Sunday was perfect kite flying day… tomorrow we will probably be covered in snow…
We’re thankful for every day.
4
I’m sure she was telling me about moving cows… or something she did… but the motors were too loud, so I just nodded my head, and drove on.
Brandon and family were moving their cows… Megan and Quinlan in the pickup, tempting them on their way.
It reminded me, that a while back, I was going to tell you about Sand Hilling cows.
Vernon came in for lunch one day and I asked what he’d been up to.
“Sand Hilling cows” was his answer.
“What? … Oh! SAND HILLING COWS! Gotcha.”
We’ve talked about it for years, but we don’t have a good set up for Sand Hilling cows. We need one… but until we win the lottery and can build fence and move sheds… it’s probably not going to happen.
Are ya curious yet?
The Sand Hills are located in Nebraska (also spelled Sandhills). Lots of ranchers around there are known for the Sand Hills calving method which basically states that… for example, your 100 head of cows are calving… to reduce all the bad things that can make baby calves sick… after the first 30 cows calve… you move the remaining 70 to an adjoining pasture. That leaves the first thirty behind with their germs.
Another 25 calve… leave them in that pasture, and move the remaining 45 to fresh pasture. Each time you’re putting new babies on what should be “clean” ground. You continue to do this for as long as you have space!
We have done this in minor ways, but our setup doesn’t really support multiple moves. The method supposedly cuts down on illness so it would be a great thing to do…
Anyone want to come build fence?
Once everything is calved out, though, like Brandon’s bunch… it’s just moving cows… not Sand Hilling them anymore!
When an old photo of our hike up Red Canyon popped up on our Facebook newsfeed, Megan, Tess, and I decided we should make it an annual event. Victoria and crew were here as well, so, today, off we went.
It was a blustery day, but the intermittent sun and shade were still good enough to make for a pleasant hike. With Reagan in a backpack, all other kids were set loose. The boys gravitated to the red wall of the canyon to play geologist. They all confirmed that, yes, it was sedimentary rock.
The head of Red Canyon achieved, we settled for a snack, a drink… and then headed back down… annual hike complete!
On occasion, I wander down and help the guys with this project. For years, Brandon has been fighting with an old corrugated pipe at the beginning of his irrigation ditch. Over the past few days, they’ve ripped out the old, replaced with new, and hopefully made this more efficient.
It stretches from here… clear through the corral… under three fences… and almost to the big cottonwood in the distance.
Just one more improvement to keep the place running!
Most people don’t think of cows grooming themselves much like cats do… but this black and white filter makes it easy to see where she’s been licking and keeping herself looking pretty.