Watermelon Anyone?

This is Desmond's grandmother and one of my dearest friends. When I was a child my mother taught us this silly game - you put watermelon seeds on your forehead, you name them after the boys that you like and the one that stays on the longest loves you the most! Maybe the adults just liked seeing the kids run around with watermelon seeds on their foreheads but if I remember correctly my mother played too. A few years ago a girlfriend & I were having a girls weekend at the beach and over breakfast we did this - it raised a few eyebrows in the dining room. Has anyone else played this game? If not, you must try it this summer while you are enjoying watermelon!!

Cowboy in Training!

Meet the fearless Desmond but I call him Desmond Tutu. He's in first grade and of course doesn't have a clue as to who Desmond Tutu is but when he's older I believe he'll appreciate the nickname. Last night I helped him do his homework - did you know first graders have to know fractions? What next kinder calculus? He had at least an hour of homework - which I thought was a little much so after the sentence writing meltdown we stopped and played hide and seek!

Don't I Make Good Lookin Babies!

Well if this bull could talk what do you think he'd be saying?

OneCowgirl You Did What?

Its still really dry and the lack of rain means we are still putting out syrup for the cattle. As you know, I would rather be riding a horse and moving cows. MOST any task on horseback suits me better than a task that uses a truck except for perhaps a trip to the grocery store - with that said, I opted to ride over the weekend instead of putting out syrup. Of course, its always better if you have some task to perform on horseback even if it is minuscule - so, I was told to ride upto the Ol Bar O and check the 10,000? gallon water tank. Easy enough I thought! Well after having a nice leisurely ride to the tank - going behind this hill and that, checking the cows here and there I arrived at the Ol' Bar O. I gingerly climbed on top of the tank trying not to catch my spurs on the ladder, lifted the heavy lid and peered inside the tank - to my surprise the water was almost to the top! This is really a good thing - it means none of the water drinkers further north are leaking or the tank would be empty. So as I am trying to move the incredible heavy lid back into place I hear two bulls knock heads and out of the corner of my eye I see Dudley scramble - (he usually barely moves when he's ground tied) and with this I lost my balance and the heavy lid went right into the tank!

Horses are Just Like People

Some are really really nice, trusting, have loads of common sense others are just outright mean, shallow, crazy. Just like people horses come in a variety of shapes and sizes and they all have unique personalities. Like people some horses have more personality than others. As with people you can tell alot about a horse by looking into their eyes - of course, its not all in the eyes but it is a tell tell sign. If the horse's eyes look wild - beware. There is something very special about connecting with a horse and for those that aren't horse enthusiasts its hard to explain. Now, if my Mom were a horse (she'll love having me compare her to a horse on my blog!)...her eyes would show kindness, she's be flirty like Veinte, a bit mischievous perhaps letting the other horses out, she'd get mad if you worked too hard and I think occasionally she'd have a tendency to kick but not buck or rear - of course, she would be a very pretty horse! Its my mother's birthday today - Happy Birthday Mom!

Snickers!

There is something special about a little girl and a horse! This is a third grader that I've spent the last nine months mentoring - its been amazing to watch her transformation. Next time you are thinking of volunteering PLEASE consider mentoring a child - its been a wonderful experience.

Wide Open Spaces

Did I tell you I love wide open spaces? There is something very comforting to me being able to look out and see forever! I actually get a bit very claustrophobic when I leave the Southwest - like driving on the East Coast in the summertime the trees begin closing in on me!

Lookey Heree!

Finnelly, Onecowgirl boght mee a newe saddle paddle! Its one hunderd percente woole and an inche thicke. It makes that sissy barrelle saddle of hers fit me better and it don't rub my weathers. My last saddle paddle was really worn - I chewed on it while it was on another horse that OneCowgirl had saddled - guess I was jealous that my pad was on another horse sose when we were ridin in the trayler i did a real number on it. I do occassionally misbehave! Happy Madre Day OneCowgirle! Love, Studley Dudley

My Dream Trip

Yes, I want to ride horses in the Okavango Delta in Botswana. Check out the trip.

Cow Facts!

Did you know cows GROW everyday of their life thus if you see a cow with a big head and big hooves its older. A thousand pound cow with calf needs 30lbs of feed/grass and they need forty gallons of water a day. Like most mammals cows sweat thru their tongues but a Brahma cow can sweat all over! Brahma cows are also the fastest walking cow. You can move a herd of cows 1 to 1.5 miles an hour if they know where they are going.

OneCowgirl at Work!

Well someone finally decided to take a picture of ME!

Riding with Bulls!

Please note, Dudley is riding in the trailer with two bulls! Usually he loads up in the trailer with no problem. I actually play this ridiculous game loading him in the trailer - I tie the reins around his neck and place him 20 to 25 feet behind the trailer and say, "Dudley get the trailer, Dudley get in the trailer, clap my hands...Good Boy" Nine times out of ten he walks right up and gets in. Funny he always gets in the morning but after working all day he sometimes doesn't understand the command. But when we had these bulls loaded in the trailer and he had to ride beside Ike - the horse that takes up half the trailer to begin with - Dudley refused to get in. Hollywood was tired, irritable and frustrated with Dudley - I said listen Dudley loads really well and if he doesn't want to get in with those bulls we need to give him a little time! He loaded after a few minutes and rode nicely with the bulls. Notice Hollywood taking notes/numbers off the bulls.

Calf & Cow Reunited

During the night momma jumped the cattle guard and went back to where she had last seen her calf. It was #317! Yes, it is not easy to tell which calf belongs to which cow! Especially when momma would rather run with the girls than claim her bellowing calf! This picture of Hollywood has nothing to do with the reunion but I didn't get to take part in the reunion because I was moving the rest of the cows! Yes, I was even given a radio for communication! Best of all - I got to turn the herd - which is one of the absolute COOLEST things to do!

All in a Days Work

Sometime its really easy to tell which calves belong to which cows and other times its just not that easy since they don't "mother up" all the time. For instance, last time we were moving cows we had an little calf in the rear of the herd - he was less than a week old. He was having a VERY hard time climbing this steep hill, he was frightened, scared, shaking - in such an instance we usually turn back the momma and leave them behind and come back for them at a later date. We had a big debate on the side of the hill over which cow we thought was the mother - the calf was balling for its momma but none of the cows seemed the least bit interested. It was decided that we thought it was Cow #317 - well Hollywood2 turned the cow back to the calf but #317 wasn't the least bit interested in this little balling calf - she actually ran back up the hill with the other pairs. Then it was thought maybe one of those four cows that wouldn't cross the blacktop before we started up this hill could include her mother so Hollywood and I went back to herd those cows to some corrals and haul them to where we were driving the herd in an attempt to reunite the pair. The four cows that wouldn't cross the blacktop had already caused a great deal of trouble and we'd all cursed their bad behavior. As we herded them towards some corrals that Hollywood and I were unfamiliar with - it really didn't help that people kept stopping on road and take pictures of us which in turn would cause the cows to turn back on us. We got the cows corralled and rode back to the trailer. To be cont.

One Way to Lose Your Lunch....

forgetting to buckle your saddlebags! Luckily my PB&J sandwich survived and didn't get lost on the trail though it looked more like a peanut butter & jelly roll after chasing cows. If you were only able to eat one type of sandwich for the rest of your life what would you pick?

Love Humor!

I emailed my girlfriend that we worked calves this past weekend and that I only managed to vaccinate myself twice (not really I just poked the needle into my finger!) well she wrote back "Maybe you're going to be sterile, or what if your breasts start producing enormous amounts of milk or your teats start dangling or you feel a desire to pierce your nose with w/ a hoop and tags for your ears or you suddenly start craving a grassy meadow to munch??? ever think about that chica???"

Meete My Nemisis!

Studley Dudley here! OneCowgirl has finally quitee playin with that photo progrem and is lettin me bloge! This is OneCowgirl's Pussy - I shuld probably say cat? - here namee is
here name is Princess! She hase all sorts of prividledges that I dont't! which makes me madd. Though I lete you in ona litle secrete - she got her name becase she lookeed like a rat when shee was abondeoned as a kitten - OneCowgirl thoughte shee would have more self esteeme if her namee was Princess. She's actually a pretty cool cat but I"d neever let her know that becuase she gets to sleep with OneCowgirl!

Call me a Photo Nerd

The first photo is SOOC (straight out of the camera). The second one was my first attempt using Lightroom on it. I thought it looked pretty good until my girlfriend the professional photog. said - "Why on earth did you leave the bullet hole in the kid's head along with the kool aid stain on the t-shirt?" She always cuts straight to the chase - thats why we get along so well! So, there you have my second attempt using Lightroom. I won't bore you with the third picture I did in Lightroom - Dudley is getting irritated since he hasn't posted in awhile.

Hollywood 2

I am beginning to believe creating an image is half in the camera and half on the computer. I did this using Lightroom - what a difference!

Compare and Contrast

Ok, so I went a little overboard tweaking with the second photo - and I've lost detail in the cow...I'll quit with these comparisons and get back to work!

Endurance Riding

This past weekend I volunteered at an endurance ride. Why on earth someone would want to ride 30, 60 or 100 miles in one day is beyond me. If I were inclined to ride a long distance (which I'm not) I would likely ride from the border of Mexico to Canada - or follow the Santa Fe Trail. The American Endurance Ride Conference (AERC) makes ever effort to ensure that endurance riding is safe thus all sorts of rules apply - some of which I got to enforce! This was an AERC sanctioned ride. The girls that put on this ride are top notch riders and have ridden in endurance rides all over the US and the Middle East. These pics were taken at one of the hold areas that all the riders had to stop at for a vet check and rest. The riders that competed in the 100 miles left at 4:30 AM and when I left at 10 PM they were still out riding - now, doesn't that sound like loads of fun?

Lightroom Again

Do you like the SOOC (straight out of the camera) or the one I tweaked with Lightroom or neither?

Playing with Lightroom

Do you like this photo?

Windmills 101

There are lots of these windmills on this ranch some work, some don't. The wells can still work without the actually windmill. Thus they are powered by either a generator, solar panels or electricity. Hollywood is putting in a solar windmill today.

Whose your Momma?

Washe Me!

I'm reelly lookin forward to my first bath this spring and Isa hopen its sooon! I'm diirty, iitche and onecowgirl seys I'm smelly. Hollywit thinks Ima a sissy since I likee baths! If this hear tub were bigger Ida jump rite in!

Raider goes for a Swim

Its the second picture that disturbs OneCowgirl. The trend continues...Dudley, Cattle, Smiley Dog.....and of course, the all time favorite, "Can you do this?"
Stay tuned Dudley will be posting tomorrow.

No More Breaks!

Check out wikipedia for more info on windmills if you are inclined. I love wikipedia! Here Hollywood I & II are fixing the Windmill.

Cement Break!

We poured a cement slab for the calf table at the pens - I love mixing and spreading cement! You are probably wondering where the pics of that are but I thought this pic fit in nicely with the last two posts - so there you have it - you sit where you can - which isn't often on this ranch!

Water Break!

No I didn't get kidnapped by the Easter Bunny. Love the comments from my last post! All is well forgive me for being on hiatus!

Unique Coffee Spot

Coffee breaks on the ranch are few and far between! I believe on this day we were waiting for a truck to deliver something - so we were enjoying another cup of coffee!

Thank you for the Love & Support

My brother and his wife gave a contribution to the Bluebonnet Equine Humane Society in honor of Veinte - this 501 C3 is dedicated to saving neglected horses in Texas and Arkansas. I do hope they don't think we were neglecting Veinte!! But I am sure they don't. I am thankful that my family contributed to this organization - unfortunately there are way too many neglected horses in the US. And I am afraid that with the closure of all the US slaughter houses (I know morbid) it will only become worse. As you all know, I saved Veinte from being sold at sale barn!

Back to the Job that pays the bills

Don't tell anyone but Hollywood is a better cowboy than he is poll dancer!

Must shhe always photogriph me!

OneCowgirl is always takin pictures of me! I think I should charge a feefee? What do u think? She needs to trime my bridla path & trim off this winteer hare. Takee note of how well I grounde tie - you know its easy to stande still that means no worke - she can leav me for hours like this and i don't go nowhere or is it anywhere? I need a bigger keyboard!