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!
Friday, August 17, 2012
Monday, August 13, 2012
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......
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......
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
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!
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!
Sunday, July 22, 2012
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.
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.
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| A little muddy! |
Monday, July 9, 2012
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.
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| Broken tree |
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| 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.
Thursday, June 28, 2012
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.
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.
Friday, June 15, 2012
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."
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."
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| Wide open spaces! |
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| Calves are growing and looking good. |
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