I want my money back

I may be showing my age, but how many of you have heard Meatloaf's Life is a Lemon and I Want My Money Back? Well, that is how I've been feeling lately about 2007. I sat down to write a this blog post and while thinking about what to write, I found myself humming the song, so this is what you get.

In general I'm not a whiner. I can take my lumps and keep on going, perhaps even better than some. However, this was an incredibly difficult year at the ranch, for a lot of reasons. I won't bore you with every little thing, but a few of the highlights are:

• I got laid off work with only 9 days notice (two months later, got my job back)
  
• Christie fractured a vertebra while riding
  
• An unexpected death in Christie's family
• The Black Cat fire and midnight evacuation of 30 horses
• Wind storms that destroyed our fences in almost every pasture
• I had to manage the ranch alone while Christie was out of town for several weeks helping her cousin
• Two bent axles on our horse trailer
  

I could make the list much longer, but then I think I really would be a whiner. My point is that if only a few of these events had happened, I wouldn't be humming "life is a lemon..." This year, though, I feel battered and bruised, and if any of you have any connections at the Customer Service Center of the Universe, I'd like a refund for 2007. Barring that, I would settle for a mulligan or even a do-over.

Now, in order to keep my readership, I'm going to end on a good note. In the past few weeks we found a crew of guys at a local temp agency to help rebuild our fences. They have done amazing work, putting up hundreds of yards of jack-leg. The stallion has not escaped in weeks, and Christie and I actually have time to enjoy each other's company. Some of the stress of the past few months is finally starting to dissipate now that we know our fences will hold up.

The Wind also Blows

Today it is snowing ... on only half of the ranch. The snow is coming down outside my West-facing window, but not outside my North-facing window. If anyone can explain that to me I'd love to hear it. Meanwhile, I'll tell you about yesterday's weather, which wasn't so much strange and frightening.

The wind roared through our little valley yesterday. It wasn't just gusty, it was constant and very strong. From my office window I watched trees bending at unnatural angles. A rabbit hutch, which took three strong guys to move, was casually flipped over on its roof. The same for the goose shelter. Roofing was ripped off the small barn, and tarps were torn from hay stacks. However, the biggest issue, by far, was the downed trees.

I watched with guts twisting as more and more trees fell. Oh, there went a fence in the Upper Little Barn pasture. Ah, another one blocking the driveway. By the time I finished work for the day, 8-10 trees had fallen across our driveway. I had to clear these before I could take food to the Middle 20 and Back 20. Before I could do that, I noticed that there were too many black horses over by the young boys herd.

Ryder and Blackie were in the Goat Barn pasture while we fixed fences knocked down last week. The fences got fixed, but I hadn't gotten around the moving them back yet. Well, the fence that borders the property to the South was almost completely destroyed by several fallen trees, so Ryder and Blackie decided to go exploring. I got them put back in Ryder's pasture (Lower Little Barn) and grabbed my chainsaw.

I lost track of time, but it must have been a little over an hour later, I straightened up, looked around and realized I had cleared enough of the driveway for a vehicle to pass. It was well past dusk, but I could still see to walk around so I quickly got the feeding done. By the time that was done, it was pretty much full dark. I was able to see by the light on our little John Deere lawn tractor (which we use to haul hay around for feeding) that there had been a few trees down along Mill Creek Road, but that other people had cut and cleared them. When I got to the little road that leads to The Cabin, I noted at least 4 large trees that fell from the Middle 20 to the Back 20, taking out fences on both sides of the road. They will have to wait for another day.

The feeding was done, but unfortunately I couldn't go in yet because I didn't have any firewood in the house or on the porch. Luckily I knew just where to go for some fresh fallen timber, some of which was even already dead and dry. I won't complain about my various aches and pains, I'll just say I slept really well last night. Today after work I will try to survey more of the damage while there's daylight.

The Lone Rancher

I don't wear a mask. I don't ride a fiery horse with the speed of light. I avoid clouds of dust. And, I'm never heard saying "Hi-yo Silver," although I do let slip a "Weee doggie" now and then. In spite of all this, I am The Lone Rancher.

Christie is back in Iowa for two weeks helping out her cousin, so I have the ranch to myself. In preparation, we hired some help and got a huge amount of jack-leg fence built. This makes my job a bit easier, which turns out to be a good thing.

Yesterday, I fed the horses morning and evening, managed three escapes, and repaired a gate. I also attempted to work my full shift on my day-job, but managed only about 6.5 hours. It seems horses don't wait until after 4PM to escape from their pastures.

Two of the escapes were from a known section of down fence, but I ran out of daylight (thanks to daylight "savings" time). I'm hoping to repair that section tonight after work. The other escape came when the stallion apparently smashed a gate in our new jack-leg fence. Mares and babies were running everywhere as the stallion attacked some and tried to mount others. That gate is now just another section of fence as my "repair" was to nail up some rails over the gap.

It is a good thing we didn't make life any easier, or I'd just sit around eating bonbons all day.

Tagged!

I've been tagged by PastorMom, so here goes!

1. Who eats more? That one is easy, me.
2. Who said “I love you” first? I think Christie did, I remember long conversations about the "L" word.
3. Who is the morning person? Me, by necessity.
4. Who sings better? Probably me, Christie has a great voice but feels she needs someone to follow.
5. Who’s older? I am, by a year and a half.
6. Who’s smarter? Christie is. We are both pretty bright, but her brain works faster than mine.
7. Whose temper is worse? Oooh, that is a tough one. I lose mine more easily, but Christie is more ferocious.
8. Who does the laundry? Christie does, but I'm better at folding.
9. Who does the dishes? Neither one of us. :(
10. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? We are both on the right side for us. We tried the other way around and it felt wrong, so this way must be right.
11. Whose feet are bigger? Mine.
12. Whose hair is longer? Christie's.
13. Who’s better with the computer? I am, but then, I'm a software engineer. Christie is the resident webmaster of Wild Mountain Farms.

14. Do you have pets? We have 3 dogs and 4 house cats. Those are the traditional pets. We also have 28 horses, three goats, 4 geese, 2 ducks, and about 10 chickens, some of whom have names.
15. Who pays the bills? It used to be me, but Christie does it now.
16. Who cooks dinner? I probably cook a majority of the meals. There are some things we collaborate on, but I enjoy it more, so I do it more.
17. Who drives when you are together? I do, so Christie can save her energy for more important things.
18. Who pays when you go out to dinner? Usually me, because I have always have my wallet, but Christie doesn't like to carry a purse.
19. Who’s the most stubborn? My nickname growing up was The Negotiator, so that would be Christie.
20. Who is the first one to admit when they’re wrong? Most often me, but Christie is getting better at it.
21. Whose family do you see more? Christie's, her sister lives in town, less than an hour away.
22. Who named your pets? Joint venture.
23. Who kissed who first? She kissed me.
24. Who asked who out? She asked me out.
25. What did you do on your first date? We went to The Olive Garden for dinner in Kalamazoo.
26. Who’s more sensitive? I get my feelings hurt easier, if that is what you mean.
27. Who’s taller? I am, by 4-5 inches, which means her head fits right on my shoulder.
28. Who has more friends? Neither of us has a particularly wide circle, but I would say she does.
29. Who has more siblings? Christie has two, I have one.
30. Who wears the pants in the relationship? This is a partnership, we are in it together, so we make the big decisions together.

Cutting down trees for firewood

We finally got all our hay in for the winter, and it is stacked high and tarped down. We should be able to manage feeding through the winter as the piles are conveniently located. That leaves fencing and firewood as our two top jobs. We are building jack-leg fence, so now both of our top priorities require the ability to handle a chainsaw well.

I learned how to handle a chainsaw from my friends and neighbors. They taught me the right and wrong way to drop a tree, and how to do so safely. For those of you who don't have the benefit of Curry, Bob, Jarred, and Pete, and Aud, here's a great set of instructional videos I found online.

http://www.expertvillage.com/interviews/felling-trees.htm

Enjoy.

New, old friends

From earlier posts, you might remember Michal, the girl from Chicago who stayed with us for the summer and helped out around the ranch. Well, her parents, Naomi and Larry are visiting us for the week. This is their first vacation without the kids for a long, long time and they are very excited. We met Naomi when she brought Michal out, but Larry couldn't come that time. It will be good to get to know them, even though we feel like we know them already through their daughter.

They are here to do some horseback riding, hiking, biking, and sightseeing. It seems Larry also has a fondness for power tools and he took the afternoon yesterday to cut and notch a whole bunch more posts for building jack-leg fences. I was dreading that job, and it seems Larry has given me a reprieve.

Christie, Naomi, and Larry are getting ready to go on a ride. Since it is 30 degrees out, I think I'll stay in my nice warm office.

Now this is progress

For those of you worried that we won't get our fencing project finished, fear not. This week, we have erected a total of 10' of jack-leg fence. Actually, we didn't do any fencing, Christie did it all. It was our intention to go out there every evening after work and put up a couple more jacks. Well, you know what the best laid plans oft do...

Tuesday Christie went to town to babysit our nieces while I tore down some old fencing that was in our way. Progress was made, for sure, but no actual fence was built.

Wednesday we discovered that Spirit, Nefertari's baby from this Spring, was limping and had a cut on his left, rear leg above the hock. After bringing him to the barn and getting his leg cleaned up, we realized it was a pretty bad cut near the tendon. So, we loaded him into the trailer and took him to Dr. Brown ... after hours, of course. Dr. Brown got him cleaned up, but it was a pretty serious cut, so Spirit will need to have the wound cleaned and redressed every day for a few weeks. No fence was built.

Thursday, while I worked, Christie went out and worked on the fence. She got one jack-leg set with all the rails perfectly spaced, so now we have a template to work from. Then she was off to town for a lesson with the gaited horse trainer. After the lesson she realized that one of the trailer tires was all shredded and definitely flat. The guys at the stables helped her change the tire, but they noticed that the trailer had a bent axle and that the mounting brackets for the axle were twisted and broken, hence the ruined tire. She got a recommendation for a trailer repair guy and dropped it off. He is going to get back to us with an estimate of the damage. Ten feet of fence built.

Friday, today. Our hay people were able to load up the flatbed trailer during the week, so we need to get back to bringing in hay only 23 ton to go! We're working on a loan from the bank to pay for the hay, but the banker seems to be dragging his heels a bit. If we can finalize the loan today, we will be getting more hay, otherwise, maybe ... perhaps ... there's a chance ... of getting some more fences built.

Two-fer Tuesday

I don't usually post twice in one day, I wouldn't want my dear readers to get the wrong idea about my level of commitment.

However, here is a quick bonus post. Below is a short video of Cami's baby running across the pasture. I captured this from my office window. He doesn't have a name yet, if any of you have suggestions.

Better than any gym

This weekend (a long one thanks to Christopher Columbus) we brought in 22.6 ton of hay. We had plenty of help, but it was still a lot of work. Our hay suppliers have an amazing attachment for their tractor which can pick up 12 bales at a time and stack them on a trailer. They were able to do almost all the loading with that machine in very little time (about 11 tons in 1 hour). The hay suppliers loaned us a flatbed gooseneck trailer which I pulled with our 3/4 ton diesel truck. Our helpers also had two trucks, a one-ton pickup and a two-ton flatbed with an additional trailer. With all that capacity, each trip up the mountain brought us 11.3 tons!

I drove two 4.5 ton loads up to the ranch, and helped unload one of them into the Big Barn. The Small Barn by the house is full, we have a nice sized stack in the yard near the friendship circle (aka fire ring), the Goat Barn is full, and the Big Barn is nearly full. Next weekend, our helper is going to bring more loads up, and we will start filling the Hay Barn across from the New Moon pasture.

We had a little excitement when I got the flatbed trailer stuck in the muck down by the Big Barn. We huffed and we puffed but could not budge that trailer. It only weighed about 13,000 lbs, so I'm not clear on why it sank so fast. Our helper was able to unload it into his pickup and shuttle the hay to the Big Barn. After the trailer was unloaded, we got it out of the mud easily.

Over the weekend Christie and I also gathered up jack-legs for the lower Little Barn pasture and laid them out all in a line. These were the heavy duty ones Jarred put together for the stallion pasture, so it took both of us to lift each one. We will begin erecting that fence as time permits this week. Also this week we will have to hit some of the stores in town to see if anyone is giving away palettes, we had to scour the ranch this last weekend in order to have enough for all the hay that came in.

One fence down ... er up!

Christie has been working on finishing up one of the lines of fencing for Ryder's pasture (Lower Little Barn for those keeping score). Last night we worked together to put the finishing touches on it. We now have one complete line of heavy duty jack-legged fence. Some of the jacks were so heavy it took two people to lift them. If this fence doesn't hold the stallion, I don't know what will.

So, that is one down, and many, many more to go. Even though the job is huge, there was a certain satisfaction in getting at least one fence line completely replaced. Wish us luck, the next challenge will be a flatbed trailer filled with 122 bales of hay (again for those keeping score, that is roughly 4.5 ton). To get all of our hay, we will have to make 10+ trips with that trailer.

Tag team ranching

Well, I had the ranch to myself for a couple of weeks, and it was a little rough.  Not only did I have to handle my "day job," I also had to feed the animals, irrigate the pastures, and bring in hay.

 

Christie came home last Saturday afternoon and tagged me out so I could go to Chicago for a week.  In the last two months, I think we've only had about two weeks in which we were both at the ranch at the same time, and there was one week, during the fire, that the place was completely deserted.  As such, a lot of our ambitious projects, like the jack-legged fences, are less than complete.

 

It is my hope that when I return home from Chicago I can jump right into the ring and we can double-team some of the big chores, like hay and fences.  I want to put hay in a full nelson and get those fences in a figure-4 leg lock.  They will be at our mercy, begging to give up.  Will we let them?  NO!  We will follow up with a backbreaker and a series of combos, like a Facebuster/Leg Drop or even the awe inspiring Airplane Spin-Double Suplex.  Our opponents will be gasping for air and pleading for the sweet release of defeat, but we WILL NOT allow them to surrender.  We will CRUSH THEM, they will have to be removed from the ring with a MOP.  OHHHHH YEAAAAHHHH!!!

 

Whew, sorry about that, I got a little caught up in the moment.  Let's just say we have our work cut out for us, but as a team, Christie and I can do anything.

 

An hour in a minute

Well, one of the things Andy helped me figure out was the webcam thing. We didn't have the exact right hardware, so we made due. The camera is a black&white cam we use to monitor birthing mares, so it isn't the ideal webcam. Even so, the results aren't bad.

This is what the world looked like out my window during my lunch break today. It is a cloudy day today, but the sun does peek through a couple of times. Enjoy!

Living the Life ... of a bachelor

Christie is off to Iowa for a couple more weeks to help her cousin so
I again have the ranch to myself. Well, not completely to myself.
My friend Andy, who some of you may remember as the Best Man at my
wedding, is coming out for a week. He is a hard-core geek like me,
so we're going to be playing with electronics and software more than
chain-saws and hammers. There will need to be a little fencing
because our resident escape artists, Chance and Ghost, have been up
to their usual tricks, but mostly we are going to pass the time
indoors where there is a significantly reduced risk of injury.

Don't expect a cure for cancer, a solution to world hunger, or a
working model of cold fusion out of us, but don't be surprised if we
come up with a nice way to automatically capture and post time-lapse
videos of the awesome view from my office window. There's something
really soothing about watching the clouds whisk by while the horses
graze contentedly. With Andy's help, I hope I can share it with all
you soon.

Rajah Update

For those of you who are worried about Rajah, let me just say that he
is doing MUCH better now. He had a pretty bad case of pneumonia,
which old dogs often succumb to as their last illness. However,
after two nights at the doggie hospital and a week at home with pills
three times a day and IV fluids twice a day, he is much improved. He
is now back to barking at the coyotes all night and eating his normal
food.

Evacuation and aftermath

Where to begin? I don't know, and I'm not sure I can do this in chronological order, but I'll try. Just don't hold me to exact dates and times. As the danger has now passed, let me not keep you in suspense. The ranch did not burn down, and all of our animals are safe and healthy, except Rajah, who is doing better. Now let me see if I can fill in the details.

To get the timeline of the fire itself check out the official website: Black Cat Wildfire.

My timeline goes something like this...

• A while back: there's a fire in the area, lots of smoke in the air
• Not as far back: the fire is on our same mountain range, about 5 miles away
• Two weeks ago today: a Sheriff's Deputy is stationed at the bottom of Mill Creek Road, says that if they order an evacuation, we will have 90 minutes to get out.
• Two weeks ago tonight: we decide to get the horses out because 90 minutes would not be enough time. There is a good story here which I intend to write about more fully. The summary is that Christie rounded up a bunch of people and trailers and we got 30 horses (26 of ours and 2 visiting mares with foals at side) off the mountain in the dark.
• The next day: We learn some of the horses tried to make a break for it in the night. I guess they didn't like their temporary home, so we went over there to secure the pastures better. We took a couple of the troublemakers to our Arlee evacuation site to ease the pressure on the fence work.
  
• That evening: Karen & Aud celebrate their anniversary with a steak dinner (cooked on the gas grill, not the fire pit!)
• Later that evening: A sheriff's car drives by shouting on his loudspeaker that we have 30 minutes to evacuate. We pull out of the driveway at 32 minutes (Karen kept the time for us).
  
• Some indeterminate amount of time later: Our caravan of four vehicles, the Silverado with horse trailer attached, the dodge, Aud's Father's minivan, and Janice's car arrives at Katy and Paul's old house. (Katy & Paul are my brother- and sister-in-law.) The house doesn't even have furniture, but it does have electricity, running water, and A/C, which we gratefully crank up.
• The next couple of days: Drop off cats and goats at a shelter for evacuees, located at the fair grounds. The Houdini horses aren't in a very secure pasture, so we decide to move the rest of them to our Arlee evacuation site. Our near-Blue-Mountain-Road evacuation site needs hay so we pick up a ton from our suppliers in Arlee and deliver it. At some point I lose track of how many times we drive up and down highway 93, gawking at the fire each time. We pick up a refrigerator from Bug & Paul to put in their old house. There is a community meeting at the Frenchtown high school.
• Monday, 20-Aug: I use Katy & Paul's basement as a temporary office. Meanwhile, Karen, Aud, & co. are able to make a trip up to the ranch to get some of the important stuff we forgot in our haste. There is another community meeting tonight.
• Tuesday: Something like normalcy. Karen, Aud, & crew check out downtown Missoula while I work. Karen will fly home home on Wednesday so we grilled steaks and I got a cake that said "Thank You!" from Coldstone. Evacuation is lifted as of 10PM, we decide to stay in town for the night.
• Wednesday: I work from Bug & Paul's (do you see a pattern here?). After work, we go up to the ranch. Everything is fine once you get past the first few miles of burned land and the National Guard checkpoint. The ranch is unharmed except that everything is in disarray from our hasty departure.
• Thursday: Sleeping in my own bed instead of on the floor is too good, I oversleep by three hours. After a late start, I get to work. Karen fixed lots of little things in the barn, stall doors, broken mangers, etc. They head out in the evening to sleep in town and get an early start on their driving.
• Friday: All alone at the ranch, I work my day job. Sarah comes over in the evening with a pizza and we watch a movie.
• Saturday: Lots of helicopter activity, I hope that means they are controlling the fire. Rajah is not himself, seems sick. Took his temp, 104.2 which is high. Decided to take him to vet. Since we are still on 1-hour evac notice, I take everything I'll need in case they decide not to let us back in (including Maya). At the vet, his temp is 106, they immediately start trying to cool him down and get him on IV fluids. They figure out he has pneumonia and keep him overnight.
• Sunday: visit Rajah a few times to try to keep his spirits up. Put Christie on speakerphone so she can tell him she loves him and wants him to fight this illness. Stayed at Bug & Paul's old house so I can be close to Rajah.
• Monday: Move Rajah from emergency vet clinic to Four Paws as the emergency clinic only operates on evenings and weekends. Work from Bug & Paul's basement, again. Christie flies home about noon and checks on Rajah. The vet doesn't have the facilities to keep Rajah overnight, so we stay at Bug & Paul's old house again. We learn the 1-hour evac notice is lifted for us!
  
• Tuesday: Take Rajah back to Four Paws for more observation, he seems to be a bit better. I work from Bug & Paul's basement. Vet thinks we can take Rajah home and switch from IV antibiotics to oral. Christie rides up to the ranch and sees the fire damage for the first time.
• Today: Rajah is breathing easier and seems to have a bit more energy. He ate some leftover steak, and is drinking well. I work from HOME, alleluia! Christie went to town to pick up cats and goats from the shelter, and the first load of horses. If we have the energy, we'll go back for another load of horses tonight.
  
• Tomorrow: More of the same, and life continues...
  

Fire on the mountain

There have been fires every year, but this one is pretty close to home.

http://www.inciweb.org/incident/938/

According to GoogleEarth, it is about 5 miles away, down Black Cat Gulch. I don't think we're in much danger, but there is a chance. If this fire were to burn along the crest of the mountain it is on, it would come right to us.

We have started working on our evacuation plan, but it is really hard to know how far to take it. Should we start trucking horses off the mountain, or just load all our keepsakes into the truck? We've had numerous offers of assistance, for which I am very grateful. With our three-horse trailer, it would take something like 8 trips to get all the horses down to the evacuation site in Arlee. Luckily we have lots of good friends with horse trailers, so I think we can get it done much faster.

There isn't much else to report right now, but fear not, we are all well

The calvary has arrived

For those of you who don't know, Christie had a family emergency last week and had to head to Iowa on short notice, Monday. Michal was here until Wednesday, taking care of the animals, so I could concentrate on work. However, after Wednesday, I had the ranch to myself, which also meant all the chores.

Mostly the chores meant feeding a few of the horses and milking the goat. I also setup an irrigation regimen for watering the Big Barn pasture every morning. Add to that all the miscellaneous ranch details, and I ended up short changing my day job to moonlight as a rancher. Well, now I don't have to bring home the bacon AND fry it up in a pan, because the calvary has arrived.

Our friends, Karen & Aud are back, and they brought Alex and his girlfriend Emily along as well. They will be here almost two weeks and will be concentrating on erecting more jack-leg fences to replace all the old, rotting fences we have now. They are also kind enough to take over the daily things, like feeding the horses and milking the goat twice a day.

Not only that, but this ranch gets pretty lonely after all the work is done, so I welcome the company. Last night when they arrived, we quickly dispatched the evening chores and then spent a few minutes enjoying the cool evening breeze around the Friendship Circle. (We can't really call it a fire pit during Stage 2 fire restrictions.) It will be nice to pass the evenings with friends again.

Early to bed, early to rise ... and fall

Hoping to get a good start on the week, I went to bed around 8:30PM last night. I didn't fall asleep right away, but it was good to know I'd wake up refreshed and ready for my Monday morning. That was the theory anyway. At 1:24AM, I woke up to hear beeping, running feet, and slamming doors. It took me at least a full minute to put together that Sky was having her foal.

No worries, I thought, Christie is already out there. Oh wait, Sky wasn't in the barn, so the baby is probably out in the pasture somewhere. Ugh, time to carry another 100+ lb. baby to the barn. When I got out there, the baby, a jet-black colt, was already born and trying to figure out about standing up. Well, there was a lot of squirming, but not much standing.

Christie helped get the little bugger standing so I could get my arms around it. I had just hoisted the baby up into my arms and taken the first step toward the barn when some horse's ass blind-sided me. It was Sky's ass, she evidently took exception to my carrying her baby off. She spun around and did a full-body check on me and baby. Baby went down and I landed on my back a few feet away, with new respect for hockey and football players.

I know my brain was rattled because I momentarily confused Sky's species, calling her a female dog instead of a female horse. Christie got a halter on Sky, and we tried again. Michal helped Little Bit up and I got him up into my arms. Luckily Sky foaled right across the bridge from the barn so there was only about 100 feet to stumble to the barn. I laid Scooper down in the fresh straw and promptly went back to bed. But not without taking some aspirin first.

Sky and her colt are doing fine this morning. The little bugger is very cute, I think he's going to grow up and break all the ladies' hearts.

Crazy Day

Yesterday was a bit much, here's some of what happened:

• Blackie tripped on her lead rope and went down. Stayed down. Had to be coaxed back to her feet. Poor old girl.
• Christie took Michal and Brianne out for a ride. All horses came back with riders this time.
  
• The young horses, including Dancer and Ghost decided the grass was greener in the yard.
• I built up the fire pit (aka Friendship Circle) with more rocks to make a deeper pit. All agree it looks nice.
  
• A neighbor had family in from out of town. They came to see the critters. They stayed to ride the golf cart, the lawn tractor, and anything else with a motor.
• A mare and her foal got tangled in Ryder's electric fence. Everyone is fine. I used enough adrenaline to last a week.
• My sister made kabobs for dinner over the campfire. They were yummy.
  
• Two mares arrived for breeding with foals at side. They don't appear to have been handled much. Christie setup a temporary round pen for them.
  
• All the yearlings got groomed. There is a prospective buyer coming today.
  
• Horses were moved around to make a stall available for Sky to have her baby in. Sky didn't have her baby. We are all waiting to exhale.
• Christie and I made a quick trip to Frenchtown to make a deposit at the bank and get groceries for today.
  
• We filled water tanks for all pastures using the irrigation pump.
• Jarred hauled more wood for fencing down from our hillside.
• Michal worked with Cairo in the round pen.
• A temporary fence was setup by the round pen so horses could be left there without them being able to chew on Janice's car.

...oh yeah, and I worked my normal 7-4 shift for the bank.

Guests, invited and otherwise

My sister, Ruth, arrived yesterday. Her roommate Beth, and Beth's niece, Brianne came with her. They were at the end of a fairly long road trip from Omaha that included seeing Bon Jovi in Wyoming, and spending a day and a half in Yellowstone. Needless to say, they were grateful to fall into bed last night, even if it was just the couch and a blow-up mattress.

Now because I'm so dedicated to my work (i.e. there are bills to pay) I was up at 6:30AM today. As I emerged from the bedroom, I distinctly heard Beth say "Peacock go away!" In any other household it would have been safe to assume Beth was dreaming about some real or imagined childhood trauma. I however, knew immediately that she was wide awake and lucid, because there were indeed two peacocks strutting around the room. It seems they have discovered that our screen door has a peacock-sized hole in it. Furthermore, this is not the first time they have been inside.

It was easy to herd them out of the house, but I'm sure they'll be back. I'm also sure that our invited guests will be wondering what other manner of uninvited guests will be poking their beaks, noses, muzzles, or snouts through that screen. What I'm not sure about is whether Beth really believes she can talk to peacocks. City people sure are strange.

Puncture Wounds

When we decided to move up here, it was quickly apparent that we would need tougher tires. We currently run 10-ply off road tires on our Silverado (most street tires are more like 4-ply). However, even with the added protection, we have had what I would call an extraordinary streak of bad luck.

On the 4th of July, we ran to town to see a movie and grocery shop. While unloading I heard a hissing. A little investigation revealed a 2" nail jammed into the tire. Bummer. Two hours later in the hot sun, I managed to get the tire changed. I did, however, have to RTFM (Read The Manual) GASP!!, to figure out how to get at the spare tire. The next day, Christie took the truck to Les Schwab where they fixed the flat, free of charge (which is their policy)

This last Saturday, we went to town to hang out with Katy, Paul, & the girls. When we went to leave, we realized we had another flat (different tire than last time). It was already late, and I didn't feel like spending another two hours, so we called the roadside-assistance service that came with our warranty. It took them about 45 minutes to get there, and then about 5 minutes to change the tire, including all the paperwork. This time the culprit looked like a small bolt. Fine, we were on our way.

Sunday morning dawned bright and beautiful, I'm sure. I don't actually know because I slept until about 8AM. When I looked outside, I thought I'd parked in a hole, but closer inspection showed another flat tire. What a pickle. We didn't even have a chance to fix the flat from the night before. We only have one spare, so it looks like we're calling for help again.

We waited until this morning to place the call. This time, at least, Les Schwab is open, and we can get the flats fixed right away. However, they are going to have to tow it down there. The automated system called and told us it will take two hours for them to get here. I just feel sorry for the driver that has to come all the way up here. I hope he has plenty of spare tires for his own truck.

The rule of halves

Sometimes I can be a bit of a glass-is-half-empty kind of guy. However, when I see a horse come running back to the ranch without its rider and with the saddle dangling underneath its belly, I feel it is justified. This happened yesterday afternoon, and I knew my day was shot.

A few moments later the other horse showed up, with its rider this time. "Where's your partner," I quizzed, and learned that she had gotten off the horse to recover a water bottle, and the horse made a break for it. OK, good, there would be no blood or helicopter rides in the near future. The horses had obviously had enough excitement for one day, so we quickly settled them into a small pasture, and I sent the lone rider back in the golf cart to retrieve her stranded comrade. I then fetched Christie, something I should have done first, not last.

I filled Christie in on the details and went back to work. Awhile later ... I don't know how long because I was working and you know how time flies ... Anyway, awhile later, the duo hadn't returned so Christie decides to go looking for them. Another while later -- don't ask, I still don't know how long "awhile" is -- the golf cart comes back with only one person on it. Oh boy, here we go, time for the blood and helicopter rides.

Well, it turned out that the other half of the pair didn't wait to be rescued, she started walking home ... the wrong way. I called Christie on the car phone, and we regrouped. She and Rider#1 would retrace the route in the Chevy, while I would take the Dodge and check other nearby roads. We kept in touch via walkie-talkies, and after a sun-soaked and dusty hour, we had very few leads and had searched all the back roads.

At that point we caught a break. Right near where Bear Creek meets Mill Creek, we found some shoe prints that likely belonged to Rider#2. The only problem is they were heading away from the ranch. I headed back to the house to leave a note while Christie followed the tracks. When I arrived home, Rider#2 was sitting on the couch eating ice cream! It seems she hiked toward Frenchtown until she met someone on the road who kindly gave her a ride back to the ranch.

As to whether the glass was half full or half empty, it was kind of a tie. My day was indeed shot, but there were also no blood or helicopters. Worse than I hoped, better than I feared. In the end, everyone, human and equine, was home safe and sound, so I may have to go with half full.

Rite of Passage

I feel as though I have passed an important milestone on my journey from Software Engineer to Rancher. No longer can our neighbors look down on me as a poser, pretender, wanna-be, or goat-roper. Now, I don't think any of our neighbors actually did look down their noses and call me names, but the point is that they could have and they would have been right...until now.

My rancher credit is now certified, justified, and bona fide. I have everything I need to be able to fit right in. I no longer have to worry about what everyone will think of my pale skin and baby-soft hands because I have ... a John Deere up on blocks!

Now, technically, it is a tractor up on block, but I have all the technical skills required to add an additional block, so I'm not really concerned about details.

No applause, please, just throw money...

Plumber's Crack

A good friend told me that anytime she embarked on a plumbing project, she ended up making three trips to the hardware store. I scoffed. I thought I'd planned pretty well for our latest adventure. If you recall from Water, Water All Around, we had a broken pipe in the garage. We decided to fix it so Michal could make better use of the apartment.

We turned on the water to the garage, briefly, in order to assess where the pipe was broken. It turned out we would have to replace about 20' of a straight run of pipe. We took inventory and headed to the hardware store. The next evening after work we got started...

Scoffer beware lest the universe decides to teach you a lesson. We are now up to 4 trips to the hardware store, and the run of pipes still leak. Each time we replace a section, we learn that another section leaks. In one location, behind a wall, in a crawlspace only Christie could reach, the pipe had a double split along the entire length. I'm really hoping that we are nearing the end of this little saga, otherwise, I may have to buy stock in Lowes just to recoup some of my losses.

Destiny's Suprise

The rain had just stopped and the sun was beginning to shine. I was working at my computer (as I do every weekday morning) when I heard horses screeching at each other. I figured it was a turf war over grazing rights (pun intended). When I looked out the window, I realized it was just Destiny shooing the other mares away from her baby. BABY?!?! Destiny didn't have a baby the last time I looked out!

I ran over to the house and woke up Christie. She and I rushed out to the pasture to find Destiny's little girl already up on her feet and trying to nurse. The poor dear was still wet and shivering in the early morning chill. Christie put a lead rope on Destiny and I picked up the baby and carried her to the barn. By the time we got to the gate Michal was there to open it. I deposited the little cutie in the straw and went back to work, leaving Christie and Michal to do all the post-birth stuff.

Since this is not the first time I have had to carry a 100+ lbs. baby to the barn, I now have reason to believe it won't be the last. I'm going to have to try and create a strength training regimen where the weight will periodically struggle and try to get away. If any of you know of something like that, I'll do 6 easy payments of $29.99, otherwise, I'll just have to invent it myself and market it on the home shopping channel.

By the way, for my avid readers, I'm sure you're wondering why this was such a surprise, since we have the Foalert system. Well, chalk this one up to the mysterious ways of Mother Nature, because we didn't think Destiny was due for several weeks. We hadn't implanted her with a Foalert device yet! I guess it is just like the lottery, you can't win if you don't play.

Ah, sweet quiet

Our mantra these days is "Simplify". To that end, we've decided to cut back on the critter count. The two donkeys, Jesse and Julia, needed a new home because they had to be kept off the green pastures lest they founder. Keeping them in a stall meant feeding them twice a day and hauling water from the creek. That certainly didn't make our lives any easier, so they had to go. They went home with a nice couple that needed companions for a young horse.

Now, if there's one creature that makes life harder for everyone, it is goats. Our herd was up to 14 adults and kids, which became a marauding tornado of destruction. They would get into anything, anywhere, anytime. They felt a particular need to follow us everywhere, which was endearing when we had three goats, but troublesome with 14. They also left little gumdrop sized presents all around the ranch, especially on the porches. We put an ad in the Missoulian and the response was overwhelming. We could have sold twice as many easily. We are now down to two milk goats and a kid. The kid could still sell, but if he doesn't then we'll probably eat him this fall. We're going to keep the two milk goats for foal emergencies, which means we'll be breeding them every year to keep them producing milk. However, I think we will make a habit of selling the kids.

With most of the prime troublemakers gone, it is actually quite peaceful up here.

New Rule: No Fun Allowed

Summertime is when we have the most visitors to the ranch. We have friends and family visiting almost continuously from May through August. Unfortunately, I still have to work, and since I telecommute, I'm in the middle of everyone else's vacation. Last summer we instituted a new rule, no one was allowed to have any fun in the house between 7AM and 4PM. It actually worked pretty well, because the weather cooperated. Who would want to be indoors when it is sunny and 75 outside?

This year has turned out to be a bigger challenge. We have had a lot more rain, and so all the outside projects get put on hold. It is actually a sore subject with me that people persist in having fun while I'm trying to work (read: not have fun). Needless to say, I am easily distracted these days. Add to this that our summer helper, Michal, arrived this week. She is going to be staying in the house, which means that her bedroom is in my office, or vice-versa, I don't know which.

What we decided to do about this is something I've been wanting to do for some time. We are moving my office over to the apartment above the garage. Over the weekend, I did the hardest part, which was to pull network wiring over there. This was my most ambitious wiring project to date, which involved pulling almost 200' of cat-5 through conduit, under the house, and up through two floors of the house and one floor in the garage. It went pretty well, all things considered. When I put the ends on the cable and plugged in a laptop, it worked the first time!!

That's all the progress we've made on the move so far, I'll keep you posted as my commute gets multiplied by a factor of 10.

Sleeping Throught the Night: Priceless

For those of you who haven't heard Christie tell stories about birthing foals, let me sum it up. She generally starts sleeping in the barn when the birth is near, and wakes up at every little noise, in case the birth has started without her. She goes days without a decent night's sleep, and when the foal is finally born, she just goes to bed. She's not neurotic, most births go on without a hitch, but once in a while there is a complication, and if someone is there to help, it is easy to solve.

Take Echo's baby this year. Echo had some trouble pushing the baby out, and Karen and Christie had to each grab a leg and pull. Even with help, it was a difficult delivery, and Echo had some tearing, which shouldn't happen. If Christie hadn't been there, we might have lost the foal, the mama or both.

This year, however, Christie didn't have to sleep in the barn. She didn't even set an alarm to check on Echo every couple hours. In fact, Echo wasn't even on our radar because her milk hadn't turned white. I won't lie to you, we're incredibly lucky, but luck isn't what saved that foal.

What saved the foal was Foal Alert. My mom gave us the money to buy a Foal Alert system this year, and it is already paying for itself. Christie was able to sleep through the night, and when the alarm went off, she was up, dressed, and out the door in less than 30 seconds! She found Echo laying in the pasture struggling to deliver and was able to assist immediately.

I know I sound like a commercial, and this won't help most of you (except maybe Mb ;), but you should check it out, and tell all your friends who raise horses, cattle, sheep, goats, or even llamas about it. This thing works, and works well. We had the vet install the first two on Mariah and Echo, but we've been doing it ourselves since then. Even for us rank amateurs, the procedure only takes about 30 minutes, and the peace of mind is priceless.

You know what gets my goat?

Apparently a candy necklace.

It all started because one of our guests has both a sweet tooth and a twisted sense of humor. She bought one of those candy necklaces with the idea that you could put it around one goat's neck and the other goats would mob it to eat the candy. Hilarity would ensue and a good time would be had by all.

Well, we picked Chico as our victim based on that fact that he is the most annoying goat and surely deserved such a prank. The joke was on us, however, the other goats completely ignored the yummy treat, even when we held it out for them to taste.

Fast forward to the next day, and Chico is still the most stylish goat with his new necklace. While sitting around the cook fire waiting to grill our steaks, I decided to see if he would eat the necklace. It wasn't quite as funny as we hoped, but it was entertaining nonetheless.

A former, ex-blogger speaks

I'm going to call this a monumental case of writer's block. Well, that isn't really true, I just got stuck on one story about Thanksgiving at the Ranch, and stopped writing. I should have just bagged on that story, and written others, but I did not. So, I became, as the months passed, an ex-blogger.

Now, I am a former, ex-blogger, or a former, former blogger, or an ex-ex-blogger. Take your pick, I think I'll go with re-blogger. Anyway, I'm back. I feel the need to make my voice heard. There are lots of stories to tell about the ranch, and Christie's blog only covers one perspective.

It is the beginning of birthing season at the ranch, and our friends, Karen & Aud are in town helping out. They were here last year about this time, and were present for at least 4 births! They are now honorary ranchers and will be assisting with more births any day now.