Sunday, January 06, 2013
Night view
Rather than use both feeders right now, I use just one and feed the cattle four times a day with the last time being when I go to bed, which is almost always after midnight. Here is the view the other night as I walked to the barn.
Saturday, January 05, 2013
Baby needs to fight
The weather forecast for Friday was for a chance of partly cloudy skies and warmer. Oppps... we had snow flurries in the afternoon. Yet another forecast down in flames.
The new cattle ("The 4 little pigs") have taken to pushing Baby around more during feeding time. Friday I had to intervene several times as one or another of them would push Baby out of her spot by the barn door. Baby then backed off and went somewhere else waiting for the rest of the cattle to finish eating. She then misses out on the best hay and gets the leftovers.
I shouted at the other cattle a few times to stop it. Sometimes all it takes is for me to walk to the corral gate and tell them to move and let Baby eat and the offending heifer or steer will move away. The hard part is getting Baby back to the feeder. Sometimes she comes over to me thinking I am giving her some apple treats. Other times she continues checking out a fence or some object occupying her time. Later when I did bring her some apple cores Baby was more interested in checking out and scratching on a fence post.
Then when the hay started getting lower Momma wanted to climb partway into the feeder to hog the rest of the hay. I told her several times to stop and keep her feet out. She listened several times then when she realized I wasn't coming into the corral she ignored me. So I had to go into the corral.
I stood around a while watching that Baby wasn't run off from the feeder. Everyone was on their best behavior when I stood there.
Momma gets busy eating and expects Baby to fend for herself. She is definitely not a "helicopter parent".
Tammy thinks Baby should toughen up and fight back. I would like that too but it is hard to do when she is so much smaller than the other cattle.
Here is one of the offending cattle in Baby's spot. When I entered the corral she took off.
The new cattle ("The 4 little pigs") have taken to pushing Baby around more during feeding time. Friday I had to intervene several times as one or another of them would push Baby out of her spot by the barn door. Baby then backed off and went somewhere else waiting for the rest of the cattle to finish eating. She then misses out on the best hay and gets the leftovers.
I shouted at the other cattle a few times to stop it. Sometimes all it takes is for me to walk to the corral gate and tell them to move and let Baby eat and the offending heifer or steer will move away. The hard part is getting Baby back to the feeder. Sometimes she comes over to me thinking I am giving her some apple treats. Other times she continues checking out a fence or some object occupying her time. Later when I did bring her some apple cores Baby was more interested in checking out and scratching on a fence post.
Then when the hay started getting lower Momma wanted to climb partway into the feeder to hog the rest of the hay. I told her several times to stop and keep her feet out. She listened several times then when she realized I wasn't coming into the corral she ignored me. So I had to go into the corral.
I stood around a while watching that Baby wasn't run off from the feeder. Everyone was on their best behavior when I stood there.
Momma gets busy eating and expects Baby to fend for herself. She is definitely not a "helicopter parent".
Tammy thinks Baby should toughen up and fight back. I would like that too but it is hard to do when she is so much smaller than the other cattle.
Here is one of the offending cattle in Baby's spot. When I entered the corral she took off.
Friday, January 04, 2013
Grapefruit plate
Tammy peeled some of her grapefruit today. Here is her snack this afternoon. Tammy loves grapefruit!
Nuts
Thursday when Tammy were grocery shopping we found the mixed nuts were on sale. 99 cent a pond. Wow!
Time to buy some nuts!
We filled a few bags with almonds and hazelnuts. Tammy asked if this was enough.
No....
I remember how many bags we bought last year when they were on sale. Both Tammy and I love nuts and the nuts didn't last until May.
I wanted more bags.
And more bags.
And more.
We pretty much cleaned out the bin of almonds and got half of the hazelnuts.
After we left Tammy said an older man was watching us. He went to the bins of nuts and didn't look happy we took almost all of the almonds.
We got lots of comments from the checkout cashier and the bagger and the bagger working the next lane. We bought 13 bags of nuts: 9 bags of almonds and 4 bags of hazlenuts.
The total weight came to 90.17 pounds.
They may last us until June or July.
The two bins were the same level when we started.
We did have some other groceries under the bags of nuts. Bread unfortunately. One squished loaf of bread.
Tammy loves honeycrisp apples. $2.99 a pound. That's $14 and half dollars sitting there.
Oh yeah. Another store had a 12 hour cereal sale and another store had a 12 hour fruit and veggies sale. Tammy got four bags of grapefruit. Tammy also loves grapefruit.
Good thing we took Tammy's mini-van for our shopping adventure.
Time to buy some nuts!
We filled a few bags with almonds and hazelnuts. Tammy asked if this was enough.
No....
I remember how many bags we bought last year when they were on sale. Both Tammy and I love nuts and the nuts didn't last until May.
I wanted more bags.
And more bags.
And more.
We pretty much cleaned out the bin of almonds and got half of the hazelnuts.
After we left Tammy said an older man was watching us. He went to the bins of nuts and didn't look happy we took almost all of the almonds.
We got lots of comments from the checkout cashier and the bagger and the bagger working the next lane. We bought 13 bags of nuts: 9 bags of almonds and 4 bags of hazlenuts.
The total weight came to 90.17 pounds.
They may last us until June or July.
The two bins were the same level when we started.
We did have some other groceries under the bags of nuts. Bread unfortunately. One squished loaf of bread.
Tammy loves honeycrisp apples. $2.99 a pound. That's $14 and half dollars sitting there.
Oh yeah. Another store had a 12 hour cereal sale and another store had a 12 hour fruit and veggies sale. Tammy got four bags of grapefruit. Tammy also loves grapefruit.
Good thing we took Tammy's mini-van for our shopping adventure.
Thursday, January 03, 2013
Missed the curve
This morning when I got up and looked outside I saw a highway patrol car near the end of my driveway and a red truck and trailer in the ditch.
The road curved and the driver went straight.
The weather was good and the road was dry. So....
Yup, another Flathead Valley driver.
People who have visited me and driven here know what I mean. While every place I been says they have the worst drivers, the truth is we do. Our car insurance rates are among the highest in Montana and higher than in any state I have lived in. There's a reason for that.
It looks like his flatbed trailer was filled with plastic bags filled with garbage. Why? I don't know. I was pleased none of the bags burst and spilled garbage.
The truck hit and drove along the fence and took it all out for a ways.
As you can see in the previous photo, the truck also hit the old tree stump. Even though the stump is old, it is solid. The stump caved in the side of the truck.
Here is a 14 second video of the truck being pulled from the ditch.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YlU093tCes
The rear tire was flat and the tow truck hauled off the truck and trailer down the road. Later, on the side of the road on the corner of the ranch where I fixed the corner fence last month I found several broken fence posts and some strands of barb wire attached to the posts. Either they had worked their way out from under the truck else they stopped and pulled it out and left it. So I cleaned it up.
The road curved and the driver went straight.
The weather was good and the road was dry. So....
Yup, another Flathead Valley driver.
People who have visited me and driven here know what I mean. While every place I been says they have the worst drivers, the truth is we do. Our car insurance rates are among the highest in Montana and higher than in any state I have lived in. There's a reason for that.It looks like his flatbed trailer was filled with plastic bags filled with garbage. Why? I don't know. I was pleased none of the bags burst and spilled garbage.
The truck hit and drove along the fence and took it all out for a ways.
As you can see in the previous photo, the truck also hit the old tree stump. Even though the stump is old, it is solid. The stump caved in the side of the truck.
Here is a 14 second video of the truck being pulled from the ditch.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YlU093tCes
The rear tire was flat and the tow truck hauled off the truck and trailer down the road. Later, on the side of the road on the corner of the ranch where I fixed the corner fence last month I found several broken fence posts and some strands of barb wire attached to the posts. Either they had worked their way out from under the truck else they stopped and pulled it out and left it. So I cleaned it up.
Wednesday, January 02, 2013
Shower T seal
The last bit of the shower is now complete. I don't know if you remember from last November (http://tallpinesranch.blogspot.com/2012/11/bathroom-is-finally-done.html) but the last bit of the bathroom was to get and install a T-seal for the shower.
I had talked with a Holcom official in November but since I hadn't gotten the promised T-seal by Christmas I called again and this Holcom person couldn't find any record of my earlier request. After re-explaining my problem she promised to Fed-Ex the T-seal. I got it a few days later.
The seal works as it is supposed to: it sits on the shower frame and prevents the water from bouncing under the frame-less shower door, up over the shower frame and out onto the bathroom floor.
So my bathroom is now finally really done.
I had talked with a Holcom official in November but since I hadn't gotten the promised T-seal by Christmas I called again and this Holcom person couldn't find any record of my earlier request. After re-explaining my problem she promised to Fed-Ex the T-seal. I got it a few days later.
The seal works as it is supposed to: it sits on the shower frame and prevents the water from bouncing under the frame-less shower door, up over the shower frame and out onto the bathroom floor.
So my bathroom is now finally really done.
Tuesday, January 01, 2013
Off the rail
In all these years it has only happened once before but last night, New Years Eve, it happened again. One of my barn door wheels came off the rail.
It was dark so I didn't see how it happened. I didn't open the door any differently - or so I thought. I was feeling a little off as Tammy and I ate earlier at HuHot restaurant. They have all-you-can-eat and I thought I ended up being full but not stuffed. But I found later the meal sat like a rock in my stomach as I slowly digested it. My drink of choice last night was milk and not alcohol.
In the dark I couldn't get the wheel back on track. I was able to pull the door shut to keep the cattle out of the barn and hay. This afternoon I got a ladder and a crowbar and "finessed" the wheel back on track.
As you can see when the wheel is on track, there is little room between the door and rail. This helps keep the wheel on track but makes it hard to get the wheel back on track when it comes off.
Of course Momma and Baby had to check my ladder out. In the background you can see how big the barn door is.
One of the cattle kept eating while I worked.
Once the door was fixed I could refill the feeder. I didn't want the cattle milling about eating while I was up on the ladder.
It was dark so I didn't see how it happened. I didn't open the door any differently - or so I thought. I was feeling a little off as Tammy and I ate earlier at HuHot restaurant. They have all-you-can-eat and I thought I ended up being full but not stuffed. But I found later the meal sat like a rock in my stomach as I slowly digested it. My drink of choice last night was milk and not alcohol.
In the dark I couldn't get the wheel back on track. I was able to pull the door shut to keep the cattle out of the barn and hay. This afternoon I got a ladder and a crowbar and "finessed" the wheel back on track.
As you can see when the wheel is on track, there is little room between the door and rail. This helps keep the wheel on track but makes it hard to get the wheel back on track when it comes off.
Of course Momma and Baby had to check my ladder out. In the background you can see how big the barn door is.
One of the cattle kept eating while I worked.
Once the door was fixed I could refill the feeder. I didn't want the cattle milling about eating while I was up on the ladder.
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Pineapple pie
One of the grocery store's bakery department makes pineapple pies. I usually get one when they discount the price.
When my uncles were here last May to help with the bathroom remodel I had gotten a pineapple pie along with a few other "yum-yum" goodies. My uncle Curt who loves deserts decided to be brave and try the pineapple pie. He then tried to convince us it tasted bad - but he would be a good guy and finish the pie so it wouldn't go to waste.
Ya... right!
Actually it tastes good.
Thursday the grocery store had three more pineapple pies. Since my uncles aren't here I only got one pie.
Yum!
Now to put some whipped cream on top and then wolf it down. Here's to you Uncle Curt!
When my uncles were here last May to help with the bathroom remodel I had gotten a pineapple pie along with a few other "yum-yum" goodies. My uncle Curt who loves deserts decided to be brave and try the pineapple pie. He then tried to convince us it tasted bad - but he would be a good guy and finish the pie so it wouldn't go to waste.
Ya... right!
Actually it tastes good.
Thursday the grocery store had three more pineapple pies. Since my uncles aren't here I only got one pie.
Yum!
Now to put some whipped cream on top and then wolf it down. Here's to you Uncle Curt!
Friday, December 28, 2012
Babv, an independent girl
Baby is an independent girl. I think it may be because for a while it was only her and Momma against the world. With no one to play with she had find stuff on her own to occupy her time. I never noticed it until I got the four new cattle. The new cattle tend to stick together, though one heifer is a little braver and independent and sometimes I see her by herself or with Momma.
Late this afternoon when I fed the cattle Baby ate a bit, then while the rest of the cattle continued to eat hay Baby came over to watch me clean up the manure from the loafing shed. Later when I was blowing the water out of the garden hoses (good lung exercise!) Baby took it upon herself to check out my shovel. Well.. at least until she knocked it over briefly scaring her when it fell.
She went back to eat but one of the four maybe pushed her away from the feeder. I'm not sure. Baby stood there a bit then wandered over to check out a pallet by the head gate and then a railroad tie.
Later I put out some apple cores just inside the corral gate but Baby was eating hay and the others elsewhere chewing their cuds. After a bicycle ride I checked and the apple cores were still there. Baby was getting a drink of water and I went to the apple cores to point them out to her. Momma was across the corral. Often the cattle act like cats - they pretend they are not interested, then when you leave they come over. I guess I play favorites as I wanted Baby and not Momma to get the apple cores so I picked up most of them and brought them over to where Baby stood by the water trough.
I walked away and Baby began to eat them. Immediately Momma, who had been watching me, came running over to Baby from way across the corral. One of the new cattle who had been standing with Momma came running too trailing Momma. I think Baby ate most of the apple cores before Momma pushed her aside.
The photo shows what I am talking about. Baby is on the right. Yup, she is an independent girl.
We saw a little sun late this morning and early afternoon for a few hours. Nice. Temp still stayed below freezing though.
Late this afternoon when I fed the cattle Baby ate a bit, then while the rest of the cattle continued to eat hay Baby came over to watch me clean up the manure from the loafing shed. Later when I was blowing the water out of the garden hoses (good lung exercise!) Baby took it upon herself to check out my shovel. Well.. at least until she knocked it over briefly scaring her when it fell.
She went back to eat but one of the four maybe pushed her away from the feeder. I'm not sure. Baby stood there a bit then wandered over to check out a pallet by the head gate and then a railroad tie.
Later I put out some apple cores just inside the corral gate but Baby was eating hay and the others elsewhere chewing their cuds. After a bicycle ride I checked and the apple cores were still there. Baby was getting a drink of water and I went to the apple cores to point them out to her. Momma was across the corral. Often the cattle act like cats - they pretend they are not interested, then when you leave they come over. I guess I play favorites as I wanted Baby and not Momma to get the apple cores so I picked up most of them and brought them over to where Baby stood by the water trough.
I walked away and Baby began to eat them. Immediately Momma, who had been watching me, came running over to Baby from way across the corral. One of the new cattle who had been standing with Momma came running too trailing Momma. I think Baby ate most of the apple cores before Momma pushed her aside.
The photo shows what I am talking about. Baby is on the right. Yup, she is an independent girl.
We saw a little sun late this morning and early afternoon for a few hours. Nice. Temp still stayed below freezing though.
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Warm wrap: snuggie
I got a photo of Tammy in her snuggie tonight. Yes... this time it really is Tammy.
Here Tammy is taking a power nap after coming home from work.
Here Tammy is taking a power nap after coming home from work.
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Warm wrap, part 2
Tammy told me to make it clear that the previous photo is not of her. She has a snuggie and is proud of it, and wouldn't stretch out her sweater. I just don't have a photo of Tammy with her snuggie.
Warm wrap
Tammy... really... I don't think it's that cold. However, socks would be a good idea if you really want to be warm.
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Merry Christmas
I hope you all had a nice Christmas day today.
This morning when I was putting hay into the feeder Baby got excited and couldn't wait any longer for me to finish and while I was in the barn getting more hay she jumped right inside the feeder while several other cattle were eating.
I chased her out.
Then late this afternoon after filling the feeder with more hay I noticed Momma was standing in the feeder.
What's up with the cattle today?!
I went to chase her out and she jumped completely in the feeder before jumping back out. Good thing Tammy and I built the feeder sturdy.
Looks like Momma didn't want to share the hay with the new cattle.
This morning when I was putting hay into the feeder Baby got excited and couldn't wait any longer for me to finish and while I was in the barn getting more hay she jumped right inside the feeder while several other cattle were eating.
I chased her out.
Then late this afternoon after filling the feeder with more hay I noticed Momma was standing in the feeder.
What's up with the cattle today?!
I went to chase her out and she jumped completely in the feeder before jumping back out.
Good thing Tammy and I built the feeder sturdy.Looks like Momma didn't want to share the hay with the new cattle.
Monday, December 24, 2012
Snow on cattle
Since it is officially Winter now, Winter blew in hard this morning.
It looks like their fur is a good insulator since the snow isn't melting fast. Momma, probably part Corriente breed, looks to have shorter and thinner fur as she has no snow on her fur.
With the cold temps and strong winds today the new cattle are starting to lose their enthusiasm with running out of the loafing shed each time I approach the corral.
It looks like their fur is a good insulator since the snow isn't melting fast. Momma, probably part Corriente breed, looks to have shorter and thinner fur as she has no snow on her fur.
With the cold temps and strong winds today the new cattle are starting to lose their enthusiasm with running out of the loafing shed each time I approach the corral.
Sunday, December 23, 2012
New friends: Day 3
The new cattle still have a healthy appetite. The first and second day I wondered if it was because of their travel day. Guess not.
The new cattle still are skittish. They are approaching closer when I feed them. The steers are more skittish than the new heifers. One heifer is getting fairly relaxed around me though it won't approach me yet.
The skittishness can affect Momma and Baby. Late this afternoon I walked in the back yard. Momma and Baby were laying in the loafing shed. Two cattle were licking salt blocks in another part of the loafing shed. The other two cattle were eating hay by the barn. The two licking salt all of a sudden saw me and bolted which caused Momma and Baby to get up and run, then the two cattle by the barn ran.
The bull across the road has been calling over a few times today. Guess he misses Momma's and Baby's daily visits.
When I am in the corral the new cattle stay at the far end of the feeder. This gives Baby all the room she needs to eat. This is important as she is smaller and can be bullied by the new cattle.
Tonight when I put out more hay all the cattle bolted from the loafing shed when I approached the corral. Then Momma quickly came to the feeder. Then Baby then the braver heifer. The other three hung back closer to the far fence. But that quickly softened as they saw Momma, Baby and the heifer chowing down. Two of the new cattle came to the feeder.
Baby usually eats in this spot in the following photo else at the other end of the feeder. She was standing at the far end eating since her favorite spot is where I was putting hay into the feeder tonight. One of the new cattle came to the feeder and pushed his or her way in and then kicked once at Baby to which I shouted a stern "Hey! Stop that!". Baby moved away from the feeder and over to under the barn overhang. Once I finished putting out hay I stepped back and called for Baby to come to her favorite spot. She walked around the barn and came to her spot and started eating. I hung around a bit. The last steer finally couldn't resist any longer and came to the feeder at the far end.
Kicking Baby gets you on my bad side.
Notice the steer in the back that hangs back and doesn't eat when I am in the corral. He is still trying to figure me out. For cattle used to roaming the mountain tops all Summer with limited interaction with humans, this will take some time for them to get used to me.
The new cattle still are skittish. They are approaching closer when I feed them. The steers are more skittish than the new heifers. One heifer is getting fairly relaxed around me though it won't approach me yet.
The skittishness can affect Momma and Baby. Late this afternoon I walked in the back yard. Momma and Baby were laying in the loafing shed. Two cattle were licking salt blocks in another part of the loafing shed. The other two cattle were eating hay by the barn. The two licking salt all of a sudden saw me and bolted which caused Momma and Baby to get up and run, then the two cattle by the barn ran.
The bull across the road has been calling over a few times today. Guess he misses Momma's and Baby's daily visits.
When I am in the corral the new cattle stay at the far end of the feeder. This gives Baby all the room she needs to eat. This is important as she is smaller and can be bullied by the new cattle.
Tonight when I put out more hay all the cattle bolted from the loafing shed when I approached the corral. Then Momma quickly came to the feeder. Then Baby then the braver heifer. The other three hung back closer to the far fence. But that quickly softened as they saw Momma, Baby and the heifer chowing down. Two of the new cattle came to the feeder.
Baby usually eats in this spot in the following photo else at the other end of the feeder. She was standing at the far end eating since her favorite spot is where I was putting hay into the feeder tonight. One of the new cattle came to the feeder and pushed his or her way in and then kicked once at Baby to which I shouted a stern "Hey! Stop that!". Baby moved away from the feeder and over to under the barn overhang. Once I finished putting out hay I stepped back and called for Baby to come to her favorite spot. She walked around the barn and came to her spot and started eating. I hung around a bit. The last steer finally couldn't resist any longer and came to the feeder at the far end.
Kicking Baby gets you on my bad side.
Notice the steer in the back that hangs back and doesn't eat when I am in the corral. He is still trying to figure me out. For cattle used to roaming the mountain tops all Summer with limited interaction with humans, this will take some time for them to get used to me.
Saturday, December 22, 2012
New friends: Day 2
The sun shone briefly in the morning when I went outside to check on the hay and water for the cattle.
The new cattle were in their favorite area.
Man, that barn needs paint. I need to make it a priority next year.
While I taking the previous photo Momma came over in case I had some apples or other goodies for her.
Of course later in the afternoon when I had apple cores and old lettuce none of the cattle would come over. However once I left Momma sauntered over nonchalantly and scarfed up the food. I added more apple cores a half hour latter and no amount of coaxing got the cattle interested. This time when Momma came over to eat the food I left Baby came quick enough to get some of the food. The new cattle also came over to see what was up. By the time they came over the food was eaten and they were puzzled on what was going on. They checked the spot over and over after Momma and Baby left but the food was gone.
After Tammy parked the stock trailer back in the hayshed I added more hay to the feeder. The new cattle are still leery of me but I find the two heifers are a bit braver and they came to eat while I was still there.
Here is a 9 second video of the cattle eating:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCfKSnd5h3E
The new cattle were in their favorite area.
Man, that barn needs paint. I need to make it a priority next year.
While I taking the previous photo Momma came over in case I had some apples or other goodies for her.
Sorry Momma. Nothing right now.
Of course later in the afternoon when I had apple cores and old lettuce none of the cattle would come over. However once I left Momma sauntered over nonchalantly and scarfed up the food. I added more apple cores a half hour latter and no amount of coaxing got the cattle interested. This time when Momma came over to eat the food I left Baby came quick enough to get some of the food. The new cattle also came over to see what was up. By the time they came over the food was eaten and they were puzzled on what was going on. They checked the spot over and over after Momma and Baby left but the food was gone.
After Tammy parked the stock trailer back in the hayshed I added more hay to the feeder. The new cattle are still leery of me but I find the two heifers are a bit braver and they came to eat while I was still there.
Here is a 9 second video of the cattle eating:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCfKSnd5h3E
Friday, December 21, 2012
Four friends for Momma and Baby
I am getting some new cattle. I've been looking for friends for Momma and Baby this past Fall with no luck. Last week Evan, the guy who sometimes hauls my cattle to the auction, said his father had some cattle he planned on selling. Today Tammy and I drove down to their ranch to take a look.
The drive was a little long at 88 miles and over two hours. But it was nice to go out on a road trip after so much time spent on the ranch. The scenery was very nice and the weather decent for the most part.
I didn't want to pull my stock trailer in darkness, and I am not an early riser, so we didn't leave until 9:30 am. Before we left I drove over to a local gas station to get more gas for the long trip. The very light freezing rain which was changing over to rain. The rain mostly quit by the time we left though the roads were wet and sloppy. The only reason to use the windshield wipers was due to other traffic.
Mt destination was in the Mission Mountains south of Flathead Lake. The routes on the east or west sides of the lake were only .3 mile apart so I went on the east side. This route was flatter and had less traffic. The speed limit was mostly 50 mph versus the 60 to 70 mph on the hilly west side. Both routes around the lake were predominantly two lanes.
My pickup has an undersized 6 cylinder engine. It is good for gas mileage, but not good for quick acceleration or power. There is a tow/haul button for heavy loads. Still steep hills saw my mph drop. On the level ground the most I could do without flooring it was 65 mph. So the 50 mph speed limit was fine with me.
On the curvy 19 mile "do not pass" section of the lake I only had one vehicle behind me. As I went 50 mph - the speed limit - I didn't feel too bad even though he rode my bumper. When he could pass, he didn't. Instead he eased off my bumper. Go figure.
I couldn't go faster if I wanted to as about the time I entered the 19 mile section a van pulled on the road in front of me and they - without exception - went the speed limit or less. Once we stopped at a stop light down the road Tammy and I noticed the sticker in the back window: it was drawings of a mother and a half dozen or more kids. Ah... a day care van.
A short drive on a 70 mph four-lane highway and then we were off. We forgot to bring Tammy's Garmin so we relied on google maps and my map reading skill. Tammy was the navigator but we missed the turn off the highway. I realized it and pulled off on the next intersection. While I felt this intersection would lead us to the next correct road I turned around and found the intersection we had missed.
Tammy said we had to go 5 miles. After 2 miles we came to a T intersection. Hmmm... I turned left. Correct. 3 miles... wait... it really was 1 mile we turned right. Then we were to go straight for 18 miles. Really? The tall mountains ahead of us don't look 18 miles away.
After about 7 miles an intersection. Gravel was ahead and pavement to the left. I kept going as Tammy said 18 miles. A mile later a T intersection. Huh? I turned left as that was the direction of the next turn.
Did I mention that once we left the highway there were no road signs? They probably weren't needed as there also weren't many houses or ranches around.
Another mile and an intersection. I kept going. A half mile later the road "kind of" ended near a ranch house. The road continued but it looked more like a two wheel track dirt road.
This doesn't look right.
I swung around on the rancher's frozen field and went back to the intersection. Right. One mile and we came to the paved road. I took a right.
By now Tammy was trying to get her smart phone mapping function to work but we were in the middle of nowhere and it wouldn't work.
I felt were were on the right track and kept going to Tammy's concern. We went down a big hill, crossed a river, then climbed out of the valley. Must be why the other roads dead ended.
We drove further into nowhere land and the only things to see were the mountains to the south and west of us looking to block our way. On (very) rare occasion we would see a house in the far distance. Otherwise it was just a narrow gravel road and fences.
Tammy thought we should call Evan. I felt were on the right track. Tammy didn't think so. When we finally came to where a small gravel road went to our right I stopped to call Evan. I felt this was the road before the one we wanted, which looked to be a few miles in the distance. Tammy didn't think I knew where we were. She didn't think my answer of "We're here." was very funny. So I agreed to call Evan. No signal. Yup. We were way inside the middle of nowhere.
I looked at the google map directions I had printed off earlier. The 5 mile and 18 mile directions? Tammy misread 5 mins and 18 mins for miles.
We drove on. I think Tammy was worried about being lost. We had gas. We had food. We would survive.
At the next intersection (another T intersection) I turned left. Tammy mentioned about me not stopping for directions - the typical complaint about guys. Well.... I would have stopped but there was no place or no one to stop and ask directions other than the occasional hawk or eagle sitting on a fence post.
Another mile or so a pickup was on the side of the road at a mailbox. I stopped and we asked for directions. Lo and behold I was on the right track. We were told Evan's place was down at the end of the road on the left - as I suspected.
Evan came out as I drove up. I had to dodge the dogs and cattle roaming about the road.
I was interested in two to three cattle for company. Evan had four black calves in one weight class, three black little calves, one black with white markings calf, and one Holstein. The Holstein was a non-starter as the time Dan pastured two Holsteins here one Summer they were nothing but trouble.
The three little calves were cute but small. Other than the Holstein all the cattle were born in the Spring. Why the difference in weight? The three small calves either had mothers that didn't have much milk or were poor mothers and didn't feed the calves. So those calves had to scrounge around for grass and hay on their own and were stunted as a result. 300 elk came out of the trees on high and ate the good grass before the cattle and then the grass dried up by August. One of the small calves was barrel chested like my steer got last Summer. Not good when they look fatter than what they should be.
I went with the four larger calves. Three. Four. What's the difference? I didn't want to break the group up. These four were cattle that were missed during Fall roundup when it was time to bring cattle down from the trees on the tops of the mountains. So they missed out on going to the auction with the others. My gain.
A neighbor had a cattle scale and after getting the four cattle to jump up into my trailer I drove over to weigh them. This meant unloading them, then separating them into boys and girls for weighing.
Separating was a challenge as they would pair up boy/girl and not boy/boy - girl/girl. Finally we got them separated and weighed. The girls averaged 20 lbs heavier than the boys.
Re-loading the cattle in my trailer went smoother this time. The girls went in the front; the middle trailer gate was closed, and then the boys jumped in the trailer with no problem.
Off to see the brand inspector down the road then home.
It was after 1 pm by the time we were back on the road. The traffic was light which lessened the stress of driving. I didn't want to make sudden stops or turns risking a chance any cattle would fall int he trailer and get hurt.
During the drive down when we left Flathead County we left the rain and wet roads behind. And there was no snow. When we went back into Flathead County the rain and wet roads started again.
We got home at 3 pm. Tammy drove the pickup and trailer in the corral as I worked the gates. Due to the snow the four wheel drive came in handy. Momma and Baby were in the field flirting the "boy" across the road. I want the new cattle to stay only in the corral for now until they get used to their new home. Therefore I wanted Momma and Baby in the corral. I called to Momma and Baby. Usually they come when I am out in the corral as they think I am giving them more hay or apples.
Now? Momma and Baby ignored me to flirt with the "boy" next door. Okay... I closed the gate to the hayfield. Tammy and I opened the stock trailer door ,and after a little encouragement, one then the other steer bolted from the trailer. I opened the inside trailer gate and out bolted the two heifers.
Here my rancher girl is getting the steers out of the trailer.
I don't know what it is with cattle, but new cattle - no matter if Spring, Summer, or Winter - always hang around the SW corner of the corral until they get comfortable with their new home.
Momma and Baby - way out in the hayfield - once they saw the new cattle in the corral came running over. They forgot all about the "boy" next door. Who are these strangers in my home?!
I opened the gate and Momma came into the corral to meet the new cattle. Baby hung out at the fence where the cattle were and would follow the cattle as they moved along the fence.
Momma - once she saw I had closed the gate with her in the corral and Baby outside decided she wanted back into the hayfield to be with Baby. Since I wouldn't let her through the gate she called for Baby but Baby was more interested in meeting the new cattle through the fence. Eventually I had to herd Baby towards the gate as she wouldn't come when I called her.
Once everyone was in the corral it was time to clean the trailer as the four cattle had over two hours to make a mess. And they did. Fortunately the temperature was above freezing and I was able to use a garden hose to wash out the trailer insides and wash off the mud and road grit on the outside.
I had no trailer mishaps this time. No flat tires, no braking problems, no broken handles. Tammy must have been my good luck charm for a mishap free trailer drive.
Everyone is getting used to one another. The new cattle tend to hang out along the west fence but have eaten hay, drank water and licked salt. They seem to gravitate to Baby more than Momma. Of course Baby is interested in these new friends to play with.
Tonight after dark I went out to check on how much hay was eaten. Black cattle in darkness are hard to see even with white snow on the ground. As I rounded around the barn the four new cattle bolted out of the loafing shed across the corral like a flock of birds taking flight. Where did they go? To the west fence of course.
The drive was a little long at 88 miles and over two hours. But it was nice to go out on a road trip after so much time spent on the ranch. The scenery was very nice and the weather decent for the most part.
I didn't want to pull my stock trailer in darkness, and I am not an early riser, so we didn't leave until 9:30 am. Before we left I drove over to a local gas station to get more gas for the long trip. The very light freezing rain which was changing over to rain. The rain mostly quit by the time we left though the roads were wet and sloppy. The only reason to use the windshield wipers was due to other traffic.
Mt destination was in the Mission Mountains south of Flathead Lake. The routes on the east or west sides of the lake were only .3 mile apart so I went on the east side. This route was flatter and had less traffic. The speed limit was mostly 50 mph versus the 60 to 70 mph on the hilly west side. Both routes around the lake were predominantly two lanes.
My pickup has an undersized 6 cylinder engine. It is good for gas mileage, but not good for quick acceleration or power. There is a tow/haul button for heavy loads. Still steep hills saw my mph drop. On the level ground the most I could do without flooring it was 65 mph. So the 50 mph speed limit was fine with me.
On the curvy 19 mile "do not pass" section of the lake I only had one vehicle behind me. As I went 50 mph - the speed limit - I didn't feel too bad even though he rode my bumper. When he could pass, he didn't. Instead he eased off my bumper. Go figure.
I couldn't go faster if I wanted to as about the time I entered the 19 mile section a van pulled on the road in front of me and they - without exception - went the speed limit or less. Once we stopped at a stop light down the road Tammy and I noticed the sticker in the back window: it was drawings of a mother and a half dozen or more kids. Ah... a day care van.
A short drive on a 70 mph four-lane highway and then we were off. We forgot to bring Tammy's Garmin so we relied on google maps and my map reading skill. Tammy was the navigator but we missed the turn off the highway. I realized it and pulled off on the next intersection. While I felt this intersection would lead us to the next correct road I turned around and found the intersection we had missed.
Tammy said we had to go 5 miles. After 2 miles we came to a T intersection. Hmmm... I turned left. Correct. 3 miles... wait... it really was 1 mile we turned right. Then we were to go straight for 18 miles. Really? The tall mountains ahead of us don't look 18 miles away.
After about 7 miles an intersection. Gravel was ahead and pavement to the left. I kept going as Tammy said 18 miles. A mile later a T intersection. Huh? I turned left as that was the direction of the next turn.
Did I mention that once we left the highway there were no road signs? They probably weren't needed as there also weren't many houses or ranches around.
Another mile and an intersection. I kept going. A half mile later the road "kind of" ended near a ranch house. The road continued but it looked more like a two wheel track dirt road.
This doesn't look right.
I swung around on the rancher's frozen field and went back to the intersection. Right. One mile and we came to the paved road. I took a right.
By now Tammy was trying to get her smart phone mapping function to work but we were in the middle of nowhere and it wouldn't work.
I felt were were on the right track and kept going to Tammy's concern. We went down a big hill, crossed a river, then climbed out of the valley. Must be why the other roads dead ended.
We drove further into nowhere land and the only things to see were the mountains to the south and west of us looking to block our way. On (very) rare occasion we would see a house in the far distance. Otherwise it was just a narrow gravel road and fences.
Tammy thought we should call Evan. I felt were on the right track. Tammy didn't think so. When we finally came to where a small gravel road went to our right I stopped to call Evan. I felt this was the road before the one we wanted, which looked to be a few miles in the distance. Tammy didn't think I knew where we were. She didn't think my answer of "We're here." was very funny. So I agreed to call Evan. No signal. Yup. We were way inside the middle of nowhere.
I looked at the google map directions I had printed off earlier. The 5 mile and 18 mile directions? Tammy misread 5 mins and 18 mins for miles.
We drove on. I think Tammy was worried about being lost. We had gas. We had food. We would survive.
At the next intersection (another T intersection) I turned left. Tammy mentioned about me not stopping for directions - the typical complaint about guys. Well.... I would have stopped but there was no place or no one to stop and ask directions other than the occasional hawk or eagle sitting on a fence post.
Another mile or so a pickup was on the side of the road at a mailbox. I stopped and we asked for directions. Lo and behold I was on the right track. We were told Evan's place was down at the end of the road on the left - as I suspected.
Evan came out as I drove up. I had to dodge the dogs and cattle roaming about the road.
I was interested in two to three cattle for company. Evan had four black calves in one weight class, three black little calves, one black with white markings calf, and one Holstein. The Holstein was a non-starter as the time Dan pastured two Holsteins here one Summer they were nothing but trouble.
The three little calves were cute but small. Other than the Holstein all the cattle were born in the Spring. Why the difference in weight? The three small calves either had mothers that didn't have much milk or were poor mothers and didn't feed the calves. So those calves had to scrounge around for grass and hay on their own and were stunted as a result. 300 elk came out of the trees on high and ate the good grass before the cattle and then the grass dried up by August. One of the small calves was barrel chested like my steer got last Summer. Not good when they look fatter than what they should be.
I went with the four larger calves. Three. Four. What's the difference? I didn't want to break the group up. These four were cattle that were missed during Fall roundup when it was time to bring cattle down from the trees on the tops of the mountains. So they missed out on going to the auction with the others. My gain.
A neighbor had a cattle scale and after getting the four cattle to jump up into my trailer I drove over to weigh them. This meant unloading them, then separating them into boys and girls for weighing.
Separating was a challenge as they would pair up boy/girl and not boy/boy - girl/girl. Finally we got them separated and weighed. The girls averaged 20 lbs heavier than the boys.
Re-loading the cattle in my trailer went smoother this time. The girls went in the front; the middle trailer gate was closed, and then the boys jumped in the trailer with no problem.
Off to see the brand inspector down the road then home.
It was after 1 pm by the time we were back on the road. The traffic was light which lessened the stress of driving. I didn't want to make sudden stops or turns risking a chance any cattle would fall int he trailer and get hurt.
During the drive down when we left Flathead County we left the rain and wet roads behind. And there was no snow. When we went back into Flathead County the rain and wet roads started again.
We got home at 3 pm. Tammy drove the pickup and trailer in the corral as I worked the gates. Due to the snow the four wheel drive came in handy. Momma and Baby were in the field flirting the "boy" across the road. I want the new cattle to stay only in the corral for now until they get used to their new home. Therefore I wanted Momma and Baby in the corral. I called to Momma and Baby. Usually they come when I am out in the corral as they think I am giving them more hay or apples.
Now? Momma and Baby ignored me to flirt with the "boy" next door. Okay... I closed the gate to the hayfield. Tammy and I opened the stock trailer door ,and after a little encouragement, one then the other steer bolted from the trailer. I opened the inside trailer gate and out bolted the two heifers.
Here my rancher girl is getting the steers out of the trailer.
I don't know what it is with cattle, but new cattle - no matter if Spring, Summer, or Winter - always hang around the SW corner of the corral until they get comfortable with their new home.
Momma and Baby - way out in the hayfield - once they saw the new cattle in the corral came running over. They forgot all about the "boy" next door. Who are these strangers in my home?!
I opened the gate and Momma came into the corral to meet the new cattle. Baby hung out at the fence where the cattle were and would follow the cattle as they moved along the fence.
Momma - once she saw I had closed the gate with her in the corral and Baby outside decided she wanted back into the hayfield to be with Baby. Since I wouldn't let her through the gate she called for Baby but Baby was more interested in meeting the new cattle through the fence. Eventually I had to herd Baby towards the gate as she wouldn't come when I called her.
Once everyone was in the corral it was time to clean the trailer as the four cattle had over two hours to make a mess. And they did. Fortunately the temperature was above freezing and I was able to use a garden hose to wash out the trailer insides and wash off the mud and road grit on the outside.
I had no trailer mishaps this time. No flat tires, no braking problems, no broken handles. Tammy must have been my good luck charm for a mishap free trailer drive.
Everyone is getting used to one another. The new cattle tend to hang out along the west fence but have eaten hay, drank water and licked salt. They seem to gravitate to Baby more than Momma. Of course Baby is interested in these new friends to play with.
Tonight after dark I went out to check on how much hay was eaten. Black cattle in darkness are hard to see even with white snow on the ground. As I rounded around the barn the four new cattle bolted out of the loafing shed across the corral like a flock of birds taking flight. Where did they go? To the west fence of course.
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