Just a Little Bull

My recent days have been spent hoeing and spraying weeds, taking care of critters and making soap and packing and shipping orders. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who visited my handmade soaps page and those who have ordered. I am so pleased and hope you will be too.

The cowboys brought me another orphan calf last week. He was pretty hungry and dehydrated and did pretty good taking a bottle, but next morning he only took 3/4 of his bottle. Same thing that night and he continued going down hill until I had to feed him via stomach tube for several days to keep him alive. The vet was on the ranch helping wean the fall calves and gave me some antibiotics for him and he was back on his feet and taking a bottle again in a couple of days.

They found another leppie calf out there, so I had the two sharing the goat shed, where they could stay out of the sun, as it was warm and calf #2 was pretty seriously dehydrated. So he got electrolytes for his first meal. Next day his skin wasn’t tenting so badly so he got some EmmaLouMoo Juice for breakfast.

Next day was pretty busy and it was a bit cooler out, so I left the door open on the shed so he could go out in the sun if he wanted. A few hours later, I went to check on everyone and he had left the shed. I didn’t see him around the corner, so I figured he must be in Emma’s old tent...but all I found in there was a few chickens. There really wasn’t anywhere else for him to go. He couldn’t possibly have fit under the fence, I ran to the big water trough to make sure he couldn’t have somehow climbed in...nope. He wasn’t there either.

I headed to the little pasture and as I walked by the chicken yard I saw something dark out of the corner of my eye.

I guess he preferred the company of some cute chicks to the ‘bull crap’ he left back in the shed.

We headed to the thriving metropolis of Burns, OR. Only 2 hours from home it was a short, leisurely drive compared to when we go grocery shopping 4 1/2 hr away in Boise. As we puttered along down the 50 miles of dirt road headed for the highway, we passed some of the wild horses that live on the ranch. They had their foals alongside. One big black mare startled me, if I had not seen her colt beside her I would have mistaken her for “Pitch,” my old gelding I was riding when I broke my shoulder because we got stuck in a slough. I'd had to have him eventually put down, because it had crippled him too, struggling to get us out. 

The rest of the drive was uneventful as we listened to an audio book and appreciated the changing scenery, which ran the gamut from sagebrush covered rangeland, to rocky bluffs and finally farms with cattle and lush fields of hay.

We stopped for lunch at one of the 3 establishments there where you can grab a bite in Burns. This one is across from the town cemetery. There was a work crew of convicts cleaning the grounds, wearing...STRIPED PAJAMAS! I honestly thought that was only in cartoons, but nope...they were sure 'nuff wearing 'em. It made me sad, as they were all  young men and I grieved that they had made bad choices that will affect the rest of their life. Too many young people are being lost along the way. It's something to pray about, for sure.

After all our errands were done, we drove out to the home of some of the nicest people in Oregon, and picked up another baby goat. They had about 100 of them there to choose from, but this little black and white Alpine was just so darned cute I had to have her. Randyman named her Annie. He's such a softie.

 It didn’t take long for her to fit in with our little herd. I plan to sell one or both of the big Nubians later this year as they have udder attachments that are just awful and are sure to cause problems down the road.

I don't think Stinky will mind if she's not a Nubian...although he does look a little disappointed.

The dogs have been doing a fabulous job, as usual. The chickens have gotten so confident, they now range all the way out of sight, seeking bugs and grasses to dine on. They are leaving a feeder full of chicken feed so they must be pretty content with what they are foraging. I know its a lot healthier for them, and with the two Maremmas keeping watch over them, they aren’t likely to fall prey to dogs, hawks, coyotes or other predators. It sure is nice not worrying about the critters.

The tomato plants are all in the garden, with a bucket beside each one to cover it in case of frost. I am determined to get a good harvest out of this garden this year. Yessiree.