We had such a fun weekend last weekend and can’t wait for this weekend. The weather has been gorgeous here so we are really enjoying being outside spending time with each other and seeing all the new babies born around the ranch. Friday afternoon we noticed a cow having trouble “remembering” which baby was hers, so we brought her and the baby in so she can get used to her baby’s smell and know which one belonged to her. We gave the baby a bottle of milk since she was just born, and I, of course, had to do the honors! I love feeding the babies bottles! She ate all of her bottle, and the next day was nursing from her Mom so that was a great sign!
Saturday morning we woke up about 7 AM and decided to take a trip to Deadwood, South Dakota. If you haven’t heard of Deadwood you should Google it…it’s an amazingly fun little town in South Dakota about 3 hours from home. We stayed at a very nice hotel/casino right on main street. Deadwood is a tiny gambling town and their main street is filled with different casino’s you can pop in and out of and do some gambling! We got there a little before noon on Saturday, checked in to our hotel, and headed down to main street walking hand in hand for some gambling fun! Wesley loves playing the black jack tables, and I love slot machines (penny machine’s to be exact…my Meemaw would be proud) so we found a casino we both liked and had at it! We had some luck that afternoon, then went back to our hotel to change clothes for the evening and head down to a crab & prime rib buffet at another casino on the “strip”. Before doing so we found a flyer that had some upcoming concert dates for Deadwood, and purchased tickets to see Merle Haggard in the middle of July!! We are EXTREMELY excited and cannot wait to go back and see him this summer! That evening we went back for more gambling at various casinos, and broke even. Before heading back to the hotel that night we picked up a made-to-order brick oven pizza and called it a night. Sunday morning we got up & ate breakfast at a restaurant owned by Kevin Costner. It was delicious! And the restaurant has some awesome memorabilia from the movies he’s been in to look at as well. After breakfast we headed back to our hotel to do a little more gambling before heading home. We won a little more that morning, then packed up and headed out about 11 AM. We had the absolute best time together. We were both extremely sad that our weekend ended so soon and can’t wait until tomorrow at 5 so we have another weekend to spend together!
This week around the ranch it was more of the same. We went around tagging newborn babies in the evenings when I’d get off work. Monday evening we got a little rain shower which was really nice. We need more of it! This weekend we are going to go to Miles City on Friday to get a few things, then hang out around the ranch the rest of the weekend. Saturday we will practice roping, I’m sure. Sunday is supposed to be pretty crappy weather and if so we are going to hang out in the house and watch movies all day.
Have a fabulous weekend!!
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Friday, March 23, 2012
New Life
With the Spring season comes new life around the ranch. Here are pictures of our first babies born this calving season!
Monday, March 19, 2012
A Weeks Worth of Updates
What a busy week we had last week! It started Monday with the spaying of about 100 head of heifers. After they were done, I got home, changed, and to the ranch just in time to trail them back out to a pasture east of the ranch. Then when we got back from trailing them we practiced roping on “Buford” the steer some. Tuesday it was more of the same, with trailing out some steers to another pasture. We had a few more babies pop up out at the ranch, and of course I had to go out and kiss and love on them while they were still somewhat “immobile” and wouldn’t grab 3 gears on me and take off! I got some good pictures of the precious calves, and will either share them in this blog, or the next one. We are not in full swing with regard to calving just yet, but we will be here in the next few weeks.
Friday when I got off work we ran to Miles City to get some more ear tags for our baby calves, and to get Jiggs some dog food. Then of course we had to run to Wal-Mart and pick up some things we needed there as well. We ended the evening with eating dinner in Rosebud at the Longhorn. It was excellent, once again! We really enjoy eating there…the small town atmosphere and home cooked food…you can’t beat it!
This weekend we were going non-stop on Saturday. We got up and fed, then we had to go fix fence on the west end of the ranch where the steer calves had torn it down…and boy were they some destructive little things! That took Wesley and me about 3 hours to fix, and then we put up a hot wire so they couldn’t cross the fence anymore and tear things up. Once the fence was fixed we managed to get in most of the steers that had gotten out into the wrong pasture. Then we came in to eat a little lunch, and I made a trial run of cheesecake to start practicing for his sister Christi’s wedding. That afternoon we spent roping on the ranch’s new toy – “Smarty” the steer. It’s a dummy steer that can be pulled behind a 4 wheeler…and boy was it fun!! We spent a good 3-4 hours all taking turns running the 4-wheeler, and then practicing roping on our horses. We all had a great time both roping and running the 4-wheeler. I’ve got some pretty awesome teachers to help me learn to rope, and it makes the learning process so much easier for me. And now with the addition of this steer, we’ll be able to practice a lot so I can continue to learn and improve!
Saturday evening we had Moo Moo and David over for dinner, and to have a cheesecake taste testing. We grilled sirloin and rib steaks, and I made some oven cubed potatoes (the easiest things ever to make, and they are delicious!), and green bean casserole. Then we brought out the dessert. Everyone thought the cheesecake tasted great, so we have our winning recipe for the wedding! It’s a really good no bake cheesecake, which will be great so neither Moo Moo nor I have to be in the house baking cheesecakes…we just mix them and let them set.
Sunday we weren’t as busy, but it was a fun day none the less. We fed that morning, then moved some irrigation tubes, and set out for a nice drive around the ranch. Wesley took me to some places on the ranch that I hadn’t seen before, and the views from the different peaks around the ranch were amazing! You could see forever it seemed like, and it was just gorgeous. We drove around for about 2 hours and then came in for some lunch before heading back out that afternoon. We ended up taking a nap after lunch, which was much needed for the both of us! Once we got up we went out for a ride to bring in some cows to sell this week at the auction barn, and of course finished off the afternoon by roping “smarty” the steer. We planned on roping for only about 30 minutes…but it ended up being over an hour! Time flies when you are roping that thing…it really does! Then we came home Sunday evening and grilled steaks for supper, then relaxed the rest of the evening. We had a busy weekend, and we needed some relaxation!
The weather here today is pretty darn dreary, and this morning it was snowing pretty good on my way in to work. It has stopped now, but we are expected to get more moisture (either rain or rain/snow mix) this afternoon. The temperature has dropped quite a bit from this weekend. We were in the middle 70’s on Saturday and Sunday, and we are only at 38 today! But, its March in Montana…you can’t expect anything less than what’s going on now with the weather! The rest of the week looks to be gorgeous again, and we need the moisture in the ground, so we will take it! We hope everyone has a great week and I’ll get those pictures of our babies up soon!!
Friday when I got off work we ran to Miles City to get some more ear tags for our baby calves, and to get Jiggs some dog food. Then of course we had to run to Wal-Mart and pick up some things we needed there as well. We ended the evening with eating dinner in Rosebud at the Longhorn. It was excellent, once again! We really enjoy eating there…the small town atmosphere and home cooked food…you can’t beat it!
This weekend we were going non-stop on Saturday. We got up and fed, then we had to go fix fence on the west end of the ranch where the steer calves had torn it down…and boy were they some destructive little things! That took Wesley and me about 3 hours to fix, and then we put up a hot wire so they couldn’t cross the fence anymore and tear things up. Once the fence was fixed we managed to get in most of the steers that had gotten out into the wrong pasture. Then we came in to eat a little lunch, and I made a trial run of cheesecake to start practicing for his sister Christi’s wedding. That afternoon we spent roping on the ranch’s new toy – “Smarty” the steer. It’s a dummy steer that can be pulled behind a 4 wheeler…and boy was it fun!! We spent a good 3-4 hours all taking turns running the 4-wheeler, and then practicing roping on our horses. We all had a great time both roping and running the 4-wheeler. I’ve got some pretty awesome teachers to help me learn to rope, and it makes the learning process so much easier for me. And now with the addition of this steer, we’ll be able to practice a lot so I can continue to learn and improve!
Saturday evening we had Moo Moo and David over for dinner, and to have a cheesecake taste testing. We grilled sirloin and rib steaks, and I made some oven cubed potatoes (the easiest things ever to make, and they are delicious!), and green bean casserole. Then we brought out the dessert. Everyone thought the cheesecake tasted great, so we have our winning recipe for the wedding! It’s a really good no bake cheesecake, which will be great so neither Moo Moo nor I have to be in the house baking cheesecakes…we just mix them and let them set.
Sunday we weren’t as busy, but it was a fun day none the less. We fed that morning, then moved some irrigation tubes, and set out for a nice drive around the ranch. Wesley took me to some places on the ranch that I hadn’t seen before, and the views from the different peaks around the ranch were amazing! You could see forever it seemed like, and it was just gorgeous. We drove around for about 2 hours and then came in for some lunch before heading back out that afternoon. We ended up taking a nap after lunch, which was much needed for the both of us! Once we got up we went out for a ride to bring in some cows to sell this week at the auction barn, and of course finished off the afternoon by roping “smarty” the steer. We planned on roping for only about 30 minutes…but it ended up being over an hour! Time flies when you are roping that thing…it really does! Then we came home Sunday evening and grilled steaks for supper, then relaxed the rest of the evening. We had a busy weekend, and we needed some relaxation!
The weather here today is pretty darn dreary, and this morning it was snowing pretty good on my way in to work. It has stopped now, but we are expected to get more moisture (either rain or rain/snow mix) this afternoon. The temperature has dropped quite a bit from this weekend. We were in the middle 70’s on Saturday and Sunday, and we are only at 38 today! But, its March in Montana…you can’t expect anything less than what’s going on now with the weather! The rest of the week looks to be gorgeous again, and we need the moisture in the ground, so we will take it! We hope everyone has a great week and I’ll get those pictures of our babies up soon!!
Saturday, March 10, 2012
The Promised Pictures
As I stated before, I will post some recent pictures of things going on around the ranch. Today we had to gather, sort, and work our heifer calves, and then turn them out into a different field. Tomorrow should be a pretty relaxing day for us, but we are sure enjoying this beautiful weather we are having. It was about 72 degrees today and not a cloud in the sky, and it's expected to be the same tomorrow. So, needless to say, we will probably be outside roping and doing fun things around the ranch to soak up some good ol' vitamin D! Hope everyone enjoys the pictures!
P.S. The pictures of the snow were from a few weeks ago when we got a good dusting from Saturday night to a Sunday.
P.S. The pictures of the snow were from a few weeks ago when we got a good dusting from Saturday night to a Sunday.
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A Bald Eagle stretching her wings over the ranch. Jealous that we get to see these amazing creatures all the time around the ranch? You should be. |
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A cow on her way to the hay we just put out for them to eat. |
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The 4 Amigos coming to the feeding truck |
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A beautiful black baldie heifer. She is very photogenic. She's been one of my best "subjects" when testing out new things on my new camera :) |
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| Breakfast of champions. She has a mouth full too! (Sorry, I tried to rotate the picture before putting it on the blog but it didn't work out so well) |
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| Some of the herd on the move to where we are for their morning breakfast |
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| Our precious dog Jiggs talking to one of the heifers....or about to give her a lesson...one of the two! |
Monday, March 5, 2012
Another new game and ranch activities
We had a pretty fun weekend this past weekend. Friday we went to Miles City to run a few errands, then met up with Wesley’s cousin Todd and his daughter Blair for ice cream. Of course we had to stop at Wal-Mart to get us a new game, which by the way, is pretty fun! It’s called “The Logo Game” and it tests your knowledge of brand name products and all things associated with that brand. It’s a very neat game. If you can’t tell by now, Wesley and I are quite the connoisseurs of board games!
Saturday was pretty windy, and fairly overcast, so we didn’t do much outside. We fed cows and heifers, then had to go rope a steer who was sickly. Once getting him in, we had to take him to town to the vet, where they had to perform a minor surgery to remove a bladder stone that was causing him to not be able to go to the bathroom. Thank goodness we caught him in time, otherwise given another day he probably would have died! Then that evening we went to dinner at a place called “The Longhorn” in Rosebud (about 25 miles from the ranch). It was absolutely DELICIOUS! I had fried cod, and Wesley had fried beef steak strips. We were stuffed after dinner! Of course, we couldn’t end the night without playing our new game, so we came home & did just that!
Sunday we went roping to Miles City, and I am making progress on my roping abilities if I do say so myself! The steers we have to rope on are wonderful steers to learn on, and that helps a great deal too. I was about 50% accurate this time, so we were very excited with my progress. Of course, I have an amazing horse to rope on as well, and lets not forget to give him some credit too. He’s teaching me every time I step on him, not the other way around, that’s for sure! We came home that evening to find that our precious dog must have had a hay day in the mud when we were gone, and he was no longer black, but rather mud brown! So, it was time for him to get a bath! Giving Jiggs a bath is no easy feat…he’s 60 lbs of pure muscle, and he HATES baths! He loves water, but hates baths. Needless to say it took quite some time to get him in the bathroom, then give him the bath, but he appreciated it afterwards (or so we think)!
We haven’t started calving yet, but I’m anxiously awaiting the arrival of the first baby on the ranch. I’m going to upload some recent photos I’ve taken this weekend because I’ll be indoors most of the weekend and will have some time to do so! Not much is planned for us this week, just to continue to practice roping, and get things ready for the upcoming arrivals of all the babies on the ranch. Hope everyone has a great week!
Saturday was pretty windy, and fairly overcast, so we didn’t do much outside. We fed cows and heifers, then had to go rope a steer who was sickly. Once getting him in, we had to take him to town to the vet, where they had to perform a minor surgery to remove a bladder stone that was causing him to not be able to go to the bathroom. Thank goodness we caught him in time, otherwise given another day he probably would have died! Then that evening we went to dinner at a place called “The Longhorn” in Rosebud (about 25 miles from the ranch). It was absolutely DELICIOUS! I had fried cod, and Wesley had fried beef steak strips. We were stuffed after dinner! Of course, we couldn’t end the night without playing our new game, so we came home & did just that!
Sunday we went roping to Miles City, and I am making progress on my roping abilities if I do say so myself! The steers we have to rope on are wonderful steers to learn on, and that helps a great deal too. I was about 50% accurate this time, so we were very excited with my progress. Of course, I have an amazing horse to rope on as well, and lets not forget to give him some credit too. He’s teaching me every time I step on him, not the other way around, that’s for sure! We came home that evening to find that our precious dog must have had a hay day in the mud when we were gone, and he was no longer black, but rather mud brown! So, it was time for him to get a bath! Giving Jiggs a bath is no easy feat…he’s 60 lbs of pure muscle, and he HATES baths! He loves water, but hates baths. Needless to say it took quite some time to get him in the bathroom, then give him the bath, but he appreciated it afterwards (or so we think)!
We haven’t started calving yet, but I’m anxiously awaiting the arrival of the first baby on the ranch. I’m going to upload some recent photos I’ve taken this weekend because I’ll be indoors most of the weekend and will have some time to do so! Not much is planned for us this week, just to continue to practice roping, and get things ready for the upcoming arrivals of all the babies on the ranch. Hope everyone has a great week!
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
First Catch & a little Winter Weather
As we do every weekend, Wesley and I started our weekend by feeding the cattle. Ever since I got my new camera I’m always taking it with me when we go feed, because I can get some cute shots of the “babies” as I call them (they aren’t babies…they are yearlings, then I got some pictures of our 2 & 3 year old heifers). This weekend was no different. I was able to get some really good pictures of a few of the heifers & cows. After feeding Saturday, we went to Miles City to rope. Moo Moo, again not feeling well, stayed home to rest. We took our colts and then I took Reno so I could practice again. I ran about 3 steers and then it happened…I roped my first steer! Everyone clapped & cheered for me, and I was extremely excited and proud at that moment. Wesley rode over to me & told me what a good job I did, and that he was proud of me. I didn’t catch any more that Saturday, but came really close to catching 2 more! I’m going to continue to practice this week & weekend and continue to improve and get better & better. Wesley is a great teacher, and is very patient with me. He is always there to encourage me. Saturday evening after we got back from roping we were going to try to hunt coyotes, but it started to sleet/snow so we went inside to cook a little dinner and then we were going to take a drive around the ranch and hopefully see one we could get. However, it ended up really starting to snow, so we stayed inside that evening! We played a few games on our Wii, then turned in for the evening.
Sunday morning when we woke up it was still snowing pretty good, and the wind had picked up, so it was blowing snow everywhere. We fed and then came home for the rest of the day. I picked up around the house some, we played some games, and cooked supper. Monday rolled around and it was time to go back to work again. But we have a 3 day weekend this weekend because I’m off Friday to do some things in Miles City.
My mom is feeling much better, thank God! Lets hope this week goes by fast…I’m ready for the weekend again! And, I’m going to make every effort to put up pictures I’ve taken with my new camera. It might not be this weekend, but for sure next weekend I’ll work on that!
Sunday morning when we woke up it was still snowing pretty good, and the wind had picked up, so it was blowing snow everywhere. We fed and then came home for the rest of the day. I picked up around the house some, we played some games, and cooked supper. Monday rolled around and it was time to go back to work again. But we have a 3 day weekend this weekend because I’m off Friday to do some things in Miles City.
My mom is feeling much better, thank God! Lets hope this week goes by fast…I’m ready for the weekend again! And, I’m going to make every effort to put up pictures I’ve taken with my new camera. It might not be this weekend, but for sure next weekend I’ll work on that!
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Birthday & Weekend Festivities
Well now that Valentine’s day has came and went I can share what I got Wesley for Valentine’s day….a new charcoal BBQ grill and accessories. He’s really enjoyed having that, and we’ve grilled almost every night since having the grill. Friday the 17th was my birthday, and I took the day off of work to spend it with Wesley. We went to Billings for the day on Friday. We did a little shopping, went to Sams, and had a nice lunch together at Johnny Carino’s. That evening we came home so I could Skype with my parents so they could watch me open my birthday gifts from them. I got a lot of good stuff for my birthday! My parents gave me new clothes, a new purse, and some gloves. My sister & brother-in-law gave me a new wallet, picture frame, and a cute “sisters” sign. My Granny & Papa gave me money and some new clothes. My Meemaw & Popo gave me money. Moo Moo & David gave me money as well. And Wesley gave me some new games for our Wii, and a new Nikon digital camera. I LOVE my new camera! It has an amazing zoom on it, and can take video as well. Its an HD camera, and has great features as well. I’m able to take action shots of Wesley roping, our cattle & horses, and Wesley has videoed me roping as well. We are both really enjoying the camera!!
Saturday we went to feed, and I got some really good pictures of our cattle. Then we hauled some dirt out to an area by a water tank that was a pretty good size hole. After that Wesley worked on some colts getting them more familiar with roping, and I got on Reno & started roping as well. We took turns roping the mechanical “dummy” steer, as Wesley was training the colts, and Reno was training me (haha). I did surprisingly very well roping the mechanical dummy. It was the first time I have roped on the back of a horse with a moving steer, so we were both excited with my progress. Saturday evening Wesley cooked me a beer can chicken (if you haven’t tried it…its delicious), grilled butter potatoes, and I made homemade fried okra. After dinner we watched a little TV, and played Monopoly together.
Sunday we decided to go roping in Miles City to help our colts along in their learning process (with regard to roping). So we got up & fed, then I went & caught the horses, we saddled up, and David, Wesley, & myself all headed to Miles City. Moo Moo was pretty sick on Sunday, so she stayed home. Wesley told me to bring my boots & chinks (chaps, but shorter) in case I decided to get in the box & rope a few steers. I had no intentions of roping anything that day, let alone getting in the box and heading one. But, with Wesley’s support & David’s encouragement, they got me up on Reno and I backed into the box for the first time ever. The first steer they just wanted me to track down the arena, so Reno & I got set up, and I gave the “go-ahead”, and the guys turned the first steer out. We tracked him down the arena very well, so next time Wesley got on the other side to heel for me. Again, I was just tracking the steer, but it was good practice for our colt Wesley was on, and great practice for me. Again, I gave the go ahead, and everyone said I did great. The third time around, Wesley persuaded me to do a little roping. He backed in the heeling box, I got in the heading box, got my rope set, gave the go ahead, and they turned the steer loose. We did a great job staying on the steer’s hip, and I threw a good loop, but I missed him. The good news is that I did hit the steer in the head, I was just a little off! But Wesley was there to encourage me & tell me what to do next time in order to get him. Then David got in the box and heeled for me as I tried to run one again. I missed again, but am right there with the steer. David said I was doing really well, I just needed to work on standing up in the saddle. I didn’t catch any steers that day, but I had a lot of fun trying. Wesley and I got to play around together in the box and on our horses and we had a blast. So I’m going to continue to rope on the mechanical steer (because I’m doing well on him) and perfect my roping, and try again on some steers when we go rope in Miles City the next time! :-)
Monday we had a fairly relaxing day. We fed in the morning, changed the oil in the truck, and helped the neighbor lady round up some of her cattle to be sold. After that we got the afternoon off. So we came in the house, watched a little TV, took a small nap, and then got our deep freezer cleaned out and in order because David was bringing us a whole bunch of meat he picked up in Miles City on Monday. We now have a freezer FULL of beef! Its awesome! We cooked dinner last night, and played Monopoly again. after that we watched TV, then got things ready for work the next day.
And here we are, Tuesday, and back to work again after a nice long weekend. The weekend always goes by too fast no matter how long it is. But it was nice to get to spend 4 days at home & with Wesley.
My mom has been really sick the past week…and she isn’t supposed to go back to work until at least Thursday…or maybe Friday. So say a prayer for her for me if you will! She’s on the mend that’s for sure, but prayers are always welcome. And thanks to everyone who remembered my birthday. It means a lot to me to have such good friends & family like y’all! I had a wonderful birthday!
Saturday we went to feed, and I got some really good pictures of our cattle. Then we hauled some dirt out to an area by a water tank that was a pretty good size hole. After that Wesley worked on some colts getting them more familiar with roping, and I got on Reno & started roping as well. We took turns roping the mechanical “dummy” steer, as Wesley was training the colts, and Reno was training me (haha). I did surprisingly very well roping the mechanical dummy. It was the first time I have roped on the back of a horse with a moving steer, so we were both excited with my progress. Saturday evening Wesley cooked me a beer can chicken (if you haven’t tried it…its delicious), grilled butter potatoes, and I made homemade fried okra. After dinner we watched a little TV, and played Monopoly together.
Sunday we decided to go roping in Miles City to help our colts along in their learning process (with regard to roping). So we got up & fed, then I went & caught the horses, we saddled up, and David, Wesley, & myself all headed to Miles City. Moo Moo was pretty sick on Sunday, so she stayed home. Wesley told me to bring my boots & chinks (chaps, but shorter) in case I decided to get in the box & rope a few steers. I had no intentions of roping anything that day, let alone getting in the box and heading one. But, with Wesley’s support & David’s encouragement, they got me up on Reno and I backed into the box for the first time ever. The first steer they just wanted me to track down the arena, so Reno & I got set up, and I gave the “go-ahead”, and the guys turned the first steer out. We tracked him down the arena very well, so next time Wesley got on the other side to heel for me. Again, I was just tracking the steer, but it was good practice for our colt Wesley was on, and great practice for me. Again, I gave the go ahead, and everyone said I did great. The third time around, Wesley persuaded me to do a little roping. He backed in the heeling box, I got in the heading box, got my rope set, gave the go ahead, and they turned the steer loose. We did a great job staying on the steer’s hip, and I threw a good loop, but I missed him. The good news is that I did hit the steer in the head, I was just a little off! But Wesley was there to encourage me & tell me what to do next time in order to get him. Then David got in the box and heeled for me as I tried to run one again. I missed again, but am right there with the steer. David said I was doing really well, I just needed to work on standing up in the saddle. I didn’t catch any steers that day, but I had a lot of fun trying. Wesley and I got to play around together in the box and on our horses and we had a blast. So I’m going to continue to rope on the mechanical steer (because I’m doing well on him) and perfect my roping, and try again on some steers when we go rope in Miles City the next time! :-)
Monday we had a fairly relaxing day. We fed in the morning, changed the oil in the truck, and helped the neighbor lady round up some of her cattle to be sold. After that we got the afternoon off. So we came in the house, watched a little TV, took a small nap, and then got our deep freezer cleaned out and in order because David was bringing us a whole bunch of meat he picked up in Miles City on Monday. We now have a freezer FULL of beef! Its awesome! We cooked dinner last night, and played Monopoly again. after that we watched TV, then got things ready for work the next day.
And here we are, Tuesday, and back to work again after a nice long weekend. The weekend always goes by too fast no matter how long it is. But it was nice to get to spend 4 days at home & with Wesley.
My mom has been really sick the past week…and she isn’t supposed to go back to work until at least Thursday…or maybe Friday. So say a prayer for her for me if you will! She’s on the mend that’s for sure, but prayers are always welcome. And thanks to everyone who remembered my birthday. It means a lot to me to have such good friends & family like y’all! I had a wonderful birthday!
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