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A Welcome Goodbye To A Difficult January

1/31/2015

A vivid and unpleasant memory of sitting in front of a particularly nasty bowl of soggy breakfast biscuit for breakfast...lunch ....and dinner, has come back to haunt me over the past days. Echoes of a determined mom (mum) relating the evidently interracial manifest "There are starving children in Africa........" has resonated in my head as I presented Cooper the big bay thoroughbred with his breakfast bucket of grain....and his apparently equally unpalatable evening bucket of poison. We have tried molasses, we have tried apples, We have tried introducing his new feed in small portions, we have tried EVERYTHING but Mr. Cooper is resolutely bound and determined that whatever it is we have contaminated his food with, he is NOT going to cooperate, even if he starves ( unless maybe there are apples forthcoming !) Old T Bone our grumpy geriatric equine antique however has NO problem with a new feed product....just as long as it keeps coming. Shamelessly, Old T Bone clears every minute scrap from his big rubber breakfast bowl and, head hanging over his stall door shamelessly anticipates the remainder of Mr. Coopers picked through bucket of apparently NASTY grain. Not for old T Bone self sacrifice in the name of obstinacy....T Bone snuffles snorts and grinds his old gums through both buckets without missing a heartbeat in sympathy for his stubborn pasture mate. Alas...I remember those stubborn moments SO well....I guess I learnt the message ....hold on...hold out....eventually Mom (Mum) will yield. Don't bank on it Mr. Cooper...you have equally stubborn and well seasoned competition !

It is approximately two weeks until the first of our lambs are due. Clearly, productivity largely relies on Mr. Barney's reproductive aptitude. Judging by...ahem....um.....(blushing) Mr. Barney the ram's appendages, our ewes should be having...QUADS !! The ladies are thankfully looking very rounded and, once again back out in the pasture very content with life here on the ranch. After poor Misty Moo's untimely demise, we have kept Bella our Jersey heifer, Sirloin the Dexter steer and the formation munching team (aka the Gentle Giant sheep flock) within their individual pens. Greg and young James have together reinforced and repaired the existing fencing, cleared storm debris and eliminated hazards in the pasture before Bella and the little red steer were allowed out to play under a grey January sky. Beautiful Bella Song is a mirror image of her mother Misty Moo and it was with pleasure and regret we watched the yearling heifer and the 4 month old steer bucking, head butting and reveling in the freedom of the open pasture.

Over the past weeks, Erin and her son James have, with their now infamous equine escapees Ky and Fiona made our ranch their new home. Erin combines "visiting" with helping me "keep house" in the horse barn. James has, with some invisible but very apparent gentle aura managed to attract and befriend bovine, equine, ovine, feline and canine members of our ranch family. Everything on the ranch gravitates towards his quiet presence whilst in stark contrast, his effervescent mom, Erin has single handedly woken up a sleepy barn. Thank you both for your love and your help over a very difficult and taxing month.

The cuckoo clock has spoken, but, in closing I ask for your thoughts and your prayers for Greg's Mom. Sadly, she is hospital in Albuquerque struggling with a serious medical condition. We are half a continent away in body.....but at her bedside, with Greg's other siblings and their loved ones. Take care, keep safe. M

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Spring in January

1/28/2015

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There is something very wrong when the barn thermometer reads close to 60 degrees and the calendar reads mid January. The Spring bulbs have multiplied and crocus, daffodils, bluebells and Lilly of the Valley have sprouted from the unseasonably warm earth. The birds in the naked branches of dormant Maple and Alder trees are prematurely singing their courting songs. Our newly acquired Jostaberry Bush (allegedly a cross between a blackcurrant and a gooseberry) has begun to sprout.... despite being a favored designated spot for both Bran the Border Collie and Luke the "wanna be" Australian Shephard to cock a hind leg and take a territorial pee. On the still waters of the ranch pond, Mr. and Mrs. Mallard have somehow discarded the reserve male that was expectantly lurking just beyond Mr. Mallards possessive reach. Clearly, avian homesteading is in progress deep within the protective evergreen shrubbery, out of sight of marauding raccoons, hungry coyotes and Eddie the eagle ....we can only hope that that the little blue green eggs don't line their little nest until the chance of freezing Winter is over. The resounding call of returning Canada Geese has echoed over the ranch valley and sugar ants have been spotted on my kitchen counter tops...(DARN IT !!) It is all SO unseasonable. While we are struggling between fleeces and t shirts here on the west coast, our hearts and minds have been with the population of our beleaguered East coast facing the relentless onslaught of an Arctic Winter. It is difficult to comprehend the disparity between the two coasts but we are thankful to be on the warmer side of the weather spectrum.

On the ranch, the loss of our dear sweet Misty Moo is still felt but young Bella, Misty's daughter is an exuberant daily reminder of her mom (mum) and both she and young Sirloin the Dexter steer are growing daily. Lady our Shire mare and Charm the golden palomino are still a cause for concern after foundering last Summer but Quest is thankfully thriving and eating anything that doesn't move. Old T bone the ancient bay gelding is still as unstable and grumpy as ever but that equine antique still has as much attitude as a Spring colt . The formation eating team aka the Gentle Giant sheep flock are expanding daily...their lambs are due at the end of February and Ky and Fiona, the perpetrators of the Great Ranch Escape have resigned themselves to life within the five acres which has since been re fenced and is now possibly as reinforced as Alcatraz.

Clearly, Winter will re visit the Pacific Northwest....when it does, we will be ready but right now, I'm enjoying this brief spell of less than seasonal weather. Take care, keep safe, M.

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We Have a Hormonal Heifer!

1/21/2015

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The sun shone over Gentle Giant Meadows ranch today, Old Glory and the Union Jack fluttered in a moderate breeze from the flagpole in the barnyard and the chickens in the pen scratched clucked and squawked under the watery Winter sun. In the pastures, the stormy winds and torrential rain have left their legacy in broken cedar branches, ancient maple trees have been uprooted and little creeks wend their way through the sodden earth. The sheep, heavily pregnant are content to linger close to the hay mangers, safe and dry in the big cedar barn....not so in the adjoining cow pen. Little Miss Bella, our Jersey Heifer and Sirloin our red Dexter steer have been confined since the untimely demise of Misty our beautiful Jersey Cow. Fences have needed repair, the weather has been wild and windy and Bella and Sirloin no longer have the guidance of their matriarch cow.....but nature has taken her course and hormones are rampant in the cow pen. Early this morning a gentle moo was detected as the ranch gates were opened.....by lunch time a frenzied look had come into little Bella's eyes and this evening beautiful Bella's hormones were clearly rampant, poor Sirloin had nowhere to run and quite clearly his message to his wanton stall mate was...."sorry....not me...I have a headache !!!!" Clearly it was going to be a sleepless night for anyone within five miles of the Ranch and I feel a phone call to "Wayne the man" (with the semen straws) coming on...like TOMORROW sadly.... we have another six months of Bella's hormonal sessions before nature's aid can come to our rescue !!

Tiger the ageing ginger tabby cat has discovered a new soul mate, Fiona the feisty little chestnut filly now infamous for her part in the recent "Great equine Escape" has accepted the furry feline as her new BFF ( Best feline friend). As the horses are bedded down for the night, warmly wrapped in their rugs, peacefully munching on their evening feed, Tiger our tabby tomcat appears from the shadows of the barn to accept his equine loving. Fuzzy muzzle meets fluffy feline whiskers and Tiger's purring and paddy pawing indicates his acceptance of the chestnut filly's attention.

Misty Moo the beautiful Jersey cow was part of our ranch family. Losing her and her unborn calf has been a very difficult start to the New Year but Life on the ranch goes on and each day brings new challenges which we are bound and determined to meet. We are thankful for the friends, family and ranch family that have helped and supported us both physically and mentally through these toughest of times. Life on the ranch can be unbearably tough....but, it can be so fulfilling. We love our life...Stick with us !

Take care, keep safe, M.

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Joy and Sadness Starts the New Year.

1/19/2015

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The first weeks of the New Year have tested us, both physically and mentally. Gentle Giant Meadows Ranch has just gone through some of the darkest days since our arrival here as idealistic city slickers over ten years ago. Inside just a few hours we welcomed the arrival of our beautiful new grandson Hudson Dean in England (a bright point!).....we had to say a tearful goodbye to our beautiful Jersey Cow Misty Moo and then, as if fate hadn't already dealt us a full hand of bad luck, little baby Hudson had to return to hospital with a mystery blood condition. Thankfully Hudson has been able to go home and we want to thank my sons....the Earnshaw boys for keeping me informed throughout. Mom returned to Albuquerque after a cold damp month on the ranch, it was a melancholy farewell as we watched her being whisked away by an irritable airport aide but we have precious memories of our Christmas with her. Sadly Moms 94th birthday will always be remembered as the day we lost the fight to save Misty Moo. It will also reaffirm my belief that we have THE most amazing group of friends and neighbors in the whole wide world without whom we would have been unable to free her from the cloying mud in which she was engulfed. Misty had apparently paused to have a scratch on what turned out to be an aged old cedar post that crumbled against her weight. With an opening into the "grass on the other side" Misty took her last fateful walk along the edge of the ravine, apparently lost her footing and tumbled down into the fast running creek. Eric ( for whom it would appear nothing is ever too much trouble) found her on her back, unable to move. Greg assisted Eric in getting her out of the creek and before the full impact of the situation hit me, our other wonderful neighbors, Robin, Paul and Pat were fighting to save our beautiful Misty. Greg and I spent a somber night huddled on a log, daring the coyotes to appear, listening to the rushing creek water and watching the shadows dance in the trees. Misty repeatedly tried unsuccessfully to stand and as dawn broke we came to the sad realization that she was fatally injured. Her back had been broken in the fall and Misty wouldn't be coming home to the barn. We tried to save her unborn calf but the lungs of the seven month fetus were unable to sustain life, her little heart continued to beat for thirty minutes before she too passed away. Although losing Misty was one of our saddest moments, we will never forget those farm friends who rallied to our support and struggled in the water and the mud until we could no longer hope. Thank you also to Erin and James our wonderful horse boarders who whisked through my chores when I was too tired to see straight and also to the friends and family who have been there for us...through the good, the bad and the "baddest". Thank you, without you all, this journey would have been so much harder. We love you.

I'm sorry this diary has been uncharacteristically dismal...hopefully life will return to our lighthearted normal (whatever normal is around here !!) soon

Take care, keep safe, M

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Never A Dull Moment

1/8/2015

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There are times when working on the farm could be considered a spiritual vocation.....and there are times when, quite clearly Heaven and Earth are NOT synchronized. Yesterday was appointed the day that we reconstructed the perimeter fence that was (disturbingly) the scene of Ky an chestnut filly Fiona's great escape escapade. Greg "helpfully" suggested I take my rubber boots ( "wellies" to my English friends)....with an encouraging Greg urging me on, I hesitatingly stepped into the murky depths of the ranch pond. Apprehensively I watched a potential "Jaws" rising to snap vociferously on a wave of crane flies that had foolishly hesitated in flight. The circles of disturbed water spread over the mirror glass surface as my feet squelched in the gluey mud that sucked my boots deeper into the murky depths of the disturbed pond. "I need you further out " I vaguely recall as the muddy water crept ever closer to the top of my ( just discovered) not so waterproof, waterproof boots. I am famously not inclined to surrender when faced with a challenge....but, as 70 years of deconstructed cow poo, rotting wood and decaying fish corpses bubbled around the rim of my boots...enough was REALLY enough !!! I clearly DON'T walk on water....and the waters DID NOT part for me to make my way to the designated post, rising out of the depths and just out of reach. Disparagingly, I resigned myself to failure and returned to the bank of the pond with my rubber boots springing water spouts and my sodden socks infused with a mixture of mud and a century of poo. Today Greg returned to the scene of my defeat armed with.......hip waders !!! Way to go GREG......what a great idea.....just how deep is the pond ? The field is now (hopefully) Ky and Fiona proof, Alcatraz and San Quentin combined....should one quizzical soft equine muzzle come within six inches of that electrically charged fence, those two escapees will be instantly notified of our zero tolerance for dis respecters of our fence line.

Bran the Border collie is, it has to be said, at the least.......over excited. In truth, even on a good day, Bran the border collie is wildly over enthused by the chase. Poor Barney the big woolly Oxford ram has an appendage that clearly incites Bran to "follow with intent"...until the well endowed ram challenges his chase. Bran sees no shame in acknowledging defeat and hastily backs, tail tucked firmly between his legs out of the field. Misty Moo the gentle Jersey cow is apparently not impressed by Bran's aggression and, spotting me watching from the fence line, Misty wandered, udder swinging, over to check out my pocket for edible tit bits. Bran the black and white Border Collie, reluctantly forced to stay in situ by my feet, had to tolerate a big dewy Misty nose curiously investigating him from head to stoically motionless tail. Bran was less than impressed by Misty's impromptu visit, clearly, this REALLY shouldn't happen to a dog !

Just been informed that I'm almost out of time. Bran and Luke are both ready and waiting to go out and water a tree or three, the cuckoo clock is ticking and Greg is yawning on cue. Must be bed time. Take care, keep safe, M

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Happy New Year From The Pacific Northwest

1/2/2015

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So, it's 2015. The Christmas lights reflect shamelessly gaudy against the icy frosted glass on the deck. The multi colored fairy lights on the Christmas "Welcome" wreath and the two twinkling porch trees still light up the night. The Christmas tree still occupies the corner of the room, tempting candy sits uneaten in crystal bowls and the nativity crib silently awaits the Epiphany and the arrival of the three kings. Gunfire, fireworks and international mayhem welcomed the start of the New Year and signaled the end of 2014....phone calls were made and received, international date lines meant England was listening to the resounding chimes of Big Ben whilst we were collecting warm brown eggs from cozy nest boxes and cajoling anxious horses from frosty pastures back to the security of the big cedar barn. Australia was well into her New Year and our young Eastern and Middle Eastern extended "farm family" were already celebrating as we headed back down to the barn and the challenges of sub freezing temperatures. A new year with all its challenges ahead of us, the old year now just a number in history...a year of love and learning, births and deaths, happy memories and melancholy moments, sickness and health. We welcomed beautiful grandson Maddox and said a sad farewell to much loved and sadly missed family members....we are blessed to have been able to share the closing days of 2014 and the dawn of 2015 with Greg's mom, Eleanore who has been fortunate enough to see close on a century of New Years...with relative good health and the love and respect of a close family. Our prayers are offered and requested for loved ones facing the challenges of terminal ailments

Down at the barn we have been happy to welcome new barn residents, the mellow bay gelding Ky and feisty chestnut filly Fiona along with their people, Erin and James and are grateful to continue to share our lives with Tim, Connie Sue and Dan. Ageing veteran T Bone has discovered a revitalized spring in his step. Still not too stable on 4 gangly arthritic legs, he has taken to adopting attitude when breakfast or dinner service is interrupted. It is hard to be too threatened when the archaic equine pins back his ears, scowls and waveringly lifts an unsteady hind leg.....which invariably results in the remaining 3/4 of his body being sadly unbalanced and in serious danger of landing nose first in his grain bucket.

Misty Moo the adorable Jersey cow is due to calve again in early March, her first calf, beautiful Bella Song is almost a year old and currently causing hormonal chaos in a three weekly cycle. Woe betide and God help the unsuspecting individual who may inadvertently turn their back on our wanton bovine. Bella is not discriminatory in her choice of available...or unavailable males...two legs or four ( possibly even one legged would do !), bovine, equine or ovine...Bella is clearly not too particular. June is the earliest that we will consider breeding her.....until then, her three weekly shenanigans will clearly keep us..Misty, the unsuspecting sheep and possibly even the cats and dogs on tenterhooks!

Time to go, the cuckoo clock has spoken, Bran the border collie and Luke the Australian Sheppard "wanna be" have gone out into the frosty night for their nightly potty break and for Greg and I, the end of another long and cold day on the ranch. Mom is simultaneously watching CSI and competing with herself in computer solitaire...must be bedtime. Take care, keep safe and warm. M

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A Welcome Goodbye To A Difficult January

Spring in January

We Have a Hormonal Heifer!

Joy and Sadness Starts the New Year.

Never A Dull Moment

Happy New Year From The Pacific Northwest

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Archives

Categories

A Welcome Goodbye To A Difficult January﻿

Spring in January﻿

We Have a Hormonal Heifer!

Joy and Sadness Starts the New Year.

Never A Dull Moment

Happy New Year From The Pacific Northwest

Author

Archives

Categories

A Welcome Goodbye To A Difficult January

Spring in January