A Four-Legged Frenzy = Lesson Learned.

The other day I was driving to work and noticed the first country-life sign of spring. Calves. Fellow cattle blogger friends - how do you stand the cuteness? Lambs are cute, but there is something about calves that makes me want to knit one a sweater, clip on a leash and take it for walks then follow that up with a bunch of snuggling.

My drive to work is ten minutes, 2 stop signs and country on both sides of me. Beautiful? Yes. Easy? No. This does have something to do with the cute calves I just mentioned, I promise. You see, the road I take to work isn't nicknamed the "Buck Highway" for no reason. So, I should know better than to take in the scenes of calving season rather than be on high alert looking right and left, left and right for deer. 365 days of the year.

I still don't know what I was thinking as I took my eyes off the road for 5 seconds to stare at the calves. Well actually, I do know what I was thinking. They are so cute. Cuddly. Cozy, fuzzy, a little wobbly and just every bit of precious. I started imagining having one as a pet. Where it would live? Would I be able to hide it from J? I'd have to steal hay from our own barn to feed it. Could I go to jail for that like these barn thieves might? Would Jigs get along with him or her? Maybe they would play together.

We'd name him/her "Banjo".

It was right in the middle of my vivid visualizations that I remembered there was a large vehicle I was (supposed to be) operating and that I should probably pay attention when a deer jumped out from the shoulder of the road. I swear it was hiding in a hole in the ground because it came from nowhere. The local deer gang had plotted this out, I'm sure of it.


All I can say is something truly electric happens to the human body when you go from such a peaceful state of mind to one of fear, surprise and shock. I haven't put my finger on what it is, but if I had to imagine what a heart attack feels like, this would probably be a similar feeling.

After I screamed loud enough to hurt my own ears, I realized we were all okay. The bouncy four-legged deer went on his merry way to scare the crap outta some other poor soul. The calves in the field continued on with their cuteness and I vowed never to take my eyes off the road again. Ever again.

You know you are a rancher's wife when...

this conversation happens weekly.


                        me:     I'm going to jump in the shower.

                        hubby: O.K.

                        me:     Are you going to shower tonight?

                        hubby: No.   Didn't sweat today.

I can tell you that he did shower the day this photo was taken.
Thank God.

Happy Ag Day!

No weekends. No sick days. No paid vacation. Work days with no ending and no beginning.

If you ate today, Thank a Rancher!

 

 

Mutton Mondays - DO try this at home!

I'll be the first to admit that lamb can be a bit intimidating in the kitchen. I think the main reason for this is that it's pricey and well, you don't want to screw it up. I also think a lot of people think all lamb recipes are something extravagent when, in reality it's just like any other piece of meat.

We get our lamb for free and we really have no reason why we aren't eating lamb at least 3x's a week. We've made a conscience effort to be better about this and have been trying new recipes.

I've shared our go-to lamb recipe from the American Lamb website with you before, but I wanted to share a new recipe we've found. 

This Lamb Roast recipe is from the Crocking Girls website, we added a few ingredients and made a few changes to the original recipe which I indicate below with asteriks and parenthesis.

Here it is!

 

1 leg of (Colorado) lamb* the CG recipe uses Lamb Roast
Trim away excess fat*

Leg can be frozen*

1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh or dried rosemary
1 teaspoon garlic powder or 3-4 garlic cloves*

Mix spices together and rub vigorously on leg of lamb.

Place lamb in crock pot (yep, I said crock pot!) and add:

1 teaspoon Lime Juice*
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
1/2 cup of water

 

Cook on low for 8 hours.

This is a delicious and easy meal! We were a little nervous to cook lamb for 8 hours, seems a bit long, but it was mouthwatering.

I hope you'll give this a try! If you do, let me know what you think.

Enjoy!

on the mend.

As you may have read here, Jigs was bit by a spider a few weeks ago.

We are pretty sure it was a brown recluse ::shudder::, but we decided we'll tell people she fought off a coyote that was killing sheep. Just sounds better.

Not only have I been dreaming of big brown spiders ever since, I've been checking Jigs' nose (and bedding) daily to make sure she is healing properly.

Looks to me, like she is!

Jigs is such a loved dog, thank you for the Get Well cards - they really lifted her spirits (and mine)!

Happy Monday!

The sequester and you.

I used to think that what goes on in the White House doesn't directly impact me...I'm just a middle class citizen and can hide in my little corner of the world. I'll pay my taxes and I'll be left alone.

This frame of mind changed when I became a part of the Ag Community. Everything Washington does directly affects our livelihood. Whether it's new food and safety regulations, wildlife preservation or animal reintroduction or federal budget cuts. 

Needless to say, the upcoming sequester is no exception.

Federal workers will be the first to feel the aftermath of the budget cuts and in an article published by DairyHerd Network earlier this week, it was stated that meat packing plants along with meat processing plants will face short-term shutdowns due to the expected sequester. No USDA inspectors = no meat processing and/or packing. Read about why inspectors are crucial, in this post written by Buzzard's Beat (I am loving her blog right now!)

Of course we won't feel the effects of this immediately so, you'll be able to go to your favorite restaurant in the next few weeks and still order that delicious rack of lamb or juicy hamburger, but it's coming down the pipes. There is no doubt about that.

If the budget isn't figured out before the end of March, the what should have been "temporary" fix may become a more long-lasting one which would mean that meat packing plants won't pack/process meat for an even longer period of time.

How does this affect me in my little corner of Colorado? Without meat packing plants, meat buyers are less likely to make purchases, this means we are less likely to sell our lambs this year, my neighbor won't sell his cattle and your free range chicken won't make it to your table.

I, along with many am hopeful it won't come to this, but you never know.

Obviously, my blog tries to bring information as it relates to the industry, but the article goes on to say that:
"Up to one-third of the USDA's 100,000 employees may be affected by furloughs. The USDA says the cuts would deny food aid to 600,000 pregnant women, new mothers and infants and also force closure of hundreds of Forest Service campgrounds, picnic areas and visitors' centers during the spring and summer."

For the full DailyHerd Article, please click here.
Another great article to give you an idea of the affects this will have, click here.