Winter Landscape

On my days off I have been going with J to help with the gates and feed sacks during his morning feeding. 

 Today is the last here for this group.  Hopefully tomorrow, if the weather holds, they will be heading out west to the feedlot.

 Sometimes, while I am waiting on J, I have to keep myself entertained.  Today I found an alien landscape to photograph, otherwise known as Frozen Mud.

 I'm not ready for National Geographic but I still have fun with my little point and shoot camera.

Cheap Wall Art

Several years ago I got some  1950's Life magazines from my Grandmother's estate.

 Looking though them I found these fun Jello ads, "When I'm eating Jello I wish I were..."

 Unfortunately, over time they have faded quite a bit from their former glory.  I thought about going through the magazines and getting other ads but then I know those will just fade too.

 Enter the 1953 Deko wall paper book with "Non-Fading Colors"!  This was also at my grandmothers house.  She kept it out in the wood shed and I remember looking through it at admiring all the patterns and colors.   She had always said that we would use it for some project but that never seemed to happen.  I drug it out of the garage today and picked out 8 samples and reused the same Jello frames.

 The colors are much bolder than the faded Jello ads.

 They really brighten up the stairway.

 J said the cowboy was his favorite.

Luckily there was a hunt scene to balance it out.

 I was hoping for some mid century modern patterns but only found mid century, no modern.  I think this would have made Grandma happy.

Bad For Sale Pictures

From a Facebook yard sale page

I think he is selling a radio but I wouldn't swear to it.

Liberty Work

I have been letting Smarty Pants (name for today) into the barn and playing with her.  Her personality is really showing through now.

Yesterday I was letting her run around then did some liberty (no halter or lead rope) work with her.  The day before I had lead her across the bridge for the first time and she had acted like she has been doing it for twenty years.

So yesterday I walked across and she followed right along.  I turned to stop her then stepped back to get her picture.  I think she is living up to today's name.

Blue Sky Then Rain

J and I were doing the evening chores yesterday in anticipation of the rain storm that was being  predicted.  

 Otoelene was standing in the perfect spot for a photo op.  You can't beat the blue sky.  Then it started raining, over an inch by this morning.

 I've been seeing these turkeys for a few days but never had my camera ready.  I didn't today either.  I had to run back inside to get it.

 They wouldn't all fit in one picture from my angle but I have been counting around 50.

It is impossible to feed cattle here without creating a mud hole.  J has been particularly irritated with the mud this year.  This morning he said, "If any more women want to march they can just come here and try to walk through this."  Did I mention he was irritated?

Just Kit Sunday #112

Today we have a study in close ups. 

 The pretty part, 

and the working part.

Before, During and After

We had a beautiful 10 foot tall Fraser fir as our Christmas tree this year. 

J went with me this year to pick it out and help get it home. 

 It graced our living room  for over a month.

 But all good things must come to an end.  So after the un-decorating was completed the tree made its way out into the field.

 Where is was promptly descended on by a herd of locusts, I mean goats.

Now this is all that remains, a mere skeleton of its former self.

First Barn Lesson

The farrier came yesterday to pull the shoes on Hank and Brother since it doesn't look like there will be much riding until spring.  So while he was here I thought I would have him trim the new horse's feet. With her growing so fast I wanted her feet to be balanced.  No pictures of that but she was perfect.  Her first time up at the new barn and she acted like a pro.   Since the weather is mild and I don't have to worry about the water tub freezing I decided to leave her in the barn lot. 

 That made it easier to work with her today, in the barn for the first time.  The farrier had asked if I had been working with her and my initial response was no, just feeding her twice a day.   But after I started thinking about it she has had a lot of little lessons, leading, backing, backing off a ledge (like unloading off a trailer), grooming, picking up her feet, desensitizing her to the lead rope, giving her head, flexing her neck, yielding the front and rear...I had done more than I had realized.

 So today I let her into the barn and she made a bee line for the spooky stuff corner and nothing spooked her.

 I tied her with the Blocker Tie ring and she acted like she has been doing this all along.  There was a little pawing and trying to bite the rope but she never even thought about pulling back.

 So while we were having such a good day, I pulled out the blue tarp.   I started by walking away dragging it and letting her follow, a couple of little run arounds and then she was fine with it.  I was even able to rub her all over with little problem.

And it wasn't long before she was walking across like a pro.  Her curious nature is finally starting to come out.  I think she will be a lot of fun.

Nobody Knows My Troubles

We live near the top of a large south facing hill and everything is either up hill or down.  J is forever complaining about the steepness and how it affects trying to do anything. 

 Yesterday he came in fuming and saying,  "no one understands the troubles I have here."  Well, the trouble was that the ground was slick and muddy on top and still frozen underneath which isn't a good combination with the steep hill.  The tractor got stuck while he was giving the calves a round bale in their feeder.

 But all it took was a call to a wonderful neighbor who was right there with his tractor in minutes.

 After some discussion and a long chain,

 J was out and ready to continue on with his work.

Meanwhile, the weather was so warm that afternoon that I got to go riding for the first time this year.  I guess this is why J doesn't think I understand his troubles.

Extra Work

This cold spell has created a few extra chores around here. 

 First off, the water keeps freezing.  Yesterday J had to take a post and break it.

 The calves ate their hay into an interesting pattern that needed pushing over so they could reach it again.

 We had a sick steer this morning that needed to be treated.

And the round bale J set out for the horses was in a pile that needed spreading out.  At least the goats could enjoy it then.

Snowstorm Helema

We ended up with about 5 inches of snow from Helena.

 Enough to make things pretty.

 But it is cold enough that the snow was really sticking to the animals.

The icicles on their sides sounded like jingle bells when they trotted.

 The new horse (I'm calling her something different every day to see what sticks.  So far nothing.) was trying to figure out if the snow was edible.

 I think the answer was, "yes."

 I have never gotten caught up in the blanketing craze.  They have food and sheltered places, that's the best I can do.   I think they survive pretty well.

J had me shovel out the troughs for the feeder cattle.  

 They looked at me in anticipation of getting fed.

 But they had to wait a little longer until J got there.
Hope everyone is surviving the storm.

Giant Snowflake

Before I finish taking down the last of my Christmas decorations, I have one more craft project to share.

 I had seen some giant snowflakes on Pinterest

from pinterest 

and thought that might be a good project for some thin scrapes of wood that I had left  from other projects.

Getting the angles was a little tedious but there was nothing too challenging about the construction.  Just a nail in the center then gluing and clamping all of the rest and a little bit of spray paint.  Pretty easy for a nearly 3 foot snowflake.   I think it makes a nice impact over the door with the stars.  Maybe they can stay up there until spring.