I Need An Office

 Thank goodness I love my veterinarian!  I have been at his office every day this week & going again today & will probably end up there again tomorrow!!  Either I need an office at his place or he should move out here - it would be so much easier for me!!  Ah.  Such is the way it goes in calving season though.
  The picture here is of my big back yard that hasn't been mowed in quite some time.  I couldn't mow it when the grass was only a little tall because those ratty basset hounds have dug foxholes halfway to China all over back there & I'd end up with my kidney sticking out of my ear if I use the regular mower.  Instead, I am going to try to get these yearlings to help knock it back & then we are going to have to use the small tractor & shredder to get this yard mowed.  I do think I let it just grow & grow because it is so wonderful to see a sea of green everywhere.  I want it to last as long as possible!!
 
  Say hello to lovely lady Sally & her bitty baby.  Sally & 2 of her friends had just hopped off the trailer from their visit to the vet.  Sally would love to have fingers & toes right now so that she could climb up the side of the trailer, like I did, & kick my butt for taking her baby away, hauling her into town, making her stay at the vet, taking her baby away again & then hauling her home.  I say that I am very happy she is a cloven hoofed bovine!  There I sat on top of the trailer for a few minutes before I scaled my way to the other side & climbed down.  She huffed & growled a few more times at me before taking her baby off into the trees.
  Today is going to be....get 33 & big 27 to vet.  33 had a baby 2 days ago & hasn't expelled all her afterbirth & 27s baby is at the clinic already.  I told baby that I would bring her home & she could stay in my room where we could have tea parties & prank call boys, but the vet said it would be best if I brought her mother in so that maybe she will learn to nurse properly & that cows don't drink tea or make phone calls!  Huh - we'll see about that.  Anyway, round trip to vet, mess with horses (who all look terribly pregnant because they are so grass fat!), pick up new mattress for camper, pick up battery for Peppe (fingers crossed that gets him back on the road), fix water trough (how does a brass chain just disappear?  It's heavy.  Shouldn't it fall to the bottom of the trough???), and lordy knows what else will hit my To Do List today, but bring it on because I'm ready!!

Be a Better Blogger

   Good Morning!
  I hope everyone enjoyed a nice Easter/Passover holiday.  We had a good time out here at the ranch getting ready for the big trail ride next month & I got to see some friends from high school that I hadn't seen in a long time.
  We have lots of babies hitting the ground & so I'm constantly running around checking on the babies & the mommies.  Monday, I took 3 mommies & 3 babies to the vet only to find out when I got to town that I kidnapped a wrong baby!  Wrong baby returned to mother (who was not happy with me) & correct baby taken to vet.  It was funny.  What was not funny was that Peppe died on me out in the East pasture!  I walked about a mile to get home & got WB to tow me to the shop.  I think the battery is dead because those ratty calves turned on the headlamp scratching their heads on the handlebars!
 This is a shot of me in the back of the truck with our current patient.  She was rather weak & so WB & I snatched her up & got her to the vet yesterday.  She was dehydrated & had a little fever.  Amazing how these calves do not seem to mind riding in the air conditioned truck on a soft blanket.   All babies & mommies will come  home today.  It will be good to have them all back in the pasture where they belong.  I started moving everyone around in the pastures yesterday so that I can keep a better eye on these girls & they can't hide their babies out in the woods all the time.  I just will not accept loosing any of them due to lack of attention!
  This was last nights dinner.  I promised WB no more ham this week.  I think we are growing snouts due to 3 days in a row.  My quiche was pretty darned good though & got no complaints from WB although he did snort a few times, but I think that is from an over abundance of swine cuisine.
  Today is busy.  Run to D&D to return some horse tack & pick up trailer hinges then back here to move a mattress out of the camper, check on all my cows, order a new battery for Peppe & go pick up the bovines in town.  I'm sure the list will grow as the day goes on.  It usually does!! 
  Hope you have a great day too.

Long Time No Blog

  Yes, it has been forever & a day since I have sat at the computer to blog about life on the ranch.  I guess the Fall & Winter were too depressing to share.  No rain, no grass, hay hard to find & very expensive, livestock skinny & debating on selling or to keep feeding everyone & pray for rain. 
  It all worked out since we were able to get our tanks dug out & they are now full & have overflown twice with all the rain.  My calves sold at a higher price than I've ever gotten & all the livestock are so grass fat they can barely wade through the belly high grass.  My prayers & patience were answered & rewarded.
 
I took a little trip last weekend with some friends to an equestrian lodge around Bandera & rode horses in the hill coutry.  So beautiful there!!  I haven't been in ages.  It was extra exciting because even though I have ridden horses all my life, I have never ridden my own horse on property other than my own.  We had a wonderful time except for a little run in with some Boy Scout hikers.  The horses freaked out but we were all OK.   Apparently, Ruby & I can do 360s in a cedar tree without me getting sratched, loosing my hat or either of us getting hurt.


OK.  This mesquite tree is one of the freakiest trees I've seen lately & there were two of them.  They are completely empty inside the trunk yet the tree was leafing out.  Just amazing the resilience of nature & certainly that peksy mequite.  Those dudes don't die easy.








Mr. Shiner & Rosemary.  I call him Shine Man because he is rather stellar.  He just hopped up on that rock & was looking for a cookie from his Momma.  Rose & Shiner are a perfect match & Ruby actually doesn't try to bite & kick him too much.  She's an alpha & can be quite the grande dame.








  Miss Ruby was stuffing her face with grass.  That is Cowboy in the background.  He belongs to Rita & Rita is Ruby's grandmother.  Rosemary, in her infinite wisdom, matched Ruby with me.  Rita's daughter could no longer care for Ruby & Ruby became too much for Rita to handle.  Who better to take charge of an alpha mare than me?  Sometimes I think Ruby & I are a bit too alike in our personalities.  I guess that is why we get along well & she doesn't get away with any of her attitude with me!!







This is Skunk the cat from Hill Country Eqestrian Lodge.  She was hanging out on the fence.  Probably waiting for a mouse, baby rabbit or little bird to be ever so foolish enough to land in her pasture. 
















My riding buddies - Rosemary & Shiner; Rita & Cowboy.  We have a great time together & have lots of laughs.














Here is Daddy with the two Basset hounds that adopted us last October.  Flopsy & Mopsy attack WB's lap daily & he does enjoy their company.  Not to worry, Dog is still king of the canines around here & hangs out with his dad all day.  Feeding time is much lounder than it used to be.  Flopsy is a rather timid male until dinner time, then he definitely finds his voice!









This is our horse Fish playing in the water trough.  You can see the flood on the ground he created.  Watching him do this made me understand his name!!





We now have 8 commercial calves.  So far, 5 are versions of red & white & then we have 3 that are black & white.  So cute.  I run out back every day to see if we have any new ones.  I just want to snuggle on these little babies.  They look so soft!!!




As of today, we have 4 Brahman babies.  3 are white & we now have a red one in the group.  These babies are also too cute but their mothers don't let me get nearly as close as the other cows do. 
  We have a big weekend ahead - WB & I will shoot in Lockhart & some of my family arrived today.  Next week is work cattle week - a bull got in with the commercial cows & I'm not ready for them to start dating yet, one needs some udder care, one needs to see the vet & one needs a new ear tag.  They all need to be fly sprayed too.  The Brahmans are doing well, but I have some concerns about one of my mothers right now.  She has plenty of milk but I just hope that baby is able to nurse her gigantic udder. 
Am off to bed & will try to be a better blogger.  I do enjoy sharing this life I am very blessed to live.

Happy Gobble Gobble Y'all

Since I refuse to believe that I am aging daily, I must be having fun as time just flies by. My days on the ranch are fairly similar - feed horses, feed calves, feed cows, feed bulls, feed WB, feed dogs, feed calves again, feed WB again, feed dogs again & feed, the yard calves anyway, a few more times before calling it a day. Mixed in there is fixing broken pipes to water troughs, repairing squished hay rings, airing up the never ending flat tires on the tractor & doing my best not to track recycled grass into the house. And, I do love it all!!
Here is a picture of the handsome WB in front of one of the many helicopters he flew in the Army. I sent this picture to my sister for Veterans Day. She printed pictures of kids family members in the service & hung them on the wall in her library on Veterans Day. I thought that was a great idea & it is always nice to get a visual reminder of those who protect our freedoms with their lives & that we can take so easily for granted.
Here we have the Boys Breakfast Club. My sweet man Val is up front & Coalie is in the back. The little guy in the middle has no name yet as he may get to live elsewhere one day & be the proud father of cute little humpie babies. I currently have about 15 adult & adolescent bulls in that pasture. Although I can pet & scratch every one of them, the breakfast room is closed while plates are being served. Once that is done & Pepe out of the way, I open the gates & they clamour for position around the feed troughs. They could care less about me & getting scratches when food is on the table. Can't say as I blame them as their feed is rather tasty to them. At least we now have some grass on the ground since we have had almost 3 inches of rain since last month. Fingers crossed, all the rye grass we planted will sprout nicely & they will have some good grazing.

Here we have the Junior version of the breakfast club. Just a few of the little heifers we have this year. All the steer calves have been sold. WB informs me that after Thanksgiving we will be sorting off a few more of the smaller heifers & some of the little Brahman boys who aren't very friendly to sell. Fine with me - fewer mouths to feed over the winter. Some of these little ones are getting used to me & discovering that I don't just bring them feed but that scratches behind their ears, on their itchy horn buds & under their chins is very nice! Sometimes, I feel like the Pied Piper with the way they follow me around. Kinda fun & kinda creepy!!






















This little girl just cracked me up. I guess the hay is tastier up there & she is staking her claim on all of it!

Here Mr. Junior is eating his late night snack.  Such a sweet little guy.  He was hungry but very tired & didn't want to get up.  Yes, every one gets spoiled out here.  We just can't help ourselves!

Must get moving to get all animals fed, pack up the truck & head to my sister's house for Thanksgiving.  Very excited to see her & to spend some time just relaxing with my family.  I have so many things to be thankful for &, as always, my family is my most precious gift for which I am thankful to be included as a member.  I wish everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving. 

Rual Does Not Equal Sedentary

Well hello hello. Every time I sit to blog, something keeps me from sitting long enough to upload pictures & typing! Things have been super busy at the ranch lately. Not sure what changed from the normal super busy, but I guess when you think your schedule is already full there is always a little room to squeak more in there. The last 2 weeks of September we spent inventorying all the cows & weaning calves. Not to worry, my BB calf is still hooked on me & can usually be found loitering in the carport. It's always the same, she wants to get in the yard to eat grass & get her rations of calf feed & milk. She actually noses the gate latch & tries to let herself in - it's too funny.
With the cattle work came flies, flies & more flies. In this picture, WB is spraying the commercial lot for flies. Not only does it make them more comfortable to not have those pests buzzing about them, but the flies bring worms with them & worms degrade the health of the animal. So spray away please!! They were even bothering me & I'm not sure if that was because I smelled like a cow or what, but I was ready to stand there & get sprayed too! Freaking little nasty pests!! Buzz off!!


This storm front looked promising for rain, but alas, it did not bring any. It did make for a nice picture, but that was it. We did get some rain the first part of October & those 2.5 inches really made a difference. The ground is green now instead of brown. The cows, horses & donkeys are loving it. We still feed them all every day & about once a week I put out hay for them.

This is such a sweet picture of mother & baby. I guess baby was feeling a little insecure & wanted a little lap time.












Here we have our newest family members. Two Basset hounds showed up at the back door one morning. A boy, Flopsy, & a girl, Mopsy. They are super sweet & I can't imagine that someone just threw them out on the road for dead. They are definitely in good hands now & are getting quite accustomed to lounging in our laps, in their fluffy beds or snuggled up on the furniture. Dog & Sugar don't mind one bit as they too know that life can be hard living on the streets & welcomed the new family members with open paws.






Yes. That is me getting a facial by #57. She does love to lick on me whether it is my legs, arms or face. She has no preference. She'll even eat on my hair if given the chance. Pretty soon, she & the rest of her herd will go out in the pasture with all the big girls as they will be old enough to breed this coming spring. I'll miss having this lot around to love on, but we have a whole new crop of calves just waiting for the same attention these girls have gotten.


Well, I'm off & running again. I'm going to try to work with the new pups on leashes. We'll see how that goes. I might end up tangled in a mess of rope getting licked to death!!!