Karbon Kounty Moos

Read the back of the card.

after all the bad.

My cattle at home came up negative for brucellosis.

They were tested on Friday and I just got the results.

All of my beautiful heifers tested negative, but are considered exposed and will meet the same fate as the Morgan’s herd.

Have you noticed lately how anyone can be a farmer or rancher? All you need is the money to buy a place and then you just call yourself that. I don’t comprehend this. I come from a long line of short, fat, peasant stock - even if I am several generations removed from the farm. So my ancestors became short fat blue collar workers.

Am I the only one bothered by this phenomena? It’s as if farming/ranching isn’t a real job. Anybody can do this. These folks usually are doing something else. Often that “something else” is where they earned the money to purchase their farm or ranch. They can be a shop owner, a doctor, a movie star, a sports hero, an attorney, a politician, or a recent retiree. Anyone can be a farmer or rancher. They like to remind people that they are a farmer or rancher. They know all about farming/ranching. They can tell you all about LDPs (loan deficiency payments), CRP (conservation reserve program), EQUIP ( environmental quality incentives program), and how wonderful conservation easements are. When did this lifestyle become so popular? Could it have something to do with government programs, incentives and payments? Maybe it’s because they can dress up in boots, Wranglers and a hat? Why is it that people don’t “become” journalists, barbers, gynecologists, electricians, accountants, plumbers, engineers, pastry chefs, truckers, librarians, sailors, or chauffeurs?
Oh, those are “real” jobs, sorry . . . what was I thinking?

We worked one bunch of cattle today. Sarpy Sam recently explained what that means.

Since we are fortunate to have some good agricultural land, (which we are taxed dearly for) our operation is a bit different from his. Sam’s more a rancher, while we’re more farmers. We feed our calves until the following spring before we sell them - with feed that we raise. We worked some cows, calves and a few bulls today. We worked the cows in the morning, which started off overcast and very cool. After a while we were sweating. The only part of me that wasn’t covered with manure was my cap. I’m not quite sure how I managed that - since I had manure on my face and in my hair when we came in for dinner (that’s lunch for you non-farmers). After dinner we went back out and worked the calves. We had a few late calves to work, which we saved for last - which also coincided with the rain that had been threatening all day. Once that was done, we moved the cows with the fall (late) calves to a pasture. Next we moved the mamas that we weaned the calves off. Then we fed all the cattle. By then it was pouring and we were soaked to the skin. We got in after seven. Time to clean up and clean up equipment. And I needed to get something on the table for supper (that’s farmerspeak for the evening meal).

I wasn’t “to the farm born” - but I am a farmer. I’m not some uptown girl with a trust fund calling myself a farmer. No, I’m definitely a downtown girl who became a farmer. I don’t just call myself one. I am glad to be one. I think that the self-proclaimed farmer/ranchers spending more time playing golf or running around politicking than actually farming or ranching aren’t.

I imagine that my short, fat peasant ancestors would refer to them as “to the manor born,” feudal lords, or maybe simply wealthy landowners. But certainly not farmers.

This is what I’m going to be seeing for the next “who knows how long”.

Wish List:

1. Mother Nature is feeling cooperative.
2. The old and tired machinery keeps on running.
3. The old and tired farmers keep on running.

I should post it every day as a reminder of how exciting farming can be.

I won’t have as many pumpkins and gourds this year, but I will have some good ones.

This card was never mailed. It’s a C T Photochrom, published by J.J. Casey, Post Office News Store, Billings, Mont.

I did find a new place to view and purchase postcards today.
You can visit Kat Postcards.

Have a couple of minutes to blog. I should be sleeping, but - oh well…

I did go to Billings & get the pump motor the other day (and a few other parts). I had the misfortune of being behind a row of traffic from Edgar to Laurel. The leaders of this pack were a pickup with travel trailer & a pickup with a Bobcat on a trailer. There were several vehicles between me & them, so I resigned myself to going 45. At least the construction at Rockvale has been completed… By the time I got to the interstate I was maniacal. I was in the left lane heading east at my usual lead footed pace when a car cut me off without signaling. Good enough cutoff to make me hit the brake. I put my lights on. Hmm - maybe she didn’t see me. Then she proceeded to travel at 50 mph. The right lane was as close to bumper to bumper as it gets in Montana, but I really didn’t want to start some of my BQE maneuvers. So I continued behind her. She had several opportunities to get in the right lane, but chose not to. At this point I tooted the horn at her. So she slowed down some more. When she decided to get into the right lane she “threw me the rod”. So I tooted the horn again, smiled & waved at her.

Since I was close to homicidal, I just went to pickup my motor, figure out how to get around the construction and get into Fasteners, stop at Costco and head home.

Yesterday was so busy I can hardly remember what the heck I did. Which is how it goes here more often than not. I did some amateur dog grooming - as long as the dogs could stand it. Got lots of laundry done. I did get lost in the weeds of my garden for a while. The weeds are still winning the war. The sweet corn is late this year, we just started getting some. I knew that as soon as the racoons hit it - it would be ready. The guys finished the grain, Hooray! Just in time too. We don’t raise malt (beer) barley, but feed barley. So instead of loading trucks and sending them on their way - we load the trucks and then unload them into grain bins… Well, the barley looks good - and we have lots of it. Which would be even better if we had someone who wanted to buy some of it! But the reason it was good timing was because it started to rain here as soon as we finished the last load into the last bin. And it rained pretty good for a while.

Today was spent in the hills moving cattle. The morning started out cool, then it got hot, then it got cool again, and later it poured. I had packed a lunch. It’s funny how food seems so much better when you’ve worked hard and eat outside. We had ham and tomato sandwiches, hard boiled eggs, chunks of cheddar, and grapes. Simple & good, sitting on the back of the pickup… My father-in-law and I took turns with driving the pickup/trailer and riding my horse. Most of where we go cannot be reached with a vehicle. We three spent some time on foot, too. We spotted some strays on the way back home. So we dropped the trailer near the road, and headed up as far as we could with the pickup. We started walking up to get to the draw that we had seen the cattle in. It started sprinkling. My father-in-law was going to drive back down. He said, “By the time you get to the top it’ll really start raining.” Gee, thanks… that’s exactly what it did. My sea level lungs were straining. My boots had ten pounds of alkali mud on them. My clothes were soaked. My hair was too, and streaming across my face. And I was enjoying every minute of it. After a while we got to the top. Found the girls and their calves and got them started down. Much easier on the lungs, not so good on the knees…

When we did get home, we unloaded the horses. They got a good brushing and a little extra oats. We fed the cattle at home. It was still pouring. It was close to seven by the time I’d put things away. Thank goodness for leftovers, since I was starving. Put on a fresh pot of rigatoni, heated up the sauce and meatballs. Then I get to clean it all up again.

Well, it looks like we’ll be riding again tomorrow - so I probably should say “Goodnight”.

We’re still haying and combining grain. Just a little busy. I just thought that I’d post some quick pictures of what it looks like here. I hope to be running to Billings later today to pick up my pump motor.

Back to the stove,
moos