Another warm one…

Went out and decided to try and cut some more of the road ditch, as what the heck, it wouldn’t take much fuel and it would give me and the team some exercise. I decided I’d just cut a short distance where it was really green and a bit taller. Made one short round and broke the mower….. hmmm….so, seeing as I had a doctors appointment in Rapid, I’d just go get the part. Just a short solid iron shaft. Drove to New Underwood and stopped at Slim and Darlene’s and dropped off a carving pattern for Slim. Drove to Raid, dropped the trailer off at Cabela’s where I got some more ammo for Gramma and then on to get the part. they had to order it. Won’t be in until probably Monday… cost $74 bucks! Wow, I wasn’t aware it was made of a precious metal!They are supposed to call when it comes in and maybe Gramma will go around that way and pick it up for me. Went and ate a quick bite, went to the doc’s, got xrays and a shot in the shoulder (feels much better) and then on and hooked up with Chance as they were in town for some stuff. he and Sam hung out with me and we went and looked at and poicked up a pony.. yeah, I know, just what I need, another horse, but on the up side, Charlie is not very big and he is real fat, so he won’t take much food for sometime as he needs to go on a diet. And I didn’t pay for him. See how we get along and then probably swap for some beef. Supposed to be a Hackney Pony, but looks like a bigger Shetland and seems to have the right attitude for that too. I guess he will just have to find out about less feed on demand and that he is NOT the boss and he may just work. He has the flattest back I have seen on a horse in years! And long toes. We will see if we can work on all of that starting tomorrow. I plan to keep him and Squirt in together and put them both on a diet. Got to get these little rascals in shape for the grand kids!

Supposed to be hot again tomorrow. I should be working these young horses while it is hot and make them sweat!

12 hours later…..

Well, I caught a few winks this morning and had a nice little snooze after dinner….Went and got some salt to go with the stuff I got in town yesterday with Cindy’s car and filed it up with fuel. We went out this afternoon and put the salt and zinc mixture for footrot out and some lime around the tanks and then Cindy did some target practice with her new pistola… It’s a short 38 and she was a bit tentative at the recoil. At the end I had her just point and squeeze off 5 rounds and I would have sure hated to be what she was aiming at…… She just needs to shoot it a bit more and get comfortable with it. If she has to shoot a crippled deer or anything else….. I think she will be fine. Do not make her angry or threaten her! 😉 Tazer and now this pistol…. I am not sure this is a good thing……

Supposed to go to the neighbors this evening as they are bucking some horses out. going to take a couple along and let them try them out if they want. We will see what these little Halfies will do coming out of a chute. I doubt it will be much but they might just make excellent practice horses for these young fellers…

Got warm and we had wind. Clouds to the west, come on rain! PLease…..

4:07 a freeking m!

and here I set. Wide eyed but not so bushy tailed….

Cindy’s dentist visit went well. Dropped the pump for the firefighting unit off and got some needed things I couldn’t get from my usual ranch supply store…

Stopped in at a sporting goods place and showed Cindy a nifty little shooter and she liked it! We got it! I am wondering if this was a good idea. she couldn’t wait to get home and try it out, but we had to take Lige back to his home in Custer and so i ran over to the State Game Lodge where I had been invited to participate in a non paying, but fun group event of poetry and music. Did my turn, watched for a short bit afterwards, h3eaded back to Tate and Kass’s where Gramma had gotten her fair share of grandkids hugs and squeal of delight and we headed home. Oh, by the way, I met a charming young lady from Minnesota and her Mom and the sweet child who’s name was Lizzy. Made me think of my Gramma.. I said I would mention her on here, so there you go…

We came home via Deadwood as i think it is about the same time frame as Rapid and much less traffic and people and houses and businesses… but dang, some people sure do want to drive slow, afraid of deer I suppose, big sissies!

I needed a short break for personal reasons, you know why, if you have traveled with me…. so we stopped at one of the dens of iniquity and used the facilities and tried our luck and it ran true to form, so THAT didn’t take long, and came on home, watching lightning off to the south and north east. Hope no fires got started!

Got to bed about midnight, fell asleep and woke from a silly dream and now I am awake… awake… hmmm, wonder what to do now, as I have caught up on all the interwebs stuff I normally do throughout the day…. maybe time for a book or some stupid show on TV…. only time will tell… seems I get silly minded with lack of sleep, or is this normally the way I write… hmmmmm….

Another gig

I dropped the two mean little kids of with Cindy yesterday when she got off work and I went up to Hay Creek camp for the Cancer Benefit ride. Some of us made music and did some poetry after everyone ate. They all bragged on us and seemed to enjoy it. Got to see friends from back east who were there. Sounds like they are dry also. Hay in short supply and costly if anyone will price it. Got home about midnight. Couldn’t sleep from med’s I took for a rash I had. Good news is that the hives or rash is about gone, so the med’s were worth it…Got up too early and Lige and I went to Mass. Gus had went home with his parents who Cindy met up with before she left town. Hot wind blowing out of the south today. Looked and it was 103 or there about’s, in the shade….got a chance for some rain coming in in the next day or two. We sure need it and we look better than lot’s around us…hope it don’t bring fires and not enough rain to put them out. Cindy has a dentist appointment tomorrow and we will probably run Lige home afterwards..then maybe a gig at Custer State Park, depending on how Cindy feels. Better take my firefighting pump down and have them go thru’ it so it is up to snuff as I bet I am going to need it. We’ve had quite a few small fires around and some big ones, but with all the firefighting units people have and the firetrucks in most the small community, community spirit and grit and these good young fellers who will go at the drop of a hat and do the work (not to mention the older ones who also go) we will get thru’ this. We always have….

Eric and Chastity stopped over and we made plans for a saddle and Eric brought a couple hrses home he has had and worked with. Chance needs a remount. His horses are sick. So Pardner will go up there and ol’ Crackerjack (who has really grown!) will get played with around here and hopefully a grand kid will ride him.

Me and the mean little kids…

Got the heifers in and Kenny AI’d them…

They rode with me to get them in and then rode around in the corral for most of the time while the heifers were getting bred.

This evening we all got in Purple and drove out and looked at the cows. All the bulls were there, doing their jobs….

Got warm today… correction, started out warm and stayed that way, tho’ not up to 100 anyway. Must be July in SD….

Me and the boys

and the dogs, went and got the horses in this morning to ride but the nose flies was bad so we waited until…. about right now!

Went south and dug up thistles and worked on leather this afternoon. Children are no good at digging thistles…..

AI heifers tomorrow.

Sat up too late last night listening to the fire radio. Sounded like lightning started quit a few, but the short hard shower that followed put them out… got up warm and a quick short shower came thru’ and we got about 10 drops but it cooled it off for a short time. Upper 80’s now….

Running around…

We took of Saturday afternoon and drove to Valentine where we spent the night, with Tate and Kass and kids all in one room. We took everyone to the pool at the neighboring and jointly owned motel that we stayed in. We all had great fun, but seems I didn’t sleep so well on a strange bed and grand kids… 🙂

Got up Sunday and drove to Taylor, Neb. for Cindy’s family reunion. Left about 4 our time and headed home with Lige along with us.

I got up Monday, drove back south of Philip and hauled home the lease bulls and turned them with the cows. Didn’t sleep the night before as much as I would have liked. Then we drove to Hope and Chances and spent the night last night. Again, not as much sleep as I would have liked… got up about 4 this morning loaded horses and drove over west of him, gathered and branded a bunch, then south between Belle and Spearfish and branded another bunch. Drove back north, dropping off horses and riders at their trailers, drove to the Macy place, unloaded and went after some sheep, as they are going to finish up their shearing tomorrow. Mijo didn’t mind herding the few ewes and lambs we found but was not a bit impressed with the bucks! Got that done, drove over to Hope and Chances, got a saddle and another kid, Gus and we came home. I was wore out so took a caffeine pill and then some Coke and now for some odd reason I am still awake. Oh well, Gramma sez the boys need a nap tomorrow and I think I can fit that into my schedule! 🙂

I am done driving very much for a few days. Sure glad I ain’t a trucker!

Seen and rode across lots of dry country…. we all need rain, keep praying, please. Heard of some hay contracted for $200 a ton, today….good alfalfa, but even still… Not too hot of weather all this time and even kind of cool for part of it, but no rain…

Hot and dry and windy

Wasn’t bad this morning. Kenny came down and brought his chute and put ciders in the heifers. Went well. Rode north afterwards and checked gates and set ii for the horses to go north east. Putted around this afternoon. Cindy and I hauled the garbage out and drove down and looked at cattle and tanks. Stupid heifers keep shutting one tank off at the hydrant. I wired it open. Probably better ride in the morning and doctor sore foot cattle. Good chance of rain tonight and got a storm up in Chance and Hopes country. They were fighting a fire on them earlier…