Friday, March 22, 2013

7 New Mouths to Feed

On Tuesday, DH and I went on a road trip. We went shopping. Yes, I actually had fun shopping!  And we came home with these:

                         

:) We went to a bull sale.

                       

 It included 7 hours in the pickup, and 6 hours at the sale, and we had a ball!

                                
So, how many of you are thinking, "She has GOT to get out more!" :)

I really DID have a wonderful day. We lived in the same area where the bull sale was held when we were first married and we're about to celebrate 26 years. So it was so good to reconnect with old friends who all look amazing and are still the nicest people. DH doesn't get away from the ranch much and during these sorts of outings, he gets to visit and I love it when he does. My old boss (I once worked for the ASCS - Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service - sure glad I didn't have to answer the phone!) jumped up and sat next to me and I enjoyed visiting with him in between bulls.

I behaved and sat on my hands during the sale because I have been known to get myself into trouble at livestock sale auctions. If M is reading this, she knows of what I speak, but long story, short, I was sitting next to M at the local sale barn and telling her the story of when our roof blew off.

 Perhaps not the best choice of stories to be telling at an auction.

Apparently I talk with my hands and how do you tell a story about a REALLY windy day without using your hands? DH tapped me on the knee and asked if I was paying attention. OYE. So it seems as if I was about to purchase a horse. LOL. Chalk that up to my most embarrassing moment ever, but I learned my lesson. Let's see how long THAT lasts. :)

Thankfully we only came home with the 7 bulls DH bid on. Whew.

On the way home we stopped to get fuel. 8 miles to the gallon does not good fuel efficiency make. And look what we found:

                                 

Yes, that is a seagull, and there were about 15 of them. In the middle of NM. Hundreds of miles from the nearest body of water and about 1000 from the nearest ocean. Someone was using a defective GPS and took a wrong turn. Poor fellas. I guess they were headed south.

We left them behind and turned towards home. 380 miles and we passed a total of 4 gas stations...2 each way. LOL. Most of our trip looked like this:

                                

We fueled up coming and going and do you know that fuel was .10 cents more expensive on the way home? Same day. Same station. What's up with that?

So our new babies are getting settled in and are being given the royal treatment. Here we are cranking up our catering service:

                           

The next morning I walked 2 miles to take these pictures, but the weather was just glorious and they were forecasting vicious winds later in the day, so I took advantage of it and stayed out all morning.

At first, my arrival warranted a few curious glances:


Hello grumpy:


Doesn't he look grumpy? Just wait until the wind blows later today. Then you'll really have something to be grumpy about! Before long, they didn't give a hoot that I was there at all:

                            

Apparently this is good stuff. Look how they close their eyes when they go in for their next mouthful :

                             

Hello handsome:

                                         

Yes, I know you would like some green grass.

                                              

So would we. We're working on that. I found a few blades in a draw, trying very hard to grow:

                                         

But most of the country look like this:

                                         

Back to my knees, but even in a drought, this is a good life. Make that a wonderful life. :)

                               

17 comments:

Cindy said...

I honestly enjoyed this post!! And I'll bet you and hubby enjoyed each other during the long ride. Will these guys eventually allow you to get closer?

Enjoy your new additions.

Carol said...

You have the very best pictures....I've never been that close to 7 bulls in my life. Love them!

Nancy said...

I miss being around cattle. This time of year, I like to drive the back roads to find a field with calves. They are such fun to watch. Seeing them run with their tails sticking straight up in the air always makes me laugh out loud.

Wonky Girl said...

Really enjoyed this post today. It brought back the memories of when I was about 13 yrs old and my dad would take us to the horse auction. He never did bid but it was fun just to go watch.
Thanks!

Janet said...

Great post! I am really interested in cattle ranching. My hubby's cousin (age 72) still raises black angus cattle on the old family farm in Nova Scotia. I love visiting there.

cyndiofthevortex said...

What an enjoyable post! The closest I will ever get to a bull is at the local fair, but I loved your story of them and the joy you conveyed in the telling of it.

Judy said...

Wonderful post! I love to read about your farm life. Thank you for the pictures and stories. Dont be afraid to post more. We love it.

Dar said...

What a wonderful day it sounds like you and DH had. Wish I could have ridden along and watched all the action. I grew up on a farm when I was little, but my grandparents only had a few cattle, horses and pigs and chickens. I was too little to do much, but I loved being with grandma.
Loved your description of your trip.

Doniene said...

wow, some very nice bulls!! What a great road trip with hubby!! Aren't fuel prices something to wonder about!! Hear ya on the 8 mpg!! Ahhh, such is ranch life. We spent last week hauling cows from one pasture to another - 5 trips at 8 mpg oh well, God does provide!

Love all your other posts - you are so motivated and such lovely projects!!

Be talking to you soon!

Blessings,
D

Teresa Quilts said...

Love this post! I didn't grow up with cows, except those my grand-daddy had and he died when I was 11. Then I married my husband and they had cows. We no longer have cows and I miss them! I miss the babies especially. Love it!

Ranch wife said...

Ha Ha I do remember the horse sell...that was a hoot! I think you are a secret Italian, with all the hand 'talk'.

~M~

juliehallfeldhaus said...

Love your pictures! Just not your dry ground one I hope and pray we all get rain soon.

agent713 said...

Heehee! Grumpy actually made me smile!

Denise :) said...

Oh good gracious ... I was laughing out loud and had to share your auction story with my DH ... and laughed all over again!! Your handsome fellows look like they're adjusting just fine. I've been thinking about you ... we're up-to-here in rain and I'd love to send some your way, if only we could figure out how (now black cow). :)

Sarah said...

Love the photos! So you're in drought you poor things? We lived through one in the interior of Australia that lasted 4 years. Just heartbreaking. How long has it lasted so far? I hope you get some relief soon. When is your usual raining season?

Nancy said...

The boys that go with those 7 mouths are both adorable and handsome fellas. Are they friendly? If so now, maybe not for long?

It's great you and your husband got a day out. We enjoy auctions, too, but don't have the opportunity (or need) to attend cattle auctions.

Jo said...

Your country looks so different than ours. We have "dirty snow" and MUD. It's trying really hard to melt here. The weather has been so odd this year...lots of snow in March and coldest in March. Last year at this time, our guys were already working on getting crops in. There will be NO potatoes planted on Good Friday around here. P.S....I enjoy simple farm outings with my hubby too :)

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