You are currently browsing the monthly archive for October 2011.
‘Tis the season for the reason!
Or in other words, the reason we all do what we do. For this day. When you “harvest” the crop. That crop being calves, mostly, in this country, tho’ some raise yearlings, but by and large, most raise cows who have calves, who get sold in the fall, barring the small ones and the replacement heifers held back for future cows. We pen ’em, sort ’em and shop’ ’em. We work 365 days a year for this one paycheck. And don’t think that we ain’t working 365. Even on holidays the cattle come first. Hell, we even work them when we play, so to speak, in the way we do the work. We make many of the days we work, a celebration of the life. We neighbor and the crews come together to do much of the work. Those who don’t neighbor in this area have historically not lasted. I think, as independent as we all are, we also know deep down, we need each other to survive.
So we help each other at the drop of a hat or when asked. Depending on need and the time of the year.
Anyway, this was a pretty typical fall shipping day. Up and travel to the pasture before light and riding in the dark and getting to the backside when you can make out a cow critter and stat driving them towards the shipping pens. Here’s the morning in pictures. Click to make them larger.
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- Loading
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- They all gott’a go on one of these “bull racks”
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- sorting
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- it’s push, push now
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- the jig is up
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- we can see the pens
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- almost to the top
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- cattle and rider on the ridge
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- reluctanly moving along
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- looking southwest where the sunlight is hitting the rough country across the creek
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- gettin’ brighter
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- pushing them up the draw
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- At the back side and starting back
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- Ol’ Sol about to peep over the rim
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- early morning commute
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- O dark :30
Yesterday the urchins insisted we drive the team so we went down south and picked up the empty lick and mineral barrels and some posts. Then this morning we went over to Bud’s and worked Buck on some sheep. He liked them! 😉
When we got home I hung a gate I had patched up, on the new small corral behind the horse barn. It ain’t as pretty as a new gate, but sure didn’t cost as much and it will work.
Here’s proof that I haven’t killed them yet. 🙂
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- Gus driving the team to the barn
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- Future teamsters
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- Oooomph!
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- Getting ready to pass it up to his brother
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- Bob wants to help
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- Waiting to help load the barrel
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- Gettin’ another one
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- Gus on the other side of the wagon seat
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- Sam settin’ by Grampa
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- Bringing it to the wagon
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- Crawling under the fence after he got the barrel
Just got this in an email from a friend, evidently in response to my posts of the grandkids AKA: the miniature terrorists!
I am trying to get him to start a blog and post more of this kind of stuff. He writes remarkable stuff, but has no idea how good it is. Please, if you enjoy this, let him know, thru’ the comments. Please excuse the font as The Blindman is truly, almost blind, so has very large expanded font he writes in and I can’t seem to get it to translate over here to WordPress. My fault, not his.
Enjoy. 🙂
I don’t k n o w h o w i t h a p p e n e d . H a d I k n o w n t h e n w h a t I k n o w n o w m a y b e t h i n g s w o u l d b e d i f f e r e n t . A h h e l l, w h o a m I t r y ing t o f o o l, t h i n g s w o u l d b e j u s t t h e s a m e a s t h e y a r e n o w .
I t a l l s t a r t e d t h r e e m o n t h s a g o w h e n o u r d a u g h t e r and o u r t h r e e g r a n d s o n s c a m e t o l i v e w i t h u s f o r a w h i l e . T h e t w i n s, C o r b i n a n d C h a s e , a r e f o u r y e a r s o l d a n d
N o a h i s a l i t t l e s h y o f t w o . M e a n w h i l e o u r d a u g h t e r
i s t w e n t y f o u r g o i n g o n s e v e n t e e n a n d i t m a k e s f o r
s o m e i n t e r e s t i n g m o m e n t s h e r e o n P a s s C r e e k .
T h e f i r s t t h i n g I l e a r n e d w a s t h a t I w o u l d h a v e
m u l t i p l e j o b s a n d w o u l d b e e x p e c t e d t o ‚ ¨ m u l t i t a s k ‚ a t a n y g i v e n m o m e n t, d a y o r n i g h t . T h e s e c o n d t h i n g I l e a r n e d w a s t h a t I m i g h t n o t l i k e w h a t I w a s g o i n g t o d o. b u t I w a s j u s t g o i n g t o h a v e t o d o i t a n y w a y . I t ‘s
s a d r e a l l y , I s p e n t t h e f i r s t f i f t y y e a r s o f m y l i f e
t r y i n g l i k e h e l l t o s t a y a w a y f r o m k i d s o f a n y k i n d .
N o w w i t h o u t s o m u c h a s an o n l i n e c l a s s i n b e i n g a
g r a n d p a I w a s t h r o w n t o t h e w o l v e s a n d I h a d t o
l e a r n t o f l y b y t h e s e a t o f m y p a n t s o r d i e .
W e w i l l t a l k a b o u t a c o u p l e o f m y n e w j o b s h e r e . F i r s t, l e t s t a l k a b o u t m y l i f e a s a n i n v e s t i g a t o r . On e m o r n i ng w h e n I w e n t i n t o g e t t h e t w i n s u p C o r b i n h a d w e t
p a n t s . I o f c o u r s e a s k C h a s e h o w t h a t h a p p e n e d a n d
h e s a i d ‚ ¨ I d o n ‚ t r e a l l y w a n t t o s a y a n y t h i n g b e c a u s e C o r b i n i s o n e o f m y o w n . “
T h e n I a s k e d C o r b i n h o w h i s p a n t s g o t w e t a n d w a s
t o l d ‚ ¨I t h i n k Ch a s e p e e d o n m e i n t h e n i g h t . ‚ ¨
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b e c a u s e e v e n t h o u g h t h e e v i d e n c e p o i n t e d t o w a r d
C o r b i n a s t h e p e r p e t r a t o r o f t h e c r i m e , I c o u l d n’ t
p r o v e b e y o n d a s h a d o w o f a d o u b t t h a t h e h a d d o n e i t . I t w a s a b o u t t h a t t i m e t h a t t h e l e a d i n v e s t i g a t o r
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h e r e , G r a n d m a d i d n ‘t h a v e t h e s a m e d o u b t s t h a t I d i d a n d t h e c a s e w a s s o l v e d b y h e r w i t h n o f u r t h e r
q u e s t i o n s a s k e d .
I a m a l s o a j u d g e . T h e t h r e e b o y s w e r e p l a y i n g o n t h e d e c k w i t h a c l o t h e s b a s k e t . I t s f u n n y , y o u c a n h a v e
a l l t h e t o y s i n t h e w o r l d a n d s o m e t h i n g s i m p l e l i k e
t h a t c a n g e t t h e r e s t o f t h e w o r l d o u t o f b a l a n c e . I t
w a s a b o u t t h i s t i m e t h a t a l l t h r e e y o u n g m e n d e c i d e d t h a t t h e y i n d i v i d u a l l y w a n t e d t h e b a s k e t f o r t h e i r
o w n . Y e l l i n g a n d s c r e a m i n g , p u s h i n g a n d s h o v e l i n g
t o o k p l a c e a n d i t w a s u p t o m e t o f i g u r e o u t w h o w ould g e t t o p l a y w i t h t h e b a s k e t . T h i s i s w h a t I g o t o u t o f t h e c o n v e r s a t i o n t h a t f o l l o w e d . C h a s e w a n t e d t o s u e C o r b i n a n d N o a h f o r s t e a l i n g t h e b a s k e t f r o m h i m i n
t h e f i r s t p l a c e . C o r b i n w a n t e d t o s u e C h a s e a n d N o a h f o r m i s a p p r o p r i a t i o n o f a t o y , a n d N o a h w a n t e d to s u e C h a s e a n d C o r b i n f o r b e i n g o l d e r a n d m e a n t o a b a b y .
T h e y a l l w a n t e d t o d e f e n d t h e m s e l v e s a n d I h a d t o t e l l t h e m t h a t i f t h e y d i d t h a t t h e y w o u l d o n l y h a v e t h e m s e l v e s t o b l a m e i f t h e v e r d i c t w e n t a g a i n s t t h e m . W e w e r e j u s t g e t t i n g s t a r t e d w i t h t h e t r i a l a n d I t h i n k
m a k i n g s o m e r e a l h e a d w a y w h e n G r a n d m a c a m e o u t s i de a n d p i c k e d u p t h e b a s k e t a n d a n n o u n c e d t h a t n o b o d y w o u l d b e p l a y i n g w i t h i t t h a t d a y , a s a l l w e r e g u i l t y
o f t h e s a m e c r i m e . I t s e e m s t h a t e v e n t h o u g h I a m a
j u d g e , s h e i s t h e o n e a n d o n l y m e m b e r o f t h e D i t h m e r R a n c h s u p r e m e c o u r t . N u f f S a i d .
T h e n t h e r e i s i n t e r p r e t e r . T h e t w i n s c a n t a l k s o m e
E n g l i s h . B u t w h e n t h e y d o n ‘t w a n t y o u t o k n o w w h a t
t h e y a r e s a y i n g t h e y t a l k t h e i r v e r y o w n l a n g u a g e . I w a s s e t t i n g o n t h e d e c k t o m o n i t o r w h a t t h e k i d s w e r e d o i n g w h e n C o r b i n c a m e u p a n d s a i d h e h a d t o p e e .
G r a n d m a h a d t a u g h t t h e m t o g o a n d p e e o n t h e r o c k s w h e n t h e y h a d t o g o s o I j u s t t o l d h i m t o d o t h a t .
T h e n I y e l l e d a t C h a s e t o d o t h e s a m e . W e l l I h a d b e e n d r i n k i n g c o f f e e a l l m o r n i n g a n d d a r n e d i f I d i d n ‘t
h a v e t o g o t o, s o I w e n t o n d o w n t h e s t e p s a n d j o i n e d t h e t w i n s s t a n d i n g a b o v e t h e r o c k s . I h a d a l m o s t
e m p t i e d m y b l a d d e r w h e n I h e a r d t h e t w o t a l k i n g twins sp e a k , p o i n t i n g a t m e , a n d ‚ l a u g h i n g . I ‘ m n o t s u r e
w h a t t h e y w e r e s a y i n g, b u t I a m n e v e r g o i n g t o p e e
w i t h t h o s e t w o a g a i n . W h e n I t o l d B e l i n d a w h a t h a d
h a p p e n e d, s h e s t a r t e d t o l a u g h t oo . I d i d n ‘ t w a i t t o
h e a r w h a t s h e t h o u g h t t h e y w e r e s a y i n g , I j u s t w e n t
i n t h e o t h e r r o o m a n d s e t i n t h e d a r k f o r a w h i l e .
S o m e t i m e s i t b e t t e r n o t t o k n o w w h a t p e o p l e a r e
t a l k i n g a b o u t .
T h e n t h e r e i s r e s e a r c h s p e c i a l i s t . S h o r t l y a f t e r e v e r y o n e g o t h e r e I w e n t o n l i n e t o s e e w h a t t h e s e k i d s
s h o u l d k n o w a t t h e i r a g e . I w a s s o m e w h a t d i s a p p o i n t e d t o l e a r n t h a t I w o u l d q u a l i f y a s a f o u r y e a r o l d s o m e o f t h e t i m e a n d a t w o y e a r o l d m o s t o f t h e r e s t o f t h e t i m e . S o m u c h f o r t h e n e t .
H o w a b o u t b e i n g a w o r l d c l a s s c o o k ? T h o s e d a y s a r e
l o n g g o n e . N o w w h e n I d r e a m I d r e a m a b o u t s t e a k s ,
c e n t e r c u t p o r k c h o p s , a n d s e a f o o d b o i l s . I h a v e
n i g h t m a r e s a b o u t m a c a n d c h e e s e , h o t d o g s , a n d C h e e t o s . I t s n o t w h a t y o u c o o k b u t h o w s m a l l y o u c a n c u t
t h e p i e c e s f o r N o a h . T h e w o r l d o f f o o d i s a s a v a g e a n d u n f o r g i v i n g o n e . I s u s p e c t t h a t a t s o m e p o i n t I w i l l
a g a i n g e t t o e a t t h e t h i n g s I w a n t t o , b u t b y t h e n I
m i g h t n o t h a v e t h e t e e t h t o c h e w i t w i t h .
T h e n t h e r e i s E P A a g e n t . N o a h c a n r u n t h r o u g h t h e
h o u s e o n e m i n u t e a n d e v e r y t h i n g i s f i n e . I n t h e n e x t y o u c a n v e r y p l a i n l y s m e l l t h a t t h e r e h a s b e e n a
t o x i c s p i l l o f s o m e k i n d a n d y o u w i l l f i n d h i m l e a n i n g a g a i n s t t h e c o u c h w i t h a s m i l e o n h i s f a c e . I h a t e
s u r p r i s e s l i k e t h a t a n d w o u l d r a t h e r s m e l l a s k u n k .
I h a v e h a d m a n y o t h e r j o b s i n t h e l a s t t h r e e m o n t h s , l a w o f f i c e r , p h a r m a c i s t , d o c t o r , w a r d r o b e
c o o r d i n a t o r , s n a c k a n d m i l k d i s p e n s e r , a n d a t t i m e s ,
h u m a n t o y . I h a v e h a d t o b e a n a r b i t r a t o r a l m o s t
e v e r y d a y t o d e f u s e w h a t c o u l d b e c o m e an
i n t e r n a t i o n a l i n c i d e n t . I h a v e h a d t h e j o b o f w a r d e n , p r o f e s s i o n a l e n t e r t a i n e r , a n d p u p p y t r a i n e r . D i d I
m e n t i o n t h a t a l o n g w i t h t h e k i d s a n d t h e i r m o m w e
a r e t r y i n g t o h o u s e t r a i n t h e i r n e w p u p p y ?
T o t o p i t a l l o f f, t h e b e a r d t h a t u s e d t o b e b l a c k i s
n o w n o t s a l t a n d p e p p e r , b u t g r e y . I t l o o k s l i k e I ‘ m
g o i n g t o p l a y S a n t a t h i s y e a r , b a h u m b u g !
W e l l t h a t ‘ s a b o u t e n o u g h f o r n o w , t h e b o s s i s c a l l i n g m e t o h e l p h e r w a t c h t h e k i d s o u t s i d e f o r a c o u p l e o f h o u r s . P l e a s e h e l p m e .
S e n d w h i s k e y
O r P r o z a c
O r a g u n .
I a m T h e B l i n d m a n
46 degrees out at 6 this morning.
Terrorists are still sleeping.
Question, can you stop someones ability to reproduce, retroactively?
😉
Go. Read. Great stuff most have forgotten.
http://dickiebo.wordpress.com/2011/10/21/did-you-know-9/
Thanks Dickiebo!
Or as I affectionately refer to them, “mini terrorists”, are here. Gus and Sam. Their mother went on a few days trip with her aunt and sister so they will be here until Sunday night or Monday, depending on sanity (mine) or something coming up. There dad is too busy to keep them with him on the ranch he works at, so I was asked and in a weak moment said, “Yes”. Oh the folly of saying, yes!
We are in the process of burning wood for coals to cook on. Short ribs for me and the boys and chicken for Gramma.
Got Pal’s shoes reset today. We let hi go longer than we should but seem to be getting fair hoof growth. We took a lot off the toe so he’s a tad tender but I think we are on the right track. What do you think Corky? Poor picture maybe, but maybe you’ll get the idea. Are we headed in the right direction or totally screwing up? (All questions to Corky)
We shortened the toe back as much as we could also, towards the frog.
It was 25 degrees at 6 this morning. Tad chilly. Didn’t hurt the tomatoes in the green house but they are ripening slowly and the plants are drying up.
See Mom, I haven’t killed them!
Yet! 😉
It was a beautiful fall day. Rode Mijo and looked at the cattle and looked for a lost heifer. Didn’t find her. Maybe tomorrow.
