There is not a day that goes by here on the ranch, not even a Sunday, when there aren't a few chores to do. I try to keep Sunday a quiet, restful day, but that doesn't mean stuff doesn't happen just because it's Sunday. Even Jesus said, "If one of you has a son or an ox that falls into a pit, would you not pull it out on a Sabbath Day? (Luke 14). We didn't have any ox fall into a pit today, but as I checked the cow bunches and bulls, I did find a couple cows with hoof rot which is very painful and can really make a cow sick. I radio'd Hubs and he came out to the pasture with the dart gun and medicated both of them for me.
The rest of the morning was fairly uneventful. I so enjoyed driving out amongst the cattle that it didn't feel like I was doing chores at all. I brought my camera along and snapped a few photos of the range and all that's in it. First off -- cows, calves, and the bulls that are in their breeding bunches.
Also living amongst the cattle are the
Brown-headed Cowbirds. They feed off the grass seeds and bugs the cattle stir up as they walk. Did you know that cowbirds lay their eggs in other birds' nests? They don't raise their own babies. They are called parasite brooders.
The flies must have had a new hatch because they are thick out there. The poor cows and calves and bulls are fighting them off like mad. Some resort to wading in the reservoirs when they can't stand it anymore. Sounds refreshing to me on these 90 degree days.
I drove through the low spots where the grass was greener and the flowers were abundant. These flowers (below) are Upright Prairie Coneflower or Mexican Hat (Ratibida columnifera). I love them and have some growing in my flower beds.
The blue flower (below) is an invasive weed, but gosh, isn't it a pretty one? It's called Blue Lettuce (Lactuca tatarica). It can be found along roadsides and dry areas. If you break the stem, it has a milky sap.
The haying continues, but today the hay dried out too much so it will have to be baled in the evening when it cools down and the moisture and humidity rises. When the hay is too dry it's easy to knock off all the leaves and seed heads, and the bales end up with mostly stems.
Hubby's dad is in the hospital -- quite ill and likely due to getting old as much as anything. The engine parts start to break down. His doctor said he's got a broken distributor cap. He's at the hospital which is a couple hours away so we have our work days at home and days to go visit him in between.
This afternoon I stirred up a batch of bread and set it out on the front porch to rise in the 92 degree sun. I was reading an eye-opening article
here about how un-healthy vegetable oils are for you, and I thought about all the processed breads and crackers and things that we eat that are made with vegetable oils. It spurred me to make some homemade bread. At least I can pronounce the ingredients in my own bread: rye flour, wheat flour, white flour, honey, butter, water, salt. Hooray for real, simple food: butter, lard, and bacon fat! How is your Sunday going?
