Lots Going On!!!

There's a lot happening here.  School is winding down and summer plans and commitments are taking hold.  There are concerts and tournaments as school ends.  We've got a group heading to Florida to work on their tans and enjoy each others company.  There's the bear watching contingent headed to Alaska for that event.  Central America is the destination for others wishing to become fluent in Spanish.  And there's Colorado and SMU summer camp experiences eagerly anticipated.  But perhaps the best and most exciting event is Bekah's Bat Mitzvah.  She will bring the family together to celebrate this much anticipated rite of passage.  Congratulations Bekah!!!!

Of course there's the immediate ranch news...  Finally, the purple martins returned along with the various flycatchers.  We have two mamas fixing to domino, tho I've been saying that for a month now.  With all the rain we've had, the hay looks great and the pastures have plenty of grass.  The hummers are hitting the feeder like crazy as are the bees.  We have a ton of tomatoes on the vines but noting is ripe yet.  I check every day for a ting of color... Yes, all is well here.

We Lost

Yes, we lost the battle with the swallows!!  It was hard fought and tho there were no casualties, the porches were ceded and nests established.  It is now just a question of how bad the porches will get...

We're weening Ben and Fancy.  We separated them out from the herd a couple days ago.  There has been much bellowing and crying from mamas and babies.  They also managed to escape into the Hunt pasture.  The holes they squeezed thru were very small. They did hang around our fence line so capture was not too difficult. 

We've had a little rain and everything has greened up.  AND we have tomatoes!!  I'm already planning the burger or sandwich I'm going to bless with a couple.  The squash is up, but it needs hotter temps to put out blooms.  WE fertilized the yard so that grass is really taking off.  The mower is ready when things dry out...  

It's Officially Spring

Spring is here.  The temperatures feel more like summer at this point, but I'm hopeful they will fall back to normal.  Had our first good rain the other day.  With the moisture, trees, grasses, weeds, etc. have taken off.  We need a lot more!!

The herd's yearly shots have been given and everyone is out in the pasture including heifers Thanksgiving and Brillante.  The bull was already "wooing" Brillante yesterday, so...

The swallows have started building their nests and we're knocking them down as fast as we can.  At some point the balance will be tipped in their favor.  Not a happy prospect!  The hummers are fighting for their spot at the feeder as their numbers increase.  I've yet to see any purple martins.  Their numbers have been on the decline, but out here in the country, they've not suffered too badly.  For sure, they should be here by the end of the month.

Tomatoes plants are in the ground.  Can't wait for a fine specimen!  

Travelers Return

Yep, the migration back to the north is underway.  Last week the scouts for the swallows arrived and yesterday I saw my first hummingbird.  Put up the small hummer feeder quickly after.  The swallows are scoping out nest sites but won't build until their girls get here.  Dread the whole yearly routine!!

The hay fields have been sprayed and the area farmers have their corn seeds planted.  They/we need rain now to really get things going.  Our tank is as low as I've ever seen it.  Mother Nature takes her time and gives us what we need when she's ready.  Looking at the weather outlook for the next ten days, there's no rain in sight.  When the rains do come, it'll probably be in the form of storms.  We get the good with the bad!!

 

  

Vet Visit

Our Vet made a Ranch Call to give the babies their first round of baby shots, attach ear tags, and do "brain surgeries" on the bulls.  We ran Fria thru the chute without a hitch.  She got her ear tag and first round of shots.  Jesus was next.  He started jumping around like a wild man and got his head stuck in the cross bars!  We had to wait for him to un catch himself because we could really do nothing.  After a few minutes, he started jumping around again and freed himself just to get his head stuck again and one of his front legs!!!!  Now we were in a real pickle!!  Jesus just hung there....  We of course were unable to free him!!  I called our neighbor, a man, to see if he had any ideas and to come over.  By the time he arrived, Jesus had started jumping around again and managed to free his head and leg.  We had had enough and opened the side gate to get him out of the chute, tho he was captured so we could run him thru again later if we wanted to chance it!!!  The whole incident was a scary nightmare as he could have died because we couldn't free him.  BUT the worse did not happen, thankfully.  We had never had something like this happen with a baby in the chute.  We modified the width of the chute for the rest of the babies so we could finish.  WE even took a chance, sent Jesus thru again, and finished him up.  The whole process reminded us again how unpredictable cows/babies can be and to be ready for all the millions of weird things that can happen.

Our hay fields are to get sprayed with weed killer this week sometime.  We're opting for a less lethal weed killer up by the house because we're weening babies, etc. and need the pasture for them.  It will be interesting to see if it does the job good enough to have a good crop of hay.

   

Six More Weeks Of Winter

The groundhog popped out of his hole and didn't see his shadow, so six more weeks of winter.  No kidding!  Since making that prediction, we've been on a roller coaster of a day of semi warm weather followed by several days of cold weather.  Today it's cold and blustery and tomorrow, when we plan to work some cattle with the Vet, it's suppose to be equally as miserable!!!  We considered cancelling our appointment tomorrow but the next couple weeks look as bad or worse.  The bulls we need to castrate, will be even bigger and stronger if we wait.  We are not "Spring Chickens" anymore, so...

Peg is spending her time working and attending the grandkids' various sports games.  They are winning and loosing at an alarming rate!  I think it is reassuring for them to look out in the stands and see a familiar face or two which ever way the games go.

Peg, with me adding support, is cleaning out the garden boxes.  The asparagus she planted a couple years ago, seems to still be alive.  So she bought some more roots.  I will plant tomatoes and squash.  They really are the only things that seem to survive.  Oh don't get me wrong, everything goes belly up by the beginning or middle of June, but I can usually harvest a few crops in that short time period.  Even one or two home grown tomatoes can make for a great season!!!

With the colder weather we've had, the deer are hitting the deer feeder pretty hard.  I bet we saw ten or more this morning down there munching on the corn.  Also, there's not a lot of stuff for them to eat out in pastures and wooded areas.  Love seeing them!  With cold clear weather, we are also hearing the coyotes howling.  I like that also, BUT I don't like the dealing with the dogs.  

The farmers have their fields ready to plant...  Nice to experience that circle of life every year...

  

  

Babies, Babies, Babies

Since my last posting, we had three more babies.  Without getting my notes, I can't say who was born to whom.  I can say we had two more bulls and finally a heifer.  Since Christmas we've had five babies; four bulls and one heifer.  The Vet is scheduled for the middle of February.  I will say this, they are so cute together as they play and run around.  Big Mama's prayers have been answered and she isn't doing any babysitting to speak of...

Crummy weather with lots of clouds and cold temperatures.  Today we finally got some rain which we are in need of.  They say we may hit the high seventies this weekend.  Winter?

One grandkid is officially driving!  He is free!  Look out Central Texas!!