BHSS Finds 2014!

  A few weeks ago, Hubby, Mr T and myself headed off to the land of South Dakota to spend some quality time with Hub's family.  His brother, SIL and our two nieces, along with Gma S came down to check out the Stock Show and to spend some vacationing time with us.  We had a blast!  Mr T had so much fun bossing playing and spending time with his cousins.  It was a nice relaxful kind of weekend!  We hit up the WaTiki Water Park, the Trade Show, the Angus Show and Sale, Chili's (my favorite!), a Rodeo, the Dakotah Steakhouse (yum!) and a few other prime shopping spots.

  Here is this year's bounty from the Trade Show at the Black Hills Stock Show.

My annual stop at the JR Watkins booth is resulting in more and more stuff!  

A stop at the Tupperware booth, and I finally got my pickle container!

Leather conditioner that is not greasy and repels water.  Excited to use this stuff!

Discounted his and her fencing gloves!  Hard to beat the price at $6/pair for fencing gloves :).

Gma S found this pair of boots at the Boot Barn for Mr T!  We have such a tough time finding boots that will fit his high arch.  These are a little big, should fit him just right in time for Spring brandings!

  That was all that we came home with this year.  Some year's I am in a buying mood and some year's - not so much.   This was a not so much year!  We had more fun spending time with family :).

Have a Blessed Day!
~C~

Send a Prayer

  As I put pen to paper fingers to keypad this AM, I am of mixed emotion.  I find myself spending a lot of time thinking about the storm Atlas and what havoc it wrecked upon my fellow ranchers and farmers.  I feel that the lack of media shows a true picture of what our country has become and the focus that it has lost.  I can not imagine what it must be like to be searching thru what snowbanks are left for the rest of your missing cows, sheep, horses or what it is that you are missing.  We took a drive up to Spearfish for our chiropractor appointment on Tuesday and seen firsthand cattle tangled up the fence-lines or where they dropped from exhaustion and it was literally gut wrenching.  I pray daily for those ranchers and their livelihoods.
   
  I am thankful that we were on the edge of Atlas and received some rain and then 3 inches of wet snow.  All of our livestock made it thru just fine.   The last numbers that I was hearing was well over 60,000 head of cattle in the just South Dakota alone.  Devastation is one term that comes to mind.  I fear for the ranchers that won't be able to continue on with their livelihoods, bring an end to tradition in their family or operation.

   I think that it is important to try to educate as many fellow Americans as possible about the impact that Agriculture has on this great country, especially in a time like this.  Due to social media influencing, it's important not to believe all that you read online!  Pictures get Photoshop and captions get changed.  Let's try to help keep fact and fiction separate, keep positive thoughts heading to the Heartland of America.   If you can't send a donation or help out in the recovery effort, at the very least - send a prayer.

 

The Day After Walda

  Walda, our April 2013 blizzard, has moved on finally and now we are left behind with lots of snow drifts, some lingering wind and of course hungry cows!  While it is definitely intense and stressful the during a blizzard, I have always thought that the day after was the hardest one.  I don't know if it's because everyone is so tired from spending sleepless nights taking care of newborns and their mamas or what but it is a long day nonetheless. 

  The guys have taken the tractor and are trying to get hay to all of the livestock.  They left with a cell phone in case I have trouble and this message...."There is a heifer calving in the lot, she's wild, so you can't go up there but watch her.  If the calf gets cold, then try to call us."  Well, the heifer did calve and I am currently sitting at the kitchen island, watching him try to nurse.  Here is the calf when he is just a few minutes old.

  We have this amazing set of trees that are my Grandpa planted and then Dad added to in our calving lot.  If the temps are not too bad usually above 20 degrees and the wind is out of the north (so the trees block all of it), then we don't have to take newborns to the barn unless they do not get up and nurse right away.  I find it downright amazing how quick the little calves can get to their feet and find their first meal after birth, especially after witnessing the miracle of childbirth personally. 

  Back to our day after the storm and dealing with livestock.  We split up the nightshift last night.  Boss Man took the 9PM & 5AM check,  Hubby and I went out at 11:30pm and at 2:15am.  Since it was the middle of the night, it seemed easier to go as a team since it takes two to get a cow into the barn around here.  This is not the gentlest herd of cows that we have had!  Hubby is working on that by spending lots of time with our heifers after they are weaned.  Luckily, we only had one calf born and that was just before we got to the corral at 2:15, so Hubby quickly grabbed the calf and carried him to the barn while I held the cow.  Then we worked together and got her in the barn with her baby after a few trial runs! 

  After it got daylight this AM, Hubby and Boss Man went and checked on some other cows that are close to calving but not in the heavy lot at the house.  All was well there, thankfully.  Then they worked on getting a few pairs out of the barn to make fun for any that might need to in there today. 

Tagging calves and pairing them out of the barn and corral.

So, one cow left without her calf.  Hubby is actually holding a calf on his lap to take to the cow.

Dropping of little calf.

Mama found him!  Success!

  They got this chore done and then went to check on the other pairs that are down in a shelter belt about 1/2 mile from the house.  All seemed well there so then it was on to get the tractor and feed hay all of the cattle.

Feeding hay to the heavies.

  Well, I am pretty certain that my baby calf nursed his mama and the tractor just showed back up.  We will continue this day by watching cows and feeding the rest of the livestock.  Hope that everyone stays warm!!!!

Have a Blessed Day!
~C~

April Storm

  We are currently experience our first 'named' snowstorm, Walda, of the year.  It started yesterday with a calm before the storm.  It was 68 degrees with no wind and just a beautiful day.  We spent the afternoon after Mr T's nap getting the pairs into a tree shelter belt for protection and then got the newest newborns situated along with bringing in the heavy cows (cows about to have their babies in the near term).  Hubby and I each took 4-Wheelers and Boss Man took Mr T in the Ranger to get the cattle all moved around.  We had a 20 some degree drop in temp while we were out, along with a 25mph plus wind, and misty rain.  Mr T handled all of that like a pro until the sleet started and that really stung your face when it hit.  About 5:45pm and at 30 degrees outside, Mr T was done and let us know it too.  Boss Man and Hubby had to go back to tube a calf that hadn't yet sucked his mama  but all else was situated which meant that Mr T and I were off duty! 

  We ended up losing power at 8pm after it flicked on and off for quite a while.  I realized that I hadn't gathered up the candles and flashlights in preparation for a storm.  But, I quickly found enough to get us by.  By this time, the wind had gotten even worse.  We decided to go to bed early knowing that we would need to get up even earlier than normal to see if there was any livestock that needed attention.  There was one calf born during the night, on a 3 year old cow of Hubby and mine that got her calf up and sucked so we seem to be doing pretty good at this point in the storm.  We gained power back on sometime during the night and I really appreciate that!!! 

  Here is what the weather looked around 8:30am today.  I am guessing that we have four inches or so of snow and the wind is blowing in excess of 20mph.  We are pretty much hunkered down for the day and I am considering doing some scrap booking or maybe going upstairs to paint the ceiling.  All of the livestock seem to be in good enough shelter to weather out the storm for the day at least.  I believe that our winter storm warning is suppose to be over at 6am on Wednesday. 

A snapshot of the heavies along the trees.

A little while later, I seen Boss Man out feeding the heavies while Hubby walked thru them looking for anything wanting to calve.

Some of our snow!

  Have a Warm Day, my friends!
  ~C~

Making Cookies

  Mr T and I made lots of cookies right before Christmas.  He is quite the little helper and taste tester in the kitchen.  I feel that I taught him the basic important skills for the kitchen such as:  cleaning the batter off of the beaters, always hold the mixer bowl with one hand, and always taste test!!!  The mess of the pictures is due to Blogger still being a pain the A$$....sorry!

 





 

101 Cookie Cutters - the newest addition to make Sugar Cookies for all seasons!

 

Cutting out the shapes for Daddy's favorite cookies!

 

 

  We made sugar cookies and two kinds of  peanut butter blossoms.  Mr T really enjoyed getting up on his little chair and helping with the cookie making process.  I hope that he continues to show interest in learning to cook and bake!   Hubby even joined in the fun and helped decorate the cookies as well.

 

 

Have a Blessed Day!

~C~

Snow!

We are still around here!  Just took a nice break from blogging to make cookies, travel and enjoy the holidays with loved ones. 

During the night we got a few more inches of white fluffy snow and I took Mr T out to play for short while...it's cold here!!!  This is the most snow at one time since we moved to Nebraska.  Hard to believe that our last few winters in ND, we were getting nearly 100 inches of snow!!  I don't miss shoveling all of that snow despite the great workout that it is!

Here's a few pictures of our fun morning in the snow.  I need to get the sled out of the barn but didn't get there since we had to take a spoon over to Boss Man's house and Mr T was getting tired by the time we got back.  Next trip out, we venture to the barn.

Hope that you are staying nice and toasty warm!!!  Have a Blessed Day!
~C~

Recap of the Last Week or So....

   What a crazy blessed couple of weeks that we have had! 

  It all started last Monday the 1st with a phone call from my brother needing a truck driver for corn harvest by 9AM the next morning.  Hubby took off at 3AM on Tuesday and I was left home to get the house ready, help Boss Man all day on Tuesday and Wednesday, along with traveling on Thursday.  Friday, my In-Laws arrived just a half hour after Hubby got home.  I was out working on getting a couple of sick calves to the corral, so when the in-laws got here, Hubby turned them loose with Mr T and came to help me. 

  Saturday was the birthday party and we hosted about 20 people.  The party turned out a bit smaller than expected but still lots of fun :)  We had gotten some awesome wet snow on Friday and the weather was still cold on Saturday so some people couldn't travel.  I will work on a post with birthday pics soon!!!

  Sunday, we went to a neighbors to look at colts and then onto town for a pizza supper for Mr T and myself (I do have a birthday coming up).

  Monday, we moved calves to a new meadow with horses.  FIL was pretty stoked to get to ride (he gets bored just hanging out) and see more of our ranch.  MIL and Mr T rode in the pickup with Boss Man to lead the calves across the highway and to the new meadow.  The guys spent the afternoon working on the truck while MIL and I made a Flan Cake for supper and just visited.

  Tuesday, we went to our Chiropractor that is nearly 4 hours away.  Had lunch with the In-Laws and then had to say goodbye.  I got to go to Target but forgot to take my list so I wasn't sure what I needed!

  Wednesday, Mr T and I headed to town for our MOPs group meeting.  I am so glad that I joined this fun group of ladies.  The reason that I joined was for socialization for Mr T but I am getting a lot out of it as well as meeting new friends!!!

  Today, we are home ~ thankfully!!!  We will spend the day cleaning and getting rested up for the rest of the busy week which includes a 2 year checkup for Mr T and a wedding. 

Friday Moisture!

Snowy Calves.

Have a Blessed Day!
~C~

Today's View....It's Called Moisture!

And we are enjoying it :)

I need to remember to get Mr T some snow boots as well since I had been putting it off until we got some snow!

Have A Blessed Day!
~C~

Fun In The Rain

  Yesterday, Mr T, Hubby, Boss Man and I all went and tried to get our cows home from the cornstalks.  However, Mother Nature seemed to have other plans for our cows.  We did manage get two loads out and home.  Hubby drove his first truck load of cows all by himself while Boss Man, Mr T and myself all went to move another bunch of cows to a different pasture. 

  It seems that Mother Nature was slightly confused and decided to have it rain (alot) instead of snow during winter.  The farm ground where our cows are residing is very, very slick when it rains.  Before the ground got very slick, we managed to get two semis into the field, loaded and sent on their way. 

  Mr T and I spent some time on the 4-wheeler in the rain holding a pen of cattle out in the open, since we only had enough panels setup to capture one semi load of cattle at a time.  He was quite a little trooper, I turned him around to face me in front of me so when we were zipping around his face was protected from the drizzle.  He seemed to enjoy the outing for the most part. 

  After the semis were loaded and sent on their way, we went to move the next bunch of cows.  Boss Man and Tripp went and rounded them up and brought them back to the gate to let them out onto the road.  Mr T and I went ahead of them in the cake pickup and then turned them into their new pasture. 

Calling Cows

 After we got cows to their new pasture.  I jumped on the 4-Wheeler and took salt & mineral around to the windmills while Boss Man caked and fed the cows.  I was soaked by the time I got back.  We got loaded up and headed back to the cornstalks to get another load of cows loaded but this time Mother Nature prevailed.  The ground proved to be too slick and the semi couldn't get to the loading chute.  We left it there and decided to wait until the ground dries up a little and freezes a bit so we can get more semis into the cornfield to get the cows out.  Some days it's fun in the rain and some days not so much!!! 

Have a Blessed Day!
~C~

What's Been Going On....

  It got colder and life slowed down here in the Sandhills.  Really those things cause each other to happen, they just happened to happen at the same time.  We have been working with our lumber yard on the Kitchen Design plans, Vanities for the bathrooms, counter tops, interior doors, working with the Furnace guy, working on getting the supplies for the plumbing and electrical and just making decisions on everything!  That is way there hasn't been many updates or pics on the house, we are in the process of 'discussions' and that my friend is hard to capture on a photo! 

  I have nightmares dreams of recessed lighting, bathroom fixtures, paint and decor.  I have made a decision on the Master Bathroom for decor and plenty of DIY projects to help save money at the decor.  I am really looking forward to that process.  But, we are still months away from worrying about that. 

  Speaking of the cold....I am learning how longs it takes to dress a toddler up in his snow pants, snow boots, coats, gloves and a hat just so we can go out and play for five minutes!  It's a blast :)

A little outside time before the snow really started coming down.

A Happy Toddler

  I hope that everyone is enjoying this blast of colder weather....it is February and it is winter still, for like 4 more weeks according to Phil.

Have a Blessed Day!
~C~