I Still Feel Twenty-Five

Roundup near Powder Springs Montana 1939

Heading Cattle to Greener Pastures

Merry Christmas

Seven Days

These seven days before Christmas are when I mow

the back section of the ranch. Wide open land

and Handel's Messiah on the radio seem to get me in the

spirit. Long days on a tractor also give me plenty of time

for reflection. I will think of Christmas past celebrated with family,

friends and animals no longer here. I loved them all.  I will think about 

all the parents making great personal sacrifice to insure their

children have presents under the tree then contrast that with
 friends that have been blessed with a bountiful life. I will think
about certain people who have the spirit of giving all
year round then contrast that with my occasional random acts of
kindness. I will think about all the people, and animals, I have met
on Blogger and wish them joy and peace and time.... to reflect.

Klaus Badelt, Master of Crescendo

The songs included in this clip are part of the original soundtrack from the Asian

film "The Promise".  Even if you are not a big fan of Chinese films, this soundtrack

by Klaus Badelt is brilliant. Forget about all the flying around, unless of course you
are into that.

Shipping out

This morning we shipped one of the stallions to PA.

We prepped him for the long ride with leg wraps, a warm

blanket, fresh water and hay.  The driver and Alex secure

the panels while our curious traveler looks on.



First born calf.

Born at dawn, this bull calf is about 8 hours old and is the 

 first of many more to come this winter. I didn't have much time

to take this pic as mom was just behind me and I was in no

mood to go airborn. Three other calves were also born today.

This is also the time of year when coyotes will be out on

night patrol, sometimes even in broad daylight. They are  

so cunning that they will sneek up on a mother and calf then

slowly try to lure the calf away by pretending it wants to play.

But most of the time it's an attack by many under the cover

of darkness.

I'm not a light sleeper but the sound of a coyote war party in

the middle of the night never fails to wake me.

The Taylor Test

Alien

Whenever I check on the herd at night I hope to see

all green eyes reflecting back from my search light. Once

in awhile there will be some other colored eyes mixed in with green,

thats when I reach for the 223 with night vision.

Factory Farm Map

Click Here Factory Farm Map

Some of our broodmare's enjoying the shade

For Willow

The Willows of Massachusetts

Animal willows of November

in pelt of gold enduring when all else

has let go all ornament

and stands naked in the cold.

Cold shine of sun on swamp water,

cold caress of slant beam on bough,

gray light on brown bark.

Willows -- last to relinquish a leaf,

curious, patient, lion-headed, tense

with energy, watching

the serene cold through a curtain

of tarnished strands.

--by Denise Levertov (From the collection, The Life Around Us: Selected Poems on Nature)

Goodbye, Italian style

For Nicholas, in desperate need of an Angel.

This is Huge

Huge is a four year old filly who has returned home after racing up north all summer. She'll be here for some well deserved rest and relaxation in the warm sunshine. Next month we'll have to determine if she will rejoin the race circuit or join the rest of the brood mares. We have made fast friends and I hope she stays.

Ira Hanford (1918-2009) onboard 1936 Kentucky Derby Winner Bold Venture

     By the time I  met Ira, he was already feeling poorly but still found the energy to take his wife Virginia out for a beer at our local watering hole. Although Virginia still stops by once in awhile you can't help but notice that Ira is not sitting there next to her.

     Ira would come alive whenever I would ask him about his life as a jockey. The last time we talked I asked him if he saw the movie Seabiscuit. Tilting back his baseball cap he said,  No, I didn't see the movie, I rode him though. At that moment I became fully aware of who I was having a beer with.

Currently

Remembering: off the Marianos, 1944, Helldivers approaching Yorktown, thanks boys.

Brewster came to us from Montana, last winter a coyote war party removed part of his right ear. Now he's all healed up and ranch ready.

Shane, Pour Danielle

Heavy traffic on the ranch

                                                                           

Lissie: The Longest Road......Gitty Up!

This teller of tales, slayer of dragons, healed by moonlight, she wonders where dragons sleep.

Fairy Tales are more than true;

not because they tell us that dragons exist,

but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.

-G.K. Chesterton

Halloween may not be the best time for a walk in the forrest

I've often wondered where horses come from

It's not country, but I like it anyway

My pick of the week

My pick of the month

Yearling having Xrays

Meet Lissie

I have been listening to this little known artist for years...watch for her, she's about to come alive.
(samples at bottom of page)

Norton Juster's chapped hands

I first met Norton in the early seventies when I hired him and his partner Earl Pope of Juster Pope Associates to design a residence for one of my clients. I was just reminded of how great he was to work with as he was just on NPR discussing his latest book. I remember being at a feed store with him when Norton asked the salesman if he had anything for chapped hands. The salesman handed him some udder creme and said it should take care of it. A few weeks passed and Norton was back at the feed store. How did that creme work out, asked the salesman. Just fine, replied Norton in a straight face, but every afternoon around 5 I have this sudden urge to have my fingers pulled. That is classic Norton Juster. The house I built and he designed was featured in House Beautiful Magazine, April 1979  JD

Handsome boy

Alex and Ryan unloading stallion

Brian and Bill working the herd last spring

A future "Cuttin" horse

Ryan stacking hay, hope this gets us through the winter.

Wayne Rollins, Rollins Ranch

How bout them cowgirls

But her home is 'neath that big blue sky

And the Northern Plains and those other wise open spaces

Now days there ain't as many

Quarter Horse Peter McCue (1895-1923) and Tom Caudill Holding

Ryan starts to roundup the bails

The driver stacks it neatly in the feed room for us.

Morning delivery to the main barn

Yupper, thats Mike out there

Bailing hay around palm trees is a strange site to some ranchers

Spittin one out

12 on the ground, another 190 to go

I hope the lights are working on that John Deere, shadows are getting long

Connecting the remotes

Mike hookin up the bailer at 5pm, it could be a long night for somebody.

I met Roy when I was a kid, Happy Trails pardner

These two wandered off onto 10,000 acres outback, came back six months later looking fine.

I'd settle for a slowdown

International Harvester 1466 pulling a Ruscon 2000

The filling station

Hector watering the trees

Wind-rowed and ready for bailing

Alex loading a colt for a sales prep