Monday and Tuesday

Yesterday we headed to town and watched our heifers get sold.  It was awful early, somehow Neil picked number 2 in the sale and so we were done by 10:30.  Then we sat there and watched 3 of our neighbors sell till about noon, then we went for lunch.  Seemed to early to be done.

But that was alright cause then we headed down to get new phones.  I really liked my blackberry till about last month when it just quit on me.  Would just shut off and take like 6 hours to reset and they said it would have to be sent away for repairs, so since we were almost at contract renewal I got a new one instead.  I had no idea what one I wanted, I was looking at the windows phone and kinda liked it, but he only had the Nokia with windows and wasn't sure I wanted that,  I knew I never wanted the iPhone and so I  picked the Samsung Galaxy 3 and so far I am loving it.  But not sure if that's cause it is new and has all kinds of fun things on it or if it really is that cool.  But it doesn't matter, cause I am gonna keep it anyways, lol.

(was foggy this morning but almost quiet around here now)

After 2 or so hours there, we stopped at the plumbers but he doesn't have what we wanted and so we went to the grocery store and Timmies and headed home.  Was nice to get home at a decent time.  We got the auction mart to fax us the averages of the sale so we could price our steers and he called about half hour after we got home.

Today I just kinda cleaned up the house and Neil helped neighbors wean. I thought I heard him coming home, but turns out wasn't him, saw helicopters fly over us again, sure was loud!  They look so weird with 2 propellers, I think they must be army.

Weaning

So today was the day we weaned our calves.  It is kinds noisy around here now, probly a couple days at least.  Was a pretty nice day out, I was a little concerned cause it started out kinda chilly and windy.  But by lunch it was above freezing out so that was nice.

(settling in)

We had 3 neighbors come help as well as Neil's mom and dad came out.  I ended up staying in the house which was unexpected (and I was happy about :) cause otherwise Neil's mom would be inside alone.  So we spent the morning cooking and chatting.  I was kinda glad cause sometimes too many people trying to make choices outside and it really irritates me.  So didn't have to hear anything and got to sty warm as well.

(found the hay)

We sold our steers to the neighbor, he is gonna feed them out till Feb at a feedlot then sell them as grassers.  We kept half our heifers for replacements (I hope we don't breed them all, but since no one listens to me we probly will) and hauled the others down to Brooks for the sale tomorrow.

(loading steers)

Before they loaded the calves, they all come in for lunch of ham, scalloped potatoes and salad and buns, and pumpkin raisin bars for desert, mmm.  Oh and of course a drink to warm up with.  We had a good visit about all the old weanings and how cold it would be.  Some good stories sure came out.  It was  a little longer break cause we had a pair of the neighbors that was delivered and so we had to wait on him to return.

(I like her )

Now the calves at home are settling in, most laying in the straw and a few trying out the hay.  We pretty much ignore them the first couple days, just make sure they are not sick and are drinking and then if a week or 10 days they will all get vaccinated and ivormeced.  Then they will be good for all winter just check for sick ones for a couple weeks.

(Sad moms)

We had one black heifer that I tried to talk Neil into keeping, but he said no:(  But maybe next time we get a black one I will start sooner on convincing him :)

Time for Winter

Well this morning the ponies were hanging around the gate and since we are weaning on Sunday and we move the cow calf pairs through their summer pasture, I have to move them and so today was the day.

I was not all that thrilled to have to go walk through all that snow out there, but since there was wind with it near the windbreak there was a bare spot that I used.  Looks like the horses have been using it too.

I had trouble getting the knot on the gate open and the ponies were getting restless cause by now all but Magic and Jessie know they are getting new grass and better shelter.  I got it open and they run past me and out.  Kali is so funny cause when everyone starts getting fighty she comes to me.

But they got all sorted out (mostly) and are happy to be out there.  I did not spend much time out as I had to take my gloves off to open the gate and my fingers got really cold cause I wanted some better pics, but had to go find a way to close that gate again a little better.  I got it, but I think it needs a longer rope on it that does not have to be knotted.

Quite a bit of snow in drifts, but where the grass was grazed down (a lot of tame grass up close in the summer pasture) the wind just blew the snow right off it and it looks bare.

The winter pasture hasn't had anything in it since June and so lots of tall grass for them to get at.  I doubt Magic or Jessie have ever had to work for grass before, but they will learn :)  At least for a while till i bring Jessie in to ride her again.

Wordless Wednesday -- Winter

Pain

This post is kinda hard for me to write I don't really know why it bothers me so much but it really does.  I hate to admit I hurt all the time.  I guess its kinda like when people ask ``How are you`` and everyone always says oh fine.  I do too and maybe because most people are just being polite when they ask, they don't want to hear bad stuff.

I never really thought of it much until a couple weeks ago a friend says to me (after hanging around all day) soooo how much pain are you really in.  Well I didn't even know what to say.  I don't complain much cause its just always there and so its just kinda normal to me and I don't think about it.  

But when I told her my knee always hurts, has since high school.  I sprained it and even though the doctors now say that has nothing to do with it, I kinda wonder.  It does have a diagnosis of femoral patella syndrome, which as far as I can understand my kneecap is not straight.  I went to physio for a while and it kinda helped and she gave me a bunch of exersizes to do and mostly said it will never go away.  

And then my hip, which she knew about.  And is really not my hip, its where my pelvis joins my spine.  Sacro-illiac joint I think.  And the ligaments there are too loose so they don't hold the joint right and it slips a little.  I got explained its like holding your fists knuckles together and move one joint out.  Like peaks and valleys and they just move.  I go to the chiropractor regularly and he fixes it, but again no real cure until I get old and they stiffen up and then I probly wont be able to bend over.  Nothing I can do makes them stay or move, sometimes I just sit down and feel it.  But now I know what it feels like in and when its out and so I can go get it fixed sooner.  Which I think helps the muscles retain memory of how it should be.

And now I got a pair of back on track long johns I have been wearing for the last couple days, I don't notice in super improvement, but I think it is just increased blood flow which should help inflammation  and the long johns should get both my knee and hip so I am testing them out.

And my back.  Mostly my upper back and right where the back and neck join.  Nothing spectacular wrong there, just sore and I guess from x-rays I have a really straight back and not very much the s - curve so it makes it worse.  That I go to the chiro and also a massage therapy guy works on me.  I just try to keep it half decent.  But since I have gotten a different pillow it is much improved.

Mostly that is all.  I sometimes wonder if I am falling apart or if I am just getting old and not admitting it.  Either that or I have something else serious going on, but I don't know what I can do about that.   But I guess I will just keep moving on and trying to find better ways to deal with this pain.

Hackmore Hanger

Well I been talking forever about making a new hanger for my smaller bosal.  And I finally got around to it.  I found an old rein permanently attached to a bit I would never use, so that was the one.  It was a nice soft piece and no tears or worn bent spots.  I learned this from Linda a few years ago ( a lot of years if I really think back) when I wanted to put one on my other bosal and since I like the way it looks and its fairly easy I did the same thing.

I start with a piece of leather (I was lucky cause I could measure my old one) and slice a hole in the end where it goes around the bosal, then cut 2 more holes so I could weave it in and out.  Solid and pretty with no metal pieces  :)

Its kinda hard to weave it in and out, while still keeping it flat, but the softer the leather, the easier.  Then a shorter one on the other side attached the same way.

And it just ties like a rope halter, with the end piece facing away from eye.

And it is perfect with those weaves cause the mecarte I got to go with them has the same weaving on the ends of it :)    Tying them is a little harder, whew I really had to think about that!

But now that I look at it and see them done, I want to switch these with my other hanger cause it is thinner and I think would look nicer on the smaller bosal.  Which I could do cause I wanna take my other hanger off and clean the bosal anyways, so that may be my next project.

Temple Tour

Yesterday I headed to Calgary with Linda to see the new Mormon temple they built there.  I am really glad I went with her.  It is an absolutely gorgeous building and makes it seem so peaceful and serene inside.  I figured I best go cause I will probly never get the chance to see it again.

Before it is dedicated, they have tours where anyone can go through the building and see it.  I think the nicest part is the baptismal tank that is being held up by 12 oxen representing the 12 tribes of Israel.  They did such a nice job.  Oh they also have the whole thing decorated in a wheat motif, that is really neat.

We got a couple pics of us standing outside the building cause they didnt want pics taken inside but outside is  really nice as well.  And the view out there is just spectacular, they built on a hill and just amazing how much you can see from there.

Then on the way home we stopped in Strathmore for supper and we got hemmed in the parking lot by some illigal parkers and the cops and tow trucks had to come and move a vehicle for us.  It was quite funny really, well probly not so much for the cars that got towed, but for us it was :)

Community Pasture Ride

Monday morning I got up way too early for me, lol, about 6 and went to feed the ponies, it was still dark out and I was tired so I went back to bed till 7.  Then since we had to be at the community pasture by 8 I went out about 7:30 to saddle and load my horse, luckily my trailer was still hooked up and lots of gas in the truck and it was sorta light out.

I usually really  enjoy riding up there, but I was so tired all I could think of was getting done so I could get home and go back to bed.  But I knew it doesn't take too long, so just gotta go with it.  And there is always good company on the way out to the cows its pleasant.

It went pretty smoothly, the lake is pretty full so the cows just follow the edge of it and we stay on the other side.  There was one cow that tried to leave the country but we got her back and after that went good.

  We had them in the smaller pen and saw there was a few on the island in the lake so Rob and one other guy went to get them and they realized they were all the same owners cows so we pushed them in the corral and they come up after us in a different pen, worked really slick.

We had them in about 11 and then started sorting.  One persons cows were already sorted them selves and so only us and 2 others to sort.  It went really quick and as they were loading cattle, I loaded up Razz and George and headed home.  I had just got the horses unsaddled and turned out and cleaned out the trailer when Neil drove in with his first load.  Since he has to go back for one more load and show the liner where to go I made him a quick lunch and brought it out for him.   Then I could sit back relaz and do nothing till they got back again in a hour and a half.

Girls Trail Ride

On Sunday one of our neighbors organized a girls only trail ride from their place down to the railroad bridge on the Red Deer River.  I have never been to the bridge before and am always up to a trail ride, so I was in :)

I took Razz and Susan come and rode Jessie.  It was good cause she wanted to try out my cutting saddle, so she rode in that too.  Jess was good as always.

It took a few hours to get down there, we just meandered through the hills and enjoyed the warm day and the company.  When we got down there they organized her husband to come down with the horse trailer and we BBQed hot dogs and had salad and chips, hot chocolate and Baileys and homemade oreos, mmm it was good.

The we rode back and it was much quicker but still good.  I was sure tired when I got home though.  But still had chores to do and kept Jessie in and got in Neil's horse so we could get up early Monday.

But they are talking about doing it again and I cant wait should be fun.  I always enjoying riding with friends and seeing new places.