Just Kit Kat Sunday Stand In

With all the wind, J has ended up with yet more work.  

 The farm we rent had a huge pine tree fall across the working pens.  The pens weren't much to start with 15 years ago when we started renting it,  but now it's even worse.  J has been babying them along this whole time.  Since our lease is only year to year it hasn't really been economical for us to rebuild them.  But now that a tree from their yard has destroyed them, what is the landowner's responsibility?

 Well, J volunteered to cut the tree up.  That's my chainsaw he is getting ready for me.  Yes, I helped too.

 J cut the big stuff and I worked on the limbs.  Until I got distracted...

 by this fellow.

 He just hopped out and started posing. 

 So of course I had to photograph him.

 Who could resist a face like that?

J finished sawing.  Now we have to clean it up somehow.  And who knows what we will do with those pens.

Coupon Saturday #25

I have mostly been trying to stay out of Dollar General because how my soap, shampoo and cleaning supplies does one family really need. 

 But there was a good deal on some food this time.  No coupon for the icing but someone's birthday is coming up. 

 So, $4.35 plus tax, not too bad. 

 But then I came up with another one.  Too bad they were out of the cat food that had a coupon for overage.  It would have been 60 cents then.  But I substituted the cake mix, once again no coupon for that but needed something to put that icing on. 

$1.85 plus tax, I can live with that.

Getting Close

I have a post it note on the calendar to remind me that the goats should start kidding on April 16th.  We sold the 2 billy goats last weekend so they will be out of the way. 

 It's inevitable that something always happened earlier than expected, so I have been trying to pay better attention to the goats.  J is always paying attention but mine sometimes wanders. 

 Otoelene and I checked on them earlier this week.

So far so good.  With all the wet weather we have a few with sore foot, but most are looking pretty good. 

On another sad note, we lost a second dog.  This time it was one of the "puppies".  Jett was 2 years old this month, full of energy and exuberance.  She didn't show up for supper one evening.  Not unusual at all.  Then she didn't show up the next day.  It's happened before but starting to get concerning.  Then the third day it was time to look a lot harder.  I finally found her where she had laid down in a little dip on the back side of a big hill.  I have no idea why she died, no signs of trauma, way away from any neighbor or the road, no previous illness, just dead.  We buried her where she died.  And just like that, we are down to two.

Twins

J waited until the cows started to calve before moving them to a new field to start the Sandhills Shuffle.   But there is always some sort of trouble maker.  

 This cow, before she calved, tried to steal another cow's calf.  J had to do a lot of running up and down the hill to get her separated from the calf and get her in a field by herself.

 Then the next morning she had her own calf, and another one of her own, twins.

It was a good thing J separated her out by herself.  Twins can cause a lot of confusion.  So far she is taking them both, but if another cow loses a calf, we might could take one for a graft.

Just Kit Sunday #145

Kit Kat joined me this week for some work in the yard. 

Whew, yard work is tiring.

Just In Time

Looks like we moved the heifers just in time.  Our first calf was born Thursday afternoon. 

 I didn't get to see him until Friday morning when I looked out of the kitchen window.

 Then I got to help J with the banding yesterday afternoon.  By then, the little thing had found a good hiding spot in the swamp.
For anyone that doesn't get the Progressive Cattleman magazine, there is a wonderful article about banding HERE (some of you may recognize the author and the cowboy in the picture.)  Here is a summary of the article,

 count to two, 

 apply the band to the base of the scrotum, 

 count to two. 

The ear tag is an extra step that J probably doesn't need.  But it helps me to identify the new ones. 

So, Apparently There Is A Weight Limit

It has been some time since the saucer sleds have been used by V and E in the snow.  I have found that they slide pretty good without the snow.  So, I have since been repurposed into moving all sorts of things, like baby goats, a couple of calves, dirt, cinder blocks but mostly, rocks.  It's hard to tell how many rocks I have slid around on this saucer, until 

 this big one.

 There were some little cracks from previously too big rocks, but this was bad.

 It was the end of the sled.

 And it left me with I rock too big for me to lift, in the gate opening.

 So I improvised with some cardboard and a lariat. 

 And managed to get it to where I was going.  Fortunately, it was all downhill. When I had originally laid out the mulched areas we were mowing with a push mower.  Since getting the riding mower, that grass pathway is just too narrow.  I decided to mulch the entire area and replace the grass path with a rock path.

 That cardboard came in handy.  It was about the size of the rock which made it easier to use as a pattern to dig up the sod.

 Then with a little more effort,

my first rock was in place.  I don't think the other rocks I use will be as large.  I only have one more saucer sled and I don't want to break that one.

The Ol' Switcheroo

The bred heifers have been hanging out in the back 40 for the winter.  But with calving season on the horizon, J wanted to get them moved closer to the house and barn. 

 They herded in pretty easy.

 I think my quick artistic snapshot turned out well.  So now the bred heifers are in the barn lot.

 Then the yearling replacement heifers that were behind the house had to get rounded up and moved to the barn lot.

                                    (artistic replacement heifer picture)

Then abra cadabra, the yearlings were in the back 40 and the bred heifers are behind the house.  J said he didn't plan on getting all that done this morning.  I said that he continues to underestimate his help.

How To Photograph A Cat- Just Kit Sunday #144

Step one, 

 set out a box.                            Step two,

 wait for cat.                                  Step three,

 take said cat's picture.

                          (definitely not a turtle and worth more than $3.50)

Step four, done.