RAIN, RAIN & WIND

Monday the 7th was a wet day! We had some rain, wind and more rain and wind....It was reported there were 2 tornadoes that buzzed thru Quartzsite and 2 in the desert where we are staying. Winds went from 82.5 mph - 100 mph. We had calm before the storm,,,,a lot of rain, then it calmed a bit and hail began to fall.
Mike and I were outside bailing water from the tents. We filled up 3 - 12 gallon containers in about 10 minutes. We had rain gutters up inside the tents but they needed to be more secure. They are now rain proof..
It rained a little yesterday and they seemed to be doing their job.
All the tents were staked down good and we didn't lose any. We had some water damage on the back tent and had to replace one tarp on the roof. But we fared very well.

I'm no longer working at the Grubstake restaurant. The manager said I wasn't bringing in enough business. But hey, I was bar tending and couldn't go and flag people in. I think it will be their loss.

Friday night we went to our weekly potluck at the hosts campsite. We were going to have chicken and dumplings but we got there and no dumplings. It was still good. This Friday we will be having 15 bean soup and cornbread.

We have new neighbors from Montana. Gary and Claudia Peck are now in our circle of friends. We had a group of friends come over Sat. night. We popped popcorn, had music on and shot some pool. It was a good time.
Tonight we are having friends over to watch the Arizona game and we might play Mexican train dominoes. And of course there will be happy hour and snacks.
Have a good week and I'll post again next weekend.

Dec. already

December is here already! Last week Mike and I went to Phoenix and got some things done. He picked up a propane heater for the LP tank for the MDA Get-a-way tent. It already takes the chill off while sitting there during the evening.
I moved my 5er on Thurs. night over tho Mikes and Steve's tent area. It has provided a wind block on the east side. We have tiki torches at the entrance and are creating a Quartzsite Survivor entryway.
Barb and Jim have come over a couple of times to join us in the evening. A potluck was held on Fri. night at the camp hosts tent. Jay and Cathy served roast beef, taters, gravy, salads and desert. It was wonderful. After we joined everyone at the fire pit.
I had to get 2 truck batteries for my dodge 2500 yesterday. It wouldn't hold a charge and then just wouldn't start on Fri. morning. Those batteries are spendy!
I'm going to help Mike tonight with his tents. The ropes have to be tightened and we need to put tarps on the inside to keep the cold out from below. We are also going to put up 2 rain gutters for the rains coming tomorrow. Of course we will have the spouts going away from Mikes motor home and catch the rainwater on the other side.
There is another potluck on Friday again. Sue Ellen is making her famous Chicken and Dumplings. We will fill in the gaps with our favorite sides. There are a lot of good cooks in the desert!
Since I got my satellite hooked up, I will be able to watch The Amazing Race tonight.
There are more and more vendors showing up but the campers still aren't flooding in like the previous years.
I'm only working 3 - 5 hour days at the Grubstake restaurant and the tips are low.
Hope everything picks up soon...Might have to get a 3rd job just to make ends meet...
Have a great week!

Cool day today

We start off the day with some pics of the volunteers who run the LPN check in station. The first pic is me and Mike, then Alice and Chuck and Barb and Jim.

It was only 37 degrees this morning. Lots of RV heaters were running trying to keep these snowbirds warm.

Mike and I got the generators out yesterday and changed the oil in his and mine. Heck, Mikes even fired right up after he filled it with gas!

We worked on his tent area yesterday making several trips to K & B tools to get rope, clamps and fasteners. The entire tent area is enclosed now and with a couple portable heaters, it will be toasty. He brought a pool table over last week, has a bar and popcorn machine so it's party time. So MDA's Get-a-Way is officially open! Come over and join the fun..

The BLM had a meeting with all the volunteers on Tues. We went over the rules and regs. of the volunteer positions, etc. After the meeting we had a potluck, with the BLM supplying chicken and soft drinks.

Yesterday there were very strong winds. We are getting a cold spell too. I thought it was supposed to be warm in Arizona. That's one of the reasons I came down here.

This vehicle pulled into the parking area the other day. It is a German "man" Mercedes vehicle.

Another work day

I'm working at the check in station today. So far at noon we've only had one couple check in.

Last week I worked at the Grubstake restaurant. Both Thurs. and Fri. were so slow. I got sent home 2 hours early on Friday and tips were not good. It will pick up as more people winter in Q.

Laundry day is always on Tues. I can also use the computer at the laundromat, so I get caught up on my emails.

Also on Tues. afternoon there was a music jam at La Posa South. It was interesting to listen to all the talented folks down here playing and singing.

I took a couple pictures of some unique trailers here in the desert.

The first one is one a lady owns. She takes broken down trailers, strips then down and repaints and rebuilds the interior. The 3rd picture is one that has a wind turbine with it. The 4th is a new model with a loft.

We are planning on Thanksgiving down here at the host's campsite. They are furnishing turkey and dressing and we will all bring side dishes. I think I might just make some homemade rolls.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone this year, new friends and old ones...

Cooler days

Here's Mike starting off his day and the 2nd picture with him hard at work.

Today started off a bit cooler. On the way to work at the check in station, the temp was 51 degrees and the winds are blowing.

I went to Yuma/Algodonez, Mexico on Tues. Since it was Veteran's Day, everyone had the US flags flown. Traffic was stopped on Hwy 95 North because of about 125 Veteran's riding thru on Harleys and Goldwings. All were proudly displaying US flags.

I did finally find the Scottie dog rock formation on the way down to Yuma.

After picking up a RX in Mexico, I had to have the famous shrimp taco. Actually I ended up eating two of them, they are delicious. It only took 10 minutes to get thru the gate on the way out.

I watched some of the CMA awards the other night. I was surprised at some of the awards.

Best new artist-Darrius Rucker (used to play with Hootie & the Blow fish)

New album-Taylor Swift

Ent. of the year-Taylor Swift

Vocal Dual-Sugarland

Music Video-Taylor Swift-Love Story

Male Vocalist-Brad Paisley

Female Vocalist-Taylor Swift

It was a good show and a lot of great entertainers.

Since I had yesterday off, I headed to Parker. I took my metal detector and tried to find treasures along the Colorado River. Wasn't lucky at all.

I spotted this helicopter at the Super 8 motel last night.

Another beautiful Arizona sunset.

Pictures posted

I took some before and after pictures from when I got here. The campers are starting to fill in the desert.

I was out trying to find some hiking sticks the other night about sunset and captured this Saguaro along the horizon. Also the full moon was beautiful the other night.

Here is a picture of Mike's dog, Shadow. He stays down at the check in station, outside, while Mike and I are working.

Warm days ahead

The weather has been great for the past few days. Last week we had 2 days when the wind didn't stop blowing. I noticed that all the awnings had been put in for those days. It is supposed to reach record high temperatures this week.

Working at the check in station is getting busier. We check in 5-6 rigs per day with all the stations open now. We went from 1 work day a week to 2 days now.

I will start working at a popular restaurant in town starting tomorrow. I will be waitressing/bar tending a couple days a week. The manager said that it will turn into full time if I want the work.

The vendors are setting up. Rice ranch has the most vendors so far. I'll have to get my camera out and start taking pictures and posting them.

I am feeding about 30 quail and 30 gamble quail every day. The hummingbirds are hanging around too. I do have a fox that frequents my campsite at night. The coyotes are always howling, what a wonderful sound.

Next time, pics will be available..

Pictures

Just trying to get some pictures uploaded so I'm playing with this post.

High Winds

Yesterday and today we have had high winds to the 40mph gusts. I was planning on moving my trailer in the next few days so I hope it lets up. I had some people park way to close to me and I think I need a change of scenery. Also I have been being harassed by a guy just across from me.
I have several job applications in and hopefully I will get hired on pretty soon. I was told this morning of another place that will be hiring soon so off to town to get another foot in the door.
Ron and Terry arrived here a couple nights ago. It was good to see them after a year and 1/2. They are scouting for a place to camp their 5er.
Quartzsite is starting to get busier. Quite a few vendors are setting up. Next month will be even better.

Sat.

Today was laundry day. I'm getting it done, just sitting playing on the computer also. It's nice this laundromat has WiFi, plus a patio where they serve bisquits/gravy and hot dogs. Their Chicago Style Vienna dogs are the best. So if in Quartzsite go to "Gone to the Dogs" laundromat and get it all done at one time. It's across the street from the Roadrunner market.

Snowbirds are finally moving into Q. We have about 6-8 check into the BLM area every other day.

I have been collecting some wood for fires in the evening. The nights are so beautiful. The sun goes down and the sky is as clear and bright with stars. So a fire is always welcome.

Ron and Terry will arrive shortly. I haven't seen them in about a year and 1/2 so I'm looking forward to them getting here.

The rock club will be opening its doors soon and I plan on going down and getting involved in that also.
Drive safe getting here and look me up at La Posa North--1st 5th wheel this side of the garbage dumps on the right with the WYO and US flag out front. Sandy

Oct 5, 2009

We arrived in Quartzsite Az on Sept 19th. It was blazing hot for about 10 days well over 100 degrees. The high was 112 degrees. I melted, complained but survived somehow. It's now in the low 90's and feels comfortable believe it or not.

I went to Algodonez, Mexico and picked up some new glasses. For $125 I got new frames, bifocals, progressive, eye exam and they were ready in less than 2 hours.
I had to have a shrimp taco also. They are soooo good. They fix them in a warmed corn tortilla, battered fried shrimp inside with pico de gallo, raw shredded cabbage, lime juice and sour cream. They are to die for. I do have to go back and get my frames adjusted soon.

Today is chore day. We got propane, a load of wood (going back for a 2nd one), doing laundry, checking the internet for messages and get stuff done on line. It will at least take up a few hours.

People are starting to trickle into Quartzsite. When we first got here (the heat probably kept them away), the streets were bare. Now the stop lights are working overtime.
Till I write again, can't wait to see all my old friends and the new ones I haven' met yet!

Sunday

We are headed out on Tues the 15th to head to Arizona. We will travel thru Salt Lake City Utah and then down to Ariz. We are going to spend a couple days at Lake Meade. Work is finished in Wyoming. I'll talk to some of you about it when I get down to Q. It was a bad experience the last couple of days with the owners of Woods Landing.
'The weather is getting cooler here. It has been getting in the 30's at night. Gotta turn the furnace on for a short bit to take the chill off.
Today I'm at the laundromat doing the last bit of wash. Then tomorrow we will hook up the 5er and bring it to town to dump the grey and black water. We'll camp at the Territorial Prison overnight and then head to Riverton to visit my other sister, Jan and her family before we make the long trip.
Last night we took a drive up the mountain to WyColo lodge. It is a restaurant and bar, plus they have cabins to rent. We listened to a cowboy poet for a while and then headed back down the mountain.
We'll be visiting my sister, Donna and family today to say our goodbyes for another season.
See ya all soon in Q!!

August 29

WORK, WORK, WORK !! ! ! !
It seems like that is all I've been doing lately. My last paycheck I worked 95 hours and had taken 3 days off to go to SD. Good thing I'm only part time. I am actually part time---at the store, waitressing, cooking and cleaning cabins. But all together, they become full time.
Last Monday, I went on a 12 mile hike in the Snowy Mtn Range. Donna, Jim and Russ tagged along. It took 6 hours and at the end we stopped in Centennial and had pizza and beer at the Bear Tree Cafe. They have the best pizza in WYO!!
Joanne Gabrielson came over from Pocatello Id. to visit for a couple days. Her and I and another friend floated the Shoshone River in Cody last summer. We were all high school buddies.
Russ and I have to work tomorrow, but in the afternoon we will be going to Centennial to listen to a Blues Band. They have a band every weekend and it is fun to get away once in a while.
THEN---on Tuesday, Donna (sis) and I are going for a hike in the Rawah Wilderness down in Colo. Hopefully we can go for 3-4 days.
Have a great week!

Hey, a post!

We are finally back on line here at Woods Landing.
I'm still working a lot, now not only cleaning cabins, working in the store and waitressing but have now started cooking in the cafe. I like it all and am totally worn out each and every night.
I was supposed to go on a hike in the Grand Tetons but problems arose and it was canceled for the moment.
We had some great neighbors this year. Jo and Rick Geveart from Oklahoma spent time here. Rick works for the Forest Service and Jo is a kindergarten teacher. Jo had to leave on Sunday to go home and start work. We got really close and many tears were shed when she left. She will be my friend forever and I love her dearly.
I have been spending a lot of time with my friend Russ. We will head to Arizona sometime in the fall and spend more time together.
I'm finally happy again.
I'll try to post more often now that we have INTERNET!

July 8, 2009

This is a post long overdue. I have been busy working at Woods Landing, doing cabin cleaning, working in the country store and waitressing in the cafe. On my off time, I have been trying to get in as much hiking as possible. A month from tomorrow, my sister Donna, brother in law Jim and nephew and I will begin our 35 mile hike in the Grand Tetons at Jackson Hole, WY. We are taking 5 days to do this and I am getting so excited. After that if I haven't dropped dead from the hike, Donna and I will try to hike part of the Continental Divide trail from Battle Mtn Pass to Steamboat Springs Colo. It is about 75 miles. One nice thing about hiking is that I can eat all I want and never gain a pound.
Hope everyone is doing well, I will post again soon.
I am headed to Quartzsite, AZ sometime in Sept. Looking forward to seeing old friends again.

May 30

Today my friend Jane and I decided to go to Ft. Collins, CO for the garage sales. We hit the jackpot! After getting up at 5am and being to her house in Laramie at 6:30am we were on our way. We got a latte and headed down the road. After we got there we found a Community Garage Sale in a sub-division. There were about 6 block by 6 blocks of garage sales, maybe every 2 -3 houses. My find of the day was a Showtime Rotisserie (set it and forget it). It was brand new and I got it for $7.00. What a steal. The second deal was a Kelty Backpack. It is only a year old and used once by a girl that took it to New Zealand last year.
Jane got a brand new WOK, a pendulum clock and a set of 7 beautiful bowls made in Italy. We were both happy with the day.
We had lunch of salad and soup at Olive Garden. Yummy!
We also went to Petco for dog tags for the dogs.
On the way home, we got hit by a hard rain storm. We all of a sudden noticed that there were so many cars on the highway headed to Colo. After I got home, I found out that I-80 from Laramie to Cheyenne, WY had to be closed due to a large hail storm. It ended up being 1 1/2' of hail on the highway and the snow plows had to be called out to clear it off.
Pretty wild for the end of May.
I've got cabins to clean tomorrow then work in the cafe till close. Have a great evening.

May 29th

I had to run to town today to get some paperwork. But got bad news when I took the paperwork back in. Oh well, It will work out somehow.
Harley, my Cairn Terrier, loves to travel, so he was sitting on the console the whole way just watching the scenery fly by. He's got this thing about cars passing us. He barks and chases it from inside the truck. Strange little dog!
Jane and I are headed to Ft Collins Colo tomorrow at 6:30am to go to garage sales. Then at noon time, Olive Garden will get a visit from us. We have to go to Pet Smart and get new dog tags for the dogs.
We had rain showers here today. It smells so good after the rain and I love walking in it when it is coming down lightly.
The campground has 4 campers tonight and 3 cabins and the guest house have been rented out. I'll start cleaning cabins on Sunday and then work in the cafe in the afternoon. My summer work has begun and I just love it here.
The high school graduation was this afternoon in Laramie. It didn't seem to busy when I was in town tho.
Have a great weekend!

After Memorial Day

I went to Utah for Memorial Day. I spent time inm Ogden canyon with friends from Quartzsite. I had a wonderful time and hated to come back to WYO. The canyon and campgrounds there are beautiful, lush and green. There was some rain for about a day and 1/2 but all in all it was perfect.
I got home this afternoon about 5pm and am exhausted. It is an 8 hour drive from there. I talked with my boss tonight and I will start work on Friday. It will be good to get back into the routine here. It is cool here tonight and supposed to only be in the 30's tonight.
This is a short post tonight, I'm tired, and cooking pork chops and veggies for supper. Have a great end of the week.

May 20

Yesterday I hooked up the 5er and said goodbye to my friends and employers at the ranch. I went on the road to Scottsbluff, NE. I took the trailer in to get summer-ized. They flushed out all the lines and fixed the refrigerator and water heater. The fridge wouldn't ignite to the propane and they took it apart to find it was corroded. It is working like a champ now. Chemical was put into the holding tanks to clean the sensors. It didn't work all the way after heading down the road to Laramie.
I arrived in Laramie and stayed at my sisters house for the night since I didn't get there till 6pm. She had supper ready and a nice soft bed for me to sleep in.
This morning I headed up the road 25 miles to Woods Landing. I now have the 5er hooked up for the summer, just have to fill the tanks with water. Might get that done tomorrow.
It's good to be back here for the summer, but I will miss my friends and animals in Nebr.
It was 100 degrees in Scottsbluff yest, and today here in Woods Landing it got to 68. Wonderful weather!
Tomorrow, I'm going on a hike with my sister, Donna. We will hike a 4 mile trail the opposite way we hiked it last year. Uphill this time. I just tried on my hiking pants and none of them fit!!! YIKES... After the hike, I will have to buy a couple pair for future hikes. I lost 35 pounds over the winter and 5 pant sizes. I look better and feel great...Lots more energy too.
After the hike tomorrow, I will have dinner with my friend of 30 years, Jane! She is making Shrimp Curry. It is the best!
Then either on Fri or Sat I will go to Ogden Canyon to visit friends for a couple days that camped in Quartzsite and I got to know them well. I am anxious to see them.
I will start work here about June 1st.
Have a great Memorial day weekend and drive safe if you travel.

May 15

It's been too long since I've posted on this blog. It's been busy at work, moving sheep to new pasture, sorting bulls to transport to the buyers, seperating cows to AI soon. We started a fencing project today. We plan on moving fall calves to the pasture after we brand them, hopefully in the next day or two.

I have seen a couple coyotes out in the place I'm staying. They travel early morning hours and move north. I see wild turkeys every morning usually only about 7 of them. Grouse are frequent flyers here too. There is a little water hole close buy and curlews are seen almost every day.

I have started packing up my stuff in the trailer. I am leaving Nebraska and heading to Wyoming to work for the summer on Tuesday. I was going to leave Wed. I have been keeping a close eye on the weather and Tues is supposed to hae no wind. All the other days there are winds to 35 MPH. I don't even want to travel on those days.
I took my window coverings off tonight after I got home from work. I thought the wind was going to blow the ladder out from under me. But it is done!


I still need help on how to download pictures. I used to be able to do it but something happened and I can't get it done now. I have so many to share!!!

I found out from my boss in Wyo that we will now have wireless internet at Woods Landing. So, I will post frequently and be on the computer more.
Later, and have a great weekend...

May 4, 2009

We have been having quite a bit of rain here. Crops around here are looking good tho.
I spent the day today doing chores, then weeding a flower bed. It was a great time to be outside, the weather was perfect, no wind or rain. It was payday so I splurged and got myself a steak for supper, grilled mushrooms and had baked sweet potato. It was wonderful.
Tomorrow we are going to sort sheep to be taken to the auction on Wed. We also have to get some cows ready for the auction on Wed.
I went to the greenhouse the other day and got a begonia and geranium to have outside in a pot. The rain has been good for them.
I have a puppy coming next Wed. I got a Cairn Terrier, silver in color, 6 months old. Can't wait to get him.

auction

The auction was held on the 25th. I picked up the proceeds check today and was disappointed. We didn't make much on it. I paid a lot more for the items than I purchased for the house than I got back from the auction. Bob got 1/2 of the proceeds and I got 1/2.
Bob and I have split up and I will now be doing this blog without him.
I will be going to Arizona in the fall with the 5th wheel trailer and truck. I still don't know where I will be working yet this summer. I might stay in Nebr. depending on my job availability. If it doesn't work out, I will go to Wyo and work till Aug 1.
My sis and I will be hiking in the Jackson Hole Tetons in WYO this Aug. then hiking the Continental Divide Trail after that. So Aug will be my vacation month. In Sept, I will be headed back to Arizona.
Hope all is well with everyone and hope to see you in Arizona in the fall.

April 25

Today was the big auction day. We had cool weather in the 50's and it was overcast. There was a pretty good crowd and I think it went well. Some things went high and some low so it evened out pretty well. The auction lasted until 1pm.
I went to the ranch and fed lambs afterwards then did chores this evening.
2 heifers with heifer calves were being picked up tonight by a buyer from Colorado. The brand inspector had to come out and health certificates had to be faxed over from the vet. He was showing up about 6:30 pm to take them home.

I got a call from a guy in Sutherland today (1 1/2 hrs away). That was the place we picked up lumber that my boss bought at an auction last weekend. There were some glass blocks that they didn't know if they sold. Well, he called and said they didn't sell and I could buy them. I got them at a super price and will head down that way tomorrow to pick them up. It is a nice drive and will take up part of my day. I'm going to drill a hole in the side, fill them with miniature Xmas lights, wrap ribbon around them and try to sell them at a craft fair or booth. I got one for Christmas this year and just love it. I have it plugged in all the time and it is just beautiful. I know, just what I need is another craft project!!!

Our week at work will be busy next week. We will be taking sheep to Ft Collins to sell and deliver bulls that sold at the bull sale. So, more sorting of sheep and cattle!

I think the week will be a bit cooler again. I was getting used to the 80 degree weather we had last week. But my farmer tan is starting to show up. The wind just kicked up pretty good tonight.
Hope your weekend will be great!

April 23, 2009

We have been busy at the ranch. On Sunday the boss went to an auction and bought a bunch of lumber. We went down on Mon. and Tues with the trucks and trailers to bring it back. He got quite a bit and will be able to do quite a bit with it. He also had to take some heifers to North Platte, NE to a sale on Tues.
We sorted sheep and took 2 bunches to summer pastures yesterday. About 60 sheep went.
Today we sorted cows, some are being sold and we had to get them to the pens to have the brand inspector come and look at them on Sat.
We have someone repairing a windmill that isn't working. Hopefully he will be done with it by tomorrow.
Bob and I are having our household auction on Sat. The auctioneer is coming by tomorrow to sort things out. Then at 10:30am the auction starts. It won't be as big as last time but we hopefully will have a good turnout. The weather is supposed to be in the 60's.
We've been having weather in the 80's for the past few days. My summer tan is coming back, in the form of a farmer tan. I have lost 32 pounds while working this winter. I need to get some "skinny pants" again. The ones I got in Dec. are already too big. But, I like the way I look and will continue to stay skinny.
Have a great Friday and better weekend.

April 17, 2009

I spent the Easter holiday in Cody WYO. with my family. It was a 9 hour drive to get there and I was pretty tired that first night.
Mom is feeding 45 bum lambs 3 times a day. That kept us very busy for the weekend. We also had 2 calves born while I was up there. My neices and nephews came over for dinner and we had a great time.
One sister couldn't come up, sure did miss seeing her.

Back at work on Tuesday had us sorting cattle all afternoon. I didn't have a good day, couldn't make the boss happy about opening gates. But today it rained all day and we had to work out in it for 4 hours. It was miserable and we were all soaked and chilled. Got to go back for a couple hours this afternoon and get it all over again. The rain is supposed to die down by tomorrow night.

I am feeding a couple new lambs at the ranch. One acts like he can't see, she just follows my voice. Now she is my favorite lamb!

We are having our auction in a week. The house will be rented on May 1st. I am staying in Oshkosh till at least May 15th. Bob will probably head to Wyo on May 1st.
Hope everyone is having a great spring...

April 7, 2009

We survived the weekend blizzard. Saturday it snowed but mostly blew snow. We had a hard time feeding the animals, couldn't find the white ones to easily. The winds blew up to 40 mph and it sure was cold.
Today it turned nice in the afternoon. I was working in my shirtsleeves.
We've still been having a few lambs and calves. None were born in the blizzard tho.

I'm headed to Cody, Wy this weekend. I might leave Thursday and get part of the way. It is about 500 miles. It will be nice to see my family for Easter.

We're getting ready for the auction on the 25th. I've been organizing things in the garage. Bob still has to take a load or two over to his kids house to store. I don't know when he will do that.

I'm going to work at the ranch till about the middle of May and then go to WYO.

Hope everyone is enjoying the spring time weather.

ELK, donkeys and llamas

I worked until noon today. Afterward, since it was so nice outside (55 degrees with no wind) I decided to head out of town about 3 miles and take some pictures. There is an elk ranch where people can book elk hunts and the elk were up close enough for me to take some pictures. Some have lost their antlers but a couple still have theirs. They just watched as I snapped pictures and weren't a bit scared.

On the way up there, I noticed some miniature donkeys in a field with some woolly llamas.

Here's a picture of a pheasant I saw. There are a lot of them out this year. Mostly they live in the corn fields where there is plenty to eat.

AND---on the river---A DUCK!
Enjoy the pics!

Well, I tried to download pics but when I went to look at them on the blog, it was just #'s and letters. Ron, what is going on with that? Email me!

On Monday we moved cattle about 5 miles to the ranch. They didn't drive good! As I was in the truck with a round bale of hay on it, the cattle headed every direction but to the truck once they got outside the gate. The winter wheat is coming up and they headed toward the "GREEN". After a while Henry came up to the truck and said swap him out for the horse. He took off in the truck to get a 4 wheeler, I got on the horse and tried to herd cattle off the wheat. I haven't been on a horse in a while so it was fun. Henry brought the 4 wheeler back and I was the one to hop on it and hopefully help out. But after going thru a ditch and it stalling, I wasn't able to go any further. It quit and wasn't starting! I ended up walking and herding cattle on foot. It was just like the olden days. We finally got them back to the ranch. The wind had started to blow very hard but was at our backs. I walked a total of 2.5 miles. After we got them home, we worked on the ranch.

Sheep had to be sorted on Tuesday. We moved some that were going to lamb soon, up to the barn.
We've still been having lots of lambs, pulling ones that the ewes can't have. We've lost a few but have been doing pretty good otherwise.

Today, I had to give CPR to a lamb that was not breathing. I will find out tomorrow if he lived.

The weather changed from nice to COLD and WINDY on Tuesday. But today it was up to 50 degrees and I shed my coat and enjoyed working outside.
I'll try to get some pictures in the next post.

Lambing season

It is definitely lambing season! Yesterday I think that 8 ewes had lambs. That includes the lambing during the night. We have had a set of quads, one of which we were able to graft onto another ewe that had enough milk to feed him. We had a set of triplets, they are doing great. I pulled 3 lambs and Elton pulled 2 lambs in 2 days. They are huge lambs and the ewes are having a hard time with them.
After they are born I have to put ear tags in their ears, give them a shot, band their tails and spray paint them with the # of the ewe that had them. I have to write down the ewe that gave birth right away so I don't miss any of them.
This morning one ewe and her twins, busted out of the little pen I had her in, I had to hunt down the 2 lambs and get them tagged, etc.
We try to keep them in lambing jugs (pens) for at least a day so they can bond good and we know that they will give enough milk.

I had to "tube" a bull calf that keeps bloating. It is a plastic flexible tube that goes down his throat into his 1st stomach and lets the air out. He has gotten used to being loaded into the chute and having this done every morning. At least he is alive!

We talked to the auctioneer the other day and have our household auction set for April 25th. It won't be as big as the last auction, but hopefully we can get rid of everything. May 1st or there a bouts, we will hook the trailer onto the truck and head west to WYO for the summer. I would like to take a week and camp and fish at Boysen Res. just outside of Shoshone WYO. Bob hasn't given me the OK yet,,,just will wait and see.

The weather is getting warm here. We have had the temps in the 60's and will hit 70 soon.

We miss everyone in Q!
But next fall,,,we will be there!

More lambs

We are having many lambs on the ranch. We had a set of triplets, 2 sets of twins and 2 singles today. The 2 singles had to both be pulled. One was breach and he came out after a lot of hard work on the boss's part. He weighed probably 20#'s. Heck he's 1/2 grown already. He did have a rupture on his belly probably from being pulled and we had to sew him back up. We grafted 2 other lambs on the ewe that needed more milk. She accepted them all.
We also went west of town and had to take down electric fence that we had put up in October. All went well there.
The usual chores have been done daily. Elton got 4 new geese the other day. He's going to see if they will lay eggs and hatch some goslings.
I guess I'm going back to 1/2 days again. I was told this tonight. So with the time off, I will get the items ready for the auction we will hold in hopefully a month or so.
I went out to the 5er yesterday between chore times and got it cleaned well, packed some of my craft items, getting ready for the trip to Wyo for the summer.
It's been in the 70's for the past few days. I love this weather. As far as I know, it will last until this weekend. I haven't checked the report past Sunday.
We got an email from Terry and Ron and they are getting ready to leave Quartzsite. They will be heading thru Tuscon and spend 4-6 weeks at Navajo Dam, NM...I wish I was going there for a month or so. It is a wonderful place to be, great fishing, good hiking, beautiful campground. This fall, hopefully we can spend a few weeks there.
Till my next post, stay happy and healthy and ENJOY life!

ICY WEATHER

The last couple of days have been icy cold. The temps are in the teens with wind chills making it below zero. I don't like this!
The bulls were taken to the sale barn in Ogalalla on Tuesday. They were bedded down with straw and fed their corn and hay. Wed. brought more cold weather and the auction for the bulls. The bulls that sold were brought home except for one that was taken by the new owner. They will be fed and kept at the ranch until approximately April 15th when they will be delivered to the new owners.
It was a long day after the auction ended. We got done with chores about 6pm and the bulls still haven't been delivered back to the ranch.
No new lambs were born today. We have warm weather coming the next few days.
Here are a couple pics of the icy snowy conditions here.

Bob is headed out tomorrow to WYO to go fishing with his kids. He will have so much fun.
Have a great week!

SNOW

We have SNOW today. It started about 2pm and now at 6pm it has dropped about 4 - 5 inches of the powdery white stuff. It was not fun doing chores while the big flakes were coming down, walking thru the snow, trying to find the white sheep.

Yesterday we got some ewes sorted off from the bunches that were getting ready to lamb. We have about 75 up at the barn and shop. I spread straw in both places, got feeders put in the pens and all is well. So far there are no lambs as of tonight.

We loaded a flatbed trailer with 11 round bales of hay. I drove it to town to weigh it afterwards and then it was unloaded at the ranch.

It looks like none of us will be getting any time off for a while till all the lambs are born. Lambing will continue thru April.

I took a picture of the backyard and one of the birdhouse out front tonight so you can see how much snow we are getting.

Another nice day

Today will be up in the 70's again. It will last thru tomorrow and then this weekend promises rain or snow and down into the 30's. I'm sure getting tired of the cold weather coming back to visit.
Yesterday we got the shop area ready to put ewes in that will be lambing as soon as next week. We got some calves moved to another pen, Holly the milk cow was changed to a different pen.
Two loads of cattle were taken to the livestock market which will be held today.
After chores today, we will go to the north pasture and separate calves from cows and bring the calves home. We've had a couple new calves born in the last 2 days.
We haven't heard any more on the parties interested in buying our house. Hopefully something will happen soon. We have to think of getting ready to be out of here next month. Plus if we have an auction, we want to have it a week before we take off for Wyoming.
I talked to Mom the other day and she now has 13 bum lambs she is feeding. I will be going up at Easter time so I'll be able to help her with chores.
Hope you all have a great day! Enjoy the weather Arizonians!

Ultrasounds

Today we ultra sounded the bulls going to the sale and the heifers. The ultrasound determines the back fat, rib eye and marbling of the meat. Joanne came from Valentine, NE., about 230 miles from here. She was able to do 45 heifers in 2 hours. We did the bulls this morning and the heifers this afternoon.

The weather was perfect for the day--topping around 60-65 degrees.

Here's a couple of pictures from the ultrasound.

Find of the day!

I went to Sidney to get a few things today. My kitchen drain is plugged up, so drain cleaner and a plunger was top priority. After visiting Cabela's, Walmart, and Safeway I was headed out of town on Hwy 30, drove past a mini mart that sells gas and diesel and had to do a double take and turn around. I pulled in and immediately had to fill the diesel truck up. I only paid $20 to fill it. That was the cheapest in 2 years I believe. Here's proof!

Can you believe it? $1.96 for diesel when we are still paying $2.29 in Oshkosh...

I was so happy that even the clogged drain is no longer a bother!

We're to have weather in the high 60's this week. Spring is on the way... Next weekend is Daylight savings time except for you lucky people in Arizona.

Hope you have a great weekend!!

Where's spring?

On Tues. and Wed. the weather got up to 60 degrees. We got to shed the coveralls and jackets and work in our shirtsleeves. The fence in the alley finally got finished because the ground had thawed and we were able to dig post holes without a lot of effort. We got some cattle sorted, banded some ram lambs and really enjoyed the nice weather.
Yesterday was another story. The temps dropped to 30 with a light wind. It was pretty cold. Chores were done morning and night but other than that, I spent the day at home.
My mom called me the other day and asked us to come up to Cody, WY for Easter on April 12th. I would have to take 3 days off because it takes between 9 - 10 hours to get there from here. I talked with Bob about it and he said it would cost too much so I couldn't go. I only see my mom and sister who lives in Riverton once or twice a year so I really want to go. My other sister from Laramie will be going also. I have a nephew in Sheridan that will come down also.
Bob is planning a fishing trip with his kids soon. I think they will go up around Thermopolis to fish.
Today at work we will fertility test the bulls that are going to the sale. It is supposed to be cold today, so we might have to set posts and panels in the shop area. That will take 2 - 3 hours to complete before we're ready for the vet to begin on the bulls.
Monday will be the ultrasound on the bulls and heifers.
Hope you all have a safe and happy weekend!

Shearing day

Marv shearing!

We had 2 1/2 days of sheep shearing over the weekend. 215 sheep were sheared, ewes, ewe lambs and rams. 2 shearers were working. Marv who is 72 years old and he said he started shearing Feb 20, 1958. That is quite a few years of work. He said he normally sheared 20,000 sheep a year but had a record year once of 50,000. Over 51 years that is a lot of sheep. He still is going strong and handles the sheep like he is 20 years old. The other shearer, Robin, is 38 years old and weighed about 100 pounds. She did really well handling the 300# sheep tho. Here's a couple pictures of the eventful weekend.

This is Marv and Henry stuffing the wool sack with wool. Robin shearing.

The before and after pictures.

Feb 18, 2009

Here's a pic of the flowers I got from Bob on Valentine's Day. They are called the Blue rose, but are a light lavender in color. My favorite color and I collect teddy bears, so it was a great gift.

It's been a while since my last post, only because my computer has been in the shop. I wasn't able to get onto Internet Explorer or go anywhere on the web. Dee Dee who works on computers here, has finally fixed the computer...Thanks, Dee Dee....

We have had some good weather the past few days. On Sun we trimmed bulls that will be sold on Mar. 11th. A few pics with my new telephoto lens. I don't know if I like the lens, it shows the inside of the sleeve of the lens and doesn't get a good photo. They trimmed the bulls and then used the torch to burn off the hair left over. The bulls looked good after they were done. 34 bulls were trimmed and it took about 5 hours to complete.

This is a shot of the bulls after they were trimmed.

A calf was brought down the other day because the mother died. We are now bottle feeding him 2 times a day.

We have cleaned out the shop, moving stuff to the pole shed and stuff from the pole shed to the shop to get ready for the sheep to be moved into the shop. The shearer that will be coming this weekend will need the sheep to be penned up for the night before. We have about 200 sheep to shear. The shearer will have someone helping him and will be able to shear about 140 per day.

We had to move horse carts around, pull tools from the shop to the pole shed, move pallets of feed around and make way for anything else coming in.

We put up an electric fence for the bulls since some bulls got into a pen they were'nt supposed to. We tried to tag 3 new calves but the tagger is broke and have to wait to tag them till we get a new one.

Here's a pic of one of the new calves. He is about a day old and 80 pounds.

2/7/09

We have had some beautiful weather for the past few days. It's been getting up to about 65 degrees. That is shirtsleeve weather and put the coats away! This will all change tomorrow (Sunday). A nice cold front is coming in with rain and snow.

Bob has been helping a friend who was contracted by the railroad to clean up coal from an 11 car derailment. Some interesting information is that each of these cars carry approximately 200,000 pounds of coal. That would be about 1 million pounds per 5 cars. In this case, 11 cars would be about 2 million 200,000 pounds of coal.

Most of the trains that come thru here are pulling about 100 - 150 cars hauling coal and they come thru about every 20 minutes, 24/7. Now that's a lot of coal!!!!

This coal is coming from the Gillette, WYO area and headed east.

If we can find the price of a pound of coal, it will be an interesting figure to report in a future log.

If you look above the Railroad Crossing sign there is a string of Canada geese that flew by to see what was up...Goose hunting season ended yesterday so they are safe for another season.

The other photo shows an excavator, yellow, used for loading coal into dump trucks for hauling it away.

Bob and I went to Lisco, NE last night, a small town 15 miles from Oshkosh. We went for my birthday dinner of prime rib. My birthday isn't until Monday but they only serve prime rib on Fri. so I was able to get an early present. It was wonderful and the place got really busy with the end of the goose hunters.