On the 3rd I took Jess in to get her teeth done. It was so cold who knows why I went when it was so cold but I did anyways. Shes good as always, was about a year and a half since shes been done and she had a small hook on her one back side and a few points. Not that she was suffering from it, she's as big as a house!
She was a bit dozy, so we stayed in the clinic for a while I had a coffee and visited, they aren't that busy in January with large animal stuff yet so its a nice time to go. The sun was shining in was nice. And then it stayed cold for ever and so I still haven't rode. Today is only -6 but the wind is just miserable. I went out for a a bit and man it hurts my lungs. Which sucks cause now I won't be home till Sunday for another chance to ride :(
Then when I got home that day the waterer quit it was working that morning but not now so I took Jess over to the new cows one and she wasn't interested which I figured, but Razz was staring at the water trough and me then the water trough pretty obvious what she wanted so I caught her and took her over and she drank for quite a while, its slow coming in that one so while we were there the cows came over to visit and see what we were doing. Almost pet B18 but not quite she was OK with touching me but not the other way around lol. Pally didn't want to be caught wasn't interested in the water at all so finally I got to leave the cold outside and go in. And then Neil comes in an hour later saying its working and none of my horses would drink guess they weren't thirsty anymore
So this year we are trying something different, partly on purpose and partly cause it would not quit raining this summer long enough to get the oats baled and when it finally did our baler broke down so we said stuff it (or something like that) and lets just swath graze. The only problem is its 2 miles from the normal winter pasture on flat ground and there is only a dugout out there. Well we moved them out of the creek field on a cold day, glad I was driving that day! and into a small field where Neil fed them for a few days, its thier least favorite field but they were OK in there this time.
(looking out the bedroom window they already want out)
(but they went back to eating after a bit)
And then on a half nice day he got Bob and I got the bale truck and away we went, out the field onto the road and into the swath field. The cows were kinda slow going they followed the truck pretty good through the first gate and out it was going well then we got to the curve where we meet up with the road and the cows took off down the road, what am I to do but follow, they were headed the right direction so far and so I guess let them go.
(in the mirror, cows eating off my bales)
(and following along, some of thier white markings are sure different)
(and passing me)
(there they go, bye, bye cows)
They went about half mile and stopped, waited for me and I caught up and went off road and they followed again, right into the field. Then they saw the oats and were quite happy about that!
(mm delicious, if you zoom,
you can see Neil and Bob in the background bringing up the stragglers)
All in all took about an hour, we expected a lot longer, probly 2 hours was more likely but it was nice to be quicker than expected for a change. We didn't feed them the bales from the truck they were not interested and so we headed home and Neil went out later to chop a water hole in the dugout. He also ut our portable panels out there with windbreak slabs on it so they have some protection from the wind if it gets cold again. So far they haven't used it at all and seem quite happy out there. We shall see how long it lasts, Neil expects 2 months I think he will have to start feeding some hay before then to keep them happy in there.
(using a bar to chop the ice open)
(then a shovel)
(to scoop out all the ice chips)
After that they will get led back to the regular winter pasture and continue getting fed till spring comes. Will save a lot of chore time, only has to chop a water hole rather than feed bales. And today on the way to visit the neighbors we stopped o chop the water hole and I took pics lol. This warm weather sure makes it a lot pleasanter (and easier chopping), less than 5 minutes today
Today it started out as a real nice day, sure a change from yesterday that was so cold and windy. I figured my ankle was pretty well better and Monday is our regular walk day and I wanted to test out how it would be. Its not bad, I sure coulda picked a better place to walk was a bit tender getting back but a little ice and back to normal.
I figured I'd walk out to the dugout up north its not that far and there is usually some kind of birds up there to take a picture of. So off I went in my runners, a few spots it was a bit wet for runners but all in all not too bad. I followed the cow trail as its smoothish and always leads to a dugout.
(this one isn't dirt cause cows aren't in here very long)
Yup sure enough as soon as I got close I could hear honking. I got a pic then figured a video would be better so you could hear the honking too. I thought there would be more than one pair, but not this day.
(I seen them, but not before they seen me)
(they are really loud)
Then as I was walking out there I was thinking of Nuzz Muzz who asked me like forever ago what the ground was like since it looks flat. It is and it isn't. As I was making sure I didn't step anywhere uneven I got looking at rosebushes and other non poky plants, some tall enough to tickle horses bellies. Rocks, old roads, gopher holes (with my shadow) and wet spots. And then as I'm looking elsewhere a white rabbit runs right by my no more than 5 feet away, how did I not see him, he's white!
(there's a valve that we can drain this into the horse pasture if it overfills)
(rosebushes)
(buckbrush)
(green on the edges :) )
(a gopher hole, never saw him though)
(the old road, its nice to ride on)
(rocks)
(and a rabbit)
Our grass is not really green, a tinge on the old road of tame grass and the only place the native is green is in the water spots, we need a few more warm days yet. We should be getting crocuses this week if we get a rain that would sure help. I gotta get a horse in so I have a reason to go out there and look for them :) Our cows are ready to move north and unless it gets really bad tonight they are going tomorrow and I wont get to help cause have to go ride Easy if we are gonna show this weekend.
(Looking in the horse pasture, there's a lot of water
and that's on the other side of the dugout wall,
guess its wet enough out there no need to drain the other one)
(and I was surprised to find this bit of snow left)
But soon enough, I'm gonna work the arena later this week and then maybe a week Monday get a couple horses in so everything is mostly organized when I get to bring Easy home :)
On the 23rd of June we headed to Olds for a mix of a Mothers Day and Fathers Day Welcome Summer BBQ at my Moms house. We wanted to stop at Dorothy and have a look over the bridge like we did in 2005 when it flooded last time. It was kinda rainy and miserable so we got a few pics and then left.
On the way home the sun was shining so I got a few pics while we were driving, well Neil was driving this time so I got to take pics on the way.
Then we decided to stop at the Dorothy bridge, I think it looks so pretty in the summer when the grass is green and long.
It was much better stopping on the way home but I was sure glad we had bug spray cause were they sure bad out there! We saw a couple neighbors who had the same idea and so that was fun to visit with them.
Then almost home we thought we should stop at Finnegan and see the water there, they had pulled the ferry a few days before and so it wasn't in and I don't think the water was near as bad as last time. But still kinda high. We were a few hours before the predicted peak but still impressive.
As far as I know a few houses in the Drumheller/Lehigh area was flooded but otherwise much better prepared and so not so much damage done.
So last week Neil said he thought he knew where an eagle or an owls nest is and he said its kinda in a coulee and he couldn't get there on his Bob but I could probly see it off a horse better. So of course me and Jessie went out there and tried to find it. We walked out of the yard heading North and out through the gate to the pasture where our hay and crop fields are.
(for some reason I love this pic where the road splits)
Past Neil working up my "outdoor arena" for the summer, also known as our summer fallow field. We plow ours up once a month or so depending on weed growth rather than spray it cause we don't have a sprayer and we do have a cultivator. Which works perfect for me cause then its nice soft dirt to ride in if I wanna.
(a 60 acre arena :)
Then on towards the dam that we walked across and it was supposedly down that coulee, but the dam was seeping so we stayed up top and there was no way I could see any nest in any big trees down there, so we just went a little further and wondered if I was imagining the directions, lol. We walked all the way to the edge of the coulee, which Jessie didn't really like and I don't blame her I wasn't overly fond of riding that close to the edge but I just wanted to see if she would, its not so steep we couldn't go down, just much steeper than I ever care to go down.
(Jessie was pretty sure we were gonna have to walk through that GIANT lake, lol)
I came home and told Neil I never saw it and he said that was where is should be so then I was curious how I coulda have missed it if it was so big. Well the next day I went basket stuffing at my neighbors and on the way home picked up Neil from a farther farm field and on the way back we stopped to have a look. And its there all right but the tree/bush had leaved out so much the nest was pretty hard to see, but it sure does look big, Neil says at least 5 feet across! Well I will have to go look this fall after the leaves fall off. But while out there I also saw these 2 different kinds of wildflowers that are really pretty and have no idea what they are.
(the light spot is the nest, hard to see with all the leaves)
( pretty white flowers, kinda like a lily or crocus )
(tube like purple flowers with tiny leaves)
On the way home from that ride we made the tour around the farm field and came into the yard from the East through the bull pasture. I love doing that when i can make a circle and not come back the way I left. I got a couple pics of our yard from out there but its not quite right cause there is a ridge out there so we look like we built in a hole but its not really.
(our yard comin from the East)
(my baskets I stuffed just gotta wait for a non windy rainy day to hang them)
