Day Two, the twilight zone.

I think aliens came last night and abducted all our calm placid cows and replaced them with evil, insane clones.  Today was a day right out of a horror film... it all started with the cow that went bolistick yesterday...R brought her up again and she tried to jump every single section of fence...we did get her in by Jason the hoof trimmer going back to help R and I had to man the hydraulic gate on the trimming table...by this time of course R is swearing profanities colourful enough to make a dockside hooker blush and I am having performance anxiety...thinking that I had better not screw up and not catch her after everything they were going through back there to get her up where I was....in the end we humans proved once again why we are on the top of the food chain...and she got her feet trimmed...but when we let her out of the table she charged me and knocked me on the ground then charged our dog and hurt his leg...before running to the far side of the field and nearly jumping the barbed wire fence...she did go back with her calf...and she now has two red X's beside her number on our cow list...and if there is a drought again this summer she is going bye bye.... maybe if it rains all summer...

about half way through the morning we ran up against another cow...this one is always a bit nervous but today she totally lost it.  R asked if it was alright to bring another cow and we said yes...so then he started chasing her up the alley...she tried to jump the gate...so Jason ran back to give a hand and she turned and ran at R...then tried to jump the pipe gate...she nearly made it over but slid back and when she did her front leg slid down between the gate and the plank fence...and her front foot became wedged...she kept pulling  trying to get free...and tossing her head at R if he got too close...R ran for the bolt cutters to cut the chain on the gate...but she kept fighting and eventually got herself twisted enough that she fell down...with her head twisted back and under her body... It was sickening to see.  R came and cut the chain and got her free of the gate but her head was still trapped under her so we pushed on her neck and she was freed...she jumped up but was holding her leg up off the ground...I still think she broke the bone...but R says she is stepping on it... we phoned the butcher to come kill her but then R cancelled he thinks she just tore ligements and is going to give her time to heal....then she too will go on the truck....

So just when we thought the day couldn't get any worse and there was just one cow left to do today.... R goes back in the corrals to bring her up and she had tried to jump the gate and only made it half way over...so there she was just hanging half over the gate...folded in half just behind the rib cage...and she was struggling to breath and her udder was turning blue from the circulation being cut off....we put a halter on her, got the tractor and pulled her back, off the gate...she fell down on her side and just layed there. We thought at first she was dead...and I had visions of dead cows heaped up in a pile....ahahaha.  We got her on her feet and while she was still woozey  we ran her up the alley and into the chute...she got her feet trimmed...and the day came to a close...not a moment too soon to suit me...

I just want to say, for the record that I have been handling cattle for over 30 years now and never have I seen behavior anything like what went on today...I am not sure if I could have dreamed this shit up...

There must have been something in the air....I mean I can see the odd cow misbehaving...but not on such a unilateral field. Amazing, simply amazing...

Any way these pictures are of Jason Travis, our farrier working on one of the cows this morning...one of the well behaved ones as it turned out... I really feel for the cows when we do this since it must disconcerting for something that size to be lifted off its feet and layed on its side...the whole process is really quite painless unless they jump gates and such...the ones that did co-operate where done in under 15 minutes each...

One more day, a short one and they will all be done...and I can't wait...what a marathon.

One Down, Two to Go

Geesh... day one of hoof trimming was a gong show...  It all started out okay but when I left to go to the house to get lunch... there was apparently a shit show taking place up at the chute... R had a rank cow there without her calf and she was tired of waiting and went through the fence in 3 different places and still didn't get back where her calf was...she never did get done today but not to worry there are two more days to go...

Some one might read this and think, man they must have crappy cows that that many need thier feet done...but I just want to clarify, that 90 % of the cows we are doing have good feet, not long or twisted...just bloody sand cracks...

Sand Cracks are a condition that shows up in animals hooves for many reasons...most of them out of our control.  Any kind of enviromental stress will cause a hormonal imbalance and it affects the hoof growth.. Copper and Zinc levels in the feed and therefore the cows blood is another contributing factor.  Draught conditions are one of the biggest factors the dry ground and air dries the hoof out and the ground becomes very hard putting impact stress on the dry hoof and it splits open...dirt and crap get in the crack causing secondary infection and voila...the cow is lame..

We have had a few very dry years and all the neighbours are saying they have bad sandcracks in thier cows feet as well..  We are going to try adding a vitamin B to the salt and mineral and see if that works...A professor at Sask. Vet University did an study and they found that they reduced the number of sand crack incidents by up to 20% by adding the vitamin B.

Any way... after our first day... I have a sunburnt face... I had a big hat on and glasses but it doesn't take much...just the Uv rays bouncing around. even my lips are swelled...the only way I can avoid that happening is to stay inside during the day...so that is a no go...can't do that and farm...

We did buy a new baler without having to leave home....OMG... and we also bought the most awesome corral posts....I am more excited about getting those than I am about the baler actually. 

I am really beat, so I am going to bed early...I hope to be in better shape tomorrow...and perhaps will write more then...maybe even some pictures....

A Challenging day, hey !!!

A hell of a day, today was.  I must have had the urge to throttle R about a dozen times.  My R is a wonderful guy 99 % of the time but when he does go over to the dark side...he doesn't just dip his toe in and test the water but plunges in with all the gusto of a 300 lb belly flopping teenager in his best friends backyard pool.   Re: the Dr. and diet fiasco....need I say more... 

Today wasn't quite that bad but he does seem to bring out the worst in me.. I figure it has to do with not having any other family to fixate or vent on... all my frustration and impotence is let loose on him.  He goes around buffing his halo though when other people are watching and some how it makes him just a little less sympathy deserving in my eyes...(what a martyr).  I mean a truly whipped man should walk around with his knuckles dragging on the ground and the sound of the bull whip cracking over his back everytime you glance his way...

Men can be so dense...most of the time...and then when you finally lose your cool...they manage to look so bloody shocked and clueless...you just want to beat them even harder....

Deep breath.....aaaaaawwwwwwww    okay, R is still alive...for those of you who were wondering... I really wasn't mad AT him...the stress of the past week and up coming days is taking its toll on me... I used to be able to deal with anything life threw at me..but after a few traumatic events in my life I don't handle  it all that well anymore... it tends to manifest itself in aggression and sarcasm... to bad for R....ahahahha

We took the quads to the mechanic for a good going over and they should run good as new when he is done....it's MY GUY...you know, the guy you go to for repairs....or the guy you call to fix your plumbing...or your computer...this is my quad guy...his son and my son where friends in kindergarden...hahaha  we have history...

Yesterday at the auction place...I caught a glimpse of another guy whose son my son went to school with...he and his wife had a very public parting of the ways  when the boys were still in elementary school...then when Sid passed away...and I was taking my son for Junior High orientation I met this guy Trevor again...the boys were talking and so we talked...he asked me out for a coffee sometime...then a few days later he called and asked me out for supper...I declined...then met R not long after. A few years later...R and I were buying a new field disc...and Trevor was the sales man...he brought the disc out and while R was trying it out in the field Trevor and I sat in the truck....he asked me if I was happy...I asked him if he had remarried...and then somehow he started whining to me about what was the matter with him that the women in his life always left..him... I was thinking it might have had something to do with the whining..hahaha

Any way, I have seen him from time to time in town...and then yesterday.... and wow...was I even more glad I had declined the dinner dates....hahahaha  not that I am any great prize...but yesterday.. yikes....   he has gained about 200 lbs...his hair is nearly gone and what was left was sticking straight up...he had food stains on the front of his shirt...looked like mustard....he had a cigarette sticking out of one side of his mouth and a toothpick out of the other.  and when he was bent over showing someone one of the balers....he gifted us all with one of the biggest plumber cracks I have ever seen... OMG   i mean big enough to rival the grand canyon...hahahah  poor trev...  When he waved...I just nodded and took R's hand...

Tomorrow I have to cook some chili....I am serving it for lunch on thursday with homemade garlic toast... and then on friday I am serving beef bourginion.. with red wine....hmmmmmmm and homemade cheese biscuits... I make awesome biscuits...chocolate cream pie for dessert.

Now I Remember

Now I remember why I hate going to auction sales....and it wasn't even sale day... If any of you know anything about Ritchie Brothers auction  you'll know what I am talking about, and if you don't know anything about them...well ... Let me elaborate...  they are one of the hugest auction companies in the world...they have sale facilities around the globe and one of them in is Edmonton...actually it is one of thier biggest ones and the flag ship of the company since they were raised in Edmonton.

This weeks sale is a 3 day event...selling vehicles, CATS, oilfield equip, construction equip, shipping containers, generators, camp trailers and farm equip. 

We took our friend Ray and perused the farm equip...looking for a new baler for haying.  We have two but they are as old as Noah. and the newer ones are so much more efficient.  Today the weather was questionable...with a cold front blowing through. It got above 0 but with the wind blowing it was nasty out there...The two guys got bundled up in thier insulated coveralls and togues, and there I was in jeans and a hoody...I never got cold...but boy was there mud...some places it was up to the tops of my runners....should have worn rubber boots. 

We trudged over to the balers....nearly a mile from where we had to park.. and NO I am not exaggerating... we then proceeded to go from one baler to the next ...now I am the first to admit that I am partial to New Holland brand equip...but only because I have always used NH balers and they are good....our friend trying to get us to look at John Deer...but they are my least favorite... so after 4 bloody, long, wet, muddy, mind numbing hours...we finally had our picks selected and marked down....

The reason we had to go today for  a baler that will sell on thursday is....we won't be going... our friend Ray will bid on line for us from his high speed internet location while we are at home running cows through the hoof trimmer(a two day job in its self) we booked the farrier weeks ago and couldn't cancel... so we won't find out until thursday night if we actually bought a baler or not... I felt a little sick leaving a signed cheque with our friend.....a BLANK....signed cheque....hahahahaha  this baler could cost us up to $20,000.  Brand spanking new they are worth $35,000.  and we hope to get it for under $15,000 but time will tell. It could take us years to pay it off...especially if the price of cattle stays in the toilet... Speaking of toilets....another reason I don't like going to auction sales, especially out of doors....the guys just wander over to some big piece of equipment and whip it out....but what does a woman do.....by the time we got back to the main office building...I was doing the pee pee dance...bystanders went flying as I elbowed my way to the ladies room.  I secretly hope we get outbid.. spending that kind of money makes me nauseas.

Busy day

Wow, did I have a busy day...  This coming week is a busy one for us and we will be feeding a few people who are coming to  help work with the cattle.  I had to do some baking but before I could start I had to clean my oven. Really, it was very dirty, and we all know that a dirty oven does not bake as efficiently as a clean oven, something about the heat reflecting off the shiny interior...honestly it says that in the joy of cooking cook book...

So once the oven is clean and I am not (I think I got more crap on me than the rag)  I started baking my awesome chewy brownies...with double fudge icing.  Two batches. and then R came in for some fruit salad and brownies for his lunch. I started the bread at 3 pm and finished at 7:30. 12 loaves in total and it turned out great, if I do say so myself.

When R came in for supper he ate nearly 1/2 a loaf by himself...  tomorrow I will make R's mothers recipe for chewy pecan squares.  "They are what St.Peter feeds the children who wait at the gates of heaven."..I didn't say that, it is a quote from my mother in laws JULIA CHILD's cook book.

We had dinner last night at my brother in laws...he cooked for us and his and R's cousin Pat. It was pretty good.  R's cousin had brought the binder with genealogy stuff I had made for her 4 years ago...and some new information she would like me to add and make 4 news copies of it all in binders for her children and nephews...ughhhh 

I haven't done any genie for a few years now...I burned myself out on it and was taking a break but apparently I am getting back into it.. I thought about saying no...but she is very nice and it just seemed mean...I will have to try squeezing it in some where between, chasing cattle, cooking, painting, reading and sleeping.  To top off a crazy weekend, R has just today announced that we are buying a new baler this spring...well actually this week...nothing like giving a gal a little notice...you know time to get your head around the whole debt thing again... I guess it is impossible to keep farming and not rack up a shit load of debt.

On a happy note, my appointment with the optometrist went well, no new problems with my eyes...and I managed to whine my way out of having to get new glasses this time...but next time I will have to get new ones...and wear them all the time...instead of just for reading...ugh.... they bug my nose...squeeze my sinus's...I hate wearing glasses. ratzzzfffrazzzak#^$&*)*%$#^%@@(*&(*)_)**%^#@!#~!

Walking

I don't know what it is about walking that makes me feel so good...endorfins I guess... so why doesn't walking on the tread mill feel quite the same...it certainly makes me more sympathetic towards gerbils, because all the walking gets you no where on the treadmill.

I have a really old treadmill, by old I mean 16 yrs. old...but in technology time that is ancient...the new treadmills have tv screens on the console or MP3 players...that you can load your favorite songs into.    I have always wanted an eliptical machine....Dr.OZ says if you were going to buy just one piece of gym equipment then the eliptical would be it.
I was swimming last year...My sister S got me started...when I was visiting her  and once I got home I was excited to go ... I got a membership to our facility and swam 5 times a week to begin with...but by the fall I had to drop to just 4 times a week, by the beginning of Nov. the water and cold dry air of impending winter were really bothering my skin and I had quite a problem...besides the bad roads and extreme cold the cost was bothering me as well...then calving came and I wouldn't have been able to go at all then because I can not drive at night and R was too tired to take me like he had been doing a couple of times a week in the summer. I was paying $50 per month which wasn't a bad deal if you used the gym, running track and spin classes but since it was a 40 min. drive there and 40 min back I was limited to what I had time for...  Swimming was a passion of mine when I was young...I used to belong to a swim club for a couple of years...with my friend Mike so I really miss not going swimming now...I hope to resume my trips to the pool but rather than aquisize  I may just do laps...I can go earlier in the morning and have the pool all to myself.   I wish I had a walking partner but I have to argue with R everytime I want to walk a few miles around here...he doesn't want me to, he thinks it unsafe... living in town would be soooooo much better...

Why is it?

I have often wondered why it is that weeks and months can go by and nothing ever happens, no phone calls, no visitors and no trips to town...in fact there are times of the year when I speak to no one but R for weeks on end... and then over night that changes...take yesterday for instance...

We had been to town late last week and I wasn't anticipating another trip until the middle of march...when I came in from outside to find a voicemail  from our optomitrist asking us to come in this friday for an appointment....and I thought okay that works for me because I needed to grab some milk from somewhere anyway. 

So I start making fruit salad for our supper when the phone rings...(a rare occurrence here) I had my hands sticky with cantelope and orange juice so R answered...and I nearly fell over in shock that it was my son...we haven't heard from him since last August.  He chats R up a bit and then as I was placing supper on the table and wiping my hands so I could talk to him on the phone...I hear R saying something about us bringing our extension ladder to his place on friday...and then he hangs up...

So now we have to squeeze in a trip to my sons, either before or after our eye appointment....great, well not really but do-able... Then this morning the phone rings again....and by this time I am holding my breath wondering what's next....hahahaha   It's R's brother calling to invite us to supper at his house on Friday night...some cousins are visiting and we haven't seen them in ages... Good grief... now we will have to do the trip to my sons...(he wants us to bring a ladder so he and R can clean the snow off the roof of his house) either in the morning or the next day..

And I just wonder if anyone else has this problem, that it never rains but pours... where everything always seems to want to happen at once.