BULL SALE AT OUR PLACE

Yesterday we had a bull sale at our place. The boys and I decided we would go and watch and take pictures. When I told Patrick I wanted to take pictures so I could put it on my blog he told me to wear a disguise so no one would recognize me and realize I was his wife. How nice, boy he sure is supportive of my hobby.

They sold 300 bulls, 300 bred heifers and 50 pairs. They averaged $3200 and they made 1.5 million. The bulls were all premium Circle A Angus some were registered but most were commercial. Circle A was pretty smart in a new program they started to advertise and sell premium commercial bulls. They have kept such detailed records on all there commercial cows over the years that they have a certification program on all there commercial bulls and have the lineage on all of them. They are premium good quality bulls that do as well or better in calf production and weight gain as registered bulls.

The show barn which is were they hold the auction is also were Patrick and I attend cowboy church. The cowboy church was started by someone who works for circle A so we use there "show Barn" they call it a show barn but they don't do very much showing anymore it is mostly just there own private auction barn.

There were so many people there that to get this picture I had to raise my hand up with my camera. You see the guy in the middle he thought I was bidding on the bull in the ring and the bull was already at 6,000 dollars good way to embarrass my hubby who was busy at work in the back. I don't think a 6,000 dollar bull is in our budget.

They serve a pretty nice breakfast and dinner and keep the food up all through the sale. Cason did not like his and he was pretty mad that I would not get him something else. Dustin only ate a little bit and he was also mad because he did not get the drink he wanted. Fun day for me Not

They had red Angus and I thought this guy was very handsome. I did not get a good shot and now he is probably down in TX making baby's so I will not ever see his pretty face again. So sad

They had a pen full of real nice baldy heifers that were bred. We raised these baldys last year I always liked seeing the baldys born.

This guy was not for sale he is one of circle A's leading sires. I could not decide if he wanted to eat me for dinner or if he wanted his head scratched but I decided not to stick around and find out.

After a long day at the sale and having two CRABBY boys I decided it was time to go home we told Patrick by and have a good time loading out trailers but we be done. Especially mom.

Happy Heifer

This little calf was sure glad she was not at that crazy sale!!

Calves will be calves

Sometimes when working calves you have one go a little wild and that's when Doc the super horse gets to do what he loves best. Patrick will let Doc put that calves behind right between his front legs and Doc will push that calf where ever Patrick asks him to. Doc is very careful and does not step on the calves but for some reason this is his favorite part of the job.

Once the little calf is back with the herd everyone gets on with business as usual.

Happy Heifer

Patrick's services

Today Patrick got a phone call from a neighbor who has a jersey milk cow named Hershey. Our neighbor Jan loves Hershey. They have a bond that not many people share with a cow. Hershey was having trouble calving and Jan did not know what to do. Jan asked Patrick to come and help. When Patrick arrived it was obvious to him that Hershey was in a bit of a pickle her calf was breech and both back feet were back (coming tail first). Jan's husband and son had been working on getting the calf out for some time but to no avail. Patrick brought a calf puller and had the calf out pretty quick. It was to late for the calf. Everyone was very worried about Hershey though because she would not get up Patrick was worried she had exhausted herself or worse yet she was paralyzed. Jan was so worried about Hershey that she could not even be out at the barn she was sure Hershey was facing certain demise. They were able to finally coax Hershey up with some food, Hershey loves food. Jan finally came down to the barn and saw that hershey was Ok. She was very relieved that her best friend was going to be Ok. Patrick would not accept any kind of payment of course, but Jan insisted he atleast take a dozen farm fresh eggs. You cannot leave Jan's house without some sort of a home grown treat.

Its funny how on a regular basis we deal with this same sort of thing. But when it is a friends cow and that cow is not only a milk cow she is a best friend, how everyone even a burly tough skinned ranch hand like Patrick let's it touch his heart. Even if for just a second.

Happy Heifer

Ropin on a saturday night

This is Larry on Gold warming up for a fun night of tracking calves





Patrick took his super deluxe, high powered, 0-60 in nothing flat Ranch horse to a roping on Saturday. Doc the super horse is a coal backed bucking son of a mare. Patrick loves him unconditionally. Even now that he got injured and retired and bucks every time Patrick first gets on him because we don't use him enough. Patrick still loves him. His love for me is not unconditionally, oh there are conditions, definitely conditions!! He loves me more than the horse I promise, he really does, I am sure of it, he does, I think.

Patrick and Doc what a pair

The calves were new calves and had never been roped so they just tracked them. Which was good for Doc and the calves. Doc does not really need to worked very hard because he still favors his bad leg once in awhile. Doc loves to work though, I have never seen a horse love his job as much as that one. He does not like arena work but I'll have to admit out in the pasture he is a super star.

Handsome cowboy scratching his bottomminy

This picture and the one before I took right after Doc bucked with Patrick. Yah, bucked not crow hopped. It is quite the show when Doc bucks with Patrick because Doc is so powerful and Patrick is so sticky it is a pretty, harshly, beautiful dance. Doc is an honest bucker. He will only try you when he is fresh and not getting work everyday. Now that he is on retirement he is fresh every time we ride him. I use we very, very loosely I don't ride Doc because i would get bucked off in a heart beat.

OK I would never ever in a million years admit this to Patrick but I kinda like his old super horse. Don't tell him though because he hates my palomino mare and it is only fair that I hate his horse too. That is the key to a good marriage, keeping it real and making sure you don't like each others horses.

Happy Heifer

SAD CAT STORY warning kleenex maybe needed(for me)

When we moved into this house we are living in now there was a wild mam ma cat who had been left here by one of the other ranch workers. No one was feeding her and when we got here she was awful looking. She also had a litter of sickly looking kittens. They were all so wild, but me being the animal lover that I am started feeding her. She started looking better and eventually moved her self and her two remaining kittens under our house. I had no problem with it but Patrick being the cat hating man that he is was not thrilled with the situation.



I contemplated and worried on a daily basis what I was going to do with this wild cat situation. I am one who is always been all for getting your animals spayed and neutered. I even took our neighbors cat and all her kittens to get them fixed when we lived in South Dakota then gave her back half the kittens at no charge. They weren't wild though so it was much easier. I contemplated and worried for too long though because mam ma cat had another pile of kittens under the house this time since they were all getting fed well they all did fine one of her older kittens also had a kitten. So I found myself in a disheartening situation. I now had nine wild cats living under my house, and mam ma cat and her older kitten were pregnant again. I could not figure out what to do. No local no kill shelters would take wild cats and if I took them to the pound they would gas them immediately. So once again mam ma cat and her older kitten had kittens. This time mam ma cat had, I don't even know how many and her kitten had at least four. Oh my stinkin poop I have a problem.
In December PAtrick the boys and I went to Tn. for an early Christmas.
As soon as we returned home from Tn. I called for my cats only one barely peaked his head out from under the house. I thought that's weird even though they are wild they would always come out when I call. At that moment I new something was wrong. I went in and asked Patrick if he had someone come kill my cat's while we were gone. He said no and that he did not know what happened to my cats. It was late so we went ahead and went to bed I figured they would all be there in the AM. The next morning I got up went out to call my cats again this time I had food. Two cats came out, I new something had gone down. Some kind of hit on my cats had been accomplished. I once again asked Patrick if he new what happened to my cats. He said NO. Patrick went on to work and I proceeded to call my cats to no avail only three came out this time. When Patrick came home for lunch I trapped him. I asked him "so how did they kill my cats" his face changed and I knew he knew. He said that while we were gone in TN our neighbor called and said "I can fix your cat problem as long as her house cat is in the house". Patrick told him the house cat was in the house and the light was green.
I could not believe it my eyes weld up with tears. At first I was mad at Patrick how could he do this, And then lie to me for a whole day. Then I realized it was not Patrick's fault he has given me plenty of time to do something about the cats. Then I was mad at the neighbor for being gun happy and offering to do it for Patrick. Then I was mad at no one except myself I should have gotten the cats fixed earlier before they had these kittens.
I have forgiven Patrick and the neighbor. Some how some way our neighbor was able to kill six of them and destroy the evidence all in a days time. He is good that is for sure.
Now we have four of the older kittens left two female and two male that I am going to trap and get fixed this month because I found a place that will deal with wild cats. We also had six of the little kittens left and I was able to find homes for three of them and still have three left. I plan on just getting them fixed to because they are wild and probably won't make good pets.

Happy Heifer

Warning: the following may cause drool and heart palpitations

In the steady gaze of the horse shines a silent eloquence that speaks of love, loyalty, strength and courage. It is the window that reveals to us how willing is his spirit, how generous his heart.
L. McGuire

The sunshines golden gleam is thrown, on sorrel, chestnut, bay, and roan.

His life was the life of a cowboy. He realized his former vision of himself, booted, sombered, and revolvered, passing his days in the saddle.
Frank Norris -McTeague

It is not enough for a man to learn how to ride; he must learn how to fall.

Mexican proverb

I love the horse from hoof to head.

James Whitmore Riley

No hour of life is wasted that is spent in the saddle.

Winston Churchill

Happy Heifer Photos Horse lovers Quote's

Grafting calves the skinny low down

When you live on a ranch as large as ours you are going to lose calves during calving season. Since we are currently in the middle of calving season we have been dealing with lost calves. Usually when you lose a calf at this ranch you call around to all the other herdsman and ask if they have any orphan calves. Orphan calves are usually 1 part of a twin pair or they had a bad mother. If someone has an orphan or as we call them bottle calves we then go get that calf and bring it to our part of the ranch to graft it on to the cow. Now this is this cows only chance if she does not take this bottle calf or she loses her calf when there are no bottle calves then she is going to the cull pen. We do not keep cows around that don't have a calf on them. Sounds cruel I know, but that is how they do it here and at most successful large ranches. If you look at it in a business mind it is "good business". Lucky for this particular cow today we did have a bottle calf so we proceeded to do the grafting process.
Step one-Put the calf in with the cow

step two-watch to see if cow will except the calf on her own(sometimes this happens most of the time you have to talk the cow into taking the calf)

step three- talk the cow into taking the calf "come on you old hussy you need to take this stinkin calf or you are going to be hamburger"

Step four- if talking doesn't work then you run the cow into a chute


Step five- once in the chute you have a handsome, strong, yummyscrumdidlumpsious gentle man's man coax the calf into grabbing ahold of that teet and going to town! Nothing like watching your husband play with another heifers teets. Except she was not a happy heifer she was a mean heifer. And she was not a heifer, technically neither am I since I have two children but I am Ok with that.

Once the calf sucks the cow for a few days she than begins to smell like the cows milk and the cow and calf live happily ever after.

The one and only happy heifer