It Must Be Summer!

With the smell of fresh cut hay in the air, not to mention the scary tornadoes and major thunder storms, summer must be just around the corner. Yes, it has been a bit unsettling lately in Oklahoma. My heart just aches for the people in OKC that have lost everything, their homes, pets, livestock and families displaced because of the tornadoes. I have been fortunate where I live. All we got was the winds, and strong ones at that. I found two big pine trees down in the backyard, one even landed in the swimming pool. But with the exception of a few shingles missing, and lots and lots of rain, I survived. I was nervous, I can not lie but I survived. It has been a slow road getting things done around the ranch. I keep saying that I wish I could just wave my magic wand and have everything fixed, painted and repaired all at one time. Of course, this sure isn't going to happen anytime soon so I just keep plugging along. Little by little, slowly but surely, things are getting done. I have to say, quite proudly I might add, that I am delighted when friends come to visit and tell me how great the ranch looks. I am to the point now where I am inviting people to come and see the place so I can show them around. It has been getting busier and now we are into the hay season. The rains have helped, the pastures are belly high, the ponds are full. It must be summer..

Time to Catch Up

WOW! Winter came and went, along with a busy and emotionally painful Spring, a hot Summer and now, we are sliding into Fall already. Starting with a move to Oklahoma, a new ranch, and new beginnings, life on the ranch has me feeling a little bit like Cinderella. A lot of work, throwing out the old and trying to make the busted and rusted work again. I keep joking that if it isn't busted or rusted, it must need replacing. The roof on the main barn being replaced, skylights and new air vents installed, the only thing left is to have the energy efficient lighting put in the main alleyway. Visitors are trickling in, layovers are arriving and I have a place to put up horses in bright, clean stalls in the barn. The hay barn is filled with MY hay! It was cut and baled off of my fields. The thought that I do not have to buy hay this winter is still foreign to me but looking forward to not having to worry about tracking down hay. I forgot what hard work it is to cut, bale and stack hay but its going to be worth it. The house is another story. With its broken cabinets in the kitchen, nasty carpets and old outdated appliances,and the entire interior needing fresh paint, it will be fall or even springtime before I can get a start on it. I am making due with what is there, for now. There is a good feel here that I enjoy regardless. Slowly, it is starting to have the feel of being my home. The parrot has made himself comfortable, chattering away, greeting anyone that comes in. Most of the horses are out in the pasture. The stallions are settling down after breeding season. The dogs are patrolling the barns, the chickens are making eggs, the geese are eating the weeds and grasshoppers around the fading garden. This is my ranch, and that feeling is a good one. I will be updating the web site soon, with photos of the new ranch. I need to start riding more but when its 100+ degrees out, my motivation dwindles rapidly. Plenty of room for visitors so come on down!

Fall is Here

For all of my friends who made it through the drought this summer, I applaud your perseverance. It isn't easy having to sell your herd due to lack of water but as stewards of the land, we have to make tough decisions sometimes. I just hate seeing the ads for cattle, selling below market value, due to no feed.

For those of you that still have your livestock, I wish you luck. The hay prices have gone crazy, and already, there have been hay rationing going on around here! Its just mind-boggling to me, but I suspect it will only get worse as the winter gets closer.

Speaking of winter, I shoveled 4 inches of snow just a few days ago. Where is Indian Summer!?

Within a few weeks, I will be loading up some of the young horses and heading east. I hate to leave Colorado, but have a great opportunity that I just can not pass up. If you don't hear from me for a while, not to worry. All change is for the better. My email will still find me, although a quick reply may be lacking.

BH TNT aka "Bomber"

Finally the coats have shed out to the point where I can take a photo and not think the babies look too scruffy. I will add more as the babies get worked.

This is a colt I liked from the first day I saw him weaned at the Hurley's BH Ranch in Clarksville two yrs ago. Out of the last living son of SMUG REED, this colt really is built well, has great color, and after just working with him only twice in the round pen, has shown me his willingness to please, wonderful mind and temperament.

I call him Bomber, as I think he will really "Be the BOMB" when his time comes. Bobby Hurley was mad at me for getting this colt because he wanted to keep him as a replacement for the sire, SMUGS RAWHIDE, who is 22 yrs old this year.

Watch for this colt in the next couple of years. I have never had a palomino before but I think I have a very nice one here.

Finally!!

What a challenge it has been trying to recover all my files, documents and photos from a crashed computer! I strongly believe in an external hard drive now. Some days I really long for the times when cell phones and computer didn't run our lives. Now we can't live without them.

The EHV-1 virus has every horse owner in Colorado nervous! CSU Vet School has put a couple of horses down and recommended staying home if you didn't really HAVE to haul your horses anywhere. There were lots of rumors flying around, you really can't even imagine the panic. I choose to sit tight for a few weeks, even if it meant not bringing a mare and foal back from Arkansas, and leaving Huey at the trainer for a couple more weeks. I wasn't worried about my horses bringing anything into my herd. I was more worried about where other people's horses had been. Better to be safe than sorry. Hopefully, the virus will be contained and we can get back to going where ever we were going. I did save some fuel money so its not a total loss.

Spring and soon summer has finally come to Colorado. I have a couple of mares due this month that I am looking forward to seeing their babies by Mack. He is turning into a wonderful horse, but like most of mine right now, he needs more wet saddle blankets! That's my fault but I have been busy keep up with life.

Goose is doing great, too. He will be my mounted shooting horse this year. I have gone to a couple of practice shoots and he is such a good arena horse. Standing next to the trailer is a different story. He doesn't stand still, ever.. But as soon as you saddle him up, he turns into Mr. Business Man, totally professional and totally a gentleman. I am really glad I changed my mine about selling him..

I really need to get some photos of my young stallion prospects. Boy are they looking good! I have two Maverick 3 year olds and a Smug Rawhide 2 year old that are going to be very nice.

There could be some surprises in store this summer. I'll keep you posted.

Cowboy Code

1. Pull your pants up. You look like an idiot.

2. Turn your cap right, your head ain't crooked.

3. Let's get this straight: it's called a "gravel road". I drive a pickup truck because I want to. No matter how slow you drive, you're gonna get dust on your Lexus. Drive it or get out of the way

4. They are cattle. That's why they smell like cattle. They smell like money to us. Get over it. Don't like it I-10, I-40, I-70 and I-80 go east and west, I-17, I-15, I-25 and I-35 goes north and south. Pick one.

5. So you have a $60,000 car. We're impressed. We have $300,000 combines that are driven 3 weeks a year.

6. Every person in the Wild West waves. It's called being friendly. Try to understand the concept…

7. If that cell phone rings while a bunch of geese/pheasants/ducks/doves are comin' in during the hunts, we WILL shoot it outa your hand. You better hope you don't have it up to your ear at the time.

8. Yeah. We eat trout, salmon, deer and elk. You really want sushi and caviar? It's available at the corner bait shop.

9. The 'Opener' refers to the first day of deer season. It's a religious holiday held the closest Saturday to the first of November.

10. We open doors for women. That's applied to all women, regardless of age.

11. No, there's no 'vegetarian special' on the menu. Order steak, or you can order the Chef's Salad and pick off the 2 pounds of ham and turkey.

12. When we fill out a table, there are three main dishes: meats, vegetables, and breads. We use three spices: salt, pepper, and ketchup! Oh, yeah . . We don't care what you folks in Cincinnati call that stuff you eat...
IT AIN'T REAL CHILI !!!

13. You bring 'Coke' into my house, it better be brown, wet and served over ice. You bring 'Mary Jane' into my house, she better be cute, know how to shoot, drive a truck, and have long hair.

14. College and High School Football is more important here than the Giants, the Yankees, the Mets, the Lakers and the Knicks, and a dang site more fun to watch.

15. Yeah, we have golf courses. But don't hit the water hazards - it spooks the fish.

16. Turn down that blasted car stereo! That thumpity-thump crap ain't music, anyway. We don't want to hear it anymore than we want to see your drawers! Refer back to #1!

UPDATING THE WEBSITE

Finally, I am adding new photos and updating the web site. I have heard from many of you, "When are you going to update the website?"..Patience my friends, all comes in good time. The weather is getting better, the horses are shedding and the time has come to start taking photos again! Keep checking back..