The Charolais Ladies.

I'm eagerly anticipating the arrival of these lady's babies. I told Clint that I want to know when the first one arrives, because I can't wait to see their bright white newness against the hills and meadows they now call home.

Hopefully they'll have them without any difficulty.
We think we've mated them to the best bulls to help them calve easily, and produce high quality calves.

And we won't worry when Kerri gives us a hard time about the color of their new babies.

*grin*

We can take it, and love them all the same. Even when their bright white fades to a pale cream.

So ladies, I hope you enjoy these last few days of peace and quiet. Soon you'll have a new baby to look after, tend to, and keep track of.

Have I told you how much I can't wait to see them?

PS - I know this is new country to you too. Just so you know, the babies here like to hide in the sagebrush and along the fences. But since you spent a lot of time in desert before you came here, I know you'll be pros at finding them when they decide to play Hide & Seek.

Beef - It's what's for dinner.

Well...hopefully!

A photo I took made the top 10 in Beef Daily's 'Winter Wonderland' photo contest. While the two photos with the most votes each win a $100 VISA Beef Bucks, three people who leave a comment voting for any photo will each win a $100 VISA Beef Bucks card too!

To see the top 10, head over to Beef Daily. Then just leave a comment with your favorite photo.

Also - if you have a few minutes, they compiled all of the pictures that were submitted into a very cool short video. A neat video to watch and share with others.

A special thanks to Hebbert Ranch in Hyannis, NE for having such photogenic cows. :D

LGW Bull Sale

Catalogs stacked high on the counter
+
February
=
Bull Sale Season

We spent Friday at the Wadekamper's in Hermiston as the 2012 crop of LGW bulls went through the sale ring.

What a great year it is to be selling bulls!

Congratulations Lon & Sheri!

Fog & Friendship.

Sometimes, it just takes two.

Most of the ranchers we work with (my husband included), pride themselves on being able to handle not only the 'everday'tasks themselves, but even the ones that you'd think would take two. Those....like feeding off the driving feed truck stuck in low gear and crawling sporadically across the field, while they fling hay off of its flatbed...they can still do by themselves. And they do it proudly, with a sense of accomplishment.

But when a calf is coming backwards, and the cow is amongst acres and acres and more acres on top of the rim, it helps to have a second pair of hands who can help swing a rope.

Gosh it was foggy last weekend.

But what was crystal clear, are the good people we're surrounded by. We know that if we ever got in the same situation, any of our friends would be there for us too.

And that's something to be thankful for.

Three days younger.

She was the one who taught me that blood doesn't make a family; love does.

And that walking and talking can be as good for the soul as it can be for the diet.

And that it's always good to have a {younger} sister...
even when it's only by three days!

The running joke is that Clint & Kristi are the same age, for 362 days of the year. For those other days - Feb 6, 7 and 8 - Clint is the older one, and Kristi is the much, much, MUCH younger one. :D

Happy Birthday Kristi from us out here in Oregon.

Keep on shining!

Oh baby calf.

Oh baby calf -

I'm sorry you had to be born into this world when it was cold and covered in frost. I was cold when I stepped outside of the warm feed truck to open the gates....and that's when I first spotted you. There I was thinking how chilly it was, and I wasn't sopping wet like you were. But I didn't worry, because I saw your mama lovingly licking you off and coaxing you to stand and nurse your first meal.

Know that us, and your mama are here to see you live and thrive. While she's busy taking care of you, we're making sure she gets taken care of too.

We're almost like room service if you think about it. You check in to a pasture, and we deliver twice daily feedings of hay, bring you new straw to bed down in if needed, and make sure that there's plenty of water in your troughs.

We'll see that you get lots of space to run and play.....and we know you're doing well when we see you playing with your friends, your tail straight in the air as you run bucking down the hills.

And if you get sick, we'll give you medicine to make you feel better. That's what that shot was today...a little boost for your immune system to get you started on the right track. Oh, and that eartag....well, doesn't everyone like to be accessorized? While you may have bawled a little bit, know we do those things to help you.

So baby calf, while it might have been a bit of a shock that morning when you broke through into this world, know we're here for you and that we want to see you succeed.

And that we'll be back again tomorrow, with more hay.

Your mother will be pleased to hear that.

38 and counting.

I remember the first birthday I helped you celebrate.

We spent the afternoon checking cows, you driving my old white pickup, and me with gift wrapped nervously waiting to see if you would like it.

I remember that you liked it, but I remember more the way you made me feel after opening it.

You've always been good at that - making others feel valued and for me, loved.

Even for the small things.

We've exchanged different gifts over the years, but none is better then the daily gift of love you give me.

I haven't I asked you yet how your day went

- you're still out checking cows that are expecting calves -

but I think on this first day of your 38th year,
you've probably spent it doing what you love.

Happy birthday to my favorite man,
a loyal friend,
and the best husband I could ever ask for.

~Love, Me.