Cold, snow, wind… must be March in SD!

Not much new, feed cows, go to Mass, pray for moisture….

Same old, same old… 🙂

I have been working on my chinks too!

As Jed Clampett used to say1 The roads in the Hills are not fun, unless you have a reckless bent… tho’ we did see a few wrecks!

Chance’s pickup is in the shop so Hope was supposed to go pick him up..I volunteered to go, she had cakes that needed delivered, Cliff needed a ride, so after Gus got off the bus, we all were heading to town. Right after the bus left and we got everyone seated, here came Gramma, so we traded her my pickup for her Nitro and boy am I glad we did! Roads were good going in but started getting snowy and nasty as we got there… dropped off the cakes, and headed for Whitewood to drop Cliff off. By the time we got to Whitewood it was worse, so we left him and headed for Rapid where Chance had gotten a ride to. Roads were NOT nice. 50 mph was about the top speed to be safe, but of course there were them ones driving 35/40 in the driving lane, messing everybody up. too slow is as bad as too fast. Closer we got to Rapid the better it got, tho’ still not great. Picked up chance and ran to Menards and got a few bags of pellets to put in the back for some weight and better traction. I drove in 4 wheel drive most of the time. the kids were all howling they were starving and i bet they were hungry but as nasty as it was by that time we didn’t stop, just headed for New Underwood. Couldn’t see for blowing snow by that time and about half way to New Underwood it got much better, so we sailed along. we didn’t stop there either as I was afraid the storm would catch us. Roads north of Underwood were good, by and large tho’ we did hit some snow in the breaks. Once we were past their it was fine. Wet but not slippery other than a few spots on 34 where the snow was sticking. got home and it was nice here. Poor little Addy Bear had to sit in her car seat all the time from the time we left until we got home… and she sure let us know she didn’t like it, besides, by the time we got home it was her bed time. Bet she sleeps good tonight! She was already mad at me this morning as she wanted to ride along to feed but Sam went in stead…but she don’t hold grudges…. yet! 🙂

Got about 3 inches of snow last night and it was mostly gone by the time we left about 3. Sure would take a lot more and a bunch of warm spring rains….

By grandkids! 🙂

Hope had to go in to meet a lady about a cake so dropped the kids off here after Gus gout out of school. Luckily Gramma got home at about the same time!

Tee came a little before noon and we got in a pretty good day of working on saddles. He is good at it and does good work and takes instructions well.

Gramma made home made pizza’s for supper and poor ol’ tee had to leave and didn’t get any, but i did make him some frijoles, some steaks cut off a chuck roast and a baked potato for lunch. Seemed to enjoy it.

I am tired and my idea of pockets in the chinks I am building is not going well… I am vexed…. :-

Chance of snow tonight, bring it on. Also, got my first branding date for the spring today…

After I had harnessed and hooked the team to the bale wagon this morning, I took off across the yard, headed south to the bales across the road…3 dogs were with me, two Border collies and one a combination of several cow eating breeds… 😉

Just as we got halfway across the driveway, my horses and I both looked to the south east at something running. It was a deer, a yearling or two year old doe, coming at a run, panic in it’s actions, and there was something chasing it that looked like a coyote, but bigger and fatter than I would think a coyote should be at this time of the year… so I was thinking a dog perhaps, as both it and the deer were intent on the chase and really paid no attention to our yard, my dogs, my team and wagon or me…I had my pistol with me and thought about getting it out and taking a shot, but the thought crossed my mind that it was going to be hard to get off a good shot while trying to drive fresh horses, one handed and what their reaction was going to be after the sound of the first shot, and also that I would be shooting between them or slightly off to the side….

I was kind of amazed that the dogs did not see any of the action and were intent on sniffing and dancing around, getting their edge off from being in the house or kenneled up all night. The wind was blowing somewhat towards us from the action so I wondered why they did not scent the deer or dog-like creature…

As they got closer, I could see the deer was running with it’s mouth open, showing that this chase had gone on for some time and I could even see the panic in the eyes of the deer, as they passed in front of us less than 50 yards away…it was a coyote, fat and furry, with a little hair shorter on the end of his tail, like perhaps he had gotten the mange and gotten over it.. or maybe was in the first stages of getting mange…. I am no mange expert!

As they passed right in front of us, neither looked our way or even acknowledged that we were there and I thought, “My, how bold!”

They continued on and so did we as tho’ neither part had even noticed the other, except that I kept looking off over my shoulder to see where they went and what they did, while wondering again if I should attempt a shot…they ran almost across the lawn and between driving the team and the tree’s behind the house, I lost sight of the deer. As soon as the coyote got across the road and some distance away from me and my party, he looked back and stopped and watched us… then resumed his hunt and headed over the hill behind the house. Unperturbed.

So… these thoughts crossed my mind…

A. I wonder why neither the deer or coyote showed any fear of me or the dogs? Was it because this is a coyote who had been around me before and showed contempt and disdain for my shooting abilities so really wasn’t worried in the least about running his prey that close to me?

B. How ballsy is a coyote to think he can run down and kill a deer? Why didn’t he call for backup?

C. Why did my dogs not notice the coyote or the deer? Tho’ to be fair, when Buck was running around he did seem to smell a track and started to search it out, but I called him back…

D. Why is it that in 55 years I have only had about 10 coyote sightings on this ranch, tho’ I am aware they are around? Do I have a stench that makes coyotes want to avoid me?

E. Why was the coyote so fat?

F. If I am going to pack a pistol with me at all times, why do i not use it? If it is because of fear of how my horses will react, why don’t I train them to be accustomed to the sound?

I am most partial to A., as there have been many times I have proven to all about, just what a poor shot I am! Sorry my sheep ranching neighbors, but he got away..

Just keeps hanging in there….my Apprentice saddle maker came out Monday morning and also Andrea Graham our resident Folklorist who interviewed us and check on our progress…I fed them steak fajita’s for lunch and then Andrea took off and Tee and I worked on saddles for a spell. AI had to leave him at it and go pick up Gus at the bus and then on to Rapid to drop him with his mother, meet up with Cindy and go to the Chrism Mass at the Cathedral and then home afterward. the Chrism Mass is where the Bishop blesses all the Holy Oil that will be used this year for Baptism and Last Rites and any other Sacrament where Holy Oil is used. it is also a time when all the priests of the Dioceses are there and they all renew their vows of Holy Orders. The choir did an excellent job and it was great to be a part of. I stopped and did a little shopping before I met Cindy. she had been at a Church conference/workshop. Said she learned a lot and had a great time. She had caught a ride in with some folks from Faith who were going to the same thing.

Today I fed and have been catching up on odds and ends and doing some leather work and trying out some new flowers and background dying. The dying didn’t go well and I don’t think I will be doing any in the near future….I just finished cutting out a new pair of chinks for me out of bison hide….wait until you see what I am trying! 🙂

I took off yesterday afternoon and met Cindy and we went to Chuck Timmons wedding, stuck around for the after part and ate some real good smoked brisket that Jim had made. we had planned on going to Hill City for the open Mic but the weather was getting nasty and I’d had a report it was worse down south so we played it safe and came home. When we crossed 4 Mile creek and looked south you could see the snow lying on the breaks down there so evidently we were just on the north edge.

This morning we got up and drove up to Mud Butte for Mas, seeing we had missed it the night before. after Mass we went to leave and the keys were somehow locked in the car! I blamed it on Cindy and she blamed it on me and we tried the old wire from a hanger trick and it didn’t work, nobody had a tennis ball so we could try that trick, so Joe McTighe took pity on us as there was a stiff southeast breeze blowing and it was cold! We finally got a hold of Chance and hope and Chance and Colby Shearer, who was up visiting came and got us, drove us to the car and we came home. Oh, they had gotten the extra set of keys at the house and brought them up. Colby told of phoning us and having us place the cell phone on speaker next to the door and they would push the open button on the other set, but they couldn’t get service to call us. I wanted to try it when we got to the car, but they all said it was too cold, so we didn’t. I am going to get a tennis ball and try that trick and also the cell phone trick too, to see if it will work…wind is howling and it isn’t very warm. Chance and Colby rode with me to feed the cows with the team when we got back and it was pretty nice when we started but about halfway there it really started to blow. think I will feed with the tractor in the morning as I need to set some more bales down anyway. My apprentice and the folklore lady are supposed to come tomorrow and the Chrism Mass is in Rapid tomorrow evening. Cindy is going to ride with some other folks to some church deal at Terra Sancta and I will drive down and meet her for Mass afterwords.

Green grass!!!!1

Yeah, it’s pretty short and pretty sparse, but it IS green! Woo hoo!!!

Cindy said the temp in her Nitro said it was 77 when she left Sturgis about 2. Sure is nice out. Got the carving all done on the saddle, oiled it and waiting for it to soak in so I can put it all together…cows hadn’t even cleaned up all the hay I fed them yesterday. I counted on that so took a pretty good bale when I went. they sure are enjoying that old grass with a hint of green at the roots!

I have plans to haul a couple horses up to Dusty tomorrow. See if he can get along with Swiss Miss, she is 7 or 8 and kind of halter broke and that is all. She let me walk up and pet her so i think she will be fine.. he does a good job. Also i will take Brody, the colt I started last spring and have him top him off for me so i can go to riding him… calving will be coming soon and it will be good to have a young horse to ride on cows checking to see if they are calving or have calved.

Here is the last photo’s of the saddle with all the carving. don’t think I ever want to do any more carving on one than this! Lot’s of work and in hard to work places!

Now, off to drive Wren….

The weather! Wind dropped down to a breeze, warmed up to shirt sleeve weather…suh weet!

Took the team and tolled the cows up to Harry’s with a bale of hay, came back and got the lowboy wagon and some bean, picked up Hope and all the kids and we took the bean up to the cows. Then, after i turned the team loose I drove up with the pickup to see if they wanted to eat at the Bull Creek. they did so we did. Saw glen and Bailey and visited a bit until we all were done eating… well and Addy Bear got done playing with her food!

Oh, the big news is, Sam has a huge cavity and a part of his tooth broke off and he handed it to his Mom…he showed it to me and every thing!! 🙂

I suppose this will involve a dentist visit… just a baby tooth, ain’t it? A molar in the back…

When we got back from the big city….I dropped everyone off, took some mineral barrels out and then threw a couple of salt blocks with mineral to the horses and unloaded the salt and dog food. I got a short nap, then did a little tooling, pitched up some hay for the horses in the corral and hauled the trash out. Going to cruise the interwebs and then back to the leather shop, need to get this saddle done! It’s too nice to be in the house working on leather!

And Cindy said we have a new Pope. From South America, which I am sure is a first. God bless him and make him a great Pope and do wonderful things for all of us in this world…