Colter Lee, Traven, and Madilyn

Colter and Carly's children are special to Papa and me.  They are exceptionally well behaved.  Each of them has a happy disposition, is well mannered, and easily entertained.  They love the ranch, riding their horses, and roping.  They are generous with hugs.  They always leave us with smiles.

Winter Roundup, Day 2

Day 2 of Winchester Ranch winter roundup was filled with preg checking all the cows and culling those that were open or past their prime (toothless).  Colter Lee and Traven rode over with me, to take lunch to the cowboys.  Just as we arrived Colter's Dad and Granddad were chasing Frosty in the corral.  Frosty was the first calf born in our first herd on Winchester Ranch.  Frosty is distinctive as she appears "frosted" with white hair over her red coat.  After lunch and decisions made about cows to sell, the herd was moved into another pasture.  Everything worked like clockwork! 

 

Winter Roundup

A dozen cowboys and one cowgirl met at Colter's barn at 7 this morning.  They drove trailers of horses to the far west end of ranch, the Patterson pasture.  The morning started cold but warmed up under a crystal clear sky and by noon they had about 200 cows and calves in the Patterson corral.  I brought a hot lunch.  After eating, the cowboys separated into groups to go round up the rest of the herd.  A good day!

Old Barbed Wire

Much of the barbed wire on the ranch is at least 100 years old.  Some of the oldest wire is in the Rock House corral and it's still holding the hand hewn posts together.  Over time, more and more wire was added to the corral, so there are seven or eight strands in places.  The barbed wire is rusty and still doing it's job!

Preparing for Winter Roundup

Papa and I prepare quite differently for our winter ranch roundup.  Over the past few days, Papa has bought extra hay for the horses, filled up the gas cans, and put new shoes on Oscar and Pablo.  I have made grocery lists, made cookie dough for the freezer, and spent this morning with Papa in the kitchen helping me cook.  Papa will help with the roundup while I prepare lunches for the cowboys on Monday - Wednesday of this coming week.  We hope it will be a safe and productive roundup!

My lunch menus:
Rigatoni Bolognese
Panzanella Salad
Hot Rolls with Honey
Lemon Bars

Barbecue Pork
Baked Beans
Smashed Potatoes
Carrot Salad with Raisins and Walnuts
Pecan Bars

Cowboy Chili
Cornbread with Cheddar and Chilies
Cooked Apples
Oatmeal Cookies and Peanut Butter Cookies

Say's Phoebe

They are grayish brown above, darkest on head, wings, and tail; breast and throat are pale grayish brown; belly and undertail coverts tawny.  Fairly common in dry, open areas, canyons, cliffs; perches on bushes, boulders, fences, all per Birds of North America.  I saw this Say's Phoebe on my hike.

32nd Anniversary

Today is our 32nd Anniversary!  It's harder to think of ourselves as 55 and 66 years old than it is to imagine that we've been married for 32 years!  So many wonderful memories have been made through the years.  We are fortunate to be in good health and have positive attitudes.  

We take care of each other.  It's been a good 32 years!

Become A Lake

An aging master grew tired of his apprentice's complaints.  One morning, he sent him to get some salt.  When the apprentice returned, the master told him to mix a handful of salt in a glass of water and then drink it.
"How does it taste?" the master asked.
"Bitter," said the apprentice.

The master chuckled and then asked the young man to take the same handful of salt and put it in the lake.  The two walked in silence to the nearby lake and once the apprentice swirled his handful of salt in the water, the old man said, "now drink from the lake."

As the water dripped down the young man's chin, the master asked, "how does it taste?"
"Fresh," remarked the apprentice. 
"Do you taste the salt? asked the master.
"No," said the young man.

At this the master sat beside this serious young man, and explained softly, "The pain of life is pure salt; no more, no less.  The amount of pain in life remains exactly the same.  However, the amount of bitterness we taste depends on the container we put the pain in.  So when you are in pain, the only thing you can do is enlarge your sense of things.  Stop being a glass.  Become a lake."

Taking off Shoes

Papa changes Oscar, Pablo, and Hank's shoes every ten weeks or so.  A few days ago, he took off their shoes, to give some time for their hoofs to soften before he trims them and puts on a new pair of shoes.  Fortunately, the horses are mostly cooperative.  They stand still while Papa rakes out their hoofs and takes the nails out.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!  

From the snow covered Santa Catalina Mountains in Tucson 

(our backyard view), 

Love, Lulu and Papa