December

Lyndsey’s dad came down from Maine on the 1st, stayed a few days helping her do some work on her house then they left on the 4th for a dad and daughter road trip back east. I miss her smiling face every morning at the barn. Frank is at the lower H.Q. tending horses down there, we moved down 18 so far, gonna get another 10 more down before Christmas. All the weaned colts and fillies are doing great, eating grain and nickering for it every morning. One we call W.C. a big sorrel with a blaze face is mean as hell, he will kick you in a heart beat, chases the others around, pens his ears at you. He is fearless and will be either a real outlaw or a heck of a horse. I might put him out with the yearlings and let them put him in his place for awhile. We put 23 head of horses out into the traps, last week I went to check them and only found 8. The elk knocked down a gate going into 7HL pasture so they all went out into the big country. I have been out riding a couple days looking for them but with no luck, the days are just too short to really get out and back before dark. The snow clears off that open country fast so there are no tracks to follow and plenty of grass and water so they are on their own and will do fine.

Maggie leaves on the 20th for a few weeks visiting family in Texas and Michigan, she deserves it. Her Christmas orders for her jewelry have kept her busy and over worked for a month or two now, even having to enlist help from Frank and I as well as her regular employee Gene. She will be glad when it’s over but as soon as she gets back it will be time to start cranking for Valentines Day.

Monday, December 25, 2000
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! Hope every one has had a fine one.

I started the day as usual feeding and watering, a little extra for everyone. Then headed in the house planning on enjoying a nice do nothing day by myself. About eleven the dogs started the "people" bark and I looked out to see way down the drive a couple walking with a small child between them. I knew the story, it happens several times a winter....they were stuck somewhere. I drove down to where they were and found that they had gotten stuck the day before near Willow Creek, broken in a forest service cabin for the night and walked the 12 miles to our place that morning. The child was only 5 and had walked every step of the way. Sooooo I spent my Christmas driving them to their house in Apache Creek, about 45 miles...or 2 hours each way. They were teachers at a private ranch based school for problem kids, out driving around with no idea where they were going and no emergency supplies. They hit deep snow and kept going thinking it would get better. They had no map, if they had they would have known that they were headed into country around 10,500 ft. elevation. No one goes there this time of year! He must have told me a hundred times he had learned his lesson. Well it was not what I had planned to do on Christmas, but the kid had presents waiting under the tree at home and it was the right thing to do. As I drove in the H.Q. the snow started to fall and it really seemed like Christmas.

The past few weeks have been pretty nice, weather has been great. One light snow a week ago otherwise the days are in the 40’s with a sunfactor of 65, one day I worked outside with no shirt just loving it. The nights are in the low teens and upper single digits.

I’ve been riding a bit and have found most of my horses, they are running in 4 groups, I think there should be 24 out there but I’m afraid I really don’t know. Projects around the ranch are all going well, it nice having both my arms back.

W.C., the tough weanling I mentioned before, has become my new best buddy. He is with the yearlings who just kind have run of the whole H.Q., well what’s not fenced for pasture or corrals. As I figured they roused him up pretty good, they didn’t hurt him just pushed him around a bit. I was actually surprised, I thought they would have been rougher. But he still follows them around, being a shadow. Down to the shipping pens, up to the guest corral, down to the pond, up on my front porch. But if he sees me out doing something he eases on over but I just ignore him. It makes him crazy; soon he is all over me wanting so much to be accepted. When I finally give him recognition he is putty in my hands.

Chile I’m glad to report is doing great, six months after his injury he is ready to get out of solitary confinement and will be back working this spring.

Within 100 yards of the house in various corrals and pastures there are 7 weanlings, 4 yearlings, 3 two year olds and 3 three year olds. As well as a mule and two 6 year old geldings. With all those young horses it is a comedy act around here every where you look. Feed pan tug of wars, nip and duck, kick my ass- kick your ass, knock the cat in the water tank. Just all kinds of goofy juvenile horse antics that keep you laughing all day.