BURRR......

We were checking out our game cams to get them ready for another year of service and we came across a bunch of pictures from February's storms.  I get chills just from looking at these images.  It was so cold for so long...

The temperatures were below freezing but not recorded correctly it appears.  

 The last three pictures record the temps (?) and activity leading up to the storms. Dealing with the summer heat has been easier since I have been reminded of those February days! 

Finally Our Final Baby For 202!!!

 Red finally had her baby a couple weeks ago.  A little heifer we named Tippy because of the little tips of white on her ears.  She's a real cutie and has made a nice adjustment to the herd.  

Red is a very good mama and Tippy has been a great baby so far.  She and the two babies (Stubbles and Splash) born in March are fast friends.  The "older" calves find the little ones tiresome.  Welcome Tippy!!!

Goodbye Girls

Said goodbye to three of the 2020 heifers this past weekend.  They were second to the last to be auctioned and brought the highest price of all the heifers.  We are pretty pumped!!!  

We found out from the rancher who bought last years heifers, three of the four have had babies and they are waiting on the last heifer to give birth.  They are very pleased.

Dot

Dos

Feather

We are dedicated to continuing the excellence we are creating.  Best wishes girls!

 

A Few Wildflowers

 Every year I am determined to learn the names of a few of the most common wild flowers I encounter.  This year is no different and even with a wildflower book, I struggle with identifying any of them.  

                                                                                ??

??

                                                          wild chocolate and yellow labs

                                                              pink evening primrose

wine cup

bluebonnet

yellow sorrel

Indian paintbrush

                                                                     broomweed

No matter how much time I spend trying to identify the flowers, I fall short.  Maybe if I keep at it, I'll get better.

Broomweed is the flower that causes all the allergies with everyone in the family.  When it is blooming, there isn't much chance we'll have any visitors.

Spring Is Springing!!!!

If you compare last months pictures with the top two pictures from today, you will see we have some spring springing.  None too soon for me!!!  We have accessed our losses from the storm and have concluded "it could have been a whole lot worse!"   We lost a calf, the tankless hot water heaters, the garden, and four baby trees.  The good news is the wild plumb trees, the apple tree, and all the oak trees that have been in the ground for several years survived.  The lemon tree, avacado tree, and both fig trees are dead.  That pretty much sums up our losses.

The hummingbirds and purple martins returned this last week.  The scissortail fly catchers have also returned.  I have not seen any bluebirds and very few cardinals since the storms.  We may have to wait a while before they reappear. 

 The muhly survived which I'm very happy about because it was so hard to find.  I'm looking forward to seeing how this little landscape item does.

lindheimer muhly

wild plumb

apple tree

avacado tree

fig tree

lemon tree

Happy spring!

We Survived Three Winter Storms In Eight Days

Beginning February 11th, early in the morning, we had the first of three winter storms.  We woke up on the 11th with ice all over everything.  The good news was we were not hit as bad as nearby communities where the ice was so heavy it broke tree limbs which then fell on the power lines.  We had electricity and water.  Two-three days later we were hit by our second storm.  It was blowing snow and temperatures into the single digits.  Again, not pleasant but tolerable.  We had electricity and water.  But we were now experiencing random losses of power.  Monday into Tuesday the temperatures hit 0 and we lost water outside.  Now the "fun" began.  We could no longer water the cows who had been moved up to the pasture by the house so we could watch for any birthing problems.  We now had to fill buckets and bottles with water to fill the water troughs.  Not an easy task for thirsty nursing mamas, but doable. 

Then the third storm came in with lots of ice and we lost water and electricity.  Thirsty cows now a major issue.  TJ's group with us by now so they went home and filled buckets, etc with water because they had water just no electricity.  That was not a long term solution especially when they needed to go somewhere where there was heat.  They left and vowed to return with water but roads so bad, they said they couldn't make it back.  At this point we were in crisis and decided to move the cows back in with Valentino where there was water available.  A tough call because of the five heifers.  Valentino was thrilled!  He never skipped a beat and went right after the heifers.  In all, we had around 205 hours of below freezing temperatures.  We got our electricity back late Thursday and Friday the water came back on, tho there was a boil requirement.  No pipes burst but we lost the tankless water heaters.  Have a plumber who's ordered new ones.  It's March first and we have electricity, water (which we just learned no longer needs to be boiled), and no hot water.  We are showering at TJ's, eating off paper plates, avoiding cooking (grilling outside instead and microwaving), and doing the laundry at the laundry mat.  The cows are fine, tho Maude lost her baby during the worst of the storms.

 We feel pretty lucky and we know it could have been a lot worse in so many ways.  I feel like we've learned a lot and will be better prepared if there is ever a repeat.

This And That

 Decided, finally, on how to proceed with the landscaping in the circle at the driveway.  Wanted something that hide the electrical boxes yet was not a place where every homeless critter decided to take up residence.  Also wanted it to be low maintenance.  A tall order and I'm not sure those criteria have been met.  We'll see...

Before

After

Lindheimer Muhly is the name of the ornamental grass.  We'll see how well it spreads and whether it's hardy enough to survive the 100 degree days that go on for weeks during the summer.  I'm anxious to see if it becomes the dreaded critter (snakes and mice) haven I fear.  

Allie's baby was born the other cold morning and just seemed to not get up and get going as she should have.  We brought her in the house and covered her with heating pads and towels.  The Vet was called and interventions were administered.  However, after hours of waiting, attempted feedings, etc. we rushed her to a large vet hospital.  The little girl passed away later in the evening after experiencing breathing problems.  A very sad outcome after a very long day...

On a brighter note, a little baby calf was born the next morning.  It is so new and it's mama, Rosie, is so protective that we don't know whether it is a boy or a girl.  So far we have five little boys, one little girl, and one question mark.  We are waiting on the last four mamas to give birth.  So with the sadness, there is great joy in watching these healthy calves express their exuberance for life!

The drought continues in our area.  We've had very little rain/snow.  I looked out in the pasture a couple of weeks ago and saw smoke.  I could not figure out, at first, where it was coming from.  Then, I realized it was our pasture that was burning.  Thankfully the local voluntary fire department had already been called and was arriving as I pulled up on the scene.  They put it out quickly, but had they not been in the area, it could have been a disaster!