tomorrow, January 21, 1981, was a pretty nice day as I recall… sun shining, ice melting, typical January thaw weather…I’d fed cows and was on the phone with Delbert, a neighbor, and we were talking of doing something that afternoon. In the background I kept hearing Cindy saying things like, “I don’t think you better plan on anything” “I think we’re going to town in a bit” and similar rude things while I was trying to have a conversation with a good friend on some earth shaking matters, I am sure, probably almost had all the worlds problems solved and were planning on our final attack on all that was bad and nasty, but I keep hearing Cindy in the background, mumbling… so I eventually told him that I guess maybe I was going to town for some unknown, to me at least, reason and got off the phone. We were living down at the old place, been married almost 2 years to the day, so I asked why on earth we would be going to town when we really had no money or need to go spend what we didn’t have… Cindy replied, “I think I am in labor…” Holy Mackeral, why didn’t you say so!!!!!

I, of course, got all excited and wanted to rush off, but she of the cooler head told me that no, we were not quite ready… I am sure I paced and walked and argued, and finally she consented that maybe she really was in labor and we’d better make the trip to Deadwood… the doctor she went to, good ol’ Doc Jone, did not use the Sturgis Hospital, so we had the extra 14 miles thru’ the canyon on up to Deadwood to drive… I was trying to speed, but she kept telling me to slow down as she really wasn’t that far along.. I finally got wise, started timing her labor, which she had assured me was at least 20 minutes apart, and they were more like 5 minutes apart! Of course we had to stop at her Fathers house in Sturgis to call the doctor, as we had no such things as cell phones in those days… The good Doctor was out, but we were told he’d be there in plenty of time, seeing as this was a first birth and all… I finally got her out of the house and back in the pickup and off we went. When we got to the hospital I rushed in and told a nurse I had a woman giving birth in my pickup. That really got their attention!

In just a matter of moments we were inside, a stand by doctor was doing the fist check and assuring us, this would take plenty of time and Cindy was cussing me for hurrying her as she didn’t want to spend 20 hours in labor in a hospital… she was in a bed in a room close to the delivery room and a nurse would check how many centimeters she had dilated on a fairly consistent schedule… I wasn’t worried, I’d been around lots of first birth mothers… cows of course, but hey, anatomy is anatomy in mammals, pretty much the same…. in a short time, they decided maybe they may as well take her to the delivery room… Dr Jone, still had not arrived and pretty soon, we are having a baby! The good Dr showed up just in time to catch the baby, so to speak.. I watched it all in a big mirror and am reminded at least once a year that I wasn’t a very good birthing coach, as I was so absorbed in the process… by the way, far as I can tell,  birthing coach is there to wipe the expectant mothers brow and let her squeeze really, really hard on which ever part of your anatomy she can grasp…. 33 years later, my hand still hurts!

Our first born, a son, whom we named Tyler Roy, was born less than an hour after we got to the hospital.. about 5 pm as I recall…. Like I said, I’d been around lots of first calvers… I even had a set of calving chains in my pocket, I think, sure didn’t want to take any chances!

 

Happy Birthday, Fr Tyler… you have truly been a blessing to us, and so many more…

My friend Mike Tarrant was kind enough to post these to Youtube so I could share them…

This one is one that Paul Woods sent me some time ago… I finally got it close enough to pass it on to him to see if he was happy… he is..

This one, the words were by Jeff Mundell who wants to include this with a film he is making… he’s a buckaroo and handy as a shirt pocket! He just put this out there and asked any of his musical friends to see what they could come up with, this is my version..

Both of these recorded on my computer with Garageband, not external mic, so they are not as good as when i go into a studio and record them, I think both will be on the next CD… hope you like them.. I’d appreciate comments, good and bad, I’ve got thick skin…

Older, that is…. seems like they are coming lots faster than they used to…. got another load of hay in this morning and gave one to the cows… they seemed to like it but it was hard to scatter it very far! Millet straw… Addy Bear spent the day with us and then the boys after school, gotten lots of phone calls wishing me a happy birthday and lot’s of “friends” on Facebook doing the same… All thew southern Grandkids called… my sister called, well the one I grew up with… Cindy made me some chocolate sauce to go on ice cream and i got some potatoes in the oven trying a new recipe… we’ve had a pretty hard chinook wind blowing the past couple days and supposed to keep it up for a few more at least, so maybe they will eventually get some of this ice gone, if not, oh well, we will get by.. Cindy and i drove to town on Saturday morning and I dropped her off in Sturgis to watch Lige and Gabe wrestle while I went on to Belle to get my wood that was being sawn up.. had our first mens fellowship in quite awhile here last night and it was a good one… we visited long past when we normally quit and everyone seemed to enjoy it… sure a good group of guys…

Bart was here before 8 this morning and we got the steer butchered… dressed out over 500 pound hanging weight… 560 maybe…we get half and Tate and Kass get half… cooler with a south east breeze so it was chilly out there… I had sorted off the calves and went and let their bawling others in with them this morning and then when I fed I noticed that several of the little boogers had escaped some way and were back out with their mothers so I let the ones in the corral back out… only using the tank in the corral for water so it’s hard to keep cattle in different bunches… the horses are east and need a place to drink, oh sure they can get by on snow but I’d rather they had water, especially when it gets cold.. guess we will just have to sort the calves off again and blab the ones we are not going to sell… I did keep the fence crawler and a long toed cow of the boys in.. I think it’s one Chance bought but didn’t pay much attention… I had fresh liver and onions for breakfast and chunked up most of the rest to give to people who like liver… have to make a trip to New Underwood and drop off some liver and the heart I promised Slim and Darlene…

Has past for a few days anyway, up in the 20’s today.. supposed to be a bit cooler tomorrow and then up in the 30’s for a day or two… didn’t check much past that. … suckered the cows into the corral with the team and a bale only it didn’t work so saddled Pilgrim and drove them in… sorted off the butcher steer and the fence crawler who had escaped… went to Punkin Center and got a hair cut and some food and  food for the dogs and cats.. when i got home i let the cows out of the corral and kept in the calves and a couple of thin and sore footed cows… the mama’s to the calves ought to be standing there bawling in the morning and I can sort them off… I’ll keep this bunch up close and feed them a bit better.. Bart is supposed to come and get the butcher steer in the morning… sounds like Cindy and Tyler are having fun in Santa Fe… hopefully I will get to see what they are seeing one of these days…  I got the school boys this afternoon and they are watching some BS show about the Arctic…  dang liberals!

Cold and supposed to get colder, and windy… below zero… high of minus 6 tomorrow and drop down around 15 below or so and the wind is going to howl I guess.. I fed early this morning and then went over to Glen and Janet’s and helped them shear sheep until about 3 then came home, fed some more and went to Mass at 4:30. I took Buck and he was pretty fair help.. he acted like he was afraid to bite a sheep but started catching on by the time I left… Dusty and Mindy came out yesterday and brought me a load of bales and the weather being the way it is, Cindy rode back to town with him so she didn’t have to drive. Tyler is picking her up after work tomorrow and they are headed south… I was planning on going along but with this weather, it just wasn’t going to work out…guess I will have to have better weather before I can go on a vacation…

In with the new… I hope you all have a wonderful new year, this coming year… 2014… my father would have been 100 hundred years old if he were still alive, and also my mother.. hard to believe she has been gone for 10 years and he for 20…. 100 years ago in June, my Grandfather made the final filing on his homestead that grew into this ranch. He came to South Dakota in 1899 when he was 16 and worked around this country. He had his pick but didn’t get around to filing for some time… I think if you waited 7 years you could get the land cheaper and from the stories I’ve heard about him, I am sure that is what he did. His father and Mother came sometime after him and got land before, but I am not sure what year… I do know he registered the v/4 brand in 1902…  we have used it ever since… and plan to keep on using it for many more years… this year we got another grandson and had a wet summer, tho’ it was dry in the spring… year was great right up until that October storm! Been kind of a wintry rascal of late, more like the winters I remember as being the norm… we have hay on hand and got in a load of little bales today with more ordered in, if it ever gets here… as long as it doesn’t get to tuff, we will be fine and able to get hay in fairly easily, but if another winter like 49 sets in, who know, tho’ we have neighbors with good tractors and loaders who would be glad to help out… I think the thing I am most thankful for by getting to live where i do, is the neighbors.. they all are more than happy to pitch in and help each other out… and that sure makes life a lot easier… Happy New Year.  Here’s hoping it’s better than the last one and plumb sad compared to the ones coming in the future!

Not real bad for this time of the year, but still…

Got the team and a saddle horse shod up with some shoes that won’t slip on ice… Laramie came and did it.. Cindy took off and took Spike to the vet as he has been having a few problems… sounds like they got it fixed up but Spike has to wear the collar of shame, as she put it… she ought to be rolling in any time now.. just got off the phone with a buddy done on the SD/Neb border and we had a big visit and filled each other in on all the latest we been up to and solved a couple of problems in the world.. got a load of small bales finally coming in in the morning… so I am getting better prepared for winter all the time and it looks like it’s here, so that’s a good thing… I picked up some rough sawn lumber I had a young feller cut up from some Ash logs the other day and left some more for him to cut up… took the trailer and picked up Pard from Dusty who has had him since summer… he rode him around bareback in just a halter and said he’;s gentle just a little spooky yet… thought about getting him shod for my winter horse but he hasn’t had much training with a rope yet so had Pilgrim shod instead…he’ll be ready to go when this ice clears away… probably shit this down for this year and see you all next year…  😉

We had a wonderful day yesterday… all the children and grandchildren,Dusty and Tristin and Fr Jim came over after Mass and he’s hardcore, he hug with us until late into the evening! Lot’s of music and laughter! Fr Tyler is still here this morning… I have a new dog, a female that chance and hope picked up for me in Rapid the other night… I had called on an ad on Craigslist about one a few days ago, but they were all gone… the young lady who had them called me a few days later and decided to get rid of this one that she was going to use for the agility event where the dog runs and jumps and swims… but she said this dog wasn’t too interested and only wanted to go work stock… sounded like the kind I’d want… decided to try a female and if she turns out good enough I may get pups from her and Buck.. if not, I will just get her spayed… her name is Meg… she is starting to figure out that this is home and went along for awhile when I fed this morning.. the cows or Gus’s little dog scared her so she ran back to the house where Fr Tyler let her back in..I need to start taking her to Bud’s and get her going… for now she just needs to learn to be part of the family.. Oh, she is a Border Collie, of course… 😀  Warm wind blowing this morning.. We have friends from the east who are back in this country visiting family and they will follow Cindy home later and visit with us. Haven’t seen them in awhile but it is always a joy and we do keep in touch thru’ Facebook and calls..

Just as every morning when we awake, the Lord has blessed us… this time, with a power outage…

Most probably would not see this as a blessing, no electricity.. how are we going to see, heat our homes, do the endless chores that must be done?

For me it gave me pause…

there was no need to hurry about getting a tractor going or rushing out to feed cows, as it was warmer and they have grass and bean to eat, so while waiting the return of electricity, I had time to play with 3 of my grandchildren who are here this morning ( their parents are off doing holiday work, and will return later) so I had plenty of time with little to no distractions from this modern world, no radio, no TV.. just a need for some lights so Grandma and I found matches and candles and went about lighting all of Grandma’s little Christmas figurines that have small candles to help them light up and glow…they set off not only light, but a warm glow which we all reveled in..just as a baby who was born so many years ago, set off a glow and then a bright light in this dark world, for us all…

I think the Lord planned this outage, special for me.. so I could pause, and reflect and forget about this world and think of that babe and what he did for us all… hope.

Hope and joy..

Here is hoping you are counting your many blessings on this day and try and remember to remember them, throughout the year to come..

 

Merry Christmas..