It was pretty nice yesterday. Pretty stiff breeze out of the southeast, but when I went out to ride yesterday about 3:30 it was dying down. When I left I was wearing a goose down vest and a light jacket with a big silk wildrag on. Part way, I had to shed the coat and a little later the scarf. Then I had to start putting it all on again as the wind started up out of the northwest.

Sure crossed a lot of running water. When I was a kid I always thought it would be pretty cool if all the creeks around here ran water year around. Of course now I know they would all be cut down to nothing if they did and it would be like the mountains with rock every where. I think I like it better the way it is!

Supposed to get some rain the next few days. Wet out there this morn9ing, but doesn’t look like it go too wet. Guess I need to find my rain gauge and put it up, so I can know how much less rain I got then all the neighbors, this year.  🙂

Yup, it’s here. We might still get another blizzard, but we have green grass. Real short green grass, but it’s here and everything loves it. Even the geese!

See ’em?

Here’s a few more. The creek banks made me think of icebergs “calving”.

Our Jack Russel, Tack, got hit  and killed on the road today. Pretty hard deal to have happen. He was hard headed and wouldn’t listen and you had to constantly watch him for traffic when he was outside. We thought this would be the way he would die, but it’s still sad.

We had 3 cows calve today. I took Chance to town to the dentist to get a wisdom tooth pulled. $340 to pull a tooth?!!!!!!

Guess I will look for a different dentist.

It was a beautiful day today. Hope this weather continues. Not too much snow left and the creeks are all running bank full or over.

I hope you all have a wonderful day!

I went out yesterday evening and saddle Pilgrim, my 4 year old colt. Warmed him up a bit, got on, and away we went. He never made a bobble. Chance had rode him a little the day before to make sure he wasn’t too broncy for the old guy, which I appreciated. Hopefully I will take him to some branding’s and drag a few calves off him this spring.

Sure is a lot of slop out there. We’d fall thru’ a foot of snow and find a foot of water underneath it in the lower spots. Kind of like riding on a huge sponge!

Yesterday and it’s howlin’ today from the south. But if it gets up to 50 as they say it might, it will sure cut a bunch of snow. I see we have some rain forecast for the next few days. That too will help melt the snow. Woohoo!

Appreciate the the nice days, without the storm?

Yesterday was a nice day. Warm. Soft breeze. Snow melting. Ahhhh…….

Supposed to be snowy and windy today, so Chance came up yesterday afternoon and we sorted of 5 cows to keep in. We wormed all the older horses. Some of those old mares got pretty excited when I roped them around the neck. I really need to catch all the yearlings and 2 year olds and worm them also. Also the cows, as soon as the snow melts out of the corrals enough to do it.

When we got done we sorted the cows, Chance on Dean and I was on Beaver. Ol’ Beav really came uncorked and jumped at cows a time or two, when they tried to duck back. He’s feeling good and that made me feel good. I giggled like a school girl at his actions. Makes me remember why I’ve got all these horses around here and am trying to raise more like him!

I went after lick barrels for the cows with Mag in them. When this snow goes off, there will be green grass and it will grow so fast that it can’t pick up all the nutrients that cattle need. One of those is magnesium. If a lactating cow doesn’t get enough, she will go down and can die. So we feed the sweet lick barrels for a while in the spring until the grass catches up. It’s only the non native species of grass that cause this, evidently. Not the native grasses, but it’s also the non natives like crested wheat grass and brome that grow fast and give out lots of feed, early in the spring when it’s still cool also. Better safe than sorry.

I went to Punkin Center to get the barrels and forgot to tell the lady who brought them out, that I needed the hi mag barrels. It was only after I got home and was talking to Chance on the phone that it dawned on me that I had forgot to tell her I needed mag barrels. I went and looked and sure enough, I had the wrong kind, so I had to drive back down there and switch. Which was still cheaper than feeding the non mag barrels, thinking the cows were protected. Senility is getting to be a real pain!

“nothin’, but blue skies, do I see”

That song comes to mind!

Supposed to get up in the 40’s this week and top out at 56 on Sunday. That will be a great Easter present if it is true.

Not much going on, just feeding and watching cows. Chance came up and brought Gus and Sam and spent most of the day yesterday, so we got to play with grandkids. Another year or so I and I expect I will get lots of work out of them. 🙂

Once again the stock is fed and no cows are calving and needful of assistance. Probably 10 to 12 inches more snow. That makes over 3 feet in the last two weeks and all the dams were full and the creeks were running when this cycle started. I am sure there are a lot of tired ranchers and their families from trying to save newborns and get all the feeding done in this last blow. It is April and we are in calving season in South Dakota. Life goes on.

With all this wonderful moisture you’d think we would be assured of a great year. Strangely -or not- we could still have a dry year and a drought. South Dakota. The land of infinite variety, indeed.

I got this in an email from a friend. I thought it was worth posting here. It doesn’t get much easier than this to understand.

Subject: Socialism

I went out about 5:30 and it was just starting to get enough light to kind of see. Cows and babies are all humped up on the downwind sides of fences in the corrals. Wind is blowing a little harder now out of the north northeast. Supposed to taper off this evening. Sure glad I got everything fed good yesterday.

10 am UPDATE:

Just came in from checking. Enduring. Everything is waiting and enduring, tho some of the cows and at least one horse vocalized their impatience with this storm . I tried to put some pictures on here but it won’t work. Maybe later.

6:40 pm UPDATE:

Just came in. Got everything fed. Wind is still blowing about 20 mph but is out of the north northwest and not snowing, so I fed the cows out across from the house and the horses alongside the west side of the blue shed. Still two calves in the corral waiting for their mom’s. But they are fine. I just stuck a rib steak on the broiler. I think I earned it. Supposed to blow tomorrow also, so maybe Cindy won’t get home. She may want me to come get her. We will see! Chance needs to go get groceries so maybe he will drive her home.