Horse hay

Here's a picture of the horse hay field. We dry land farm it. Normaly it is knee high right now.. It has been terribly dry and hot here. We broke into the 100's yesterday and suppose to be in the high 90's the rest of the week.

I saw some antelope running though this field and dust was flying up behind them.

Haying

   We tryed baling yesterday at 6am the hay was drier than a popcorn fart on a windy day.We got some baled but dang. We started trying to bale hay at 4am this morning. About 4:30 just when the  hay was almost ready to bale, We got a fog bank. The temp dropped and we got moisture. We didnt start baling till all most 10.Then it got hot fast!! We stopped baling about 2. Here's what my view looked like.I spent most of the day looking at the back of the tractor. 

  Here's the "pick up" grabbing a windrow of hay. Going into the rollers.

Rollers working making a round bale.Almost ready to dump the bale. See the left the little stop sign. That tells me when to drop the bale.
My view through the windshield.

 Until next time take care

Tuesday

    Sunday was Fathers day. It was a kinda tough day for me. We went for a drive to see a little bit of our neighborhood. We took our cameras just in case we found some cool stuff. Here's a coool old farm house. I love seeing these old place's. Wish I knew the history of the place. Seeing old place's kinda makes me sad. I think about all the hopes and dreams the people that owned the place.

   The old Prairie Center school and activity hall.

I took Sharon home down a pretty county road. The road is on the map.

We just started cutting hay, I started baling today. It's kinda sprinkling right now.Of course we have cut hay on the ground. I'll take the rain!! We are branding calves Thursday. Looking forward to that. Clicking on the picture makes it bigger. Until next time take care

Branded today

   We branded about 125 calves today. The neighbors came over and helped. We heeled the smaller calves then headed and heeled the  bigger ones. I still need lots more practice roping but I think I'm getting a bit better. We were done by noon. It went really well.  Lots of fun! Here's a picture my boss took a couple weeks ago.  Roller holding a calf.
    I popped my rib out again about 10 day's ago not sure how I did it. Man O' Man did it hurt. I think I'm getting smarter. I went to the chiropractor yesterday before my fingers started to go numb like last time. Back fencing tomorrow then cow work on friday. Thats about all I have for now. Until next time take care
 

Busy

  Sorry I havent posted in awhile. I 've been busy with work and havent really felt like playing on the computer. Been fixing alot of fence lately. Trying to get around pastures that we will summer cows in. Making sure the fences are still up and no holes in them. We have been working cows around and branding. We branded a big jag of calves the other day on the table. We are gonna brand more calves this Wednesday. We are roping them.
  I think I popped a rib out last week. I thought it was getting better. Friday it started to really bother me now I cant hardly move my neck. It SUCKS!!! I tried a trick my Dad swore by, Laying on the floor and rolling a tennis ball under your back on the sore spot. It helps a little bit.
  The W.R.C.A had a Ranch Rodeo yesterday in our town. I learned alot just watching them guy's. Sharon went with me and said she enjoyed it also. She did take her knitting and got alot done.
I mowed our acre + yard yesterday before the rodeo. Man it sure looks so much better. Got more to mow and weed whack. But its a really good start.
  Sharon and I feel like we are starting to fall into a rut. We really havent been doing anything to fun lately. So we are gonna try to have a date night or something. Even if it is just go into town for dinner and a slice of pie. I've got a hell'va good woman here and she sure make's me proud!
  I still haven't found my good camera. I'm pretty dang sure it's in the house but I can't find it. It will show up in the last place I expect it. Thats about all I've got for today. Until next time take care.

Branding

  Went over to HQ last Monday and helped them brand. They use calf tables and motorbikes on that side. I think I got a promotion. I ran the head catch and branded. No pushing calves and getting kicked here. It works for them. It's not my favorite way to brand. But it works and gets the job done.
  We have been working cows around. Getting ready to brand on our side. We branded a small bunch on Thursday. We headed and heeled them. Now that is fun and the way to brand calves.Then Sharon and I went to our friends branding this weekend. It was so nice to hang out and visit. We saddled our horse's at 3:45 breakfast at 4am. I took Roller over there and put some hard miles on him gathering. Its good for him builds character. He had a few issue's in the branding trap the first day. The guys that were there are all really handy. They just stepped up and help him and I through the tough spots. Sure is nice. Saturday was a great day sunny no wind. Sunday was a windy dusty day. We had probably 30 mph winds and a touch of hail. You would throw your rope and it would come back and catch you. Tough roping but it just made it more of a challenge. Here's Roller standing hobbled he did alot of that.

Crew riding drag.

Best seat in the house.

Going over and helping the neighbors brand tomorrow. We will be heeling and using Nord forks. Should be fun. We will ship a bunch of dry cows out in the afternoon. Clicking on the pics makes em bigger. Until next time tame care

Weekend update

  Sooooo our plan to go to Casper and do a little shopping didn't happen. Our have a nice date day was monkey wrenched by this guy.

  This jughead decided to colic just when we were about to leave. We are so glad we caught it in time. We took him to the vet he got a shot of Bannamine and a heathly dose of mineral oil. We left him at the vet's for a couple hours. We went and had a nice lunch a then just walked around Torrington. We had a nice day just not the one we had planned on.
  Sunday we did some spring cleaning around here. Sharon has wanted a planter for a while so I got one made for her. I'm not much of a carpenter that and the wood had a slight bow in it. I'll do a better job on the next wood project. It was some old wood laying around here that I needed to clean up anyway.

Now just need to fill with dirt and potting mix. I think it will loook pretty good with some flowers and veggies in it.
  Just fencing here this week. Trying to get around some pastures. So the pony's are getting a break this week. My mare was off, Kinda lame so I trimmed her up looking for an absess or stone bruise. I didn't find any thing. Just a little tender spot by her frog. She looked better today.
Until next time take care

Helpers

  We have been busy here, If you can imagine being busy on a cattle ranch. We have been moving cow around and getting them into some summer pastures. Figuring out how we are gonna brand this year. Sounds like we are gonna Rodear them. Means brand them outside not bring them into the corrals. Less stress on them. We won't have to trail them 2 ways. We will push them into a low spot with a fence on one side or corner them.Go in and rope the calves out of the herd. We will head an heel them. I can't wait for that!! I think I put over twenty five miles on my pony yesterday morning, Pretty sure its way more than that.
  Sharon and I are going to Casper to eat some Thia food. We are think we will get it to go and have a picnic at the park by the river. I want to go to the Salvation Army thift store. I need a new sweat shirt. I have a hard time paying $30-40 for a sweat shirt Im gonna wear to work that is gonna get greasy or holes in it the first time I wear it. The cows don't care what I look like.
   When I got home yesterday afternoon I gathered the bulls with the cake truck. So we could haul them to summer pasture before we turn them out. I opened a gate and turned water on for the yearling replacement heifers. They can drift into summer pasture. We will move them around acouple times. Here's my big helpers.

Just to much excitement for them. One's asleep in my lap and the other is yawning.
Until next time take care

Saddle repair

  I broke my latigo keepers on my saddle when I was living in Montana. My mare spooked when my boss jumped his 4wheeler out of the barrow ditch. My saddle slipped under her, she stomped it a bit broke the keepers and pulled loose "aka busted the crap out of" my blevins buckles. I had a saddle maker up there fix the stirrup leathers. I fixed the keepers myself. It was a temporary job that never got finished till now. I made a new keeper.

 Back on the saddle and ready to go to work.

My rope was wearing a hole in the swell on the saddle so I put a patch on it.

I hope this is the last saddle repair I have to do for a while. Until next time take care.

Pairing out

Here's my morning greeter. Just ready to go to work.

I was pairing out this morning. I took Roller. I'm riding him in the two rein. It's taking me a bit to learn how to hold two sets of reins and use them. I think I'm starting to get the hang of it though.

I took this shot following pairs. Here we are working on getting a softer feel. Trying to get him give his head to me.

Pairs turned out of the calving pasture.

Well this was my morning. I spent the late week running a a trencher and putting in water lines and a couple tire tanks. We will now have more water in pastures. Its a good thing. I spent Thursday at the top of a wind mill. We were gonna pull the head off. But our truck was to short or the wildmill was to tall. It was kinda fun standing at the top when the wind started to really blow.
Until next time take care.