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Sam alam a ding dong

September 28, 2012 in adventures, Family, photo's, weather | 2 comments

And I worked on the palp cage today and finally got it done. Windy. Not to hot, but warm.

When we came in for lunch, Cindy had some soapy water in the sink (she wasn’t feeling well so stayed home from work) Sam decided to show me how to blow bubbles. And then he played in the sing and I helped him with the bubbles. This was the outcome…

Then we had to make him into a knobhead…

Not sure how to make him into a mo mo… (inside joke)

Sam and I

September 25, 2012 in adventures, animals, Cattle, cowboyin', Family, friends, Horses, photo's, poetry, training | 7 comments

went for a ride. This is the picture I took of him afterwords….

This is what I wrote after we came in the house…. real rough, haven’t even started polishing it yet but thought some of you might like to see it…

Ridin’ with Sam
Yellow gold leaves with a touch of red somehow
show the course of the creek
where the Ash tree’s are changing folige for winter
they mask the smell of the weak

Along that watercourse deer have died in scores
a tiny bug has laid them low
Sam on Squirt and I on Mijo, look for sick calves
we move along, slow

Sam is four and Squirt is twenty eight this year
born before Chance was born
Sam is the son of Chance and today my top hand
and now my heart is torn

The joy of riding with a grandson of mine
makes my old heart smile
his magpie chatter and ceaseless barrage of questions
has me grinning for the first mile

Then we find a dead calf alongside of the creek
the drought fills my mind
dry dusty conditions have prevailed for weeks
so I worry at what else we may find

Driest I have ever seen it in over fifty years
set new records for dry
this years clouds that came brought little rain
fire instead of wet from the sky

Sam has filled my heart this morning as we rode
the drought far from my mind
but a calf that was under my care is now dead
failure and drought are back on my mind

I failed to save this poor calf by my neglect
not finding him in time
perhaps I could have saved him with some magic potion
in my vaccine bottle of slime

I understand, it’s really not totally my fault
cowmen know you don’t save them all
but you try your best to prove that theory wrong
so my world now has a dark pall

we ride on, there’s nothing we can do for this calf
my worries cloud my thoughts
Sam chatters on with questions and laughter
unaware of “I shoulda’s and Ought’s

At the end of the ride we find only one more
sick, not dead this time
A quick throw of rope and Mijo holds him still
I feel a bit better of my crime

“Well, perhaps I’ve saved that one” I console myself
tho’ it does little for my heart pain
Sam chatters about him and his “cowboy grampa”
Lord please, send us some rain

RD 9/25/12

Preggin’

September 24, 2012 in adventures, animals, Cattle, cowboyin', Family, friends, Horses, music, weather | 4 comments

Got the heifers all ultrasounded… went pretty well, tho’ got warm and dang sure dusty. Good thing I had good horseback help. Not to sure about the chute help as the owner brought them and they took care of that end. Seemed to flow well. Open rate was much better than last year.

Feller stopped in for a fitting on his new chaps just as we came in to eat. He got fitted and took off, I grabbed a bite, we headed back out to sort the opens and the owner hauled most away in his trailer. He is supposed to be back for another load yet tonight.

Sam and I need to ride out and check on a calf who looked like he might be getting sick, yesterday. We will saddle up tomorrow and get ‘er done!

I got three checks for CD’s today in the mail so will need to ship some off tomorrow. In case I didn’t mention it, I do Paypal if you want a CD.

Great weekend

September 23, 2012 in adventures, animals, Cattle, cowboyin', Family, friends, Horses, music, poetry, training | Leave a comment

Left about noon on Friday and got to Hot Springs with a short stop in Custer to drop off a CD for Tate and Kass. Had a great show with some newcomers on Friday night and then just a jam packed wonderful time on Saturday. found a new coat at a second hand store just like the one Cindy hates I have now. Cost 6.50. 🙂 Hey, it’s a classic old wool coat with a fur lined collar and split up the back for riding…..

Chance and Hope and the kids were here when I got home and we had a good but short visit. They left Sam for a few days so that’s going to be fun! 🙂

Preg checking heifers tomorrow. Chance took fresh horses back to his job and left two sore and thin horses here. Mijo is still a bit lame so Woody is in the corral for the morning. I bet Squirt is going to get ridden by Sam in the next few days…. 🙂

Finally!!!!!

September 19, 2012 in adventures, cowboyin', dayworkin', friends, Horses, music, photo's, Saddles, training | 4 comments

Got the CD’s in. I couldn’t get my scanner to work so resorted to a photo which really doesn’t even come close to doing justice to Brenda Jones Murphy’s art work which she so graciously allowed me to use. Also one of her photo’s on the back cover.

10 original songs. This is NOT country and western….this is rancher/cowboy and damn sure western!

Anyone who wants one, they are $15 and a couple more bucks for shipping. Anything over $2 for shipping, I will stand the cost, in the continental US.

So… get me a check or I can do Paypal also. Let me know….

R Dennis
17410 Indian Creek Road
Red Owl SD 57787

This weekend

September 17, 2012 in adventures, Family, friends, music, poetry | 1 comment

I drove to Philip Saturday morning and met u with Ken and then we headed over to Ft Pierre. they had a nice set up at the Stanley County fairgrounds, I guess they call it the Exposition Center now… We both performed that afternoon and then a group of us headed out to the Cattlemen’s Club east of Pierre a few miles. One of the best steaks I have ever had! They gave us gift cards for performing and then we had tickets to the Don Edwards show that evening. I had not heard Don sing 97 at Elko. He’s aged, but you never know it to watch him play and sing. We went back to the motel, had a good BS session and to bed. Got up Sunday morning, met up and had breakfast with Slim and Darlene and headed back home. I think I got here about noon. Took a short nap and then when Cindy got home, we headed up to Spearfish. Met Chance and Hope and kids and went to Mass. Got to see Fr Tyler for just a minute, went and ate and came home and got to bed about 9. Good weekend and the next one coming up at Hot Springs should as much fun and maybe more, if that is possible. Met some new friends and hope to see them this weekend!

Nice day

September 14, 2012 in adventures, animals, Cattle, dogs, Family, friends, music, poetry, weather | 1 comment

Not too hot, not too windy. I was getting ready to work on making a palp cage this morning when Delbert showed up with an invite to ride along with him, so took it quick before he changed his mind!

We stopped over at a neighbors who had been having a dog trail. It was over but we got in some good visiting with Bud and maybe found a dog… yeah, I know, like I need another one, but this is a good Border Collie started and priced right. And two is better than one when I am moving these cattle around by myself.

Then we drove over to Del’s summer pasture and checked on cattle and water. Came back to Punkin Center and ate at the cafe and Delbert’s daughter in law came along with his grandson so we had fun with them.

Got home and tried to take a snooze but Spike went to howling when Cindy pulled in so that was the end of that! So I went out and cut and welded on the palp cage until supper time.

Been on the phone all night. I am going to meet Ken Cook tomorrow as we have a gig in Ft Pierre in the afternoon.

About done

September 13, 2012 in adventures, animals, Cattle, cowboyin', friends, Horses, Leatherwork, Saddles, training, weather | Leave a comment

With the new stirrup leathers and sweat fenders I had to build for Ivan the Indian, the guy who bought the saddle with the real long legs. Occupied a lot of my time the past two days. I did run down to Punkin Center yesterday and get a gate and some metal and a few panels. I need to make a palp cage to go on the back of the chute. And I needed some panels to use as gates to shut off the sorting alley and also maybe when we preg, to go in front of the chute and sort the opens from the pregnant cows.

This afternoon I ran the horses in to check Mijo. He barely limps so must be about over whatever caused the limp. I caught and saddle Pilgrim and noticed the spade bit I used on him last time was real narrow for his mouth so tried a different one I had traded for. It has a wide mouth and fit him much better. He seemed to like it, or at least never was bothered by it. Fixed a float on a tank and turned it on and checked the other tanks. More grass down south than I had thought there was going to be. Should be able to keep these last yearlings here until after the first of October. And should be enough picking left for fat horses to winter on! Cooler, in the low 70’s. Lite breeze to slightly windy this afternoon.

Cindy’s new kitchen curtains

September 11, 2012 in Family, house/ranch improvments, photo's | 8 comments

Made from burlap. Bad lighting so really doesn’t show them too good.

Got them sold

September 11, 2012 in adventures, animals, Cattle, cowboyin', Family, friends, Horses, training, weather | 3 comments

Shipped the yearling steers we pastured this summer, on Sunday., Had Cliff, Robert and Jim help. Good crew and it went smooth. Loaded them on trucks about 1:30. Fr Tyler came home Sunday night so he and I drove up to Faith and took a horse along that Keith is taking back home. We got there a little before noon, ate a bite and waited for the cattle to sell. And waited. then we waited some more. Seems like they came thru’ awful slow. Never sold until about 5:30. But they weighed what the buyers were paying the most for, a bit over 800 pounds, and they sold well. Keith was happy. When we got home, Cindy’s sister Cathy was here. they had been making new curtains for the kitchen. We started a fire and cooked up some steaks over the coals and visited until too late. Curtains are made from burlap and look good. Fit the old barn wood in the cabinets and counters. Eventually, this kitchen is going to look pretty cool. 🙂

Hot and some wind yesterday. Flies and heat were terrible in the sale barn.

I rode Mijo up west looking at cattle Saturday and he had a slight limp on Sunday, but I rode him anyway. He was not limping when we got done. Then yesterday when I ran them in to catch Keith’s horse, he was slightly limping. I checked his feet and legs and couldn’t find anything really wrong, but i guess he gets time off until he is moving sound and I will keep watching him.