Constance: the boot in stirrup seems to be getting most of the mail, but what about other boot? Why does it not show in the stirrup seen under the horse’s belly?
plus this rider has on very clean looking jeans …. been promoted from drag ‘n flank to sitting on a horse watching the show?

No, Constance… this is one of the ropers, and you can just make out the bottom of his other stirrup … but you have to look hard.  You can see the lacing.  The angle is just off enough, you can’t see it easily.  The only one not doing much at this branding was me… just recuperating from the flu!

Sandy: Beautiful blossoms! Are they on a cherry tree? Or??

They are on a cherry bush.  I believe it’s a Sandhills Cherry, but It could be a Nanking.  It was here before me, I didn’t plant it!  But I have made jelly from them!

Bonnie: Who does all the food when you can’t?

Tess and Megan and Victoria (or Matt) all pitch in to help make the food.  I haven’t had to do all the cooking in years!  Yay!  I have a little book with amounts of food purchased to make the dinner, who attended, what the day was like, and how much food was left over.  The only thing I haven’t included was the cost… which could be interesting in its own right someday.

Kay: What is a “drift fence” compared to just a fence ?

Well, a drift fence is a regular fence that separates pastures… but it’s the one that cattle will drift to when they want to come home.  Every ranch probably has a drift fence.  It gets more pressure from cows who think they know the calendar better than we do!  They stand there, looking longingly across the barbed wire, waiting for a cowboy to open the durn gate!

JoAmy:  How many horses do you have on your ranch?

I wrote them out… and I think we have thirteen.  I could have forgotten some… but we usually have that amount in there somewhere.  Some are no longer ridden.  We will be needing more to outfit all the grandkids… but we still have a couple of years… maybe!

Paul: as Willy sang’Mama’s Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys” but would you ever trade it for 9-5 in town?

Me?  No!  I mean, there’s always a couple hours here and there where sitting in a climate controlled building sounds good especially if you’re freezing, sweating, or getting soaking wet… but it doesn’t last!  And weekends and paid holidays sound good, too… weekends would be AMAZING, actually.  But still… NO.  Town?  They’re nice places to visit…

Della: I don’t know if you have the question I asked about the white calf (or calves) on your list, but in case not, what do you do with them?

Nothing special.  They’re just part of the herd.  We won’t keep them for replacements if they’re heifers, and they’ll just sell along with the steers if that’s what they are.

Denny144: Do you or any extended family members participate in rodeos or 4H?

Megan did rodeo and Tess showed before they came here, and Megan’s family has their hand in some bucking bull stock, but our immediate family did not participate.  Johnny was part of the Ten Sleep Rodeo for years and worked as a pickup man for the big rodeo on the Fourth of July.  My kids never took to 4H.  Vernon did one wild horse race waaaaay back when, but, no.  Not big on rodeo!  Sorry.  We like to watch it on tv… does that count???

Marilyn: Did you hear that our Buffalo Bills football team has hired Josh Allen from Wyoming! Looks like a good fit. (sorry my question is not “ranch related” this time!)

Oh, yes… everyone was wondering where Josh Allen was going to end up!  He’s given us some good years here on the UW team.  He’s a scrapper and I hope he does well in the NFL.  He’s not a homegrown Wyoming Cowboy, but Wyoming was pretty proud of him!

Bert: What do you think killed off your bees? Cold, insufficient food to get through the winter, disease, parasite(s)?

I thought two hives might have a chance to make it through the winter, but mice got into one, and I have no clue what happened with the other.  It was a tough winter… it could have been that… or humidity… It’s just too hard to tell.

Paul: I have a question about your “bee barn” are there regular “box” hives inside, or do the bees build a hive like they did many years ago in an old building on our farm, thanks,

My Bee Barn, which was just an old abandoned wood granary, held three top bar hives inside.  Top Bar beekeeping lets bees build their comb on a bar that hangs across the top of a long “hollow log” style hive.  They aren’t a box or Langstroth hive. I put the hives in there to keep them out of the wind and cold, and away from itching cows or curious raccoons.  You might look at my bees tab to see what I’m talking about… my bee posts will all be under that tab, including videos.

Gina:  Gina asked a lot of questions about wood burning… and I will make a separate post on that coming up!

JoAmy: Is Dirty Sally’s and Bee Healthy in Ten Sleep. Plan on making a drive that way. Recommendations for a lunch spot in Ten Sleep? What are your favorite birds or bird stories?

Dirty Sally’s has been fixture in Ten Sleep FOREVER.  Bonus points to anyone who can tell me which classic tv show had Dirty Sally as a recurring character.  Bee Healthy is in Worland on Main Street.  Dirty Sally’s carries homemade wraps and sandwiches… the Ten Sleep Saloon has a basic, standard cafe menu… and the Pony Express is our local quick stop with junk food!  Favorite bird is easy… the Sparrowhawk! Although they’ve renamed him the American Kestrel.  Gorgeous bird… small but mighty!  Bird stories?  I might expand upon that in a future post!

Thanks, folks, you came through with some good questions!