Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Breeding season...

Since the branding, we sorted off cows-calf pairs into breeding bunches.  Some of the cows were turned out with bulls (naturally) but some were kept back for AI (artificial insemination).  Every day since the sort, we have been on horseback, morning and night, to sort off the cow-calf pairs that are in heat.  In the picture above, Hubs is in the middle of the cow bunch sorting while the rest of us are holding the cows in a corner of the pasture.  When he brings a pair out, we help him ride them over to the other side of the pasture.

A. and Hubs are cutting out a cow and some calves.

S rides this pair out of the bunch.

Look at that sky!
Mornings are a beautiful time to be on top of a horse.
J. is holding the cows and calves on his side.


Good Ol' Pete.




 
I have been thinking lately about how summers around here seem like "camp."  We are in and out the door all day long.  We practically live outside all during the daylight hours.  Inside the house, the floors get really dirty from everyone traipsing in and out with boots that have been at the barn or in the hayfield.  I sweep it out and not too much longer I need to sweep it again.  We eat lots of sandwiches and barbecue on the grill, we slap mosquitoes and flies, and we sit in the lawn chairs at night when it's cool, enjoying a refreshing drink while the incense burns  to keep the bugs at bay.  It's really quite fun, but it is all temporary.  It won't last.  Summer days are fleeting in the northern prairies so we must drink in the honey of these summer moments while we can.

Why is it that summer goes by way too fast
and winter lasts too long?
The end.

8 comments:

  1. Lovely photos! The sky is beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Incredible! I love coming here to visit! Pete is a keeper!! Beautiful.:)

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love these glimses into your daily life. I think the winter's are so long so that you'll love the summers all the more. That's why I like living in a 4 season climate -- it makes me appreciate each season on it's own!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I feel like singing, "Oh, What a beautiful morning"! Love that last photo of your guys, but it needs the other J. to make it complete.

    Joyce

    ReplyDelete
  5. The weather is the same here...we never even got a Spring! I just love Pete...and you ought to write a song with all you have talked about here...a good life! :D

    ReplyDelete
  6. Wonderful glimpses of your hard-working ranch life. Great shot of your menfolk on horseback. It was fun to see you working alonside them with the stamping and branding. I feel like a sloth in comparision... No, I AM a sloth in comparison!

    ReplyDelete
  7. As always, I love seeing pictures and hearing stories of your life out west. I know it has its hard parts, but there seems to be so much beauty.

    I will send you a piece of our summer here, which goes on a long, long time.

    frances

    ReplyDelete

I love reading your comments. Thanks for stopping in. Sorry, but due to spam, only registered users can comment.

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...