Lately

 Seems like our days are filled with little odds and ends, like yours, that make up a life...a good life.

Celebrating a special birthday

Taking your daughter to work day. 😉          

 

Finding out that my mountain goat needs a new hip

Exploring with Skeet

Building Fences

         

Sneaking in a stitch now and then

Dancing with Daddy

Soaking in the treasured moments

Savoring summer

Mastering new skills

Kicking off a new school year

Keeping everyone fed

Tending to the garden

Horsing around

Praying for rain

Thanking God for the dawning of each new day filled with His presence. Caught this beautiful sunrise while we were out feeding horses the other morning.

Branding Our Calves

Our cows were temporarily in pens at a friend's feed yard and last Monday we headed out well before dawn to brand the calves before hauling mamas and babies to grass across the state line in Texas where they would join our heifers. 

We just had 66 calves to brand

So we called up some friends for the crew

It'd been 16 years since our son had been on the crew

But he fell right back into his flanking position...66 times so he was probably a little sore the next day.

Good horses

Good help

They are handy when it comes to swinging a rope

It takes just 30 seconds for the calf to be cut (if he's a bull calf), vaccinated, and branded

The crew has been doing this for a long time

Cows and calves were loaded on the truck and headed for green pasture

With a little ingenuity, I managed to set up a spot to keep the queso warm in the crockpot. 

I hauled a table and chairs and we had a good, shady dinner spot

It was a good way to spend the day

What We've Been Up To

 Last Thursday we had our HVAC system serviced. Thankfully, it just needed to be rewired so that it would communicate with the thermostat so it won't cost an arm and a leg, but service calls are not inexpensive since it's 50-60 miles out here.

As Joseph was leaving, with cookies 😉, the dump truck with base material for some road prep showed up.Traffic jam at the end of the dirt road

Fabric is expensive these days, but so are rocks.

DH wanted to build up the road a bit and change the grade

to help divert rain water away from the  cattle guard he and our boy installed on Friday

I told DH I felt fancy

We've got another cattle guard to install later this week, but we were pulling everything together to brand our calves on Monday so other projects were postponed.

That means lists and phone calls were made on Friday. Brand inspectors, health papers, vaccine, trucks, confirm dates and times with everyone on the crew as well as the owner of the grazing lease. Lots of moving parts.

A trip to town in separate rigs filled up Saturday for both of us, but lunch out was a treat

I never enjoy going to town, but being in there on Saturday makes me break out in hives. It's just too people-y out there. 😉

And I was in the kitchen on Sunday.

I made salsa

Queso

 48 Buckaroo Bundles

And Cookie Jar Gingersnaps (an old photo, from when I first posted the recipe, that still makes me smile). I was going to make Special K Cookies too, but DH didn't think I needed to make 2 kinds. I was running out of steam by then anyway. 😉

And loaded coolers and everything else I'd need in order to be ready for Monday as DH loaded his rig for everything for branding calves.

I put a note on the fridge to remind us to pack the vaccine in the morning because I don't trust myself to think clearly at 3:30 a.m.

Time on the deck to visit and double check our lists is a good way to close out the weekend

After the Rain

 Monday night we went to bed with the windows cracked open, listening to the sound of a soft rain playing across the tin roof. It's one of my favorite sounds.

And if you're lucky enough to be in the high desert mountains when it rains, the smell will intoxicate you. It's one of my favorite smells.

I woke early Tuesday morning...3:00...too early, yet perfect timing. I could hear another favorite sound from the deck.

I had to wait for daylight to see anything

I walked down close to the dirt tank in my jammies and couldn't see even 1 toad, but the sound was almost deafening.They stop singing when you get close even though you think you are being stealthy. 😉 This doesn't happen often in the desert. It's always cause for happy tears and a grateful heart and today that is especially the case as it was absolutely God's hand and your chorus of prayers that rained down on the fire.

I was excited to hear the morning report from the incident command center, and although he acknowledged the moisture as a blessing it did not put the fire out. It moderated fire behavior conditions for a day or two as they continue their work to mop up, continue clearing, and prep to secure the rest of the perimeter.

I was hoping more rain had fallen in other areas, but they said it averaged 1/2" with a little more on our side and a little less on the south end. Still grateful for every drop.

As of Tuesday morning, the road to town is now open and they have downgraded our 'Go' evacuation status to 'Ready'...both good things.

The fire now sits at 28,750 acres. 46% containment. This morning they reported that firemen were walking every step of the contained lines (the black outline on the east and north end), turning over stumps and piles to insure there are no hotspots or smoldering debris. Currently, that's a distance of 48.3 miles.

Prayers are still welcomed as there are more folks living in the area where the fire has moved into and the folks on the ground and in the air are still working to secure the perimeter. As for us, we are safe and the fire is no longer a threat to our property. We greatly appreciate each and every thought and prayer you sent our way. Thank you. 💖