Friday, July 29, 2011

Finally finding some time

Yes I am still out here, only some days I'm not sure just where "here" is!
Since I became the hubby's only help for our livestock contract business my days and weeks have been turned on their ear. What would be days spent around the house working on school work, laundry, housework, my garden and cooking are now spent in the saddle chasing cows and horse from where they are not to be and still trying to fit in laundry, cooking, cleaning, shopping and school work.
Don't get me wrong I am happy that I have been able to be a help to the hubby, but there are days that I just don't want to leave the house anymore. I did manage to get some apple butter, stewed apples and apple pie filling put up a few weeks ago and I have my eye on some tomato sauce in the next few weeks as my tomato plants are getting ready to turn out some nice tomatoes.
This week has been a strange one since the girls are at Grandma's house for two weeks. The house is too quiet at times for my taste. I say that now, but give it a few days after they are back and I'll be wondering what happened to my quiet house!
Calving season is almost a close here finally. Only three or four cows left to calve and then we can brand our short-agers and then just watch them grow until time to ship in the fall. We have been blessed these last few weeks with some fairly regular rain. Most of the rain has been grass rain, the slow steady kind that lets the grass grow tall and green. A few have been what the hubby calls "toad floaters" and they have floated the frogs in the tanks. Which is good since that means that there is water back in our tanks. Water in tanks means that we are not having to haul as much water which takes up so much time that we just can't seem to find anymore.
I have missed writing and posting on my blog and even just having enough time to read the blogs that I follow has been hard to find. I am hoping that will change and I have finally found a new rhythm to follow that will allow for me to get back in the blogging grove.

Friday, July 1, 2011

The darkness

Okay now most of you know that I am not one to complain or let on when things are wrong...but today is just not one of those days.
Our oh so lovely hired help decided to up an quit two weeks ago with no notice, just here are your keys and I'm packed and leaving. When you only have the one help and they leave it puts even more pressure on us as a family. So that leaves me to try and step up to the plate and take on the role of hired help. Spent three days last week in safety training to be able to go with the hubby monitor and remove any trespass livestock on the coal mine just north of our ranch. Besides having the ranch we do contract work with the mine three days a week. So I'm all trained up on how not to get hurt working on a mine site and have been going out with the hubby three days a week. That presents the next problem, what to do with the girls while we are gone... can't just drop them off for a neighbor to watch! My dad had been here for part of the time and was able to watch the girls, but he is gone back home now so we are stuck trying to figure this one out.
Then I'm struggling to take two classes right now to speed up finishing my teaching degree, which at the rate we are going I'm not going to get to use any time soon. Can't take the time to teach if I'm the only help the hubby has on the ranch and off.
Stupid cow got stuck in the mud on Tuesday, got her out. Wednesday she was back in the mud on the other side of the tank, got her out again. Thursday, you guessed it back in the mud and she did not make it after that time. So that means that we are now feeding three calves down at the barn. Finally got the water storage tank in that we ordered 3 weeks ago and were promised would only take 1 week to get in. Got that set up and a line installed to a drinker so that the cows don't have to drink out of the dirt tanks that are drying up because we can't seem to get any rain in a good amount.
I guess I should not complain about that because at least it has rained enough here over the last few months that we have grass growing and the cows have food to eat, but with no water in the tanks there is just only so many places we can put them that has access to water at all. That means hauling water and longer days for the hubby since he is the only one that can drive the water truck. Not sure how much longer our days can get, worked until midnight on Tuesday to get the storage tank set and filled.
The last straw for me was yesterday when I went to go water my tomato plants to find one of them cleaned out of the 20+ tomatoes that had been growing on it by the squirrels. I hate them things, they have eaten my entire garden this year, down to even digging up the seeds before they can sprout! It just seems that everything is pushing down on me and that every time I look up it is to just stare into the darkness. I hate feeling this way and I hate that I'm sitting here complaining about these things when it could be so much worse, but I'm worn and I need to share with someone even if it through this post. I know that everything we are handed there is a way through, but I just can't see the way right now.
Well I am off to go run water for the cows. Then going to try and get some grocery shopping done so that I have food to cook for dinners. Hoping that everything is going good for you and yours. Enjoy the 4th of July weekend.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Gather and Branding with Pictures

Here are some of the pictures from the gathers this year both spring and for branding this last week.
This is from the spring gather when we sorted off the heifers and put the bulls with the herd


Here come the girls


My Char cow and her baby. This will be the last year we have her since she is around 12 years old


Hey what are you looking at?


Making friends

The hubby and Bibble loading a momma and baby




This is from the start of our branding last Saturday.

First customer of the day and the hubby making sure that everyone knows their jobs

Cousin Rick getting another calf for the guys to work


Our oldest runs all the shots and one ground crew while either the hubby or my father in law runs the other

Gotta get things right, so the "boss" does it



The hubby finally gets a chance to rope a few.


Our last calf of the day.
Had a great time branding this year, for once we had plenty of help. There were 4 generations here that day as the hubby's grandmother was able to come out and enjoy the day, my dad and the hubby's dad were both here and Bibble more than pulled her share of the work. Three cousins and one wife were able to come out along with a few friends to lend a hand.
I did not get a chance to get as many close up pictures like I normally do as I was keeping Granny company on the other side of the fence out of the way and then finishing up the lunch for everyone. Ended the day with more calves branded then we thought we had, which is always a good thing. Still have about 30 cows left to drop their calves so we will have to brand again around the end of July, but that time will just be the hubby, Bibble and myself. I am always glad when branding is over as the week leading up to it are longer than normal and busy. Also nice to have an idea how many calves you are going to sell in October since that is the only paycheck you get for the year.
Next week will find me working all the apples that I'm getting on Sunday. Looking to put some away for pies and cobblers and others will go to apple butter and apple sauce. Also going to make some pie crust and get that frozen so when I want to make a pie all is ready for me!

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Wee Bit of Me Wednesday #10

Okay I know that it has been a while since I have done a Wee bit of me Wednesday so here is a new one and on Wednesday too!

{one} what color best describes you + why?
Not sure on this one.

{two} how have you changed in the past year?
We started homeschooling our girls this last year which made me switch my major to elementary education from secondary. Other than just being one year older, not much

{three} have you ever had any surgeries?
Yeah, had both of my girls by C-section.

{four} why did you start your blog?
Friends were asking what it is like to live on a ranch and truly living this far from anyone else it is nice to communicate this way with others from around the country.

{five} what are you looking forward to this summer?
Rain! We need it so badly

{six} do you have any family traditions for the 4th of July?
We normally have a BBQ at the ranch with family and when it is not so dry we have our own fireworks show here.
 
{seven} what’s something new that you’ve tried in the past few months?
Can't think of one darn thing.

{eight} what is the perfect a/c temperature?
What ever anyone else has it set at, we don't have a/c in the house.

{nine} what was the last movie you saw in the theater?
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I. We just don't go to the movies.

{ten} what song do you think everyone should hear at least once?
What ever song makes them smile when they are down, everyone needs that.


Working on my post and pictures from the branding. Will be getting that up this week so look for it by week end.
 

Friday, June 10, 2011

A months worth of updates

Okay I knew that I had been away from my blog for awhile but had no idea that the last post was from May 3rd. It has been a crazy month for us here. The end of spring/start of summer always is, but for some reason this year more so than the ones before.
It started back at the end of April when our hired help decided he wanted the weekend off. Normally that would not be a problem as the hubby, me and the girls can handle anything that comes up. But that weekend happened to be the one that we were gathering the cows, moving pastures and pulling out the heifers and putting the bulls in with the herd. Left high and dry we were lucky enough that neighbors of ours was available to help on Sunday after they finished moving their cows.
To say that I was hot under the collar would be the understatement of the century! He did show back up in the wee hours of Monday morning and went about his work that morning like nothing had happened, even asked me how my weekend went! Needless to say I would have fired his butt at that moment but one of the outside jobs we have to help the ranch out requires two people and I have enough on my plate that there is no way I can take on anything else, besides there would be no one to watch the girls. So we are stuck with the idiot until we can find a new cowboy to hire. Unfortunately the picking for that line of work are slim to none in our area of the world, so if anyone knows someone who is looking for full time cowboy work please let me know!
May brought the start of the branding season in our area and the hubby and our oldest were off to Flagstaff, Arizona to help my father-in-law brand on the ranch that he manages. Bibble was so excited to go this year as it was the first year to help out over there. She did us proud, giving the shots, keeping track of the count and helping to get some cows back that decided they did not like the inside of the pen. She was even invited back for next year by the owner! She was just excited that she got paid for the weekend and is putting her money away to start saving for college.
Once the hubby got back the first thing he did was to go and check on the cows. He had been gone for only 4 days and during that time was told by the "hired" help everything was fine, all the cows were in the pasture and the fence was great. Well that was all wrong. The cows were out, the fence was down and had been down for a few days because the tracks were in the mud and it had not rained at all since he had been gone. So after spending 2 days tracking down our cows and calves and fixing the fence everyone was home again. The worst part about our cows getting out into the neighbors pastures is they do not call to let you know they are there, they are just hoping that you don't notice and all of a sudden your cow has a calf with their brand on it! Yes that has happened more than once around here.
So the last part of May found us going around and improving the fences around the ranch. Not an easy or cheap thing to do.
Mean while we are still looking for new help, but no luck so still stuck with the idiot.
Then yesterday occurred. Started out okay. Got an early start in the morning and the day was not hot, that was about the last thing that went right yesterday. Now let me start by saying I am not the most experienced ranch hand, but even I know that you do not pick up a momma cow that you know has a baby without finding the baby too. Also is a momma cow does get picked up without the baby and she keeps trying to go back to where you found her at, let her go she is going back for her baby and you can pick them both back up on the next sweep through. Now after working on a cattle ranch for almost 3 years you would think this would be understood and common sense. You guessed it, not by our "hired" help. To top it off he would keep cutting off the calves and sending them running off in all different directions. What should have taken just 5 hours to complete was still not done and finished by the time the sun set last night. The hubby and Bibble spent most of the afternoon and evening going back through the herd double checking numbers and matching up mommas and babies, while the help went to town. Again not a happy person on this end.
So today is being spent looking for the 32 head that are not in the pasture that there suppose to be in and looking for them in summer pastures at the south end of the ranch. I feel bad because I have not been able to help as I'm in two science classes for my schooling right now and I've been helping my dad get a house bought here in town. And getting all the food ready for the weekend. In fact right now I have bread in the bread machine, blueberry lemon bars cooling and getting the final grocery list ready and going to make a run to town.
Okay so there is the short story version of the last month here. I am just hoping that tomorrow goes better and we are able to get everything branded and turned back out with no issues. I will make sure and take pictures and post them next week along with the other pictures I have of our calves and our colts.

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

My Inspirations

I was asked by a friend not long ago I have so many ideas for cooking and come up with my own recipes, do I ever get stuck on what to fix for dinner or run out of ideas. And if I do where do I go for inspiration.
Well I have to say that not every night do I fix a meal that I have come up with on my own, good grief that would take a lot of time and work. Most of my inspiration come from knowing what my family likes to eat and what they don't and then just trying different things in combination with each other until I hit on something really good.

One those night however that I am running dry on ideas there are a few places that I turn to for new ideas and inspiration.

My first one to share is Martha Stewart. I know most either love her or hate her. But I owe her the ability to make a flaky pie crust that is easy and delicious. My favorite part of the Martha Stewart world is Everyday Food Recipes. It is just as it sounds, everyday meals that can be cooked with minimum amount of fuss and with common everyday items that even I'm able to find in the aisles of Wal-Mart.
Great part of the web-site is the pictures
  The great feature of this is the Grocery Bag sections, a weeks worth of meals planned out and a shopping list prepared so that all you have to do is print and shop. Oh, and cook!

Now another place that I turn to when I'm not sure what to cook is the Betty Crocker web site. I love this one because you can enter what you have in your refrigerator or pantry and they will come up recipes for you! Also nice about this site is that it features recipes made from or with Betty Crocker products, such as Bisquick, Hamburger Helper, and cake mixes. If you are like me I almost always have some of these products in my pantry and they help make weeknight dinners quick and easy.

Now when I'm looking for something more special and that sometimes takes more time I turn to my cookbook by chef Curtis Stone. It is on sale right now on Amazon, for those interested. I first came across his cooking when he had a show on Discovery Channel called Take Home Chef. While his recipes are not for everyone I love them as they bring something beside steak and bake potatoes to the table and give the girls a chance to taste different food.

Other places I turn to my collection of cookbooks that I have collected over the years. I comb through the discount racks at the bookstores every time I go always looking for something new or something that looks good. I am also lucky in that I have my grandmothers recipe boxes and the hubby's great-grandmothers recipe boxes which are treasure troves of recipes that have been tried time and time again.

My one piece of advice is just do not be afraid to try something new. If a recipe seems kind of wired but contains individual ingredients that you like, try it. I did that once with a recipe for Veracruz Snapper that seemed a little bit off on the combination of ingredients and it is now one of our family's favorites. Yes, I will share that recipe in my next blog.

Saturday, April 30, 2011

What's for dinner

Yes I live on a cattle ranch, but beef is not what is for dinner in this recipe!

As much as we all love beef in all its forms, I love pork and chicken even more (don't tell my husband!) This set of recipes is for a dinner set around a pork tenderloin. If you do not have a tenderloin don't worry; pork chops, pork shoulder steaks, chicken breasts, thighs or legs will work. Heck I'm sure this would work with lamb also, but seeing as I have never cooked lamb in any form I can not make that comment with any amount of accuracy.

Pork Tenderloin w/ Mustard sauce

1 trimmed pork tenderloin sliced in 1" thick pieces
salt, pepper and garlic
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp cooking Sherry
1/4 cup whiskey ( you can use beef broth instead and it is just as good)


Season the meat with salt, pepper and garlic and cook in a cast iron skillet until cooked through.
In a small sauce pan melt butter and cook mushrooms and onion until soft. Combine all other ingredients and heat through and serve over the meat.


I normally serve this with a pasta salad, steamed spinach and sourdough rolls.

The pasta salad is easy to fix and can even be done the day before as I think it gets better after sitting in the fridge for a day.

Pasta Salad

1 box garden rotini (or your favorite)
1 bell pepper chopped
1/2 onion chopped
1/2 cup mushrooms sliced in small pieces
1/4 cup black olives sliced
1 can quarter artichoke hearts, drained and rinsed
shredded parmesan cheese
Basil Balsamic vinaigrette dressing (can also use regular Italian dressing)

Cook the pasta until just done, make sure not to over cook. Drain and run under cold water until cooled.
Add the next 5 ingredients, mix well. Pour on the dressing and toss until everything is coated, using as much dressing as you like for the taste.
Top with cheese just before serving.

Sourdough Rolls

I use a bread machine to make the dough and then shape into rolls and raise and this recipe is written for that. You can use the same recipe just mix by hand and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size and then shape into rolls

1 cup sourdough starter
1/2 cup water
3 cups flour
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 package active yeast

Mix ingredients in bread machine according to your makes directions and set on the dough setting.
When the dough is done on the dough setting remove from machine and turn out onto a floured surface. Pinch off dough in 2" balls, shape and place on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let raise for 30-45 minutes until doubled in size.
Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes or until top is golden brown.

Really hope you enjoy these recipes.