Livin’, Schoolin’, & Ranchin’ Together…

I’ve been doing a lot lately.  Last week, I launched a new website, ReadGoodBooks.com.  It’s a book review site, and I’ve been pretty busy typing them up.  It’s fun though!  I’ve been having a good time on the computer too, since I was able to purchase a Dell Latitude Laptop of my own with Christmas money!  I’ve been wanting a computer ever since I started ScreaminCutie.com a while back.

I’m also learning Web Design right now from W3Schools.com.  It’s all free, and very helpful!  I’ve also been working with The Gold, lunging him and helping my siblings with their balance.  They’ll sit on him bareback while I lunge Gold ’round the round pen.

Recently, while I was doing this, Gold would stop when I hadn’t told him to.  This puzzled me, especially because of the look on his face when he’d stop.  He would turn and “face up” to me, in other words, halt and turn so he was facing me head on.  That’s a good thing, because it means that he’s attentive and obedient to my will.  But he would stop and turn with that attentive and submissive expression on his face when he was disobeying.  It’s easy to tell when he’s trying to be ornery, because of the sullen expression and the way he holds his ears, but he wasn’t doing that.  My first thought was that, since I’ve only just started lunging and have really never done it before, it was my fault, so I paid close attention to what I did and what he did.  I could find no connection between my behavior and his stopping.  I also noticed (though totally unrelated, I thought), that his rope halter’s knot was slowly coming undone, so that it was falling very low in his nose.  The last thing that I noticed was that The Gold was getting breathless faster than usual, and coughing and sneezing as he trotted in the circle.  He would stop and be blowing like a bellows when I came up.  Ridiculous that I didn’t put two and two together, I know.  But finally, I stopped him myself and walked up to look at him.  He was heaving with exertion, very strange for The Gold after just a breezy trot.

Looking at his halter, I said aloud to Bethany, who was riding at the moment, “You know, it looks like his halter is so loose, it’s cutting off his breath through his nose.  See?  When I drop the halter back on his nose, the halter compresses the nostrils down because it’s so low it rests on them,”  so I began to tighten his halter up as Gold stood mildly and waited.

“Well,” said Bethany, “Maybe that’s what he was trying to tell you by stopping like that.”

I stopped and stared at her incredulously, then at Gold, who just looked at me with his great, expressive dark eyes.  “I bet you’re right!” I cried, “Poor Gold!” and I finished tightening his halter.

Lo and behold, as soon as I fixed his halter Gold was stepping out briskly, without blowing and without stopping.  I laughed pretty hard at The Gold’s gentle way of asking me to fix his uncomfortable halter.  LOL LOL LOL!  Smart boy! rofl!

I’ll start with last night, I went to my friend’s house. We built a fort and played a oo7 video game, we also watched part of a movie. We had a ball! And a few weeks ago I got a Jeremy Camp CD.

Well you may have been wondering what we have been up to…..

Let me tell you about the  Holidays. Well, Thanksgiving we spent with some friends. We had a quiet, relaxing Christmas day at home. For New Years Eve we went to my friend’s house, some played cards but I just goofed off with my friend. I had a lot of fun and we watch fireworks!

Good by for now

Well, I said I would post a bit about GoldMember this weekend & I’m barely makin’ it, huh?  Here ya go…

Gold is a paint gelding, 10 years old & as sweet as can be.  He actually belongs to a friend of ours, Jason, from TX.  It’s a long story, so I should just stick to the most important parts…When were looking at ranch jobs, we knew we would need a ranch horse.  So, Joey asked Jason’s brother if they knew of anyone that had good ranch horse prospects.  He said Jason had 2 that needed to be ridden & used, as they were just out to pasture at that time.  In the few days that transpired between that first conversation with Jason’s brother & then Jason directly, one of the horses injured his leg quite badly.  That horse was the Gold.  Initially, Jason wanted us to use Sally, the other of his 2 horses, because his sister is esp. fond of Gold and wanted to take care of Gold for her brother.  After Gold’s injury, however, Jason was worried and not sure how he was going to manage the care of Gold’s leg.  The injury would require a dressing change every other day, along with a watchful eye in between.  He works full time and is finishing up some classes this fall at a local college before heading off to Texas Tech in January.  (Jason has been blessed with a full SCHOLARSHIP to finish his degree in Agriculture.  Yippee!!  We’re so thrilled and excited for this opportunity the LORD has obviously placed before him.)  Jason’s mom told us about Gold’s leg and we were horrified to hear how serious it was.  Joey felt led to call Jason to tell him we would take Gold & care for him.  I think he about cried with relief!    Jason brought the Gold over the next day (that was in July) & he’s been with us ever since.  When the opportunity in NE was presented we talked to Jason to see if he wanted us to bring Gold up here with us or not.  Gold’s leg was not sound yet (although tons better!) & still needed constant care.  He said yes, because there was no one else that would take better care of him…aaawww, wasn’t that sweet?  Jason knows about our use of homeopathy & had watched the amazing changes in Gold’s leg before we left TX.  Gold’s leg has been healing WAY ahead of schedule, according to the vet’s time line.

So, anyhoo…Gold’s here & doing well…his leg is just about back to normal.  We still keep it wrapped to protect the new flesh for a while.  We are just being extra cautious.  We began riding him not too long after we arrived… He is so good & gentle with the children.  He patiently waits while the girls braid his mane and tail or brush him until his coat gleams.  I’ve never had one worry when the children take off & ride around the ranch with Gold.  He is also learning new skills, as Jason had mostly roped off him.  On the ranch, Gold gets to do everything…move cattle, sort, rope, open gates, entertain children, etc…there have been some frustrating times for Joey, when Goldie just wants to rate cows, instead of cut’em & other stubborn nonsense…but I’m convinced Goldie will come around…he & Joey need to work on some things…

So, what does it mean to rate a cow? Good question!  It simply refers to a roping horse keeping pace with a cow & lines you up with the cow’s back quarter.  When a horse does its’ job, you can just drop the lariat right over the steer’s head….or hop over & ride’em cowboy!  Just kidding…

Here’s a picture of Goldie before we left TX.  Believe it or not, we haven’t taken a good picture of the children riding yet.  We had some on Bren’s camera, but somehow her entire memory card messed up and we lost all the pictures!  argghhh…  So, there will be some updated ones very soon.

No one wanted to use a pink bandage that day, but the color selection was limited at the time.

We love Goldie so much.  When the time comes for Jason to take him home (after he finishes his degree), it will be a very bittersweet goodbye.  In the meantime, we get to enjoy a wonderful, sweet-natured & extremely intelligent creature…Goldie needed us, but we didn’t know how much we would need him. 

love ya!

Joey’s been busy, as usual, but this “busy-ness” included riding on horseback today.  All this “ride’m cowboy” stuff was necessary, really!  It’s not to just look…well…like a cowboy.   Different ranches work differently, but many still use the good ole’ fashioned method of horseback.  There are many places vehicles cannot traverse as well as a horse can.  However, the guys still use 4-wheelers, Rangers, trucks, and trailers too, in order to get the job done.  There are just certain things that can be done best on horseback and moving/sorting cattle is one of those things.  Yesterday, they had to sort bulls and take them to different meadows (pastures) where the cows and heifers hang out.  Today, they moved some cattle in closer for the winter.  Today’s ride totaled about 15 miles all on the back of The Gold.  Have we told you much about Gold?  I suppose not.  Well, I’ll post All About Gold this weekend and you’ll then know more than you might like.  Anyhoo, for the most part, the weather was very nice today, with the highs in the 50’s and a mild breeze.  The only weather blip was this morning, when Joey got rained on a bit lot.  First, the day was warming up, and along with some hard riding, he began to sweat through several layers.  Then, this wonderful, unpredictable NE weather turned to a continual light rain.  So, he’s loping & galloping along, you know, it’s breezy at that pace.  So, wet + breezy = a bit nippy.  (I suppose this is my cue to hurry & knit him more work-type wool sweaters.)  We also need to add a riding duster to our list of things “To Buy”.  I think we’ll do this one.

Tonight, as they were bringing in the last of the cattle for the day, I looked out my front porch & this is what I saw.

Joey is the wee little cowboy, second from left.  I suppose I need to spring for a really nice dSLR someday soon…It was so beautiful out there, yet this picture really doesn’t do it justice.  The sun was low in the horizon, the clouds & sky so blue with tinges of purple.  Then, I see my honey out doing something he really enjoys…I could only sigh & enjoy the sight.    Well, I then called to Afton to run out closer to them & see if she could get better pictures for me.  It was too difficult without a large zoom lens.  So, she picked the next best thing.  Landscapes…See?

Tomorrow will be interesting…they’ll be separating the cows & calves, as those babies have to be weaned.  The cattle are not too far from our house, so we’ll be listening to their bellowing throughout Bible, History, Science, Math, Spelling….you get the idea…it’s the rite of passage for all cattle, I suppose.  A funny story I have to tell you, but it didn’t happen at this ranch.  A (ranching) TX cousin of mine told me a few years ago about a steer that was overlooked on weaning day.  They didn’t notice him until months later, when they saw a HUGE steer nursing one of the cows in the pasture.  He was one happy camper…well, at least for a while.   Instead of sending him to the auction, with the other less rotund steers his age, they decided to keep him for their freezer.  She said that was the tastiest, most tender beef ever.  Imagine that!  Without a feedlot?  Mama’s milk & grass.  Shocking!

Stay tuned for the branding pictures & video…I haven’t forgotten, I promise! 

A friend of ours took me, my mom, and my siblings to a nearby town to go to a Veterans Day thing, that the school hosted.  That was kinda fun.    We met some new people there.  I haven’t been able to ride in a while, but Daddy did yesterday.  They had to move some bulls, so he was able to ride Gold.  We still haven’t been able to see Fire Proof The Movie.  If any of y’all have seen it, I wold love to hear how you liked the movie.  This is me, Brenna, signing off.  see ya!

Hi Guys.  This has been a great week.  We went to a fish fry Saturday night and had a good time.  I made a new friend there.  His name is Michael.  We had a lot of fun together.  Yesterday, we went to a Veterans Day program at the high school.  That was fun.  So….Well, that is all I have to say….                                                                                     Good bye!!!!!!!!!

Hi this is Brenna.  I’m so excited!  There is snow!  It might be a little cold,  but that’s OK.  It’s so pretty.  It sometimes kinda reminds me of Narnia in the 100 year winter.  It’s been great!  This is Brenna signing off.  See ya! :-)

It’s been getting colder & we’ve seen snow several times, though not too much accumulation.  DoRight has been enjoying the weather & loves to play with children in the snow.  He knows how snowballs work & will try to “catch” them in his mouth or bounce them off his chest.  It’s quite funny to see.  I’ll try to get video of that sometime soon.  (Pippin, however, is another story…) After a particularly cold & snowy day last Friday evening,  DoRight stood at any window that I could see him through.  He would whine & look quite pitiful.  Normally, he’s not the “whiney” type, so I figured he needed something.

He had had his dinner, so I knew he wasn’t hungry…he had to be cold…poor puppy!!  So, I went to the mudroom & made a bed for him.  I called him & that is the fastest I’ve seen him run yet.  Ha!  As I began to dry him off, what I had thought was wet fur was actually ice crystals all over him.  He was so pleased to be dried & petted…”See, I told ya I was cold!!”  He immediately settled in his bed & was quite content.

So, his new routine is:

Greet children in the mudroom

Eat breakfast

Wait very impatiently for the children to leave for the barn

Herd goats

Eat manure – gross, I know, but he has a great affection for horse poop  *sigh*

Keep watch on the front porch

Actively looking for someone to come out to play or ride Gold, share a snack or just to say “Hi!”

On watch for any creature they may not be where it’s supposed to be…goat, calf, horse, dog, etc & send it where it should go

Greet Daddy

Eat

Look pitiful

Go to the mudroom to snooze on comfy, warm bed

We’re hoping The Boss will let DoRight come out to work cattle with them in the near future…It’s been so busy around here, we haven’t talked about it with him yet, although I don’t think he will care.  Do is a natural header & has only worked with our few steers we raised for meat.  He looks longingly at the cattle around here.

Now this is the life…

Also, check out what I saw Saturday morning…

This was on our truck’s windshield.  Since the mailbox is 2 miles from our house, we usually drive down to it.  Although, before winter weather began to set in, there were a few times Afton rode The Gold down to the mailbox or someone walked.  With the cold, gusty winds so common now, we prefer the warm truck method. 

Then, on Saturday evening, we were invited to a fish fry at our nearest neighbor’s house.  All the ranches in the area were invited, I think.  We had such a wonderful time.  We were able to meet more of the area ranching families, although Joey had met some of the men at the various brandings held over the last month or so.  (I’ll update more about that this week, I promise, with more pics & video!  For now, you can see some of the branding pics on our header above.  Just refresh your page to see a new pic.)  I met some really wonderful women, most all of them born & raised in the area.  Either they are from a ranching family nearby or they married into one.  Many of the men, like the Boss, are several generation cattle ranchers.  (The Boss is a 4th generation rancher.  We live in his grandparent’s home that was built in 1918.)  I heard stories of hard work & the concern over the recent election outcome.  Of calves born too early in the spring, bringing them into the basement or bathroom to nurse them until the little guy gains strength and doesn’t freeze to death.  Of Bible studies started 30 years ago & still going, although not as regular as they think it should be.  (”How is it when the children are grown we seem to have less time?”)  Calling your neighbors before you run to town (40 miles away) to make sure they don’t need anything.  And how the stores have more food selection than they ever have…you can even find pomegranates, unheard of in years past.  People gardened more then.  Although many things have not changed, many things have.  Searching the internet for the latest weather update…Registering with NAIS in order to sell your cattle to someone that will be selling the beeves internationally.  Or grown children leaving the ranch to find a way to more…something…I’m not sure they even know.  All in all, life & traditions have endured much the same, in spite of the whirlwind changes going on in the world.  At least, the most important things…

One thing I know, however, is how privileged we are to live among such honorable & hard-working people.  The LORD led us here, in that we are certain.  The “why” we don’t completely see yet.  Maybe we’ll never know.  That’s ok…we will find joy in the journey wherever it leads…

Tomorrow, we’re going to a local school event to celebrate Veteran’s Day.  We are looking forward to publicly celebrating a very special day, but also the day will be extra fun because our new friend, Mrs. K, invited us to go with her.  Her children are grown & her son & daughter-in-law are running their ranch now.  Much to our surprise & excitement, Mrs. K found fresh cow milk for us.  Yea!!!  I had only mentioned, in passing, the town in which we have bought fresh milk.  We’ve been missing it so much, as the only place we know of is about 2 hours away.  So, when we run out it’s not just a hop, skip & jump.  Uumm, nothing is a hop, skip & jump around here, I suppose.  I am so appreciative of her & yet, she thinks nothing of it…I think we’ve been accepted into the “neighborhood”.  That is an answer to prayer… 

~~  Faydra

Well, we’ve finally put a family blog together.  It’s been something talked about often, but follow-up is in short supply.  Since our BIG move in August from TX to NE, the importance of keeping a family blog seemed to move up the priority scale.  Hopefully, this will allow us to keep our loved ones updated on “stuff” we do here on the ranch & a place to share info with others.  Thanks for stopping by…