Girls, Pigs and Power Tools

This morning, Prairie Granny and I tackled the much needed project of building the pig watering fountain.  The little piggies have tripled in size since we got them.  That was just over a month ago!  But now the piggies were making a gigantic mess out of there water tub, several times a day.  Of course! That's whats pigs do!  But it had become impossible to make sure they had fresh, clean water to drink.  So we got to work.



 

The waterer is made of a 4 foot section of PVC pipe.  It's capped and then a special little spout is drilled into the bottom of the pipe.  It's really slick!  The piggies will suck the water out of the pipe like we would a sports bottle.


At first the drill bit wasn't working right.  It's a special kind of bit that drills and cuts a hole at the same time.  But something wasn't right.... So Prairie Granny went to the Co-Op over in town to see if we could buy a new one.  But silly us!  Hal, one of the wonderful guys that run the Co-Op, took a look at ours and quickly had it lined up correctly and we were good to go!  Thanks Hal!  Then it worked like a charm!  That's just one more reason why we love this place!

 The whole project only took a few minutes and ta-da!  It was ready to hang in the pig pen.

 

 

Jade and I also finished pig proofing the big paddock for the piggies.

We lined the fence with hog panels so they can't escape.  I think I have enough to do without chasing pigs all over the farm! But now the piggies have a nice big, green place to play and root.

 

 



 Have you ever seen such happy pigs?

Bye for now,
B

Skills Old and New

It had been almost twenty years since I last picked up a fence stretcher.  Not since the days on the ranch with Uncle George.  The horse farms I made my living on a few years ago always had nice vinyl or welded fencing.  Not much need for barbed wire and fencing tools.  Days like today I am so grateful for the things people taught me along the road.

I had three sections of fence that all had broken and downed wires.  That is pretty much disaster waiting to happen when you have horses.  So as soon as I could I dragged Jade out to help me get it all repaired.  Today was a little bit cooler than the last few days.  So other than the attacking deer flies, mosquitoes and weeds sticking into our jeans, it was a pretty pleasant project.

I really enjoy teaching Jade how to do new things.  She's now pretty good at pounding in fence staples and fastening the clips.  But the best part of the project was when she accidentally yanked her nose ring out with the fencing tool!  She didn't hurt herself and it was a good laugh for both of us!

 

 

I will never claim to be any kind of expert.  But there sure is some satisfaction in being able to get things done.  I'm hoping to be able to pass on a "can do" attitude to my kids, just like my mom did for me.  I don't think there is anything that Prairie Granny can't do! 

Bye for now,
B

Holy Hail Storm!

This evening as we were getting ready to head out to do chores, my girls were calling me, "Hey Barb come take pictures of these clouds! They're so cool!"  There was a storm on the horizon. 

We headed out to the barn and quickly realized we had just enough time to get the calves into the barn before racing back to the house.  I did not want to be caught in the barn when I had a nice safe basement waiting for me!

We got back to the house just in time.  I'm thankful that a tornado didn't appear in the clouds.  But boy, did it hail!

This was some of the biggest hail I'd ever seen.  And there was a lot of it!

 

 

Now for the damage report:  Do you remember those beautiful tomatoes in the first picture?

Here they are now....

 

 

Fresh cole slaw anyone?  It's so fresh it still has roots!

 



 

 I lost everything in the garden.  Yes, I'm totally pouting!  Mom and I started many of the plants early this spring and have babied them for so long.  Now they are trashed.

 

 



The barn took a beating too.  All of the sky lights are completely broken out.  Prairie Granny is going to have to get up on that roof and replace them soon.  Because this girl does not do heights!

 

 

Here's a fun fact!  This tree used to have leaves on it!  Now.... not so much.

 

After it was all said and done, I did realize how much I have to be grateful for.  No one was hurt, the animals are all fine, the house seems to have avoided damage.  The good Lord even gave us a beautiful reminder....

 

Pony is at the end of the rainbow!  No wonder I call him "Black Gold"!





I leave you with just one more fun photo.... I don't think I have ever included so many photos in one post!

 

 

We were lucky enough to have both ends of the rainbow on our farm! 

 

Blessings,

B

The Three Little Pigs

Today was the hottest day we've had so far this summer.  I would just like to say how grateful I am for air conditioning.  It wasn't even that hot compared to what folks in other parts of the country experienced today, but still hot enough for me!  It's rare for us to have the kind of humidity that causes things to fog up, but this evening there is a whole lot of moisture in the air.  It made for a pretty picture of my little town.

This morning I loaded up the kids and headed over to my old stomping grounds to pick up some piglets.  We took a quick tour of Cascade to show my kids where I grew up and then stopped in Ulm for the pigs.  Originally we had planned to get six weaned piglets from the little gal that raises them for her 4-H project.  But the day I had planned to pick them up, I ended up in the hospital instead.   By the time I got the all clear from the doctors, she only had three left.  So here are our three little pigs....

They are a Red Wattle cross.  Red Wattles are a critically endangered, heritage breed and I am all over that.  I also love their little wattles!  So dang cute!  Now I am off to study up on how to raise pork in the healthiest, most natural way possible.... Wish me luck!

Bye for now,
B

Calf Slobber Jeans

These days when I get up in the morning, I no longer look for clean jeans to put on. Usually the pair I put on in the morning is on the edge of gross. Ya see, if I put on the clean ones with in five minutes of being at the barn they are covered in calf slobber.  And just a little bit of poo.  This is a totally different way of being for me.  I can be a bit of a girly girl.  I try to be nicely dressed every day.  Even if it's just to go to the feed store for a case of dewormer.  I rarely leave my house without makeup.  Particularly mascara and lip gloss.  I just do not feel dressed without a spritz of perfume!  Silly?  Yes, totally and I know it.  I realize the irony in my lifestyle choices.  Lip gloss addict becomes lady farmer.  But now, the mascara and the clean jeans have to wait until after chores each morning.  Then I get into my decent clothes and get gussied up.  Or maybe not, if I'm headed out to build a fence or clean a corral.....

Just for fun I thought I'd show you a bit of the morning procedure. Some folks have asked how in the world I manage to feed ten bottle calves twice a day. This is how we do it....

On this fence we have five bottle holders all lined up.  We let the calves out of their pen and they follow us over to the bottles and we help them get hooked on.  Then they go to town!

On this fence in the feed room we have three more bottle holders.  We separate the calves into two groups to cut down on mayhem and bottle stealing.

A couple of calves sometimes need a bit of extra attention and hang out in their normal pen.  There we can give them a closer look and make sure they are getting over their belly aches and such.  My helper in this photo is my mom,
 aka Prairie Granny!

Notice Prairie Granny is all bundled up.  Yes, it's almost June.  But it has been cold for the last few days!  Our winter coats haven't got to take a break yet.

After they each one finishes his bottle he gets kicked out into the corral to play in the sunshine. 

They follow us out hoping for more food.  But we always make sure each one gets his fair share.

The photo credits today belong to my very talented 7 year old!  He did a great job taking the photos so you could see me and Prairie Granny at work!

This is my big boy with "Superman".

I hope you enjoyed seeing the operation!  Thanks for reading and sharing my blog!


Bye for now,
B

My Personal Trainers

This morning I spoke to a friend about the possibility of his oldest son coming to work here on the farm for the summer.  (Ya'll know who you are!) When I asked what the young man's plans were for the summer, his dad told me that he was planning on working out with a personal trainer five days a week, all summer.  The kid is very good at athletics, but wants get into better shape.  They do live in Texas after all and football is everything! 

I smiled at the thought of a personal trainer.... hehe.  "Welllll", I said. "I think he'd get just as fit working his butt off on a ranch! You should see how ripped I'm getting!" 

This is actually a very true story.  Every single day, twice a day, I am getting a one hour aerobic workout.  At each feeding of the calves I am running around the barn and the corral.  Chasing them from their pen to the feeding room.  Chasing them out the door into the corral.  Chasing them back into the barn and into their pen.  Hustling to switch the bottles out when they empty and run in a new batch of calves.  (Feeding three to four at a time.) Having to keep my balance against getting mauled and butted constantly.  It is insane!  I just keep telling myself, in 60 days when they are weaned, I will be very glad to have ten healthy steers! But for now, they are my personal trainers! At the end of each feeding I am sweating like a pig.

This is "Batman".  He and his brothers are getting me into shape!

The calves are only a small part of my fitness regime.  Add in the daily raking and shoveling that is just part of farm life.  Walking out to bring in the alpacas every night to keep them safe from the dang coyotes.   Add in trying to keep both my horses ridden regularly, especially Fancy who needs a lot more saddle time..... Plus hoeing and planting the massive garden and dragging hoses all over.  And rock picking.... Oh, I can't forget hauling hay a couple of times per week.  Loading and unloading 80 pound bales onto a pickup to unload and re-stack around the farm.  After the garden is in I will be starting on the many fences that need to be built around here.

All this is why my "old" jeans are starting to fit again.  I am now also a proud bearer of the official "Farmer Tan".  So, by the end of summer I am confident I will be looking a whole lot like I did before I had the twins.  And I will have all of my "personal trainers" to thank!



 



Bye for now,

B



Are Your Wheels Spinning?

 

Do you ever feel like your wheels are spinning? Like you don't ever really get enough done in a day?
With our recent farming endeavour there is now more to get done in a day than ever. Each day we tackle projects that have to get done ASAP. But lots of evenings I sit and think, what did I get done today? It's been such a blur!

Last night I made a friendly competition with a friend to see who gets more done in a day. Which prompted me to write down today's tasks so I could keep track and of course win our friendly bet. Then I added one more thing to my list and decided to BLOG today's projects. Oiy! I'm nuts I think....

 

Today was a major gardening day.

This is the little potting bench I set up to sort my seeds and organize my tools.

This is how things went.....

(Mom made us breakfast)
Got the kids dressed 
Fed the alpacas
Fed the chickens, changed water, gathered eggs.
Fed the horses
Seeded 20 acres of pasture with the 4-wheeler and a seeder, then ran out of seed.
Mowed part of the yard. (Mom did the rest.)
Made lunch for the Rugrats
Rototillered 6 raised garden beds with the small tiller
Took the tractor to town for an oil change
Planted 60 cabbage plants in the raised beds
Planted sunflowers, hollyhocks, green onions, lettuce and sweet peas
Made a casserole for dinner

Some of my little cabbages that I started in my garage.  Now they are much happier!

Some how I managed this list while having 1, 2 or 3 of my sons in tow.  Sometimes grandma had one, sometimes their dad had one, sometimes one was in school.  But right now, I have dinner in the oven and all three are here waiting for it to get done!

Two outta three, hanging out while momma gardens.

After dinner I will go haul some hay to the different areas of the farm where it's needed and doctor a horse that decided to kick through a 4 strand barbed wire fence.  Ugh.  Superficial wounds thank goodness.  Then I'll bathe the kids and put them in bed.  After they're in bed, mom will watch them and I will go put my alpacas in the corrals for the night and tuck in my chickens.  THEN I will get to sit on my porch with a cup of tea and enjoy the views and the perfect evening.  (After a nice hot shower.)  After that I'm sure I'll pass out in my bed until 6:30 am when it'll start all over again....

So then next time you feel like you don't get enough done in a day, take the time to write it all down.  It is very affirming!  Especially if you are like me, trying to be productive and be the best momma you can be! We really are doing more than we think!

Bye for now,
B

Weekend Insanity

Last Friday was the craziest day that I can remember having!  Prairie Momma Trish was branding that morning and invited me to come along to "help" and take pictures.  I did find myself being useful a few times, but spent most of my time behind the lens. I was taking in all the beauty that one only sees at a branding.  The weather was perfect, clear, deep blue skies, light breeze, warm but not too warm.  What I enjoyed the most was the camaraderie of life long friends and family all working together to make a tough, necessary job as enjoyable as possible.  It's always the very highest of  honors to be invited to help at a branding.  It means you've proved you're worth your salt and won't be a cog in the wheel.

A collection of friends, neighbors and family.

I was most in awe of  "Aunt Jo".  A woman of this prairie who has probably spent the equivalent of my lifetime on the back of a horse.  Weathered by many Montana years but still an formidable presence in the sorting pen....

Her horse is the result of breeding her own mounts for seven generations. "A little Appaloosey, a bit of Morgan, Thoroughbred and some Quarter Horse that goes back to Poco Bueno."

Unfortunately, I had to miss the branding dinner.  There is always a feast after branding is done.  I'm sure I don't even wanna know how yummy it was.  But I had to go meet up with a nice fella who was leasing a piece of oil field equipment from us.  I got things all squared away and sent him on his way back to North Dakota.

When my big boy came home from school we jumped in the truck and headed out of town on a rescue mission!  All the way to Cheyenne, Wyoming! Then we had to drive all the way home! I can't wait to tell you about it!  Tomorrow.... It's been a long weekend....

But just for kicks, here are some more images from Friday morning....

The Paint in this shot is actually my new little mare, named Dice.  Thanks to Miss Sherry for trusting me to give her a new home.

This is the gear on one of the horses that was used to gather the cows that morning.

Bye for now,
B

Adventures in Animal Husbandry

Last Saturday was a bugger of a day.  It was supposed to be a great day!  We were finally moving out to the farmhouse.  We still have the house in town that is going to be re purposed into a (hopefully) profitable endeavour.  (More on that later.)  So we didn't have all that much to move when it came down to it.  Bedrooms, kitchen stuff and of course the dining table that my step-mom's father made back in 1975. It was handed down to me about 13 years ago and it is one of my only earthly possessions that I am way to attached to. 

And then it rained.... and snowed a bit.... and threw in some sleet.  Just for fun.  Why does it always rain when you try to move?  But we ducked rain drops and got most things moved without getting them wet.  I'm thankful for the lovely friends and neighbors that took the time to help!



Banner the miracle alpaca.

And then we had a sick alpaca.  A very sick alpaca.  I noticed on Friday evening that he wasn't acting right at all.  He kept going to the poo pile and straining but nothing would happen.  Not a good sign!  He also didn't want to eat anything.  A really bad sign for an alpaca!  They love food as much as I do!  As soon as I got the little guy caught and checked his vitals I knew he was in real trouble.  He was dehydrated for sure.  Capillary refill was slow.  All he would do was strain to poo and then go lay down. 

So I had the neighbor girl come over and she held him still while I tortured the poor beast.  First by squirting syringes of warm water and olive oil down his throat.  I didn't have any mineral oil and figured some kind of oil had to help! He was too sick to fight much and took the liquid pretty well.  We got about 10 ounces down him.  After turning him loose and encouraging him to walk around for a bit, we caught him up and the torture got worse.  I can now say I have given an alpaca and enema.  Several of them actually!  The enemas did seem to help things move along somewhat.  So after an hour or so of torture, we turned him loose to live or die.  I had a feeling he had sand colic and I wasn't feeling very optimistic.  Actually I was down right sad.  I thought I was going to lose my first alpaca.

The next morning before we got busy moving things I rushed over to doctor the poor guy.   When my big boy and I got to the barn, I warned him to brace himself for the worst.  We walked into the corral to find Banner laying flat, not moving, teeth showing, eyes still and open.  Looking pretty darn dead.  I crept over to find he was still breathing.  I nudged him and he got to his feet but he looked bad.  We and repeated the water and oil down the throat procedure and got him to take about 16 ounces.  His breath was horrible!  With his breath smelling like necrotic tissue I just knew he had ruptured an intestine.  I just knew I was going to have to shoot Banner.  But instead I doctored and prayed and prayed some more.  If he got to looking like he was in constant pain I was going to put him down. 

We left and went to haul our things to the farm.  A couple of hours later I checked on Banner and saw a very slight improvement.  He was standing up more.  A few hours after that I saw a miracle!  He was out in the pasture with his buddies and actually nibbled on some grass!  I couldn't believe it. By the end of the day I thought the bugger might actually live!

Banner and his buddy Huck.

The next morning we wasted no time getting out to do chores.  There was Banner alive and well and he was HUNGRY!! He acted like his only care in the world was food!  He happily dove into his alpaca chow and never looked back!  He is now my miracle alpaca. 

All is well that ends well.

Bye for now,
B

Of All Crazy Things

So of all crazy things, we're buying a ranch, or is it a farm?  I think maybe a farm. I'll let you know how it works out.  The thing is, I need a way to have a vocation that is just mine.  The oil field is really not for everybody, including me.  I also need to be able to stay home with the rugrats.  I have always said, "I didn't have kids just to pay someone else to raise them".  Just a personal mantra of mine.  So that doesn't leave a whole lot of options here in Geraldine.  But one of the things I can do, and do pretty well, is grow things.  Critters, gardens and such. 

After doing TONS of research on what is marketable and profitable in farming, I now have quite the business plan!  More details later....  But one of the things that called to me was.... (drum roll....)

ALPACAS!

This is my new buddy Huck.  I just love this guy!

I bought eight alpacas yesterday.  It's a bit like owning a herd of fuzzy deer.  They are shy, quiet, persnickety little creatures.  But I LOVE that my kids are totally safe around them.  They just shy away slowly if my rugrats get too close.  So far every body has good manners.  The only exception was Mudflap, the herd sire.  He was resistant to the idea of leaving his lovely home yesterday and was kicking in protest.  But he seems to like his new digs and is calming down.

Huck, Mudflap, Chip and Banner

The girls are pretty lovely.  Mallory is the "mom" of the group and is a bit cranky.  But she's just trying to watch out for everyone.  Particularly her baby, that I have renamed Genesis.  She came with the name Chaos, but I'm afraid of the negative vibes.  So Genesis it is.

Cricket, Genesis and Ginger with Mallory hiding in the back.

The profit on these guys comes from selling the fleece that is shorn once a year and selling the babies.  The going rate for fleece is about $2.00 per ounce of raw fiber.  More for young fiber or light colored fiber.  Threw that info out just for ya'll that are thinking I have completely lost my marbles!
And hey!  They give me another fun thing to write about!

Let me know what you think! If nothing else, I hope you had a good chuckle.

Bye for now,
B

Sometimes You Get a Red Calf

I was out at Prairie Momma Trish's today.  I always come back with good things to write about.  At least I think I do....

Sometimes life doesn't go at all the way we plan!  Lately my life has been just like that.  While I would much rather it was not as upside down as it is, I realize that blessings almost always come out of tough experiences.  Some things that come to us as a struggle can actually be blessing in disguise.

 One of Trish's lovely black heifers was bred to a very nice, registered, black Angus bull.  Trish's black cows always have black calves. That's what they're supposed to do.  Yesterday, Trish got a surprise! Meet "Latte"....

He is a beautiful little bull calf, perfect in every way.  But he's red.  The one and only red calf on the place.  With his breeding he was practically guaranteed to be black.  But he's red as red, with a little pink nose.  But Trish is happy.  He's a healthy calf and pretty as can be.  He's just not what was expected.

With life throwing curve balls at me right and left, I decided to pretty much chill out today.  But the boys got restless and I needed to change my chill out plan.  So we went to Trish's and had way more fun than we have any where else.

 

The chutes became a jungle gym....

 

 

The pea grinder became a sensory play station....

 

 

And the old tractor was the most fun ever!

 

 

 

 

 

And just for fun, here's an update on Charlie.  He's doing fantastic and now gets to go out in the field!

 

 

 

Bye for now,

B

Is it a Farm or a Ranch?

Something that has been on my mind today....  What is your definition of a farm? 



The lucky chickens on Martha Stewart's "farm".

Most of the people I know snicker a little at the little mini farms or ranchettes that people have.  The ones that say, have 2.5 acres, a horse and dog, but they call it a "ranch" or "farm".  Around these parts, if you say "farm" that usually means several thousand acres of grain fields or crop land.  If you say "ranch", that means several thousand acres of pasture that supports at least several hundred head of cattle.

But then, I have some cousins that have a "Ranch" that is all grain and crops and no cows. But I know it's a ranch and always has been. (Ya'll know who you are,*wink*.) You can read about life on that Ranch at www.montanaprairietales.com 



This picture was taken when we were out walking in the wheat fields on a "farm".

So my questions are:  What makes a ranch a ranch and a farm a farm?  If you raise a bunch of goats say, or some menagerie of critters, is it a farm?  Or a ranch?  Also, how big or small should said farm or ranch be to not be the snickered at, mini farm or ranchette?  Is it based on number of acres, number of critters, or bushels produced?  Or should it be based on the owners' own definition?  Some of my dear blog readers are bonafide farmers and ranchers.  Some of you are not.  But either way, I'd love to know your thoughts on this subject!  Feel free to comment on here or on Facebook.  It think it could be a fun discussion!



This windmill is on a "ranch", West of Geraldine.

Bye for now....

B