Saturday, August 29, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
One of my girls was bad
As a treat the other day I thought I'd let the cattle back into the NE pasture for a day or two to eat the grass down. There wasn't much grass since their last time there this Spring but what grass there was, was young and tender.
The pasture is pretty well protected except for a large tree I wrap in chicken wire only when the cattle are there, and a small pine tree that had out grown its cage fence.
I protect even my small pine trees as the cattle like to nip on them and taste them and often that is the crown on top which sets their growth back a bit.
I re-wrapped the larger tree and built a new fence to protect the smaller tree. In the midst of building the fence the guy who would like to bow hunt on my property came to check the land out for ideas on where to place his tree stand or blind. I went with him to show places and explain where the deer move. By the time I got back to the fence it was dusk. I finished it and that was it.
The cattle were in the NE pasture a little over a day. This afternoon I let them back into the hayfield. Tonight after I finished spraying more weeds I decided to use some of the water still in the cattle's water trough and water a few small pines trees I planted in the NE pasture including the one I had just fenced.
In the dark I noticed the recently fenced tree looked different. I looked closer and discovered the needles were gone. What?!
It appeared one of the heifers got her head through the fence and ate the needles. The tree is a Scotch Pine with long needles and apparently it was like candy to one of the heifers that they made the effort to get through the fence to eat the needles.
It was fairly dark so I got a camera and took a photo to see just how much damage was done. It seems as if some needles are still on the tree, and the crown is still there... so maybe - just maybe - there is hope the tree can survive. I'll have to check it out tomorrow morning when there is light. I hope that since the crown itself appears to be intact the tree may continue to grow.
The fence I used was old and had a few loose wires and this heifer figured out which ones were loose and pushed them up and down and then got her head through. The fence did not look like it does now when I installed it.
I am just sick about this. Five years ago I had planted five Scotch pine trees and this was the only one that survived. I babied it along and this year it finally took off and grew and way more doubled in size just this year. And now this! Argh!
The pasture is pretty well protected except for a large tree I wrap in chicken wire only when the cattle are there, and a small pine tree that had out grown its cage fence.
I protect even my small pine trees as the cattle like to nip on them and taste them and often that is the crown on top which sets their growth back a bit.
I re-wrapped the larger tree and built a new fence to protect the smaller tree. In the midst of building the fence the guy who would like to bow hunt on my property came to check the land out for ideas on where to place his tree stand or blind. I went with him to show places and explain where the deer move. By the time I got back to the fence it was dusk. I finished it and that was it.
The cattle were in the NE pasture a little over a day. This afternoon I let them back into the hayfield. Tonight after I finished spraying more weeds I decided to use some of the water still in the cattle's water trough and water a few small pines trees I planted in the NE pasture including the one I had just fenced.
In the dark I noticed the recently fenced tree looked different. I looked closer and discovered the needles were gone. What?!
It appeared one of the heifers got her head through the fence and ate the needles. The tree is a Scotch Pine with long needles and apparently it was like candy to one of the heifers that they made the effort to get through the fence to eat the needles.
It was fairly dark so I got a camera and took a photo to see just how much damage was done. It seems as if some needles are still on the tree, and the crown is still there... so maybe - just maybe - there is hope the tree can survive. I'll have to check it out tomorrow morning when there is light. I hope that since the crown itself appears to be intact the tree may continue to grow.The fence I used was old and had a few loose wires and this heifer figured out which ones were loose and pushed them up and down and then got her head through. The fence did not look like it does now when I installed it.
I am just sick about this. Five years ago I had planted five Scotch pine trees and this was the only one that survived. I babied it along and this year it finally took off and grew and way more doubled in size just this year. And now this! Argh!
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Picnic music: Rob Quist
Tonight was the last Picnic in the Park concert of the year. It was an excellent concert. Rob Quist is a local musician but it always seemed like something came up when he performed each year and I missed his appearances.
The music was to be by Rob Quist and Great Northern. I got there after the concert started so I didn't hear the introduction, but during the concert Rob mentioned the man and woman on electric guitars were his son (Guthrie) and daughter (Halliday). They also played a few songs by White Hawk - his son and daughter's band. No mention was made of Great Northern.
The musicians were very good, both playing their instruments and with their singing as they all had strong voices. They sang songs where they were the lead and on other songs backup. A band that can play and sing an excellent version of Suite: Judy Blue Eyes by Crosby, Stills and Nash has to be strong instrumentally and vocally.
At one point the band played an excellent version of the ACDC song TNT (where the daughter sang lead vocal on a definitely male song) and the next song they immediately played was one that would please the old fogies that listen to the Prairie Home Companion radio show. In fact an old grandpa a short distance in front of me was dancing in his chair to the second song.
While both siblings have strong voices, Halliday sang with more emotion than Guthrie. It showed through in both the heavy metal ACDC song TNT and in the bluesy song Love Me Like A Man that she sang.
Before she sang the second song Rob told a humorous story about his daughter bringing this song home to sing when she was only 16 and wanting to perform it live at his next Christmas Concert. Read the lyrics.
I found Gary during the concert's intermission. It was harder than usual to find him in the crowd both because the crowd was larger tonight and because Gail was sitting on his lap as she didn't seem to have a chair. Gary, Gary... you said after your marriage's end you'd never marry again.
Anyway I gave Gary somewhat of a hard time for canceling our hike this week to the top of Mt Henkel. He still wants to do the hike but the window of opportunity is getting smaller for this year.
I also ran into a woman (Me-HIGH-la -- I don't know how it is spelled) that I had met at a several of the contra dances. She has a three year son and he doesn't keep still. Our short talk about contra dancing ended as he wandered off into the crowd.
The concert had power problems just after I arrived so the musicians ended up playing an extra 20 minutes to make up for it. Therefore it was dark when the concert ended and when I rode my bicycle home. It seemed only a short time ago that it was still light outside when I rode home after a concert. My bicycle seemed to make some new creaking noises so I'll have to check it tomorrow when I can see to see if something else cracked or broke.
The music was to be by Rob Quist and Great Northern. I got there after the concert started so I didn't hear the introduction, but during the concert Rob mentioned the man and woman on electric guitars were his son (Guthrie) and daughter (Halliday). They also played a few songs by White Hawk - his son and daughter's band. No mention was made of Great Northern.
The musicians were very good, both playing their instruments and with their singing as they all had strong voices. They sang songs where they were the lead and on other songs backup. A band that can play and sing an excellent version of Suite: Judy Blue Eyes by Crosby, Stills and Nash has to be strong instrumentally and vocally.
At one point the band played an excellent version of the ACDC song TNT (where the daughter sang lead vocal on a definitely male song) and the next song they immediately played was one that would please the old fogies that listen to the Prairie Home Companion radio show. In fact an old grandpa a short distance in front of me was dancing in his chair to the second song.
While both siblings have strong voices, Halliday sang with more emotion than Guthrie. It showed through in both the heavy metal ACDC song TNT and in the bluesy song Love Me Like A Man that she sang.
Before she sang the second song Rob told a humorous story about his daughter bringing this song home to sing when she was only 16 and wanting to perform it live at his next Christmas Concert. Read the lyrics.
I found Gary during the concert's intermission. It was harder than usual to find him in the crowd both because the crowd was larger tonight and because Gail was sitting on his lap as she didn't seem to have a chair. Gary, Gary... you said after your marriage's end you'd never marry again.
Anyway I gave Gary somewhat of a hard time for canceling our hike this week to the top of Mt Henkel. He still wants to do the hike but the window of opportunity is getting smaller for this year.I also ran into a woman (Me-HIGH-la -- I don't know how it is spelled) that I had met at a several of the contra dances. She has a three year son and he doesn't keep still. Our short talk about contra dancing ended as he wandered off into the crowd.
The concert had power problems just after I arrived so the musicians ended up playing an extra 20 minutes to make up for it. Therefore it was dark when the concert ended and when I rode my bicycle home. It seemed only a short time ago that it was still light outside when I rode home after a concert. My bicycle seemed to make some new creaking noises so I'll have to check it tomorrow when I can see to see if something else cracked or broke.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Frustration the auction way
I went to another farm auction Saturday. It was a few miles down the road. The auction started at 10 am and I got there at noon. They were just finishing the little stuff and were starting on the guns and ammo. This guy had a lot of guns - at least 40.
Also being auctioned were 47 excellent corral panels, a half dozen gates, fence posts and some wire fencing. The gates, posts and fencing I was interested in, not the panels.
I decided to go home and come back later when I thought the stuff I wanted would be auctioned (near the end). The auctioneer was the same guy (Carpenter) who did the last auction I attended where the auction ran long.
I came back a quarter to three thinking it would be close to the stuff I wanted, and fearing they were already past it like what happened to me earlier this year at another auction. They were just finishing up the ammo. 2 and 1/2 hours on the guns and ammo!
I thought they would quickly go through the stuff before the stuff I wanted but I was wrong. I should have gone home again for a while as it took another four hours until they got to what I wanted.
I saw the guy who out bid me at the last auction for gates so I expected to not get the gates this time. The corral panels were auctioned first and a woman from Missoula bought all 47 at $170 each. That is $7990 total! Yikes!
When they got to the gates it didn't go well for me. There were five gates: two 143 ft, one 12 ft, and two 1o ft gates. Highest bidder gets choice. What I wanted was a 16 ft gate. No one was bidding until the starting bid got to $25. Then no one bid so I bid $35. The other bidder bid $45. I had to bid $50 and wavered. Had I missed some defect on the gates? After the high bids on the corral panels why weren't people bidding more? And since there was no 16 ft gate, what size do I want? The bidding went on and I think the winning bid was $60. The guy took the one 12 ft gate. What? Why not the two 14 ft gates? When people win the bid they almost always take the longest gate.
The auctioneer offered to let people choose other gates at the $50 bid and a guy took the two 10 ft gates. What? What is wrong with the 14 ft gates? As I pondered that another bidder took them.
In hindsight I should have taken the 14 ft gates. It would be nice, but not essential to have a 16 ft gate. I'm sure I could have used the gates eventually.
On the other hand I have some gates right now for the past two to three years sitting here not installed as I haven't gotten to that part of the corral and fence rebuild. If I bought those 14 ft gates I could be sitting on them for another three years.
So if I bought the gates, or did not buy the gates, I would be frustrated.
The fence posts were wooden and an assortment of thicknesses. It was getting late and both a bidder and the auctioneer were getting confused. It turns out the bidder only wanted one post and not all twenty plus posts. So the auctioneer let the bidder buy one post for $5. Then I wasn't sure what the bid was or who the bidder was until he sold all the posts for $20.
There were two 10 ft gates left and they sold for $30 each.
I need to get my fences rebuilt and figure out what I exactly want and need for gates.
At the auction I spoke with a guy - Vic - who raises and sells cattle. He takes his cattle to the auction in Butte - 250 miles away. He prefers the auction in Butte to the Missoula auction as Butte gets a higher price. But he has a pickup and big enough stock trailer to haul his own cattle. Paying someone to haul my cattle mostly like wouldn't pay.
Vic has a few old gates for sale but his asking price was higher than what the gates sold for at the auction.
I noticed a number of men at the auction who looked like ranchers. Cowboy hat, cowboy boots, jeans, large belt buckle and a large beer belly that hungover part of the buckle. In no way do I resemble one of these guys. It makes me question if I can really call myself a rancher.
When I got home I had a message from Gary. Once again something came up to conflict with our planned hike up Mt Henkel. I kept moving the hiking date and now ran out of days next week. So who knows if I'll get up Henkel this year. Time is running out.
I did eventually see my cattle once I got home. For much of the day when I was home they were out of sight. Probably taking a siesta down by the river. They have been in this pasture a number of days now. That combined with a hot, sunny and breezy day makes me think of other years when cattle tried to roam at this time. Even though we had over an inch of rain a week ago, and earlier this week the soil was moist many feet down when I dug up a tree stump, today when I dug for a gopher trap the ground was dry and dusty.
I also watered my garden as it needed it. Of course that gets me looking at my garden and realizing I have to seriously weed it once again. And I see the damage the deer have done to my good crops. And I see the crops that on their own aren't doing well. When I weed the garden I will go through and pull a number of plants that just won't have time to produce this year. No sense putting off the inevitable or hoping for the best.
Since I was at the auction so long I was only able to spray one tank of herbicide Saturday evening. At this rate it will take "forever" to spray the weeds.
It gets dark well before 10 pm now and that greatly reminds me Winter is coming. And I have so much to do before then. I need another year of Summer.
Also being auctioned were 47 excellent corral panels, a half dozen gates, fence posts and some wire fencing. The gates, posts and fencing I was interested in, not the panels.
I decided to go home and come back later when I thought the stuff I wanted would be auctioned (near the end). The auctioneer was the same guy (Carpenter) who did the last auction I attended where the auction ran long.
I came back a quarter to three thinking it would be close to the stuff I wanted, and fearing they were already past it like what happened to me earlier this year at another auction. They were just finishing up the ammo. 2 and 1/2 hours on the guns and ammo!
I thought they would quickly go through the stuff before the stuff I wanted but I was wrong. I should have gone home again for a while as it took another four hours until they got to what I wanted.
I saw the guy who out bid me at the last auction for gates so I expected to not get the gates this time. The corral panels were auctioned first and a woman from Missoula bought all 47 at $170 each. That is $7990 total! Yikes!
When they got to the gates it didn't go well for me. There were five gates: two 143 ft, one 12 ft, and two 1o ft gates. Highest bidder gets choice. What I wanted was a 16 ft gate. No one was bidding until the starting bid got to $25. Then no one bid so I bid $35. The other bidder bid $45. I had to bid $50 and wavered. Had I missed some defect on the gates? After the high bids on the corral panels why weren't people bidding more? And since there was no 16 ft gate, what size do I want? The bidding went on and I think the winning bid was $60. The guy took the one 12 ft gate. What? Why not the two 14 ft gates? When people win the bid they almost always take the longest gate.
The auctioneer offered to let people choose other gates at the $50 bid and a guy took the two 10 ft gates. What? What is wrong with the 14 ft gates? As I pondered that another bidder took them.
In hindsight I should have taken the 14 ft gates. It would be nice, but not essential to have a 16 ft gate. I'm sure I could have used the gates eventually.
On the other hand I have some gates right now for the past two to three years sitting here not installed as I haven't gotten to that part of the corral and fence rebuild. If I bought those 14 ft gates I could be sitting on them for another three years.
So if I bought the gates, or did not buy the gates, I would be frustrated.
The fence posts were wooden and an assortment of thicknesses. It was getting late and both a bidder and the auctioneer were getting confused. It turns out the bidder only wanted one post and not all twenty plus posts. So the auctioneer let the bidder buy one post for $5. Then I wasn't sure what the bid was or who the bidder was until he sold all the posts for $20.
There were two 10 ft gates left and they sold for $30 each.
I need to get my fences rebuilt and figure out what I exactly want and need for gates.
At the auction I spoke with a guy - Vic - who raises and sells cattle. He takes his cattle to the auction in Butte - 250 miles away. He prefers the auction in Butte to the Missoula auction as Butte gets a higher price. But he has a pickup and big enough stock trailer to haul his own cattle. Paying someone to haul my cattle mostly like wouldn't pay.
Vic has a few old gates for sale but his asking price was higher than what the gates sold for at the auction.
I noticed a number of men at the auction who looked like ranchers. Cowboy hat, cowboy boots, jeans, large belt buckle and a large beer belly that hungover part of the buckle. In no way do I resemble one of these guys. It makes me question if I can really call myself a rancher.
When I got home I had a message from Gary. Once again something came up to conflict with our planned hike up Mt Henkel. I kept moving the hiking date and now ran out of days next week. So who knows if I'll get up Henkel this year. Time is running out.
I did eventually see my cattle once I got home. For much of the day when I was home they were out of sight. Probably taking a siesta down by the river. They have been in this pasture a number of days now. That combined with a hot, sunny and breezy day makes me think of other years when cattle tried to roam at this time. Even though we had over an inch of rain a week ago, and earlier this week the soil was moist many feet down when I dug up a tree stump, today when I dug for a gopher trap the ground was dry and dusty.
I also watered my garden as it needed it. Of course that gets me looking at my garden and realizing I have to seriously weed it once again. And I see the damage the deer have done to my good crops. And I see the crops that on their own aren't doing well. When I weed the garden I will go through and pull a number of plants that just won't have time to produce this year. No sense putting off the inevitable or hoping for the best.
Since I was at the auction so long I was only able to spray one tank of herbicide Saturday evening. At this rate it will take "forever" to spray the weeds.
It gets dark well before 10 pm now and that greatly reminds me Winter is coming. And I have so much to do before then. I need another year of Summer.
Friday, August 21, 2009
A surprising break
For a few days now my bicycle's headset seemed loose so this morning I got a crescent wrench to tighten the headset's locknut. That is when I discovered a chuck of my bicycle's frame was missing.
I have no idea how this piece got broken off - or when it happened.
This isn't my first bicycle frame that has worn out (actually my third), but the previous frames have been steel and they cracked then broke. This is my first aluminum frame. Apparently aluminum doesn't crack - it just breaks with no warning.
I can still ride the bicycle, and I was planning to replace this bicycle for a year now as the frame has over 37,000 miles on it and is a little over 13 years old, but I guess I should make the bicycle replacement a higher priority. Once I get the weeds sprayed, the house painted, etc., etc.
I have no idea how this piece got broken off - or when it happened.
This isn't my first bicycle frame that has worn out (actually my third), but the previous frames have been steel and they cracked then broke. This is my first aluminum frame. Apparently aluminum doesn't crack - it just breaks with no warning.
I can still ride the bicycle, and I was planning to replace this bicycle for a year now as the frame has over 37,000 miles on it and is a little over 13 years old, but I guess I should make the bicycle replacement a higher priority. Once I get the weeds sprayed, the house painted, etc., etc.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
A Whole Lotta Hip Rolling Goin' on
Tuesday evening I attended another Picnic in the Park music concert. The band was Cocinando. They play Latin and Jazz music and seem each year to play one concert at the Picnic in the Park series.
That afternoon I had been spraying weeds so I was a little late to the concert as I had to finish a tank of herbicide. There were lots of people there but I was still was able to find a spot on a bench on which to sit. It was a good spot as I could also people watch as a number of people strolled by on the sidewalk in front of me.
The 13 member band played salsa, samba and other Latin flavored dance music. Every so often several adults would dance to the music. I noticed they would be an older couple, else an older man in his 50s or 60s and a young 20-something woman. For one old/young dance couple who danced on the sidewalk down from me, his body shape looked like he would be slow moving and stiff but he knew the dance moves and spun and twirled the young woman all around. She looked like she was enjoying dancing with him and I saw she had sought him out later in the concert for another dance.
For this style of dancing and music a whole lot of hip rolling was going on by the women dancing. Nice. For the young woman dancing with the older guy on the sidewalk I was starting to wonder if her loose hippy-chic skirt was going to stay up on her hips with all the sharp hip movement she was doing.
Later in the concert another youngish woman with several small children seemed not to be able take it any longer and as an excuse to get up and dance tried to teach her young daughter how to move her hips and dance. The young girl looked to be six or less and spent more time standing watching her mother than attempting the hip movements and dancing herself.
During the intermission, and after they gave away the raffle prizes, a young woman demonstrated a belly dance. She was advertising belly dance lessons at a local athletic club and also that she was available to dance at weddings or other special events.
The song she danced to was an interesting modern middle eastern arrangement of the song "I Put a Spell on You". Naturally she had a belly dancers outfit. In additional to the hip shaking she demonstrated a number of arm movements. While she didn't have an exotic middle eastern complexion she looked nice with her long brown straight hair. One suggestion: she should lose the glasses when belly dancing as that distracted from the overall look.
Usually during the intermission people use this opportunity to talk and socialize. I noticed that when she demonstrated the belly dance moves most everyone - men and women - stopped and watched.
And - dang - I had forgotten my camera at home.
That afternoon I had been spraying weeds so I was a little late to the concert as I had to finish a tank of herbicide. There were lots of people there but I was still was able to find a spot on a bench on which to sit. It was a good spot as I could also people watch as a number of people strolled by on the sidewalk in front of me.
The 13 member band played salsa, samba and other Latin flavored dance music. Every so often several adults would dance to the music. I noticed they would be an older couple, else an older man in his 50s or 60s and a young 20-something woman. For one old/young dance couple who danced on the sidewalk down from me, his body shape looked like he would be slow moving and stiff but he knew the dance moves and spun and twirled the young woman all around. She looked like she was enjoying dancing with him and I saw she had sought him out later in the concert for another dance.
For this style of dancing and music a whole lot of hip rolling was going on by the women dancing. Nice. For the young woman dancing with the older guy on the sidewalk I was starting to wonder if her loose hippy-chic skirt was going to stay up on her hips with all the sharp hip movement she was doing.
Later in the concert another youngish woman with several small children seemed not to be able take it any longer and as an excuse to get up and dance tried to teach her young daughter how to move her hips and dance. The young girl looked to be six or less and spent more time standing watching her mother than attempting the hip movements and dancing herself.
During the intermission, and after they gave away the raffle prizes, a young woman demonstrated a belly dance. She was advertising belly dance lessons at a local athletic club and also that she was available to dance at weddings or other special events.
The song she danced to was an interesting modern middle eastern arrangement of the song "I Put a Spell on You". Naturally she had a belly dancers outfit. In additional to the hip shaking she demonstrated a number of arm movements. While she didn't have an exotic middle eastern complexion she looked nice with her long brown straight hair. One suggestion: she should lose the glasses when belly dancing as that distracted from the overall look.
Usually during the intermission people use this opportunity to talk and socialize. I noticed that when she demonstrated the belly dance moves most everyone - men and women - stopped and watched.
And - dang - I had forgotten my camera at home.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Hole in the ground like a hole in the head
I need to be concentrating on just spraying weeds for the time being. Instead I am breaking lawn mowers and digging holes.
Sunday before spraying some weeds I decided to dig around a tree stump or two to prepare them for burning and bonfires when Tammy comes later this month. To my surprise I easily dug out the first tree stump. Part of the reason was the stump was not that big or deep and the other part was the ground was soft from all our recent rain.
I decided to dig around a stump close to a large pine tree. I was able to easily dig half the stump out. Since this stump was so close to the pine tree any bonfire around the stump would have to be small. I decided to dig the stump out but quit for the evening after digging down four or more feet.
I was able to spray one tank of herbicide before dark, though it was getting fairly dark by the time I finished.
Monday I decided to take an axe and a saw to the stump to completely remove it as the morning dew was still too heavy for spraying herbicide. Unfortunately when reaching for the long saw on the tool shed wall I stepped on the wheel adjuster for my new lawn mower and it snapped off. It broke so easily I thought it was plastic. Nope. Metal. What a minute? Doesn't metal bend?
Great. Just great. Just what I need - another project to do. I decided to use an adjuster from an old lawn mower but after I took it apart I found no two adjusters are alike. Useless for my new mower.
I found some small pieces of metal and decided to fashion a new adjuster combining part of the old adjuster with the new metal. I found the old adjuster metal to be very hard and I broke a drill bit trying to drill through it.
Ok, I'll call Home Depot where I got the mower to see if they have replacement parts. Nope. The person suggested I contact the manufacturer. I checked their web site (mdtproducts.com) and it was confusing and useless. The web site kept trying to send me to third party websites to purchase parts and none of them seemed to have the part I needed. One's site shipping cost was $8.95 so I didn't bother with that site anymore.
I called the lawn mower manufacturer's 1-800 number and the person I spoke with ended up giving me the address of several authorized dealers/repair centers in Kalispell. I'll take it there as soon as I can find my receipt, which I can't find presently. I found out the mower has a 2 year guarantee and I only had it barely over a year.
So I wasted most of my afternoon on the lawn mower, accomplished nothing and ended up in a foul mood.
Off I went to dig out / chop the tree stump. The saw I got when I stepped on the mower was useless on the stump. It figures. With a little more digging I enlarged the hole enough to kind of swing the axe and chopping here and chopping there I was able - with some effort - to get the stump out of the hole.
When filling the dirt back into the hole I ran across some wood in the ground. Another stump? So close to the first? It must be some side branch of the first stump. I dug and found a whole another tree stump. And so close to the one I just dug out and close to the live pine tree.
*sigh*
More digging and chopping and cuss words and a few hours later I eventually got this stump out of the ground.
So. Three stumps. All dug out and nothing for a bonfire later. It wasn't a wasted effort as I got rid of three tree stumps. It is just that I have higher priority things to do right now.
I was able to again spray one tank of herbicide before it got too dark.
Monday morning I noticed someone spot spraying my neighbor's leafy spurge weeds. Good. Sunday I had moved my cattle to my north pasture. Even without my neighbor's spraying it was good to move the cattle to a fresh field with new growth. They seem happy. With the cattle out of the hayfield I put my traps back in and caught five pocket gophers already.
Monday evening one of my neighbors down the road asked if he could bow hunt deer on my property this Fall. Sure. Anything to get rid of more deer. The deer were in my garden the other night and munched on my lettuce and beet leaves among other stuff. They also ate part of my young apple tree. The cattle had broken the fence around that tree this Spring and I hadn't repaired it yet. I should have done so.
Hole from stump number two.
Stump pieces from the first two stumps.
Sunday before spraying some weeds I decided to dig around a tree stump or two to prepare them for burning and bonfires when Tammy comes later this month. To my surprise I easily dug out the first tree stump. Part of the reason was the stump was not that big or deep and the other part was the ground was soft from all our recent rain.
I decided to dig around a stump close to a large pine tree. I was able to easily dig half the stump out. Since this stump was so close to the pine tree any bonfire around the stump would have to be small. I decided to dig the stump out but quit for the evening after digging down four or more feet.
I was able to spray one tank of herbicide before dark, though it was getting fairly dark by the time I finished.
Monday I decided to take an axe and a saw to the stump to completely remove it as the morning dew was still too heavy for spraying herbicide. Unfortunately when reaching for the long saw on the tool shed wall I stepped on the wheel adjuster for my new lawn mower and it snapped off. It broke so easily I thought it was plastic. Nope. Metal. What a minute? Doesn't metal bend?
Great. Just great. Just what I need - another project to do. I decided to use an adjuster from an old lawn mower but after I took it apart I found no two adjusters are alike. Useless for my new mower.
I found some small pieces of metal and decided to fashion a new adjuster combining part of the old adjuster with the new metal. I found the old adjuster metal to be very hard and I broke a drill bit trying to drill through it.
Ok, I'll call Home Depot where I got the mower to see if they have replacement parts. Nope. The person suggested I contact the manufacturer. I checked their web site (mdtproducts.com) and it was confusing and useless. The web site kept trying to send me to third party websites to purchase parts and none of them seemed to have the part I needed. One's site shipping cost was $8.95 so I didn't bother with that site anymore.
I called the lawn mower manufacturer's 1-800 number and the person I spoke with ended up giving me the address of several authorized dealers/repair centers in Kalispell. I'll take it there as soon as I can find my receipt, which I can't find presently. I found out the mower has a 2 year guarantee and I only had it barely over a year.
So I wasted most of my afternoon on the lawn mower, accomplished nothing and ended up in a foul mood.
Off I went to dig out / chop the tree stump. The saw I got when I stepped on the mower was useless on the stump. It figures. With a little more digging I enlarged the hole enough to kind of swing the axe and chopping here and chopping there I was able - with some effort - to get the stump out of the hole.
When filling the dirt back into the hole I ran across some wood in the ground. Another stump? So close to the first? It must be some side branch of the first stump. I dug and found a whole another tree stump. And so close to the one I just dug out and close to the live pine tree.
*sigh*
More digging and chopping and cuss words and a few hours later I eventually got this stump out of the ground.
So. Three stumps. All dug out and nothing for a bonfire later. It wasn't a wasted effort as I got rid of three tree stumps. It is just that I have higher priority things to do right now.
I was able to again spray one tank of herbicide before it got too dark.
Monday morning I noticed someone spot spraying my neighbor's leafy spurge weeds. Good. Sunday I had moved my cattle to my north pasture. Even without my neighbor's spraying it was good to move the cattle to a fresh field with new growth. They seem happy. With the cattle out of the hayfield I put my traps back in and caught five pocket gophers already.
Monday evening one of my neighbors down the road asked if he could bow hunt deer on my property this Fall. Sure. Anything to get rid of more deer. The deer were in my garden the other night and munched on my lettuce and beet leaves among other stuff. They also ate part of my young apple tree. The cattle had broken the fence around that tree this Spring and I hadn't repaired it yet. I should have done so.
Hole from stump number two.
Stump pieces from the first two stumps.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Raining Splitting
Another day of rain. The forecast earlier this week was for a slight chance of rain from a weak low pressure system, and the rain is still here after four days and we have rain in the forecast for two more days.
I'm not complaining, but I am not getting much done. The periods between rain showers are not long enough to allow for spraying of weeds or paint to dry. And it is pretty much too wet to do much else.
There was a hike I wanted to go on today but I skipped it which was a good thing as it rained.
Finally this evening we had a break long enough to do something. I got more apples for the cattle. When they seen me in the yard they all came over. More are eating apples from my hand and it seems as some of them prefer to get the apples that way as they are more certain to get apples than fighting over them on the ground.
Naturally they want more apples than what I have. They stand at the fence and try to make me feel guilty into giving them more. Eventually they go back to eating grass. But in an hour or so they made their rounds and were back again. Seeing me they rushed over and pretended they hadn't had any apples yet today.
I am starting to feel withdrawals from being active. I was able to use this evening's break from the rain to split firewood. I have a big stack of logs to split before I can cut and retrieve the fallen trees from the pastures. And I need to do it before winter, so why not now?
I am not sure if it is my imagination, or whether my release at having physical work, but I seemed to have split more than usual over a few hours. One third of the stack is now split.
Because the logs are wet I left the split wood sit outside and be a mess. Eventually it will stop raining and they will dry and then I will stack them. The photo shows most - but not all - of the logs I split today.
I'm not complaining, but I am not getting much done. The periods between rain showers are not long enough to allow for spraying of weeds or paint to dry. And it is pretty much too wet to do much else.
There was a hike I wanted to go on today but I skipped it which was a good thing as it rained.
Finally this evening we had a break long enough to do something. I got more apples for the cattle. When they seen me in the yard they all came over. More are eating apples from my hand and it seems as some of them prefer to get the apples that way as they are more certain to get apples than fighting over them on the ground.
Naturally they want more apples than what I have. They stand at the fence and try to make me feel guilty into giving them more. Eventually they go back to eating grass. But in an hour or so they made their rounds and were back again. Seeing me they rushed over and pretended they hadn't had any apples yet today.
I am starting to feel withdrawals from being active. I was able to use this evening's break from the rain to split firewood. I have a big stack of logs to split before I can cut and retrieve the fallen trees from the pastures. And I need to do it before winter, so why not now?
I am not sure if it is my imagination, or whether my release at having physical work, but I seemed to have split more than usual over a few hours. One third of the stack is now split.
Because the logs are wet I left the split wood sit outside and be a mess. Eventually it will stop raining and they will dry and then I will stack them. The photo shows most - but not all - of the logs I split today.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Rain
It has been a wet past three days. Unusually wet for August. I remember August last year was bone dry with temperatures in the 90s. So far the past few days we have had almost an inch of rain. A good rain. A slow off-and-on rain. A soaking rain. I don't have to worry about enough green grass for the cattle.
Naturally with all the rain I haven't got much done outside. Wednesday evening I used a break in the rain to spray several tanks of herbicide on weeds and finished the north pasture. Mother Nature was nice enough to wait exactly four hours after I finished spraying before it rained again. Four hours is the time recommended for the herbicide to dry after spraying.
Thursday night Mother Nature didn't favor me as it rained an hour after I finished spraying a tank of herbicide. I didn't even bother spraying Friday. When I did venture outside to do something like split logs it would soon begin to rain again.
With the rain - cool temperatures. Friday the temperature stayed in the mid 50s, around twenty-five degrees below normal. I am wearing a flannel shirt and a coat when outside. It feels like Fall and this is mid-August! Weather radar today showed snow falling on the higher mountains. Yet another sign of global warming.
Friday night Arnie and Eileen invited me to have supper with them and their son Larry. Arnie and Larry have climbed many mountains in Glacier Park. Monday I plan to hike to Ptarmigan Tunnel then to Redgap Pass then back to Many Glacier. A 22.4 mile hike. On the map I found a cutoff trail to the road that will save a few miles. Then there is a goat trail from near the tunnel to Redgap Pass that will save over two miles and a thousand or more elevation loss and gain. Arnie and Larry have traveled over this trail on one of their mountain climbs and I quizzed them about the trail and where to find it.
Oh yeah... heifer #75 has calmed down. She now stays with the herd and seldom bellows. She still has a look in her eye and didn't join the herd in today's apple eating frenzy so she is still in heat. Perhaps this cool weather and rain is dampening her fire somewhat. I hope so.
Naturally with all the rain I haven't got much done outside. Wednesday evening I used a break in the rain to spray several tanks of herbicide on weeds and finished the north pasture. Mother Nature was nice enough to wait exactly four hours after I finished spraying before it rained again. Four hours is the time recommended for the herbicide to dry after spraying.
Thursday night Mother Nature didn't favor me as it rained an hour after I finished spraying a tank of herbicide. I didn't even bother spraying Friday. When I did venture outside to do something like split logs it would soon begin to rain again.
With the rain - cool temperatures. Friday the temperature stayed in the mid 50s, around twenty-five degrees below normal. I am wearing a flannel shirt and a coat when outside. It feels like Fall and this is mid-August! Weather radar today showed snow falling on the higher mountains. Yet another sign of global warming.
Friday night Arnie and Eileen invited me to have supper with them and their son Larry. Arnie and Larry have climbed many mountains in Glacier Park. Monday I plan to hike to Ptarmigan Tunnel then to Redgap Pass then back to Many Glacier. A 22.4 mile hike. On the map I found a cutoff trail to the road that will save a few miles. Then there is a goat trail from near the tunnel to Redgap Pass that will save over two miles and a thousand or more elevation loss and gain. Arnie and Larry have traveled over this trail on one of their mountain climbs and I quizzed them about the trail and where to find it.
Oh yeah... heifer #75 has calmed down. She now stays with the herd and seldom bellows. She still has a look in her eye and didn't join the herd in today's apple eating frenzy so she is still in heat. Perhaps this cool weather and rain is dampening her fire somewhat. I hope so.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
She got it bad
"She got it bad and that ain't good."
Heifer 75 is in heat. Bad. At first I didn't recognize it. In the evening when I gave the cattle their apples for the day all lined up and fought for apples except 75. She stood in the back and occasionally would bellow. Initially I thought she found her voice and like a little kid who learns to talk, doesn't shut up.
The cattle hung around the house and whenever I was outside they would stand at the fence and beg for more apples. Except 75. As I rode off to get more apples from the neighbor I saw her head across the field alone to go to the middle pasture. Okay, she is heading to the river to get a drink. Still she is acting strange. She is acting like a mother cow that lost her calf as she seems to be calling someone and looking for them.
When I returned with apples the herd was still near the fence and all came over when they saw me return. I gave them a few more apples and counted. Nineteen. Hmmm.... the herd always stays together. Well, 75 must be at the river getting a drink.
I headed out to the pasture to spray some weeds. I could hear 75 bellow down by the river. Then she came across the south pasture to stand at the gate which was closed. She had done some traveling. I opened the gate and she came through, though quickly and warily of me.
The herd by now had come to see what we were doing and all gathered at the gate which I had closed again. 75 was foaming at the mouth and agitated. She tried to mount a few other heifers. She seemed to calm down but then she took off again. This time she headed out into the hayfield. One heifer stood at the gate and watched her go. The rest stood at the fence near me.
75 covered half the perimeter of the hayfield and along the fence before returning to the herd. She would bellow as she walked. By now I realized she was in heat worse than any heifer I've seen. She was calling for a bull. She had that crazed look in her eye I've seen in other heifers. Usually it was when they were in heat and there was a bull nearby. There is no bull nearby and she seems to be more "gone" than the other heifers who went 'boy crazy'.
I thought I should get her and the herd into the corral for the night to be on the safe side. But she ignored me once she got back near the herd and she rejoined them. This time she seemed to settle down. The herd went into the pasture to eat and she went with them and quit her bellowing for the most part though she would let out an occasional bellow.
I finished spraying the thistle weeds and rode my bicycle uptown to get some stuff. When I returned before 10 pm I saw her alone in the darkness along the fence while the herd was in the middle of the hayfield.
*sigh*
It is going to be a long night for the both of us. Fortunately there are no other cattle nearby either in sight or sound. The neighbor's bull and cattle are back at his place. Still, she is in the mood to find some luvin'. The way she is acting I almost feel sorry for the bull. He would have to perform - and now!
Heifer 75 is in heat. Bad. At first I didn't recognize it. In the evening when I gave the cattle their apples for the day all lined up and fought for apples except 75. She stood in the back and occasionally would bellow. Initially I thought she found her voice and like a little kid who learns to talk, doesn't shut up.
The cattle hung around the house and whenever I was outside they would stand at the fence and beg for more apples. Except 75. As I rode off to get more apples from the neighbor I saw her head across the field alone to go to the middle pasture. Okay, she is heading to the river to get a drink. Still she is acting strange. She is acting like a mother cow that lost her calf as she seems to be calling someone and looking for them.
When I returned with apples the herd was still near the fence and all came over when they saw me return. I gave them a few more apples and counted. Nineteen. Hmmm.... the herd always stays together. Well, 75 must be at the river getting a drink.
I headed out to the pasture to spray some weeds. I could hear 75 bellow down by the river. Then she came across the south pasture to stand at the gate which was closed. She had done some traveling. I opened the gate and she came through, though quickly and warily of me.
The herd by now had come to see what we were doing and all gathered at the gate which I had closed again. 75 was foaming at the mouth and agitated. She tried to mount a few other heifers. She seemed to calm down but then she took off again. This time she headed out into the hayfield. One heifer stood at the gate and watched her go. The rest stood at the fence near me.
75 covered half the perimeter of the hayfield and along the fence before returning to the herd. She would bellow as she walked. By now I realized she was in heat worse than any heifer I've seen. She was calling for a bull. She had that crazed look in her eye I've seen in other heifers. Usually it was when they were in heat and there was a bull nearby. There is no bull nearby and she seems to be more "gone" than the other heifers who went 'boy crazy'.
I thought I should get her and the herd into the corral for the night to be on the safe side. But she ignored me once she got back near the herd and she rejoined them. This time she seemed to settle down. The herd went into the pasture to eat and she went with them and quit her bellowing for the most part though she would let out an occasional bellow.
I finished spraying the thistle weeds and rode my bicycle uptown to get some stuff. When I returned before 10 pm I saw her alone in the darkness along the fence while the herd was in the middle of the hayfield.
*sigh*
It is going to be a long night for the both of us. Fortunately there are no other cattle nearby either in sight or sound. The neighbor's bull and cattle are back at his place. Still, she is in the mood to find some luvin'. The way she is acting I almost feel sorry for the bull. He would have to perform - and now!
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Back to seven
Tuesday morning the cattle played some more with me, teasing me. They took their siesta in both the south and middle pastures. They picked trees on each side of the gate to rest under. *sigh* But when it came time to go the river to drink they all went via the middle pasture and I was able to close the gate to the south pasture.
While they were at river I decided to rake the loose dirt around the final three holes to be filled from this Spring's tree stump burning. I had noticed that on the way to the river some of the cattle had stopped and took a dust bath from the loose dirt.
To fill in the hole, I stand in it and rake the dirt ringing the hole into it. While at the first hole the cattle came up from the river and when they saw me they all came running over in a stampede. I had thought maybe they were curious about what I was doing, but maybe they thought I had fallen in the hole and needed their help. Such nice cattle.
They ringed the hole all around me and the ones closest to me sniffed and licked me. The ones on the further side of the hole occasionally would partially slip into the hole when either bumped or when they reached out too far when trying to get to me.
After a count and check of Pink (she looks better today, thank you for asking) I told them I would give them some apples. I walked to the hayfield and they all followed me. Once they got to the hayfield they forgot about my promise of apples and went to work eating the grass.
Later in the day I gave them some apples. After that, whenever they saw me in the yard they came to the fence and begged for more apples.
I finished mowing the yarrow weed patches. Finally! When I got home I found my missing pocket gopher trap sitting on my porch step. This is the trap that went missing over a month ago, my missing seventh pocket gopher trap. I had asked the neighbors to the south of me to keep an eye out for it. It is nice to be back to full strength when trapping gophers.
By the way, when mowing the yarrow I noticed pocket gopher dirt mounds in the area of the regular gophers. As the two don't mix this is another sign the regular gophers are either gone or on the ropes.
I spoke with and thanked the wife and she said her husband had found the trap in the caragana bushes when he was watering the yard. She also told me the landlord planned to spray his field next Monday to kill the leafy spurge and other weeds. My suggestions to her and the person who will be putting horses in the field finally got back to the landlord. To be safe when they spray I'll move my cattle from the hayfield in case they want to stand near the fence line.
In the evening I rode my bicycle to the Picnic in the Park concert. Between mowing the weeds and talking with the neighbor I was 45 minutes late to the concert.
The band was Spostah. The brochure said they were fresh bluegrass with hip-hop thrown in. I didn't hear any bluegrass in their music. They were more rock. Many songs were good, especially a couple instrumental songs. The songs where the lead singer rapped for part of the song - I didn't care for. They had varied music styles and often it meant a long gap between songs, too long in my opinion.
The band played fifteen minutes past the 9 pm end and had one encore when they said people were requesting one more song. The sun sets earlier now
and it was dark when I got home at 10 pm.
While they were at river I decided to rake the loose dirt around the final three holes to be filled from this Spring's tree stump burning. I had noticed that on the way to the river some of the cattle had stopped and took a dust bath from the loose dirt.
To fill in the hole, I stand in it and rake the dirt ringing the hole into it. While at the first hole the cattle came up from the river and when they saw me they all came running over in a stampede. I had thought maybe they were curious about what I was doing, but maybe they thought I had fallen in the hole and needed their help. Such nice cattle.
They ringed the hole all around me and the ones closest to me sniffed and licked me. The ones on the further side of the hole occasionally would partially slip into the hole when either bumped or when they reached out too far when trying to get to me.
After a count and check of Pink (she looks better today, thank you for asking) I told them I would give them some apples. I walked to the hayfield and they all followed me. Once they got to the hayfield they forgot about my promise of apples and went to work eating the grass.
Later in the day I gave them some apples. After that, whenever they saw me in the yard they came to the fence and begged for more apples.
I finished mowing the yarrow weed patches. Finally! When I got home I found my missing pocket gopher trap sitting on my porch step. This is the trap that went missing over a month ago, my missing seventh pocket gopher trap. I had asked the neighbors to the south of me to keep an eye out for it. It is nice to be back to full strength when trapping gophers.
By the way, when mowing the yarrow I noticed pocket gopher dirt mounds in the area of the regular gophers. As the two don't mix this is another sign the regular gophers are either gone or on the ropes.
I spoke with and thanked the wife and she said her husband had found the trap in the caragana bushes when he was watering the yard. She also told me the landlord planned to spray his field next Monday to kill the leafy spurge and other weeds. My suggestions to her and the person who will be putting horses in the field finally got back to the landlord. To be safe when they spray I'll move my cattle from the hayfield in case they want to stand near the fence line.
In the evening I rode my bicycle to the Picnic in the Park concert. Between mowing the weeds and talking with the neighbor I was 45 minutes late to the concert.The band was Spostah. The brochure said they were fresh bluegrass with hip-hop thrown in. I didn't hear any bluegrass in their music. They were more rock. Many songs were good, especially a couple instrumental songs. The songs where the lead singer rapped for part of the song - I didn't care for. They had varied music styles and often it meant a long gap between songs, too long in my opinion.
The band played fifteen minutes past the 9 pm end and had one encore when they said people were requesting one more song. The sun sets earlier now
and it was dark when I got home at 10 pm.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Hopscotch
Since I was gone Sunday from dusk to dark I never saw my "girls" until Monday morning. I always have a worry this time of year that they will get the itch to roam and will get out.
Yup. Kind of.
I found them in the middle pasture. They had crossed the river to the peninsula and then over to the middle pasture.
*sigh*
I debated what to do. Maybe they'll go back the same way.
Nope. After wandering around to eat they settled in under their favorite large trees near the salt blocks holders. The salt blocks were in the south pasture but no matter they settled in for their siesta.
After breakfast I went out to do a headcount on them and to move the salt blocks to the middle pasture. I had been thinking of moving the cattle back to the middle pasture and hayfield anyway on Monday or Tuesday. I opened the gate to the hayfield and then got the salt blocks from the south pasture.
After I put the salt blocks in the middle pasture's holder most of the cattle got up and checked me out. No one licked my shoes this time but one tried to untie my shoelaces and a few others wanted to rub their head against me.
I did notice two that looked different. One was drooling a lot when she got up. She looked healthy and eventually stopped drooling. Pink made faces. Looking closer her hip bones looked like they were sticking out more than the other cattle. She looked a little thin in her back part. I watched her and she was vigorous and not lethargic. She even head butted a nearby heifer who irked her. She appears to be fine and not sick.
After most of the cattle settled back into their siesta I crossed to the south pasture and went to check out their past doings at the river. Plenty of green grass along the river and on the island. By the time I reached the middle pasture I found the cattle had come to the river to drink.
Then some of them crossed over to the peninsula. The others followed except for #55. She stayed behind. I sat and watched how and where the herd crossed over. A few took different tacks in crossing and not all chose the shallow area. Some are pretty calm in walking in water well above the bottom of their belly.
55 came by me and along the middle pasture section that was fenced. She called to the others but they ignored her. She ate some grass. She looked at the others all now on the peninsula. She tried to step over my simple two-strand barb wire fence but changed her mind as it was just a bit too high to step over. She bellowed. She ate some grass.
As she was the only one left, and I didn't want her to break my fence, I told her to come up the rise past me and over to where there was no fence. She listened but still would look across to the ones on the peninsula. I talked to her some more and came down from the high point. When she started to come towards me I walked back up the rise and then over to the area with no fence and where it was shallow to cross.
55 followed me to the area but still gave me a wide berth and picked her own spot where to cross. I wonder if her crossing last month to visit the bull put a fear of water in her as it looked like she didn't want to cross. But she did and hopped up on the river bank to join the others.
Alright then. I left them as I had other stuff to do.
Later in the afternoon I saw the herd in the south pasture. I went out to open the south/middle pasture gate. They ignored the open gate and stayed in the south pasture where I think they still are.
I think the cattle are having fun messing with me.
Other than that I watered my garden since it never rained. My one surviving pumpkin plant looks to be at the stage it needed to be in June. I am not going to get any pumpkins this year, a first since I started planting pumpkin plants. Still I didn't have the heart to pull the plant and instead watered, which was a waste of time.
It looks to be a typical year for tomato plants. By that I mean I have very large bushy plants but little in the way of tomatoes. I watered them also.
I hadn't watered the strawberry plants since my last weeding. I could tell the difference in leaf color between the ones I recently weeded and the ones I weeded in July when Tammy was here. So I watered all my weeded strawberry plants.
Speaking of weeds I mowed all evening the bad area of yarrow in the middle pasture and got two thirds of the bad section mowed. I'll finish it tomorrow. Then it will be on to attacking the thistle. Some of the thistle in the south pasture has started to open their seed heads.
This warm and dry weather is moving the weed seeds right along. I can tell the yarrow is getting tougher to cut today than last week. The stems are wiry to begin with but now some pass unscathed under and through the lawn mower.
Yup. Kind of.
I found them in the middle pasture. They had crossed the river to the peninsula and then over to the middle pasture.
*sigh*
I debated what to do. Maybe they'll go back the same way.
Nope. After wandering around to eat they settled in under their favorite large trees near the salt blocks holders. The salt blocks were in the south pasture but no matter they settled in for their siesta.
After breakfast I went out to do a headcount on them and to move the salt blocks to the middle pasture. I had been thinking of moving the cattle back to the middle pasture and hayfield anyway on Monday or Tuesday. I opened the gate to the hayfield and then got the salt blocks from the south pasture.
After I put the salt blocks in the middle pasture's holder most of the cattle got up and checked me out. No one licked my shoes this time but one tried to untie my shoelaces and a few others wanted to rub their head against me.
I did notice two that looked different. One was drooling a lot when she got up. She looked healthy and eventually stopped drooling. Pink made faces. Looking closer her hip bones looked like they were sticking out more than the other cattle. She looked a little thin in her back part. I watched her and she was vigorous and not lethargic. She even head butted a nearby heifer who irked her. She appears to be fine and not sick.
After most of the cattle settled back into their siesta I crossed to the south pasture and went to check out their past doings at the river. Plenty of green grass along the river and on the island. By the time I reached the middle pasture I found the cattle had come to the river to drink.
Then some of them crossed over to the peninsula. The others followed except for #55. She stayed behind. I sat and watched how and where the herd crossed over. A few took different tacks in crossing and not all chose the shallow area. Some are pretty calm in walking in water well above the bottom of their belly.
55 came by me and along the middle pasture section that was fenced. She called to the others but they ignored her. She ate some grass. She looked at the others all now on the peninsula. She tried to step over my simple two-strand barb wire fence but changed her mind as it was just a bit too high to step over. She bellowed. She ate some grass.
As she was the only one left, and I didn't want her to break my fence, I told her to come up the rise past me and over to where there was no fence. She listened but still would look across to the ones on the peninsula. I talked to her some more and came down from the high point. When she started to come towards me I walked back up the rise and then over to the area with no fence and where it was shallow to cross.
55 followed me to the area but still gave me a wide berth and picked her own spot where to cross. I wonder if her crossing last month to visit the bull put a fear of water in her as it looked like she didn't want to cross. But she did and hopped up on the river bank to join the others.
Alright then. I left them as I had other stuff to do.
Later in the afternoon I saw the herd in the south pasture. I went out to open the south/middle pasture gate. They ignored the open gate and stayed in the south pasture where I think they still are.
I think the cattle are having fun messing with me.
Other than that I watered my garden since it never rained. My one surviving pumpkin plant looks to be at the stage it needed to be in June. I am not going to get any pumpkins this year, a first since I started planting pumpkin plants. Still I didn't have the heart to pull the plant and instead watered, which was a waste of time.
It looks to be a typical year for tomato plants. By that I mean I have very large bushy plants but little in the way of tomatoes. I watered them also.
I hadn't watered the strawberry plants since my last weeding. I could tell the difference in leaf color between the ones I recently weeded and the ones I weeded in July when Tammy was here. So I watered all my weeded strawberry plants.
Speaking of weeds I mowed all evening the bad area of yarrow in the middle pasture and got two thirds of the bad section mowed. I'll finish it tomorrow. Then it will be on to attacking the thistle. Some of the thistle in the south pasture has started to open their seed heads.
This warm and dry weather is moving the weed seeds right along. I can tell the yarrow is getting tougher to cut today than last week. The stems are wiry to begin with but now some pass unscathed under and through the lawn mower.
Monday, August 10, 2009
2 year aniversary
Sunday August 9th I hiked to the Belly River area of Glacier Nat'l Park. It was during this hike that I remembered backpacking on these trails back in July 1992 with Denise and Jeff on my first backpacking trip in Glacier.
I hadn't been on these trails since then until now over 17 years later. I was trying to remember the mountains, valleys, lakes, trails, the river crossing with the cable, the campgrounds we stayed at, the ranger station, the ranger who wrote me the ticket, etc. Then I remembered that Denise passed away from cancer almost two years ago to the day. She died August 10, 2007.
The other people I hiked with Sunday - and who didn't know of Denise - picked this as a place to hike and picked the date.
Here is a photo from the 1992 hike.
I hadn't been on these trails since then until now over 17 years later. I was trying to remember the mountains, valleys, lakes, trails, the river crossing with the cable, the campgrounds we stayed at, the ranger station, the ranger who wrote me the ticket, etc. Then I remembered that Denise passed away from cancer almost two years ago to the day. She died August 10, 2007.
The other people I hiked with Sunday - and who didn't know of Denise - picked this as a place to hike and picked the date.
Here is a photo from the 1992 hike.
Sunday, August 09, 2009
Does red make me look thin?
Last night the outside low temperature fell to 45 F. With my windows and doors open the inside temperature was in the low 60s. That must be why I slept so well. Maybe too well as I slept 9 hours.
A New York Times article backs me up that cold temperatures make better sleeping. I think in my case my optimal sleeping temperature is in the lower part of the 60 to 68 degree range.
My "girls" were not to be seen all morning (or at least the part of the morning I was awake). I had to trust they were alright and were in the back part of the south pasture or down at the river and not roaming. I'll leave roaming to gnomes and not my cattle. The south pasture, with more trees and a little roll in the land, hides the cattle better.
Still I fretted a little at not seeing them. "Trust that they are alright and not getting into trouble." I kept telling myself. I think I would have made a poor dad if I had kids as I would be worrying about my daughters all the time.
Then mid afternoon they made their circuit and came to the salt blocks. "Whew! They are ok and not misbehaving."
I dropped off a Mountain Trader newspaper for Jan as she forgot to get one this week. She is looking for a larger container to hold Jasmine overnight. Jasmine is getting pretty big. It is amazing that a few months ago Jan could hold her in one hand. Jasmine is certainly no longer a puppy.
Jasmine was spayed the other day and Jan said she wasn't feeling the best since. I couldn't tell it as Jasmine was jumping up to see me and all active when I stopped by. She gets excited to see me.
Jan told me I had to eat more as I was way too thin. I think it was the red t-shirt I was wearing. Maybe red makes me look thin?
Other than that, my main activity Saturday was to finishing mowing the weeds in the north pasture. I also mowed a small area along my fence in Jim and Debbie's pasture as they have a bad case of yarrow and knapweed also. I then started on the bad weed area in my middle pasture and got a 10 foot wide section started along the fence before it got dark (man, it is getting dark so much earlier now! Add in an overcast sky with the cool mid 60's temperature and one would think this is September.) Anyway, it will take me a day to finish the middle pasture mowing then I can get back to spraying the rest of the weeds.
Well, I better get to bed as I have a long (17.6 mile) hike in Glacier Park. The hike is in the Belly River area so it is a three hour drive to just get to the trail head. 6 am is going to come far sooner than I'd like. One thing is for certain - I won't be sleeping 9 hours tonight! ...now, where is my alarm clock?
A New York Times article backs me up that cold temperatures make better sleeping. I think in my case my optimal sleeping temperature is in the lower part of the 60 to 68 degree range.
My "girls" were not to be seen all morning (or at least the part of the morning I was awake). I had to trust they were alright and were in the back part of the south pasture or down at the river and not roaming. I'll leave roaming to gnomes and not my cattle. The south pasture, with more trees and a little roll in the land, hides the cattle better.
Still I fretted a little at not seeing them. "Trust that they are alright and not getting into trouble." I kept telling myself. I think I would have made a poor dad if I had kids as I would be worrying about my daughters all the time.
Then mid afternoon they made their circuit and came to the salt blocks. "Whew! They are ok and not misbehaving."
I dropped off a Mountain Trader newspaper for Jan as she forgot to get one this week. She is looking for a larger container to hold Jasmine overnight. Jasmine is getting pretty big. It is amazing that a few months ago Jan could hold her in one hand. Jasmine is certainly no longer a puppy.
Jasmine was spayed the other day and Jan said she wasn't feeling the best since. I couldn't tell it as Jasmine was jumping up to see me and all active when I stopped by. She gets excited to see me.
Jan told me I had to eat more as I was way too thin. I think it was the red t-shirt I was wearing. Maybe red makes me look thin?
Other than that, my main activity Saturday was to finishing mowing the weeds in the north pasture. I also mowed a small area along my fence in Jim and Debbie's pasture as they have a bad case of yarrow and knapweed also. I then started on the bad weed area in my middle pasture and got a 10 foot wide section started along the fence before it got dark (man, it is getting dark so much earlier now! Add in an overcast sky with the cool mid 60's temperature and one would think this is September.
) Anyway, it will take me a day to finish the middle pasture mowing then I can get back to spraying the rest of the weeds.Well, I better get to bed as I have a long (17.6 mile) hike in Glacier Park. The hike is in the Belly River area so it is a three hour drive to just get to the trail head. 6 am is going to come far sooner than I'd like. One thing is for certain - I won't be sleeping 9 hours tonight! ...now, where is my alarm clock?
Saturday, August 08, 2009
Should I feel annoyed?
I shouldn't let it get to me but I was annoyed much of the day. 
First, the rain situation. After being warned all week about the big rains that were coming on Friday - and even having flash floods advisories in effect - nada. Officially we had a trace of moisture, and that may have been because of a couple drops of rain.
Here is a radar image I captured mid day. That was as close as the rain got to Kalispell. The 10 pm weather said Missoula got over 2 inches of rain. 2 inches!! Kalispell... a trace.
The rain was so close to here. In the evening I could see the edge of the heavy blue cloud bank to the southeast. Overhead - it was mostly clear.
I was so looking forward to the rain. With this rain I would have been set for the rest of August concerning the grass and the cattle.
So much for the weather forecasters. Bah!
Since it didn't rain I decided to move the cattle from the hayfield/middle pasture to the south pasture in order to give the hayfield a break for a few days. Before doing so I decided to check the south pasture's fences around the river. I've been maintaining my neighbor's simple fence along the river bank between my south pasture and my "thumb" of land. Now that the river level is down I decided to check if time and river erosion affected the fence. Most of it was good, especially the section I reinforced last year when the cattle made a jailbreak in that section. An older section needed some help and I sharpened one of the ends then added seven boards as posts and did some nailing on the barb wire strands.
My big island fence looks good and it doesn't appear the deer broke any sections of it. I did notice that a short section on the thumb could use a simple (2 strands of barb wire) fence. Either I have not noticed it before, else this overflow channel is filling in as this section's river depth didn't look as deep as in the past. "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" and I decided to build a fence here in case the cattle get any ideas. Back home again to get barb wire and some boards to use as posts.
I supposed I should be grateful the temperature was cooler than normal and it was cloudy as this heavily treed and brushy area can get quite warm when working. The mosquitoes were out even though it was in the afternoon.
Walking through the south pasture I noticed the Canadian Thistle weeds are much farther along than in the other two pastures. Quite a number of the thistle had seed heads with many seed heads looking close to being ready to open. *Argh!*
I puzzled why the thistle in this pasture is farther along and came to the conclusion it is because I've not sprayed these weeds and they are more mature than the other pastures' thistle. Usually I only have time to knock the tops off this pasture's weeds so they don't go to seed. I am going to try to change that this year.
Now that the cattle are in the south pasture I am going to miss them sleeping in the hayfield just south of the house. With all the hayfield to chose from it was nice to see them bedded down each night when I signed off the computer and went to bed.
Walking into the corral I spotted an animal running from the large round hay bale to the south chain link fence. The animal squeezed through the fence and ran into the hayfield. It looked to be a gopher but they are all underground now.
I didn't get a real good look at the animal but I saw the grass move as it ran. It took me a few moments to get through the fence then go to where I last saw the grass move. No sign of the animal nor any signs of a gopher hole. It is a mystery as to what the animal was. It definitely was larger than a mouse.
Sue Ann stopped by Friday afternoon to get her can of bear spray that she had left in my car after our last hike. Her son was coming Friday evening to visit for a week and Sue Ann wanted the spray for when they go hiking.
I had to ride my bicycle to the gas station to get more gas for my lawn mower. I noticed my neighbor - Clyde - with all the apple trees was out working in his garage/shop. I stopped and asked if I could have the apples that fall on the ground like he gave me in the past. The cattle love the apples and so do I as they are better than mine, though I do like my transparent apples. We ended up chatting for well over an hour.
To add to my annoyances for the day my bicycle computer reset on me and the mileage count went back to zero.
By the time I got home it was starting to get dark. Now that it is August it gets dark before 10 pm. Less than a month of summer left.
So much for my planned work items for the day. The only thing on the list I accomplished was to bake a loaf of banana bread.
First, the rain situation. After being warned all week about the big rains that were coming on Friday - and even having flash floods advisories in effect - nada. Officially we had a trace of moisture, and that may have been because of a couple drops of rain.Here is a radar image I captured mid day. That was as close as the rain got to Kalispell. The 10 pm weather said Missoula got over 2 inches of rain. 2 inches!! Kalispell... a trace.
The rain was so close to here. In the evening I could see the edge of the heavy blue cloud bank to the southeast. Overhead - it was mostly clear.
I was so looking forward to the rain. With this rain I would have been set for the rest of August concerning the grass and the cattle.
So much for the weather forecasters. Bah!
Since it didn't rain I decided to move the cattle from the hayfield/middle pasture to the south pasture in order to give the hayfield a break for a few days. Before doing so I decided to check the south pasture's fences around the river. I've been maintaining my neighbor's simple fence along the river bank between my south pasture and my "thumb" of land. Now that the river level is down I decided to check if time and river erosion affected the fence. Most of it was good, especially the section I reinforced last year when the cattle made a jailbreak in that section. An older section needed some help and I sharpened one of the ends then added seven boards as posts and did some nailing on the barb wire strands.
My big island fence looks good and it doesn't appear the deer broke any sections of it. I did notice that a short section on the thumb could use a simple (2 strands of barb wire) fence. Either I have not noticed it before, else this overflow channel is filling in as this section's river depth didn't look as deep as in the past. "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" and I decided to build a fence here in case the cattle get any ideas. Back home again to get barb wire and some boards to use as posts.
I supposed I should be grateful the temperature was cooler than normal and it was cloudy as this heavily treed and brushy area can get quite warm when working. The mosquitoes were out even though it was in the afternoon.
Walking through the south pasture I noticed the Canadian Thistle weeds are much farther along than in the other two pastures. Quite a number of the thistle had seed heads with many seed heads looking close to being ready to open. *Argh!*
I puzzled why the thistle in this pasture is farther along and came to the conclusion it is because I've not sprayed these weeds and they are more mature than the other pastures' thistle. Usually I only have time to knock the tops off this pasture's weeds so they don't go to seed. I am going to try to change that this year.Now that the cattle are in the south pasture I am going to miss them sleeping in the hayfield just south of the house. With all the hayfield to chose from it was nice to see them bedded down each night when I signed off the computer and went to bed.
Walking into the corral I spotted an animal running from the large round hay bale to the south chain link fence. The animal squeezed through the fence and ran into the hayfield. It looked to be a gopher but they are all underground now.
I didn't get a real good look at the animal but I saw the grass move as it ran. It took me a few moments to get through the fence then go to where I last saw the grass move. No sign of the animal nor any signs of a gopher hole. It is a mystery as to what the animal was. It definitely was larger than a mouse.Sue Ann stopped by Friday afternoon to get her can of bear spray that she had left in my car after our last hike. Her son was coming Friday evening to visit for a week and Sue Ann wanted the spray for when they go hiking.
I had to ride my bicycle to the gas station to get more gas for my lawn mower. I noticed my neighbor - Clyde - with all the apple trees was out working in his garage/shop. I stopped and asked if I could have the apples that fall on the ground like he gave me in the past. The cattle love the apples and so do I as they are better than mine, though I do like my transparent apples. We ended up chatting for well over an hour.
To add to my annoyances for the day my bicycle computer reset on me and the mileage count went back to zero.
By the time I got home it was starting to get dark. Now that it is August it gets dark before 10 pm. Less than a month of summer left.
So much for my planned work items for the day.
The only thing on the list I accomplished was to bake a loaf of banana bread.
Friday, August 07, 2009
Knowing and mowing
Cattle sixth sense
Sometimes I just know when the cattle have crossed the river. Thursday for example. I saw the cattle taking their siesta under one of their favorite trees until noon. When I looked out to the pasture around 1 pm they weren't there. Even though they are out of sight when they go to the river to drink, something told me they were doing more than drinking. I went to the river to see.
At the river I found two heifers in my pasture and acting 'kind of lost'. The reason? The rest of the herd was across the river on the peninsula. At least they were on the correct (my) side of the fence. The river level is getting low (136 CFS and dropping) so it is much easier to cross the river now.
I waited and watched and counted the cattle as they came out of the trees to and along the river bank. Eighteen. Good. As I waited the two cattle on my side of the river stood by me and one licked my shoes and hands.
Some of the cattle on the other side of the river stood and stared at me.
"No, you're not in trouble. Just stay on this side of the fence and come back soon once you're done exploring."
I returned back home. A short time later the herd all came back. They listen to me. As the herd crossed from the pasture to the hayfield one heifer stood and bellowed. Soon four heifers came from the trees near the river, the last heifer running to catch up.
With the herd back so soon I gave them apples as a reward. I had missed giving them the apples the previous night so I had half a pail ready for them.
Later that evening when I was mowing grass in the fruit tree and garden area the cattle came to the hayfield/yard fence. After I told them I was going to finish the mowing before getting them more apples they went back to eat, though they remained near the fence.
Some heifers are catching on how to take the apples from my hands. Over the years I've figured out that the cattle have to learn how to do this as it doesn't come naturally to take something from my hand.
At first they want to sniff and check it out before taking the apples. Then they have figure out how to use their tongue or mouth to take it from my hand. In the beginning they often drop the apples. Add in the jostling of other cattle around them and you can see why it takes time. The ones who do learn can vacuum up the apples well. I still watch that they don't bite my fingers though no cattle has ever done so. My hand can get slobbered all over though and sometimes my hand gets into their mouth a little more than I would like.
The benefits for the cattle taking the apples from my hand is that they do get the apple. When I toss it on the ground several cattle often go for it and the fastest and pushiest wins. When feeding apples to the cattle I remain on the opposite side of the fence as they can get into a frenzy and major shoving match in an effort to get all the apples they can.
The Eagle had landed
The other day, as I approached the river, I heard a loud splash before I could see the water. When I got to the river I saw a large bird splashing about in the river. Initially I thought it was a heron. That was until I saw the bird take off. It was an eagle. Apparently it tried to grab a fish. I didn't see anything in its claws but as I was a distance away it could have had a small fish that I couldn't see. I was spending more time trying to identify the bird than seeing what it carried.
Mowing a pasture
Earlier I mentioned mowing the grass. I mowed around the house and a little elsewhere in the yard. Then it was off to mow part of the pasture. I have been spraying the north pasture and got half of it done. There is an open area between two groves of trees, about a third of the north pasture.. The weeds are very bad there. Last year I spent lots of time and spray attacking the knapweed that grew there. That paid off as there is only about a quarter of the knapweed of last year. The yarrow is another story.
Last year it was so dry the yarrow was dormant when I sprayed this area and the herbicide had little to no effect on it. This year, being wetter, means the yarrow is not dormant. But it is heading in that direction with the recent heat and dry weather. Also I've noticed this year the knapweed and yarrow weeds that are just above ground are affected much much quicker by the herbicide than these weeds that have some height and are starting to form seeds.
My solution? Mow the weeds in this "third". The grass between the weeds has been eaten down by the cattle. There are enough weeds to make mowing worthwhile. And it will save me time and herbicide as I don't have to spray all the weeds' stalks.
I set the lawn mower on the highest height and started mowing. I got half this area mowed before I ran out of gas and it got dark. I found that these weeds' stalks and stems were wiry and tough and I had to take care not to mow too fast so as not to miss cutting some of the weeds.
Cattle broker
I should have no problem selling my cattle in September. Rich, a local cattle broker, called me this morning asking what I had to sell. He is putting a semi-load of cattle together for sale in September and he is looking for cattle in my weight range. Really looking. If you know me I don't easily commit, especially the longer the time line. Rich was pushing me to commit to selling him the cattle though I mentioned another party told me they are interested in buying a few heifers as replacement heifers, and I planned on checking with both Rich and the auction house in Missoula when it got closer to selling my cattle.
Sometimes I just know when the cattle have crossed the river. Thursday for example. I saw the cattle taking their siesta under one of their favorite trees until noon. When I looked out to the pasture around 1 pm they weren't there. Even though they are out of sight when they go to the river to drink, something told me they were doing more than drinking. I went to the river to see.
At the river I found two heifers in my pasture and acting 'kind of lost'. The reason? The rest of the herd was across the river on the peninsula. At least they were on the correct (my) side of the fence. The river level is getting low (136 CFS and dropping) so it is much easier to cross the river now.
I waited and watched and counted the cattle as they came out of the trees to and along the river bank. Eighteen. Good. As I waited the two cattle on my side of the river stood by me and one licked my shoes and hands.
Some of the cattle on the other side of the river stood and stared at me.
"No, you're not in trouble. Just stay on this side of the fence and come back soon once you're done exploring."
I returned back home. A short time later the herd all came back. They listen to me. As the herd crossed from the pasture to the hayfield one heifer stood and bellowed. Soon four heifers came from the trees near the river, the last heifer running to catch up.
With the herd back so soon I gave them apples as a reward. I had missed giving them the apples the previous night so I had half a pail ready for them.
Later that evening when I was mowing grass in the fruit tree and garden area the cattle came to the hayfield/yard fence. After I told them I was going to finish the mowing before getting them more apples they went back to eat, though they remained near the fence.
Some heifers are catching on how to take the apples from my hands. Over the years I've figured out that the cattle have to learn how to do this as it doesn't come naturally to take something from my hand.
At first they want to sniff and check it out before taking the apples. Then they have figure out how to use their tongue or mouth to take it from my hand. In the beginning they often drop the apples. Add in the jostling of other cattle around them and you can see why it takes time. The ones who do learn can vacuum up the apples well. I still watch that they don't bite my fingers though no cattle has ever done so. My hand can get slobbered all over though and sometimes my hand gets into their mouth a little more than I would like.
The benefits for the cattle taking the apples from my hand is that they do get the apple. When I toss it on the ground several cattle often go for it and the fastest and pushiest wins. When feeding apples to the cattle I remain on the opposite side of the fence as they can get into a frenzy and major shoving match in an effort to get all the apples they can.
The Eagle had landed
The other day, as I approached the river, I heard a loud splash before I could see the water. When I got to the river I saw a large bird splashing about in the river. Initially I thought it was a heron. That was until I saw the bird take off. It was an eagle. Apparently it tried to grab a fish. I didn't see anything in its claws but as I was a distance away it could have had a small fish that I couldn't see. I was spending more time trying to identify the bird than seeing what it carried.
Mowing a pasture
Earlier I mentioned mowing the grass. I mowed around the house and a little elsewhere in the yard. Then it was off to mow part of the pasture. I have been spraying the north pasture and got half of it done. There is an open area between two groves of trees, about a third of the north pasture.. The weeds are very bad there. Last year I spent lots of time and spray attacking the knapweed that grew there. That paid off as there is only about a quarter of the knapweed of last year. The yarrow is another story.
Last year it was so dry the yarrow was dormant when I sprayed this area and the herbicide had little to no effect on it. This year, being wetter, means the yarrow is not dormant. But it is heading in that direction with the recent heat and dry weather. Also I've noticed this year the knapweed and yarrow weeds that are just above ground are affected much much quicker by the herbicide than these weeds that have some height and are starting to form seeds.
My solution? Mow the weeds in this "third". The grass between the weeds has been eaten down by the cattle. There are enough weeds to make mowing worthwhile. And it will save me time and herbicide as I don't have to spray all the weeds' stalks.
I set the lawn mower on the highest height and started mowing. I got half this area mowed before I ran out of gas and it got dark. I found that these weeds' stalks and stems were wiry and tough and I had to take care not to mow too fast so as not to miss cutting some of the weeds.
Cattle broker
I should have no problem selling my cattle in September. Rich, a local cattle broker, called me this morning asking what I had to sell. He is putting a semi-load of cattle together for sale in September and he is looking for cattle in my weight range. Really looking. If you know me I don't easily commit, especially the longer the time line. Rich was pushing me to commit to selling him the cattle though I mentioned another party told me they are interested in buying a few heifers as replacement heifers, and I planned on checking with both Rich and the auction house in Missoula when it got closer to selling my cattle.
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
Recovery day
After Tuesday's hike to Triple Divide pass I slept long and hard Tuesday night and late into Wednesday morning.
Dan stopped by in the morning to give me the bill of sale for the cattle I bought from him this Spring. We also talked a bit about cattle getting bloated on alfalfa. I had my "girls" on bloat blocks prior to letting them into my hayfield so they should be protected. Still, I wondered as the other night when they came running from across the hayfield to eat the apples I was tossing over the fence one of my heifers looked really fat. She had a barrel belly. She was one of the original lighter heifers I bought first and I didn't remember her being so fat before. But she was active and running with the rest of the herd and not lethargic. And Dan told me when cattle bloat they bloat out on the left side more than the right. So my heifer is all right and doing what she is suppose to do - gain weight.
Tuesday evening after I fed the cattle that day's apples I headed out across the hayfield to test out my chainsaw on a tree in the pasture. The herd, spread across the hayfield and in the distance, saw me and came towards me. They caught up to me just after I crossed into the pasture. They followed me until I crossed the fence to the south pasture then they ran off to the river.
The cattle then hung around the middle pasture across the fence and eating grass while I tested the chainsaw and used up all the gas in it on a downed and dead tree. When I then walked home they all followed me wanting more apples, and I had none for them.
Why I tested the chainsaw is I apparently put the newly sharpened chain on backwards. I still insist I followed the diagram on the correct way to mount the chain. The first items I tested the new chain on were odds and ends of wood and stumps that normally would be quirky to cut. Once I cut a "normal" tree stump the chainsaw would throw the chain from the blade. Not knowing what the problem was I later tested the chainsaw with an old dull chain and the chainsaw did not throw the chain. Ah, problem figured out if not solved. I have the bad chain soaking in oil in case it can be saved as I noticed the reason the chain was being thrown was the chain's joints were not entirely flexible and would sometimes catch.
The neighbor's pocket gophers. I caught two of them. One in Jerry's yard and the other in my pasture just on my side of the fence from Jim and Debbie's yard. The trap in their yard was filled with dirt once so I had set the extra trap on my side of the fence and think I got the pest. It appears these are all the pocket gophers they have as their soil is rockier and drier and not able to support as dense of a gopher population.
Wednesday I rode my bicycle uptown to run errands and attend the last afternoon Picnic in the Park concert for the season. I didn't arrive until intermission so I missed half of the concert. On the ride to the concert one of my bicycle wheel's spoke broke which I later fixed that evening.
My old water socks wore out and I planned to buy a new pair. I went to five stores Wednesday and all were sold out of adult sized water socks. They all said that once the weather got warm the socks flew out the store. So I am out of luck until next year.
I had planned on spraying more weeds in the evening but just as I was about to do so a cloud formed and after a little thunder and lightning it rained lightly for a while. With the rain it got cooler and I sat out in my patio and relaxed and listened to the rain. It wasn't long before I fell asleep.
Dan stopped by in the morning to give me the bill of sale for the cattle I bought from him this Spring. We also talked a bit about cattle getting bloated on alfalfa. I had my "girls" on bloat blocks prior to letting them into my hayfield so they should be protected. Still, I wondered as the other night when they came running from across the hayfield to eat the apples I was tossing over the fence one of my heifers looked really fat. She had a barrel belly. She was one of the original lighter heifers I bought first and I didn't remember her being so fat before. But she was active and running with the rest of the herd and not lethargic. And Dan told me when cattle bloat they bloat out on the left side more than the right. So my heifer is all right and doing what she is suppose to do - gain weight.
Tuesday evening after I fed the cattle that day's apples I headed out across the hayfield to test out my chainsaw on a tree in the pasture. The herd, spread across the hayfield and in the distance, saw me and came towards me. They caught up to me just after I crossed into the pasture. They followed me until I crossed the fence to the south pasture then they ran off to the river.
The cattle then hung around the middle pasture across the fence and eating grass while I tested the chainsaw and used up all the gas in it on a downed and dead tree. When I then walked home they all followed me wanting more apples, and I had none for them.
Why I tested the chainsaw is I apparently put the newly sharpened chain on backwards. I still insist I followed the diagram on the correct way to mount the chain. The first items I tested the new chain on were odds and ends of wood and stumps that normally would be quirky to cut. Once I cut a "normal" tree stump the chainsaw would throw the chain from the blade. Not knowing what the problem was I later tested the chainsaw with an old dull chain and the chainsaw did not throw the chain. Ah, problem figured out if not solved. I have the bad chain soaking in oil in case it can be saved as I noticed the reason the chain was being thrown was the chain's joints were not entirely flexible and would sometimes catch.
The neighbor's pocket gophers. I caught two of them. One in Jerry's yard and the other in my pasture just on my side of the fence from Jim and Debbie's yard. The trap in their yard was filled with dirt once so I had set the extra trap on my side of the fence and think I got the pest. It appears these are all the pocket gophers they have as their soil is rockier and drier and not able to support as dense of a gopher population.
Wednesday I rode my bicycle uptown to run errands and attend the last afternoon Picnic in the Park concert for the season. I didn't arrive until intermission so I missed half of the concert. On the ride to the concert one of my bicycle wheel's spoke broke which I later fixed that evening.
My old water socks wore out and I planned to buy a new pair. I went to five stores Wednesday and all were sold out of adult sized water socks. They all said that once the weather got warm the socks flew out the store. So I am out of luck until next year.
I had planned on spraying more weeds in the evening but just as I was about to do so a cloud formed and after a little thunder and lightning it rained lightly for a while. With the rain it got cooler and I sat out in my patio and relaxed and listened to the rain. It wasn't long before I fell asleep.
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
Long day
A long day. I got up this morning at 4:30 am (the time I usually go to bed is between 2 and 3 am) so I could go hiking. We had 14.4 miles to hike on the east side of the Park. A nice hike even though it was cool and cloudy as the clouds came up and over from the other side of the pass minutes before I reached the pass. The view disappeared!
I'm falling asleep. I better end this and go to bed. I'll write more later.
I'm falling asleep. I better end this and go to bed. I'll write more later.
Monday, August 03, 2009
Less multi-tasking?
Other than swimming in the river I have been spraying weeds in my north pasture. I have over a quarter of the pasture sprayed. In areas that I thought were mostly weed free now from the spraying I had done last year I found lots of barely above ground knapweed. In these areas the cattle seemed to take a liking to them and ate them down to the ground. So, a bad news / good new thing. The young knapweed looks so innocent as it tries to blend in with numerous dandelions in the same situation. But I know better.
No more painting although I got around to cleaning the paint brushes used with the red paint. The bristles are now pink after much cleaning.
I tried to weed more of my strawberry patch but even with Thursday night's quarter inch of rain the ground is dry and hard. (The neighbors' hay is finally baled - but not yet gathered from the field). I ran a sprinkler on part of the strawberry patch for a few hours to wet the area and loosen the soil. But I haven't had time since to dig and pull grass and weeds.
I noticed tonight when watering my garden deer tracks in the garden soil. So the deer killed by a vehicle wasn't one or the only one raiding my garden.
The deer carcass I moved away from the road is now in two large pieces and disappearing rapidly as the carrion eaters are more comfortable away from the road and traffic.
Now that the fields have been cut the owls have returned. They are screeching and hooting nightly for much of the night. As long as they get the mice I am happy.
I still pick up apples from the ground every day and feed them to my cattle. They developed a taste for the apples and tonight they lined up along the fence when they saw me in the fruit tree and garden area. These cattle are not dumb and catch on quickly.
I should have gotten my camera as the herd was pretty cute all lined up along the fence with many having their heads over the top of the fence and trying to look as sweet and innocent as possible in order to guilt me into giving them apples. It worked. I'm such a sucker. I even pulled a few smaller apples from the trees to give them more.
The herd still has their ninja magic. The other night they were moving about in the NW part of the hayfield. I went in the house for a minute to get something and when I came out the whole herd was gone. If they were going to the river I thought I would have seen a line of them walking that way.
Well, they were at the river as I later saw them all coming back from there.
Jim and Debbie told me a story about my cattle when they were in their pasture. Usually my cattle are well behaved but one evening near sundown they decided to play "king of the hill" on the large dirt pile in their pasture. Only one could stand at the top with the others all around on the sides. Soon there was jostling for others to be the "king". Shortly thereafter the whole herd got into a fight and everyone was fighting with everyone and dust was everywhere. Four or five took their fight way beyond the dirt mound and for quite a while according to Debbie. I missed it all. They seemed to have gotten over it as I haven't seen them fight for a long time now.
Sometimes the cattle aren't too smart. Usually they go to the pasture to take their siesta under the pine trees. This afternoon under the hot sun they laid under one transmission tower out in the hayfield. No real shade from that structure.
With the cattle in the hayfield I brought in my pocket gopher traps. Saturday night when talking with Jim and Debbie they mentioned their dirt mounds and what a pain it made mowing their lawn. Sunday I put five traps out to catch their pocket gophers. I noticed the other neighbor had fresh dirt mounds and Jerry was happy to have me put a trap in his yard. Now to catch them all.
One of Jerry's sons got married this weekend and family was all here. Now his grandson from his next door daughter is getting married in Hawaii this week and nine members of the family flew today to Hawaii for the wedding. Jerry stayed behind to watch their three dogs.
Joyce and Edley had their 50th wedding anniversary party Sunday afternoon. I stopped by, had some cake and ice cream and met family members I hadn't met yet. This afternoon with the neighbors, gophers, etc. the time slipped by and I almost missed the party as I arrived only during the last half hour of it.
No more painting although I got around to cleaning the paint brushes used with the red paint. The bristles are now pink after much cleaning.
I tried to weed more of my strawberry patch but even with Thursday night's quarter inch of rain the ground is dry and hard. (The neighbors' hay is finally baled - but not yet gathered from the field). I ran a sprinkler on part of the strawberry patch for a few hours to wet the area and loosen the soil. But I haven't had time since to dig and pull grass and weeds.
I noticed tonight when watering my garden deer tracks in the garden soil. So the deer killed by a vehicle wasn't one or the only one raiding my garden.
The deer carcass I moved away from the road is now in two large pieces and disappearing rapidly as the carrion eaters are more comfortable away from the road and traffic.
Now that the fields have been cut the owls have returned. They are screeching and hooting nightly for much of the night. As long as they get the mice I am happy.
I still pick up apples from the ground every day and feed them to my cattle. They developed a taste for the apples and tonight they lined up along the fence when they saw me in the fruit tree and garden area. These cattle are not dumb and catch on quickly.
I should have gotten my camera as the herd was pretty cute all lined up along the fence with many having their heads over the top of the fence and trying to look as sweet and innocent as possible in order to guilt me into giving them apples. It worked. I'm such a sucker. I even pulled a few smaller apples from the trees to give them more.
The herd still has their ninja magic. The other night they were moving about in the NW part of the hayfield. I went in the house for a minute to get something and when I came out the whole herd was gone. If they were going to the river I thought I would have seen a line of them walking that way.
Well, they were at the river as I later saw them all coming back from there.
Jim and Debbie told me a story about my cattle when they were in their pasture. Usually my cattle are well behaved but one evening near sundown they decided to play "king of the hill" on the large dirt pile in their pasture. Only one could stand at the top with the others all around on the sides. Soon there was jostling for others to be the "king". Shortly thereafter the whole herd got into a fight and everyone was fighting with everyone and dust was everywhere. Four or five took their fight way beyond the dirt mound and for quite a while according to Debbie. I missed it all. They seemed to have gotten over it as I haven't seen them fight for a long time now.
Sometimes the cattle aren't too smart. Usually they go to the pasture to take their siesta under the pine trees. This afternoon under the hot sun they laid under one transmission tower out in the hayfield. No real shade from that structure.
With the cattle in the hayfield I brought in my pocket gopher traps. Saturday night when talking with Jim and Debbie they mentioned their dirt mounds and what a pain it made mowing their lawn. Sunday I put five traps out to catch their pocket gophers. I noticed the other neighbor had fresh dirt mounds and Jerry was happy to have me put a trap in his yard. Now to catch them all.
One of Jerry's sons got married this weekend and family was all here. Now his grandson from his next door daughter is getting married in Hawaii this week and nine members of the family flew today to Hawaii for the wedding. Jerry stayed behind to watch their three dogs.
Joyce and Edley had their 50th wedding anniversary party Sunday afternoon. I stopped by, had some cake and ice cream and met family members I hadn't met yet. This afternoon with the neighbors, gophers, etc. the time slipped by and I almost missed the party as I arrived only during the last half hour of it.
Sunday, August 02, 2009
In over my head
The weather here has turned hot. The other day I decided to go swimming and exploring in the river. Now that the river level is lower it is fun to see what debris is left behind from the game of "musical chairs" the river plays each year with the high water flow. As the river erodes parts of the banks trees slip into the river and their branches catch items floating downstream.
This year I got a good solid thick new looking fence post, a big solid railroad tie, and a large diameter relatively short in length log. The post and tie (after I remove the broken strands of barb wire from each) will go into my fences and the log I rolled up on the bank with some effort to become a comfy sitting place under a tree and above the river.
The river depth varies greatly. Places are ankle deep, typically knee deep, sometimes waist deep, and in a few spots deeper than I am tall. Usually the deep spots are inside the sharp bends in the river. And while the river bottom can go down quite quickly I was surprised by the drop off on a relatively straight section below where the river split around a gravel bar. From a level of chest deep water with one step I sank well under water and still did not touch bottom.
Whoa!
Because of the unequal water flow around the gravel bar I had decided to cross the river to the side with less water flow and that is when I went under water. My feet didn't reach the bottom until I was almost across the river. So, yes, I had to swim. Or dog paddle if you don't call that swimming.
I also wanted to check out my neighbor's river stock watering area. The neighbor with the bull and cattle had told me he had made one for his cattle and fenced it off so his cattle could drink and not get away. This I could not picture as with all the floaters, boaters and kayakers that use the river I could not understand how he could get away with a fence in any part of the river.
After a long slog up river I discovered how he did it. His fenced off area was in a side channel, deep with little water flow and mostly choked with weeds and mud. He had strung two multi-strand barb wire fences across the side channel and attached them to a fence on the opposite bank. No cattle nor person could get across. I guess since it is a side channel he can do this. I can't.
I also found he or some former owner of the land had placed an old 1930s or 40s looking rusted car body on the river bank where the river bent just below the side channel's exit. The car body, car parts, and logs looked to have been placed there to stop the bank erosion on the bend and turn the river eastward. The river mainly flows just below the ridge before making several eastward turns the last of which is along my property before going back to the ridge. Interesting. No way could someone do this today.
This year I got a good solid thick new looking fence post, a big solid railroad tie, and a large diameter relatively short in length log. The post and tie (after I remove the broken strands of barb wire from each) will go into my fences and the log I rolled up on the bank with some effort to become a comfy sitting place under a tree and above the river.
The river depth varies greatly. Places are ankle deep, typically knee deep, sometimes waist deep, and in a few spots deeper than I am tall. Usually the deep spots are inside the sharp bends in the river. And while the river bottom can go down quite quickly I was surprised by the drop off on a relatively straight section below where the river split around a gravel bar. From a level of chest deep water with one step I sank well under water and still did not touch bottom.
Whoa!
Because of the unequal water flow around the gravel bar I had decided to cross the river to the side with less water flow and that is when I went under water. My feet didn't reach the bottom until I was almost across the river. So, yes, I had to swim. Or dog paddle if you don't call that swimming.
I also wanted to check out my neighbor's river stock watering area. The neighbor with the bull and cattle had told me he had made one for his cattle and fenced it off so his cattle could drink and not get away. This I could not picture as with all the floaters, boaters and kayakers that use the river I could not understand how he could get away with a fence in any part of the river.
After a long slog up river I discovered how he did it. His fenced off area was in a side channel, deep with little water flow and mostly choked with weeds and mud. He had strung two multi-strand barb wire fences across the side channel and attached them to a fence on the opposite bank. No cattle nor person could get across. I guess since it is a side channel he can do this. I can't.
I also found he or some former owner of the land had placed an old 1930s or 40s looking rusted car body on the river bank where the river bent just below the side channel's exit. The car body, car parts, and logs looked to have been placed there to stop the bank erosion on the bend and turn the river eastward. The river mainly flows just below the ridge before making several eastward turns the last of which is along my property before going back to the ridge. Interesting. No way could someone do this today.
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