Friday, May 29, 2015

Trailerloads full of Blessings

Counting My Blessings by the Trailer Load

We set out this morning running late.  Got the kids to school.  Shane walked through the carrot heifers.  Sort of.  They were squirrelly.  They wanted to bunch up and be heifers.  We got it done and went on with the schedule.
We got up to Alamosa, met my father-in-law, took the heifers to the sale-barn that weren't replacement quality, and stopped to eat.  We were well ahead of the lunch rush and ordered pretty normal stuff.  Well, except Shane, he ordered extra jalapeƱos, and I have this funny rule about crossing the border and expecting anything New Mexico-like in food.  Don't do it.  But we ordered, and waited.  And waited.  And waited some more.  Finally, Shane and Skeeter got some food (so it wasn't his jalapeƱos) and our little waitress apologized, saying mine was coming.  I am not nice when I get really hungry.  Its the one time I don't mind my Ps and Qs.  I am hungry.  Bring me food now.  Just my luck.  OK, sidebar here.  This is the time I like to remind myself, "Really, Sage?  You have the time and money to sit in a restaurant and order food and sit with people you love.  If this is the worst luck you have today, you are indeed lucky.  Blessed, and lucky.  So suck it up, buttercup."  It finally came out and she apologized again.  We ate quickly, this had turned into well over an hour and we needed to get back, the kids talent show would be later in the evening.  The manager came over and took care of our whole bill - apologizing again, his head chef was late to work and our order got dropped.
We loaded heifers easily, these were the girls that were going to be replacements.  I jumped in to drive our truck, Shane was tired.  Skeeter followed me and we hit the road.  A minivan driving in front of us had a bed frame, mattress, box springs and a couch, all stacked on TOP of the van, and was traveling very slowly.  I considered taking a picture but I was driving and figured I better keep my hands on the wheel.  I had already woken Shane up once when I admired the Amish buggy parked at the Dollar Store (yes, I am easily distracted and very appreciative of anything outside my little norm.)  I passed the minivan and got into the little town of Antonito.  They have been doing a road project there for months, and tend to not think about trailers when they set their detours so I turned and went down a back road, trying to miss all the construction.  I was just getting back onto the highway, and looked back to make sure Skeeter saw me swing wide, when I saw him stop.  And I saw cattle on the road.  Our cattle.  Oh, thats a terrible feeling.  I hollered, "Crap - we have cattle on the road."  Shane jumped a half foot in the seat, woke up, and I turned around.  Skeeter got his gate closed, Shane jumped out and I followed the two heifers.  I got them turned back towards Skeeter and Shane, who had pulled Skeeter's truck in next to a barbed wire fence, hoping to use it and my truck to make a wing and load them.  It was a nice plan but anyone who has ever dealt with heifers; well, they are not the brightest little bulbs in the room.  They are silly and goofy, and thats just my nice words.  (I ate, so I am still being nice.)  The heifers split, one jumped a fence and went in a crop field.  One crossed the highway with her tail up over her back.  Shane decided to go back and get horses.  I called my neighbors to see if they could take the kids in for the talent show, knowing I wouldn't get home in time.
As Skeeter and I waited, a sweet little lady drove by us, and then came back by.  She asked if she could help us and I explained we had spilled cattle and asked where the closest corral was.  She told me about a set north of town, told us "God Bless You" and went on.  She hadn't gone a block when her back up lights came on and she came back, telling me the man who owned the field owned the little burger joint on the corner.  I walked to the corner burger stand and asked, and the young man at the window said it was his dad and called him.  The Dad explained how to get to his pens, and his son went and helped me walk the heifer down to them.  She traveled so good - holes in the fence, dogs and lots of challenges, but the young man and I got her in (oh yes, she went to the top of the list, the other heifer...well, she better show some good sense and pretty soon!)  In the midst of all the oh crap moments, here was this sweet kid who kept running ahead and opening gates and helping me for no reason.  His parents should be proud.  And you should eat at G6 (it is the little burger stand right on the south end  of Antonito; on the corner, across from the gas station) and tell them Sage sent you, and she says, "Thanks."  The other heifer got in the river bottom and  we couldn't find her - we were running out of daylight.  Skeeter and I decided to head home so I could get the kids picked up.  I walked in to the talent show just in time to watch Bay sing her song, Bruno Mars "Just the Way You Are."  Yeah, I am that mom that bursts into tears at really inappropriate times.  Here was my beautiful oldest daughter, feeling like a rock star and singing her heart out.  We had missed disaster today, and I guess all those feelings of gratitude and love came rushing in!  I missed Keelin's performance, but the school does a CD, so I ordered it.  I checked my carrot heifers, and we came home.
Shane stayed up there until dark.  We have calls out to the ranchers we know in the area, and will go at it in the morning but for now I have a long prayer of gratitude going up tonight.  Five minutes before our gate opened, we had been traveling sixty miles per hour down a heavily traveled highway.  We didn't spill heifers then.  We didn't cause an accident, or drop heifers on a car behind us.  We didn't hurt the heifers, or loose the whole load.  For any of you who deal with livestock, you know things like this happen.  For those of you who don't, imagine having the whole little league team play ball in your front yard.  At some point, a window is going to break.  I have seen a gate open twice now, with livestock, while headed down the road.  Both times, it was thankfully not as bad as it could have been.  For those of us who haul, this is a good reminder to check your trailer gates and latches.  For those who don't, its a good reminder to give anyone hauling livestock a little room.

Sunday, May 17, 2015

It's been a long time...

I haven't posted since 2008.  Yep, 2008.  That's been a, ahh, while!  Things have changed - kids are 10, 8, 7.  No wonder I haven't blogged!
I still love food, game meat, ranching, family...but I'm no longer in the niche grassfed beef biz.  We are leasing the ranch we managed, and just run yearlings in summer as grass and drought allow.  I love grassfed beef (and grain finished, and pastured, and feedlot, and, well, let's face it I love beef in all its many forms!)
Not sure where the blog will go - I've always got lots of thoughts about a little of everything.  Follow along if you've got the time!