Fun Weekend

(Just when I start figuring out Windows Live Writer it updates itself and I have to learn the program all over!)

We had a fun weekend in Rapid.  We always look forward to Fall Stake Conference because we get to take a trip.  The drive up there is really pretty too.  We left early Saturday morning and were swimming at the water park by 9.  The kids didn’t care much for the slides, so we floated the river most of the time.  We also picked up an extra family member.  This little girl kept playing with Dallie and the boys and she followed us around all morning.  She found us again when we went swimming later that night.  I finally asked her her name and where her parents were and she said she was there with her auntie, sister and cousin.  She was a fun little girl and we didn’t mind an extra.

Causing a traffic jam.

Moving Calves

Just a post about life as we know it.  During the fall after we’ve weaned we feed the calves a protein supplement called cake.  We have a siren on the pickup we use to call them to the feed.  This day we were moving the calves to fresh feed.  The calves follow the caker fairly well, but if Jason’s around he follows along behind to keep them moving and gather the strays.  Pulling the solar panel behind the horse trailer (as you can see in the picture below) isn’t a problem unless I get stuck climbing a hill and have to back out.  Then things get a little tricky.

We passed this cool tree on our move.  It’s amazing that it is still living after the beating it takes every year.

This is Spark Plug and Piston behind her.  They are our bucket calves and we just put them in with the other calves.  If they get separated from one another they ball as if they’ve lost their mother.  They’re quite the pair.  Spark Plug was a twin and barely 50 lbs when she was born.  We didn’t think she’d live.  We’ll be sad to see them ship in a couple weeks.

Any Given Day

These are some of the things we pass on our way to school.  These are the reasons I almost always have my camera with me.  You never know what you’ll see out here. 

This is the type of country that you can give directions by saying, “Turn at the tree,” and people will know what you mean.

 

Ryder just informed me that this is the momma badger because she is short and fat.  I don’t want to know what (or who) gave him the idea that mammas and short and fat.

 

We might pass thousands of head of cattle on any given day.

‘Tis the season.  During the winter the deer move in close to the house.  Last year we had a herd of about 30 head that stayed close.

There seem to be a lot more hawks this year (or maybe I’m just noticing them more). 

 I don’t know what kind of bird this is, but we like to see it every morning.

The Best Part of Waking Up

We see some great sunrises on the Star.  Probably because there aren’t any trees or hills or buildings immediately to our east.  Sunsets are a little harder to come by since we have a hill to our north and west. 

First Frost

By the second week of October last year we had the first of many snow storms.  This year if we would have had a garden, we would have been harvesting out of it until last week.  I’m not looking forward to the cold.  If I didn’t have to be out in it – if I could just look out the window and seen how pretty everything is when it’s snowy and frosty – I wouldn’t mind it so much.  At least I haven’t been stranded in it yet.

     

Comes to an End

We had our last (most likely) storm of the season.  Even though thunderstorms here are scary because they bring a chance of tornados, I love them.  It’s so funny how I was so scared of lightning as a kid and now I love to sit at the window and watch it.  I look forward to our next storm season.

 

The sun shining through the rain.

Writer’s Block

I have pictures to post, but nothing to write.  I don’t care much for writing.  Having to do book reports in school was awful.  So that’s my reason for not blogging lately.  What was everyone else’s reason? 

Life as usual has been happening for us.  I started laundry yesterday and am still working on it today.  We have parent/teacher conference today.  I reminded Jason this morning that he is coming.  So hopefully he’ll remember.

Jason weaned his calves last week, so I get to cake every day now.  Yesterday we moved the calves to the pasture in which the “buried treasure” lays hidden. 

We had our primary program two Sundays ago and it was good.  I do the music in primary, so for me it is very nice to have the program over.  Kache and Ryder had their parts memorized and sang well.  I want the primary kids to learn “We’ll Bring the World His Truth” but haven’t found any good lesson plans online.  Does anyone have any suggestions?  The primary is also putting on a Fall Festival out here at the Star.  It will be interesting to see how many people will make the hour drive out here.  We’re having a soup dinner, camp fire, hay ride, games, trunk-or-treat, etc.  Hopefully the weather will hold.  Last year we had a couple of snow storms in October.  We will do the dinner in the shop, so it will provide some protection from the elements.  I am nervous.  I wish Mijken was here to put it on.  She always throws successful parties. 

The night before our Fall Festival is our community dinner.  We get together at the school for a soup supper and the kids trick-or-treat to the 5 houses in the little town (if those people aren’t at the school) and then they get the treats from the people who come to the dinner.  It’s a fun little gathering.  And it’s nice not to have to drive hours to get from one house to another to do our trick-or-treating. 

This weekend is Stake Conference.  We’re looking forward to our weekend in Rapid City.  Jason wants to leave on Friday and do some exploring in the Black Hills, but he also has a lot of ranch work to do before we can go.  We are going to splurge and do the water park that’s attached to the hotel this year.  We plan on swimming all Saturday, except I want to do a little shopping while we’re in a town that has stores to shop in and Jason has Bishopric training meetings.  I guess we’ll see what happens.

Well, Mikey just called and said she blogged, so I need to read hers, and this post has taken more than 2 hours to write, and the laundry still needs finishing, and lunch needs to get fixed, and the calves need caked all before we leave for school in 2 1/2 hours.  So my pictures will have to wait for another post.

Daddy’s Girl