To ashes, dust to dust… today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent leading to Easter Sunday… some non Catholics have asked me what this is all about.. well for me, it’s a time of renewal… a time to remember that “from ashes and dust you came, to ashes and dust you will return”… that this life is temporary, even tho’ at times it seems long. to think of the sacrifice that Jesus made for all of us and to do some sacrificing on my part to help me remember what He did.. to be a better servant to those around me, prayerfully taking more time for God in my life, as it came from him and someday this body will return to dust and ashes, but hopefully I will be with Him… I try to give up some of my usual things, whether it be food or a habit… maybe start a new better habit, to try and improve myself for Him and those around me… so, when I get the ashes in the form of a cross on my head, all these things will be going thru’ or have gone thru’ my mind… I will pray for you, as I do so much of the time, please pray for me, I am a sinner Lord and unworthy, yet you still love me… now THAT is a miracle…

Cold spell has seemed to pass, not real warm yet, but headed that way if you can believe the weather report.. I don’t put a lot of faith in them… been feeding with the team , looking for a different tractor and spending lots of time on the phone in search of said tractor or waiting for tractor people to call me back…. Tee got his saddle done the other day and Paul is coming today to work on his some more, we didn’t get a lot done the last time he was here, but we are going to try to get together twice a week… I’d sure like his done by calving and we start first part of April… there are a few cows out her the boys bought that may go in March, but not seeing any signs so far…

March came in like a lion… or a crabby polar bear!  Cold, below zero, snow, about 4 inches and more coming now, big ol’ flakes, and a little breeze this morning, but nothing like the wind yesterday… we got everything fed good and just come in the house. even got the old 756 to start so i could tear a few straw bales loose… tried to yank one out with my team yesterday, but there was just too much weight on top with the second bale setting up there, they weigh a bit over 1300 pound on average and it might have been heavier than average… anyway, got the critters taken care of, Bill got to go along and had lots of fun working the cows, who mostly tried to ignore him and eat… and thew team got a good work out… supposed to get down about 15 below tonight and keep snowing until early to morrow morning…Cindy stayed in and will probably stay in tonight… not much sense being out on the roads in this weather … no Mass… too many old people who go and Father has to drive 60 some miles to get here so we decided to tell him to not come… guess I’ll have to watch the Mass on TV tomorrow morning…I think the Good Lord understands…

Colder, windy and snow… got the cows fed this morning and didn’t even have to plug in the team!

Addy Bear is spending the day with us and we got the boys at bus time, now Gramma is making home made pizza, I been working on some wooly chaps and some new stirrup leathers for another neighbor…

Colder, snow and the wind is picking up this morning…. decided to feed with the tractor that Chance and Ryan got running as I wanted to feed some of these straw bales and you can’t hardly unroll them have to just spread them out with the bucket.. got up the creek, down to the l;ast bale when the tractor sputtered and died… I don’t think it gelled, I think it’s got some dirt in the line or something.. wish I’d a just fed with the team, at least I wouldn’t have had to walk home! Guess the piece of unadulterated crap can set there until Chance is home to make it work!

Has changed a bit, colder, some snow, some wind, which I guess is normal.. I got right out and got the cows fed yesterday and then Delbert picked me up and we went up north and looked at a couple dogs…a male and a female, both young but started.. ended up, he took the female and I took the male… Bill is is his name, a huge wolloping rascal… he’s got some grit, just a bit over a year old, somewhat has a down and sides, not great but good enough for me… he’ way better than the female I got at Christmas time I had to get rid of…

At least for February around here… 40’s in the day, gettiong some wind, but that cuts the ice,,, it’s got Indian Creek running, forded it yesterday and today while feeding, it hasn’t washed any crossings out so far… stays like this it probably won’t.. Paul came down yesterday and got started on his saddle.. wish it was done and several others, too… I ruined three pieces of leather trying to skive out a cantle binding… me., and my coat and pants smell like mud and horse, not all bad but I suppose they;d frown on it in polite society, oh well, I ain’t figuring on going anywhere it should bother anyone anyway… those who show up here, if it bothers them, well too bad.

Gabe, out oldest grandson turns 9 today… my how time flies! Gus and Sam have pneumonia… and Gus has RSV too, what ever that is, something else do do with lungs.. So Hope stayed home yesterday and doctored on them… her sister CJ is watching them today…

Frosty out this morning… stiff breeze this morning and colder…got the cows fed and they and my team and the other horses all acted silly… wondered what was going on, well, this evening,Cindy called and asked me what the weather was doing so i went and looked and we had some snow falling, she said it was raining in town and she was headed home, she had worked a later shift today, later on she called and asked me to come get her at Punkin Center as she was sick from watching the snow blowing as she drove and the roads were slick, so Chance and I headed down to meet her… big ol’ snow flakes falling and blowing and you couldn’t hardly see, not real cold, more like a spring snowstorm.. wind not real bad, but real hard to see, i drove about 45 most the way on roads I’d usually drive 60 on at least, unless I was in a hurry. Got her and he drove her outfit and she jumped in with me and we just got home and I am about half sick from trying to see in that sideways driven snow… now I know why the stock all was acting silly, they always do before something like this…

When we went up to feed this morningg (Chance rode along) he noticed a cow trying to calve… she wasn’t real concerned acting, so when we got the bale unrolled we doubled back. Sure enough, it was one he’d bought with the head of a calf sticking out. Wayyyy too early. So after lunch I rode up and brought her in, she tried me andf Pilgrim several times but just wasn’t smart enough to out smart me and that cowy booger…we got her tied up in the shed and he pulled it out… probably 2 months maybe 3 early. That’s what happens when you get winters like this with lots of ice.. he commented and wondered why Tate and my cows never did things like that. I assured him it was because ours were just better cattle. I think that made him feel better. 😉

Warm and windy, water and ice everywhere… sure slippery on top of the water covered ice…

What a gorgeous day! Warm, not hardly a breeze and the sun shining… well at least it was when I went out to feed.. I checked the weather and saw it was going to be warmest a little after noon, so didn’t get in any hurry hitching up.  Putted around and did stuff in the house… almost missed the mail! We’ve been watching the series Justified on Netflix… after it had been on several seasons I heard about how good it was so checked in to it and went ahead and got thew whole series.. we are almost caught up to what is playing now… we’ve enjoyed it, tho’ with Cindy having some knowledge about how law enforcement and jails really work, she kept me abreast of the BS in it… at least on that kind of thing… I like Netflix, for about 12 a month I usually have something to watch.. especially with these series and I don’t have to wade thru’ the commercials…

Valentines day today… wonder how we got so far away from Sty Valentine… I know, I read the stories, but still seems kind of odd when you consider the story of St Valentine… don’t matter I guess… it’s kind of like Thanksgiving to me, I think every day should be Thanksgiving and try and remember that. I feel the same for Valentines day, if you love some one, they shouldn’t ever have to wonder about your feelings, whether sweet heart, spouse ( tho’ for many of us that is the same) kids, grandkids.. whom ever… we all need love and we all need to let those we love know that we do… kind of late after your dead and gone….

I am feeling much better, got the gut almost back to normal… soon as I started eating what and how I usually do, it made a huge difference.. got some dark beer ordered for Cindy to bring home, one of them a day is good for you.. I like it dark and strong. Guinness Stout probably my favorite… tho maybe one of the reasons I like it so much is no one around here wants to steal any out of my fridge, so I don’t usually have to share! 😀

Made a pretty fair circle with the team while feeding, most of the cows were up west where I fed yesterday so I just fed out of the corner stack up there… been wanting to get it fed and save more around here.. and there is some grass up there and as nice as it is and supposed to stay, they can go on partial ration and graze. When I got back to the last gate the team were slowing down their snorty fat ways so I just talked them thru’ the gate after I opened it. Ain’t done that with them for a long time and they did well.. been practicing it a bit by just stepping on and not picking up the lines, just trying to use voice commands… they hadn’t been doing very good at it, but they were just so full of P and V!  I need to make a circle of a couple miles every morning before I feed and then maybe a coupe after and I bet in a week they’d act like a team who has been used as much as they have… fat and sassy isn’t much good for any of us I guess except in limited quantities…

Thank you all for your kind comments and well wishes and prayer while I was off my feed. I sure do appreciate it..

Hope you have a lovely Valentines day.. I am so far!