Munchkins

We went out and worked on the dump rake. I think we have it working this time. I never was too mechanical. As Marty is always saying to me, “Son! Get away from that wheelbarrow, you don’t nothing about machinery!” 😉

We all got hot so came in the house to cool down. Later we will get the horses in and I will either ride or rake, depending. Maybe after Gramma gets home to stay with the kids.

I ran up to Spearfish last night and listened to Ken Cook and Paul Harris pout on a whale of a show. good entertainers and great fellers. Got to see some friends and just thoroughly enjoyed the evening. Well worth the hour and a half drive.

Got a gig at New Underwood tomorrow afternoon to celebrate the “Day of the Cowboy”. If your close, run over as it will be a good one.

By the way, have I mentioned Inky Dinky Crybaby cat yet? Got her/him at church a couple weeks ago and he/she is a pain. Especially when your trying to type. From now on I am blaming all typo’s on her/him.

Some stuff

Had an insurance adjuster come this morning to look at the roof and see if they would help any with the leaking problem. Looks like I am going to have to build a small slanted roof on top of this one, where it is flat. Why in the hell they ever built them flat tops with 4 angles years ago is beyond me. We have tarred and tarred and filled in small holes and think we have it patched and then it rains and it leaks again. Getting a little old.

When he got here I was just coming back with the team and dump rake. I couldn’t make it dump properly and decided it was because it wasn’t level enough. I’d replaced the old rotted off tongue with one made of metal but it is just too dang heavy. so after he left I went up the creek and found a small Ash tree and cut it down and have been working on getting it attached. After dinner I am going to go saddle a horse and attempt to bring all the heifers in and sort the bulls off. The wind is right for them to want to travel towards the house so it ought to work.

Cindy is off to pickup Gabe and Lige after work as Kass’s mother is not good so Kass and her sister are going to go see her in Arizona and leave the boys here for awhile.

I am supposed to run up to Spearfish this evening to the heritage show. Ken Cook and another feller are up and I’d like to go support them. It will be a great show. I’ll have to see how the bull deal goes and what Gramma thinks tho’.

Not too hot and a strong south east wind blowing that is supposed to drop off this afternoon/evening. Probably blowing some rain up northwest that will come back to us in a couple days.

Family

My sister Brigitte is here from Switzerland, visiting. She has rented a car and drove out yesterday morning. Also, my cousin’s Pat and one of his sister’s Maureen came out. we had a good visit and I had some old pictures and a letter about their father to give them. My Dad was the executor of the Estate when Gramma died and also he is the one who ended up with the family ranch, so there are lots of old things here from both sides of his family and also quite a lot from my mother’s side. When I got into Ancestry.com I went to looking for old pictures and found quite a few of cousin’s and their parents that would probably mean more to them than to us. So I am trying to sort them off as I find them and get them to those members of the family who might like to have them.

We all live history, but few of us admit or acknowledge it. Most of us are too humble or afraid of seeming big headed or some similar excuse, and don’t think unless we have medals for heroism, that we have much to offer. Not true. That is one of the reason’s I keep this blog. It is my journal and I hope someday some one, a child, grand child or great grand child will read this and get some amusement or at least some insight into a person’s life who lived at this point in history.

I was witness to the blowing up (really more of a blowing down, as they imploded it) of the second Minuteman Missile site. I didn’t pay it much thought at the time as there were always Missile sites all over this country, all of my life up until they deactivated them. After they were done, a TV camera crew walked over to where I was standing and wanted to interview me. I tried to get them to interview someone else as I had a cold and a scratchy voice. But they wanted me and I have been on TV before and know it doesn’t hurt, so I agreed. After the interview, where they asked some fairly though provoking questions, I asked where the crew was from,meaning which local station, as they talked a but odd. I found out they were from the Netherlands or some such! That was the first inkling I had as to what impact these implosions had in the world. I was watching history and had never given it a thought.

While researching the family tree, I can trace it back to 1500 in England. Do you know how interesting it would be to be able to read their thoughts or about their day to day life and the problems they had and how they dealt with them?

For that matter, the thoughts and words of my grandparents not to mention my great grandparents.

We all think we are sort of small, and I guess in many ways we are, but the words and thoughts of even a small man, such as myself can have importance to someone.

Think about it.

Warmish!

Especially under the crawl space in the house. Even more especially when you’ve gotten more plumbing stuff to fix things SOMEBODY screwed up and find that they are the wrong size as the people who hooked up the waterlines to the clothes washer switched over from 1/2 inch copper tubing to some kind of copper tubing that they evidently use for propane and it is slightly bigger than 1/2 inch so the stuff you bought won’t work! Sheeeesh!

But Lyle down at CRS got me fixed up and we have new lines to the washer, and new drain line for it also.

Tate had to patch the floor under the old sink and he worked on that and getting the last of the cabinets in while I made a trip to Sturgis for a short gig and I also got some more STUFF to fix on things.

It was up to a 100 at least today and then had a rain shower in Sturgis while the sun shone and that made it MUGGY. And this evening when we were loading Tate’s tools up, it was real muggy here also.

Things are not all done but at least the new stuff is in and awaiting for new door coverings and drawer covering. We added another ceiling fan where the old light was and the kitchen table got moved over closer to the outside door. Be lot handier when people got to eat and run! 😉

Someday we hope to be done with all this. Perhaps in this lifetime. 🙂

Kitchen Aid!

I ran in to Rapid early this morning and got a whole bunch of odds and ends for the house. Got a new drive belt for the mowing machine as the other looks to be about broken in two.

When  I got back Tate had hung several cabinets and had the counter top we installed yesterday screwed down. We went to work on the plumbing after Cindy came home with some forgotten pieces. Well, just one hose and a fitting, but we wanted to have it all together before we shut off the water and went to plumbing. Sure am glad I am NOT a plumber! Tho’ I hear it pays well and I can damn sure see why!

We get the new kitchen sink plumbed in and found some leaks. Fixed on them and then fixed again and then fixed again. I am starting to think the people who sell this crap don’t know doodly squat!

I was told you don’t need the inserts in the pex when you push the couplers on. Maybe not but that was what was causing the leaks!

Dang, I will sure be glad when this is all done and I can go back to dealing with wild, irate bulls and green colts!

House work!

Cabinets and counters came in yesterday afternoon. Tate rolled in later. We started on them this morning. Go part of the cabinets set and counter top set on and the sink put in, but somebody measured wrong! Must have been Cindy’s fault. 😉

We will have to make a few adjustments.

Cindy brought us out a few things we needed today when she came home from work, then Kass and kids came out and brought some more. I forgot to get waterline to hook up the new sink so I will have to run into town in the morning and get it.

We cooked some hamburger and taters with cheese on top in the dutch oven for supper. Mmmm good. Will Larsen made something like that last spring when the buncvh from Ranch Country gathered here. Cindy remembered.

Then this evening Tate and I ran over to the dam at Red Owl and fished. I got a few bites but no big Northern. Tate caught a 13 or 14 inch bass on his fly line. Real nice fish and biggest he’s caught on his fly line.

We will hit it again tomorrow.

More fun

I knew I needed to get back up the creek and doctor the bull that me and Woody had lessons with, so I thought of my friend Rick, who’s birthday is today and is always telling me to let him know when I’ve got any roping to do as he is like me and enjoys that stuff. It’s cool and cloudy and damp and we got a shot of rain yesterday so I figured he couldn’t hay, so called him and he said he’d love to rope on his birthday! He came over and we went up and doctored the bull and found a previous doctored on heifer who needed more medicine. Roped them, turned them loose and came in and Cindy had made a nice dinner.

This afternoon I worked on my mower and dump rake. Ran over to Punkin Center and got some stuff to fix on them and some more plumbing stuff for the kitchen.

Tate is supposed to be out Friday and we will go to installing.  They are supposed to deliver the new cabinets and such tomorrow afternoon.

Cathy T and Hope were here yesterday and helped Cindy with the painting on the kitchen and I even helped a little and offered well intentioned but unheeded advice! 😉 And of course enjoyed the grand kids. they spent the night and headed back home this morning.

I talked to a mutual friend of the people I run some heifers for and heard their grand son was in a horse wreck so called to see and he is in the hoispital in Casper, waiting for his lungs to get in good enough shape so they can do some heart surgery. He has a valve that was injured in the wreck, but they have it open with a ballon and waiting for him to improve a bit before they do the surgery, so they have been running back and forth over there. Been to wet for them to put up much hay anyway and that is their primary job this time of the year.

So lets all be careful out there. Ain’t none of us bulletproof!

Lessons learned

I am posting this for my future reference, or perhaps my children, grand children or anyone else who gets into these situations.

I saddled up Woody, my older, cow eating, raging bay, wild man of a war horse. We’ve went to lots of battles and always won, but we have gotten a few scars while doing so. He is still my favorite horse in all the world, tho’ like me he has his faults!

He is 20 yeas old, real good shape to almost too fat, and only been rode a couple times this spring/summer. Nose flies are bad so I had placed a torn off sleeve from an old shirt over his nose in an attempt to help him out a little. He saw no humor or use in this attempt. He just flipped his nose as if the flies were still bothering him. So at the gate I took it off. He seemed to appreciate that.

I went to move a couple little bulls who I had left behind in a pasture when we moved the heifers out earlier, as the bulls had sore feet and were thin, so I left them to heal and maybe fatten as they were not going to be doing any breeding anyway, in the shape they were in.

After I got them moved across the road, I followed up to see where they had gone after I had closed the gates. I discovered the heifers had come back in to the pasture I had turned these little bulls in and while looking at the cattle found a little yearling bull who was kind of peaked and looked like he could use some antibiotics. Just so happened I had some in my saddle bag!

Now, you need to know that Woody will run to cattle. His idea of rating one is to charge to one, get about 2 feet from his hip and stay there no matter what the rider does that is maybe still on his back or the landscape! Any attempts at trying to discourage this behavior is ignored or maybe acknowledged with a mere shaking of his head! I trained him this way.

Why?

I am not real sure, now.

I build a loop in my good enough, 5 strand wrapped around one strand of nylon, cotton rope that I have been assured will out last 3 nylon ropes of equal size, that I love to rope with and again I notice one strand is showing wear about a foot or so from the hondo, but it will sure work and last long enough to get this little job done.

I build a loop, we get to the bull damn quick and I throw a perfect double hock heel loop.

I know!

I was shocked myself!

Of course Woodrow makes no attempt to slow down and allow me to jerk the slack out of the loop, so the bulls runs on out of it. No big deal, I build another loop, we get to him damn fast and again I throw a good loop and even manage to snag one foot in the double hocker I throw and keep it on for a micro second, but again, Woodrow does not slow his headlong rush, even with me encouraging him to do so, so I lose that foot.

I build another loop, silently mutter to my self about training on horses when they are younger so as to not have to put up with this BS when they are older, we again run to the slightly tireder, tho’ gaining in health, it seems like, bull.

This time I manage to keep one foot, but have a nest of rope around the saddle horn with part of Woody’s mane in it. No big deal, we just follow the little bull until I get the knots untied from the 50 foot of rope that is wadded up around the saddle horn. Of course by the time I get everything untangled the loop on the bulls foot falls off.

I get the loop re-built, we run up to the bull and I stick one on the right hind foot (which is my favorite foot to rope single, evidently)  and this time I keep it and get the bull laid down on his left side and ride up close enough to lift his right hind foot in the air and dally and tie off to the horn, leaving about 4 feet of rope between his foot and the saddle horn. I step off and go to tie the rest of the rope on the opposite side of Woody to the bulls same foot, so as to keep Woody faced up. About that time the bull somehow manages to get to his feet, my saddle turns on Woody’s back slightly and Woody doesn’t like this. Woody tries to turn away from the bull while I am encouraging him to stand still, hanging on to the tail of my Macarty coming down from the snaffle I am riding him in. Woody manages to get turned the opposite way and starts to drag and kick at the bull at his right flank. The bull falls down again and about then……. that weak spot in the rope broke!

Soooo….. in hind sight, here are some observations I made from this situation.

1 – When going to rope a critter of any size, never, ever, over pad, on a slightly fat horse!

2- When you see a weak spot in your rope, fix it or get a different rope, at that time.

3- Train on your horse when he is YOUNG, so as not to have to put up with his old age silliness. (Lord knows that’s bad enough in humans let alone horses!)

4- Never assume your cinch is tight enough, re-check it before the battle.

5- On a hot muggy day, after a wreck with livestock, a cold beer tastes damn good, even if you seldom drink beer.

6- Sick bovines are seldom as sick as they seem when you are going to rope one, in a pasture situation.

7- If you are not a buckaroo and do not ride the kind of horse they do, where a singe rigged saddle is sufficient, always use a back cinch and collar. (Luckily, I observed this rule in this instance)

8- When attempting to rope and doctor cattle by yourself in the pasture, carry a second rope. ( I broke this rule in this instance. Dammit!)

9- Do not post these types of observations on the world wide internet as you are sure to get all kinds of free advice as to what you did wrong, and no body needs that, when they have ALREADY went thru’ the wreck! No. They need that BEFORE the wreck!

10- Do not put the torn off sleeve of an old shirt over  Woody’s nose to help with nose flies. He does not appreiciate it. Just let him suffer. I am sure it is good for his soul, just like suffering in humans does.

11-Most important, when dealing with equines and bovines and most people, be prepared to have a good sense of humor. No one wants to see a grown man cry!