From 10/23 on

Where do I begin? It's been a busy week for me. Everything from walking up & down slight slopes looking for a sweatshirt (that I am happy to say we found), to moving some cows back where they are supposed to go, to rattling around in the mini truck, plus the awful winds Monday & Yesterday.

We'll start with the hunt for the sweatshirt. Mom had it tied on the back of her saddle the weekend before last & it slipped off. So, we took the four wheeler & to look for it, but unfortunately, the pasture she'd lost it in had no accessible gates. Off on foot we went, with me waddling like a drunk duck the whole way. After some stumbling around, voila, we found it.

Then we had a handful of cows where they weren't supposed to be. We unloaded the four wheelers from the trailer, & off we went. After locating the cows the folks started calling & shaking the cake sack at them while I followed, helping keep the cows on the right track. I could hear one of "the girls" let out an occasional bawl. The rattle of the sack of cottonseed cake could be heard also. Finally we got the cows where they belong.

After that we went home to enjoy a feast of delicious Chinese food. Oyster beef, crab Rangoon, & soup made with Ramen noodles & fresh vegetables. It was all scrumptious, from the crunchy sweetness of the cream cheese filled Rangoon, to the bold flavor of the oyster beef, & the warmth of the soup.

Sunday Dad & I took the Japanese mini truck up to check on the Brangus cows (for better explanation, brangus is a cross between a Brahma & an Angus). We had a good time getting some firewood too It would have been better had the mini truck been running right.

Monday the winds were terrible. So terrible they ripped down power lines, which started an 8 acre fire. Luckily no homes were lost, but I still hate to see land burn. Yesterday was pretty boring. That's my week so far. How is yours coming along?

This weekend: 10/16 & 17th

This weekend my parents & some friends gathered cows & sorted off the bigger calves to ship.I figured I would be in the way, so I stayed home while they gathered the first bunch. Mom & I rode the four wheeler (quad, ATV, whatever) & led the second bunch in to a set of corrals.  I could hear the cows bawling & Mom telling me to stop or go as she shook the sack of cotton seed "cake" (about 1/2 inch in diameter by 2 inch long pellets) to chum the cows in. They almost got away from us & ran up a canyon, but the sound of that sack shaking and Mom letting out a soft "whoooooooo" brought them back. With the help of the riders, we got the cows to the corral without further problems.

After we had the cows loaded in the stock trailers. I rode Pardner around some, but he was being a jerk, wanting to go back to his fellow horses, so I only  rode for a few minutes. All in all, it was a good weekend.

Being a true friend

I am blessed, my friends. Blessed with a lot of true friends. These friends are the kind of people who will Instant Message me out of the blue & ask how I am doing. They have their own problems to deal with, but they make time for mine. For this I am forever grateful. I just hope I am doing the same. So let me ask you this, dear reader, are you a true friend to others?

The trip to Carlsbad

We took my new car on down to the town of Carlsbad on Saturday since the folks had never been there. I think they were amazed at all the oil wells in the Permian Basin. We ate KFC in the park, joined by the Grackle & Squirrels looking for a handout of some biscuit. I slept most of our little journey in the front seat, sleeping without dreams, under the comfort of the leather & air conditioning.