Cold & Cows

Just when I was coming to terms with the mild winter we were having this year…the snow came blowing in!

Winter was bound to arrive at some point. The snow is needed to increase our moisture level for the year, so it’s a bit of a relief to see some white stuff on the ground. We can deal with the snow, but the worst part of winter’s arrival is the wind.

Wind is cold and miserable for all of us. These cows are eating more hay than normal, just to keep themselves warm. Brand new baby calves and their mamas are moved into the barns to give the calves time to warm up and start sucking.

Three year old boys and their mamas spend the days indoors, playing cowboys on the floor until this mama’s knees wear out and I beg for a break so I can do something less laborious. Laundry, for example.

Chauffeur

Chauffeur. That is my most recent job title. I have been shuttling kids back and forth nearly every day this month. Guitar lessons, karate lessons, hair cuts, and my near weekly trip to pick up my son’s glasses from being repaired. Ten year old boys + eye glasses + recess = many broken frames!

As I uploaded the photos from my memory card last night, I had to laugh as the photos came across the computer screen. I have taken several landscape shots this month and somehow had forgotten that until I saw the photos again. I don’t know how I could have forgotten, once I glanced at the photos the memories came right back.

“Mom, why are we parked in the middle of the road?”

“Are we ever going to get to school today?”

“Mom, is something wrong? Why did you pull over?”

Soon, they started taking advantage of these brief delays. As I was taking this picture of the canyon, I could hear the kids talking behind me, but I didn’t really register what they were saying until I heard my eight year old yell, “Ready! Aim! Fire!” Glancing over my shoulder I saw all of the kids pointing their “finger pistols” out the window. Giving them a puzzled look, my eight year old said, “It’s okay Mom, we are protecting you from the imaginary coyotes.”

Well, that’s a relief! You can never be too careful when imaginary coyotes are around.

Cows, Calves, Silage & Kindergarteners

Baby calves are still arriving on the ranch. In addition to the early calvers we (inadvertently!) bought last fall, we also have a small group of older cows that have started calving.

These cows were grouped together as dry cows to go to market and then… a fence-jumping bull decided to visit them. Consequently, we now have a group of cows calving in January.

They require a little more care, because many of them are older cows. They are in a large pen right now, which makes it easier to move them to the barn if it starts storming or the wind is howling.

We can also keep a closer eye on their feed consumption while they are in the pen. Mama cows need a boost in their nutrition levels right before they calve and during the first couple of months after the calf is born. Increasing their feed helps the cows maintain their body condition.

Their menu consists of corn silage with chopped hay.

 

 

 

My helper for the day.

AKA: The Girl Who Loves Pink

My Future Running Partner

My Artist in Training

My Favorite Cowboy-Girl

 

 

The First One

Here’s the thing about cattle: our calendar means nothing to them. Nothing.

When we bought a couple of loads of bred cows last fall, the buyer assured us that they were set to start calving in March. That would work perfectly for us.

 

Apparently the cows did not get this memo. This calf was born early this morning. Early this January morning.

Fortunately, the weather this week has been absolutely perfect for calving! 50+ degrees and no wind. We couldn’t ask for better weather. Even in March.

Due to this little guy’s early arrival, I find myself in the odd situation of agreeing with my husband…about the weather, at least. I’m going to have to abandon my hopes for a winter wonderland this year. Instead, I am forced to acknowledge that this mild winter is ideal for the upcoming calving season.

I am really look forward to winter…next year!

Preg-Check

Warning: this post contains photos of a somewhat sensitive nature. Especially if you are a mother. Particularly a mother of a three year old boy.

Today we had our veterinarian at the ranch to preg-check cows for us. At the end of the day we sorted the cows based on when they are due to calve and then took them to separate pastures.

To determine when the cow is due to calve, our vet does a rectal palpation and feels the cow’s uterus.

It is not a job for those with an aversion to mud or muck. You may look at this photo and feel some compassion for the dirty job our vet had to do all day long. Me? I look at that photo and thank my lucky stars I am not responsible for his laundry!

It is a quick process, the cow is in the chute for less than a minute. While the vet is working on one end of the cow, the cowboys are at the head of the cow. They give vaccinations and make her a new ear tag.

While the cowboys were hard at work, I was busy tending to the resident three year old. I would like to go on record here that I was doing a perfectly fine job of watching him and playing with him…until the phone rang.

It was a dear friend from California that I hadn’t spoken to in a while. I stepped a few paces toward the house to have my conversation and when I turned back toward where I had left my son this is what I saw:

A proud parenting moment indeed!

2011 Recap

It’s hard to believe that 2011 is nearly over. I get so wrapped up in my day to day life, raising kids and cattle, that I forget time is steadily marching on and before I know it a new year is fast approaching.

Last night, my son asked me what my New Year’s Resolution is for 2012. I told him I had no idea and I would have to get back to him later. After I tucked the kids into bed I had some time to reflect on 2011 and ponder what 2012 will bring to my family.

For me, this year has been about finding balance. Balance with my family and the ranch. Balance with my work in cattle industry organizations and the daily cooking and cleaning in my home. Balance with church and kids’ school activities.

I will never achieve a perfect balance in my life and that is okay. I have learned that I can’t balance the minutes or hours each day, but on average, over the course of time, there is balance. Looking back over 2011, there were times when I was out of town for meetings and missing my family and the ranch. There were also days when I felt trapped at home immersed in endless laundry, cooking and cleaning. Times when I was riding with my husband and mentally calculating how much time I would need to read the materials for my meeting that evening.

Not a balance every day, but overall in the midst of my wild and chaotic life, there is a balance. That reminds me of a poem by Mary Oliver, The Summer Day. I have this poem pinned to the wall above my desk. The final line reads:

Tell me, what is it you plan to do

with your one wild and precious life?

This line reminds me to enjoy the fleeting moments of my life. If I leave my house in disarray or miss a meeting in order to spend the day trailing cows with my family (a wild and precious event) that is not only okay, but it’s a great choice for that day. Consequently, I shouldn’t spend the day fretting about balance. I need to remember that it’s about the small choices I make every day adding up to balance over a longer period of time.

Not exactly a resolution, but I am hopeful for a gradual shift in my choices throughout 2012. Continue to focus on balance, but not at the expense of enjoying my “one wild and precious life”.

Happy New Year to you and your loved ones!

Merry Christmas

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. Did Santa arrive at your house? Although there were many discussions about the possibility of waking up to coal on Christmas morning, Santa is apparently a kind-hearted (and forgiving) soul. Toys were delivered and gifts unwrapped.

We ate cinnamon rolls and drank hot cider (kids) or coffee (me). Lounged around in comfy clothes for a couple of hours. Then we went back to work: Break ice for the cows and deliver a little protein block to the heifers.

My husband’s family is all here for Christmas this year and we have spent the past few days together. Yesterday we went sledding.

In Nevada.

The kids’ hopes for a white Christmas did not come to fruition. (My husband informed the kids that that simply proves he has more pull with Santa than they do.)

So, we bundled the kids, grabbed our sleds and set out in search of snow yesterday afternoon. After thirty minutes we found the perfect spot. After another thirty minutes of unloading and hauling our gear to the top of the sled hill, the kids climbed on their sleds and took off down the hill.

Only to land in the sagebrush barrier at the bottom.

For some of the little ones it was nearly a twenty minute hike from the bottom of the hill back to the top. But, they were still grinning when they climbed onto their sled for the next ride.

 

This is my favorite photo of the day. I love the orange baling twine on the handle. I love that my son has once again pulled off his mittens, despite my pleading to leave them on his cold little fingers. I love that my brother in law rode down the hill with my son and pulled him back up the hill on the sled.

The older cousins were not impressed with the tame hill that the parents and younger kids were conquering. They set off on their own, determined to find a steeper hill. I informed my boys that we were a long way from the hospital and I had no plans to drive to town today, so please don’t injure yourselves.

Amazingly, they listened!

We are off to enjoy another day of fun in the snow.

Merry Christmas to each of you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buying Spree

Earlier this month, my husband spent a few days in Montana at a large cow sale. It is an annual sale and this year they sold 6500 head of bred cows in two days. Traditionally, the cows that come through this sale are good cows and this year was no exception. My husband bought two pens of bred heifers that we are quite excited about.

When my husband abandons me and the kids for several days, we often find ourselves roaming around missing Dad looking for something fun to do.

 

 

 

It’s always interesting what we come across that the kids want to play on.

 

 

 

 

 

Have I mentioned that we don’t have a lot of playground equipment in our back yard? Who needs it when we have old creep feeders to climb on and bulldozers to pretend to drive?

 

 

The heifers spent a few days in a pen at the feedlot while adjusting to life on our ranch. Although the kids and I missed him while he was gone, I admit he did buy some great heifers. They have been AI bred and I am excited to see their calves.

There is only one small catch with his recent purchase: the heifers are set to calve January 20th!

Needless to say, we are both hoping for a No-Snow-January.  (I’m keeping my fingers crossed that Santa will deliver the white Christmas the kids have been asking for!)

Hello…

I have been missing from the blog world for most of the month of December.

Glancing at my calendar it doesn’t appear any more crammed with activities than it usually does. But somehow, the rush of Christmas approaching, last-day-of-school festivities, last minute gifts to make or buy and the annual baking/candy making that the holidays bring has overwhelmed me this year.

And the ranch. Calves to feed, protein block to haul out, ice to break, heifers to sort and bills to pay. Other than the bills, my husband and the cowboys tend to the other ranch chores. However, my three year old and I often tag along after tackling our own chore list.

It was a relief on Saturday when my husband requested assistance moving cows. Getting out of the house (thus abandoning my kitchen, cleaning, gift-wrapping, daily refereeing…) and working with the livestock is just what I needed. My husband ran horses into the corral and the kids spent a little time with their horses– scratching noses, patting necks and combing manes before climbing on and going to work. It was a great afternoon.

After looking at these pictures can you guess what my kids want for Christmas?

Snow!

They are hoping to spend their Christmas vacation sledding and skiing with their cousins. (But don’t tell my husband! He is thoroughly enjoying a No-Snow December!)

The Last Six

In the late fall after gathering the cattle and bringing them off the mountain, we spend a lot of time re-riding. We are always a few head short when we arrive at the fall or winter range. Phone calls are made to neighbors inquiring if they have seen any of our lost yearlings. Cowboys drive around hoping to spot a yearling or two.

My husband was turning off water in the pipelines when he found these six yearlings. A couple of days later he took one of our cowboys, loaded up their horses and went after the yearlings.

Apparently these heifers were quite content all by themselves on the mountain, because they were not happy to discover two cowboys riding up to them. It took a little convincing, but they eventually ended up at the corral and were loaded into the trailer.

Upon their arrival at ranch headquarters, they were preg checked, vaccinated and reunited with the rest of the yearling heifers.

Re-riding is a tedious job for some cowboys and others consider it one of their favorite assignments. Either way, it happens year after year. Rarely do we gather yearlings off of the mountain and not miss at least one or two.

We have learned over the years that when a neighbor asks if we have all of our cattle gathered that the correct answer is never “Yes”.

Because, inevitably, our neighbor will respond, “Does that mean I can keep the two that are in my corral right now?”