It’s hard to believe that 2011 is nearly over. I get so wrapped up in my day to day life, raising kids and cattle, that I forget time is steadily marching on and before I know it a new year is fast approaching.

Last night, my son asked me what my New Year’s Resolution is for 2012. I told him I had no idea and I would have to get back to him later. After I tucked the kids into bed I had some time to reflect on 2011 and ponder what 2012 will bring to my family.

For me, this year has been about finding balance. Balance with my family and the ranch. Balance with my work in cattle industry organizations and the daily cooking and cleaning in my home. Balance with church and kids’ school activities.

I will never achieve a perfect balance in my life and that is okay. I have learned that I can’t balance the minutes or hours each day, but on average, over the course of time, there is balance. Looking back over 2011, there were times when I was out of town for meetings and missing my family and the ranch. There were also days when I felt trapped at home immersed in endless laundry, cooking and cleaning. Times when I was riding with my husband and mentally calculating how much time I would need to read the materials for my meeting that evening.

Not a balance every day, but overall in the midst of my wild and chaotic life, there is a balance. That reminds me of a poem by Mary Oliver, The Summer Day. I have this poem pinned to the wall above my desk. The final line reads:

This line reminds me to enjoy the fleeting moments of my life. If I leave my house in disarray or miss a meeting in order to spend the day trailing cows with my family (a wild and precious event) that is not only okay, but it’s a great choice for that day. Consequently, I shouldn’t spend the day fretting about balance. I need to remember that it’s about the small choices I make every day adding up to balance over a longer period of time.

Not exactly a resolution, but I am hopeful for a gradual shift in my choices throughout 2012. Continue to focus on balance, but not at the expense of enjoying my “one wild and precious life”.

Happy New Year to you and your loved ones!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. Did Santa arrive at your house? Although there were many discussions about the possibility of waking up to coal on Christmas morning, Santa is apparently a kind-hearted (and forgiving) soul. Toys were delivered and gifts unwrapped.

We ate cinnamon rolls and drank hot cider (kids) or coffee (me). Lounged around in comfy clothes for a couple of hours. Then we went back to work: Break ice for the cows and deliver a little protein block to the heifers.

My husband’s family is all here for Christmas this year and we have spent the past few days together. Yesterday we went sledding.

In Nevada.

The kids’ hopes for a white Christmas did not come to fruition. (My husband informed the kids that that simply proves he has more pull with Santa than they do.)

So, we bundled the kids, grabbed our sleds and set out in search of snow yesterday afternoon. After thirty minutes we found the perfect spot. After another thirty minutes of unloading and hauling our gear to the top of the sled hill, the kids climbed on their sleds and took off down the hill.

Only to land in the sagebrush barrier at the bottom.

For some of the little ones it was nearly a twenty minute hike from the bottom of the hill back to the top. But, they were still grinning when they climbed onto their sled for the next ride.

This is my favorite photo of the day. I love the orange baling twine on the handle. I love that my son has once again pulled off his mittens, despite my pleading to leave them on his cold little fingers. I love that my brother in law rode down the hill with my son and pulled him back up the hill on the sled.

The older cousins were not impressed with the tame hill that the parents and younger kids were conquering. They set off on their own, determined to find a steeper hill. I informed my boys that we were a long way from the hospital and I had no plans to drive to town today, so please don’t injure yourselves.

Amazingly, they listened!

We are off to enjoy another day of fun in the snow.

Merry Christmas to each of you!

Earlier this month, my husband spent a few days in Montana at a large cow sale. It is an annual sale and this year they sold 6500 head of bred cows in two days. Traditionally, the cows that come through this sale are good cows and this year was no exception. My husband bought two pens of bred heifers that we are quite excited about.

When my husband abandons me and the kids for several days, we often find ourselves roaming around missing Dad looking for something fun to do.

It’s always interesting what we come across that the kids want to play on.

Have I mentioned that we don’t have a lot of playground equipment in our back yard? Who needs it when we have old creep feeders to climb on and bulldozers to pretend to drive?

The heifers spent a few days in a pen at the feedlot while adjusting to life on our ranch. Although the kids and I missed him while he was gone, I admit he did buy some great heifers. They have been AI bred and I am excited to see their calves.

There is only one small catch with his recent purchase: the heifers are set to calve January 20th!

Needless to say, we are both hoping for a No-Snow-January.  (I’m keeping my fingers crossed that Santa will deliver the white Christmas the kids have been asking for!)

I have been missing from the blog world for most of the month of December.

Glancing at my calendar it doesn’t appear any more crammed with activities than it usually does. But somehow, the rush of Christmas approaching, last-day-of-school festivities, last minute gifts to make or buy and the annual baking/candy making that the holidays bring has overwhelmed me this year.

And the ranch. Calves to feed, protein block to haul out, ice to break, heifers to sort and bills to pay. Other than the bills, my husband and the cowboys tend to the other ranch chores. However, my three year old and I often tag along after tackling our own chore list.

It was a relief on Saturday when my husband requested assistance moving cows. Getting out of the house (thus abandoning my kitchen, cleaning, gift-wrapping, daily refereeing…) and working with the livestock is just what I needed. My husband ran horses into the corral and the kids spent a little time with their horses– scratching noses, patting necks and combing manes before climbing on and going to work. It was a great afternoon.

After looking at these pictures can you guess what my kids want for Christmas?

Snow!

They are hoping to spend their Christmas vacation sledding and skiing with their cousins. (But don’t tell my husband! He is thoroughly enjoying a No-Snow December!)

In the late fall after gathering the cattle and bringing them off the mountain, we spend a lot of time re-riding. We are always a few head short when we arrive at the fall or winter range. Phone calls are made to neighbors inquiring if they have seen any of our lost yearlings. Cowboys drive around hoping to spot a yearling or two.

My husband was turning off water in the pipelines when he found these six yearlings. A couple of days later he took one of our cowboys, loaded up their horses and went after the yearlings.

Apparently these heifers were quite content all by themselves on the mountain, because they were not happy to discover two cowboys riding up to them. It took a little convincing, but they eventually ended up at the corral and were loaded into the trailer.

Upon their arrival at ranch headquarters, they were preg checked, vaccinated and reunited with the rest of the yearling heifers.

Re-riding is a tedious job for some cowboys and others consider it one of their favorite assignments. Either way, it happens year after year. Rarely do we gather yearlings off of the mountain and not miss at least one or two.

We have learned over the years that when a neighbor asks if we have all of our cattle gathered that the correct answer is never “Yes”.

Because, inevitably, our neighbor will respond, “Does that mean I can keep the two that are in my corral right now?”

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. My family and I spent a few days at my parent’s home in Wyoming. We were celebrating my younger sister’s wedding! It was a special day and a fabulous event. I had a very important job for the big day: Mother of the Flower Girl.

This may not seem like a job of crucial importance, indeed it does not carry the same level of responsibility (stress) that the Mother of the Bride assumes. But don’t underestimate the importance of making sure the Flower Girl is well rested, well fed and doesn’t lose the basket of petals before the ceremony begins.

Plus the stress of keeping her dress clean for the entire afternoon and evening?

Unimaginable!

Now let’s talk about the iPad that is waiting for a new home! Thank you for the great responses in telling me what technology you absolutely cannot imagine living without. Your answers ranged from indoor plumbing to cameras to internet access to smart phones.

My husband and I were discussing what form of technology we use on the ranch that we could not imagine living without. We agreed it is the combustible engine. Operating the ranch without tractors, pick-ups, swathers or backhoes… that would be a LOT of work!

Today’s winner was chosen at random (my three year old selected one of the comments that I printed, cut into strips and threw in a basket) from the comments on the blog and on Facebook. The winner is: Trish!

Trish’s comment:  My laptop. I got a chance to try an ipad and loved it but have not been able to buy one. I don’t know what I would do if I could not read blogs.

Congratulations Trish!

While visiting with a friend the other day, I mentioned that our cows winter outside. She gave me a peculiar look and said, “What do you mean outside?”

Good question.

Our winter range is at a low elevation and doesn’t receive too much snow. The bulk of our cow herd spends the winter months on this range grazing on the available grass. We do not haul hay out to these cows.

We do, however, supplement them with protein. Cattle need protein in their diet mainly to feed the microbes in their rumen (stomach). The microbes break down and ferment the forage that cows eat daily.

We provide our cows with protein blocks and lick tubs to increase their protein consumption.

The molasses in these lick tubs have 30% crude protein and the cows love it.

When we unloaded these tubs the cows started trotting our way. They lined out and within a couple of minutes they were enjoying their molasses.

We also provide the cattle with salt blocks. Cattle need this trace mineral year round.

The best thing about always having salt blocks around? Convenient seating is always available.