Cattle and Mud.

Joe and I worked cattle Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.  We are barely speaking to each other now.  Anyone that has worked cattle will understand.  

There were actually no issues and everything went smoothly.  

Calves got 2 shots, ear notch, and pour on for ticks.  Cows got one shot.  

And look!  Since the first of the year we have gone from abnormally dry, to moderate drought, to severe drought.  We are now on the borderline of extreme drought according to the drought monitor.  But we finally got enough rain to make mud, over 4 inches in the last 4-5 days.  At least now the tire troughs have filled back up.  
 

Snake!

Joe was mowing the lawn this afternoon when a black snake came slithering out from under the shrubs. 

It was a big one. Joe does not like it when they are heading towards the house. 

He killed it with a hoe. 

 I know they are good snakes but I don’t like it when I find them in the garage.  I also don’t like it when they are heading towards my bird houses. 

Kidding Done

It was a disappointing year for kidding.  Several nannies ended up being open.  Half of the ones that did kid only had singles.  We only had 2 sets of triplets.  But they were finished so it was time to work them and get them turned back out of the field they have been in for over a month. 

They seemed to know it was time to get turned out and they came running. 

Getting them into the lot and into the barn was uneventful.  

I am hoping for a younger person to help take my place next year.  Running around and catching each kid is getting a little more challenging.  Joe on the other hand, is still great at his job.  After we finished banding the male kids and letting the female all out, we dewormed all the adults.  Joe held each one for me to squirt the dewormer down.  

Everyone was excited to be done. 

Final kid count - 44

 

A New 4 Year Old

Happy 4th Birthday Allie!

 Looking forward to a wonderful year of fun!

Nice Ride

Yesterday’s weather was beautiful for an afternoon ride. 

I started out in the barn.  Draper gets penned up in the stall and Clyde gets moved over with Hugo. That way the barn is open and I can ride out without having to get off and open the gate. Walk, trot and canter both ways. Otoelene acted like she was ready for a ranch riding show. 

Then I headed outside for a couple of trips up and down the driveway. I alway like how her speed never changes whether she is walking away from the barn or back towards it.  Had I been braver I would have ridden around the farm some, but I am still having problems with my courage.  Maybe one of these days…
 

Special Treat

I had some special visitors yesterday for Mother’s Day. 

Virginia and Mike brought Sadie and Allie over in the afternoon and stayed for dinner. Allie is a big fan of Kit Kat. 

But she is still scared of the dogs. Sadie isn’t though. She loves to feed and pet them.  We also watched the baby goats play and run around. 

And they both wanted to give Clyde some treats. 

 But the best part was them doing poop patrol in the barn where Draper is hanging out.  Nothing is too messy for a couple of princesses. 

Big Mistake?

I either made a mistake planting them or cutting them down. 

The two river birches in front of the house had gotten too big.  We just had a new roof put on and I was afraid they might damage it at some point.  Plus, they shed limbs constantly and plug up the gutters with catkins in the spring and leaves in the fall. 

The Leland cypress trees were also getting pretty tall. 

So we hired someone to come top them and cut down the river birches. 

It was an all day job  

I don’t think it will miss the tops of the cypress trees. 

But the river birch that was on the right might leave a hole. It will take some getting used to. 

But I will have a big pile of mulch for next year.