The Ordinary Not So Ordinary Day

It seems the ordinary day for me is now pretty much anything but ordinary.  I sat down to write tonight and thought, "I don't know if I have anything to write about.  Nothing extra ordinary happened today....it was just an average day."  But wait just a minute.

This morning I got up and actually put on clean jeans and did my hair and makeup before going to do the chores.  No, I haven't lost my mind.  This morning we had a visitor that was due to arrive right at chore time.  A lovely young gal from Oregon came by the farm to interview us for the Fort Benton newspaper. We got to give her the grand tour.  We showed her how we are now raising the calves so we will be able to sell grass fed beef.  We showed her the young Barred Rock pullets that will soon produce fresh, all natural, free range eggs for us.  She got to meet the lambs and the horses and of course the alpacas.  The main focus today was on the alpacas.  It's a new industry in our area and folks might like to see more about them. 

It was also fun to ask Miss Bethany questions.  I learned she up and moved from Oregon to take the job at the newspaper and for some reasons of the heart. Seems there is a lucky farm boy between here and Fort Benton.  She might just end up another of a long line of women who found themselves out on the prairie as a farm wife.... I guess we'll see.  But it sure was fun to show her around and I hope the article lets people know what we're up to out here.

This afternoon I just spent some good quality time playing with the rugrats.  Sometimes the pressure of getting this farm going makes me forget to just play with the kids.  Yes they love going with momma to do chores, pull weeds, plant things, water things and move critters around.  But sometimes we just need to hang out and do nothing productive at all.  Then I had to go haul hay....

 

My big boy came with me for that and he's becoming a lot like his momma and took his camera.  My little staff photographer.  I'm glad he likes taking pictures.

Tonight we also had another not-so-ordinary sunset.  I wonder if I'll ever get tired of seeing the amazing evening skies we get here?  I hope I never take them for granted.

Bye for now,
B

The Tenant

Ok, it's time ya'll met my "tenant".  (I once lived in Texas long enough to claim the use of the word "ya'll".) When I bought this farm, the sellers found an adorable cabin over in western Montana.  It was perfect for them.  Except for one thing.  Sherry's prize elk mount would in no way fit in the house.  The ceilings of the little cabin are not vaulted.  So they asked me if I minded if he stays right where he is until they figure out what to do with him.

If you know me personally, you know I have never hunted, not counting gophers.  (But I am pro-hunting, as long as it's not me doing the hunting.)  I haven't ever sought to hang any mounts on the walls of my home.  Never was a look I was going for.  However, Sherry's elk was absolutely not in the way, hanging on his wall, below the skylight.  So of course I said he could stay as long as he needs to.

I've become quite fond of him really.... I don't know how long he'll get to stay, but I think I'll miss him when he goes.

Sherry shot this elk near here, in an area on Arrow Creek.  So to my readers that are hunters, come visit!  You don't have to travel to wild and obscure places to hunt trophy elk.  Just Geraldine!

I had a thought....  Would this happen anywhere else?  I think I might be the only person with this kind of "tenant".  But it's another reason I love this place.

Bye for now,
B

Haircuts!

Tuesday was the biggest day of the year for the alpacas.  They all got their haircuts!  Once a year they get a buzz cut that lets them be cool enough for the hot summer days.  They are originally  from the very high altitude of the Andes Mountains  and without the buzz cut, they have problems dealing with the heat. Lucky me! 

This is the shearer, Marty.

That also means we get to harvest that wonderful fleece!  Softer than cashmere and just as beautiful.  It's made into all kinds of wearable products.  Warmer than wool, moisture wicking and uber soft.  I am excited to get it milled into yarn very soon.

How do you find out who your true friends are?  They show up to help you shear your alpacas!  Prairie Momma Trish and her daughter Elaina came to watch and of course jumped in to help me!  Trish gave all the shots and Elaina helped label the bags of fleece so I don't get them mixed up.
Our crew also consisted of lovely, neighbor girl Shyanne, my oldest son and my mom snapping the photos.

The shearers were amazing. Ever year in May they come up from Guthrie, Oklahoma to shear the alpacas in Montana.  Marty learned from his father how to shear and Eric is learning from Marty.  It takes them eight minutes to perfectly shear an alpaca!  They lay them down and put ankle straps on them to hold them still.  Then zip, zip, zip and they're done!

I was running around like a mad woman!  Trying to gather the fleece, bag it and trim the nails of each alpaca.  Might as well get 'em while they're down!

 

When they're done they look like this!

This is Genesis after her very first haircut!



The rugrats got to hang out and play while the rest of us were working.  They always find interesting things in the barn yard!




 

After two hours we had all thirteen alpacas ready for summer and they got to go out on the pasture and get the heck away from us!  Then I took the shearers to dinner and picked their brains about the best ways to market fleece and such.  I learned a lot in that short time!  Now I just need to learn how to knit!


 

 

Until next time,
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

I Used to Hate the Rain

Some of you know I spent a total of about 8 years living in the Seattle suburbs.  There were a few things I liked about the place, the coffee, great restaurants, lots of entertainment, Puget Sound and the ocean.  But I always hated the rain.  The almost constant drizzle.  Gray skies.  Mud everywhere.  Back then the rain meant if I wanted to go ride my horse, I had to deal with the rain or not ride.

Fast forward 15 years....

Rain now makes me smile!  We live in an area that's pretty dang dry for the most part.  Not a desert, but close maybe.  We get enough moisture that we have a nice grass prairie all around us.  Not sagebrush!  But it's also dry enough that every drop of moisture counts.  It's never a bad day for rain.  Rain means the prairie will turn green.  Rain means less chance of wildfires.  Rain means the hay fields will feed the animals next winter. Rain means the people here that make their living growing crops will actually make a living.  There is no irrigated ground around here.  Pretty much everything is dry land farmed.  Without the good Lord sending the rain and lot of people would struggle.  Rain is GOOD!

On Monday it rained!  Really, really, rained!  A gully washer!  Water was running all over the place.  Gutters were overflowing.  It was the most rain I have seen since we moved here.  At least all in one day....

The silly horses have a barn, but chose to get a shower instead!

The rugrats and I were in awe.  We stood at the windows for a very long time and watched the rain.  I know my fields will grow.  I know the garden drank it up.  It was such a blessing....

An hour or so later, the skies cleared....  So we will wait for the next rainy day and be glad when it comes!

 

 

 

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



Yesterday, I Lost My Mind

This week was sure a busy one.  On Monday my big boy and I drove south to Wilsall, Montana to pick up my Fancy mare from the trainer.  It's a three hour drive there.  Once there, I took a lesson from Jaydee on how to use the new skills Miss Fancy has acquired.  Then we made the trip back and stopped to play a little on the banks of Belt Creek.  A treat for my big boy for being such a good traveling buddy.

On Tuesday I drove north to cousin Joellyn's house for some creative brainstorming.  She is helping us establish our logo and image for the farm.  So stay tuned!  Once we settle on a logo, I will debut it here! 

Wednesday mom and I gardened our hearts out.  We set up irrigation lines, planted lettuce, onions and potatoes and corn.  And I don't mean just a few!  Some thing like 100 potatoes, 200 onions, 4 long rows of lettuce and lots and lots of corn. Mom also got some tomato plants set out in their raised beds and I planted flowers out front.  The rugrats took a good  nap that day and we were able to get so much done!

Thursday was a little less hectic.  We did plant some more seed and put out more irrigation line in anticipation of the rains that were for casted.  It also showered a bit here and there and kept us cool, which was NICE.

Yesterday I lost my mind.....

I drove to the Montana, Wyoming border and picked up ten little angels.  There was an ad on Craigslist for newborn Holstein bull calves at a very good price.  So my traveling buddy and I set off again and made a 12 hour round trip.  They traveled great and ate an awesome supper when we got home.  But boy, it was a rodeo! We have to get our system worked out!  They will require constant care and bottle feeding twice daily, for two months.  But it is a very inexpensive way to get started on growing some awesome, natural, grass fed beef.  Yup, we're gonna eat them.  And that might seem harsh.  But there is no better way to insure that our beef is raised in the most ethical, healthy way.  No routine antibiotics, no cramped, disgusting feed lot conditions.  Just happy steers, eating grass.

This afternoon, the feed room got it's long over due cleaning.  There was so much moldy, nasty hay, straw and grain in that place!  Not to mention mice! Yuck! So after a couple of hours of pitching, raking and hosing it out, it's fit for feed again.  I'm germ phobic and/or smart enough, that I decided to wear a mask the whole time I was working in there.  No Hantavirus for me!! 

Well, I'm gonna go take a couple of Ibuprofen for my aches and pains and hit the hay! 

Thanks for reading!
B