Holy Horseflies.....and Hotness!

I hate to say it but I'm missing the mosquitoes.  A little itch and it's over with.  Not so with horseflies.  Big red welt that can bother me for days.  This evening I had to walk about 100 yards from one pickup to another and was swatting the whole way and came away with a welt on my leg.  I have never seen them this bad.

Our temps were well into the 90s today and tomorrow is supposed to be the hot day.  We've had thunder boomers the past three nights, just a lot of noise and wind and very little rain.  It's been a bit humid for our neck of the woods so we're longing for some "dry heat".

We had cows out this evening down at the river.  Some cows went under the wire strung across the river and then one finally broke it.  Glad Jared was the one who had to wade across to stretch the wire back up.  He was probably glad for the little dip in the water to cool off.  We don't use our AC very often, but I think it will stay on for a day or two.

Making Hay

R and M have been busy haying, R on the swather and M baling.  Jared has been helping move bales.  It's nice to have that done as soon as they are made--makes us feel like we're that much ahead of the game.  Things haven't been going so smoothly, however.  A couple of days ago it was too damp to bale so M and Jared were going to haul some bales.  It was so rough that a bale fell and bent the fairing on the truck and bent the hay rack--oops!  They decided that wasn't going to work so rigged a rack onto a low flatbed trailer.  Works much better.  We had thunderstorms two nights so I was surprised that M was able to bale yesterday..  He wasn't happy last night when I went to pick him up, though.  He had trouble with his new (to him) baler and plugged it up which took forever to clean out and then ate a willow post that had somehow found its way into the hay field.  This afternoon he ate a wheel rim with the baler.  Not sure how that made it past the swather, but the baler didn't like it much.  There was much cursing and gnashing of teeth, but it didn't turn out to be as catastrophic as M thought it was going to be.  A little heat and a hammer (and a cold beer) and he was back in business in no time.  I have helped with combine repair and drill repair, and now I can add baler repair to my resume.  John Deere and Company may come calling for me any day now.

R is in Rapid City for orientation for school and was worried about being gone, but M hasn't caught up yet so it's okay that the swather is sitting for a few days.  I'm thinking he should enjoy his time away since it may be his last chance for awhile.  I'm happy that Jared is gone to the lake with his parents for the weekend.  He's good help, but you have to keep him busy.  I'm not used to having a hyper 14-year-old boy around anymore! 

Feeling Sorry for the City Folk

As my sister and I were driving to our mom's on the 4th I commented that I feel sorry for people who have lived in the city all their lives.  My sister agreed because "they just don't get it."  It was the most beautiful summer day with a clear blue sky and beautiful green pastures and fields.  I can't imagine living in a concrete world. 

My sister and I took some "nature walks" while she was here. We went down to the pasture near where we grew up and where we used to go to swim in the summer (I'm not sure I did much swimming but I do remember my brothers throwing a frog at me making me fall off the inner tube I was floating on.  That was probably the end of my swimming) and a fun place to sled in the winter.  I was disappointed that my sister didn't get to see it when the creek was running high, higher than I have ever seen it.  There was still more water than normal.  These photos were taken by my sister.

Mama duck and her babies at the creek

The spring where we used to swim

Today was another beautiful day, and I had great plans to get my house back in order after the busy weekend.  I washed sheets and towels and hung them on the clothesline--they will smell so good!  M arrived as I was doing laundry and was headed to Richland to start swathing hay.  I rode along to bring a pickup back home and as we were driving along he gave me a to-do list.  I told him I was going to have to write it all down so I wouldn't forget something.

First, I ordered 4-wheeler parts.  Then I went to feed the cats at the barn and get the 4-wheeler to take salt and mineral to some of the cows.  I felt like the Pied Piper because they followed me around the pasture--they are a bit too domesticated sometimes!  Then I filled in a hole in our road.  As I was doing that J called to see if I was home and could help him and R get stuff moved back home.

R called to let me know he was on his way and asked if I could make them some sandwiches.  I was out of bread so I ran to my in-laws and stole buns out of the freezer, made sandwiches and picked R up in Richland.  J had finished spraying west of Opheim and was moving back here so we needed to get the water truck.  We helped J load the sprayer and then took the truck to the next place to be sprayed.  Then I had to take R home.

I visited my mom for a few minutes and arrived home about 7:00, five hours after I had left.  So much for getting my stuff done today.  Oh well, in the immortal words of Scarlett O'Hara, "tomorrow is another day".

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.