Cow Country
I was contacted by Liz from The Farm Paparazzi who needed a cover photo for the winter issue of Cow Country. I looked through my archives but wasn’t really satisfied with what I already had. So what did I do? I scheduled with my neighbors to join them and the ranch dogs during their morning feed.
I went over around Christmas after days and days of snow. It. Was. COLD.
It made for great winter photographs, however, and hopefully makes one appreciate what ranchers and farmers do to bring food to our kitchen table.
Try not to shiver while viewing these.
Ranchers don’t take snow days off. It is crucial that they get up and out the door at daylight to get food on the ground. With this much snow, their isn’t much grazing for the cattle so they must be supplemented.
The girls were happy to see us and gobbled the hay right up.
Bree gave her approval of a job well done.
And now for the cover image….
They feed a mineral cake similar to what we feed our cows but theirs is ground up.
I am thankful to my neighbors for letting me hang out and take pictures while they worked so hard feeding their livestock. 🙂
The First Calf Has Landed
So happy our first little one was born without any issues for this first time mother.
Calving season has begun. Here we go…
Shades of Gray
I wouldn’t be able to find the ole gray horse during a snow storm if he closed his soft eyes. 🙂
We have a few inches of snow on the ground and they’re calling for wind today. It’s already blowing in several parts of the state and even close to our place, but just not yet here on the river bottom. I like the snow, but blizzards make me nervous. I am thankful to be working from home and I say a little prayer for those having to be on the roads today.
Stay warm, friends!
All Is Quiet
Happy New Year, my friends! All is quiet and frozen in our corner of paradise.
We had a white Christmas with a lovely snowfall.
I mean, some may not think the snowfall is lovely, but I sure like it from time to time.
Snow showers have been off and on during this entire holiday season but I think I am finally ready for a warm-up. Temperatures have been mostly in the low teens during the day and below zero during the nights.
This first morning of the New Year is a frosty 10 degrees.
We may be in luck with warmer temps later this week. Fingers crossed! 🙂
I want to wish you all a very Happy 2018. May happiness, good health and true peace be with you and yours.
Cheers and Love,
Leah
Squaw Mountain and Moon
The wind is bringing us a little snow storm today.
I don’t mind snow, but I prefer this.
I want Fall to hang on a little longer.
♥
Songs of Autumn
The sky is a busy highway with Sandhill Cranes flying from pond to pond, same with the geese. Seems all of the creatures are scurrying around getting ready for winter.
I took a walk through the meadows now that the biting bugs have all gone.
All that is left is tall grass swaying in the breeze and red-winged blackbirds swarming, swooping, and singing the songs of autumn.
The meadows will be full of cattle once we bring them home from the mountains this week. I love fall time in Wyoming.
Harvest Moon
Our Harvest Moon peeked out from the clouds last night. It was a beautiful sight.
Happy Friday!
BARk- Kindness Ranch
I continue to sit here with a huge lump in my throat after hearing the heartbreaking news of the senselessness in Las Vegas. The evil that this person unleashed is unfathomable and my heart aches for the victims and their family and friends. And yesterday I just sat here, numb, trying to process. So today I thought I would share a project I worked on this summer to remind myself, and to share with you, that there are still good people in the world with this glimpse into some goodness here in the tiny town of Hartville, Wyoming.
Kindness Ranch and Animal Sanctuary is a safe haven for former laboratory research animals to be rehabilitated and if all goes well, be adopted into a loving home. The article in the fall issue of BARk Magazine by Rebecca Wallick focuses on the great people that work and volunteer on the ranch as well as some pretty awesome animals. I hope you will take the time to read it. It will give you all the feels that you may be needing right about now.
Click on any of the article illustrations below to see a legible version of the story. I hope you enjoy this.
Love and Peace,
Leah
♥♥♥
Autumn Sunburst
I’m going to pretend that I haven’t been absent from this blog for two months and just leave you with this.
I just love a good sunburst through the cottonwood trees. It’s fall y’all!
Pheasant Friend
I got a call the other day about this pheasant that has taken up residence on a nearby ranch. He always greets them when they are headed out to the pasture to cut hay.
But it isn’t really a greeting. He is actually protecting his hen and baby chicks. He will chase you down and peck you if he can get close enough- like when you have to close a gate. Yeow!
He is a beautiful bird and I hope he and his family will continue to be safe.
Intense Summer Storms
It’s that time of year for intense storms with cloud-to-ground lightning. Last night was just that with a lot of lightning and some rainfall. We pray the ground is wet in all of the places it hit.
Summer Evening Walks
I feel like I’m walking through a watercolor during our summer evening hikes. ♥
Under Lingering Storm Clouds
The radar was red, yellow and green with constant severe weather alerts on our phones throughout yesterday afternoon. I had my cameras and my storm emergency kit in the basement with me, bracing for impact. As I watched and listened, I heard a really hard rain then it was quiet. I refreshed the radar and low and behold, the storm took a turn from our place and headed straight to town. While we were spared the brunt of the storm, our little town was hammered with golf ball to softball sized hail. Many folks I know have broken windshields, broken windows, dented cars, and a lot of damaged property. As far as I know, we did not have a funnel cloud touch down near us although there were plenty that touched down around the state. The weather service did an incredible job of informing us of the bizarre weather patterns early on Monday and we were able to be prepared well before it hit.
We took a drive to the meadows in the evening to check on the herd while storm clouds still lingered over us.
The main reason we came down was the pluck this fella out of the meadow and bring him to the barn. He’s been “off-duty” for at least a year so as you can see, he’s put on a few pounds. Patrick needs him to do a little cattle work this weekend so Gray needs some saddling and warm-ups before Patrick gets on.
Amazingly, he let us catch him and Patrick walked him to the barn without incident.
No, that’s not dust on your screen, but cotton flying in the wind. It was a gorgeous sunset in spite of the crazy weather.
But while I was walking back the the house, there was another boomer forming in the southeast.
Today is cooler and the wind is blowing. I believe they are experiencing snow in the mountains Yellowstone. It’s not quite summertime folks. But soon, very soon!
#uprootedmagnolia
Hello friends of Uprooted Magnolia! I hope you all are doing well.
We’re still here and warmer weather has finally arrived. Calving is almost done and we are so thankful that everyone is thriving. I have been absent from here because business has been, well, busy and… drumroll please…. I have finally joined Instagram, thanks to the encouragement and messages from many of you. 🙂
I will continue posting here on the blog with current images and goings on but on the Instagram page, I am pulling from the UM archives. It’s so much fun reliving these images starting all the way back in 2010. If you are on IG, I hope you will join me. If not, that’s okay, I’ll still see you here on the bloggity.
Hugs,
Leah
Two Eagles Sharing a Limb
March was a proper spring weather month. Little to no snow, warm temperatures and sunshine. A perfect start for the calving season. The meadowlark arrived singing the song of spring, red-winged blackbirds fluttered all over the meadows and cranes and geese announced themselves with their loud calls. April is a different story. We’ve had a lot of rain and snow showers. The snow isn’t sticking much but mud is up to my ankles everywhere I step.
After getting my count of the cows and calves this morning, I looked up and saw two eagles sharing a limb. This snow melted quickly but it’s still spitting out there. It should warm right up tomorrow and the rest of the week. The calves will appreciate that. We will too. 🙂
Park Pride
I hadn’t planned on writing again about my visit up to Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Teton National Park but I was inspired by the company, Cotopaxi, to share a little bit of my Park Pride. And since it’s still chilly and I’m in the thick of calving, it’s nice to revisit a warmer time!
Cotopaxi is a company focused on spreading positive vibes and encouraging people to live actively and get outside. They’re also a benefits corporation focused on giving back. A percentage of every sale goes to various organizations that support global health initiatives, and their hiking backpacks help provide the most aid.
Now, the actual date of the 100th Anniversary of National Parks was August 25, 2016 but hey, we can continue the celebration, can’t we? I think so. In fact, last month, Yellowstone marked it’s 145th anniversary.
We went Yellowstone in late May last year which was a great time to see the newborn Bison calves.
We hiked on paths around the Geysers and they were breathtaking. Not just because of their beauty, but because they wreaked of sulfur!
The wildlife is certainly wild, but also quite cute.
And of course, there is always Old Faithful. Incredible to experience.
I was thrilled with Yellowstone but I think my favorite part of the trip was The Grand Tetons.
The word majestic doesn’t even do them justice. And neither do photographs. You must go and visit them for yourself.
Where the antelope run through tall sagebrush,
where the water of Schwabacher’s Landing reflects the peaks,
…and where wildflowers line many hiking paths.
The Grand Tetons stole my heart. If you want a refresher on our adventures in Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons, go ahead re-visit my posts. (start here for Yellowstone and and here for Tetons) Who knows, maybe they will inspire you to hit the road and visit a National Park this year! 🙂
I do want to mention that I am a cheerleader for State Parks as well. When you are on the road, headed for a National Park, instead of RV’ing or camping at a side of the road camping facility, park your RV or camp in a tent at a state park instead. It can at times be less expensive and most always be more enjoyable. I traveled Wyoming in 2014 for a project with the State and 9 times out of 10, folks were headed to Yellowstone. And all of those families had planned their route to Yellowstone by locating and staying at State Parks along the way. They said they wouldn’t do it any other way. I have to agree!
Cheers and happy exploring!
Please not that this post was inspired by Cotopaxi. This is not a paid advertisement for the National Parks Services or for Cotopaxi. Opinions and photos are strictly my own. I’m just sharing my #parkpride. 🙂
20 inches and still counting
We’re in it. Knee deep.
We are in the middle of a winter storm that is almost debilitating.
To feed the cattle this morning, Patrick had to drag the bale to flatten the snow to have somewhat of a lane to roll the bale and spread cake.
The cake still went down into the snow but a good bulk of the cattle worked at it to get a few mouthfuls.
The hay was fluffy enough to sit on top of the snow so I’m sure they are getting enough. And it will give the calf a little something to lay on, off of the snow.
It’s up to my knees in some places and up to my waist or higher in the drifted spots. This one is a doozy, folks. I just really want the snow to stop coming down. We’ve got enough. Uncle! I haven’t seen this much snow since we moved off the ranch in the hills in April of 2013. Maybe more than that. C’mon summer! 🙂
In the Snowy Rolling Hills
You guess it. The sky dumped more snow yesterday. But there is a report that it will warm up by the end of the week. A girl can dream, right?
One ear hearin’ and one ear listenin’. 🙂
Sleeping aspens in the snow.
Reese Mountain has been a favorite of mine since I moved to Wyoming. I love the texture and the lines.
Ah, those rolling snowy hills. Home.
Same Angle, Different Day
We had a heck of a snow storm roll in last week. But first, I woke up to a solid sheet of ice out here at our place. A friend and I were to travel that morning and the snow wasn’t predicted until later in the day. The ice should have been our clue to stay home but this trip was a must for my friend for a dental appointment. By the time we hit the road heading south at 0:dark thirty that morning, the snow started to fall. But the further south we got, it cleared up. On the way home, heading north, it was a different story. Our vehicle hit black ice and we lost control. We fishtailed, crossed the median and twirled around finally landing in the southbound lane. Fortunately we weren’t hurt and there was only one vehicle on the road. He was able to avoid us because he was, thankfully, paying attention. Later that evening when heading out to do chores, I took a spill on the ice and landed on tailbone, further aggravating an injury that happened years ago. I’ll tellya, it was so good to get chores done, get inside the house, load up the wood stove and go to bed. That day just needed to end. I’m still stiff and sitting on a donut a week later.
I told my Dad about that mess of a day and he said “and after all of that, you still aren’t convinced to move back to Georgia?”
Not a chance, Dad. Not a chance.
We’ve got calves getting ready to drop in less than a month. ♥
Uprooted Magnolia 
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