Spring work

Went to Ricks and branded yesterday. Nice and cool but not too cold. Went well.

After Cindy got home I rode Beav up the creek to doctor a heifer with a sore foot. Got that done and noticed I had a few yearlings in on Darrel. While I was looking for the hole in the fence he came along and pushed them back and they found it. He went to patching and I was going to head home for Purple and fencing supplies. He mentioned he’d seen a baby calf with some steers. I looked and couldn’t find him, so assumed he had gotten back with his mother. As I was jogging along I noticed some steers and here is the little bay, mothered up to a steer. He was just born yesterday. I tried to get him to follow Beaver but that didn’t work too well. So I dropped a loop over him and pulled him up into the saddle with me, but he got to kicking Beav in the front shoulder and that didn’t work very well either!

So I tied him by a front and back leg, loped home and got Purple and Cindy and we went and picked him up and went looking for a cow with a tight bag, looking for her calf. Never could find one, tho’ there was one of Chances old red cows grannying another cow’s calf. So we brought him home, fed him some milk and he is living with Fred until I can find his mother.

I am headed over to Glen J’s to brand after bit. When I get home this afternoon I will ride and see if I can find a tight bagged cow.

Rain update:

It rained some more after my last post. there is a 5 gallon bucket setting out in the yard away from any trees. I brought it over to the step where it is level and measured with a wooden yard stick. Just a touch over 3 inches since this started. Sun is shining now and the wind is blowing. I got Peaches caught and am gong to go ride and look at cattle and water and maybe wade some running water. I don’t get to do that very often. If there is enough, it is kayaking time! 🙂

Wet!

Got better than an inch as I write. Cool and a little wind. Went and fixed the rest of the perimeter fence down south this morning. And trimmed Bob. The scissors worked well. Only pinched him a couple times and once he found out it was fairly painless he laid there and took it well. He’s got just a little hair left around his tail and on top of his butt, but I think it’s got to feel better for him. Putted around and stayed out of the rain this afternoon and then went and met Cindy at Punkin Center and brought her home as she is worried about the gravel in the morning. Supposed to go brand tomorrow but bet we won’t as wet as it is, but haven’t gotten the official word yet that it is postponed. I worked on a new pattern for some spur straps this afternoon when we got home. Made a deal on some tires for the pickup. Re-caps. Should be ready in a week or so. Be an early morning in the morning as I will have to drive the missus back to her car at Punkin Center.

Hearing aids

Cindy told me they had called and said the new one was in so I ran down to Rapid to get the it. She didn’t mention I was supposed to get an appointment!

I figured the guy was always there during the week, so imagine my chagrin when the lady at the front desk told me he wasn’t there. But she called him and he was coming back about 3:30 so I hung around town and did some odds and ends and managed to amuse myself and keep me busy until about 3:10. He showed up, got the new one set and tweeked on the old one and I can hear way too much out of both ears now!

I got some parts for my loader and priced new tires for Teddy. They ain’t cheap in case you haven’t checked lately! I got some ammo as Bob and Sue are coming the first of next week and we are going to plink, shoot and have fun burning gunpowder. The ammo wasn’t cheap either, but I am sure it is well worth the cost.

I got a new pair of heavy duty sharp scissors and will attempt to trim some of the huge wads of extra hair, Bob (the dog Bob, not the man, Bob) has. Wish me luck!

Supposed to be rainy the next few days.

The big leather show in Sheridan starts tomorrow. I’d like to go but really don’t need anything in that way bad enough to drive for a little over 4 hours out there. If someone else was and I could ride along I probably would, but haven’t heard of anyone going. Maybe a few of us will run over later this spring or summer. I can get anything I need at Sheridan Leather Outfitters anyway and they have always treated me good and have about as good of prices as anyone else and better than many or all, when you consider the quality. When I call and order something, it is usually here the next day. I’d recommend them to anyone needing anything in leather or leather supplies. If they don’t have it they can tell you the best place to get it.

Fencing

Went down south this morning and went around the fence and patched up the bad spots. Not too many considering all the snow we had last winter. Then Cindy rode along and we went to Punkin Center and got mineral and salt for the cattle and had a new end put on the plug-in for my trailer. We ate at the Bull Creek Cafe and came home. Scattered the mineral and salt when we got back.

Planted on the garden this afternoon. Put a few tomato’s in the green house and planted half the radishes and some onions and beets and cilantro. Had to hoe all the ground as the weeds have been coming on and especially in the greenhouse, so evidently it works! The hoe had a broken handle and broke again when I went to using it so I was on me knees for most of it.

Forecast is calling for rain the next few days. May not get to brand on Friday and Saturday as planned. Only time will tell.

Neighboring

Got a call about 5:30 yesterday morning. A neighbor needed some help to move cattle. So I took Peaches over and we moved his 2 year old heifer pairs north with a strong wind blowing behind us. Heifers who had never been to this pasture, on a public road, with fresh green succulent grass growing in the road ditches. Yeah. Went kind of slow there for a while. They took the pickup and trailer along and kept it in front to warn oncoming traffic of the cattle drive and then hauled us and the horses back to the house when we were done. We move4d his older cattle later so stopped at my house on the way back and I swapped Peaches for Mijo. She was a long ways from tired but he can stand the riding too. We ate a bite and then moved the next bunch east, pretty much straight on into the 40 plus mph breeze. Then when we got done with them we hauled back to his house and moved his yearling spayed heifers into a close pasture then ate some roast that had been cooking all day with taters and gravy. Being in the breeze all day made me tired. I had to make a few phone calls then off to bed about 9 and slept in ’til 7 this morning. Too much as now I am loggy and tired. Now I need to go get around some fences.

It’s supposed to start raining and rain for the rest of this week. I’ll take it. I am greedy when it comes to rain. 😉

Family, part 2

Got done branding at Dean’s and made a hurried rush of getting Fred fed and changing clothes and turning my horse loose. Branding went well and it sure was a nice day.

I rushed into town and visited with my sister in Switzerland on Skype and visited with others who were at the house. Had a pretty good visit and all three of our sons and spouses and grandkids were there so I enjoyed that.

Having two sisters who you were not raised with is like having distant cousins you are told you are related to. You look much the same but have such different memories of growing up and really nothing in common except genetics. Still it was fun to get to listen to a few stories of my older sister.

I am headed out to help a neighbor move his cattle to summer pasture. Looks like the rest of this week we have a pretty strong chance of rain. I’ll take it. I’m greedy that way.