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!