Went down towards Rapid and got another POA mare for the grandkids today. Last one wants to be a bucking horse. This is a 3 year old mare and looks like the last one, only lots uglier! She’s thinner and seems to be fine. Gus was setting on her tonight and we were trying to get here to get out and move. She just ain’t to wild and she is a little thing, but she is big enough that one of us can take the starch out of her if she gets cranky. She is exactly what the Nez Pierce rode when they made a fool of Crook, years ago.

Had a backhoe here yesterday and we dug several holes to work on the septic system, so I got some cement rings to do the job with while I had a way to get them home. Now, I just need some river rock and get them installed.

Don’t seem like I got too much done.

Walked out and suckered the horses in, with a bucket of grain. Well, all but Woody, who decided to hang out with the mares and colts, across the fence.

Saddled up Beaver and got the open heifers in so the trucker could haul them away, later. He came about 1 or so. They sure loaded good where I had fixed the chute up.

Waited for Chance so we could go check and perhaps rope and doctor one of his cows. He never got here until later and when we found the cows, there weren’t any who had bad feet. Maybe she is hiding out. Might have to saddle a colt and go look, today.

Puttered around and welded on a gate and while I had the tractor started for hauling hay in to the calves in the corral, I hauled some fallen trees out to the wood pile that is a wind break.

Not too much. Wonder if I will get more done today?

Oh, I did make some biscuits in a dutch oven with coals from the fire where we cooked the steaks. Turned out good too.

We had the vet here and a couple neighbors and we ultra sound tested the breeding heifers group of yearling’s yesterday. They were sorted into 3 different calving dates and ear tagged to mark them. Also all the number were written down so they could individually know who is going to calve, when.

Hmm, years ago, we just turned a bull in and waited nine months to find out! LOL I guess I still do.

Got some good riding on some colts and had a good day visiting with the neighbors and catching up as we pushed them thru’ the chute for the vet and his helpers. Then I went and got a haircut in the evening.

Woohoo. I swear, I was going hippy!

Don’t forget that the big Devil’s Tower poetry gathering is this Sunday at 1 pm.

Oh, and Debra, Cindy said the kittens are ready for new homes, if you are interested.

I never thought about people not understanding the Artist Ride, so I will post something I wrote about it from another source. Here you go Lisa! 🙂

Chance and I loaded up and got to the bottom of the Cheyenne River breaks on Wednesday evening in time to unload horses and panels, set up a small holding pen and set up our range teepee’s, next door to my buddy, Karen Bonnie who is a wonderful artist from down in south west Colorado.

We were up at daylight and loaded the horses and drove up on the rim where we saddled up and rode up and down and around, all the while being photographed by artists. Some would ask you to strike a certain pose or ride into or over a certain spot. If they were individuals using you, when they got done taking your photo, they would walk up and give you a tip, usually from 5 bucks on up. If it was a group, they would pass the hat and give you the money. If there were several of you, all doing the same scene, you split it evenly amongst the models. We would change our outfits slightly when ever they quit taking photo’s.

When we got all done, Chance rode with the owner of the ranch’s daughter, who was moving 3 big longhorn steers and they dropped down in the breaks and picked up the longhorn cows and trailed them into the headquarters.
Every morning and evening (because the artists like that slanting light the best) we, or some of the other models would trail the horses down thru’ the camp and into and across the river, back and forth until you wanted to scream. As long as we were willing to do it, they would take picture of horse in water. There was usually someone riding or something, at the water. We also trailed the cattle to and in the river, back and forth.You name it and it happens at the water. All to make western paintings.

Towards dark, when the light is no good, you hang out with artists and models at the chuckwagon, or someones camp. People cook for themselves, drive the 18 miles over gravel roads into town, or eat at the catering van, which has a special every evening. Drink and visit, make music and tell tales. Usually get to bed around 10 and listen to the drunken hilarity going on. I woke in the night several nights to Indians singing and playing the drum. Sounded good to me as it wasn’t too loud.

Hope brought the boys down Friday after noon, so I took them up in front of me in turns and Gus made 25 bucks and then they put the saddle on Beav and lead him and Sam around. We finally wore them out and then they left as they had a wedding the next day and didn’t think the boys would sleep well in the small teepee they use.

On Saturday, Doug Hansen pulled in with a 4 up and a mud wagon. He needed an out rider so I went along to help. Had a blast and that man can really put them thru’ their paces, but the nigh wheeler was a bitch and would try and rear and fall across her mate, so I had a lead rope and when she tried it I yanked on her tough ol’ mule like face and dally’d and held her if need be. Once she got the kinks out I was just there to ride in and help in a wreck. At one time, while he was making a circle and starting to lope them up a slight hill, the nigh leader, Big (other one was named Rich) went to hoggin’ and trying to buck at a lope! Now that is something not many have gotten to see let a lone get pictures of!  My arm is still sore from yanking on her and then also some roping we did in the center of the campground with some cattle. I was throwing some fancy shots and not hitting and of course these dang pups who were there thought I was just a crazy old guy so I had to double hock a few the regular way to win their respect. It was fun and I got paid a little to do so.

Yup it was a blast, but man, am I wore out. Good to get back to work and rest up!

Well, I made it! Had a great time and saw some old friends and met some new ones. Got to be an outrider  and help with a stagecoach. Actually, a mudwagon, which is a lighter, smaller version and when we crossed the Cheyenne River with it, the passangers found out why it’s called a mudwagon! I took my camera, but didn’t take one picture. Just too busy, and besides, we models are there for the artists to take pictures of and they pay a fee for that privledge. I’m sure no one would have said anything to me, but I still feel it’s my job and I get paid to work, not take pictures.

We have to ultra sound heifers tomorrow and I still have a lot of stuff to unload so I better get to it. Just wanted to check in. Hope all is well with all of you. I can say I missed my blogs while I was gone. Hope no major news events went by that I needed to comment on! LOL

Chance and I are going to take off this afternoon for the Ride, down in the Cheyenne river breaks. We will be gone a couple days, so I will tell you about it when I get back!

What is it?

Hope say’s they are fungus, like mushrooms. Weird!

I updated my blogroll so if you haven’t looked at all the blogs I check in on, on a regular basis, you might want to check it out.

I got this recipe from a blog by Will Winters. Here is a link to his blog, if yuou are so inclined.

http://web.mac.com/willwinter/willwinter.mac.com/Blog/Blog.html

Peggy asked me at church, to post it , as it works real good for me. I capitalized all my comments.

~~3 CUPS OF FRESHLY GROUND FLOUR  – We do keep organic wheat in the freezer and run it right through our Whisper Mill as we need it to cook with. Doing it this way seems to prevent allergies and gluten problems (for most of us anyway). You can use BUCKWHEAT or TRITICALE too. These are great grains. Boughten flour has lots of problems. I USE REGULAR FLOUR.

~~1-2 TSP BAKING POWDER. You can get extreme here about sodium and so on but, this doesn’t bother me too much so it’s what I use. I think there are healthy options to BP but I haven’t used them. The BP is there for the rising, but it adds a significant flavor to the biscuit.      I USE 2 TSP

~~1-1.5 TSP  SEASALT. Very important to add to the mix to achieve one of the 4-5 blended flavors that give a real biscuit it’s bite.  I USE 1 TSP OF REGULAR SALT

~~~ 2/3 STICK OF COLD BUTTER –  You can substitute 1/2 of this with BACON GREASE if you have it. This is hard-core because the biscuits will have a bacon flavor. Don’t use the BG if you don’t like this flavor. LARD is great too if you have the pure stuff. The flavor and texture is divine and there are no off-flavors.

~~~  1-1.5 CUPS OF MILK (OR CREAM)  You can and should use BUTTERMILK if you have it which I never do.

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Mix all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.  Add the cold or chilled butter (soft butter won’t work!) and cut it into the dry ingredients with a blending tool (curved metal wires) chopping and chopping, wiping each time until all the butter is cut into BB-sized globs covered with flour. Then slowly add the milk using the exact amount that will make the dough into a ball you can roll. DO NOT KNEAD or OVERHANDLE- any action beyond the very minimum to mix the ingredients will result in tough biscuits.

Roll the dough out on the countertop to a very thin layer about 1/2″ thick. A common mistake is to make them too thick! That leads to a cakey, crumbly affair. Use the top of a juice glass to cut the circles, or a round cookie cutter. Place them on a cookie sheet with a bit of flour or cornmeal under them. Make sure the biscuits touch each other which helps rising. I PAT MINE OUT THIN AND CUT IT WITH A KNIFE AND SLIDE THEM ALL ONTO MY COOKIE SHEET. YES, I KNOW, SQUARE BISCUITS! WHO’D A THOUGHT?!

Bake in a hot oven, 425- 450 degrees, until they have risen and have a light golden brown tone.

I’ve been working on my loading chute, trying to get it firmed up and a little handier to back up to and load cattle out of. I got it done yesterday. It has a dirt floor in it so I extended the front out and let the dirt spill out the one side and built it up, so it can be used for a cat walk along the side. These cattle sure load good with a dirt floor and we usually don’t get enough rain for it to wash too bad. And when it does, I just drop some more in with the loader. Dirt is pretty cheap around here. 🙂

I used left over material from tearing the old corral fence down. Got a few planks left over so I suppose I will have to go patch on my poor ol’ rickity corrals.

Poor fences make good cowboys!