Last Call For Freezer Beef

It's that time of year again.  If you haven't contacted us yet for some all natural, grass fed freezer beef.  Now, is the time.


Contact info on the sidebar. 

We're Exhausted

Today we sold some calf weanlings at the local auction.  They sold well.  We were blessed we had any to sell as the calves just didn't know my voice.  I haven't been around much since they were born, so I made them very nervous.  Our normal gather method is for me to drive around in the Kubota hollering and then slowly drive to the corral with a parade of cows and calves following.  Not so this time.  The cows would come out for a peek, but then they would head back to their calves hiding in the woods. 

Last Friday I began with high hopes and drove around all day and this is what I saw.

What is missing from these photos.

Right.  Cattle.

 I knew by the end of the day it wasn't going to be an easy job gathering and that and  we would have to put our gentleman rancher hours away.   We got up at sunrise on Saturday and buckled down and caught some cows.  We set up portable panel corrals near hiding cows and I coaxed them in with a prayer and some hay.  Unfortunately, not all the calves joined them, so I took a risk and hauled the cows in, leaving one gentle, easy to catch cow out with that group of calves.  It worked.  By Sunday morning the hungry calves followed the gentle cow into the trap and we hauled them down to the corrals and their mamas.  Only to repeat this process over and over.  We had traps set up all over the ranch. And I drove from trap to trap catching small groups, texting Mark who would then show up with the truck and trailer to haul them away.   It was pretty funny really. 

Happy Trails to you.

Rollin

Meet Flower's son Rollin with his new Mama Jo.  Unfortunately Flower and her 3 other kids died.  Very sad.  It was especially sad that Charlie horse was found with head hung low standing over the deceased and one little live kid.  She was his best friend and seeing and hearing eye goat.  All four of the babies were large and we suspect that she hemorrhaged as there was a lot of blood when she was moved.  I miss my girlfriend Flower.  But life lives on.

I'm not much of a blogger anymore.  I don't even feel like much of a rancher as I have been home very few days since last October when my  life began to be lived out of a suitcase. (Some of the time we've been gone though were for 2 very amazing vacations that just plopped into our laps. More later) We really hope to be home for a while.  We have our fingers and toes crossed.  Yesterday, when we were already on the train headed for home,  I got a phone call from my parent's helper and my mom's heart hurt. What?!  Luckily,  it appears to have been musculature and not life threatening, and she will live another day and we get to stay home.  Amen.