But-because I am now an amazing ranch woman-I got myself unstuck so I could rescue Scott.
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Lots and lots of snow
Just keeps coming down. Between that and the train we got last night-oh, and the county NOT finishing the road-things are a mess!!! What's not snow, it slushy mud... and a ton of it!
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Monday, January 27, 2014
The good news
Well, the good news is that THAT line does not seem to be frozen. When Scott got into it and broke it, all this water came rushing out. So he ran all the way up Rattle Snake Road to turn the line off before all the water out of the tank drained out.
When I there and we were talking about what happened, his lungs were still recovering from his run up the road!
So the line must be frozen under the driveway and we drive the frost line down as we continue to drive over it. Then it freezes. It's the same kind of winter we had last year, not a whole lot of snow so there's no natural insulation.
Glad I think the problem is solved. Now just a matter of getting it done.
Star Wars
We just watched it this weekend and now I have to call Hunter "Luke". When Ben is not beeping like R2D2, he is also Yoda.
Scott and I woke up to this sawing sound. It was Hunter cutting his spaceship out of this box!
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Happy anniversary!
No- that would not be our wedding day, but rather about one year since last year that the water froze and YES.... it is frozen again!
Sunday morn..... Scott wakes up, turns to me and says how he is looking forward to not doing anything today. That was until he got up to turn the water on and there was none.
So, then it becomes a guessing game. Checking hydrants. Lots of thinking. And a ton of swearing!
Round up
In early december, we brought all the cows through for preg check. At that time, I do remember saying that we should separate out the first year heifers that would be caffeine for the first time. If you know me, you know I hate to do things more than one time so I just thought that would make sense. The response I got however was kind of like I didn't really know what I was talking about so we did not do it my way.
So yesterday we had to bring all the cows back in and we weed through them once again. We had gotten them all into 1 holding area and we're ready to bring them down through this alley. But they would not go because they were all freaked out about walking over some ice. So none of them would go forward! The plan? Totally shot!
We ended up letting them go out and around and in through another gate. And that worked. Then we sorted them.
Once we got them all separated, we had to move the younger ones across the road while the more mature cows were let back out in the pasture. The older ones are really capable of birthing on their own so we let them be. The younger ones can have trouble so we want them nearby.
We spent far too long chasing cows that afternoon! Lucky Scott was on a 4 wheeler but I was on foot. This one cow, the one in the picture, just did not get it! So there was a lot of chasing it on the 4 wheeler and a lot of swearing on Scott's part!
We never did get her to go where we wanted her to.
I have to admit, it gets a little intense! It can get pretty frustrating after you got all the cows in a group but then they all start to turn and you loose them all and have to start all over. OR when one gets away-like the one in the picture-and Scott tells me to hold the other 60 while he chases that one! Let me just say THAT does not work!
We got them all except that one. After it was said and done, we just looked at each others poop splattered faces and laughed. Then Scott apologized for yelling at me and I apologized for calling him bad names under my breath!
Scott's new life as a ranch man
I keep telling him he needs to get a cowboy hat! He is just not there yet.
A really strange postal system
I sent 3 enormous boxes back from Wisconsin on January 2nd. They contained all of our Christmas presents. When I shipped them, the guy in Wisconsin said they would arrive in about a week so that would have been about the 8th or so. And sure enough 2 boxes arrived on the 7th.
On the 8th, I had a doctor's appointment and while I was sitting there waiting I was going through all the junk in my wallet. I came across the receipt with the tracking numbers for all three boxes and thought to myself how we had already received two of the three boxes and figured the third one would arrive that day or the following day so I tossed out the tracking number.
Big mistake!
No box arrived that week. No box arrived the second week. And then I really began to worry. Not to mention that Scott kept asking me for the tracking number.
The boys were eagerly awaiting their remote control monster trucks. There really was quite a lot in that box. It was the biggest one!
But on the 22nd the box finally arrived! And it was like Christmas all over again!
Note to self: always keep the tracking number until ALL the boxes arrive!
I really do love him!
I think deep down I always wanted to be a horse person. When I was younger and took lessons, I was so allergic to the hay in the barn that I could hardly breathe and I just wasn't into it. I always think about my sister and how her whole childhood unfolded differently because of horses and what they have taught her. I know if I would have started riding when I was 10, my whole adolescence would have been different and maybe I would not have struggled so much in my younger years with self worth. Maybe that would have been the lesson that riding would have taught me.
I love that Katie rides for this exact reason. There is something very powerful that comes from believing in your capability of being able to control a horse and ask him to do what you want and have him actually listen! It's this great avenue that unlocks this beautiful potential inside. And I know looking back, having all the kids take riding lessons will be a great gift for each of them because of what else will incidently emerge from that experience.
Going solo
I just decided when I was in Wisconsin during Christmas that when we got back, I would ride more. Not that I know how to ride! But time and time again, I talked with people who say that when they were kids they had a horse and they just got on and road. In my mind, I come from more of the school of thought that says you need to have a teacher, that person needs to teach you everything you need to know to be safe and ride properly. So I have always limited myself.
So the other day, I got on road. We were over at the ranch and I walked up water hollow. Snorty sort of decided that he had something on his own mind that did not match what I had in my mind. So it got a little intense there for a minute, but I just have him stop and I relaxed and it was fine. It was an exercise of calm assertiveness! It was good for me.
Maybe I am still naive in my thinking, but I think for the most part, you can get animals to do what you want them to if you communicate correctly. It is a good lesson of calm assertiveness, which is a little new for me!
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
And braids came out
Kinky! We finally had to take the braids out. But they had been in for about 3 weeks and held up a really great! We are headed to Georgia in March and Katie has already got a plan set with Shervelle, our foster sister, to do the braids again.
It was kind of funny because she had never braided a white girls hair before and was surprised at how fine and slippery it was in comparison to her own.
All alone and hiking
This was an awesome Sunday afternoon. I was all alone and decided I would go for a hike.
One of the reasons I wanted to go was because that morning we saw a herd of maybe 200 elk all running across the ridge line behind the ranch. And so I wanted to go and see if I could get some good pictures of them.
The only thing I saw we're about ten deer! It is amazing how I was practically on top of them before they moved! I spent the rest of the time that I was hiking thinking about how close I get to things without really noticing what could be right in front of me. And wondered about what I am missing. Like those lessons from my children.
It was a great day! It was so warm I probably could have been hiking in a t-shirt!
Another lost tooth
I sure wish I had a picture of Hunter before this tooth fell out. It was down on the bottom and it was so lose he could flop it all the way forward. So, we were all driving north, to get dinner and a movie, & I look back in the rearview mirror and it is sticking out. He has his mouth shut and the only thing sticking out is this dangly tooth and he says, " Look mom, I'm a hog!". It caught me so off guard, I could not stop laughing!
I do love his sense of humor. He has a way about him that will catch you off guard and bring a smile to your face from something witty or clever that he said.
When I was back in Wisconsin, I had some energy work done. Regardless of if you believe in that or not is not the point. There were a few things she said to me that really resonated with me. One of the things she said was that I have been so busy living up in my head that I have been unable to really honor and acknowledge the gifts my children present to me everyday.
She went on to say that when we deliver our children we purposely gift them with something from ourselves. I think sometimes our children can take more than we intend to give at that time, but regardless and for sake of argument, let's just say that is true.
This lady went on to tell me that when I gave birth to Ben I gave him my tenderness, my soul's essence. And I can see that in him. He has a big heart and he is sensitive and very loving. It makes me feel really good to look at Benjamin and know that all that love and kindness did come from me and Scott when we put our energy together.
She said that Katie felt very peaceful and was full of grace. She said that the way Katie is now reminded her of how I used to be ( even though I never have met her before). She said that Katie felt very well balanced. She also went on to say that I should think about why these two are showing me these things and mirroring back to me something I should bring into my own self.
Well, I could not wait until she commented about Hunter. There are times when I just look up to the sky and ask God, "why me, why this child?" I just keep waiting for there to be some clarity as to why there are so many challenges with him.
What she said was this- Hunter is very grounded in his body. He is very firm in himself and that can sometimes come through as being stubborn. But he is determined. She said that when he was born, I gave him those things. And regardless if I gave him as much as I intended to or he took more than I intended, he has more of it than I do. And so for me, it is important for me to look at him and understand what he's teaching me about how to be in the world. Firm, determined, confident and strong yet sensitive and thoughtful while simultaneously observing my surroundings. And I think that since we have moved here those things have been lacking in me and I have not been paying attention to what Hunter has been non verbally telling me.
So regardless of if you believe in energy work or not, because of what she said, I do see my children differently. And that was a great gift from her.
Favorite
My dad and Jenifer got us these awesome glasses for Christmas. Actually, they have a whole set at their house and I made a comment that I loved them. And then lo and behold, for Christmas, we got our own set of 8!
Bob and Deb thankfully were willing to drive them out cross country so they all arrived safely. Nothing like having a glass of chilled white wine in an awesome glass. Love it!
Huge, heavy and awesome
This was a great present from my dad and Jenifer! It is exactly the kind of style we are going for.
Friday, January 17, 2014
Final product
I am sure on the inside Snorty was rolling his eyes and thinking to himself why the girls did not know that he was really a rodeo horse and not a dressage one! But he was a good boy and very tolerant of their giggles! Of course, when it was all over, they took the braids out and he was back to being a rodeo horse once again!
Friends
Katie and her friend, who are both in love with horses and take lessons, decided that they would dive into Katie's new horse braiding book and do a few experimental braids on Snorty. He was in heaven! The sun was shining, it was warm and his eyes just went closed as they groomed him and combed his mane.
It is always great to see Katie connect with a friend. There was lots of laughing and making fun of themselves and their braids. When they got in the car to go home, there were more giggles and smiles with comments about how this was the best playdate they both have ever had!
Tough guys
No matter what, the tenderness in Hunter's heart always comes out. Sometimes he acts like such a tough guy and that he doesn't care, but those of us who know him so well know that his heart is truly is a tender one.
Benny
I was surprised, but Ben actually snowboarded the whole way down the driveway without falling! He was actually pretty good!
Cousin Steve
My cousin, Steve, came to visit. He had been traveling around since New Years and was in the state so we made it a plan to connect. He arrived on Tuesday and stayed through Friday morning.
Wednesday morning the kids all had a snowboarding lessons. He had been in Colorado skiing so had his snowboard. All the kids were totally enamored with it. And now they're all saying they want a real snowboard.
Thirsty
I guess it is because they are just farm cats that we are not very good about feeding them and giving them water. There is a part of me that knows a cat will survive and can survive on its own, so that is not very good motivation. Sweetheart lived in the wash for months and there is no water down there and she was fine.
We have gotten to the point now where we just leave the lid of the barrel of cat food and they just help themselves. The other day I brought down a gallon of water and they all came running! I thought it looked sort of pretty the way they all made a furry cat star together while they were all obsessively drinking!
Thursday, January 16, 2014
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