Happy Birtday Solomon!

Going on 40 (well, getting darn close) and living life to the fullest. Still camping, going to Heavy Metal concerts, the players being older than me, and rising to the challenges of this mad, mad world.

Text and pictures © 2008 Mona E. Dunn

Family, Critters, and Neighbors

My sister Becky made the long ride out from Nevada to pick up some Double MD hay and a 4 horse trailer we'de been wanting her to have. I truly enjoy the sister bonding in our adult lives that we weren't able to have as children. The cats had discovered a rabbit nest and were playing with the fourth one I'de seen around and we managed to save it. Becky became attached despite Clark's admonitions that they rarely survived captivity.



The last couple days I suspected that something besides insects were devouring my roses. Not a trace of petal could be found. We have observed a mangy guest in the barn the last couple days and I suspect that he has an appetite for them.




We have been enjoying having Sindy and her boys, Seth and Ezra, as neighbors this summer. They are quite colorful and full of life. They spend much of the year travelling between her father's farms aiding in his operations. She often comes bearing gifts of cookies or eggs.




I bought four dozen ears of sweet corn from a local farmer to freeze. I was so sweet, fresh from the field, that you really didn't even need to cook it except to warm it for the butter. A little time consuming but I think I'll have to go back for more.



Text and pictures © 2008 Mona E. Dunn

Don't need a weatherman to let us know fall is approaching. This morning there were about 30 ducks on the pond compared to our every day two plus four ducklings. Three cormorants have also spent part of the summer fishing here.

I love to create a picture of wine on the deck during a fantastic sunset and hard work rewarded by the fruits of one's labor but life on the ranch is not without it's heartaches. Expensive machinery repairs and down time when things don't work is hard enough to accept. The uncontrollable and unpredictable weather can and usually will upset your well laid plans. But I think the hardest trial to come to grips with is the human-to-animal relationship. Being stewards of the land and large livestock you are faced with many responsibilities and can only hope for the wisdom to come to make wise decisions.

So I must share some of the overshadowing aspects of the last months because these things are part of my life and in all fairness I guess these events must be shared.

We lost two calves early on when one, born late one snowy night, ended up on the other side of the fence where the mother couldn't dry it off and we found it frozen in the morning. Another cow was unable to deliver and the vet pulled the calf out backwards. The latest cow delivered her calf in July with both front feet turned under. In order to keep an eye on it Clark had to carry it from the swamp in the back to drier ground below the house. Most times this impairment corrects itself in a short time but we soon realized this was different. We tried wrapping the feet for support but after four or five weeks the condition deteriorated.

One foot got a little stronger but the other fell off completely. Hoping the stump would callous over before any infection might set in we watched to make sure his mother would come around to feed him a couple times a day which she did. He couldn't keep up with the wanderings of the herd so he would bed down all day under one of the russian olive trees isolating himself from his peers. That was sad of itself. Then a couple days ago I noticed his "good" leg had a large sore aggravated by the flies. There was really no way to keep up with his care without great unrecoverable expense. Clark had to put him down. My small personal relationship with him as caregiver saddened me considerably. But, I am relieved that his unfortunate existance is over.
Meanwhile another calf was discovered to be bloated which can be terminal if not corrected immediately. Called the vet and he suggested putting a piece of garden hose down his throat to expell some of the gas, then a dose of penicillin. We did this a couple of times with temporary results. Then we poured a quart of mineral oil down the hose in case of constipation. Finally as a last resort, Becky and I hauled him to the vet clinic to have a permanent stint inserted into his belly. I don't think I'll gross you out with those details. But he has a premanent blow hole on the left side so you probably don't want to be caught unawares standing on that side of him.

The good news is that his appetite has improved although I still feel bad due to his isolation from the herd. Every day I go in and rinse the digested residue off of his side, apply fly spray and wipe his face down with Skin So Soft to keep the flies off of his eyes and nose assuring him that it's the latest in scents and he will have the softest face around.

Text and pictures © 2008 Mona E. Dunn

Special Birthday

Back in June Clark got a visit from his grandson for his birthday. Markey Joe, the aspiring fireman, got a taste of farming with Grandpa and a promise to be able to drive the tractor himself as soon as he can reach the petals. When possible he spent the days in the tractor with Clark. Otherwise we spent time feeding the cows, working in the garden and trying to keep cool with the hose. I went to a yard sale and found some fireman's gear which he wore to do all of his chores after that. For a little city slicker he really "cowboyed up"!


Text and pictures © 2008 Mona E. Dunn

What's a Guy Gotta Do for a Drink Around Here?