Baa-ing Before Breakfast {and a Bloglovin request}

The past two weekends (at a time that is way too early to even mention) Jesse and I, our herders and two of our most awesome friends oh, and 2100 sheep headed up to the high country aka summer range.

In years past I've always walked and front flagged the trails heading to and from our summer range. When front flagging you can't see the chaos of the herd; you don't see everyone working their butt off trying to keep the sheep on the road.

When front flagging you enjoy the beauty around you, the birds chirping, the deer roaming - you get the picture. In case you don't...

If you can imagine the very opposite of such a peaceful state, that is what herding the back of the herd along the road feels like. Complete and utter stress and chaos.

Imagine herding 100 cats. Impossible, right? Exactly.

This year I had the great pleasure of pushing the back. Jesse pushes the front group, two people the middle group and about three people push in the back aka run like crazy chickens trying to get these ewes and lambs back on the road. No offense to chickens.

Even with all the bodies there are challenges. Challenges that include rolling ankles or having to channel your inner mountain goat and climb up the sides of hills to get sheep back on track. Or getting heat exhaustion (which happened to one of our helpers this trail). Or getting sheep dung flung onto your face. Um, that happened too. Or, my favorite is being the lucky herder that gets to chase that one lamb through an open field with nothing but hope he/she will go where you want it to, all the while having everyone watch, wait and hope as well. It's a little humiliating to have your sheep herding skills on display like that. After all, we have a "leave no sheep behind" policy.

Or...getting peed on by this little guy. Don't worry, it dried pretty quickly.

The first of these two trails is a hard one because not only is it 13 miles while gaining elevation it's the first long trail for the lambs. This means they are tired and haven't learned to stick by mama and follow the herd.

This picture below was a great portion of the trail because there was fencing along this stretch and the sheep were a bit easier to keep on track. Keep reading and you'll see what happens when there isn't good fencing.

This was right about when things went completely haywire! I mean...clothes even came off!

Lambs are mischievous little suckers. They frolic into every field, up every hill, every garden. It's no joke. This picture below is a great example of lambs misbehaving. The horses in this field actually charged at the lambs and helped us out a bit. The quality of this photo is horrible, but it was the best I could do while running. ;)

The sheep cheering squad was nice....this was around mile 5 of 13 on the first trail. First time in 20+ years we've had signs! I love my community. Two weekends later the sheep are now on our first permit of the summer, but this doesn't mean the work is done. Just this week J got a call from his friend that saw a small group of sheep running up the road. Again, mischievous little suckers. Needless to say there have been several trips up and will be many more to search for the group on the loose (click here to read about our ewe that walked herself all the way home!). Oh, and did I mention it's haying season as well? My husband works too damn hard. He deserves a vacation!

Happy First Day of Summer and please keep our beautiful state in your thoughts as we have many fires burning and a lot of firefighters risking their lives to save ours. 

And another important announcement in case you didn't know - Google Reader is going away July 1st, y'all.
Follow my blog with Bloglovin!

a total win for the hubby. a bday surprise.

Earlier this year y'all know my precious Jigs was bit by a very mean, horrible spider that I hope died soon after she bit my baby. It was a horrible ordeal that I NEVER want to relive again, but I will say she has healed beautifully! At that moment I knew things had to change and they have. Jigs sleeps on our bed every night and I check her bedding daily. I told Jesse that all I wanted for my birthday this month was my two front teeth. No, that's not it...I told him I wanted a raised bed for Jigs. At that moment I started to search online.

I would show J some beds and he would say, "I can totally make that." The rest of the conversation went something like this:

Me: Okay, then. Do it! That is what I want for my birthday.
Jesse: You want me to make Jigs a bed for YOUR birthday?! That's so unlike you.
Me: I'm turning a new leaf and yes, I want you to make her a raised bed for my birthday. It will be the best gift of all!

Four months later, here we are in May and in the thick of shearing, lambing and irrigation season...there is NO way I'm getting my bed for Jigs. There has been no mention of it; he surely forgot.  I did what any girl would do at that point and jumped online and started to shop. Jigs was getting her bed.

I wasn't going to put one more thing on J - he's coming in at 9pm every night, eating dinner, showering (most nights) and jumping in bed. We barely talk during the month of April/May. I'll let him slide. He can make me that bench I wanted instead.

The night before my birthday I went to dinner with some friends and came home to this:



It isn't the cute bow or tutu that made my heart smile, my Jigs is always that cute. It was the card hanging around her neck. What does Jigs have to say? Finally!! She is communicating back to me!

"I has a surprise for you! Lets check my favorite spots 2 find it! -Jigs"

She is a good speller. She gets that from her mama.

So, I excitedly start playing her game and come to her last favorite spot and there it was...

A raised bed.

So, today I am borrowing my dear friend, Tara's "My Husband Rocks" post idea because on this day my hubby TOTALLY rocked it! Turns out he was working on the bed during his "lunch break" and for those of you that don't know...Ranchers don't get a lunch break. ;)

Wordless Wednesdays - That's what she thinks about that.

a little Thursday entertainment.

grrrr.....

I haven't posted in so long.  All I have is a blank screen and a flashing cursor staring back at me so I'll start off with something simple....a video of Jigs! A video of Jigs NOT working, no less! 

She may not want to learn to herd sheep, but my girl sure is ready for the circus! Now, if only she can get the juggling thing down.

Poo On Road. Use Alternate Route.

It's that time of year...the leaves are changing, kids are back in school, the crisp fall air surrounds us and the sheep make their way back to the ranch!

If you've been around here long then you know that the sheep coming home from the summer range up in the mountains is one of my favorite times of year! (The other is when the sheep come home in April from the winter range.)

Our herder, Daniel did a spectacular job tending to the sheep this summer and for his first year on the mountain he far surpassed our expectations! We are grateful for his hard work and dedication to the ranch. Very grateful.

Our sheep will be coming home Sunday, October 2nd and yes, once again I will be leading the pack (aka flagging oncoming traffic while I say about 100 yards ahead of the herd). I'm not worried though...I've been mentally (not so much, physically) preparing for this trek all year long. Bring it on!

If the sheep want to run all 12 miles home, then running it is! I.am.ready!

Back to the story at hand...

This weekend was our towns annual Heritage Days Festival. The history of our town is celebrated in the park and is kicked off with a 5K Fun Run and the annual "Trailing Running of the Sheep!" The other sheep rancher in the area brings his sheep off the mountain a week before we come off and times it so the sheep make it through the main street around 9am on Saturday (sheep time).

I, unfortunately didn't get many pictures, but this will give you an idea...

Our sheep used to be the sheep that came through town, but we can get another week of feed on the mountain and we have to take advantage of that! 

After the trailing and the road is covered in poo, there is a parade through town then vendors in the park. There are several events including a car show, a redneck fashion show, music and this year there was a lamb roast, the lamb provided by yours truly.   :)

It was yummy!


It's truly a great event in which my mother-in-law helped start and I do plan on having a more active role next year. It's important to keep this tradition alive. It's what this area was founded on!

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

Wordless Wednesdays - Tiny and Shiny.

Update on Jigs

Jigs got her left Carnassial tooth pulled and it turns out she will eventually need a root canal on her left canine tooth. We also learned that Jigs might have a food allergy which would explain why her mood changes drastically every night after she eats dinner. We'll learn the results early next week. 

Thank you for your kind words and thoughts! I truly appreciate it.

Wordless Wednesdays - Summertime Jigs.

Post Vacation Blues

Mexico was fabulous and we had fantastic weather the entire time! We went to San Jose Del Cabo for 5 days and stayed at two different resorts.

J likes to change it up and experience as much as he can and I don't mind it as long as I don't have to do any planning! I haven’t told you this, but J loves to plan trips! I mean he absolutely loves it. He planned our 7 day honeymoon in the Riviera Maya all by himself and kept it a surprise from me until the moment I walked into each resort.

He is pretty awesome like that.

Anyway, once we arrived it didn’t take this sheep rancher long to loosen up! He had a glass of wine in his hands within hours (and before that a few beers)!

We relaxed, had lots of Cervezas, umbrella drinks, soaked up some sun (not like I need much, but it was fun) and made some awesome friends from Kentucky!

The only bummer was that we had a 4 and a half hour trip to and from the airport. This was not fun, especially on the way back. We landed at 9pm and didn’t get home until 2:30am. Yikes!

It didn’t take the country long to welcome us back home!

Upon our 2:30am arrival home our water was looking like this...

 

Yes, broken water pump. Kind of like what happened here, only worse because we couldn't shower before going to bed. I hate the feeling that recycled airplane air leaves on my skin.

Maybe if I click my heels three times I will return back to this?!

Oh well. Two days later we now have clean, clear water! Thank goodness.

Also, it might be a little quiet around here for a few days...I'm gearing up for my big one year blogiversary celebration! I'm quite excited about it and can't wait to share! 

July 4th Fun in the Country.

How was your weekend?

My weekend began with food, fun and good company. The weekend ended with our town’s July 4th celebratory parade, Cornhole and fireworks. It was marvelous.

There were so many wonderful things about this past weekend, but one moment that I am particularly grateful for was hearing our national anthem at the parade. It’s so easy to get lost in the excitement of having friends in town, a three day weekend, food and fun, and to be reminded of what the holiday is really about can never be a bad thing. Our town honored our active military and those that have lost their lives fighting for our country and I’ll tell you…The Star Spangled Banner gets me every time and this weekend was no exception.

Throughout the weekend there was lots of girl time along with a little houseboat action on Saturday.

We barbecued, played Cornhole (game made by the ever so talented, Kennie).

Lisa and I had a morning filled with mimosas and SATC episodes while the boys were out shooting guns.

The boys were looking forward to this weekend for months. They planned out every minute and stocked up on ammo. They went out shooting every single day and came back having had lots of good laughs.

They also came back with an animal that is sitting in my freezer waiting for its date with the taxidermist.

Oh, I do not kid.

Monday, we partook in the local town pet parade. Jigs and her friends, Annie and Schrader were stars of the pet parade.

At least in my book they were.

Jigs was very festive in her red, white and blue skirt and American flag vest. I’d like to believe that she loved every minute of it.

The weekend winded down with a relaxing evening of yes, more Cornhole and of course fireworks. It was a lovely weekend with friends and a lot of memories were made.

Now, J and I get to unwind for 24 hours (and clean!) before we head to Mexico! He deserves a little vacation and well, I do too.

It’s hard work being a rancher’s wife. ;)

Oh, and before I go I want to show you more of J’s beard. You remember my Evolution of a Beard post? Well, I’ve added a picture because it got worse longer. You can see my addition here.

This weekend he sported a little Joe Dirt action,

but tonight in preparation for our trip - I finally got my husband back!
I'll post pics soon. Right now, I gotta finish packing and Jigs is not making this easy.

{happy weekend!}

What do you think of the new layout? I am really happy with it. Thanks Jillian!

We are gearing up for a fun Independence Day weekend.

B-Town has an annual July 4th celebration and it's a pretty big deal. This weekend is one of two weekends everyone looks forward to on a yearly basis. The other fun weekend (which happens to be my fave) is in the Fall. It includes sheep taking over a main street in the town!

Not only do all of J's high school buddies come back to town for the 4th of July but, their fabulous wives (aka B-Town Wives Club) come to town as well! There WILL be pictures!

This weekend will definitely include some target practice,

a barbecue, a birthday celebration, pet costumes while parading down thee Main Street in town and lots of Red, White and Blue fun!

Our friends Lisa and Thor are coming down from the BIG city and although they couldn't bring the mall they are bringing my two favorite black labs and some Oskar Blues' goodness!  

What exciting things do you have planned?

If you are a B-Town native (I know there are a few of you reading this) will you be in town? If not, what is your favorite July 4th hometown memory?

Herding with the Puppies Vlog.

What do you think of my vlog post?

Shear Relief.

What a whirlwind of excitement this past week has been.

You are well aware the sheep made it home safely last week and I am sorry to report that I didn’t make a cake like I said I would here. I made these sheep cookies instead!

They were a big hit, but J is holding me to my promise so there will be cake. Eventually.

The sheep were able to rest for one day before the shearing crew arrived. The crew of three men arrived bright and early on Thursday at 6am. They were set up and started shearing by 7am and didn’t stop until 6pm. They did this for two days.

This is their setup. Pretty nifty, eh?

You are probably thinking, how hard can it be to shear sheep? Well, I can say it’s truly a skill. For one – shearers need to know how to properly get a sheep to the ground and in sheep shearing position. They obviously don’t want to cut the sheep with the shears but must hold them in a position that prevents the sheep from breaking loose or getting cut. On top of this they have to be fast. These guys are good at all of the above.

They were able to get through hundreds of sheep in just two days!

The head guy on our sheep shearing team has won several awards for his speedy shearing skills and it shear shows! ;) 

This is how it all goes down.

The sheep are brought in from the field in bunches of about 50. They are pushed into smaller groups averaging 20 and those 20 are pushed into the shoot. As they come through the shoot J vaccinates them. Not all sheep ranchers vaccinate at shearing time, but this the way Pop has always done it and it's effective.

I have to take a second and give kudos to my husband because this was his first year shearing and he rocked it!
This was J at the end of day one. Yes, that is dirt on his face and windblown hair.
Nothing but hottness at our place.

Of course we wouldn’t have been able to have such success without our awesome help, but I don’t even think a doctor could vaccinate 1,000+ people in two days considering these sheep aren’t just standing waiting patiently for their vaccination. They are trying to run from you the entire time.

Once they are vaccinated they are marked with a chalk pen – this was Morgan’s job. We mark them so we know they have gotten their vaccination and are ready to be sheared.

After they are marked they are pushed up the shoot and get in line for their cut. The sheep line the inside of the trailer and the shearer gets a sheep (through the doors in the trailer) when he is ready.  

He shears them then sends them on their merry, wool-less way.

The wool is then “skirted” then compacted into bales with this neat machine. 

Before we knew it there was a field of naked sheep and a truck loaded with wool bales. 

Another reason for all the excitement was the arrival of our senior, Morgan. This kid is nothing short of amazing.

Morgan is a part of The Senior Field Studies program at his high school. This program allows seniors to participate in direct field studies in urban, rural and wilderness settings while earning credits. Morgan has been on a 2 week backpacking trip and leaves for a whitewater rafting trip a few days after he arrives home from being at our ranch for a week. We were lucky enough to partake in this program through our membership with the Colorado Farm Bureau.

On his first day here Morgan jumped right in and helped with shearing. He was great help - J and the crew were happy to have him. The “city” in him was nowhere to be found.  

Aside from being a huge help with shearing he introduced me to some new tunes (this kid has some great taste in music) and he made us laugh. A lot. 

Morgan has such a great personality and his mood is infectious. He’s the type of kid you want to be around as much as possible because he makes you feel good and he makes you smile. We truly enjoyed having him with us.

I’ll admit I got a teary eyed when I said good-bye.

He says he’ll be back to visit and I believe he will…even if it is just to see the animals! ;)

I was able to get in on the action too! The first time I asked if I could help I was told no. They said it was because there was too much dust flying around. Are you kidding me?! I hung my shoulders, found a sac and started picking up trash. Pathetic (I know), but I was bound and determined to contribute somehow! I came back and the guys must have felt bad for me (like the kid that was picked last in dodgeball) because when I asked a second time and J told me to, "Jump in!"

Here's to another season of (shear) success!

You can read more about shearing here.