards and back yard as well.  I've discovered that there is more damage than we initially thought.  We're going to need to get a tractor in there to remove some of the big stuff.  Trees are a rare commodity in this area so it is so sad to lose one!

I have finally been able to ride my bike some. It's hard to find the perfect day, dry and without too much wind. I mapped out a route along prairie trails and rode it on Friday.  I decided that wasn't far enough so added to that the next day.  I didn't wreck and didn't croak and thoroughly enjoyed being in the great outdoors.  We've had a couple of rain showers in the past couple of days so I have to wait for things to dry up before I go out again.

I an thankful every day that I don't wake up to concrete and asphalt and can look out on all the shades of green with the crops and grassland.  I guess I'm a country girl through and through.

What To Do??

We have actually had a few "what to do" days lately.  There is spraying to be done but sprinkles of rain and gale force winds for four days kind of put the kibosh on that.  M is contemplating starting to lay some hay down and has been getting the swather ready.  I think he's dragging his feet, though, because it might interfere with his lake plans?!?  J is also thinking about the lake and took the camper to town for his wife to clean and was working on his new (to him) jet ski.  I'm not holding my breath that we'll get there.

Over the weekend we went to R's best friend's wedding.  R was a groomsman so made a quick trip home to participate.  Those are always fun events, and we got to see a lot of people that we don't see often enough. He has a bit of a dilemma in that he probably has a hernia so his boss won't let him on the fire line until he has a definitive diagnosis and/or gets it fixed.  There was a chance that some of their crew could be sent to the fires in Colorado, and he was hoping to go.  He's not a very happy guy right now.  He sees the surgeon on July 6 to see where to go from here.

We had planned to go to the Opheim Rodeo on Sunday as it is the big event of the year in our area and our nieces and nephew, neighbors and friends participate.  We had to make a quick run up to check on the cow water first thing in the morning.  There is no natural water in the pasture, just a well and tank.  At first we checked it every day and started the generator.  Then M thought we could just go up every other day.  When we got there on Sunday morning the tank was dry.  Not good!  And, we could only see a few cows.  Again, not good!  We started the generator and had water pumping and went to find the cows.  They were huddled up at the gate going into the pasture we had moved them from.  They knew there was water there.  They hadn't broken through it yet, thank goodness.  They followed us back to the tank but there was a lot of pushing and shoving to get to the water and the pump couldn't keep up at that time.  We stayed there awhile to make sure they didn't break anything and went home when things settled down a bit.

By the time we got home we had missed the parade and would be late for the rodeo.  The wind was howling so we thought it might be better to stay home and watch NASCAR.  After the race M went back to check the water again.

My sister from North Carolina was here for a few days so I was glad to have time to go to my mom's for lunch with her, my mom and my sister-in-law.  Another thing I don't do often enough.

We did some cow work and moved our last six pairs to their summer pasture and a couple of cull cows back home so that they can go to the sale barn soon.  That went pretty smoothly, and I'm always surprised when it does.

My replacement at work quit and my boss is gone for a few days so at least I know what I have to do.

Whirlwind of Activity

We had a crazy few days during the artificial insemination process.  Twenty-five heifers in heat at the same time can create a circus atmosphere with them chasing each other around all day.  Insert bull testing into the middle of that equation and things could get really interesting.  The timing of those two events in close proximity to each other could have been trouble, but all came out unscathed.  The bulls were hauled back out to the neighbor's corral as soon as they were tested to avoid any problems.  We spent the weekend watching the heifers and AI-ing.  M was complaining about them being so hard to work with until I explained to him that they were all hormonal and not themselves.  He had to admit that they were better the next day. We also moved our cows from one pasture to the next on Sunday--after we watched the NASCAR race, of course.  It was cold and windy and threatening to rain so not that much fun.  I was in the Jeep, though, so was pretty much out of the elements, thank goodness.

We finished AI-ing on Monday and hauled the heifers to pasture.  M and Roger had done ten of ours Monday morning, went to Wolf Point to work a bunch of heifers for another friend and then came back here to do our final ten in the evening.  Roger was a bit pooped and ready for a beer but commented that it's still better than a real job!  I'm going to miss having him around--he's much more gentlemanly than my husband!

M picked up his two new bulls on Monday so on Tuesday morning we branded them and took them to the pasture to get to work.  Then we had to take a water truck and some lunch to Opheim to J.  We had just gotten home and were getting ready to load up the rest of the bulls to deliver to their respective pastures when J called and said he had the sprayer stuck.  So, back to Opheim we go again.  Thankfully, we were able to use a neighbor's tractor so we didn't have to run a tractor all the way over there.  Took us an hour to get there and five minutes to pull him out.  He wasn't being very smart crossing the coulee where he did so his dad wasn't real happy with him at that point.

So, by then it was getting a bit late to get all the bulls put out, and we didn't want to make a third trip to Opheim so the plan changed just slightly.  We took one bull to the far east pasture--5 1/2 miles and three gates through the prairie and the other five home--two to a pasture and three to the corral to wait for another day.

On Wednesday, our neighbor, John, brought some of his bulls up and we moved his cows from one pasture across some CRP to another pasture.  It was a bit of a gray day, but M had been checking on the weather radar and said he thought the rain would miss us.  We were on 4-wheelers rounding up 350 pairs and were rained on before we were done.  The move went relatively smoothly and quickly.  I just hate when they get to the new pasture and can't pair up, the calves bawling for their mamas and the cows bawling for their babies.  I know that panicky feeling when you can't find your kid!  That situation eventually sorts itself out and they find each other again.  We sat in John's pickup and had some sandwiches before heading home.  By then it was raining pretty good so we had to ride the 4-wheelers home in the rain.  About the time we got to the yard the sun came out--it figures!  We did, however, have a couple more storms roll through during the day.  It was good to get home and into dry clothes with a cup of hot tea in my hand!

M and J decided to go to Glasgow to finalize the new tractor purchase (the one that was supposed to be here a month or more ago) since it was rainy.  I was very happy to see the back of M's head going out the door without me so I could catch up on some housework--mainly laundry.

The rest of the bulls were delivered to their respective pastures yesterday while I was at work.  I dislike having to deal with them, but I never want M to do it alone.  He managed just fine without me.

This morning we were off again to check the water tank in the pasture and rig up a float.  We pump water to it with a generator and have been guessing how much gas we need to pump as much water as we need.  With the float we can fill the generator with gas and it will shut off when the float floats.  Someone has to go check on it at least every other day.  We've been up to check on it almost every day lately, and it is a long but scenic and peaceful drive through the prairie.  I love the smells and the wildflowers, the big blue sky.  The country is so green and beautiful this time of year.  I often feel sad for people who don't get to live this way.  M loves to drive his Jeep and look at his cows.  We leased quite a bit more pasture this year--more than we really need--and I tease him about feeling like Ben Cartwright.  Today I commented that he must be a very happy man, out in his Jeep driving across the Ponderosa.  He smiled and agreed and said, "the only way I could be happier is if I had a sandwich."

Wide open spaces!

Calves are growing and looking good.

Breeding Season

Life has been a bit hectic and busy after our short vacation to Denver (which was a ton of fun by the way).  We had some catch up to do and now are getting ready for breeding season (the cows, not us).  Our friend, Roger, is going to artificially inseminate our heifers.  It's our first time doing things that way so we're learning as we go. 

First thing this morning we had to move the heifers from the pasture to the barn.  We've been having the debate for a few weeks now as to whether we will be chasing them home or leading them home.  They've become a bit like pets (okay, A LOT) and come running to us when we come into the pasture.  We pretty much led them to the gate and out of the pasture.  Then we had to cross some seeded fields and had to chase them.  They pretty much knew where they were going, though, so we mostly just had to keep up with the 4-wheelers.

Since that went so smoothly we had time to go to Richland and get a water truck for J and C who were spraying crop before Roger arrived.  We started running the heifers through to give them a shot to bring them into heat, apply a heat sensor patch to their backs and pour them for flies.  M was called away to give C a ride so Roger and I finished up.

Then we rounded up some pairs to move to Opheim and corralled them until after lunch.  After lunch, M had to go get more water for the spraying crew so Roger and I sorted the pairs and loaded them and took them to pasture near my brother's house.  That went smoothly, too.  Roger thinks M has me trained pretty well.

We had two more pairs to take to a different pasture so we got them loaded and M and Roger dropped me off at home and took them.  They then had to go load bulls and bring them home since the vet will be out in the morning to test them.

They had originally planned to do that yesterday which would have been great for me because I was supposed to work so wouldn't have to help.  Sadly, we had to go to the funeral of a friend yesterday so the bull testing was rescheduled.  Now I have no excuse to be absent from that fun event.

Roger lives about 80 miles away so is staying with us while the AI-ing is going on.  He told M to keep him busy while he was here.  M is pretty sure that won't be a problem.  I say, oh Roger, be careful what you ask for!

I've Been Everywhere......

That's been the theme song for my life the past week or so.  With J working at one end of our land and M at the other I feel like all I've been doing is running around from north of Glentana to south of Opheim to west of Opheim and back again, to Glasgow for parts and then to the east end.  One day, J told me he would need me the next day because he was going to have a couple of short moves to make.  Then M came home and told me I would have to go with him the next day to move him back home.  I wasn't sure how I was going to be everywhere at once.  M had to delay getting to his tractor for while we got J set up for the day.  That's when I decided that everybody needed a "buddy" (or two) to follow them around and make sure they had what they needed because I just can't be everywhere and do it all.  Then my mother-in-law deserted me after the last rain and went to her house in town--not fair!  J finished seeding Sunday night so we have all breathed a big sigh of relief.

That gave me time to go to the graduation of my niece and a neighbor girl and hit one graduation party.  Today we had rain so M and I spent the day working on reporting for the Farm Service Agency, our crop insurance agent and the Department of State Lands.  I wonder every year why anyone would think it is a good idea to have the government involved in farming (or just about anything else for that matter).

R is home temporarily while waiting for his summer job to begin so has been put to work.  I get the feeling he hasn't really missed the farming scene that much.......

I Want to Check You For Ticks

Yes, it's tick season.  One night we found two attached to Pete's head and the next night we found one in his ear.  The first one I pulled out took a little scalp with it.  Another day I saw something on the floor that looked like a bean--about the size of a kidney bean and kind of gray-green.  I picked it up wondering what in the world it was and saw little legs moving.  A big, fat, blood-filled tick.  GROSS!  Now we don't just pet Pete, we're feeling for ticks.  Poor Pete has gotten a little gun shy.  He's also full of cockleburs after day out with M doing some fencing.  I'd love to take him to a groomer and see what think of him at the moment.

I have bad news to report about poor little Tina.  One morning I went into the barn like every day to let her know I was there so she could get herself up (it took awhile sometimes) while I went to get her bottle ready.  She was in the back of the barn and the way she was laying gave me a bad feeling.  I made M go and look and yes, she had died during the night.  She was fine the day before and had eaten really well.  I suppose it was for the best, but I kind of miss her.  Now when we go to feed I feel like I'm forgetting something.

We had an inch and a half of rain over the weekend so the seeding operation was shut down for a few days.  They were going to try to get back to it this afternoon.  In the meantime, we sent some cow-calf pairs out to pasture and loaded up some other cows to haul to another pasture.  That went really smoothly, thank goodness!

Yesterday M decided it was a good day to pound some posts since the ground was soft after the rain and left the clipping for me.  So I wandered through prime tick habitat this afternoon to clip the fence wires to the new posts.  I've felt a bit crawly ever since so I might need to be checked for ticks!

Adventures in Ranching

I guess I can't say we are "cowboying" anymore.  The other night we heard a young man say he's not a cowboy, he's a rancher.  Of course, he has a full-time job in town and doesn't really take care of his own cows much so I'm not sure he qualifies as a "cowboy" OR a "rancher".  Anyway, there is a distinction between the two.

My Tink (erbelle) has turned into Tina and is still alive and relatively well.  She has not, however, learned to suck from her mother.  We had a rain delay over the weekend so M had some time to get the cow in the maternity pen daily for a few days and try to get Tina to nurse.  She really can't figure it out or it's too hard for her, but we've pretty much given up hope that it will ever happen.  So, I get to bottle feed her twice a day.  We've been so proud of ourselves for saving her, but now we're wondering why since she'll never be worth anything and we're not sure what we'll do with her.  Her mother and M are not friends so she may not be here next year.  She's not mean, just obstinate.

Now we have Norman.  We had a cow that lost a calf and a friend who was bottle-feeding three calves so we took one off his hands.  He had named him Norman, and he's a nice big boy.  We started him out on one cow, and she was okay to work with but not too excited about Norman.  The next day we found a 3-day old calf dead in the pasture and the mother was still being protective so we decided to try to put Norman on her.  We skinned the dead calf (yes, that was a bit disturbing) and duct-taped the hide to Norman.  The mother latched onto him pretty quickly; we just had to get Norman comfortable with her.  He was a bit "flinchy" so we have a hunch he'd been knocked around before.  We put them in the maternity pen a couple of times and he nursed well.  Then yesterday morning I walked into the barn, and he was nursing her all on his own.  Hallelujah!  We will still keep a close eye on them, though.

Yesterday was a full day of moving cows around.  We brought our heifer calves home so we can start synchronizing them and getting them ready to artificially inseminate and hauled feed troughs and buckets.  Then we sorted cow-calf pairs to go to two different pastures and hauled some to pasture. 

This morning we sorted off six open cows to put with the heifers to be AI'd.  That was a bit of an adventure.  Four of them were happy to amble along and be herded to the pasture while the other two were off like a shot, usually in the wrong direction.  Yes, there was cursing but no, not from me. 

It is a cold, gray, windy day so I was happy to get sandwiches ready for the guys and send M on his way to the field so I could come home and warm up!  J got back into the field yesterday afternoon after a few days off due to rain and finished up the lentils.  Now he is back to seeding wheat on his march back east.  We're about half done with the seeding and hoping the rest goes quickly and painlessly!

Adventures in Cowboying

It seems that every day is eventful with calving in full swing and field work beginning.  One day we found two live calves, one dead and partially eaten by coyotes, and two cows that had calved.  The cows were confused, the calves were confused, and we were confused.  Did one cow lose her calf and claim a twin of the others?  Did one cow have twins and one lived and one didn't?  Since they can't tell us, I guess we will never know.  We got the four of them into the corral to try to sort it out and get them tagged.  One cow and calf seemed to be more bonded so we separated them from the more confused calf and left the confused one and it's "mother" in a pen alone.  All seems to be well now but we'll keep them separated for awhile to avoid more confusion.

We had a cow whose calf was born with the sac over it's nose, and we didn't find it in time to save it; however, even though it was about normal size there were some deformities that made us think it may have been a bit premature.  She was desperate for a calf so we had a friend who works at the sales barn in Glasgow purchase one for us--a big boy!  They seemed to bond fairly well, but we noticed that she was kicking at it when he tried to nurse so into the maternity pen she went so he could nurse her.  It only took one time of that and they seem to be getting along well now.  When he wasn't having luck with a teat he started sucking on her ear as she was eating.  He wasn't giving up!

We have four pairs out roaming.  They are older cows that we don't want to move too far to pasture.  Yesterday morning as we went to do chores we noticed there were more than four cows out and about.  Oops, someone inadvertently left a gate open the night before.  Not naming names, but I believe M was the last one through it.  So, we had to round them all up and get them back in and then sort the old ones back out.  The sorting back out wasn't a problem--those old cows are pretty smart.

When we finished with that we checked the heifers and found a tiny calf, estimated at about 37 pounds.  She's fully formed and alive so we're doing our best to save her.  We gave her a bottle of colostrum right away.  Then in the evening we got the cow in to try to milk her.  She didn't like that very well.  There was a lot of kicking and cursing (kicking from the cow, cursing from M) until M tied up her hind leg.  She didn't like that too well either.  I fed the baby with it, but we're not sure we want to go through that every day.  For starters, M doesn't have the time.  She is standing and walking a little bit, but we don't think she's tried to nurse the cow.  M says I should name her because I may be spending a lot of time with her, bottle feeding her two to three times a day.  I'm thinking Tink--short for Tinkerbell.  I'll have to ask R since it belongs to him.

M and Tink--she looks more like a puppy!

I had to run some sandwiches to J and Jared who were seeding and stopped on my way back to see how the baby was and check on the heifers.  As I walked through the pen I didn't find 011 who we thought was close to calving so I looked in the back shed and there she was, obviously laboring, with feet out.  I locked her in and called M who was cleaning grain to take to J.  He was almost done with that so came up and we got her in and pulled the calf which was probably 85 pounds.  It's probably a good thing that it didn't take any longer for him to get there.  I told R he is lucky he has such good help to take care of his cows!

This morning was pretty uneventful on the cow front.  Only two calves to tag and turn out, but we had a lot of running around to do to make sure J had seed and fuel and C had fuel and water to spray.  Poor M is getting run ragged, and it's only just begun.  Last year that was R.  He's a lot younger and even he was exhausted!

He Calls Me "The Cow Whisperer"

The other day about dark M was trying to put a bale in the feeder for our heifer calves.  Before he could get out the tractor to close the gate about seven of them ran out into the pasture.  We haven't had time to check the fence for winter damage so didn't really want them in there yet.  He wasn't having any success trying to get them back in by himself so he left them until I could help him in the morning.  So, after our other chores were done we headed down to get them back in the pen.  I circled around them to open the gate while M went to get some buckets of feed.  They really like their feed so we thought we could lure them in.  They were stuck in a corner, however, and while M was trying to push them toward the gate they started to head off in the wrong direction.  He was getting fired up, out of patience, prepared to chase them all over the pasture to get them in while I just calmly rattled the buckets at them and said "come on, girls".  Pretty soon one noticed me and headed my way and I led them all back through the gate into the pen.  So now M calls me "the cow whisperer". I'm constantly trying to explain to M the value of being calm and patient.  Anyone who knew me 25 years ago wouldn't think I would be the calm and patient one.

Another good example of a day that could have been a real wreck and wasn't happened a few years ago.  We were hauling cow-calf pairs to pasture near my brother's house south of Opheim.  Before we took our last load, M mentioned that the transmission on the pickup was acting kind of funny.  First clue that it wasn't going to be a good day.  I suggested we hook the trailer to a different pickup.  No, that would take time, and if he ignores a problem it will go away.  Okay, so off we go.  We get to the road to my brother's and the transmission is acting more funny.  We limp the pickup through the yard and it quits just when the back of the trailer was barely through the gate.  We had the calves penned in the front of the trailer and the cows in the back.  We let the cows out and they were happy to head into the pasture.  As we start to let the calves out my brother's dog comes out and spooks them and they take off out the gate and head north.  So, we have no vehicle to drive to try to head them off, M is hollering that you can't herd calves, and oh yeah, did I mention it is starting to rain?  What are you going to do, let them run all the way to Opheim or God knows where and never find them?

By then neither of us are happy campers.  No one is home at my brother's house and the only vehicle in his yard is an old Chevy Citation so I jump in it and take off zig-zagging through the muddy fields and herd those calves right back to the pasture while M is still hollering "you can't herd calves".  That's BS, I just did it!   And then, we had to call his mom to come get us.

I have to bring that story up once in awhile when he says something isn't going to work.  It's funny now. 

Calves, calves, calves.....

It's been a busy couple of weeks with calving and getting into the field.  Then I threw a wrench in things and went for back surgery so was gone for 3 days and now am a little limited in what I can do.  I feel so much better, though!

In the days before I had to go for surgery, we had lots of calves and pairs to move and another calf we had to pull the night before I left.  I think M was feeling his age after tagging 9 calves on his birthday.  He has a tendency to get a little stressed and cranky.  I was seriously more worried about leaving him alone than I was about surgery.  I kept telling him to keep a cool head, that it didn't do anyone any good to get fired up, and to call someone if he needed help.  I was pretty sure he wouldn't call for help but had hope that he could remain calm.  He survived with no problems and did say that he heard my voice in his head a few times. 

The day after I got home I was on the 4-wheeler checking cows--pretty sure my doctor would not have thought that was a good idea.  My sister didn't either, but I assured her that I was slow and careful.  The hardest part is that I'm not supposed to bend over.  I've gotten good at flipping things up with my foot and grabbing them.  It really pays to have long arms!

We had a little blast of winter over the weekend.  On Good Friday we had rain, sleet, snow, wind...and thunder!  We were busy trying to make sure everything had some sort of shelter and that the cows with calves in the pasture didn't take off away from the wind.....and into the neighbor's pasture.  I was finally so tired and cold that I made M take me home.  R was on his way home so I told him he needed to get here and help his dad.  That night he checked the cows at 11 and M was up at 3 am for another check.  He had had to put one in the warmer just before dark so was a little concerned about how the night would go.  Thankfully, there was nothing born during the night, just one early in the morning that we put in the barn to warm up and dry off.  The storm didn't amount to as much as predicted so we were lucky there.  We were thankful to have some moisture even though now we will have to wade through slop for a couple of days.

Sadly, R goes back to South Dakota tomorrow.  We never have enough time with him.  I don't think he's crazy about getting put to work every time he comes home, but M doesn't want him to be bored!  I was thankful he was here as backup at least for a few days.

Busy Night........and Day!

M went to check the cows last night just before dark.  He put a heifer in the barn and was going to leave her for awhile to see how she did while we had a quick supper.  When we went to check on her she hadn't progressed at all so into the maternity pen she went so we could pull the calf.  It was a hard pull and a very big calf--he estimated between 90 and 95 pounds.  Too big for a heifer!  I had to text R updates since all these heifers are his. 

While we were in the midst of that his phone kept ringing.  He was too busy to answer but had a voicemail that there was a fire near Richland.  We walked out of the barn and could see the glow in the sky.  After a few calls we finally found out that it was about 20 miles south.  We went into Richland to see if the fire trucks were out and they were.  We drove down to the fire, but it was well under control by then with trucks from several of the nearby towns.

We headed back home and went to check on the heifer and the calf.  The calf was cleaned off and up and the heifer seemed no worse for wear.  Thank goodness!

We hit the ground running this morning as there were a couple of new calves to get in and tag, feeding to be done and then we switched to farming mode.  The guys hauled some seed wheat to our land west of Opheim.  I had to go along with the service pickup.  When we got that done I hurried home to check the cows.  Another heifer had calved on her own but was a little agitated in the midst of the rest of the heifers.  I left her alone and went to the pasture to check the rest of the herd.  There were two new ones there.  One headed to the barn as soon as I rode near her with the 4-wheeler so she was easy to get into the pen.  M arrived soon after and moved the the heifer and her calf into the barn where they could bond without being bothered.

I got home about 4:30 and had a couple of hours to do laundry before I had to run to Richland and pick up M and head out to check the cows again.  We got the other new calf and its mother into the pen so we can tag it in the morning and kick it out with the other pairs.

So begins the spring craziness......

R's first baby......a boy!

And his BIG girl!

Babies!

We had our first calf on Wednesday and have had one or two every day since then.  We expect the pace to pick up soon.  I had to let R know that we had our first calf--he was disappointed that it wasn't one of his.  We have the cows more confined now so it's easier to check on them and get them into the barn if we have to.  One cow had a set of twins, but sadly, only one survived.  We probably could have saved it if we had been there at the right time.  The surviving twin was slow to get up so we got him and his mom to the barn and gave him some colostrum.  The mother was having a bad day and tried to take it out on M.  He had to pen her up so he could feed the calf.  We left them in the barn for a couple of days to make sure he was up and eating but kicked them out into the sunshine yesterday.  He's still not very energetic.  I've always loved this time of year and am constantly in awe at nature, how the cow knows to lick of the calf and get it up and guard it and how the calf instinctively knows where to seek nourishment.

Yesterday M went to pick up 12 heifers that belong to a friend to bring here and put with ours and calve out.  I'm never sure why he brings more work on himself.  I was on cow-checking duty while he was gone and found a fresh calf when I went to check.  We ran the new heifers through the chute and poured them, and they seem like nice, calm girls.

A few days ago I noticed that one of my pet calves had a bad foot and think that she probably stepped on something.  She didn't come to feed right away and then I noticed she was limping and her back foot was swollen.  We kept an eye on it and she wasn't getting better so we brought her home and gave her a shot of antibiotics and anti-inflammatories.  She looked much better the next day although she doesn't seem happy to not be with her friends.  We plan to give her another shot in a day or so and then take her back.  M said it could have been worse--it could have been one of his calves instead of one of mine!

J is still busy getting ready to start in the field.  A loaner tractor was delivered on Friday since our new one won't be here until May.  The "three-year experiment" blue tractor is gone and J is very happy to be back in green.  He installed monitors, etc. so he's ready to hook onto his drill.  He added another tank to the drill so that he'd have more grain capacity.  He showed us his progress one day.  Looked like a BIG job to me!  He amazes me with his ability to work on things.  We think he should start a consulting business because the other day one neighbor, who bought a drill J had tried out last year, said if he had any problems he'd call J and another neighbor said if he had any trouble with his GPS system, which was new to him, he'd call J.  I did notice the other day that his ADD is showing because he had three projects going in the shop in town and the drill project in another shop nearby.

We have missed some storms in the past week or so.  There is rain in the forecast again for the week ahead so we're hoping that we get some this time.  So far, all we've gotten is wind--plenty of it.  The weatherman never seems to get that wrong.  Happy Spring!