April 19 – 25, 2004: No Guests

Monday, April 19, 2004

While I was doing chores I saw that the water storage tank had lost a lot of water, I went and checked it and found that there was none flowing in from the spring.

I saddled up Gambler and headed out to ride the spring line and see if I could find a leak. It didn’t take long, I found a huge pool of water and it was the obvious culprit. I rode back to the H.Q. and put Gambler away, gathered up my tools and loaded the gas powered transfer pump to get the water out of the hole.

Got out to the problem spot and found the pump wouldn’t run, even though I had put winter fuel treatment in it. Back to the shop I go, tear the damn thing apart and clean the carburetor, finally a couple hours later it’s running. I load it back up and drive back out to the leak, get everything set up and pump out the hole.

Then the hard part, digging out a couple feet of cold mud. It was back breaking work but I finally got it done and found the hole in the line where a rock had busted it. I wrapped it with a strip of an inner tube and tightened a couple hose clamps around it, that’s how we fix that old line. By the time I got back to the house there was water running in the tank once again. I love that sound.

The rest of what was left of the afternoon was spent working on the boardwalk, tearing it up and building it back.

Hi 39 lo 19 sunny with a bit of a breeze.

Tuesday, April 20, 2004

I spent the whole day working on the boardwalk, it’s coming along well, I have about half of it done. The rest I will just take out the worst boards and replace them leaving the rest to do as needed during the summer. As needed means whenever some heavy walker breaks one.

Lyndsey got back from her moms late in the day with a fresh supply of food. The cupboards were getting a bit bare.

Maggie has been knocking off work in her studio about 3pm everyday and working on various things around the guest camp. The sort of things I wouldn’t think of doing, like washing curtains and redecorating the cabins.

The fence guys have been working on setting posts for the night lot fence. They aren’t fast but are setting a nice line of straight posts.

The day was warmer about 48 but really windy, sunny all day.

Wednesday, April 21, 2004

Lyndsey and I gathered up all the horses we own off the winter pasture and brought them in the corrals. The farriers are coming to get everyone shod so we had a whole day of horse sorting and shuffling. The brood mares are all up in the house pasture, they are fat and soon to start dropping foals. All the working horses are up at the main corrals; the retirees and the young horses are back out on pasture.

After we got that done I drove over to Hollis’ ranch to pick up W.C. and Annie who have been there getting trained. I rode W.C. first and he was just what I expected him to be. Hollis said he was easy to get going and very mellow. He does it all but at his own easy pace. He will be a great guest ride. Hollis then brought out Annie. She is now a five year old, born here on the ranch, her mother is Belle who worked years for us. I liked her from day one but you know I’m not a big fan of riding mares so she just kept getting put on the back burner till the day we had time to deal with her. Hollis said we really had something special here. He rode her around his arena and I saw what he was talking about. She handled great, super light touch on the rein or with the leg and a world of response. Then he brought in a couple yearling Buffalo he uses to train his horses, they don’t get sour like cattle will. Watching her work them made me glow, she was awesome! Down and moving like a cat, she was all over those buffalo. I swung up in the saddle and couldn’t stop smiling. She moves like Doc did, quick and smooth. Did everything you asked the first time with no hesitation. She has a sliding stop, will spin a hole in the ground, side passes like she’s floating on air. She ropes, drags, ground ties and is just as sweet as could be. I think I may have found my new cow horse, I never thought I’d ride a mare. We will just have to see how she is out in the big country during spring gather.

The farriers were here when I got home and they have a bunch of work ahead of them, they will be here for three days getting everyone shod.

Hi 50 sunny and windy. Lo 18

Thursday, April 22, 2004

Lyndsey spent the day giving the cabins a spring cleaning, one like they won’t get the rest of the season. I went in late in the day and found her on her belly under a bed cleaning the corners with a nailbrush!

My day was spent replacing some windows which had broken some how, I think it was from the logs settling after all that rain and snow and the ground heaving a bit with the wet freezes. It was a real pain in the butt. I had bought the same size but the frames were a bit bigger than the old ones so I had to chain saw the openings just a smidge on all four sides. It took most of the day to get them in.

Late in the day I took Annie down to the bull pen, my oh my what a little horse. She’s just the size I like, about 14.2 hands and just over a thousand pounds. Her trot is one of the best I have ever ridden and she just loved working those yearling bulls around. She is a natural and can read and rate their movements before they even know what they are going to do. She would be an awesome team penning horse if I ever get a chance to get her to one. I definitely have my eye on a couple Working Cowhorse competitions I’d like to take her to. We both had a really great time.

Hi 55 lo 20 another windy day, the worst so far. Gusts to 45 mph steady blow of 25 mph. It’s that time of year again.

Friday, April 23, 2004

Another odd job day, fixing things no one will ever notice I did but would notice if they weren’t done.

The fence guys are putting up a beautiful fence, but I swear if they worked any slower they’d be going backwards. I am not saying a thing though, I know how long it takes to peel the bark off a rail and like I say it’s a fine job they are doing. I just hope they get done before it snows in the fall.

The horses all got shoes and are out in Bearwallow pasture. We will start riding them all next week getting their backs toughened up a bit before the guests arrive and spring gather starts.

A Navajo fella came for a job interview; he was a nice guy and seemed to really want to be a cowboy on a big ranch so we hired him. He will start at the end of next week.

The hummingbirds are back! So I guess our snow is all over for the year, I have never seen them show up and have it snow after they get here. It is a bit earlier than usual so that’s a good sign. The nights are not getting much warmer which is keeping the range from getting really green. But at least the ground doesn’t crunch when you walk on it as it has the last few springs.

Things are progressing well; I think the place will be in better shape come the first of May than I thought a few weeks ago.

Hi 60 lo 22 sunny and less windy.

Saturday, April 24, 2004

I started working on the water system around the guest camp; it’s an all day deal. I had the usual breaks in the cookhouse, it’s an annual affair crawling under that sink and fixing the cold water line. No matter how I drain it and blow it out in the fall, water always collects and freezes and breaks the dang line. But by the end of the day I had hot and cold water in the cookhouse and all the shower house put back together except two service lines that were no good. Lindsey’s boyfriend Vic is coming on Monday and he is going to pick those up for me.

Lyndsey spent the day cleaning again, she’s slow, only getting two cabins done a day but they are sure done well. The fence crew worked three hours then realized it was Saturday and left.

That was pretty much the whole day.

Hi 60 lo 18 sunny and a light wind.

Sunday, April 25, 2004

First thing this morning Lyndsey and I mixed concrete and set all the posts for the new hitch rails. We are replacing the ones at the guest corral and building new ones at the shipping pens. That took till about noon.

After lunch Gambler and I took a long, fast loop out through 7HL pasture checking cattle. Everything looked fat and happy out there. Saw no wolves, just elk, antelope and two coyotes.

Late in the day just after I got home our new help arrived. John and Nina. They brought three nice horses with them. John will be a wrangler and Nina is going to cook till we get a full time person in the kitchen. She cooked at a ranch last year and we would love to have her as our regular but she’ll be teaching school this fall and has to be on the job in August. If any of you know a good cook who would want to join us let me know!

Hi 55 lo 18 sunny and a light wind.