11/6/05 Sunday

I had big plans of getting back out to canyon creek and ride for strays but it just never happened. Nate and Leasha hauled a couple loads of calves to the sale this weekend and picked up more hay on their way back. Lyndsey was in Albq. until Tuesday picking up her dad and step mom who flew in from Fl. Then they left again on Thursday. Don stuck around till Thursday helping with chores and spending some time working fence with me so we could turn the calves out into the water lot. The Elk had messed the fence up pretty good over the summer. We also spent a couple days going back to town a couple times taking care of some business. Mostly scrapping up every penny we had to pay the mortgage. But hurrah it’s all caught up with and we are here another year.

Once everyone was gone I spent two days shutting down the guest camp. Drain lines, shutting valves, turning off gas and appliances. It’s kinda a sad thing to do. You know summer and fun are over and no it’s time to get ready for a long winter.

The weather just continues to amaze me. It’s September again. Normally we have had snow by now, often a bunch of it. It’s warm and dry and almost no wind day after day. The nights are getting a bit cooler, down to the upper teens a few nights.

I’m not sure if I mentioned we got another dog, a Rottwieller or how ever you spell it. She’s a year old, was a friend of a friend who was moving. This dog is so sweet and oh so damn stupid it’s amazing.

Townes likes her all right, enjoys the rough and tumble play but even she looks at this new dog sometimes with an expression of “how can you be sooo dumb!” The dog came with the name Shiva, I would not have a dog named Shiva so we call her Tack. She stinks too. Dobermans, Pit bulls, and Rottwiellers all must have some stink oil in their skin. Besides that she farts all the time. Needless to say she sleeps outside. She’s our outside security and Townes will take care of anyone who makes it in the door.

11/14/05 Monday

I rode with Nate and Lyndsey the first couple days of last week hunting up the small pairs we had left out in Canyon Creek pasture. We found 32 pairs and got them hauled home having some log days doing it.

The weather held just as nice as it has been.

On Wednesday Maggie and I each hauled a load of our Grade A calves to the sale then dropped off one truck and both trailers and headed to Amarillo for four days of the WRCA Ranch Rodeo World Finals. It was a great time as usual and to top it off for the first time a team from New Mexico won it.   They are from just south of Silver City.

The rodeo show is always exciting and the trade show is a wallet drainer. My wallet was pretty thin but I did get a pair of brass Monel stirrups, which I have been coveting for years. They look great on my saddle since all the hardware on it is brass also.

It was great to get away, be around other cow folks and have such entertainment but it was also good to get back home. There is still a lot to get done. We have to find the strays in Canyon Creek and have to move all the cattle we put into Pitchfork pasture over into 7Hl pasture before the weather gets too bad.

While I was gone Nate hauled Vaquero to his new owners who met him in Las Cruces. Our many time guests Mark and Katchen from Kerrville, Tx bought him and we are so happy he’s going there. Vaquero is a touchy horse and over the years he and Mark have gotten along great. Better than anyone who ever rode him. When he asked about buying him I made a great price and got him a great new home. One horse sold, only twenty more to go.

Also while we were gone Nate and Lyndsey had a nasty chore to deal with. I mentioned we had started banding our calves instead of cutting them to castrate. We did this in early October after one bled out and also I was worried about the calves smelling of blood attracting the wolves. I had not banded before cause I’d always heard horror tales of bad bandings. The horror arrived here. The bands didn’t stay tight enough so it didn’t stop all the blood flow. The scrotums blew up like balloons and edema set in. So they spent a couple days sorting the bad balled calves and putting them through the chute and cutting them. It was pretty nasty business. Nate couldn’t handle it. It was too gross for him so of course cowgirl Lyndsey was the one on her knees and up to her elbows in it.

11/15/05 Tuesday

I loaded up Gambler, Dakota and Zane along with food and water and headed out to Canyon Creek Camp. Nate did the same and headed to Fence Tank where he has his camp trailer set up getting that done last weekend.

Our plan is I will keep gathering strays and putting them through Incognito gate and Nate will ride from Fence tank and gather them and take them to 7HL pasture where all our cattle will spend the winter.

It took along time to get everything I needed loaded and out to camp. I didn’t get there till about 2pm so there wasn’t much time to ride so I spent the rest of the day getting my horses settled in and myself settled in the cabin. Resetting things for a one man camp.

11/16/05 Wednesday

I was up early and saddled Zane when the sun was coming over the mountain and we headed over to the west side of the pasture.
Zane was not thrilled to be going out alone so early in the day and bucked off and on for an hour but settled down to be a good ride. We rode the whole east side of Loco mountain and only found four head at Buffalo Soldier tank way up on the mountain. It was a long way over to the gate. Those four cows gave us hell for the first couple hours then they got tired and settled down. Zane is a heck of a good cow horse and did a great job. He’s a four year old and Nate has ridden him a lot over the summer but it’s time for some grad work. I started on leg pressure and by the end of the day he was clicking along just dandy. He has a lot of potential. We got to the gate at dusk and put the cattle through glad to be done with them.

It got dark as we rode back to the cabin and it sure got cold in a hurry. I had my medium jacket with me but still I was chilled to the bone when I got back.

I fed my horses then built a fire and fixed some chilli which I figured would keep me warm all night.

Hi was 55 sunny no wind at all and the low was about 18.

11/17/05 Thursday

Some old friends of mine made a surprise visit from Colorado, Hadn’t see them in yrs. Jim I met when he was a 17 yo aimless kid and he lived with me several yrs. Kinda kept him off the streets.

He is now a doing very well contractor around Telluride. Well he saw my little cabin, felt how cold it was, saw the pile of insulation there and got me to give up riding for the day as we put insulation in the ceiling of the cabin. It took all day but what a difference it made. Six inches of insulation now instead of 1/8th inch metal roofing.

Last night it was 15 outside and 35 inside. A big improvement over the last couple days. I now just have to get some more for the walls and I’ll be toasty in there.

11/18/05 Friday

I was back riding again but kinda slow getting out. It was just to dang cold and I’m now going to just ride waters and see what I can pick up there. I got in the saddle about 10 am after spending the morning putting plastic on my glassless windows.

I rode till 3pm before I found any cattle. I came up with four cows and a bull near Sonny tank on Canyon Creek mountain. It was too late to get them to Pitchfork pasture so I pushed them to camp and put them in the corrals there. I’ll move them tomorrow. It was another rperfect weather day. Chilly in the morning warming to about 50 with no wind at all.