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Please Lord ... We Aren't Asking Much ...

8/31/2015

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What a week !!!! Lord..when we asked for rain, we REALLY didn't wish for the tempest. A little rain, enough to feed the garden, enough to encourage the dehydrated trees to raise their wilted leaves heavenward. Just enough rain to wash the dust off the parched pastures and to sustain the flow of our dried up creek......we didn't ask for a hurricane ! Be careful what you ask for sprang to mind as the winds blew through the barnyard, lifted anything that wasn't tied down and scattered everything in its path. Branches were flying like missiles through the air, buckets were uplifted and deposited when and where the wind dropped, gutters overflowed and the raging creek roared. "Ooops....that didn't sound good" I thought as Mother Nature's fury whipped around my legs and a loud crack reverberated through the valley,..that didn't sound good at all...and I was right !  As the evening shadows fell across the ravaged pastures and "hot to trot" anxious horses returned to the barn with the wind under their tails, the resultant storm damage became obvious. A forty foot Alder tree had yielded to the storm and fallen, annihilating a thirty foot stretch of Mr. Cooper's pasture. The electric fence system had been destroyed and in the barn kitchen the hot wire monitor showed a disturbingly flat line. Clearly after months of drought, Mother Nature has once again reminded us that she is a force to be reckoned with.

This afternoon, with the clouds once again skittering  across a very grey sky, Greg and trusty Jim (his right hand man) resolutely headed off to Mr. Cooper's pasture to make right what Mother Nature had destroyed. As the aroma of bacon frying wafted across the valley and the cuckoo clock struck noon  Greg and Jim suspended their restoration operation......lunch being a seriously important farming priority. Sadly for the two weary hungry farmers, getting out of Mr. Cooper the big bay thoroughbred's pasture was NOT going to be as easy as getting in. The old grey Ford growled, Jim hastened to open the big tube gate,  Cooper waited and seized the moment. As the truck passed through, the big ageing bay recalled the speed and vitality of his earlier years, saw the partially open gate, the enticing mares across the road and took off for freedom. Greg tried to head him off, Jim ran for the open gate which is open to the farm road and Mr. Cooper resolutely ignored them all..Greg, Jim and the truck. By this time, Bella the Jersey cow, Sirloin the little red Dexter steer, her partner in crime and the flock of sheep led by Barney the ram had been attracted by the resultant chaos and confusion and added their combined forces into the debacle. Clearly Greg's  waving cajoling and cursing was having little effect on a Mr. Cooper, bound and determined to take the mares into his harem and as poor Jim raced back and forth retrieving lead rope and trying to secure the gate Greg resorted to throwing himself around the villainous gelding's neck. Apparently his intent, should Mr. Cooper continue through the gate ( with Greg attached like a limpet to his neck) was to throw his legs up...um ...onto what Greg ??? I have a mental vision of us in the emergency Room ...you broke your neck, back, arms and legs..doing what ?  Thankfully Cooper saw the error of his ways, the cows and sheep were persuaded to return to their respective pasture and law and order was restored to the barn yard. I think Mars Jupiter and Orion collided in the heavens today...tomorrow is another day and, please Lord.....let it be calm. Thank you once again Jim for being in the right place at the right time ...and smiling through it all !!!

Take care, keep safe, M
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Fantasy Meets Hard Reality!

8/19/2015

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Fantasy Meets Hard Reality!
So, there I was, in my kitchen....wait, did I say my kitchen ? I DON'T currently have a kitchen. I have randomly placed cutting boards and I have my stove in the middle of the floor. I have a kitchen sink..with two holes in the bottom and vacant positions where my faucets (taps) are going (one day) to go. The predicted temperature (thank you MJ McDermott, Fox 13 news at silly o'clock this morning) was rising 90 degrees Fahrenheit and as I stood over the remains of lunch, wilted lettuce leaves, weary looking cut tomatoes and the inevitable crumbs, I considered my afternoon activity ( or, lack of !!!) As I (momentarily) fanaticized over an afternoon on the deck, with my cocktail, cherry floating and little paper umbrella garnish, my Lee Child novel and a bottle of sun screen ( for you Annie), Greg instantaneously turned happy fantasy  into farmyard  REALITY SUCKS !!!. An innocently phrased but pointed question "WHAT are you going to do this afternoon? "..as both he and Jim look questioningly in my direction. A cocktail...good book and a well earned restl really didn't feel like a responsible rancher's wife's  (I'm thinking of having a day off) response and "what would you like me to be doing" reluctantly came out of my  mouth. Needless to say. Lee child is still on the bookshelf, the cocktail never happened and I found myself in the wood stack loading never ending logs into an insatiable log splitter !!   Greg said to mention the canopy sunshade that he erected.....um..as the log picker upper, I didn't have the benefit of appreciating the LUXURY !!!  The logs I was picking up were outside the comfort of said canopy !!!. Thank you Jim for your tolerance and perseverance....thank you Greg for appreciating my irritability. smile.
Our five lambs have apparently accepted me as mommy. Each evening I walk out to cow lane calling "come on lambs", five little heads pop up and just like "Mary had a little lamb", my five little innocents come a 'runnin'. I give Greg a hard time....BUT I love my life. A glass of Greg's home brew easily makes up for a fancy cocktail and Life is GOOD. Take care, keep cool. M
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Who's In Charge Around Here? ...

8/17/2015

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Barney the ram is taking his paternal obligations very seriously and has happily and enthusiastically settled back into the everyday routine in the sheep barn. The five ewe lambs, now housed in what is, for eight months of the year Barney's bachelor pad have also resigned themselves to life away from the main flock.  Sadly, their first few days of independence were, to put it mildly LOUD ! Anxious moms, hovering close to the pasture gate called out to their "lost" young, their sad cries  resonated across the valley and five little lambs, noses wedged into the stall gate frantically bawled in reply. Thankfully, Mother Nature has a way of helping food and water compensate for almost any tragedy and within days, peace and tranquility was restored to the barnyard. The lambs now contentedly languish overnight in the man cave, the ewes, watched over by an overly amorous ram have reconciled themselves to eating, sleeping and dodging Barney's attention.

Each morning Bran the Border collie and his little rotund cohort Luke eagerly wait for my call. As the gate to the sheep pen swings open and Barney and his ladies race for the pasture the two dogs set of in hot pursuit, Bran intently chasing the last woolly tail through the gate....little Luke, not quite sure what he is chasing, little legs and bob tail bouncing off down Cow Lane and possibly heading for the next County if he wasn't reminded to stop ! Sadly for Bran and Luke, Barney the ram has little or no respect for Bran's authority and total disregard for little bowling ball  Luke. As the ladies obligingly scurry for the pasture, the ram has taken to screeching to a sudden sliding stop which causes Bran to put on his canine brakes which causes little Luke to carry on running..on his own... and on the wrong side of the ram.   Bran resolutely stands his ground as big Barney arrogantly struts stiff legged and steadfastly towards him. Clearly, not welcoming any confrontation and confused by the Ram's lack of respect and potential aggression, the  waving tail stops waving and Bran's  nose hits the ground as he suddenly regrets his foolish bravado, wishing he was anywhere but sandwiched between the gate and potential disaster. Meanwhile, Luke is still running....... ! Not really sure if getting Mr. Barney addicted to apple and honey horse treats was such a good idea in retrospect.....poor Bran. Where is little Luke ????

Well, we had our BIG storm. Those booming thunder claps helped made me appreciate why the ancients used to believe the God's were fighting in Heaven, heck, they weren't fighting, that was a war !!!. We got lightening (lots of)  and we got rain (not enough)....and now we are dry again, the sky is hazy with the smoke from multiple nearby fires. Our thoughts are with those affected by the brush fires and our grateful thanks go out to the fire service who are putting themselves in danger on a daily basis. Thanks also to Erin and Jim for their love and support and to our Ranch "family" ....because we ARE a family. Take care, keep safe, M xx
3 Comments

It Was A Great Ride

8/12/2015

2 Comments

 
Maureen and I agreed that I had to wear a back protector if I was going to ride Quest. Well... my old life jacket has more padding than my horse back protector (which I could not find anyway!). Quest didn't even come close to making me nervous. He was a star!!!! Its been over two years or more since I have been on his back. (He dumped me last time!) What a lovely ride!. More good times to come. I love that horse.
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We Have RAIN !!

8/9/2015

5 Comments

 
A very strange phenomenon is falling out of the dark foreboding sky above the Pacific North West tonight.  Yesterday, as I tried to focus one sleepy eye on M J McDermott,( Fox 13's meteorologist extraordinaire) and the alarm clock reminded me for the third time that it REALLY was time to roll out of my warm cozy nest,  I thought I heard her predict low pressure on the way...I thought I saw some green blotches lurking off the shores and I thought I heard the word RAIN.  Rain is defined in the dictionary as "the moisture of the atmosphere falling in drops".... it has been so long since we saw rain, we've been thinking of planting palm trees to replace our withering cedar trees. Our lush green pastures have begun to resemble the parched desert of Death Valley, our pond is beginning to look like a polluted puddle, dust swirls everywhere and the acrid smoke from nearby brush fires fills the air.   Tonight, I'm watching raindrops bouncing off the roof, the house lights are reflecting in puddles on the deck, the ever hopeful rain meter in the barn yard still doesn't register one tenth of an inch....but, we have rain !!!( my apologies to friends and family in the UK..who would happily trade our drought for their deluge..be careful what you wish for !)

 Mr. Barney our recently reluctant celibate ram happily vacated his bachelor cave at the beginning of the month and promptly proceeded to embark on this year's breeding programme. Happily, Barney really didn't take much (any) persuading to trot across the barnyard to join his harem...Sadly, the "ladies" were less than enthusiastic in their welcome but clearly, the big Oxford ram is bound and determined to ensure that no ewe goes un noticed on his watch and we look forward to sturdy healthy lambs in the early Spring.

Although we haven't yet confirmed it, it would appear that baby Bella Song our beautiful Jersey Heifer may also be increasing the livestock count in the barn in Early April. Wayne (the man with the straw) paid a second visit to the cow stall last month after our very vocal heifer tried to advise every bull in all 50 States that she was ready and (impatiently) waiting. It would appear, since there has been three plus weeks of peace and harmony in the cow barn.....beautiful Bella may be in calf. I'm confident that our neighbors, used to the three weekly bellowing from our wanton and lustful heifer will be appreciating the relative silence in the barn and pastures.

We would like to welcome Audrey and her lovely black mare Moon to our Ranch family.  Moon is joining Chelsey and Mariah in the mare's pasture but has apparently already created a testosterone rise in every gelding on the ranch. Quest watches wistfully from afar, Mr. Cooper follows every swish of her tail, Charm whinnies his admiration at her every move and Ky, already trying to control his mare Fiona would clearly be happy to share his hay with the beautiful black newcomer.

It has been a very full, busy and hot month, much has happened and gone unrecorded in the (almost) Daily Diary. I will do my best to keep you informed of our shenanigans on the ranch..but, in truth on these long hot days of Summer...bed time beats sunset most nights. Take care, keep safe and keep us in your thoughts. M
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