I'm back. Apparently I am the only dial-up Earthlink subscriber in Kalispell. Their access number was totally screwed up starting Monday night until they fixed it today (Thursday). If not for me they wouldn't have known there was a problem.
This will be short tonight as I will be meeting Joyce just after 6 am tomorrow to go huckleberry picking. Why are most of my friends early people? Since I will be getting up shortly after my normal bedtime, I need to go to bed before midnight tonight. As one can never be too rich, too thin, or have too many huckleberries, I will be getting up at an insanely early hour tomorrow.
I wonder how cold tomorrow morning will be? This past morning the low temperature on my thermometer was 37.8 F. With the house windows open it got down to 57 F in the house. Good sleeping weather.
I do have lots to write about, but another day. Another cattle and bull story. (Photos later). Another jailbreak. And more. So much going on, the time rushes by so fast I barely have time to catch my breath. I have lots to do before Winter and in less than an hour it will be August already.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
When it rains, it pours
I lost my Earthlink internet connection Monday night while doing my email and have not gotten it back since. The access phone number claims all lines are busy.
I figured Earthlink had problems Monday night, and since it was late, I went to bed. Last night I tried again and the same error. I called Earthlink and they said they would look into the problem and fix it in 2 to 10 hours, 12 hours at the max. I tried accessing late this morning - more than 12 hours later - and still the same lack of connectivity.
*argh*
I came up to the Wednesday Picnic in the Park concert and now am at the library to check my email. I hope Earthlink can get this solved soon.
Lots of other stuff has happened the past few days. I was suppose to go on a hike today but the cattle had other ideas. I awoke to find 9 of them in my middle pasture. Not sure where the rest were but could hear Street's cattle bellowing across the river. He told me Monday he planned to let his cattle and bull move from the ridge down to the field across the river from me in two or three days.
I found where "my" cattle came through my simple fence along the river bank in the middle pasture. Then I could see some of "my" cattle on the peninsula on the other side of the river. A few cattle were along the fence where it comes to the bend on the river. Then I saw in the tall grass a brown one on the other side of the fence. What?! How could it have gotten through the five strand newer fence?! And how many were on the other side?
I came home, called Dan as it was his cattle, and got sandals for crossing the river. A Hereford heifer met me on a grass/tree trail on the peninsula after I crossed the river, then turned around. Along the fence I learned it was not one of "my" cattle, but Street's bull. A very big bull. The size of a small car. His testicles were the size of ... well, you get the idea.
Only the bull was in the field. Street's other cattle were bellowing up on the ridge. It is a mystery why Street let the bull into this field alone.
Dan's Hereford heifer is in heat. Great. Just great. She wanted through the fence just as much as the bull did. Apparantly "size does matter" as she wouldn't give the time of day to the steers around her.
I had a heck of a time herding her away from the fence back to the river crossing. She went this way and that to stay along the fence. The bull followed along the fence.
The remaining eleven cattle appeared through the trees to check us out. I got the herd to the river crossing point. The bull - in a wimpy voice - called to his - at this moment - beloved. The cattle stood and wouldn't cross. Then the heifer in heat made a dash around me and ran to the fence and bull with the herd following.
*argh* Young love! Don't you know it won't last? He'll be on to another once he has had his way with you.
I again herded the cattle back to the river crossing. Now the original nine in the middle pasture came running to the river to see what the commotion was. With them calling one of the twelve cattle entered the river and made its way across. One by one the rest followed with the heifer in heat last. I had to encourage her as she stood and looked and looked at the trees waiting for the bull to join her.
Even on the gravel bar she was the last to move off it and would look back for her "beloved".
Now I had thirteen cattle in the south pasture and eight in the middle pasture as one of the eight made its way through the fence to join the twelve.
I opened the middle/south pasture gate for now. It was easier than herding the eight into the south pasture. The two that had gotten into the middle pasture a few days ago when they broke the old fence were a pain to get back into the south pasture. The nineteen wanted to join the two, not the other way around. Those two would stand in the gate with two legs in one pasture and two legs in the other pasture as I held the gate. They stood there and chewed their cud with the nineteen tried to pass by me.
Anyway, today I wanted to get to the hiking group as time was passing. I let Dan know I had things under control again.
No shower or breakfast and legs with river mud. I grabbed my hiking boots and bag and water and a few items of food and took off. I arrived at the meeting point at 7:36 am - six minutes late. The group was gone.
*augh*
Back home I decided to get my gopher traps out of the middle field even though the gophers are still active. By now the cattle had knocked over most of the marking poles and triggered some of the traps.
I couldn't find the last trap. Around and around I went. I stood on a tall stump and looked. Nothing. Later - after a long time searching - I found the "missing" trap in the north pasture. The milk jug on the marker had fallen down.
Oh yeah, while I think of it, Monday I found the trap where the gopher ran off with it. The trap - and now dead - gopher were in a gopher hole heretofore unknown to me. Just the very end of the chain was sticking out and I hit it with my shovel as I dug dirt to close the hole.
By the time I finished with the gopher traps the cattle had all settled down for their late morning seista. The morning's excitement was over. That heifer better not be dreaming about the bull while chewing her cud!!
I saw my northern neighbor Jim and let him know about the bull. He has two heifers and the black one was going nuts running along my northern fence trying to join "my" herd, all now in the middle pasture. Jim said last night his two heifers were acting 'crazy' and now he knows why.
I checked my gopher and pocket gopher traps in my NE field and found a dead pocket gopher and a triggered gopher trap. Yes, they have moved into the NE pasture. *sigh* Not only that, the gophers have two tunnel openings under the hay shed walls!
And lots of other stuff has happened the past few days like mysteriously losing my sunglasses yesterday while spraying weeds. And other stuff that I can't remember right now.
Today at the concert a young guy sat down next to me and asked what my relationship was to the Lord. Not today. It's been a day already.
The County started re-paving my road and this morning mysteriously quit and left shortly after starting and before they could do the second lane in front of my place. I wanted to be there to remind them the road is 6 inches narrow in front of my drive at the bend in the road.
I better go home now and see what's up.
I figured Earthlink had problems Monday night, and since it was late, I went to bed. Last night I tried again and the same error. I called Earthlink and they said they would look into the problem and fix it in 2 to 10 hours, 12 hours at the max. I tried accessing late this morning - more than 12 hours later - and still the same lack of connectivity.
*argh*
I came up to the Wednesday Picnic in the Park concert and now am at the library to check my email. I hope Earthlink can get this solved soon.
Lots of other stuff has happened the past few days. I was suppose to go on a hike today but the cattle had other ideas. I awoke to find 9 of them in my middle pasture. Not sure where the rest were but could hear Street's cattle bellowing across the river. He told me Monday he planned to let his cattle and bull move from the ridge down to the field across the river from me in two or three days.
I found where "my" cattle came through my simple fence along the river bank in the middle pasture. Then I could see some of "my" cattle on the peninsula on the other side of the river. A few cattle were along the fence where it comes to the bend on the river. Then I saw in the tall grass a brown one on the other side of the fence. What?! How could it have gotten through the five strand newer fence?! And how many were on the other side?
I came home, called Dan as it was his cattle, and got sandals for crossing the river. A Hereford heifer met me on a grass/tree trail on the peninsula after I crossed the river, then turned around. Along the fence I learned it was not one of "my" cattle, but Street's bull. A very big bull. The size of a small car. His testicles were the size of ... well, you get the idea.
Only the bull was in the field. Street's other cattle were bellowing up on the ridge. It is a mystery why Street let the bull into this field alone.
Dan's Hereford heifer is in heat. Great. Just great. She wanted through the fence just as much as the bull did. Apparantly "size does matter" as she wouldn't give the time of day to the steers around her.
I had a heck of a time herding her away from the fence back to the river crossing. She went this way and that to stay along the fence. The bull followed along the fence.
The remaining eleven cattle appeared through the trees to check us out. I got the herd to the river crossing point. The bull - in a wimpy voice - called to his - at this moment - beloved. The cattle stood and wouldn't cross. Then the heifer in heat made a dash around me and ran to the fence and bull with the herd following.
*argh* Young love! Don't you know it won't last? He'll be on to another once he has had his way with you.
I again herded the cattle back to the river crossing. Now the original nine in the middle pasture came running to the river to see what the commotion was. With them calling one of the twelve cattle entered the river and made its way across. One by one the rest followed with the heifer in heat last. I had to encourage her as she stood and looked and looked at the trees waiting for the bull to join her.
Even on the gravel bar she was the last to move off it and would look back for her "beloved".
Now I had thirteen cattle in the south pasture and eight in the middle pasture as one of the eight made its way through the fence to join the twelve.
I opened the middle/south pasture gate for now. It was easier than herding the eight into the south pasture. The two that had gotten into the middle pasture a few days ago when they broke the old fence were a pain to get back into the south pasture. The nineteen wanted to join the two, not the other way around. Those two would stand in the gate with two legs in one pasture and two legs in the other pasture as I held the gate. They stood there and chewed their cud with the nineteen tried to pass by me.
Anyway, today I wanted to get to the hiking group as time was passing. I let Dan know I had things under control again.
No shower or breakfast and legs with river mud. I grabbed my hiking boots and bag and water and a few items of food and took off. I arrived at the meeting point at 7:36 am - six minutes late. The group was gone.
*augh*
Back home I decided to get my gopher traps out of the middle field even though the gophers are still active. By now the cattle had knocked over most of the marking poles and triggered some of the traps.
I couldn't find the last trap. Around and around I went. I stood on a tall stump and looked. Nothing. Later - after a long time searching - I found the "missing" trap in the north pasture. The milk jug on the marker had fallen down.
Oh yeah, while I think of it, Monday I found the trap where the gopher ran off with it. The trap - and now dead - gopher were in a gopher hole heretofore unknown to me. Just the very end of the chain was sticking out and I hit it with my shovel as I dug dirt to close the hole.
By the time I finished with the gopher traps the cattle had all settled down for their late morning seista. The morning's excitement was over. That heifer better not be dreaming about the bull while chewing her cud!!
I saw my northern neighbor Jim and let him know about the bull. He has two heifers and the black one was going nuts running along my northern fence trying to join "my" herd, all now in the middle pasture. Jim said last night his two heifers were acting 'crazy' and now he knows why.
I checked my gopher and pocket gopher traps in my NE field and found a dead pocket gopher and a triggered gopher trap. Yes, they have moved into the NE pasture. *sigh* Not only that, the gophers have two tunnel openings under the hay shed walls!
And lots of other stuff has happened the past few days like mysteriously losing my sunglasses yesterday while spraying weeds. And other stuff that I can't remember right now.
Today at the concert a young guy sat down next to me and asked what my relationship was to the Lord. Not today. It's been a day already.
The County started re-paving my road and this morning mysteriously quit and left shortly after starting and before they could do the second lane in front of my place. I wanted to be there to remind them the road is 6 inches narrow in front of my drive at the bend in the road.
I better go home now and see what's up.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Huckleberries and pie cherries
Early Saturday morning I went huckleberry picking with MaryAnn and Joyce. By 'early', I mean early! I drove over to MaryAnn's house at 6 am. I was on time, but that meant I only had 5 hours of sleep (for the third night this week) and no breakfast. 
We met Joyce along the way.
At the site we started picking huckleberries right from the road. The area had plenty of huckleberries so I didn't have to range far to find bushes to pick. MaryAnn, ever looking for the better bushes, ranged higher up the mountain side than I did.
Here are a few photos. I was too busy picking to spend time taking really good photos of the huckleberries and bushes.
We picked until noon. While they are older than me, MaryAnn and Joyce are faster and better pickers than I am. I filled a gallon and quart ice cream pail with berries. They each picked almost two gallons.
A few other cars were on the road, and one stopped down the road from MaryAnn's car. A group in that car must have picked for a few hours before leaving.
I knew I shouldn't have worn long lightly colored pants. I eventually kneeled to pick berries and got stains on my knees. How I got a huckleberry stain on my right back ankle is a mystery.
On the way home MaryAnn stopped at a cherry stand and bought some freshly picked Flathead cherries. I also bought a pound of cherries @ $2/pound. I ate half of them before we got too far down the highway. Remember I had no breakfast that morning other than some of the huckleberries as I picked them.
MaryAnn knew of some pie cherry trees down the road from her farm. She already had all the pie cherries she needed and let me have them. The cherry trees were in amongst a grove of trees. It looked to be a former homestead for a farm the way the trees were clustered. I didn't see any sign of the old farm.
The trees were not loaded with cherries as they were 'wild' and needed care and pruning. Still in a few hours I had picked two gallons of cherries. Now to make a pie with them.
This morning I had some of my huckleberries on my pancakes. Yum! Yum! Yum!
We met Joyce along the way.
At the site we started picking huckleberries right from the road. The area had plenty of huckleberries so I didn't have to range far to find bushes to pick. MaryAnn, ever looking for the better bushes, ranged higher up the mountain side than I did.
Here are a few photos. I was too busy picking to spend time taking really good photos of the huckleberries and bushes.
We picked until noon. While they are older than me, MaryAnn and Joyce are faster and better pickers than I am. I filled a gallon and quart ice cream pail with berries. They each picked almost two gallons.
A few other cars were on the road, and one stopped down the road from MaryAnn's car. A group in that car must have picked for a few hours before leaving.
I knew I shouldn't have worn long lightly colored pants. I eventually kneeled to pick berries and got stains on my knees. How I got a huckleberry stain on my right back ankle is a mystery.
On the way home MaryAnn stopped at a cherry stand and bought some freshly picked Flathead cherries. I also bought a pound of cherries @ $2/pound. I ate half of them before we got too far down the highway. Remember I had no breakfast that morning other than some of the huckleberries as I picked them.
MaryAnn knew of some pie cherry trees down the road from her farm. She already had all the pie cherries she needed and let me have them. The cherry trees were in amongst a grove of trees. It looked to be a former homestead for a farm the way the trees were clustered. I didn't see any sign of the old farm.The trees were not loaded with cherries as they were 'wild' and needed care and pruning. Still in a few hours I had picked two gallons of cherries. Now to make a pie with them.
This morning I had some of my huckleberries on my pancakes. Yum! Yum! Yum!
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Bad day for my bicycle
Today I rode my bicycle to the Event at Rebbecca Farm to watch the horses compete. On the way to the Event one of my bicycle's spokes broke. I continued on with a rear wheel that was getting out of true as I rode.
After the Event I rode home. The Event is 7.5 miles from my place with the last mile on a gravel road. During my trip home, two hundred yards from the pavement, my rear tire went flat. I was so close! I had ridden over a sharp rock that caused a snake bite flat and a quick loss of air.
I walked and pushed my bicycle. At 3.6 mph. Later I jogged off and on. Between 7 and 8 mph according to my bicycle computer. A strong breeze was at my back so that made my walking and jogging easier.
The roads were narrow two lane - former country - roads with plenty of traffic. The picture may not show any vehicles, but trust me, there were more than I cared for.
I was a little under two miles from home when a little blue pickup stopped and the driver asked if I needed a ride. Yeah! I forgot his name now, but this little old guy gave me a ride home. Interestingly he said he had never been on the road that goes past my place.
I could have made it home fine as I was still feeling good, but it was nice to have a ride. I had covered the more-than-five miles in a about 1 hour fifteen minutes.
Once home I replaced the broken spoke and fixed the two punctures. Later tonight I noticed that my bicycle rack is broken. I'll fix that another day.
This has been a bad day for my bicycle.
After the Event I rode home. The Event is 7.5 miles from my place with the last mile on a gravel road. During my trip home, two hundred yards from the pavement, my rear tire went flat. I was so close! I had ridden over a sharp rock that caused a snake bite flat and a quick loss of air.
I walked and pushed my bicycle. At 3.6 mph. Later I jogged off and on. Between 7 and 8 mph according to my bicycle computer. A strong breeze was at my back so that made my walking and jogging easier.
The roads were narrow two lane - former country - roads with plenty of traffic. The picture may not show any vehicles, but trust me, there were more than I cared for.
I was a little under two miles from home when a little blue pickup stopped and the driver asked if I needed a ride. Yeah! I forgot his name now, but this little old guy gave me a ride home. Interestingly he said he had never been on the road that goes past my place.I could have made it home fine as I was still feeling good, but it was nice to have a ride. I had covered the more-than-five miles in a about 1 hour fifteen minutes.
Once home I replaced the broken spoke and fixed the two punctures. Later tonight I noticed that my bicycle rack is broken. I'll fix that another day.
This has been a bad day for my bicycle.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Yup! Still busy
MaryAnn called today. She, Joyce, and I are going huckleberry picking early tomorrow. By early I mean, I meet them at 6 am. Why is everything good so early?! We'll get done picking by noon, which is good as I plan to attend the Event at Rebecca Farms Saturday and Sunday afternoon.
This morning I met a bicyclist from London as I was getting my mail. Dominic is traveling from Virgina to Anacortes, Washington. (or at least that is what I remember him saying.) We had a nice long chat and I'll write more when I have time.
I caught another regular gopher today to make 30 for the year. I have heard a few others chirping warnings, and even saw one run for its hole. That's where I moved a trap. So.. some gophers are still active this late in July. Most holes with traps are just gathering spiderwebs.
Oh yeah... I got my passport in the mail. That was fast! When did I send it in? 10 days ago?
This morning I met a bicyclist from London as I was getting my mail. Dominic is traveling from Virgina to Anacortes, Washington. (or at least that is what I remember him saying.) We had a nice long chat and I'll write more when I have time.
I caught another regular gopher today to make 30 for the year. I have heard a few others chirping warnings, and even saw one run for its hole. That's where I moved a trap. So.. some gophers are still active this late in July. Most holes with traps are just gathering spiderwebs.
Oh yeah... I got my passport in the mail. That was fast! When did I send it in? 10 days ago?
Friday, July 25, 2008
High and Lows
Busy day Thursday. After five hours sleep for the second or third night in a row I got up early for the bicycle ride on the Hiawatha trail. Gary picked me and my bicycle up at 6:15 am. Man! That's early!
We had a great bicycle ride. A clear dry day even if a cool start to the morning. I think it was in the low 50s F when we started the ride before 10 am. I'll try to write more and include pictures later.
For the ride it was me, Gary, and Joyce, as Bill and Sue Ann wanted to wait until September. It became a big mess when I was away hiking on Altyn Peak. I came home to numerous messages on my answering machine. Gary's pickup couldn't hold five bicycles like he thought, only four. He and Joyce came up with a secondary backup plan of also using Joyce's daughter's pickup, or I could have transported one bicycle in my car.
But Sue Ann had concerns about mud on the trail in the tunnels. We had rain the previous two nights (yay! as we need rain!) and she thought it would be wet in the tunnels. She wanted to wait until Fall. And apparently she had other issues with my planned trip. She and Bill convinced Gary and Joyce to cancel the trip and wait until Fall. However when I got home that was not an option. The trail closes the first few days of October, and Gary and I will be on the Alaskan cruise and then visiting relatives in September. So I was not happy with this change of events. Fall was out for me.
I told Gary and Joyce we do the trip now as I didn't think it would be possible later this year. If Bill and Sue Ann wanted to wait until Fall, fine, let them wait. I'm going now. They agreed to come with and we all three went.
Tonight I had one upset Sue Ann. She said she had tried to reach all three of us all day (though I had no messages on my answering machine until the one late this evening where she was ...upset). I called her back and we discussed the situation. She was not happy but the end result was: this was my trip, I put it together, and she was not canceling it on me.
Other irritations
When I came home I discovered both sides of the road that goes by my ranch and beyond has been bladed. The east side had a big gash. The County even ripped up Bib and Jan's lawn where it met the road. The west side did not have a large gash, and their lawns that went up to the road weren't touched. That is because Jan called the County and complained. A high level County road department official came out and apologized and spoke with the road grader operator.
Why was the County blading the ditches where it met the road? They told Jan they plan to repave it next week and they are scraping the grass away where it mets the current asphalt. Gee, it would been nice to know this ahead of time.
I then discovered my hayfield gate to the road was not attached correctly. It was leaning over and only attached by two of the four wires. One wire was broken and the other just laying there. I could see tire tracks in the grass where the Bonneville Power idiots drove over to the second tower and transmission line on my land. They couldn't have done whatever on Tuesday when they first came through. Probably now had to take photos of the second tower and line. Idiots. They are just idiots.
We had a great bicycle ride. A clear dry day even if a cool start to the morning. I think it was in the low 50s F when we started the ride before 10 am. I'll try to write more and include pictures later.
For the ride it was me, Gary, and Joyce, as Bill and Sue Ann wanted to wait until September. It became a big mess when I was away hiking on Altyn Peak. I came home to numerous messages on my answering machine. Gary's pickup couldn't hold five bicycles like he thought, only four. He and Joyce came up with a secondary backup plan of also using Joyce's daughter's pickup, or I could have transported one bicycle in my car.
But Sue Ann had concerns about mud on the trail in the tunnels. We had rain the previous two nights (yay! as we need rain!) and she thought it would be wet in the tunnels. She wanted to wait until Fall. And apparently she had other issues with my planned trip. She and Bill convinced Gary and Joyce to cancel the trip and wait until Fall. However when I got home that was not an option. The trail closes the first few days of October, and Gary and I will be on the Alaskan cruise and then visiting relatives in September. So I was not happy with this change of events. Fall was out for me.
I told Gary and Joyce we do the trip now as I didn't think it would be possible later this year. If Bill and Sue Ann wanted to wait until Fall, fine, let them wait. I'm going now. They agreed to come with and we all three went.
Tonight I had one upset Sue Ann. She said she had tried to reach all three of us all day (though I had no messages on my answering machine until the one late this evening where she was ...upset). I called her back and we discussed the situation. She was not happy but the end result was: this was my trip, I put it together, and she was not canceling it on me.
Other irritations
When I came home I discovered both sides of the road that goes by my ranch and beyond has been bladed. The east side had a big gash. The County even ripped up Bib and Jan's lawn where it met the road. The west side did not have a large gash, and their lawns that went up to the road weren't touched. That is because Jan called the County and complained. A high level County road department official came out and apologized and spoke with the road grader operator.
Why was the County blading the ditches where it met the road? They told Jan they plan to repave it next week and they are scraping the grass away where it mets the current asphalt. Gee, it would been nice to know this ahead of time.
I then discovered my hayfield gate to the road was not attached correctly. It was leaning over and only attached by two of the four wires. One wire was broken and the other just laying there. I could see tire tracks in the grass where the Bonneville Power idiots drove over to the second tower and transmission line on my land. They couldn't have done whatever on Tuesday when they first came through. Probably now had to take photos of the second tower and line. Idiots. They are just idiots.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Busy hiking peaks and bicycling
Wednesday I went on a fantastic hike with a new hiking group. We hiked to the top of Altyn Peak in the Many Glacier Valley of Glacier Park. Altyn Peak is 7,947 ft in elevation.
What a fantastic hike! The views of the other mountains, the valleys, the many lakes, and glaciers all were fantastic. And the wildflowers were in bloom and covered the mountain side. I have never seen so many wildflowers in bloom at once. Blues, purples, reds, yellows, oranges, whites, raspberry colors. Only the beargrass was missing as that bloom appeared to have passed already, else not bloomed (I'm not sure).
Coming down we dropped hundreds and hundreds of feet in minutes sliding down a wonderful scree slope that was like walking down on soft snow.
When I get time I will write more about the trip and go through the 280 photos I took. I met the group in Columbia Falls at 7 am and got home a little after 9 pm. Another long day of fun.
Tomorrow Gary will pick me and my bicycle up and, along with Joyce, we are driving to Idaho to ride on the Hiawatha Bicycle Trail that goes from the Montana border for 15 miles crossing through mountains along an abandoned railroad track. Another early day as Gary will be here at 6:15 am. And long day as the trail is about 150 miles away.
Better get to bed as the morning will be here early!
What a fantastic hike! The views of the other mountains, the valleys, the many lakes, and glaciers all were fantastic. And the wildflowers were in bloom and covered the mountain side. I have never seen so many wildflowers in bloom at once. Blues, purples, reds, yellows, oranges, whites, raspberry colors. Only the beargrass was missing as that bloom appeared to have passed already, else not bloomed (I'm not sure).
Coming down we dropped hundreds and hundreds of feet in minutes sliding down a wonderful scree slope that was like walking down on soft snow.
When I get time I will write more about the trip and go through the 280 photos I took. I met the group in Columbia Falls at 7 am and got home a little after 9 pm. Another long day of fun.
Tomorrow Gary will pick me and my bicycle up and, along with Joyce, we are driving to Idaho to ride on the Hiawatha Bicycle Trail that goes from the Montana border for 15 miles crossing through mountains along an abandoned railroad track. Another early day as Gary will be here at 6:15 am. And long day as the trail is about 150 miles away.
Better get to bed as the morning will be here early!
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Bonneville Power idiots
I am not sure if I mentioned a few months ago that it appeared that someone from the Bonneville Power company drove through my hayfield under the transmission line. This was before my hay was cut. They drove to the south fence and then turned around. Why? Who knew! I could tell where they drove as the grass was flattened down from the vehicle's tires. Even now after cutting the grass for hay I can still see the tracks in the grass where the vehicle drove.
This evening after 5:30 pm, as I was in the hayfield gathering up stray pieces of hay not picked up by the baler, I seen a truck enter through my gate to the road. I walked over and reached them after they drove inside.
The two men said they were with Bonneville Power. I asked them why they were driving here. They said they were checking for trees. I told them they can obviously see I have no trees on my property under the power lines. They then said the headquarters in Oregon said they had to take photos as proof.
What? Apparently Bonneville Power doesn't trust their employees to say there are no trees on a property under the line.
I said they didn't need to drive their truck onto my property to take a photo. They said they had to follow the line. I then mentioned about someone from Bonneville driving and flattening my grass earlier. The older man said that was him and another guy. They cut down a tree under the power line that was on my neighbor's property to the south. Why drive on my property? Apparently he saw my gate and didn't bother to look for the neighbor's gate.
Now, he didn't drive through my south gate and onto the neighbor's property to cut the tree. He drove to my fence then got out and crawled through the fence to walk over to the tree. Now I understand why my fence had two strands twisted around each other. It was to create an opening for him to crawl through. Why he couldn't have walked from the road is a mystery. Lazy perhaps - which would explain why he didn't uncross the fence wires once he was done.
Bonneville had cut that tree several years ago. Apparently they can't do it right to make it last more than a couple years.
This guy got out his map of the transmission line that showed the line and fences and gates. My gate to the road is shown, but we didn't see a gate on his map on my south fence. That gate isn't even under the transmission line as my fences and gates predates when the power line was created. On his map he also couldn't find the gate to access the line from the neighbor's property. One of the towers is on that neighbor's land so Bonneville should have access to it via his property.
And one can't drive continuously under the power line through gates. If so, then one of the properties across the road from me would have a gate in their fence, and they don't. They also do not have a tower on their land. The towers are on property to the north of that property and that is where the gate is located even though that gate isn't under the power line.
The younger of the two guys told me that they come and check the line each year. He said it in a tone that was condescending.
Yes. And you don't think I know that? (Idiot)
After that I ignored this guy and let him stand, chew his tobacco, and spit while I talked with the older fellow who was in charge.
My point is that while they have access to their towers via the easement, that doesn't give Bonneville the right to drive all over my hayfield when they don't have to. Those lazy guys can get out of their vehicle and walk once in a while.
The older guy said they try not to damage hayfields and he will let the office know my concern. Ya, right. Especially when he was the one who flattened my grass when he didn't have to.
And another thing, they drive through the neighbors' fields with their knapweed, thistle and leafy splurge then drive on my field. No wonder I found weeds along the route they drove in my field this year.
My hay is cut so I let them be on their way as their truck was already through the gate. They stopped at the east tower and took a photo then continued on through my south gate and onto the neighbor's property.
And you know what? Some days later I noticed my gate along the road wasn't closed correctly and then saw more tracks where the grass was flattened. This time the tracks went to the other tower on my property. These guys weren't smart enough to take photos of both towers at the same time! Or they were doing things in a dumb and inefficient manner in order to make work for themselves and justify their jobs? And since I wasn't around this time they didn't close either gate properly. Good thing I hadn't let the cattle into the hayfield for the year.
Bonneville Power is not being a good neighbor and seems to be abusing their easement right.
This evening after 5:30 pm, as I was in the hayfield gathering up stray pieces of hay not picked up by the baler, I seen a truck enter through my gate to the road. I walked over and reached them after they drove inside.
The two men said they were with Bonneville Power. I asked them why they were driving here. They said they were checking for trees. I told them they can obviously see I have no trees on my property under the power lines. They then said the headquarters in Oregon said they had to take photos as proof.
What? Apparently Bonneville Power doesn't trust their employees to say there are no trees on a property under the line.
I said they didn't need to drive their truck onto my property to take a photo. They said they had to follow the line. I then mentioned about someone from Bonneville driving and flattening my grass earlier. The older man said that was him and another guy. They cut down a tree under the power line that was on my neighbor's property to the south. Why drive on my property? Apparently he saw my gate and didn't bother to look for the neighbor's gate.
Now, he didn't drive through my south gate and onto the neighbor's property to cut the tree. He drove to my fence then got out and crawled through the fence to walk over to the tree. Now I understand why my fence had two strands twisted around each other. It was to create an opening for him to crawl through. Why he couldn't have walked from the road is a mystery. Lazy perhaps - which would explain why he didn't uncross the fence wires once he was done.
Bonneville had cut that tree several years ago. Apparently they can't do it right to make it last more than a couple years.
This guy got out his map of the transmission line that showed the line and fences and gates. My gate to the road is shown, but we didn't see a gate on his map on my south fence. That gate isn't even under the transmission line as my fences and gates predates when the power line was created. On his map he also couldn't find the gate to access the line from the neighbor's property. One of the towers is on that neighbor's land so Bonneville should have access to it via his property.
And one can't drive continuously under the power line through gates. If so, then one of the properties across the road from me would have a gate in their fence, and they don't. They also do not have a tower on their land. The towers are on property to the north of that property and that is where the gate is located even though that gate isn't under the power line.
The younger of the two guys told me that they come and check the line each year. He said it in a tone that was condescending.
Yes. And you don't think I know that? (Idiot)
After that I ignored this guy and let him stand, chew his tobacco, and spit while I talked with the older fellow who was in charge.
My point is that while they have access to their towers via the easement, that doesn't give Bonneville the right to drive all over my hayfield when they don't have to. Those lazy guys can get out of their vehicle and walk once in a while.
The older guy said they try not to damage hayfields and he will let the office know my concern. Ya, right. Especially when he was the one who flattened my grass when he didn't have to.
And another thing, they drive through the neighbors' fields with their knapweed, thistle and leafy splurge then drive on my field. No wonder I found weeds along the route they drove in my field this year.
My hay is cut so I let them be on their way as their truck was already through the gate. They stopped at the east tower and took a photo then continued on through my south gate and onto the neighbor's property.
And you know what? Some days later I noticed my gate along the road wasn't closed correctly and then saw more tracks where the grass was flattened. This time the tracks went to the other tower on my property. These guys weren't smart enough to take photos of both towers at the same time! Or they were doing things in a dumb and inefficient manner in order to make work for themselves and justify their jobs? And since I wasn't around this time they didn't close either gate properly. Good thing I hadn't let the cattle into the hayfield for the year.
Bonneville Power is not being a good neighbor and seems to be abusing their easement right.
Monday's ditch find
Monday I picked up recent trash in the ditch along my property.
I found:
Guess I know what someone was doing as they drove down the road along my property this past weekend.
I found:
- an empty condom box ("For her pleasure")
- an empty condom wrapper
- beer cans
- a bag of McDonald's food wrappers and napkins, etc. strewn along the ditch
Guess I know what someone was doing as they drove down the road along my property this past weekend.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Cattle island
The river is dropping quite fast and either today or yesterday the cattle discovered they can cross the river safely, and crossed over to the island.
My sixth sense kicked in yesterday that the cattle may cross the river any day now. I think my sixth sense was a combination of the river level and noticing a slight difference in their grazing pattern. Today I checked and found a majority of them at the NE end of the island.
While at the river I checked the water temperature and found it to be ideal for swimming. As our high temperature today was 91 F, I went for a swim.
I found an interesting rock in the river.
I found a dead fish. It was a decent size fish and seemed to be about 9 inches or more long. The fish was by a bunch of underwater sticks. The fish appeared to have two holes in its side. The river current is not strong so I doubt it got impaled on the sticks. The fish was slippery and it was with great effort that I was able to hold it. I wanted to take it to my neighbor Bob as he is a fisherman and he could tell me what kind of fish it was. However the river bottom is not level and I stepped into a hole and that jarring movement caused me to drop the fish. The water was deeper here and the current stronger and the fish quickly sank out of sight.
Seven cattle had seen me by now. They were in my south pasture and came over to the fence where they could get closest to me. They were still a ways away but I didn't want to give them an idea of where to adventure to next. So I got out of the water.
Later five more cattle came to join the seven. They came up from the lowland where the cattle initially cross to the island. A few minutes later the other 9 came to the NE part of the island. They wanted to join the five on my side on the high bank. But between the high bank and the river being a little deeper this is not a place to cross and they couldn't. But still I was worried one would be a knucklehead and try.
So I went over to the south pasture fence. The cattle on my side of the river came over to me and therefore were no longer directly across from the island. We were on the north side of the NE end of the island. Finally one of the nine figured out they could cross the river on the north side of the NE point of the island. The rest followed. I could see the smaller ones work to cross against the river's current. All made it. Of course there was some bellowing by both groups. I am not sure if it was encouragement, disapproval on getting separated, or bragging on how they crossed the river.
They all came to stand by the fence across from me. No one was hungry. No one was tired. They all stood or milled about or watched me. Number 3 licked my hand as I put it out on the wire for her to smell it. That gets the cattle used to me. A couple cattle gnawed on either an old, old wood pole fastened to the fence or on an old wooden fence post. Both had the orangeish color of moss or lichen or being in the elements for decades.
The mosquitoes were eating me alive so I left them to go check gopher traps. I actually caught one gopher. I knew a few were still up and around as I heard a couple of them chirp their warning today and actually seen one run to its hole yesterday.
Still, I am finding trapping them difficult. I lay the trap and cover surrounding holes with dirt. They seem to be avoiding the traps. I don't know if they are getting ready for hibernation, whether they are few and far between, or whether they are getting smarter. They usually don't re-open the surrounding holes. It is like they pick up and leave, else use a hole or two I hadn't found. Yet, if I move the trap I find most of the holes re-opened several days later.
Sometimes after setting a trap I will find a whole new set of holes a relatively short distance away where there had been no holes earlier. I suppose clearing the pocket gophers out isn't helping as that is giving the gophers room to move.
I don't know. They will be going down soon for the year. On the plus side I don't have to check and reset traps every day. On the minus side is I haven't gotten rid of all of them.
Another reason I know the gophers are not hibernating yet is that yesterday I saw a nice looking eagle circling and circling low over my pasture above the gopher barrens. A nice sight.
My sixth sense kicked in yesterday that the cattle may cross the river any day now. I think my sixth sense was a combination of the river level and noticing a slight difference in their grazing pattern. Today I checked and found a majority of them at the NE end of the island.
While at the river I checked the water temperature and found it to be ideal for swimming. As our high temperature today was 91 F, I went for a swim.
I found an interesting rock in the river.
I found a dead fish. It was a decent size fish and seemed to be about 9 inches or more long. The fish was by a bunch of underwater sticks. The fish appeared to have two holes in its side. The river current is not strong so I doubt it got impaled on the sticks. The fish was slippery and it was with great effort that I was able to hold it. I wanted to take it to my neighbor Bob as he is a fisherman and he could tell me what kind of fish it was. However the river bottom is not level and I stepped into a hole and that jarring movement caused me to drop the fish. The water was deeper here and the current stronger and the fish quickly sank out of sight.
Seven cattle had seen me by now. They were in my south pasture and came over to the fence where they could get closest to me. They were still a ways away but I didn't want to give them an idea of where to adventure to next. So I got out of the water.
Later five more cattle came to join the seven. They came up from the lowland where the cattle initially cross to the island. A few minutes later the other 9 came to the NE part of the island. They wanted to join the five on my side on the high bank. But between the high bank and the river being a little deeper this is not a place to cross and they couldn't. But still I was worried one would be a knucklehead and try.
So I went over to the south pasture fence. The cattle on my side of the river came over to me and therefore were no longer directly across from the island. We were on the north side of the NE end of the island. Finally one of the nine figured out they could cross the river on the north side of the NE point of the island. The rest followed. I could see the smaller ones work to cross against the river's current. All made it. Of course there was some bellowing by both groups. I am not sure if it was encouragement, disapproval on getting separated, or bragging on how they crossed the river.
They all came to stand by the fence across from me. No one was hungry. No one was tired. They all stood or milled about or watched me. Number 3 licked my hand as I put it out on the wire for her to smell it. That gets the cattle used to me. A couple cattle gnawed on either an old, old wood pole fastened to the fence or on an old wooden fence post. Both had the orangeish color of moss or lichen or being in the elements for decades.
The mosquitoes were eating me alive so I left them to go check gopher traps. I actually caught one gopher. I knew a few were still up and around as I heard a couple of them chirp their warning today and actually seen one run to its hole yesterday.
Still, I am finding trapping them difficult. I lay the trap and cover surrounding holes with dirt. They seem to be avoiding the traps. I don't know if they are getting ready for hibernation, whether they are few and far between, or whether they are getting smarter. They usually don't re-open the surrounding holes. It is like they pick up and leave, else use a hole or two I hadn't found. Yet, if I move the trap I find most of the holes re-opened several days later.
Sometimes after setting a trap I will find a whole new set of holes a relatively short distance away where there had been no holes earlier. I suppose clearing the pocket gophers out isn't helping as that is giving the gophers room to move.
I don't know. They will be going down soon for the year. On the plus side I don't have to check and reset traps every day. On the minus side is I haven't gotten rid of all of them.
Another reason I know the gophers are not hibernating yet is that yesterday I saw a nice looking eagle circling and circling low over my pasture above the gopher barrens. A nice sight.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Garden and deer
Tonight I finished weeding my garden. My garden is pathetic. Hardly anything I planted came up.
I have:
I found that 3 sunflower plants also came up on their own and were doing fine until the deer came and ate them. Tonight I found the deer hoof prints in the soft soil next to the little stalks that are left of the sunflowers.
What I was more upset with was the deer ate the leaves of the lower branches on one of my cherry trees. This was the only young fruit tree I had no fence around. I had taken the old broken fence down after having the cattle in the fruit tree area and had not put up a new fence.
A few other fruit trees had a simple couple strands of wire around them and the deer left those trees alone. I know deer can get through fences, but for some reason they won't go through these fences. So that saved a couple other fruit trees.
I placed two strands of wire around the cherry tree until I can select which of my fences I will use around this tree.
@#%* deer!
I have:
- 10 stalks of corn
- 10 green bean plants
- a dozen radishes
- a dozen beets
- 1 pea plant
- a handful of carrots
- a handful of green onions
- 2 parsnips
I found that 3 sunflower plants also came up on their own and were doing fine until the deer came and ate them. Tonight I found the deer hoof prints in the soft soil next to the little stalks that are left of the sunflowers.
What I was more upset with was the deer ate the leaves of the lower branches on one of my cherry trees. This was the only young fruit tree I had no fence around. I had taken the old broken fence down after having the cattle in the fruit tree area and had not put up a new fence.
A few other fruit trees had a simple couple strands of wire around them and the deer left those trees alone. I know deer can get through fences, but for some reason they won't go through these fences. So that saved a couple other fruit trees.
I placed two strands of wire around the cherry tree until I can select which of my fences I will use around this tree.
@#%* deer!
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Fence and gate
I got a latch last Thursday, and installed it, completing the rebuild of the short section of fence between my backyard and the hayfield. Finally!
Photo 1: the old fence after the heifer broke it.
Photo 2: after I removed the fence. The "hole" seems wrong.
Photo 1: working on the new fence
Photo 2: completed fence and gate
Here is a the new latch.
Well, another project done. How many more left to go?
Photo 1: the old fence after the heifer broke it.
Photo 2: after I removed the fence. The "hole" seems wrong.
Photo 1: working on the new fence
Photo 2: completed fence and gate
Here is a the new latch.
Well, another project done. How many more left to go?
Saturday, July 19, 2008
2 hikes, 1 long day
What a long day on Saturday!
I got up after 5 am.
Met the hiking group at 7 am.
Was on the first trail to Ptarmigan Tunnel after 10 am.
Got off the second trail to Iceberg Lake at 7:30 pm.
For once, I saw lots of icebergs in the lake.
Saw a humongous moose.
Finished supper at 8:15 pm.
Drove over Logan Pass after 9 pm.
Saw the "day after" full moon rise over the mountains at 11 pm.
Got home after 11 pm.
It is about midnight now and I am ready for bed.
I hiked about 16.5 miles.
I climbed about 3100 ft in elevation.
I took over 200 photos.
I went butt skiing. On purpose. In fact I went really fast butt skiing down the side of a mountain. And survived.
I met a woman who hikes with a group that does "off trail" hikes. Interesting off trail hikes. I plan to hike with them on Wednesday. To the top of some mountain or another. And Brian... last year this group hiked down into the valley above Bird Woman Falls. Wrap your mind around that one!
I had a great time.
Now to get the time to writeup the hike. I have three hikes in front of this one to write up. Where does the time go?
I got up after 5 am.
Met the hiking group at 7 am.
Was on the first trail to Ptarmigan Tunnel after 10 am.
Got off the second trail to Iceberg Lake at 7:30 pm.
For once, I saw lots of icebergs in the lake.
Saw a humongous moose.
Finished supper at 8:15 pm.
Drove over Logan Pass after 9 pm.
Saw the "day after" full moon rise over the mountains at 11 pm.
Got home after 11 pm.
It is about midnight now and I am ready for bed.
I hiked about 16.5 miles.
I climbed about 3100 ft in elevation.
I took over 200 photos.
I went butt skiing. On purpose. In fact I went really fast butt skiing down the side of a mountain. And survived.
I met a woman who hikes with a group that does "off trail" hikes. Interesting off trail hikes. I plan to hike with them on Wednesday. To the top of some mountain or another. And Brian... last year this group hiked down into the valley above Bird Woman Falls. Wrap your mind around that one!
I had a great time.
Now to get the time to writeup the hike. I have three hikes in front of this one to write up. Where does the time go?
Friday, July 18, 2008
Spray, gophers, bird, garden, flat tire
Thursday I sprayed the weeds in the NE pasture. Not that they were bad in the NE pasture as I sprayed and sprayed that pasture last year. This time it took me only three tanks of herbicide to spray the entire pasture. It may sound like a lot but it is much less than last year. Still it took me almost 4 hours of walking and spraying to complete the job.
Even though I have plenty of pasture and weeds left to spray, it feels good to have another section done.
Near the end of my spraying, at the west fence line, I found four new gopher holes. *argh!* I've never had gophers in this area. I got a conibear and a leg hold trap and set them in two holes and covered the other two holes. I'm gonna nip this in the bud before they excavate an entire complex.
I also found a gopher complex I had cleared in the north pasture had half its holes reopened after a week or two of it being cleared of gophers. Man, it never ends.
It has been annoying gopher day. No pocket gophers caught, but half of them had dirt in the traps. In another regular gopher leg hold trap I had caught a bird.
It appeared to be a flicker. Why the bird went in the trap I have no clue. The trap was set near a tree trunk in the entrance to a gopher hole. Why a bird stepped there is a mystery.
It was tricky, but I was able to release the bird without getting pecked. Still, it is not good as I believe its leg is damaged. It didn't fly off. Instead it flopped along the ground and away from me. I moved away from the bird to not further agitate it. I could hear another bird in a tree call to this one.
Then I found another one of my leg hold traps missing. The post that held the trap was laying on the ground a yard or two from the hole. *sigh* Since the hawks haven't been around to feast on the gophers, I have a feeling this gopher was one of the larger ones and with its free three legs was able to pull the trap hard enough to topple the post. I have a feeling I hadn't pushed the post into the ground deep enough as the ground was hard and the mosquitoes were eating me alive when I set the trap.
My only hope is that trap is still large enough that the gopher couldn't get back down a hole. I looked around but could not see anything in the grass and weeds. I will be spraying this area sooner than later and hopefully will come across the trap. Dang. I just found this trap after who knows how long, and a week later I lose it again.
I also weeded 80% of my garden before the mosquitoes forced me to quit. My garden is in sad shape. This is the worse garden I ever had. It seems as if only 10% of what I planted has come up.
Continuing my day's downward spiral I went for a short bicycle ride and got a flat tire. It was a mile walk home. At least the mosquitoes left me alone during my walk.
Even though I have plenty of pasture and weeds left to spray, it feels good to have another section done.
Near the end of my spraying, at the west fence line, I found four new gopher holes. *argh!*
I've never had gophers in this area. I got a conibear and a leg hold trap and set them in two holes and covered the other two holes. I'm gonna nip this in the bud before they excavate an entire complex.I also found a gopher complex I had cleared in the north pasture had half its holes reopened after a week or two of it being cleared of gophers. Man, it never ends.
It has been annoying gopher day. No pocket gophers caught, but half of them had dirt in the traps. In another regular gopher leg hold trap I had caught a bird.
It appeared to be a flicker. Why the bird went in the trap I have no clue. The trap was set near a tree trunk in the entrance to a gopher hole. Why a bird stepped there is a mystery.It was tricky, but I was able to release the bird without getting pecked. Still, it is not good as I believe its leg is damaged. It didn't fly off. Instead it flopped along the ground and away from me. I moved away from the bird to not further agitate it. I could hear another bird in a tree call to this one.
Then I found another one of my leg hold traps missing. The post that held the trap was laying on the ground a yard or two from the hole. *sigh* Since the hawks haven't been around to feast on the gophers, I have a feeling this gopher was one of the larger ones and with its free three legs was able to pull the trap hard enough to topple the post. I have a feeling I hadn't pushed the post into the ground deep enough as the ground was hard and the mosquitoes were eating me alive when I set the trap.
My only hope is that trap is still large enough that the gopher couldn't get back down a hole. I looked around but could not see anything in the grass and weeds. I will be spraying this area sooner than later and hopefully will come across the trap. Dang. I just found this trap after who knows how long, and a week later I lose it again.
I also weeded 80% of my garden before the mosquitoes forced me to quit. My garden is in sad shape. This is the worse garden I ever had. It seems as if only 10% of what I planted has come up.
Continuing my day's downward spiral I went for a short bicycle ride and got a flat tire. It was a mile walk home. At least the mosquitoes left me alone during my walk.
Picnic music: Can't Hardly Playboys
More blues style music was at Wednesday's Picnic in the Park concert series. The band was the Can't Hardly Playboys. The musicians seemed also to be members of other local bands. Their style was Delta Blues with some Americana tossed in. They played everything from Robert Johnson to Willie Dixon to Hank Williams to Bob Dylan to John Sebastien to Poco. Poco? The 70s soft rock band? Whatever. It was a nice change of pace.
The crowd was lighter than usual. Gary was there and we chatted for a while. He bought some raffle tickets. Since the crowd was light, the ticket seller was giving double tickets. I listened for the winning numbers while Gary ran an errand during intermission when the prizes were announced. He didn't win.
I chatted with a woman around my age, and her mother. They lived in the mountains near Kila. At 4300 ft elevation, and no neighbors for 12 miles. You could say... remote. They came in for the concert to get out and see people. The mother said she is a sculptor. I didn't get a chance to ask what she sculpts.
I asked if they had a ranch and she said she was done raising animals. She plans to grow and sell mushrooms. She has some good logs to use and said once she gets them established she can harvest the mushrooms off the logs for seven years. She already has some restaurants lined up as buyers.
Pella Windows, a sponsor of the concert, gave away bright yellow cloth bags. The bag came in handy for me as I was on my bicycle and had some stuff to carry.
The crowd was lighter than usual. Gary was there and we chatted for a while. He bought some raffle tickets. Since the crowd was light, the ticket seller was giving double tickets. I listened for the winning numbers while Gary ran an errand during intermission when the prizes were announced. He didn't win.
I chatted with a woman around my age, and her mother. They lived in the mountains near Kila. At 4300 ft elevation, and no neighbors for 12 miles. You could say... remote. They came in for the concert to get out and see people. The mother said she is a sculptor. I didn't get a chance to ask what she sculpts.
I asked if they had a ranch and she said she was done raising animals. She plans to grow and sell mushrooms. She has some good logs to use and said once she gets them established she can harvest the mushrooms off the logs for seven years. She already has some restaurants lined up as buyers.
Pella Windows, a sponsor of the concert, gave away bright yellow cloth bags. The bag came in handy for me as I was on my bicycle and had some stuff to carry.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Picnic music: Big Daddy and the Blue Notes
Tuesday night the Picnic in the Park concert had as the band, Big Daddy and the Blue Notes. This was a three person band with Big Daddy on lead electric guitar, a bass electric guitarist, and a drummer.
My legs were a little tired from the day's long (17 mile) hike off Blacktail Mountain. While the crowd was a good size, fortunately it wasn't too long before someone left and I was able to sit down on a bench.
The band was loud and it was the older people who were leaving early.
Next to me on the bench, at the left end, was a little old lady. She looked to be in her 70s. Kids attend these concerts and do a lot of running around. It wasn't long after I sat down that several little girls about 4 or 5 years old or so ran by. The little old lady put her leg out and tripped the first girl surprising her - and me. The little girl had a surprised look when she got up, then she ran off. The little old lady then told me that was the tenth time they ran past and she was tired of it.
Okay... I guess "little old nice lady" is not how one would describe her.
Later she remarked to me how loud the band was, and how it was driving the old people away. She said the band's style had changed. She remembered them playing more of a honky tonk style of blues in the past. Their sound now was more of a power blues, a mixture of Chicago blues and other styles.
The first half of the concert was decent, but unremarkable. But after the intermission they came out and played their "A" game. They were very good and were really rocking the blues.
Later in the concert the little old lady said that Smokey Robinson was playing in Sandpoint, Idaho soon and the tickets were $59, which she thought was too expensive. I said it may be because he was playing at a festival and that was the festival price. But she said no, that price was just for his concert at the festival.
She then asked if I was going to attend the annual blues concert/fund raiser this Saturday in Somers, MT. She mentioned she had seen the main act several times in the past and liked her the first time, and was unimpressed the second time. She had hopes for her performance at this concert. She also talked about how she liked Zydeco music.
Shouldn't she be listening to Laurence Welk or something? And... is grandma hitting on me for a date?! Yikes!
No, I have hiking plans and hadn't planned on attending the concert.
Later the fellow at the other end of the bench left and I moved to that end. Not to get away from grandma, but because the person running the soundboard spent much of the time standing up and this blocked my view of half the band. Of course he didn't eat during intermission,but after the intermission was over. To eat he had to move over a bit to reach his food on the table, and again he blocked my view. *grrrr*
The strange guy I seen dance at the previous concerts was here again this night. He wore a lavender shirt and had his leather motorcycle chaps on. No bandannas on his head but he had a red one tucked in my back pants pocket and had a blue one around his neck. He asked several women to dance but couldn't quite get a decent routine going with any of the women.
Usually the kids monopolize the dance floor but not this night. A half dozen women danced off to the left side front. They wanted to shake their 'groove thing'. A guy danced awkwardly a few times with them but he seemed kind of creepy to me. And maybe to the women also as several times another woman cut in on him when he started to concentrate on a single woman. He had 'desperation' written all over him.
For one dance there were a number of couples dancing. Thankfully the men didn't dance long as they couldn't dance and embarrassed all men everywhere. One guy with camera tried taking a picture of his partner while dancing. He was such a bad dancer to begin with, his picture taking didn't hurt his dancing style.
Later a woman with green hair showed up. She and her friend were odd. So the men weren't the only odd people dancing at the concert.
I didn't see anyone I knew though the next day Gary said he was there, but sitting in a different location due to all the people there preventing him from getting his usual location. And I am terrible in picking people out of the crowd.
My legs were a little tired from the day's long (17 mile) hike off Blacktail Mountain. While the crowd was a good size, fortunately it wasn't too long before someone left and I was able to sit down on a bench.
The band was loud and it was the older people who were leaving early.
Next to me on the bench, at the left end, was a little old lady. She looked to be in her 70s. Kids attend these concerts and do a lot of running around. It wasn't long after I sat down that several little girls about 4 or 5 years old or so ran by. The little old lady put her leg out and tripped the first girl surprising her - and me. The little girl had a surprised look when she got up, then she ran off. The little old lady then told me that was the tenth time they ran past and she was tired of it.
Okay... I guess "little old nice lady" is not how one would describe her.
Later she remarked to me how loud the band was, and how it was driving the old people away. She said the band's style had changed. She remembered them playing more of a honky tonk style of blues in the past. Their sound now was more of a power blues, a mixture of Chicago blues and other styles.
The first half of the concert was decent, but unremarkable. But after the intermission they came out and played their "A" game. They were very good and were really rocking the blues.
Later in the concert the little old lady said that Smokey Robinson was playing in Sandpoint, Idaho soon and the tickets were $59, which she thought was too expensive. I said it may be because he was playing at a festival and that was the festival price. But she said no, that price was just for his concert at the festival.
She then asked if I was going to attend the annual blues concert/fund raiser this Saturday in Somers, MT. She mentioned she had seen the main act several times in the past and liked her the first time, and was unimpressed the second time. She had hopes for her performance at this concert. She also talked about how she liked Zydeco music.
Shouldn't she be listening to Laurence Welk or something? And... is grandma hitting on me for a date?! Yikes!
No, I have hiking plans and hadn't planned on attending the concert.
Later the fellow at the other end of the bench left and I moved to that end. Not to get away from grandma, but because the person running the soundboard spent much of the time standing up and this blocked my view of half the band. Of course he didn't eat during intermission,but after the intermission was over. To eat he had to move over a bit to reach his food on the table, and again he blocked my view. *grrrr*
The strange guy I seen dance at the previous concerts was here again this night. He wore a lavender shirt and had his leather motorcycle chaps on. No bandannas on his head but he had a red one tucked in my back pants pocket and had a blue one around his neck. He asked several women to dance but couldn't quite get a decent routine going with any of the women.
Usually the kids monopolize the dance floor but not this night. A half dozen women danced off to the left side front. They wanted to shake their 'groove thing'. A guy danced awkwardly a few times with them but he seemed kind of creepy to me. And maybe to the women also as several times another woman cut in on him when he started to concentrate on a single woman. He had 'desperation' written all over him.
For one dance there were a number of couples dancing. Thankfully the men didn't dance long as they couldn't dance and embarrassed all men everywhere. One guy with camera tried taking a picture of his partner while dancing. He was such a bad dancer to begin with, his picture taking didn't hurt his dancing style.
Later a woman with green hair showed up. She and her friend were odd. So the men weren't the only odd people dancing at the concert.
I didn't see anyone I knew though the next day Gary said he was there, but sitting in a different location due to all the people there preventing him from getting his usual location. And I am terrible in picking people out of the crowd.
Alaskan cruise and passport
My hiking friend Gary planned on going on an Alaskan cruise with friends of his when one guy dropped out. In the past I had mentioned an interest in going on a cruise so he asked if I wanted to come along. This way he would have someone to share the room and wouldn't have to pay a surcharge for having the room to himself.
Initially the cruise was in August so I said no as I would still have cattle then.
Then their cruise was changed to early September at the women's requests. I checked with Dan and he plans to take his cattle out and sell them by then. So I told Gary, yes.
Gary booked the cruise for us. The travel agent then mentioned passports were required as we had two stops in Canada. Gary thought I had a passport because of my previous travels. But my passport had expired since moving to Montana. Since passports were required, and I heard it took a long time to get one's passport, I told him to cancel me, or find another person to share the room, as I didn't want to chance not getting my passport in time.
Then Gary learned one of the women didn't have a passport either, was getting one, and would get it in time for the cruise. So I changed my mind again and said I would get a passport and go.
All I had to do was renew my passport. But then I learned there was 15 year window in passport renewals. 15 years from when one first got the passport, or 15 years from when it expired? It was 15 years and two weeks since I first got my passport. 2 weeks!
So I told Gary I would check with the passport people. I didn't want to try to renew my passport only to have it rejected, then have no time to get another passport.
I contacted the passport people via their 1-800 number and learned the 15 year window was from when the passport was issued. I was 2 weeks too late to renew my passport.
That meant I had to go to the post office and fill out an application. My old passport was good for proof of citizenship.
Today I rode my bicycle to the post office after the Picnic in the Park concert was over. I needed two passport photos. My old passport photos were of me from long ago, and I didn't recognize that person with long hair and a beard: a young person with hair. The post office took passport photos for $15. I rode over to Walgreen's where they took the photos for $7.99.
I filled out my passport application, wrote a check for $75 to the State Department, and another check for $25 to the Post office. When one renews a passport it only costs the $75 to the State Department and one sends their old passport directly to them. A new passport requires someone to look over your filled in application for $25 more dollars. Okay....
They promised I would get my passport in no more than four weeks. Plenty of time for my cruise.
Now let's see what else will be a hassle...
Also, because of mom's health, I am considering getting travel insurance for an extra $60. Supposedly it costs $50,000 to helicopter someone off a cruise ship.
Initially the cruise was in August so I said no as I would still have cattle then.
Then their cruise was changed to early September at the women's requests. I checked with Dan and he plans to take his cattle out and sell them by then. So I told Gary, yes.
Gary booked the cruise for us. The travel agent then mentioned passports were required as we had two stops in Canada. Gary thought I had a passport because of my previous travels. But my passport had expired since moving to Montana. Since passports were required, and I heard it took a long time to get one's passport, I told him to cancel me, or find another person to share the room, as I didn't want to chance not getting my passport in time.
Then Gary learned one of the women didn't have a passport either, was getting one, and would get it in time for the cruise. So I changed my mind again and said I would get a passport and go.
All I had to do was renew my passport. But then I learned there was 15 year window in passport renewals. 15 years from when one first got the passport, or 15 years from when it expired? It was 15 years and two weeks since I first got my passport. 2 weeks!
So I told Gary I would check with the passport people. I didn't want to try to renew my passport only to have it rejected, then have no time to get another passport.
I contacted the passport people via their 1-800 number and learned the 15 year window was from when the passport was issued. I was 2 weeks too late to renew my passport.
That meant I had to go to the post office and fill out an application. My old passport was good for proof of citizenship.
Today I rode my bicycle to the post office after the Picnic in the Park concert was over. I needed two passport photos. My old passport photos were of me from long ago, and I didn't recognize that person with long hair and a beard: a young person with hair. The post office took passport photos for $15. I rode over to Walgreen's where they took the photos for $7.99.
I filled out my passport application, wrote a check for $75 to the State Department, and another check for $25 to the Post office. When one renews a passport it only costs the $75 to the State Department and one sends their old passport directly to them. A new passport requires someone to look over your filled in application for $25 more dollars. Okay....
They promised I would get my passport in no more than four weeks. Plenty of time for my cruise.
Now let's see what else will be a hassle...
Also, because of mom's health, I am considering getting travel insurance for an extra $60. Supposedly it costs $50,000 to helicopter someone off a cruise ship.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Hay
Last Saturday Wyatt baled my hay. While Wyatt had thought he may bale it Friday night, Thursday night's windstorm delayed him by a day.
Saturday I went hiking all day. When I got home my hay was all baled. I seen Dan had picked up a number of bales already as the bales around several sides of the hayfield were gone. I was starving so I made and ate supper first before getting my hay bales. I kept 70 bales, or a touch over 2 ton of hay, for using in feeding cattle I plan to buy next Spring. My hay is very good this year.
After supper I got my two-wheeled hand cart out out to bring my hay bales to the barn. Here is a view of the loaded cart. I could carry two bales at a time.
I had one broken bale which I gathered up in my wheelbarrow and put into a water trough. In the second photo the bales that are stacked high are the new 70 bales, and the bales on the right that are not so high are the old bales. In front is the hand cart without any bales on it.
I had asked Dan to leave the bales on the north end of the pasture for me as those bales were closest to the barn. Two by two I gathered bales. It took me a few hours and it was dusk by the time I finished. Naturally the mosquitoes were out and attacking.
Dan came the next morning to get the rest of the bales. By the time I woke up he had almost all the bales loaded as he bucked the bales while his wife drove the pickup.
Just before I came outside the house a pickup drove up my driveway and stopped near the house. A couple walked out to the field where Dan was loading the last of the bales. I didn't recognize the couple but I found out they were the eldest son and his wife of one of my neighbors immediately north.
She was watching five horses for a friend who had to go to another city because their parent got ill. They were gone longer than expected and the horses ran out of hay and needed a bale or two. The couple offered to buy a couple bales and Dan gave them two bales free.
He tossed two bales from his trailer to the ground. She went and got their pickup and then loaded the bales in the pickup. Since her husband wasn't going for the hay bales Dan offered to put the bales in their pickup. Instead her husband said that she likes to buck bales as she is a horsewoman. I know, women are equal and can do anything a man can do, but still... it didn't seem right for her husband - and us - to stand around while she tossed the bales into their pickup. Call me sexist.
I also found why the couple were now living with his parents. They lost their house in the contractor scam last winter. A contractor wasn't bonded and quite a number of people in the Valley had liens placed on their house by subcontractors and suppliers because the contractor did not pay them. Many people has tens of thousands of extra dollars they had to pay, and those who couldn't lost their house. Apparently the contractor now lives in Mexico.
To lose one's house like that... man, that's rough.
Any way, I am happy my hay is cut and baled and done as that is one less thing I have to do this Summer. And the cut field makes it easier for the owls to find the rodents. At night I hear the owls are back. The cut field also makes it easier for me to find the pocket gopher mounds. I had to start my line of traps back at the northern fence as I found quite a number of dirt mounds I had missed in the tall grass.
I also found new regular gopher holes near where I had finally trapped the gophers from the NW hayfield. *sigh* The new gophers didn't re-open the closed holes and instead dug new ones. Well, after a day the gopher was dead. The moral: don't mess with me.
Saturday I went hiking all day. When I got home my hay was all baled. I seen Dan had picked up a number of bales already as the bales around several sides of the hayfield were gone. I was starving so I made and ate supper first before getting my hay bales. I kept 70 bales, or a touch over 2 ton of hay, for using in feeding cattle I plan to buy next Spring. My hay is very good this year.
After supper I got my two-wheeled hand cart out out to bring my hay bales to the barn. Here is a view of the loaded cart. I could carry two bales at a time.
I had one broken bale which I gathered up in my wheelbarrow and put into a water trough. In the second photo the bales that are stacked high are the new 70 bales, and the bales on the right that are not so high are the old bales. In front is the hand cart without any bales on it.
I had asked Dan to leave the bales on the north end of the pasture for me as those bales were closest to the barn. Two by two I gathered bales. It took me a few hours and it was dusk by the time I finished. Naturally the mosquitoes were out and attacking.
Dan came the next morning to get the rest of the bales. By the time I woke up he had almost all the bales loaded as he bucked the bales while his wife drove the pickup.
Just before I came outside the house a pickup drove up my driveway and stopped near the house. A couple walked out to the field where Dan was loading the last of the bales. I didn't recognize the couple but I found out they were the eldest son and his wife of one of my neighbors immediately north.
She was watching five horses for a friend who had to go to another city because their parent got ill. They were gone longer than expected and the horses ran out of hay and needed a bale or two. The couple offered to buy a couple bales and Dan gave them two bales free.
He tossed two bales from his trailer to the ground. She went and got their pickup and then loaded the bales in the pickup. Since her husband wasn't going for the hay bales Dan offered to put the bales in their pickup. Instead her husband said that she likes to buck bales as she is a horsewoman. I know, women are equal and can do anything a man can do, but still... it didn't seem right for her husband - and us - to stand around while she tossed the bales into their pickup. Call me sexist.
I also found why the couple were now living with his parents. They lost their house in the contractor scam last winter. A contractor wasn't bonded and quite a number of people in the Valley had liens placed on their house by subcontractors and suppliers because the contractor did not pay them. Many people has tens of thousands of extra dollars they had to pay, and those who couldn't lost their house. Apparently the contractor now lives in Mexico.
To lose one's house like that... man, that's rough.
Any way, I am happy my hay is cut and baled and done as that is one less thing I have to do this Summer. And the cut field makes it easier for the owls to find the rodents. At night I hear the owls are back. The cut field also makes it easier for me to find the pocket gopher mounds. I had to start my line of traps back at the northern fence as I found quite a number of dirt mounds I had missed in the tall grass.
I also found new regular gopher holes near where I had finally trapped the gophers from the NW hayfield. *sigh* The new gophers didn't re-open the closed holes and instead dug new ones. Well, after a day the gopher was dead. The moral: don't mess with me.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Fallen tree
I had a causality from last Thursday's wind storm. A large tree in my south pasture blew over. *sigh* Every year it seems as if another tree is blown over.
I have enough split wood to heat my house at least one winter. I have enough logs stacked in the back yard ready to be split to heat my house at least one winter. I have enough fallen trees in the pasture - and sitting on supporting branches so the tree trunk is off the ground - to heat my house at least one winter. The last thing I need is another tree to limb and dry. But that's what I got.
At least when it blew over it did not fall on any cattle.
Here is a photo of a long time fallen tree. Since it is supported by another tree and off the ground I have left it for now until I have time to cut it up and have a place to store the wood.
I have enough split wood to heat my house at least one winter. I have enough logs stacked in the back yard ready to be split to heat my house at least one winter. I have enough fallen trees in the pasture - and sitting on supporting branches so the tree trunk is off the ground - to heat my house at least one winter. The last thing I need is another tree to limb and dry. But that's what I got.
At least when it blew over it did not fall on any cattle.
Here is a photo of a long time fallen tree. Since it is supported by another tree and off the ground I have left it for now until I have time to cut it up and have a place to store the wood.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Busy
No time to write much. I am going to have to write myself notes so I can later blog on what I did.
Got the hay baled and my share in the barn. Hiked most of Saturday with a new group. I am going on another hike tomorrow. Because of the distance 13 miles(?), and because we are not sure how much of a trail is going to exist where we plan on hiking, I suggested an early start time. The other two hikers are early risers and before I knew it I talked myself into meeting the first hiker at 6:30 am.
Geez! That's early!
On top of it I plan on going on a cruise to Alaska in September. The catch... my passport has expired. I think I can get a new one, but, of course, there is more to this story.
Got the hay baled and my share in the barn. Hiked most of Saturday with a new group. I am going on another hike tomorrow. Because of the distance 13 miles(?), and because we are not sure how much of a trail is going to exist where we plan on hiking, I suggested an early start time. The other two hikers are early risers and before I knew it I talked myself into meeting the first hiker at 6:30 am.
Geez! That's early!
On top of it I plan on going on a cruise to Alaska in September. The catch... my passport has expired. I think I can get a new one, but, of course, there is more to this story.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
No rain please on a day of work
Since I had comments on Wednesday about me not working I thought on Thursday I should be more diligent about working.
I:
Friday I took it easy as I thought Wyatt was going to bale my hay. I wanted to be rested for hauling my hay bales into the barn late that afternoon and evening. However when I came home from running an errand uptown on my bicycle, Wyatt was in my field raking the rows of hay. Thursday's wind had blown some rows around, and Wyatt also wanted to turn the heavy rows to ensure they were dry. He planned to bale the hay Saturday. So much for taking it easier today.
After checking my gopher traps, I sprayed another tank of herbicide. I completed the fruit tree and garden area, completed the yard, and did the entire corral.
As for gophers, I found new mounds of dirt from a pocket gopher along the fence line between the fruit tree and garden area and the ditch to the road. I had trapped a pocket gopher there last year and now a new one had moved in. Another hard one to trap. Several times during the day I checked the trap only to find it covered in dirt. *sigh*
In the pasture I found one of my leg hold traps caught a mouse. A mouse! I thought these gopher traps were too big to catch mice.
At the end of the day I worked on my fence gate and got the hinge attached to the post and to one pole I am using for the gate. Now to building the rest of the gate.
Other than patching a pair of my cutoff jeans, I think I may have done a few more things, but don't remember them now.
I:
- sprayed a tank of herbicide on the weeds in the front yard, the ditch north of my driveway, and most of the fruit tree and garden area,
- unloaded my pickup of odds and ends of lumber, and eight or so old thin railroad ties tossed out in a nearby building supply store's free pile,
- rolled a large roll of fence from my yard to be next to my hay shed,
- hauled off the rest of a pile of tree branches I had trimmed last month, and some other stuff,
- checked my gopher traps,
- moved the 20+ old hay bales from one part of the barn to another part to make room for my new hay bales,
- swept the entire barn floor to get rid of loose hay,
- removed the rotted boards from inside the barn. 90% of the barn floor is concrete with the remaining 10% being wood boards. Why? I don't know. I don't know how old the barn is, but possibly over 60 years old. Part of the boards where stuff sat for years were rotting.
The wood floor was two layers of old planks. On half of the wood floor I removed the bottom layer completely. Of the top layer I removed 2/3 of the half section.
Underneath the floor was dirt. I have a pail of small rocks I have picked up around the yard and pasture as I have walked. I plan to use those rocks on top of the dirt and under the new wood floor. - By now I could see clouds slowly approaching from the north. A large weather system with rain was moving along the U.S./Canadian border with most all the rain predicted to stay in Canada. But now it looked like the rain was trying to get into the Valley.
Man! My hay was still laying out in the field.
The wind all day had been from the south, and I hoped the warm dry air in the Valley would keep the clouds and rain at bay. Over time the edge of clouds came closer to being overhead. It was getting bluer on the Whitefish Range that was the northern boundary of the Valley. I could see smaller white wind clouds against the blue and near the mountains. The Whitefish Range was getting harder to see. There felt to be more moisture in the air.
Man, oh, man! No rain! Please!
To occupy my time and mind I decided to split logs. As I split and watched the northern sky the wind switched to come from the north. The temperature started to rapidly drop and the wind picked up. It got cold!
It didn't look good for my hay. Why couldn't Wyatt have baled the hay earlier this afternoon? If I had my equipment I would have baled it this afternoon. The guy across the road was now out picking up most of his hay bales.
I kept splitting wood until dark. It never rained though at times I was sure I - and my hay - would get wet. The wind did blow and I had to pick up tree branches from the ground. I learned later that Whitefish and other areas on the north end of the Valley lost power due to fallen trees on power lines.
Friday I took it easy as I thought Wyatt was going to bale my hay. I wanted to be rested for hauling my hay bales into the barn late that afternoon and evening. However when I came home from running an errand uptown on my bicycle, Wyatt was in my field raking the rows of hay. Thursday's wind had blown some rows around, and Wyatt also wanted to turn the heavy rows to ensure they were dry. He planned to bale the hay Saturday. So much for taking it easier today.
After checking my gopher traps, I sprayed another tank of herbicide. I completed the fruit tree and garden area, completed the yard, and did the entire corral.
As for gophers, I found new mounds of dirt from a pocket gopher along the fence line between the fruit tree and garden area and the ditch to the road. I had trapped a pocket gopher there last year and now a new one had moved in. Another hard one to trap. Several times during the day I checked the trap only to find it covered in dirt. *sigh*
In the pasture I found one of my leg hold traps caught a mouse. A mouse! I thought these gopher traps were too big to catch mice.
At the end of the day I worked on my fence gate and got the hinge attached to the post and to one pole I am using for the gate. Now to building the rest of the gate.
Other than patching a pair of my cutoff jeans, I think I may have done a few more things, but don't remember them now.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Snow on high
Lots of snow high in the mountains. Normally at this time of the year one can hike the higher trails. Not this year! Saturday's hike was changed as the lake we planned to hike to was still snowed in and frozen. So much for this idea of global warming!Here is a newspaper article about all the snow in the mountains and its affect on hiking.
Newspaper article on snow and hiking
Friday, July 11, 2008
Picnic music: Full Moon Prophets
Wednesday was a busy day. Just as I was about to leave the house to go attend Wednesday's 11:30 am Picnic in the Park concert, Tammy called to wish me Happy Birthday. We chatted until about 11:50 pm.
As I was about to enter the road from my driveway, the guy who cut the field across the road drove by on his tractor which was pulling his baler. I followed on my bicycle. Just before he turned off into the field his cap blew off his head. I picked it up and gave it to him once he stopped.
This was the first time I've ever chatted with him. I learned he lived 4 miles down the road. He mentioned that my neighbor down the road, Dick, had stopped and talked with him about the field he was cutting and the leafy splurge in it. I also found that when he cut the field last year another neighbor, Street, got on his case about cutting the field with the weeds in it. This guy found both Street and Dick obnoxious in telling him what to do. This is not the first time I have heard this.
This guy's wife was the former weed control official in two of the neighboring counties before she married this fellow. She now has her own weed spraying business and is even certified to apply herbicides near water. This year he left the leafy splurge patches uncut and his wife has already sprayed them once with Tordon.
I had a good chat with him and it was 12:28 when I finished. The music concert ended at 1:30 pm so it would be over half over by the time I got there. A good breeze made a stiff headwind. I decided to go anyway.
I got to the concert around 12:50 pm. The crowd was on the smaller side. I locked my bicycle to a light pole and put my shirt on. I found my favorite tree to lean against and watch the band.
The band was the Full Moon Prophets. They appeared to be a cover band that played rock music. They were good but they seemed more of a bar band and nothing very special. They seemed to be a little too loud for a lunch time concert as most acts have been acoustic or folk music. I didn't see many old people, but that may be because it was later when I finally arrived.
I didn't see Gary and after about 10 minutes I spotted Colleen with a Humane Society volunteer ("Kitty") and a couple of large dogs from the Humane Society. The dogs were wearing "Adopt me" vests. The dogs were real nice, calm, and well behaved. I petted the black one ("Harley") and he was shedding fur. Colleen's pants were covered in hair and soon Harley's fur was all over my shorts and legs.
Colleen had seen me ride up and then put my shirt on. We had a laugh about last year when some unknown woman left a note on Colleen's pickup about me not wearing a shirt during one of the Picnic in the Park concerts.
When it was time for Colleen and Kitty to return to the Humane Society office Colleen commented she had to go back to work unlike other people, (*cough* *cough*) who don't work. I protested, "Hey! I work!" and she then agreed that I did work.
It must have been another 10 minutes after Colleen left that I noticed Gary. He wasn't sitting in his usual spot. By the time I saw him the band was playing their last song. Gary and I chatted for a while after the concert was over.
Later in the afternoon I stopped and visited with Bob and Jan. My mother also called me later in the afternnoon to wish me a Happy Birthday.
The Express Employment Professionals company sent me a birthday card but no check for my work as an election judge. That took another day to arrive. Judging from the date the check was written, they had been holding the check for almost 3 weeks.
I had not checked my gopher traps for two days and the dead gopher I found stunk. I had to wash one trap off in the river as the dead gopher wrapped himself around the trap before dieing. Why aren't the hawks 'cleaning' the gophers up? There are still a few around as I seen a good sized red tailed hawk flying over the hayfield and being harassed by a small bird the other morning.
Now that the hay field has been cut I have seen and heard several bared owls each night calling out.
I found yet another leg hold gopher trap. I only knew of one missing trap and I had found that trap several days ago. I have no clue when I lost this trap. I wonder if it was one of my missing traps when the hawks took off with a gopher and trap last year? Anyway, it was a nice birthday present to get another gopher trap. That makes 17 gopher traps to my 7 for the pocket gophers.
After I checked my traps I spoke with Jim and his wife. They got two miniature horses and had bought a half dozen small green metal corral panels to fence them in along with a small loafing shed for them to have shelter in. Jim said he and his brother-in-law shot four gophers on his property over the weekend. There are still gophers left as we could see one chirping. I warned Jim the gophers will go underground by the end of July so get his shooting in earlier than later.
Jim made a comment about how it must be nice not having to work while I am so young. That's twice in one day where someone made a comment about my not working! *sheesh*
The mosquitoes are horrible. The newspaper says it is the worse in five years due to the high water being late. Because of the dry previous years those year's larvae are also hatching this year. Great...
My garden doesn't look so good. Only some stuff is coming up. I had planted seeds in small trenches for easier watering later. It looks like the inch and a half of rain washed dirt into the trenches partially filling them. It may be the seeds are now buried too deep.
As I was about to enter the road from my driveway, the guy who cut the field across the road drove by on his tractor which was pulling his baler. I followed on my bicycle. Just before he turned off into the field his cap blew off his head. I picked it up and gave it to him once he stopped.
This was the first time I've ever chatted with him. I learned he lived 4 miles down the road. He mentioned that my neighbor down the road, Dick, had stopped and talked with him about the field he was cutting and the leafy splurge in it. I also found that when he cut the field last year another neighbor, Street, got on his case about cutting the field with the weeds in it. This guy found both Street and Dick obnoxious in telling him what to do. This is not the first time I have heard this.
This guy's wife was the former weed control official in two of the neighboring counties before she married this fellow. She now has her own weed spraying business and is even certified to apply herbicides near water. This year he left the leafy splurge patches uncut and his wife has already sprayed them once with Tordon.
I had a good chat with him and it was 12:28 when I finished. The music concert ended at 1:30 pm so it would be over half over by the time I got there. A good breeze made a stiff headwind. I decided to go anyway.
I got to the concert around 12:50 pm. The crowd was on the smaller side. I locked my bicycle to a light pole and put my shirt on. I found my favorite tree to lean against and watch the band.
The band was the Full Moon Prophets. They appeared to be a cover band that played rock music. They were good but they seemed more of a bar band and nothing very special. They seemed to be a little too loud for a lunch time concert as most acts have been acoustic or folk music. I didn't see many old people, but that may be because it was later when I finally arrived.
I didn't see Gary and after about 10 minutes I spotted Colleen with a Humane Society volunteer ("Kitty") and a couple of large dogs from the Humane Society. The dogs were wearing "Adopt me" vests. The dogs were real nice, calm, and well behaved. I petted the black one ("Harley") and he was shedding fur. Colleen's pants were covered in hair and soon Harley's fur was all over my shorts and legs.
Colleen had seen me ride up and then put my shirt on. We had a laugh about last year when some unknown woman left a note on Colleen's pickup about me not wearing a shirt during one of the Picnic in the Park concerts.
When it was time for Colleen and Kitty to return to the Humane Society office Colleen commented she had to go back to work unlike other people, (*cough* *cough*) who don't work. I protested, "Hey! I work!" and she then agreed that I did work.
It must have been another 10 minutes after Colleen left that I noticed Gary. He wasn't sitting in his usual spot. By the time I saw him the band was playing their last song. Gary and I chatted for a while after the concert was over.
Later in the afternoon I stopped and visited with Bob and Jan. My mother also called me later in the afternnoon to wish me a Happy Birthday.
The Express Employment Professionals company sent me a birthday card but no check for my work as an election judge. That took another day to arrive. Judging from the date the check was written, they had been holding the check for almost 3 weeks.
I had not checked my gopher traps for two days and the dead gopher I found stunk. I had to wash one trap off in the river as the dead gopher wrapped himself around the trap before dieing. Why aren't the hawks 'cleaning' the gophers up? There are still a few around as I seen a good sized red tailed hawk flying over the hayfield and being harassed by a small bird the other morning.
Now that the hay field has been cut I have seen and heard several bared owls each night calling out.
I found yet another leg hold gopher trap. I only knew of one missing trap and I had found that trap several days ago. I have no clue when I lost this trap. I wonder if it was one of my missing traps when the hawks took off with a gopher and trap last year? Anyway, it was a nice birthday present to get another gopher trap. That makes 17 gopher traps to my 7 for the pocket gophers.
After I checked my traps I spoke with Jim and his wife. They got two miniature horses and had bought a half dozen small green metal corral panels to fence them in along with a small loafing shed for them to have shelter in. Jim said he and his brother-in-law shot four gophers on his property over the weekend. There are still gophers left as we could see one chirping. I warned Jim the gophers will go underground by the end of July so get his shooting in earlier than later.
Jim made a comment about how it must be nice not having to work while I am so young. That's twice in one day where someone made a comment about my not working! *sheesh*
The mosquitoes are horrible. The newspaper says it is the worse in five years due to the high water being late. Because of the dry previous years those year's larvae are also hatching this year. Great...
My garden doesn't look so good. Only some stuff is coming up. I had planted seeds in small trenches for easier watering later. It looks like the inch and a half of rain washed dirt into the trenches partially filling them. It may be the seeds are now buried too deep.
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Picnic music: Bad Larrys
Tuesday night I attended another of the Picnic in the Park concerts. This time I was very late to the concert. I had a movie checked out from the library; it was due back Tuesday; and I needed to watch it.
The movie was a French film, "The Double Life of Veronique". I don't know... this is supposed to be a good movie, and it was supposed to be dreamy, but I found it dull. The film style was realistic but the story and people in it were not. I fell asleep part way into it. Being cryptic also didn't help matters any as I wasn't in the mood to see a cryptic film.
And my VCR's remote control quit working which slowed things down for me.
The concert started at 7 pm and it was 7:10 pm when I finished watching the movie. I did get the movie returned to the library before 8 pm, which is when the library closes. Therefore I didn't get to the concert until almost 8 pm, just in time for two songs before intermission.
Performing at the concert were "The Bad Larrys", a county and folk group. I've seen them listed as everything from a duo to a trio. Tonight they were a quartet as one member's son played a drum or occasionally a wash board.
They were really good. A very tight playing group. The first full song I heard from them was Credence Clearwater Revival's "Susie Q". Only The Bad Larrys performed it acoustically on guitar, bass fiddle, and mandolin. Unique, and an excellent interpretation of a favorite song of mine.
Here is a youtube video of the duo version of the group singing the Simon and Garfunkel song, "The Boxer": click here.
The group played Johnny Cash's song, "Ring of Fire". Here is a youtube video of the duo singing the song another time: click here.
During intermission I wandered around. I didn't see Gary in his usual spot so I figured he was on his planned cruise. My typical tree to lean against was 'taken' so I found another tree with a good view of the gazebo and the band.
Because last week's rain storm interrupted that concert and their raffle prizes weren't given away, they gave them away tonight. I noticed the prize of 6 lbs of dog food is back again.
Sometime after intermission was over, and the band started again, a bench opened up and I moved over to sit on it. Just before I got to the bench the two young women moved from the right side to the left side so I had to sit on the right side. After I sat down I realized why the women moved: the soundman was standing and blocking the view of one of the players.
There was room on the bench between me and the two women and a short time later a woman riding a bicycle came and asked if she could sit between us. Sure. She was petite and thin. She was about my age and attractive enough, but with her short hair, not as attractive to me. (Besides I think I spotted a ring on her left hand). Just like only a few women can pull off wearing a mini-skirt and looking sexy, so too can only a few women get away with short hair and still look sexy. Short hair is practical, and practical is not often sexy.
Upon sitting down she immediately started to bounce her legs to the music's rhythm. Initially this was annoying as she was bouncing the bench, but she had good rhythm, and as I am rhythmically challenged, I began to notice the rhythm in the music I heretofore missed.
Speaking of women with rhythm, later a woman got up to dance with her teenage daughter. Usually the only dancers are pre-teen kids with a few exceptions for adults practicing a few steps off to the side. Initially I thought the mom drug the kid up to dance with her as the mom had fantastic natural rhythm and the daughter looked awkward. But in later songs I seen it was the daughter dragging her mom up to dance.
Even though they were mother and daughter, apparently rhythm is not in the genes as it didn't appear to be passed on in this case. If the daughter had half the talent her mother had she would have danced better than she did. I give her credit for trying. Perhaps she was inspired by her mother's ability and wants to learn, practice, and improve.
The mother looked to be perfect and I was entranced by her. I wasn't that close to them but she appeared to be around 40. She had long blond hair that went down a third of her back. She wore a slightly faded light blue jean shirt and light blue jean pants. Her clothes were loose - not tight - but still showed off that she had a good figure: not thin, not heavy. Ideal. She wore a woman's straw hat that curved just right in front and back. The hat was perfect for her look. Her clothes for the most part were common, but on her they looked to be her own style. She was barefoot in the green grass.
And her rhythm! She didn't have to move much but everything was connected and flowed from her shoulders to her feet. She seemed to move effortlessly. She didn't just dance to the music, it appeared the music flowed through her.
Some males are just males, and some males are men. The same is with females. Only a few are women. Like Colleen, this person is a woman. This woman had it all together: the look, the moves, everything. And surprisingly I didn't see any rings on her left hand. What's up with that?
No, I didn't go over and talk with her. She probably just wanted a relaxing evening out with her daughter.
Another adult dancing with a few women was a tall, lean, older looking guy. He had medium short gray hair with a red bandanna tied around his head. He wore a print shirt and had leather motorcycle chaps over his pants. What's up with that kind of look? He kind of looked odd.
I first noticed him dancing with a young blond girl young enough to be his daughter. They danced slower and tentative at first but by the end of the song were moving and spinning quite well. Then I saw him dance the next song with a woman his age. He appeared to be trying to teach her the dance's steps and it wasn't going well. I don't think they lasted the song. Then a song or two later he was again dancing with a late teen/early 20s woman. She was dancing better than the older woman, but not as good as the first woman. If a man can dance, one can get the women.
The problem is I, and most men, can't dance. How can one dance if they don't notice the rhythm?
Also at the concert I saw Colleen's friend, Pam. You know the one I offended last Summer when I asked for her opinion on how the rich people moving to the Valley are changing it. After I sat on the bench, and later after some people left, she moved to sit in the row in front of me. She didn't notice me.
It wasn't until the concert was over and people were leaving that she noticed me. I had just unlocked my bicycle when she walked by carrying her lawn chair. She did that double look when you see someone you recognize and hadn't seen in a while. As I was looking at her she quickly looked away and kept walking. She didn't have to worry, I wasn't going to ask her opinion on anything. After the nerve I inadvertently struck last time, I know better than to do that with her.
The movie was a French film, "The Double Life of Veronique". I don't know... this is supposed to be a good movie, and it was supposed to be dreamy, but I found it dull. The film style was realistic but the story and people in it were not. I fell asleep part way into it. Being cryptic also didn't help matters any as I wasn't in the mood to see a cryptic film.
And my VCR's remote control quit working which slowed things down for me.
The concert started at 7 pm and it was 7:10 pm when I finished watching the movie. I did get the movie returned to the library before 8 pm, which is when the library closes. Therefore I didn't get to the concert until almost 8 pm, just in time for two songs before intermission.
Performing at the concert were "The Bad Larrys", a county and folk group. I've seen them listed as everything from a duo to a trio. Tonight they were a quartet as one member's son played a drum or occasionally a wash board.
They were really good. A very tight playing group. The first full song I heard from them was Credence Clearwater Revival's "Susie Q". Only The Bad Larrys performed it acoustically on guitar, bass fiddle, and mandolin. Unique, and an excellent interpretation of a favorite song of mine.
Here is a youtube video of the duo version of the group singing the Simon and Garfunkel song, "The Boxer": click here.
The group played Johnny Cash's song, "Ring of Fire". Here is a youtube video of the duo singing the song another time: click here.
During intermission I wandered around. I didn't see Gary in his usual spot so I figured he was on his planned cruise. My typical tree to lean against was 'taken' so I found another tree with a good view of the gazebo and the band.
Because last week's rain storm interrupted that concert and their raffle prizes weren't given away, they gave them away tonight. I noticed the prize of 6 lbs of dog food is back again.
Sometime after intermission was over, and the band started again, a bench opened up and I moved over to sit on it. Just before I got to the bench the two young women moved from the right side to the left side so I had to sit on the right side. After I sat down I realized why the women moved: the soundman was standing and blocking the view of one of the players.
There was room on the bench between me and the two women and a short time later a woman riding a bicycle came and asked if she could sit between us. Sure. She was petite and thin. She was about my age and attractive enough, but with her short hair, not as attractive to me. (Besides I think I spotted a ring on her left hand). Just like only a few women can pull off wearing a mini-skirt and looking sexy, so too can only a few women get away with short hair and still look sexy. Short hair is practical, and practical is not often sexy.
Upon sitting down she immediately started to bounce her legs to the music's rhythm. Initially this was annoying as she was bouncing the bench, but she had good rhythm, and as I am rhythmically challenged, I began to notice the rhythm in the music I heretofore missed.
Speaking of women with rhythm, later a woman got up to dance with her teenage daughter. Usually the only dancers are pre-teen kids with a few exceptions for adults practicing a few steps off to the side. Initially I thought the mom drug the kid up to dance with her as the mom had fantastic natural rhythm and the daughter looked awkward. But in later songs I seen it was the daughter dragging her mom up to dance.
Even though they were mother and daughter, apparently rhythm is not in the genes as it didn't appear to be passed on in this case. If the daughter had half the talent her mother had she would have danced better than she did. I give her credit for trying. Perhaps she was inspired by her mother's ability and wants to learn, practice, and improve.
The mother looked to be perfect and I was entranced by her. I wasn't that close to them but she appeared to be around 40. She had long blond hair that went down a third of her back. She wore a slightly faded light blue jean shirt and light blue jean pants. Her clothes were loose - not tight - but still showed off that she had a good figure: not thin, not heavy. Ideal. She wore a woman's straw hat that curved just right in front and back. The hat was perfect for her look. Her clothes for the most part were common, but on her they looked to be her own style. She was barefoot in the green grass.
And her rhythm! She didn't have to move much but everything was connected and flowed from her shoulders to her feet. She seemed to move effortlessly. She didn't just dance to the music, it appeared the music flowed through her.
Some males are just males, and some males are men. The same is with females. Only a few are women. Like Colleen, this person is a woman. This woman had it all together: the look, the moves, everything. And surprisingly I didn't see any rings on her left hand. What's up with that?
No, I didn't go over and talk with her. She probably just wanted a relaxing evening out with her daughter.
Another adult dancing with a few women was a tall, lean, older looking guy. He had medium short gray hair with a red bandanna tied around his head. He wore a print shirt and had leather motorcycle chaps over his pants. What's up with that kind of look? He kind of looked odd.
I first noticed him dancing with a young blond girl young enough to be his daughter. They danced slower and tentative at first but by the end of the song were moving and spinning quite well. Then I saw him dance the next song with a woman his age. He appeared to be trying to teach her the dance's steps and it wasn't going well. I don't think they lasted the song. Then a song or two later he was again dancing with a late teen/early 20s woman. She was dancing better than the older woman, but not as good as the first woman. If a man can dance, one can get the women.
The problem is I, and most men, can't dance. How can one dance if they don't notice the rhythm?Also at the concert I saw Colleen's friend, Pam. You know the one I offended last Summer when I asked for her opinion on how the rich people moving to the Valley are changing it. After I sat on the bench, and later after some people left, she moved to sit in the row in front of me. She didn't notice me.
It wasn't until the concert was over and people were leaving that she noticed me. I had just unlocked my bicycle when she walked by carrying her lawn chair. She did that double look when you see someone you recognize and hadn't seen in a while. As I was looking at her she quickly looked away and kept walking. She didn't have to worry, I wasn't going to ask her opinion on anything. After the nerve I inadvertently struck last time, I know better than to do that with her.
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
To the south pasture
No more jail breaks last night or this morning so I moved the cattle to the south pasture today. First I added six steel posts to reinforce the old wood wobbly posts. I could add another three steel posts if I wished. Another day. Since a few of the cattle have shown double jointed ability I also added some wire between the barb wire strands to further reduce their ability to slip through the fence.
All while I worked on the fence I left the gate open between the south and middle pastures so the cattle could come over. All the time I was working on the fence the cattle were down closer to the river. When I was done I found the cattle taking their siesta under the large pine towards the northern side of the middle pasture. One was rolling in the dirt where I had dug around a tree stump last Fall.
I already had moved the salt blocks to the new pasture. I called the cattle but all they did was stand and look at me. I pushed my wheelbarrow of tools closer and called. More stood and looked at me but did not budge. I got relatively close and the same. When I turned around and walked back to the gate they followed me.
I kept one eye out as it can be a little unnerving when the herd runs up behind me. When I got closer to the open gate the leaders spotted it and galloped past me. The whole herd thundered by and rushed into the south pasture's tall grass. They immediately started exploring and eating. So much for their siesta.
The south pasture should keep them occupied and out of trouble for a while. *crossing my fingers*
Dan and Wyatt spoke today and came to an agreement on the price of Wyatt's share of the hay from my field. I will sell some of my share to Dan for that price too. I am going to keep a couple ton of hay for the cattle I plan to purchase next Spring. A number of people are already trying to get $150 a ton for their hay, which is too greedy. It seems like the typical price ranges from $90/ton to $110/ton. Our price is in that range. Because of Dan's shoulder Wyatt agreed to make the bales 60 lbs instead of his typical 70 lb bales.
I also called the Express Employment Professional company. They still have not sent me my check for my work as election judge and it has been over a month since the election. They quickly found it sitting on their desk and promised to mail it to me right away.
All while I worked on the fence I left the gate open between the south and middle pastures so the cattle could come over. All the time I was working on the fence the cattle were down closer to the river. When I was done I found the cattle taking their siesta under the large pine towards the northern side of the middle pasture. One was rolling in the dirt where I had dug around a tree stump last Fall.
I already had moved the salt blocks to the new pasture. I called the cattle but all they did was stand and look at me. I pushed my wheelbarrow of tools closer and called. More stood and looked at me but did not budge. I got relatively close and the same. When I turned around and walked back to the gate they followed me.
I kept one eye out as it can be a little unnerving when the herd runs up behind me. When I got closer to the open gate the leaders spotted it and galloped past me. The whole herd thundered by and rushed into the south pasture's tall grass. They immediately started exploring and eating. So much for their siesta.
The south pasture should keep them occupied and out of trouble for a while. *crossing my fingers*
Dan and Wyatt spoke today and came to an agreement on the price of Wyatt's share of the hay from my field. I will sell some of my share to Dan for that price too. I am going to keep a couple ton of hay for the cattle I plan to purchase next Spring. A number of people are already trying to get $150 a ton for their hay, which is too greedy. It seems like the typical price ranges from $90/ton to $110/ton. Our price is in that range. Because of Dan's shoulder Wyatt agreed to make the bales 60 lbs instead of his typical 70 lb bales.
I also called the Express Employment Professional company. They still have not sent me my check for my work as election judge and it has been over a month since the election. They quickly found it sitting on their desk and promised to mail it to me right away.
No fence will stop me from fresh cut hay
Wyatt cut my hayfield tonight. It took him around three hours.
The forecast doesn't have any chance of rain until later in the week. While I feel the chance my hay will be baled before it rains, I remember the year I had my hay cut late - in August - and the only day in the month that it rained was during the few days my hay was cut and drying.
This afternoon the field across the road from mine was cut. It appears to be by the same people as last year as they cut Jamie's field with a small old Ford tractor with a sickle.
When Wyatt had my field half cut I looked out and saw one of the cattle in the NW corner of the hayfield. What?!
#3 was checking out a row of cut hay. Fortunately #3 is one of the calmer cattle and I was able to open the nearby gate to the north pasture and it quickly walked into it. The north/middle pasture gate is nearby. This gate was a problem as half the herd was near and wanted to go through it while #3 debated whether to return to the middle pasture. Then the rest of the herd noticed what was going on and rushed over. I had the whole herd at the gate. The gate is just wire and boards and collapses when not fastened. I had my hands full shushing the herd away from the gate while not scaring #3. The herd kept returning and I had to stop a few charges. Finally #3 came through.
The fence was not broken but it appeared the middle two wires of the four strand barb wire fence were stretched and loose. I fiddled with the wire to "smooth" it out. I was in the middle of watching the season finale of "The Bachelorette" and wanted to know if my prediction of the guy she chose was correct. It was but I missed the actual proposal. Darn.
The herd remained in the NE corner of the hayfield. This is where #3 had slipped through the fence. A few of the cattle laid down. No one seemed interested in eating.
I looked out the window during commercial breaks and a half hour later #3 (her again!) was in the hayfield again. This time closer to the house. Cattle are like elephants: they don't forget.
This time #3 was harder to herd. I have not finished my gate and #3 seemed interested in going through there. Then it wanted into the corral and the barn. Finally I got #3 to the NW corner and the gate. It was harder to get #3 into the north pasture, but finally I did.
I had just as much of a hard time getting #3 back into the middle pasture as the herd was worked up. While I had been herding #3 in the hayfield they all stood along the fence and moo'ed. Whether the mooing was:
This time I took extra barb wire and wired up the strands between four or five posts where the wire looked loose and saggy. Hopefully this will put an end to this problem. And, yes, I missed even more of "The Bachelorette".
The cattle either stood and watched me closely as I worked on the wire, or stood at the fence and looked longingly at the fresh cut hay. They were obsessed with getting through the fence and to the hay. They remained in the corner again, but thankfully as it was getting dark, it wasn't too long before they appeared to be heading to the river.
While there is still plenty of grass in the middle pasture, tomorrow my plan is to let them into the south pasture to have them work on that grass for a while. It won't be too soon for me that's for sure.
The forecast doesn't have any chance of rain until later in the week. While I feel the chance my hay will be baled before it rains, I remember the year I had my hay cut late - in August - and the only day in the month that it rained was during the few days my hay was cut and drying.
This afternoon the field across the road from mine was cut. It appears to be by the same people as last year as they cut Jamie's field with a small old Ford tractor with a sickle.
When Wyatt had my field half cut I looked out and saw one of the cattle in the NW corner of the hayfield. What?!
#3 was checking out a row of cut hay. Fortunately #3 is one of the calmer cattle and I was able to open the nearby gate to the north pasture and it quickly walked into it. The north/middle pasture gate is nearby. This gate was a problem as half the herd was near and wanted to go through it while #3 debated whether to return to the middle pasture. Then the rest of the herd noticed what was going on and rushed over. I had the whole herd at the gate. The gate is just wire and boards and collapses when not fastened. I had my hands full shushing the herd away from the gate while not scaring #3. The herd kept returning and I had to stop a few charges. Finally #3 came through.
The fence was not broken but it appeared the middle two wires of the four strand barb wire fence were stretched and loose. I fiddled with the wire to "smooth" it out. I was in the middle of watching the season finale of "The Bachelorette" and wanted to know if my prediction of the guy she chose was correct. It was but I missed the actual proposal. Darn.
The herd remained in the NE corner of the hayfield. This is where #3 had slipped through the fence. A few of the cattle laid down. No one seemed interested in eating.
I looked out the window during commercial breaks and a half hour later #3 (her again!) was in the hayfield again. This time closer to the house. Cattle are like elephants: they don't forget.
This time #3 was harder to herd. I have not finished my gate and #3 seemed interested in going through there. Then it wanted into the corral and the barn. Finally I got #3 to the NW corner and the gate. It was harder to get #3 into the north pasture, but finally I did.
I had just as much of a hard time getting #3 back into the middle pasture as the herd was worked up. While I had been herding #3 in the hayfield they all stood along the fence and moo'ed. Whether the mooing was:
- wanting to join #3
- wanting #3 to come back to the herd, or
- "You go, girl!" as I tried to herd #3,
This time I took extra barb wire and wired up the strands between four or five posts where the wire looked loose and saggy. Hopefully this will put an end to this problem. And, yes, I missed even more of "The Bachelorette".
The cattle either stood and watched me closely as I worked on the wire, or stood at the fence and looked longingly at the fresh cut hay. They were obsessed with getting through the fence and to the hay. They remained in the corner again, but thankfully as it was getting dark, it wasn't too long before they appeared to be heading to the river.
While there is still plenty of grass in the middle pasture, tomorrow my plan is to let them into the south pasture to have them work on that grass for a while. It won't be too soon for me that's for sure.
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