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. 🙂
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.
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!
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. 🙂
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! 🙂
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. ♥
Grazing With a View
Spotted these grazers out of the dining room window. Not sure if that’s a standoff or just a pause while chewing. 🙂
We’ve had a break from the snowfall. If there isn’t snow, there’s wind, which has thankfully warmed us up. But it’s overcast with the wet stuff in the clouds and it’s definitely on the way. We’re getting close to calving season too. With a storm on the horizon, I better get ready!
Poetry in Motion
Poetry in Motion
Nothing much prettier than than a horse walking though the snow at sunset.
Drift Bustin’
As I reflect on our last storm, just last week, big snow flakes are falling outside my window.
The wind had been howling for days, moving the six inches of snow into drifts and rivers and packed the roads with ice. So of course Patrick said, “let’s take a drive to the hills”. I bundled up, we buckled up and took a drive in the comfort of the truck. No ATV this time for me.
This is what’s called a blizzard. A ground blizzard. It doesn’t have to be actively snowing to be a blizzard. The wind was blowing 25 to 30 mph with gusts up to 60 mph.
As soon as the truck made a track, it drifted back in.
We came out of the hills and had a great view of the blowing snow on and below Squaw Mountain.
Closer to home, the snow was whipping around hay bales.
I find it spooky yet fascinating when the snow blows. It dances in swirls all over the road creating a scene from a scary movie or a disco. It’s dangerous if you aren’t careful navigating through it, but pretty groovy to watch.
We busted through a couple of drifts to get down to the meadow to feed the cows. But that isn’t blowing snow you see surrounding the cattle. The snow and fog you see around them is a result of their hot breath and a wide open run straight for us.
When the wind comes up, it warms us up. It took a couple of days but we warmed right up into the 40’s and most of the snow melted. It finally stopped blowing some time in the early morning this morning and then, the snow started to fall. And so the cycle continues.
Keep toasty, y’all!
Wyoming Windchill
We are in full on winter mode. It is serious. We’ve had temperatures and wind chills well below zero. Like 20 and 30 degrees below zero.
It makes the horse frisky. He throws his head up and down while running alongside the truck.
And the cattle have become cowscicles. But just look at those round bellies. They are weathering the storm beautifully. We cake them daily and they get a fresh bale every other day.
At times, we can’t even see the mountains.
The deer are sporting their full winter coats.
At sunset a couple nights ago, when temperatures barely made it to zero during the warmest part of the day, the river looked like a hot spring with steam billowing out of it. Patrick said he’d be glad to watch me take a dip if I’d like to.
I passed.
Where Did the Time Go?
I completely missed the month of November here at Uprooted Magnolia. I’ve missed you, to say the least. But all is well here. Actually, it’s wonderful. My calendar booked up with amazing new and former clients and I’ve had a joyful time with each and every portrait session and wedding. And it just keeps getting better. I am excited to see what the future holds with new and exciting projects on the horizon.
We brought the cattle home from summer pasture and good ole Gray is happy to have everyone back so he can boss them around the meadows.
Fall arrived in all it’s colorful glory and stuck around, extending the portrait season. Then all of the sudden, it turned to winter.
We had a cold snap that turned from chilly to downright freezing last week. Whoa, I hadn’t gotten myself mentally or physically prepared and the air hurt my face. I swear my eyeballs froze. Fortunately the river didn’t freeze completely so we didn’t have to break ice for the cows to get a drink.
Hello winter. And Hi everyone, I hope to be more regular again. ttfn. 🙂
Uprooted Magnolia 
5 comments