Maybe I should have let my aunts mow my yard when they were here. I spent this evening finishing up with "cattle proofing" my yard. I have done this other years and you'd think I would have this down to as science. Nope. New year, new items to protect.
I found that the tiny Caragana trees I had planted along the fence by the road are growing. I guess giving them some water last year helped them out. After I weeded around them, I protected them from the cattle with a small fence. The same with some other transplanted trees that made it through the winter. More things to protect.
I did the same as before for the other items: my flowers and front shrubs, the tree growing under a pine tree (the cattle loved to eat its flowering branches), the shed for my well (the cattle loved ripping off its roofing shingles), my patio (nothing to eat here but the cattle being curious check everything out and make a mess), and miscellaneous other stuff.
It takes a half day to mow my lawn and almost a day to "cattle proof" it, and a few hours to "un" proof the yard. For what? A few days food for the cattle.
Yeh, I do it. Just to be different. It is now a tradition to turn my cattle loose in my yard each Spring. Who else can say they have cattle mow their lawn?
This will also be a test as too how the cattle behave outside of the corral. In the corral they can't get into mischief. In my yard I'll see how they behave. Tomorrow will be the test.
Time for bed now. Today I also rode my bicycle uptown to pay the last portion of the property tax bill. A nice day for a 22 mil ride but now I am paying for it. I am falling asleep at the keyboard.
'Night all.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Brakes, Trespassers, and Gophers
Brakes
Today I finally got around to working on my stock trailer brakes. I plan to let the cattle into the yard in a few days. Cattle use their weight to push things around and I didn't want my trailer to be on a jack with the wheel off.
I took the brake drum off looking for rust and found none. I found cobwebs instead. Well, that isn't the reason the brakes stick.
I'm no expert so I tried to figure out how the brakes work. Next door Lyle was mowing his lawn so I asked him for more advice. When I returned to the brake assembly I realized I hadn't described the brakes right. I searched the internet for tips on fixing stuck brakes but didn't find much. I went to talk with Bob and he steered me to looking for an electrical problem, perhaps the ground is not working.
Just when I was putting the brake drum back on I stumbled on the adjustment for the width when not in braking mode. I wonder if that may cause or contribute to the braking problems? When braking I remember the brakes grabbing hard right away with the slightest touch. Perhaps the clearance was so slight that once they heated up they couldn't release correctly. I adjusted the brakes to provide more clearance.
The axle was lubed nicely, but I still added more grease.
I have other things to do right now so I didn't take the trailer for a test drive to see how it works now. It is on my list of things to do.
Trespassers
Early this nice evening, as I was putting in temporary steel posts to fence off a few areas of my yard from the cattle, I heard, then saw, my southern neighbors crawl through my fence and onto my property. Last year the people who hunt on my land told me they saw the neighbors on my land with fish.
I walked out and headed them off before they reached the river. It was the neighbor, his wife, their two daughters, and two other adults. They were set for serious fishing as the men had fishing poles and fishing gear.
As I approached I heard the wife tell the other woman, "This is ___. He lives in the white house."
I have spoken with the husband once, this Spring. That's it. Now if he had asked permission I would have considered it, but treating my land as his and not asking rubs me the wrong way.
I cut to the chase right away and told them I would not allow them to use my property to fish in the river. I told them why - because they hadn't asked first. I also brought up I was unhappy they fished last Fall when I had people hunting on my land and felt that was dangerous.
"You had people hunting on your land?"
Proves my point.
Also the river is near its peak flow and I don't want people, and especially young kids, on the river banks. The river erodes here and there and some banks are unstable.
I told them, "Sorry, but you should have asked first."
"I'll ask first next time."
He missed the point. Ask before the first time. There is such a thing as 'one strike and you're out.' Especially as I don't know them personally.
These people are renters and are not appreciative of property ownership. Besides, I heard stories about them from other neighbors. I get the impression they aren't too bright. The story I heard today was the mother sent one of the young daughters over with a teaspoon as she needed a teaspoon of vanilla. Now do you think a young girl, pre-school or just in school (I'm not sure), can carry a teaspoon of liquid a fair distance across the road without spilling it?
After I told them they had to leave, the woman mentioned they may access the river via my southern neighbor's property. I told them I had spoken to Wyatt since their trespassing episode last Fall and he didn't know anything about it and hadn't given permission.
"You can ask him, but don't get your hopes up. And you need to ask Lorraine also as there are two property owners between you and the river."
"Maybe we'll drive up the road and fish there."
And they left, crawling through my barb wire fence. I'll have to check the fence tomorrow to make sure they didn't stretch or break a wire.
Gophers
I caught 5 pocket gophers today for a total of 7 for the year. The sixth trap was triggerred without a pocket gopher. This is my old and bad trap.
No regular gophers caught today. One trap was triggered with nothing caught. The rest of the traps were ignored. Between the holes being re-dug and a few sentries chirping warnings, I know those gophers are out there.
Today I finally got around to working on my stock trailer brakes. I plan to let the cattle into the yard in a few days. Cattle use their weight to push things around and I didn't want my trailer to be on a jack with the wheel off.
I took the brake drum off looking for rust and found none. I found cobwebs instead. Well, that isn't the reason the brakes stick.
I'm no expert so I tried to figure out how the brakes work. Next door Lyle was mowing his lawn so I asked him for more advice. When I returned to the brake assembly I realized I hadn't described the brakes right. I searched the internet for tips on fixing stuck brakes but didn't find much. I went to talk with Bob and he steered me to looking for an electrical problem, perhaps the ground is not working.
Just when I was putting the brake drum back on I stumbled on the adjustment for the width when not in braking mode. I wonder if that may cause or contribute to the braking problems? When braking I remember the brakes grabbing hard right away with the slightest touch. Perhaps the clearance was so slight that once they heated up they couldn't release correctly. I adjusted the brakes to provide more clearance.
The axle was lubed nicely, but I still added more grease.
I have other things to do right now so I didn't take the trailer for a test drive to see how it works now. It is on my list of things to do.
Trespassers
Early this nice evening, as I was putting in temporary steel posts to fence off a few areas of my yard from the cattle, I heard, then saw, my southern neighbors crawl through my fence and onto my property. Last year the people who hunt on my land told me they saw the neighbors on my land with fish.
I walked out and headed them off before they reached the river. It was the neighbor, his wife, their two daughters, and two other adults. They were set for serious fishing as the men had fishing poles and fishing gear.
As I approached I heard the wife tell the other woman, "This is ___. He lives in the white house."
I have spoken with the husband once, this Spring. That's it. Now if he had asked permission I would have considered it, but treating my land as his and not asking rubs me the wrong way.
I cut to the chase right away and told them I would not allow them to use my property to fish in the river. I told them why - because they hadn't asked first. I also brought up I was unhappy they fished last Fall when I had people hunting on my land and felt that was dangerous.
"You had people hunting on your land?"
Proves my point.
Also the river is near its peak flow and I don't want people, and especially young kids, on the river banks. The river erodes here and there and some banks are unstable.
I told them, "Sorry, but you should have asked first."
"I'll ask first next time."
He missed the point. Ask before the first time. There is such a thing as 'one strike and you're out.' Especially as I don't know them personally.
These people are renters and are not appreciative of property ownership. Besides, I heard stories about them from other neighbors. I get the impression they aren't too bright. The story I heard today was the mother sent one of the young daughters over with a teaspoon as she needed a teaspoon of vanilla. Now do you think a young girl, pre-school or just in school (I'm not sure), can carry a teaspoon of liquid a fair distance across the road without spilling it?
After I told them they had to leave, the woman mentioned they may access the river via my southern neighbor's property. I told them I had spoken to Wyatt since their trespassing episode last Fall and he didn't know anything about it and hadn't given permission.
"You can ask him, but don't get your hopes up. And you need to ask Lorraine also as there are two property owners between you and the river."
"Maybe we'll drive up the road and fish there."
And they left, crawling through my barb wire fence. I'll have to check the fence tomorrow to make sure they didn't stretch or break a wire.
Gophers
I caught 5 pocket gophers today for a total of 7 for the year. The sixth trap was triggerred without a pocket gopher. This is my old and bad trap.
No regular gophers caught today. One trap was triggered with nothing caught. The rest of the traps were ignored. Between the holes being re-dug and a few sentries chirping warnings, I know those gophers are out there.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Pocket gophers
I have started to catch pocket gophers again. Last week I noticed a mound of fresh dirt in the northern hayfield, where I had cleared the gophers last year. I set out a trap and caught a pocket gopher the next day. My first one of the year.
I moved the trap and caught a second pocket gopher the following day.
I got out the rest of my pocket gopher traps (6 total) and walked the hayfield looking for new dirt mounds. By the time I set the last trap I was nearing the area where I had quit trapping the pocket gophers last Fall. I think the pocket gophers are still in the "family" mode and the males haven't moved out yet to start their new homes and new mounds of dirt.
I haven't been able to check to see if I trapped any more pocket gophers as Sunday and Monday were rainy days.
I have trapped 14 regular gophers. This is going slower than last year as I am in areas with many holes and the gophers tend to dig out and use the other holes and avoid the one with the trap. I may have to switch tactics and place the traps closer together.
I moved the trap and caught a second pocket gopher the following day.
I got out the rest of my pocket gopher traps (6 total) and walked the hayfield looking for new dirt mounds. By the time I set the last trap I was nearing the area where I had quit trapping the pocket gophers last Fall. I think the pocket gophers are still in the "family" mode and the males haven't moved out yet to start their new homes and new mounds of dirt.
I haven't been able to check to see if I trapped any more pocket gophers as Sunday and Monday were rainy days.
I have trapped 14 regular gophers. This is going slower than last year as I am in areas with many holes and the gophers tend to dig out and use the other holes and avoid the one with the trap. I may have to switch tactics and place the traps closer together.
Monday, May 28, 2007
New roll of hay
Man, the cattle can eat. In two days they ate the large roll of hay Dan brought over. By Saturday night only a small amount of hay lay within the ring. This bale, while large, was probably only around 800 lbs. It was also just grass and had no alfalfa mixed with it.
Time for the second bale.
The cattle have developed a habit of coming over to the gate when I am nearby. They picked this up quickly when I would come and give them a wheelbarrow of pulled weeds or cut grass from around the garden. Well, that's nice, but I needed to open the gate and roll the hay inside the corral.
Hmmm?
"Shoo! Shoo! Move away!"
I opened the gate just enough to roll the hay through. I didn't want any cattle to make a jailbreak as I rolled the hay inside. I could have opened the gate a little more as the hay rolled on the bottom of the end of the gate and stopped. *argh* With the roll of hay on the gate I couldn't move the gate and it was hard now to move the roll. So I went for it and with a mighty effort pushed the roll pass the gate. Fortunately the roll did not break the gate. Now wouldn't that be a mess with a herd of cattle standing nearby?!
Inside the corral I turned the roll and attempted to roll it to the feeder ring. Hay! Hay! The cattle swarmed around me. Behind or on the side of me I didn't mind. The cattle in front of the roll made it hard to push. I was trying to move ahead and they were trying to eat the hay. I pushed and they would take a step back. Another push, another reluctant step. *sigh*
"Shoo! Shoo! Move away!"
I quickly rolled the hay to the ring. When I moved to tip the ring on its side the cattle swarmed the hay.
"Back! Back! Move away!"
I rolled the hay up onto the rest of the previous roll and dropped the ring taking care not to have it hit any cattle as it fell over the roll.
* whew* I got a workout.
The cattle attacked the hay when I left. You'd think they had been starving, but they all wanted the "new" hay, the hay they had been eying outside the gate.
Tonight, a day later, half the hay is gone. I'll be back to feeding the cattle hay bales Monday night.
Time for the second bale.
The cattle have developed a habit of coming over to the gate when I am nearby. They picked this up quickly when I would come and give them a wheelbarrow of pulled weeds or cut grass from around the garden. Well, that's nice, but I needed to open the gate and roll the hay inside the corral.
Hmmm?
"Shoo! Shoo! Move away!"
I opened the gate just enough to roll the hay through. I didn't want any cattle to make a jailbreak as I rolled the hay inside. I could have opened the gate a little more as the hay rolled on the bottom of the end of the gate and stopped. *argh* With the roll of hay on the gate I couldn't move the gate and it was hard now to move the roll. So I went for it and with a mighty effort pushed the roll pass the gate. Fortunately the roll did not break the gate. Now wouldn't that be a mess with a herd of cattle standing nearby?!
Inside the corral I turned the roll and attempted to roll it to the feeder ring. Hay! Hay! The cattle swarmed around me. Behind or on the side of me I didn't mind. The cattle in front of the roll made it hard to push. I was trying to move ahead and they were trying to eat the hay. I pushed and they would take a step back. Another push, another reluctant step. *sigh*
"Shoo! Shoo! Move away!"
I quickly rolled the hay to the ring. When I moved to tip the ring on its side the cattle swarmed the hay.
"Back! Back! Move away!"
I rolled the hay up onto the rest of the previous roll and dropped the ring taking care not to have it hit any cattle as it fell over the roll.
* whew* I got a workout.
The cattle attacked the hay when I left. You'd think they had been starving, but they all wanted the "new" hay, the hay they had been eying outside the gate.
Tonight, a day later, half the hay is gone. I'll be back to feeding the cattle hay bales Monday night.
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Dan's feeder
It rained some Wednesday night. It was cool so I lit my wood stove and also made another pumpkin pie.
As part of having his four new steers here earlier than the rest of his herd Dan offered to bring a large roll of hay over. Thursday morning Dan brought a round hay feeder over. He then planned on bringing a couple hay rolls over in the afternoon. I joked about the weather forecast saying it will rain by 2 pm. Dan said, "I don't know. Curt said not to believe you when it comes to weather forecasts and rain."
It began to rain at 10 minutes to 2 pm.
Within a half hour the rain quit and Dan came over with two large rolls. The rain had started as he tied the rolls to his trailer after loading them. Dan joked I was right about the weather forecast and rain and that I should let Curt know I was correct. Oh, Curt....!
We rolled one roll into the corral and placed the feeder around it. The other roll was left outside the corral a few yards from the fence. Wouldn't you know it, even with a full roll of hay in the corral, a number of cattle will stand at the fence and gaze longingly at the roll outside the fence. A few tried to get their head through the fence to reach it. I guess the hay is greener on the other side of the fence!
I had talked with Lyle last week about how his move preparations were going. Yes, the old truck and tractor at the auction a few weeks ago were his. It turns out the panels that attached to make a hay feeder for the horse in his pasture were his. I had thought the horse owner owned the panels. Lyle also sold the panels at the auction and got little of nothing for them. I was a bit annoyed as I would have bought them from him.
"You don't keep cattle over winter so I didn't think you'd want them." Duh! I am feeding my cattle hay right now.
Oh well.
After Dan left it began to rain again and rained non-stop all the way to midnight. I was happy I didn't have to go out in the evening to feed a few bales of hay to the cattle. It is a good rain and we should be ok for a week or so of sunny warm weather. Just from last night to Friday morning the grass seems to have jumped higher. I lit the wood stove again Thursday night as the temperature was in the low 40s.
Rain in the Valley and snow in the mountains. Wonder if that will affect our hiking plans tomorrow?
As part of having his four new steers here earlier than the rest of his herd Dan offered to bring a large roll of hay over. Thursday morning Dan brought a round hay feeder over. He then planned on bringing a couple hay rolls over in the afternoon. I joked about the weather forecast saying it will rain by 2 pm. Dan said, "I don't know. Curt said not to believe you when it comes to weather forecasts and rain."
It began to rain at 10 minutes to 2 pm.
Within a half hour the rain quit and Dan came over with two large rolls. The rain had started as he tied the rolls to his trailer after loading them. Dan joked I was right about the weather forecast and rain and that I should let Curt know I was correct. Oh, Curt....!
We rolled one roll into the corral and placed the feeder around it. The other roll was left outside the corral a few yards from the fence. Wouldn't you know it, even with a full roll of hay in the corral, a number of cattle will stand at the fence and gaze longingly at the roll outside the fence. A few tried to get their head through the fence to reach it. I guess the hay is greener on the other side of the fence!
I had talked with Lyle last week about how his move preparations were going. Yes, the old truck and tractor at the auction a few weeks ago were his. It turns out the panels that attached to make a hay feeder for the horse in his pasture were his. I had thought the horse owner owned the panels. Lyle also sold the panels at the auction and got little of nothing for them. I was a bit annoyed as I would have bought them from him.
"You don't keep cattle over winter so I didn't think you'd want them." Duh! I am feeding my cattle hay right now.
Oh well.
After Dan left it began to rain again and rained non-stop all the way to midnight. I was happy I didn't have to go out in the evening to feed a few bales of hay to the cattle. It is a good rain and we should be ok for a week or so of sunny warm weather. Just from last night to Friday morning the grass seems to have jumped higher. I lit the wood stove again Thursday night as the temperature was in the low 40s.
Rain in the Valley and snow in the mountains. Wonder if that will affect our hiking plans tomorrow?
Friday, May 25, 2007
Jackie, Garreth, and zen stoves
About the time Dan was leaving Wednesday after dropping off his four new steers, Jackie arrived with Garreth. At least that is what I remember his name as. As you all know I am terrible with remembering names and have to hear it a million times before I remember it. And I am guessing as to the spelling of his name. Garreth was born in Wales and moved to Florida when he was 10 years old. That accounts for his British Isle sounding name.
Garreth is bicycling from Florida to the Pacific Ocean in Washington State. He just arrived in the Flathead Valley a few days ago. By coincidence Garreth met Lewis who is still renting an apartment from Jackie. If you remember Lewis is the fellow I met on my train trip the end of February.
It seems as if I have had an impact on three people's lives. Jackie got new renters. Lewis found a place to stay through me, and with a good place to stay and help from Jackie has decided to quit his North Dakota job, get a job here, go to school for more education and job training, and stay in the Valley. Now Garreth has found a place to stay for a month and is taking a break from his bicycling adventure.
Garreth had bicycled up along the Mississippi River through Minnesota and Wisconsin to the Mississippi's headwaters in Itasca, Minnesota. Then through North Dakota via Fargo, Minot (my home town), and then along Hwy 2 out here to Montana. So we had plenty to talk about on his journey as I was familiar with many of the places he visited.
Garreth showed me his "zen" stove that he used for cooking. He made it out of a Pepsi aluminum can and uses Heet for fuel. As Heet is a gas line cold weather anti-freeze, I forgot to ask him where he could buy it in Florida and much of the South. Up here, no problem to find another bottle to buy. His stove is extremely light weight - perfect for hiking and backpacking.
After talking cattle and bicycling I joined Garreth and Jackie as they drove along the west side of Flathead Lake down to Lakeside, MT. We stopped several times along the lake and Jackie took some photos of the lake and mountains. At one point Jackie saw a sign that said "Spectacular Views Boat Docks" and thought it may be what the sign said. Garreth and I missed seeing the sign and we ended up driving around what appeared to be a gated community (without the gates). Jackie stopped to ask a man walking where the Spectacular Views Boat Docks were located. There wasn't any and he seemed slightly put off
that we were driving around the streets there. So we left. On the drive out Garreth and I saw a real estate sign that said "Spectacular Views. Boat Docks". Ahhh...
A number of restaurants were not open yet for the season. We found the Somers Bay Cafe located near Tiebuckers (where I ate with my relatives a few weeks ago). This cafe had several people recommending it. It was located in an old bank building and the old brick walled interior was charming. The food was presented well on the plates, as Garreth had noted. I enjoyed the soup, even if the bowl was small. The bread was not to my liking as it was harder than I like.
Jackie didn't seem too enthused with her dish of mahi mahi. I forgot Garreth's opinion of his pasta dish, and I had meatloaf.
I figured I couldn't go wrong with meatloaf. I have always enjoyed it, especially when my mother and and then a former girlfriend made it. I didn't like this meatloaf. It was too dry and the sauce was not to my liking. I even asked for ketchup towards the end when the server asked how the meal was. She brought out the ketchup in a little bowl and not a bottle. I wonder if I hurt the chef's feelings by asking for ketchup?
Garreth is bicycling from Florida to the Pacific Ocean in Washington State. He just arrived in the Flathead Valley a few days ago. By coincidence Garreth met Lewis who is still renting an apartment from Jackie. If you remember Lewis is the fellow I met on my train trip the end of February.
It seems as if I have had an impact on three people's lives. Jackie got new renters. Lewis found a place to stay through me, and with a good place to stay and help from Jackie has decided to quit his North Dakota job, get a job here, go to school for more education and job training, and stay in the Valley. Now Garreth has found a place to stay for a month and is taking a break from his bicycling adventure.
Garreth had bicycled up along the Mississippi River through Minnesota and Wisconsin to the Mississippi's headwaters in Itasca, Minnesota. Then through North Dakota via Fargo, Minot (my home town), and then along Hwy 2 out here to Montana. So we had plenty to talk about on his journey as I was familiar with many of the places he visited.
Garreth showed me his "zen" stove that he used for cooking. He made it out of a Pepsi aluminum can and uses Heet for fuel. As Heet is a gas line cold weather anti-freeze, I forgot to ask him where he could buy it in Florida and much of the South. Up here, no problem to find another bottle to buy. His stove is extremely light weight - perfect for hiking and backpacking.
After talking cattle and bicycling I joined Garreth and Jackie as they drove along the west side of Flathead Lake down to Lakeside, MT. We stopped several times along the lake and Jackie took some photos of the lake and mountains. At one point Jackie saw a sign that said "Spectacular Views Boat Docks" and thought it may be what the sign said. Garreth and I missed seeing the sign and we ended up driving around what appeared to be a gated community (without the gates). Jackie stopped to ask a man walking where the Spectacular Views Boat Docks were located. There wasn't any and he seemed slightly put off
that we were driving around the streets there. So we left. On the drive out Garreth and I saw a real estate sign that said "Spectacular Views. Boat Docks". Ahhh...A number of restaurants were not open yet for the season. We found the Somers Bay Cafe located near Tiebuckers (where I ate with my relatives a few weeks ago). This cafe had several people recommending it. It was located in an old bank building and the old brick walled interior was charming. The food was presented well on the plates, as Garreth had noted. I enjoyed the soup, even if the bowl was small. The bread was not to my liking as it was harder than I like.
Jackie didn't seem too enthused with her dish of mahi mahi. I forgot Garreth's opinion of his pasta dish, and I had meatloaf.
I figured I couldn't go wrong with meatloaf. I have always enjoyed it, especially when my mother and and then a former girlfriend made it. I didn't like this meatloaf. It was too dry and the sauce was not to my liking. I even asked for ketchup towards the end when the server asked how the meal was. She brought out the ketchup in a little bowl and not a bottle. I wonder if I hurt the chef's feelings by asking for ketchup?
Thursday, May 24, 2007
The kids are all right
Another day. How are my "kids" 
doing after getting their ears pierced? It turns out fine. All have forgiven me. Well... all have but one: Big Panda Bear.
This morning when I added hay to their feeder they were back to their usual: crowding me as I fluffed out the hay from the tightly packed bale. One had her body right against me and her head in front of me under my arms as I fluffed hay. The others came over and were all around the feeder like usual. All except for Big Panda Bear. She continued to sit in the loafing shed and chew her cud. She looked off at the east corral fence and pretended to ignore me. However I found that by the time I finished fluffing hay in the feeder by the barn Big Panda Bear was now at the main feeder and eating.
Their little blue ear tags stand out nicely and I can tell the males from females when standing in front of them. They seemed to have forgotten their tags as I noticed no head shaking or ear twitching thinking they have a fly on their ear.
The steer with the bloody ear looks fine. No sign of blood.
They have forgiven me. Good.
I felt so guilty at shouting at them and hitting them with a whip to get them to run down the loading chute to get their ears tagged. I'm glad I don't have to do that for another year. By then I will have my new loading chute and hopefully will have no problems tagging the cattle's ears.
New cattle
Dan bought four more steers from Rich (who I bought my cattle from). I am not ready for his entire heard as I want to wait another week or ten days before letting them all out on grass. The grass is growing, but seems to me to be a few weeks behind where it was last year. This is due to a cool Spring and lower moisture. I just have this "feeling" that it will be a dry year and I don't want to run out of grass before September. The longer I keep the cattle from the initial grazing the better chance the grass will stay ahead of them, even when it gets dry in the summer.
However Dan asked if he could bring his new steers here from Rich's place rather than take them home for a week or so then have to load them up to bring them here. Sure. I think I have enough hay to feed them all till June.
Dan arrived early afternoon and once the steers in Dan's stock trailer seen my cattle in the corral they started to moo. They wanted out to join my cattle.
They left from Dan's trailer and ran over to my cattle. I am embarrassed
to say that some of my "kids" didn't give them a nice welcome. Several of my steers immediately went head to head with a few of Dan's steers. This is their way of wrestling to see who is the boss and stronger. They stand head to head and try to push the other one back. My cattle seemed to initiate this contest.
The heifers don't play fair. They don't go head to head. They try to butt or push the other one from the side. A couple of mine were doing that. And here I thought my cattle had better manners.
Later in the afternoon during their cud chewing siesta time I noticed Dan's cattle all sat off to one side near the group. It will take a few days but they will integrate. I am curious how long as usually Dan and my herds are both assembled from different herds. This year all but one or two of my cattle were originally from the same herd - all brothers and sisters. That may be a hard clique to crack.
doing after getting their ears pierced? It turns out fine. All have forgiven me. Well... all have but one: Big Panda Bear.This morning when I added hay to their feeder they were back to their usual: crowding me as I fluffed out the hay from the tightly packed bale. One had her body right against me and her head in front of me under my arms as I fluffed hay. The others came over and were all around the feeder like usual. All except for Big Panda Bear. She continued to sit in the loafing shed and chew her cud. She looked off at the east corral fence and pretended to ignore me.
However I found that by the time I finished fluffing hay in the feeder by the barn Big Panda Bear was now at the main feeder and eating.Their little blue ear tags stand out nicely and I can tell the males from females when standing in front of them. They seemed to have forgotten their tags as I noticed no head shaking or ear twitching thinking they have a fly on their ear.
The steer with the bloody ear looks fine. No sign of blood.
They have forgiven me. Good.
I felt so guilty at shouting at them and hitting them with a whip to get them to run down the loading chute to get their ears tagged. I'm glad I don't have to do that for another year. By then I will have my new loading chute and hopefully will have no problems tagging the cattle's ears.New cattle
Dan bought four more steers from Rich (who I bought my cattle from). I am not ready for his entire heard as I want to wait another week or ten days before letting them all out on grass. The grass is growing, but seems to me to be a few weeks behind where it was last year. This is due to a cool Spring and lower moisture. I just have this "feeling" that it will be a dry year and I don't want to run out of grass before September. The longer I keep the cattle from the initial grazing the better chance the grass will stay ahead of them, even when it gets dry in the summer.
However Dan asked if he could bring his new steers here from Rich's place rather than take them home for a week or so then have to load them up to bring them here. Sure. I think I have enough hay to feed them all till June.
Dan arrived early afternoon and once the steers in Dan's stock trailer seen my cattle in the corral they started to moo. They wanted out to join my cattle.
They left from Dan's trailer and ran over to my cattle. I am embarrassed
to say that some of my "kids" didn't give them a nice welcome. Several of my steers immediately went head to head with a few of Dan's steers. This is their way of wrestling to see who is the boss and stronger. They stand head to head and try to push the other one back. My cattle seemed to initiate this contest.The heifers don't play fair. They don't go head to head. They try to butt or push the other one from the side. A couple of mine were doing that. And here I thought my cattle had better manners.
Later in the afternoon during their cud chewing siesta time I noticed Dan's cattle all sat off to one side near the group. It will take a few days but they will integrate. I am curious how long as usually Dan and my herds are both assembled from different herds. This year all but one or two of my cattle were originally from the same herd - all brothers and sisters. That may be a hard clique to crack.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Ear tagging
Today I tagged my cattle's ears. Since they don't have a brand I need some sort of way to identify them if they make a jailbreak. Most of them are all black and kind of look alike. My tags are light blue in color and really stand out nicely on black cattle.
Dan came over in the afternoon with his puncher. This was my opportunity to use my newly installed head gate. Dan really liked how my uncle Curt designed the attachment method to the post and railroad tie and was very impressed. It was one of the best attachments of a head gate that he had seen.
The attachment was solid as several steers were not happy being held in the head gate. They fought but the gate held solid. The same could not be said for the rest of my loading chute.
After last year's effort to tag my cattle's ears where I had crammed all 12 into the end of the loading chute and held the back gate shut while Dan stood on the fence and reached down, I figured this year's effort with the self locking head gate would be a piece of cake. Boy, was I wrong!
The easy part was herding the cattle into the loading corral. Then the trick was to get them to try to run through the head gate one by one. The gate was open partway inward and the cattle's body would push the gate shut and the top locking mechanism would then lock the gate into place.
The first steer hit the gate but it didn't lock in place and he was able to back up and get out. Huh? I tested the gate again by hand and it worked and locked. I tried again with another steer. He stopped at the gate. He wouldn't put his head through the gate and push against it - so it wouldn't lock. He backed out of the loading end of the corral. I had shut the mid gate and he decided to try to jump over it. Naturally he didn't make it over but got his legs over the top and his weight tore the old wooden gate off its hinges and to the ground. *sigh* Why did I think this job would be a piece of cake? Famous last words.
Now the cattle wouldn't run down the end of the loading chute and being in among the 12 milling cattle in the loading chute was a dicey situation. I couldn't get close enough to get them to run down the ramp.
I remembered dad had a cattle whip. He could make it snap loudly. I don't have the technique. But I got it anyway and by slapping the cattle's rear end I tried to get them to run down the chute and in the head gate. Ya know, I don't think I'll ever get interested in S&M and whips.
I had a hard time whipping my cattle to get them to move. I was trying to lightly tap them to get them to move. That wasn't much incentive for them. I've seen when barbs from a barb wire fence meant nothing to cattle with their thick skins.
The cattle wanted nothing to do with the gate. I had to whip the cattle harder. And also yell. That I also didn't like to do. But I got some to move down the chute. Too many as the sides of the chute were bent outward when multiple cattle tried to squeeze in the space of one. *sigh* The sides bowed but held - somehow - and the cattle got more into single file.
But with multiple cattle they slowed and the first one didn't make a run at the gate and therefore did not trigger it.
Let's try again with few cattle. I let them back and resorted some from the herd at the back.
Finally one made a run and the head gate locked.
Dan tagged her ear and then I flipped the lever to allow the gate to open outward to release the heifer. She wasn't released. What? What's wrong with the head gate? I flipped the lever backward and the heifer was released backwards back into the loading ramp.
We then flipped the lever and manually opened the head gate and I encouraged the heifer to run through the gate. Even though the gate was fully open she didn't want to go near it. After some encouragement she ran through and out of the loading chute.
One down. 11 to go.
More situations where the head gate didn't lock. More situations where it wouldn't release outward. I ended up with three tagged cattle back in the rear of the loading chute with the untagged ones. Naturally, just to make sorting them harder.
Cattle may be dumb, but they catch on quick. Especially some of them. I noticed the heifers who were first to figure out how to climb into the feeder where the ones who would turn around and run back from the gate when I had them part way down the chute. Later I couldn't even get those heifers to where the loading chute narrows. Smart females are trouble!
A few steers still had their heavy winter fur and I found that the whip had no effect on them. I gritted my teeth and whipped harder. I hate doing that. That may be part of the reason I have a headache now.
I was getting worn out. I had to run back and forth trying to herd them down the loading chute, watch out I was not close enough in case they kicked, watch out when they turned around and ran back that they didn't knock me down, and once they were in the head gate climb out of the loading chute and get to the lever to release them once Dan tagged them. Dan was still recovering from his arm injury at work and I didn't want him to do anything to strain his one arm.
By the end I found I was whipping harder and yelling louder. I am sure the neighbors outside wondered if I had lost my marbles. I still wasn't liking it but I had no choice.
A few times when several cattle were wedged in the end of the chute Dan reached over the fence and tagged a few ears. Once a steer moved and the tag didn't get set properly. I saw blood, which one seldom sees when tagging their ears. Just as I don't like to see human blood, the same can be said for cattle. My poor steer. While I was having Dan tag the left ears on all the cattle, for this one we switched to its right ear.
Slowly we were getting down to the last few cattle: a heifer and the steer with the heaviest winter coat. I got both to the end of the chute and steer got his head in the gate. Tagged that one. I had picked up the broken gate and held the heifer up against the steer and Dan reached over and tagged her ear. She - not a small girl - turned herself around and pushed against the gate I held. I wasn't going to win and moved the gate to one side and used it to protect me as she squeezed by me as she ran.
Ya know, you wouldn't think these big animals could turn around in such a narrow space but somehow they do so. They are like cats sometimes when they turn around in a narrow space all curled in a U.
We released the steer and I figured out why the gate wouldn't open when a steer or heifer was in it. They were trying to back up. I slapped its rear a few times and it went forward and out. Dan jumped out of the way just in time.
The last heifer. Since her ear was tagged we left the gate open. She ran down the chute and out. She wasn't stupid. She knew how the gate worked.
Finally done. This was harder than last year.
My loading chute needed work anyway. Several posts weren't solid. Now more posts are not solid. Dan will measure the width of his loading chute and when I rebuild the chute this summer I will narrow it. I also plan to add intermediate gates and boards to block a retreat. That will hopefully save me from running them down the entire chute's length over and over.
I numbered the tags 10 through 60 for heifers and 105 through 155 for steers. Yes I know the difference in sexes from looking at them, but the numbers are a way to make it easier. From the front they look the same.
After the cattle were all done they didn't want anything to do with us and kept to the far end of the corral and away from us. A difference from the morning when they crowded around me when I fed them hay. Then I had to watch that one wouldn't step on my foot or push me aside. And when I was looking for a new location for a pocket gopher trap the herd would follow me along the fence from end to end over and over as I walked the hayfield back and forth. I got them fresh hay and a few came near me to eat. Most stood and watched and a few wandered off looking for grass. One heifer stood and her nose wrinkled as she smelled the fresh hay, but she waited until I left the feeder before she came over.
I guess I am on my cattle's "mean nasty rancher" list now.
Dan came over in the afternoon with his puncher. This was my opportunity to use my newly installed head gate. Dan really liked how my uncle Curt designed the attachment method to the post and railroad tie and was very impressed. It was one of the best attachments of a head gate that he had seen.
The attachment was solid as several steers were not happy being held in the head gate. They fought but the gate held solid. The same could not be said for the rest of my loading chute.
After last year's effort to tag my cattle's ears where I had crammed all 12 into the end of the loading chute and held the back gate shut while Dan stood on the fence and reached down, I figured this year's effort with the self locking head gate would be a piece of cake. Boy, was I wrong!
The easy part was herding the cattle into the loading corral. Then the trick was to get them to try to run through the head gate one by one. The gate was open partway inward and the cattle's body would push the gate shut and the top locking mechanism would then lock the gate into place.
The first steer hit the gate but it didn't lock in place and he was able to back up and get out. Huh? I tested the gate again by hand and it worked and locked. I tried again with another steer. He stopped at the gate. He wouldn't put his head through the gate and push against it - so it wouldn't lock. He backed out of the loading end of the corral. I had shut the mid gate and he decided to try to jump over it. Naturally he didn't make it over but got his legs over the top and his weight tore the old wooden gate off its hinges and to the ground. *sigh* Why did I think this job would be a piece of cake? Famous last words.
Now the cattle wouldn't run down the end of the loading chute and being in among the 12 milling cattle in the loading chute was a dicey situation. I couldn't get close enough to get them to run down the ramp.
I remembered dad had a cattle whip. He could make it snap loudly. I don't have the technique. But I got it anyway and by slapping the cattle's rear end I tried to get them to run down the chute and in the head gate. Ya know, I don't think I'll ever get interested in S&M and whips.
I had a hard time whipping my cattle to get them to move. I was trying to lightly tap them to get them to move. That wasn't much incentive for them. I've seen when barbs from a barb wire fence meant nothing to cattle with their thick skins.The cattle wanted nothing to do with the gate. I had to whip the cattle harder. And also yell. That I also didn't like to do. But I got some to move down the chute. Too many as the sides of the chute were bent outward when multiple cattle tried to squeeze in the space of one. *sigh*
The sides bowed but held - somehow - and the cattle got more into single file.But with multiple cattle they slowed and the first one didn't make a run at the gate and therefore did not trigger it.
Let's try again with few cattle. I let them back and resorted some from the herd at the back.
Finally one made a run and the head gate locked.
Dan tagged her ear and then I flipped the lever to allow the gate to open outward to release the heifer. She wasn't released. What? What's wrong with the head gate? I flipped the lever backward and the heifer was released backwards back into the loading ramp.
We then flipped the lever and manually opened the head gate and I encouraged the heifer to run through the gate. Even though the gate was fully open she didn't want to go near it. After some encouragement she ran through and out of the loading chute.
One down. 11 to go.
More situations where the head gate didn't lock. More situations where it wouldn't release outward. I ended up with three tagged cattle back in the rear of the loading chute with the untagged ones. Naturally, just to make sorting them harder.
Cattle may be dumb, but they catch on quick. Especially some of them. I noticed the heifers who were first to figure out how to climb into the feeder where the ones who would turn around and run back from the gate when I had them part way down the chute. Later I couldn't even get those heifers to where the loading chute narrows. Smart females are trouble!
A few steers still had their heavy winter fur and I found that the whip had no effect on them. I gritted my teeth and whipped harder. I hate doing that. That may be part of the reason I have a headache now.
I was getting worn out. I had to run back and forth trying to herd them down the loading chute, watch out I was not close enough in case they kicked, watch out when they turned around and ran back that they didn't knock me down, and once they were in the head gate climb out of the loading chute and get to the lever to release them once Dan tagged them. Dan was still recovering from his arm injury at work and I didn't want him to do anything to strain his one arm.
By the end I found I was whipping harder and yelling louder. I am sure the neighbors outside wondered if I had lost my marbles. I still wasn't liking it but I had no choice.
A few times when several cattle were wedged in the end of the chute Dan reached over the fence and tagged a few ears. Once a steer moved and the tag didn't get set properly. I saw blood, which one seldom sees when tagging their ears. Just as I don't like to see human blood, the same can be said for cattle. My poor steer. While I was having Dan tag the left ears on all the cattle, for this one we switched to its right ear.
Slowly we were getting down to the last few cattle: a heifer and the steer with the heaviest winter coat. I got both to the end of the chute and steer got his head in the gate. Tagged that one. I had picked up the broken gate and held the heifer up against the steer and Dan reached over and tagged her ear. She - not a small girl - turned herself around and pushed against the gate I held. I wasn't going to win and moved the gate to one side and used it to protect me as she squeezed by me as she ran.
Ya know, you wouldn't think these big animals could turn around in such a narrow space but somehow they do so. They are like cats sometimes when they turn around in a narrow space all curled in a U.
We released the steer and I figured out why the gate wouldn't open when a steer or heifer was in it. They were trying to back up. I slapped its rear a few times and it went forward and out. Dan jumped out of the way just in time.
The last heifer. Since her ear was tagged we left the gate open. She ran down the chute and out. She wasn't stupid. She knew how the gate worked.
Finally done. This was harder than last year.
My loading chute needed work anyway. Several posts weren't solid. Now more posts are not solid. Dan will measure the width of his loading chute and when I rebuild the chute this summer I will narrow it. I also plan to add intermediate gates and boards to block a retreat. That will hopefully save me from running them down the entire chute's length over and over.
I numbered the tags 10 through 60 for heifers and 105 through 155 for steers. Yes I know the difference in sexes from looking at them, but the numbers are a way to make it easier. From the front they look the same.
After the cattle were all done they didn't want anything to do with us and kept to the far end of the corral and away from us. A difference from the morning when they crowded around me when I fed them hay. Then I had to watch that one wouldn't step on my foot or push me aside. And when I was looking for a new location for a pocket gopher trap the herd would follow me along the fence from end to end over and over as I walked the hayfield back and forth. I got them fresh hay and a few came near me to eat. Most stood and watched and a few wandered off looking for grass. One heifer stood and her nose wrinkled as she smelled the fresh hay, but she waited until I left the feeder before she came over.
I guess I am on my cattle's "mean nasty rancher" list now.
Monday, May 21, 2007
Places to meet a potential mate
Interesting study about what people think are, and what actually are, ways to meet one's potential mate. From a survey done as part of the 2006 Harlequin Romance report. With all the ads for, and talk about, internet dating I am surprised that number is so small.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Map of relative's visit
Here is a map showing where all my relatives went when visiting me.The 1st day we traveled to Glacier Park and went beyond Lake McDonald to Avalanche Creek. On the map that would would be halfway between Lake McDonald and the "Loop" (the big bend in the road).
The 2nd day we visited Big Mountain and drove around two-thirds of Whitefish Lake and then to downtown Kalispell.
The 4th day we visited Bigfork then drove all the way around the lake stopping in Somers for supper.
The 5th day we visited the Bibler Gardens which is southwest of Kalispell and located between Hwy 2 and Somers.
You can also see where the National Bison Range is located at the bottom, which is where I planned to take them one day.
Last notes: Cathy and Diane are early risers. They told me they enjoyed sitting in the front of their motorhome to watch my cattle. They watched the cattle check out the new head gate, and also watched them play with the electrical ground wire next to the barn. They never knew cattle were so curious.
They also saw deer, a hawk, and an eagle.
My aunts and the corral fence
After the Bibler garden tour was over last Saturday my uncles and aunts briefly visited nearby Lone Pine State Park. Curt and Cathy waited in the minivan while Larry and Diane took a short walk with me to an overlook where one can see the entire valley from Big Mountain to the north to Flathead Lake's northern end to the south.
On the drive home we stopped at the Super 1 grocery store for supplies. Curt attempted to buy a half dozen unique beer bottles for his friend's collection but was told they were only sold in a six-pack and not individually.
After returning home we ate lunch. After lunch Larry and Curt settled into more games of cribbage. Cathy suggested she and I check my gopher traps. We found one gopher in a leg trap. Cathy let me dispatch the gopher while she searched for a new hole in which to place this trap. She also helped me cover extra holes with dirt and she even put old dry cow pies in some holes to discourage the gophers from reopening the holes. With all the gophers Cathy helped me catch I am calling her my "Gopher Queen". Her daughter plans to visit me this summer. We'll see if she can take the title away from her mom.
After checking the gopher traps Cathy and I checked out the NE pasture and my fruit tree and garden area. The apricot blossoms are long gone but my other fruit trees have blossoms. Even my nectarine tree had a pink blossom. I was happy to see this tree made it as I bought it last Spring and it made it through the winter.
Cathy and I noticed ants on some of my fruit trees. After my relatives left I wrapped the trees and put tanglefoot on the wrap. That provides a sticky barrier to stop the ants. Cathy had other suggestions for my garden and trees. And here I thought Curt was the landscape/gardener! He didn't even come see my fruit trees and garden area.
Then both my aunts helped me add long poles to the top of my corral fence. The poles are to provide a visual indication to the cattle to not attempt to jump the corral fence. I couldn't have added the poles without my aunts. They held the poles in place while I nailed, then they wired the poles to the metal fence posts and chain link fence.
In addition to helping me my aunts had readied supper. While they were helping me finish the corral fence they had my uncles start the grill. (My only contribution was potatoes and green onions from my garden). After we finished the fence my aunts finished making supper. My aunts are amazing. Just as Ginger Rogers got respect for dancing with Fred Astaire - only in high heels and backwards - my aunts helped me with the fence and also made an excellent supper. I told my uncles they were fired as ranch hands as I had hired my aunts to work on the ranch.
We had an nice sunset and I took a photo of it and of my tulips north of the house.
In the evening we had a bottle of wine my aunt Diane bought and a bottle of huckleberry wine that I had. I also gave them a sip of the Thai Sang Thip whiskey that I have.
Since I contributed some of the alcohol I can't say they got me drunk so I would agree to lift the entryway sign the next morning so Curt could drive his RV off the ranch. They are all great relatives and good workers so I gladly lifted the sign the next morning.
On the drive home we stopped at the Super 1 grocery store for supplies. Curt attempted to buy a half dozen unique beer bottles for his friend's collection but was told they were only sold in a six-pack and not individually.
After returning home we ate lunch. After lunch Larry and Curt settled into more games of cribbage. Cathy suggested she and I check my gopher traps. We found one gopher in a leg trap. Cathy let me dispatch the gopher while she searched for a new hole in which to place this trap. She also helped me cover extra holes with dirt and she even put old dry cow pies in some holes to discourage the gophers from reopening the holes. With all the gophers Cathy helped me catch I am calling her my "Gopher Queen".
Her daughter plans to visit me this summer. We'll see if she can take the title away from her mom.After checking the gopher traps Cathy and I checked out the NE pasture and my fruit tree and garden area. The apricot blossoms are long gone but my other fruit trees have blossoms. Even my nectarine tree had a pink blossom. I was happy to see this tree made it as I bought it last Spring and it made it through the winter.
Cathy and I noticed ants on some of my fruit trees. After my relatives left I wrapped the trees and put tanglefoot on the wrap. That provides a sticky barrier to stop the ants. Cathy had other suggestions for my garden and trees. And here I thought Curt was the landscape/gardener! He didn't even come see my fruit trees and garden area.
Then both my aunts helped me add long poles to the top of my corral fence. The poles are to provide a visual indication to the cattle to not attempt to jump the corral fence. I couldn't have added the poles without my aunts. They held the poles in place while I nailed, then they wired the poles to the metal fence posts and chain link fence.
In addition to helping me my aunts had readied supper. While they were helping me finish the corral fence they had my uncles start the grill. (My only contribution was potatoes and green onions from my garden). After we finished the fence my aunts finished making supper. My aunts are amazing. Just as Ginger Rogers got respect for dancing with Fred Astaire - only in high heels and backwards - my aunts helped me with the fence and also made an excellent supper. I told my uncles they were fired as ranch hands as I had hired my aunts to work on the ranch.
We had an nice sunset and I took a photo of it and of my tulips north of the house.
In the evening we had a bottle of wine my aunt Diane bought and a bottle of huckleberry wine that I had. I also gave them a sip of the Thai Sang Thip whiskey that I have.Since I contributed some of the alcohol I can't say they got me drunk so I would agree to lift the entryway sign the next morning so Curt could drive his RV off the ranch. They are all great relatives and good workers so I gladly lifted the sign the next morning.
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Bibler Garden Tour
After we finished taking photos of my relatives looking like ranchers, we had a quick mad drive across town to arrive at the Bibler Gardens by noon for the start of our tour.We had 20 minutes to drive to SW of Kalispell. Larry is scrupulous about not exceeding the speed limit. I don't know if he did this time (I ride in the back of the minivan) but I do know he drove faster than normal. We arrived with one minute to spare. We were the second to last vehicle to arrive. We made it! Good job Larry!
The Bibler garden tour is done twice a year, in the Spring and again in July. The Biblers both passed away in 2002 but a foundation continues to maintain the property and house and the tours are conducted to raise money. The tour of the house and property is approximately 90 minutes long.
Both the house tour and garden tour were very nice. Curt favors gardens and Larry is not a garden person but favors buildings. Both enjoyed both aspects of the tour: Curt the house and Larry the property and flowers.
No photos were allowed inside the house but I got a number of nice photos of the flowers outside and of the property.
The chair was originally from the Queen Elisabeth 2 cruise line and has been restored.
The view from the garden back towards Glacier Park and the ranch.
Head gate done
Last Saturday morning I borrowed long drill bit from Bob, and with a longer electric extension cord, Curt and I quickly finished drilling the holes and then bolted the head gate to the fence post and railroad tie.
Nice! And the head gate is very solid. Now when I tag the cattle's ears it will be far easier than last year when I crammed them all in the final section of the loading coral and tried to hold the gate shut while Dan stood on the fence and tagged their ears.
After we finished with the gate Curt, Cathy, Larry, and Diane braved the corral and the cow pies to pose for photos near the head gate and the rebuilt feeder among other places. I gave them my pitchfork to hold to make them look like real ranchers.
Nice! And the head gate is very solid. Now when I tag the cattle's ears it will be far easier than last year when I crammed them all in the final section of the loading coral and tried to hold the gate shut while Dan stood on the fence and tagged their ears.
After we finished with the gate Curt, Cathy, Larry, and Diane braved the corral and the cow pies to pose for photos near the head gate and the rebuilt feeder among other places. I gave them my pitchfork to hold to make them look like real ranchers.
Friday, May 18, 2007
Head gate and Bigfork
This first thing after feeding my cattle last Friday morning was to put in a new post for cattle head gate at the end of the loading corral. The corral's posts currently were more than a half a foot too wide. One post was leaning so I pried the fence off the post and dug it out. Then I took my good railroad tie of the two I have and dug a large and deep hole and placed the tie in the ground.
As I was filling in the dirt around the tie Curt had finished his breakfast and shower and came over to help.
Once the tie was in place, and the corral fence attached to the tie, I needed bolts, washers and nuts for attaching the gate. Curt and I visited five hardware stores across town in search of two large lag hanger bolts. We found a few small ones but no large ones. We were able to find the bolts we needed to attach the bottom of the head gate.
The bottom attachment was different than the top attachment as we attached a 4x4 to the post and tie, then sat the gate on the post and attached the gate to the 4x4. The top of the gate was to be attached directly to the post and tie.
By the time Curt and I returned home it was shortly before noon. Larry, Diane, and Cathy no longer wanted to drive to the National Bison Range. They were a little tired and wanted merely to sit around the ranch. The drive would be long and we wouldn't be back till the evening, which meant a late supper. For them at least, a normal supper-time for me.
Hmmm. I didn't feel like I would be a good host unless we went sightseeing, especially after all their hard work on Thursday. I tossed out a few ideas and eventually they consented to visit Bigfork, only 35 miles away. We'd be back in time for a normal supper. Or so they thought.
Bigfork is more of a touristy town than Whitefish with lots more cute shops. Cathy and Diane were happy we came to Bigfork as they found items they wanted. Diane got a cute pair of stainless steel wine glasses. Curt bought a hat for sun protection as he showed a little color from yesterday's bright sun during the cattle feeder build. Cathy got a straw cowgirl hat.
Curt has had a hankering for huckleberry ice cream and no place in Kalispell came to my mind that would sell it. I found that the shop near where we parked sold it. Curt bought huckleberry ice cream waffle cones for everyone. Thanks Curt!
In the second store we visited Cathy met a woman she knew who formerly worked in her dentist's office back in Washington. It has been over a year since Traci moved to Bigfork and initially those two kinda recognized each other but weren't sure. It wasn't till Curt mentioned where he was from that the lightbulb clicked in the two women's heads. A small world!
A few locals mentioned that we should walk down to the bridge over the Swan River. The walk was short, but longer than everyone imagined. The return had a slight hill to climb. See... the locals are on my side in getting exercise.
The bridge is an old one lane bridge, and the view is pretty.
After we finished shopping and sightseeing in Bigfork I talked everyone into visiting Yellow Bay State Park on Flathead Lake. The distance to the park was further than I remembered. I think the park that I was thinking about was the park just outside of Bigfork. Usually I travel the opposite direction so that is maybe why I got confused. The view from Yellow Bay Park is also nice.
The rest room had a bear warning sign which got Cathy excited. That was a quick rest room visit.
Since we were over half way down the east side of Flathead Lake, we drove the rest of the way around the lake.
In Polson at the south end of the lake at Larry's suggestion we stopped at their Ace hardware. No large lag hanger bolts either. That didn't matter as before we left for Bigfork we measured and Curt came up with a different way to bolt the gate to the post and tie. We found the two bolts we needed at the ACE hardware store.
There is a winery for wine tasting along the lake on the drive back to Kalispell, but as it was now near 6 pm, the winery was closed for the day.
Here is a view of the lake from the west side, near Big Arm.
At Somers I convinced them to take ten minutes to drive through Somer's small windy streets. Larry and Curt were timing the drive. They had noticed I usually say "about" or "just a bit" or "a little ways", etc. At the six minute mark we found the Tiebuckers restaurant and stopped for supper. Their 10 minute "clock" stopped while we ate.
Tiebuckers is a cute little restaurant tucked under some large trees. An old stoplight over the entrance showed green. The stoplight worked as it was yellow when we left, and the restaurant was fairly busy.
The owner was a jovial guy as he took time to chat and joke with patrons as he helped out here and there. He made a few jokes when at our table and Larry joined in with a few jokes of his own.
The restaurant had a variety of food with specialty being seafood. I was concerned as my relatives are from the Tacoma area and know good seafood, having taken me to a few excellent seafood restaurants when I visited last Fall. The food at Tiebuckers was very good and compared favorably to seafood restaurants in Tacoma.
We ordered a couple appetizers of clams. Curt had wanted to order three clam appetizers, but I convinced him to go with two plates to start with. The waitress said the clam plates were large, and I remembered the very large dessert at a seafood restaurant in Tacoma where Curt pooh pooh'd the waitress's warning that the dessert was large and were we really sure we wanted two desserts.
While we were waiting we noticed a large bee inside the window near our table. By the time we could notify a server the bee disappeared. Uh, oh. And no, it was not our imagination. When we noticed the bee the second time the server was able to catch it with a napkin. Being a young woman she wasn't exactly thrilled at having the job but did it well anyway.
My uncles and aunts all worked hard on our waitress to fix her up with me. Larry seems to have started a trend when after the auction he asked the woman at the road construction her availability. I suppose I do need help, as similar to not being aggressive in buying stuff at the auction, I am not aggressive in pursuing a girlfriend.
The waitress wasn't available for dating even with all my relatives none-too-subtle prodding and questioning. The waitress did have a younger sister but she finished at our table and moved on before my relatives could pursue the younger sister's availability.
If my relatives had stayed here little longer, I am sure they would have left me with a girlfriend.
What did get our waitress's interest was when Diane said I made an excellent huckleberry jam. Diane even mentioned the name of the mountain where I pick my huckleberries. Mentioning a location is a no-no as most ardent pickers jealously guard the location of their favorite patches. The waitress must have noticed me biting my tongue when Diane was speaking as the waitress graciously mentioned huckleberry pickers don't mention the location of their patch. The waitress did mention I could come back to the restaurant later this year after I pick this year's crop and made my jam.
We were so full from our meal no one had room for dessert.
After we returned home Curt, Larry, and I attached to bottom 4x4 board to the post and railroad tie. We also drilled some of the top two holes before it got dark. I didn't have a drill bit that was long enough to go through the post and tie. I also needed to find another extension cord as the drill barely reached the post or tie. These solutions had to wait till the next morning.
Cathy had wanted to go gopher hunting but it was too dark by now. We had to wait till tomorrow.
As I was filling in the dirt around the tie Curt had finished his breakfast and shower and came over to help.
Once the tie was in place, and the corral fence attached to the tie, I needed bolts, washers and nuts for attaching the gate. Curt and I visited five hardware stores across town in search of two large lag hanger bolts. We found a few small ones but no large ones. We were able to find the bolts we needed to attach the bottom of the head gate.
The bottom attachment was different than the top attachment as we attached a 4x4 to the post and tie, then sat the gate on the post and attached the gate to the 4x4. The top of the gate was to be attached directly to the post and tie.
By the time Curt and I returned home it was shortly before noon. Larry, Diane, and Cathy no longer wanted to drive to the National Bison Range. They were a little tired and wanted merely to sit around the ranch. The drive would be long and we wouldn't be back till the evening, which meant a late supper. For them at least, a normal supper-time for me.
Hmmm. I didn't feel like I would be a good host unless we went sightseeing, especially after all their hard work on Thursday. I tossed out a few ideas and eventually they consented to visit Bigfork, only 35 miles away. We'd be back in time for a normal supper. Or so they thought.
Bigfork is more of a touristy town than Whitefish with lots more cute shops. Cathy and Diane were happy we came to Bigfork as they found items they wanted. Diane got a cute pair of stainless steel wine glasses. Curt bought a hat for sun protection as he showed a little color from yesterday's bright sun during the cattle feeder build. Cathy got a straw cowgirl hat.
Curt has had a hankering for huckleberry ice cream and no place in Kalispell came to my mind that would sell it. I found that the shop near where we parked sold it. Curt bought huckleberry ice cream waffle cones for everyone. Thanks Curt!
In the second store we visited Cathy met a woman she knew who formerly worked in her dentist's office back in Washington. It has been over a year since Traci moved to Bigfork and initially those two kinda recognized each other but weren't sure. It wasn't till Curt mentioned where he was from that the lightbulb clicked in the two women's heads. A small world!
A few locals mentioned that we should walk down to the bridge over the Swan River. The walk was short, but longer than everyone imagined. The return had a slight hill to climb. See... the locals are on my side in getting exercise.
The bridge is an old one lane bridge, and the view is pretty.
After we finished shopping and sightseeing in Bigfork I talked everyone into visiting Yellow Bay State Park on Flathead Lake. The distance to the park was further than I remembered. I think the park that I was thinking about was the park just outside of Bigfork. Usually I travel the opposite direction so that is maybe why I got confused. The view from Yellow Bay Park is also nice.
The rest room had a bear warning sign which got Cathy excited. That was a quick rest room visit.
Since we were over half way down the east side of Flathead Lake, we drove the rest of the way around the lake.
In Polson at the south end of the lake at Larry's suggestion we stopped at their Ace hardware. No large lag hanger bolts either. That didn't matter as before we left for Bigfork we measured and Curt came up with a different way to bolt the gate to the post and tie. We found the two bolts we needed at the ACE hardware store.
There is a winery for wine tasting along the lake on the drive back to Kalispell, but as it was now near 6 pm, the winery was closed for the day.
Here is a view of the lake from the west side, near Big Arm.
At Somers I convinced them to take ten minutes to drive through Somer's small windy streets. Larry and Curt were timing the drive. They had noticed I usually say "about" or "just a bit" or "a little ways", etc. At the six minute mark we found the Tiebuckers restaurant and stopped for supper. Their 10 minute "clock" stopped while we ate.
Tiebuckers is a cute little restaurant tucked under some large trees. An old stoplight over the entrance showed green. The stoplight worked as it was yellow when we left, and the restaurant was fairly busy.The owner was a jovial guy as he took time to chat and joke with patrons as he helped out here and there. He made a few jokes when at our table and Larry joined in with a few jokes of his own.
The restaurant had a variety of food with specialty being seafood. I was concerned as my relatives are from the Tacoma area and know good seafood, having taken me to a few excellent seafood restaurants when I visited last Fall. The food at Tiebuckers was very good and compared favorably to seafood restaurants in Tacoma.
We ordered a couple appetizers of clams. Curt had wanted to order three clam appetizers, but I convinced him to go with two plates to start with. The waitress said the clam plates were large, and I remembered the very large dessert at a seafood restaurant in Tacoma where Curt pooh pooh'd the waitress's warning that the dessert was large and were we really sure we wanted two desserts.
While we were waiting we noticed a large bee inside the window near our table. By the time we could notify a server the bee disappeared. Uh, oh. And no, it was not our imagination. When we noticed the bee the second time the server was able to catch it with a napkin. Being a young woman she wasn't exactly thrilled at having the job but did it well anyway.
My uncles and aunts all worked hard on our waitress to fix her up with me. Larry seems to have started a trend when after the auction he asked the woman at the road construction her availability. I suppose I do need help, as similar to not being aggressive in buying stuff at the auction, I am not aggressive in pursuing a girlfriend.
The waitress wasn't available for dating even with all my relatives none-too-subtle prodding and questioning. The waitress did have a younger sister but she finished at our table and moved on before my relatives could pursue the younger sister's availability.
If my relatives had stayed here little longer, I am sure they would have left me with a girlfriend.
What did get our waitress's interest was when Diane said I made an excellent huckleberry jam. Diane even mentioned the name of the mountain where I pick my huckleberries. Mentioning a location is a no-no as most ardent pickers jealously guard the location of their favorite patches. The waitress must have noticed me biting my tongue when Diane was speaking as the waitress graciously mentioned huckleberry pickers don't mention the location of their patch. The waitress did mention I could come back to the restaurant later this year after I pick this year's crop and made my jam.
We were so full from our meal no one had room for dessert.
After we returned home Curt, Larry, and I attached to bottom 4x4 board to the post and railroad tie. We also drilled some of the top two holes before it got dark. I didn't have a drill bit that was long enough to go through the post and tie. I also needed to find another extension cord as the drill barely reached the post or tie. These solutions had to wait till the next morning.
Cathy had wanted to go gopher hunting but it was too dark by now. We had to wait till tomorrow.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Cattle feeder rebuild
Thursday was to be a rest day from sightseeing. I had been kidding about putting my uncles to work while they were here, but I found the most excited that they got was when they were able to work around the ranch. Just another reason for boys to play with power tools. 
My cattle's feeder sat on the ground. First the heifers, then some steers found they could climb inside the feeder to stand and eat the hay. Not a good thing when the cattle forget what goes in one end comes out the other. I was not too pleased at this and the cattle knew it as they got a guilty look on their face when I caught them in the feeder.
My uncle Curt used to remodel old homes and resell them many years before it became fashionable. This was in the days when family members seriously thought of committing Curt when he came up with another old run down house to remodel and resell. Curt was just a man ahead of his time.
Wednesday night Curt came up with a plan to improve my feeder to keep the cattle out. He was so excited about doing this I really regretted not buying the livestock gates and installing them when my uncles were here. Forget Glacier Park and the scenery, what my uncles really want to do was work on my ranch.
Thursday morning Dan came over to get a dozen hay bales. His small hay bale supplier was on vacation and Dan ran out of bales. While Dan was here we looked my cattle over and they are all in excellent shape. He told me that if I hadn't bought the six steers he would have.
Earlier that morning I noticed one steer appeared to have one testicle. Ohh... not good. We tried to look when Dan was here, but like around my relatives my cattle are skittish around strangers. Me they like, others they are not so sure about. Dan and I couldn't get close for a good look but Dan told me what I may have seen was extra loose skin in that area. I hope so... the steer is kind of big to finish the castration.
My uncles, Dan and I chatted the morning away. When Larry and my aunts went uptown to get supplies my Uncle Curt and Dan chatted about working in aluminum plants in the past, then about American Idol as both are fans of the show.
We never got started on the feeder until after noon. The next I knew Curt was at the feeder with a crowbar tearing it apart. To build it first one must destroy it!
I had been teased numerous times that I didn't look like a cowboy. I never wore cowboy boots or a cowboy hat. Before I helped with the feeder I got dad's cowboy boots and squeezed into them. I also wore his cowboy hat and got one of my western shirts. Then I posed for a photo. That ended the 'you don't look like a cowboy' teasing.
It was a warm sunny day and my uncles worked harder than if they had gone on a hike with me.
The final design was to rebuild the sides, then add legs to raise the feeder off the ground a few inches. Finally we added a bottom to the feeder to keep the hay off the ground.
Lots of cutting and hammering.
We did the final work inside the corral as the feeder was getting pretty heavy by the time we had all the sides together. My uncles braved possibly stepping in cow manure. I noticed they watched where they stepped - unlike me who got over that a long time ago.
While we worked the cattle stayed in the SW corner of the pasture, It was about the farthest they could get from all the commotion. Once we finished the feeder I put new hay inside it. It took a little while before the cattle were comfortable around this new object.
But the rebuild did the trick: the cattle no longer climb into it. A few of the larger ones occasionally will get their front legs inside the feeder, but they can't get their rear legs inside it.
While my uncles and I worked on the feeder my aunts wanted to help also and volunteered to mow my yard. I declined their offer as I let the cattle eat the grass down in late May before releasing them into the pasture. My aunts then volunteered to scrape the paint peeling from my fences. But my uncles suggested getting a pressure washer to blast the paint away. So my aunts relaxed, worked on their tans, and read books.
Once we finished the cattle's feeder and took a lunch break, and Larry caught some
, Curt and I checked out the lengths of the long poles I have. He wanted to redo the pole over my driveway entrance as the current pole sags down a foot or so. The only pole long enough (22 ft) tapered quite a bit from end to end. The other poles with a consistent width all were 19 ft or less.
What I really wanted to do was to get help installing my cattle head gate. It is so heavy that having a second person to help would be invaluable. The next I knew Curt designed how to attach the head gate to the posts. The hardware store I use, Ziggy's, was closed for the day so we waited to begin work on the head gate until the next morning.
After an excellent supper of steak and hot dogs on the grill, and home made potato salad, Cathy and Diane walked the property's boundaries with me and also checked for gophers. Only one was caught.
We also found some skunk cabbage plants in the SW corner. I also showed my aunts a few of the holes left from the tree stumps that I had burned.
My cattle's feeder sat on the ground. First the heifers, then some steers found they could climb inside the feeder to stand and eat the hay. Not a good thing when the cattle forget what goes in one end comes out the other. I was not too pleased at this and the cattle knew it as they got a guilty look on their face when I caught them in the feeder.
My uncle Curt used to remodel old homes and resell them many years before it became fashionable. This was in the days when family members seriously thought of committing Curt when he came up with another old run down house to remodel and resell. Curt was just a man ahead of his time.
Wednesday night Curt came up with a plan to improve my feeder to keep the cattle out. He was so excited about doing this I really regretted not buying the livestock gates and installing them when my uncles were here. Forget Glacier Park and the scenery, what my uncles really want to do was work on my ranch.
Thursday morning Dan came over to get a dozen hay bales. His small hay bale supplier was on vacation and Dan ran out of bales. While Dan was here we looked my cattle over and they are all in excellent shape. He told me that if I hadn't bought the six steers he would have.Earlier that morning I noticed one steer appeared to have one testicle. Ohh... not good. We tried to look when Dan was here, but like around my relatives my cattle are skittish around strangers. Me they like, others they are not so sure about. Dan and I couldn't get close for a good look but Dan told me what I may have seen was extra loose skin in that area. I hope so... the steer is kind of big to finish the castration.
My uncles, Dan and I chatted the morning away. When Larry and my aunts went uptown to get supplies my Uncle Curt and Dan chatted about working in aluminum plants in the past, then about American Idol as both are fans of the show.
We never got started on the feeder until after noon. The next I knew Curt was at the feeder with a crowbar tearing it apart. To build it first one must destroy it!
I had been teased numerous times that I didn't look like a cowboy. I never wore cowboy boots or a cowboy hat. Before I helped with the feeder I got dad's cowboy boots and squeezed into them. I also wore his cowboy hat and got one of my western shirts. Then I posed for a photo. That ended the 'you don't look like a cowboy' teasing.
It was a warm sunny day and my uncles worked harder than if they had gone on a hike with me.
The final design was to rebuild the sides, then add legs to raise the feeder off the ground a few inches. Finally we added a bottom to the feeder to keep the hay off the ground.
Lots of cutting and hammering.
We did the final work inside the corral as the feeder was getting pretty heavy by the time we had all the sides together. My uncles braved possibly stepping in cow manure. I noticed they watched where they stepped - unlike me who got over that a long time ago.
While we worked the cattle stayed in the SW corner of the pasture, It was about the farthest they could get from all the commotion. Once we finished the feeder I put new hay inside it. It took a little while before the cattle were comfortable around this new object.
But the rebuild did the trick: the cattle no longer climb into it. A few of the larger ones occasionally will get their front legs inside the feeder, but they can't get their rear legs inside it.
While my uncles and I worked on the feeder my aunts wanted to help also and volunteered to mow my yard. I declined their offer as I let the cattle eat the grass down in late May before releasing them into the pasture. My aunts then volunteered to scrape the paint peeling from my fences. But my uncles suggested getting a pressure washer to blast the paint away. So my aunts relaxed, worked on their tans, and read books.Once we finished the cattle's feeder and took a lunch break, and Larry caught some
, Curt and I checked out the lengths of the long poles I have. He wanted to redo the pole over my driveway entrance as the current pole sags down a foot or so. The only pole long enough (22 ft) tapered quite a bit from end to end. The other poles with a consistent width all were 19 ft or less.What I really wanted to do was to get help installing my cattle head gate. It is so heavy that having a second person to help would be invaluable. The next I knew Curt designed how to attach the head gate to the posts. The hardware store I use, Ziggy's, was closed for the day so we waited to begin work on the head gate until the next morning.
After an excellent supper of steak and hot dogs on the grill, and home made potato salad, Cathy and Diane walked the property's boundaries with me and also checked for gophers. Only one was caught.
We also found some skunk cabbage plants in the SW corner. I also showed my aunts a few of the holes left from the tree stumps that I had burned.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
