Remember me mentioning about a cow closed up in the pens yesterday? Well...once we talked to Daddy and Mama about it, the idea formulated itself that maybe someone was in the process of rustling said cow. Hmmm....not a very pleasant idea. (And yes, cows still do get rustled...just not like you see in the old Westerns.) Anyway, by the time I went to bed last night, I kind of had the heebee-jeebee's--that is, until I zonked out.

I spent most of my day at the computer (again!) and managed to get the AfterEffects compositions rendered and placed. Only the audio work remains. I'm tickled pink!

About 4-ish I headed out (Savannah and Granddaddy had gone to a doctor's appointment and weren't home yet) to take a peek at the pens and open the west gate. From there I meandered down the run towards the back 40. Half-way down, for some reason I decided to check and see if my .22 revolver was loaded. (It normally is.) I felt like kicking myself when I flipped open the cyclinder to find six empty holes staring back at me. Thing is, I didn't reload it last time I shot it because I was going to clean it the next day--but I never did get to that. (I think part of the reason is because the piece you put the patch through is broken--cheap plastic!) Anyway, so there I was tromping around with an empty gun. Not much good for self-defense of any sort unless you're close enough to use it as a bludgeon.

I kept going regardless and wandered back onto the leased land. As I moved along I got to sniffing...there was that repulsive, yet sweet smell I've learned to recognize right off the bat as something dead. Looking off to my right, I caught sight of a mound I didn't remember being there. I went over to investigate and sure enough, it was a dead cow. She was one of the few with horns. I was kind of surprised that it was that particular cow. I didn't think she was in that bad of shape. It's my opinion that she probably just laid down and didn't get back up. I also got to wondering if that panther I saw last Saturday had anything to do with it--at least the eating part. Savannah suggested later that maybe the cow was down and the panther finished her off. I don't know; what I do know is that we lost another cow. That makes two this year.

I fixed a small piece of the electric fence on my way back from looking at the gate leading from the orange grove to the 'back 4o'. There is absolutely no lock on that. So...anyone wanting to sneak on to Granddaddy's land would have no problem whatsoever doing so.

I returned to the house via the runway and attempted to count the cows. I counted them I don't know how many times and most often came up with 43. That's bulls and cows, not counting calves or that heifer I was going to wean. However, I'm not going to put that down as a solid number until I get a better on-horse-back count. That's my job for Monday.

Speaking of horses, I went out this morning at around 8:45 (pretty normal) to feed Snip. I was fixing to do my usual whistling, when I heard a noise. Looking up, I saw that rascal horse of mine in the yard. He was standing by the pumps. He had apparently JUMPED the fence! Brat child...Anyhow, I hope the expirence was uncomfortable enough that he will not repeat it. (He got cut up some.) If I catch him in the act, I'm going to whomp him good. I had my breakfast sitting there getting cold when I peeked out at him and saw him nibbling that the fence. I charged out there and gave him a nose to nose scolding. After I went in, he walked away from the fence. I think he knew I was mad at him--but I couldn't tell you how much of my tirade he understood. He isn't stupid, but neither is he logical.

See, I have a total uninteresting life, don't I? ;)

        Racheal

 
I'll start at the beginning of the day (minus all the dishes and such like). I buried my nose in the computer screen this morning building AfterEffects compositions like a pro. (Heh!)

I had half a dozen done before lunch. More importantly, I learned how to use Photoshop a little better! I cropped two flags out of the pictures from Ocklawaha and shrunk them up and a made a lower third out of them. (If you don't know, a lower third is the title bar thingy you see in documentaries, for instance. You know, the bar that says "So-in-so, author of such-in-such". :D) I had to go back and add that into the compositions I had already made. I plowed through and I think I have all the ones I want. I figured out that I'm going to have to mess with the color of the text...but I'll take care of that tomorrow. I also have to do quite a bit of work with the audio. I have to raise the volume level on the main audio track--I'll have to go back into Soundbooth to do that. I'm going to see about removing some wind noise from another audio track (Commander G's speech) in Premiere Pro. One of my contacts on Google+ gave me some tips on how to do that...Google+ is kind of cool like that. Need help? Just post that you do and someone might just show up and help you! :)

At some point after lunch, while I was busy working on AE compositions with WCPE playing in my ears, the two ladies from Granddaddy's church who stop by fairly regularly, dropped in. The one asked if we'd play a bit for them so Savannah played a couple things on the piano, I hauled out the cello, and then gave a piece on my guitar (one of my new favorites--Riding a Raid). That was all the more musical I was today. (Not counting the singing I did while doing dishes and riding Snip.)

Moving on, around 3:30ish, I went out to ride Snip. As usual, it took a few minutes to land the bit between Snip's roving lips and between his teeth. Once that was done, the rascal was calm as a cucumber. I brushed him and combed the mass of goat-heads and other stickery things out of his mane. While working on his forelock, he started nibbling on the front of my shirt. I think he was eating the goat-heads stuck on it, but all the same I shoved him off several times--I didn't really want to get nipped.

I saddled him up and hopped on. Then off we went! At a walk. ;) I did trot him and even slow loped him later on after we'd been going for a bit. I didn't get any hint of a buck out of him today, for which I was glad. He did get rather impatient to get moving while I sat on his back and peeled myself an orange I picked off one of the old trees in the pasture. It wasn't 100% 'ready' but it sure tasted good anyway! I ate it on the move. I was tired of having to get on to Snip about his pawing.

Other intersting things of the afternoon...he spooked a little bit as we sat next to the hanger. This very tall weed was rubbing against the hanger making noise and that startled him. I made him walk back that way a bit--training thing, you know. (The same reason I whirl

For some strange reason (providence), I decided to go up the trap to the pens. I am SO glad I did. There was a cow shut in there! How she got shut up I don't know. I had left that east gate open after working cows last time...with the chain hanging on the north fence (where it gets closed). Anyway, that gate was chained shut. There is no possible way, even had the wind been honking, for that chain to wrap itself around the gate and hook itself. Someone had to have shut that cow in there. I know it wasn't me or Savannah, and it certainly wasn't Granddaddy! I dismounted from Snip, rather worried about this cow. She poked her nose out to me and I briefly scratched her nose. It was damp and she didn't seem to be in distress (fortunately). Her eyes were normal (this is one of the more docile/friendly of Granddaddy's herd) and the only thing I noticed negative about her was that she seemed rather sunken about the hips. (Could partially have been the angle she was standing at.) Anyway, I got the gate open and chained it that way. The cow went out and immediately started eating not to far away from Snip (who by the way I had tied to the fence--as soon as I started to turn away he went to start nibbling at the reins...stinker.) She stayed in the run until after we'd left then went to join her 'people' on the south side of the pasture. I don't know if she got anything to drink or not, but I do know that she hadn't had any water in the pens. So....if I find another cow closed into the pens, I'm going to be one furious girl. I was pretty irritated as it was--I wonder, was this some brat kid's idea of a practical joke? Just think, if I hadn't decided to go riding today and on a wild hair go all the way up the run to the pens, that poor cow might have died from thirst!

I finished my ride...nobody got hurt and Snip behaved himself like a gentleman almost the whole time. When we came in it was time for supper--for both of us. As I was coming in, I looked back and that crazy animal had his foot in the sink that serves as his feed bowl....

Minus the myserious cow episode, I had a really good, fairly productive day. How was yours?

        Racheal

 
I had the brilliant idea to trim my horse's hooves this afternoon. I asked Savannah to help by holding Snip's head, so she did. We got started around 4:00. It was at least 5:30 by the time we got finished.

I started with the 'trouble' foot (the right front). Ho-hum....how do I make this hour and a half of horse hoof wrastling interesting? Anyway, the funny and not so funny parts were interspersed throughout that time and they included the following: Savannah got her feet eaten by fire ants (ouch!), Snip removed the hoof-pick from my back pocket at one point (he's going to chip his teeth if he doesn't stop nipping on metal!), and I took a head-long, semi-backwards tumble at one point. Savannah was afraid I had gotten kicked as I rolled out from under the horse with my spurred heels waving in the wind. No, I hadn't gotten kicked--he'd just moved and I lost my balance and he moved some more and so I couldn't catch myself on his barrel-shaped hide. I told her, "Oh, you'd a known if I got kicked! I'd a hollered." She responded, "That's right, you're not Katherine." (I guess she and Katie tend to not yelp as soon as I do because the hurt takes their breath away differently.)

The fall didn't hurt. It did hurt though when I went to give Snip a good solid whack on the cheek for being a jerk. I hauled off and swung with all my might...I hit him alright. But he might as well as hit me. The side of my hand smashed right into his cheek bone. I don't remember if I yelled about that, but I danced around in a circle because it hurt so bad. Then I went right back to work. The swelling is going out of it now, and it doesn't hurt quite as bad as it did when I finally got done with Snip's feet and took my gloves off and let myself think about it. Savannah asked me if I broke it, but I don't think so...it didn't throb like the other bones I've broken. (In other words, I think if I had broken it that I wouldn't have been able to finish the job.)

That stinker was busy the whole time trying to nibble on us...and I don't know how many times we had to turn him around. I somehow managed not to get my feet stomped on. Snip was so ornery; I never actually got mad at him, but I gave him the no-nonesense voice several times. He also behaved himself somewhat better a couple times after I grabbed him by the nose and dug my fingers into his nasal cavaity...he thought about that.

This whole process would be easier if I had a set of nippers that I could conviently handle one-handed. The ones I have I can use one-handed, but it isn't easy. Probably wouldn't hurt to sharpen them either...

The result of the afternoon's struggle...four not-so-well trimmed horses hooves, two feet covered with ant bites, one stiff back, and one sore hand. Ah...life is so fun! (And that is only partially facetious. :})

        Racheal

 
Yes, I was at it again today. I am really, really trying to get this SCV video finished.

This morning I finished getting all the clips in the timeline, in the order I wanted them. I started in on the transitions and got a couple in before I ran into a strange, interesting problem that I have no idea how it occured. I had a section of audio that was repeated! Anyway, I chopped that out and so far I have been unable to determine how screwy it made the rest of the timeline. It did mess up one clip (which I have ended up simply removing). This particular clip was a HUGE pain the first time around I remember. (I haven't gotten much further...)

I was not going to lose my temper (what good does it do?), but I got so frustrated that I had to go have it out with myself out-of-doors. I know I startled at least one cow when I shouted something about that chunk of footage to no one in particular. So much for facing the dreaded syncing session with a good attitude.

All told though, the video doesn't look so dismally horrid to me today as it did yesterday. Yesterday I was ready to pitch the whole project in the trash; today I see that it will work even though the audio isn't anything worth beans.

Lessons learned from this SCV project (in no particular order): 1) I never, ever, ever, want to have to sync again. I hate it with a passion. (Not such a good attitude to face it with--rather like my life-long distaste for mathematics.) 2) I'm not very patient. (I already knew that!) 3) My temper needs work. (I knew that, too.) 4) I still think as a director I will be fine--so long as I am actually directing. I don't want to do any more projects where I'm not in charge. (That may sound bossy or huffy, but I'm looking at this from a practial standpoint--I was not in charge of this and how much grief has it caused me? It hasn't been worth it even if I get paid for it--which I don't want to be.) 5) I can pan with my chin fairly smoothly. :D

I imagine there might be others that I can't think of right now. Anyway, I didn't mind the filming part and if I hadn't had to deal with this horrid sync problem I probably wouldn't have minded the editing (even with the wind noise). It was actually editing that got me hooked in the first place! (I edited a play for some good friends of ours.) I'm looking forward to being done with this project and returning my attention to my Cow Cavalry project. I have HOURS of footage to sort through--stuff I haven't even put on the computer yet because I don't have room thanks to the SCV footage. (MAMA! I NEED ANOTHER EXTERNAL HARD-DRIVE FOR CHRISTMAS!! I still have room on the Seagate, but I don't know how long that will last. Oh, and Daddy, I HAVE been able to work off an external hard-drive...I just can't play a project off the external drive...)

There you have it...my confession of the 'filmmaking furies'.  Transcribing interviews is tame tedium compared to audio/video syncing...

        Racheal

 
That's a Gene Autry song...and I actually didn't sing it today. However, it aptly describes things.

After playing my cello and guitar for an hour/hour and a half, I got the notion to go ride my horse. Actually, I didn't just "get" the notion...the desire, urge, whatever you want to call it, to get back on my horse has been growing on me for weeks now. Seeing the cavalry at the reenactments probably hasn't helped. :)

I didn't plan on doing anything foolish, just mainly walking Snip. It took several minutes to get the bit in his mouth (I want to switch back to the snaffle, but I haven't found it across the creek--I may even need a larger [longer] one). It didn't help any that somebody was shooting and Savannah was riding her bike. Anytime that crazy horse hears gun-fire any more he is all ears and eagerness. It really is strange since the first time he heard gun-fire (a .22 rifle no less!), he freaked out and pulled the gate down (okay, so it was a rotten post!). Now, first shot and bam! he's there (normally right behind the backstop).

I saddled him up after combing the mass of goat-heads out of his mane. By the time I was done he had something that reminded me of one of those 'fro-looking 80's hair-do's with the head band. I actually didn't need a bucket to mount (I was afraid I was going to :D).

We walked, identified hog-sign (there is some out there--just in an entirely different spot than last time I saw it), and towards the very end I trotted him and loped him just a little bit. I think he attempted a buck on me, so I sat him down and backed him. I can tell how out of shape I'm in--loping wasn't the breeze it normally is--my legs are weak (and by then my seat was beginning to feel the saddle.)

Still, I'm happy, I put my spurs back on my boots and rode my horse for the first time in weeks (er, months). Now, it's time for supper. See ya'll later!

         Racheal

 
...you hadn't noticed; I did some rearranging here the other day. As I had finished  A Gray Kepi a while back, I created a 'Stories' page in the 'Link' section. It's there. Just in case you wondered what had happened to it. :)

I'm just wasting a little time right now because my stomach is upset from that doggone turkey broth this morning. Too much grease I suppose. Anyway, once my tummy quits bothering me, I'm going to go attempt (and hopefully prevail) to remove the flat tire on the truck. I'm sure hoping I can break that torque....

Going to get my ginger tea....

        Racheal

 
Happy Thanksgiving, ya'll!!

For Savannah and I, this Thanksgiving is probably going to be one of the most different one's we've ever had. Sure, we're going to have turkey (it's done now that we've already eaten lunch :D), and we even managed to scrounge up costumes (though certainly not 100% Pilgrim accurate), but it is still different. Savannah is doing laundry and we both did some random house-straightening this morning. Granddaddy as usual is sitting in front of the televsion and as it is 1:00, his four hours of Westerns has started. Thankfully, the volume is still down where I turned it last night while watching Remington Steele. (The last couple of nights, Granddaddy has gone to bed thirty-minutes in--so perhaps Operation Steele isn't working as well as I'd like...)

I'd like to share with you the recipe for what we had for lunch (meat-wise): turkey gizzard something-or-rether...I didn't think I liked gizzards very well, but this stuff is awesome!

I guess most people do a blog post about what they are thankful for on Thanksgiving...but since I'm not necessarily a follower...I decided not to do that. You would get bored reading everything I'm grateful for. Instead, I'm going to point out, to myself, as much as anyone else, the fact that we so often take the good things God has given us for granted. I know I do. I eat my food after a quick prayer. How often is my word of thanks said out of rote habit? Far too often. Do I ever think to thank God that my closet is busting with clothing? Maybe once in a great while. What about my health? I'm a fairly healthy, robust young woman. How often do I fall on my knees and glorify God for that fact? More often than I thank Him for my clothing, but not often enough. The list of things that I take for granted could go on and on...it's as long as the list of the things I'm grateful for--because the two lists are identical!

So on this day of Thanksgiving, let us thank God for our good gifts...let us try to remember that we gave ourselves absolutely nothing of what we have.  God gave it all to us. He is sovereign...and for that fact alone, let us rejoice and be thankful.

Soli Deo Gloria! Amen.

        Racheal

 
After a very busy Thursday packing everything (and I still forgot the apron and Savannah the peanut butter), we pulled out around 9-something Friday morning, headed almost all the way up to the Florida/Georgia border. We got there mid-afternoon and after locating the K's and D's camping spot, we meandered on into the sutler area...only to find that they weren't there. About the time we got back to the camping area, they pulled in. The men had gone boating the day before in their period-ish looking boats and slept out on a little island in the extremely heavy cold dew. Mr. K therefore was something of a grouch for the entire weekend...not that I have ever been grouchy when tired! (That's a laugh...anyone who knows me knows that I tend to get growly and bitey :})

So, we set up our tent between the K's trailer and the Caddy--which was parked behind the D's camper. I'm very thankful that the D's loaned us a heater because even with the wool blankets we would have been very cold if we hadn't had the heater.

Saturday morning we spent goofing off with Amanda in the sutler area. I bought a hat, a Confederate 3rd National flag, a book on Gen. N.B. Forrest, and we also picked up John Bakeless' Spy's of the Confederacy.  Savannah got a pattern book or two and we bought a 'Civil War' song book. On the way home yesterday I was attempting to sing some of them (and then I also talked on the phone quite a bit so I was really hoarse by the time we got home!)

We got ready to head to the "Ladies Tea" and went the wrong way first. Anyway, we finally arrived--fashionably late. :) The presentation was on period fabrics which I found quite interesting. I couldn't tell you much about it now, but I enjoyed it anyway. Savannah left sometime during the presentation (though probably it meant more to her than it did to me) because she wasn't feeling too well.

After the presentation they did their 'door-prize' raffle. My ticket won a certificate for a free fry-bread, but since I couldn't use it I gave it to Amanda--who turned around and won the second free fry-bread certificate! :D She and her mother used those for lunch Saturday and Sunday...free food...what's not to like?

Someplace between the tea and the battle at 2 pm, we had lunch. It seems like we were busy all the time even if we were just walking around doing nothing...

I didn't even attempt to film (even though I'm using DV I like the way 'film' sounds better than 'video' as a verb...) the battle on Saturday. I just wanted to watch. Besides, I thought it might make Sunday's filming easier (which as it turns out, didn't really because they set up different on Sunday!) I find the smoke-rings from the rifles and cannon quite neat. At one point when the Confederates fired a volley, the branches of one of the trees swayed from the forces of the power being expelled from the barrels. The Confederates 'dressed right' perpendicular to the spectator line so close that you could reach out and touch them several times. It was pretty loud. I wore my ear-plugs Sunday, despite Amanda's teasing about it. I want to be able to hear when I'm a little old (fat) lady...

After the battle, we went back to camp and we played some music with 7 lb's of Bacon. Mr. K handed his guitar to Aaron--Miss Dee's nephew--and walked off for a little bit. I made some comment about playing a certain song better on my classical and Aaron offered me Mr. K's (black nylon strings! So that's why I thought he had steel strings on it!). I let Aaron play mine while I played Mr. K's. First thing he started playing? Stairway to Heaven. Figures.

Then was supper. We sat around and talked some; then I drug Savannah off to get her changed into her ball dress. That was somewhat interesting in a dark tent. I'm glad I had that LED key-chain flashlight. I hung that up on a loop in the tent and it really helped. Then we showed her off...and it was then that Savannah discovered she had hoop problems. The skirt has too much fullness in the front so it pushed the front of the hoop down. We headed to the ball and got there early. (The band had said the dance started at 7--but the schedule said 8...so we, having actually heard the band, showed up at 7.) We took a few pictures and ended up with both Amanda and I laughing like crazy people. She was attempting to get me to play that stare down/keep a straight face game. I, of course, am an absolute flop at anything like that. We were cracking up simultaneously...which made it even funnier. :D

We did a grand total of four different types of dances: The Grand March, the Virginia Reel, the Waltz, and a Polka. The band was a brass band and while I think that 7 lb.s of Bacon are more fun these folks were good and I really liked the way they used the drum while transitioning between songs in a medley. Very marital...of such things I am a sucker for...

I did the Grand March with a tall, blue-eyed Confederate kid (probably about 17) with big dimples. I ended up scrunched between him and another gray jacket--I'm sure neither young fellow realized that the girl in the blue dress between them was as squished as she was. Both of them had longer legs than me too...which didn't help. :D It was fun even though I couldn't get myself out of that wedged position (I was literally half a step behind them because I couldn't get any farther forward thanks to their shoulders!)

The rest of the dancing I did, I did with a real soldier named Adrian. We talked about everything from dancing (a natural place to start), to the military (since I'm an Army brat and he's in the Army), to family history (he's half Mexican, half German/Irish--quite a mix), to my Cow Cavalry documentary, to reenacting. I was somewhat disappointed that nobody else asked me to dance, but I guess what can you expect when no one knows you and they all know each other.

The men were handed duck tape to stick on their heel-plates as they came through the door. It might have kept them from scratching the floor...but it didn't keep them from sliding around in their leather soled brogans. Of the we three girls from the 1st Fl Reserves, I'm the only one who had on rubber soles--and I'm the only one who didn't fall down. The floor was real slick and people did fall down. I think I actually kept Adrian from falling several times during the Virginia Reel(s) because I'd grab his hands tighter and pull the opposite direction when we sashayed. In other words, I acted as a counter balance. I really did think he was going down once, but he didn't. I'm glad because I might have tripped on him then!

Savannah danced with a fellow named Michael a couple of times. Michael (or, as Amanda would say, "the dude who took his boots off for that one dance"), was a friend of Adrian's and the last time Adrian tried to get him to dance with Savannah again, Michael made some comment of, "she's still rocking the cradle"....I don't know exactly what was meant by that, not sure I want to, but I almost gave said young man a bit of information on my sister (she's not a baby!) Savannah also danced with another young man named Timothy several times and got glared at for it. (The young woman doing the glaring was pretty but she was rather over exposed when it came to her chest--and rather surprisingly didn't get asked to dance very much.)

I have no idea who all Amanda danced with--but she talked about 'this dude' and 'that dude' on the way back to camp. It was kind of funny. :D She had a blast...I know she did...even though she groused about the music some.

Like at Ocklawaha, on Sunday morning, we set up in the middle of the suter area and played gospel music. This time we had more people stand around and sing than last time. We probably did that for an hour and half or two hours. Mr. K was still kind of grouchy...and I think he hurt Miss Dee's feelings about something.

Twice on Sunday, I went back to our camp looking for Savannah and both times she wasn't there--and then as I was fixing to head out again, here she'd come! It was rather amusing...
One of those times was lunch time.

I got some footage at Sunday's battle. I think it will be neat because I got the cavalry behind a screen of powder smoke. At least on my LCD screen they looked almost like shadows. I'm especially I wore my ear plugs because they put the Federal artillary right in front of the spectator line...it was a good battle though somehow I think in the real fighting that the cavalry would have been slightly more active.

We changed out of our period duds right after the battle (we already had everything packed) and said 'adios' to our friends and hit the road. We stopped at Bob Evan's for dinner and both had steak and eggs and coffee. We got fuel twice on the way home and arrived safely almost half way through 'Columbo'. Granddaddy had the garage light on for us and the door was unlocked (we wish he would leave it locked!) and he was fully awake.

Today I'm tired, but at least I got the car unpacked. I'll get the pictures up as soon as I can....

        Racheal

 
I didn't have the time to write yesterday...because I really DID have a busy day.  I forget exactly where it started, but early on I was attempting to pin the hem of Savannah's ball dress up. She got light headed and nausous standing on the chair, so I didn't get finished. I had gotten about three quarters of it pinned up so she was able to finish pinning it later once she got to feeling better.

I went out to put the runway fence back up in a couple places and ended up having to run a bull calf back into the trap. The biggest black one. I also saw what I believe was a panther! It was running across the 'back 40'...definitely wasn't a dog and it was too big for a bobcat...and it had a long tail.

Then I made lunch--let's see we had chicken, squash, and green beans. That's exactly the same thing we had for supper too--only Savannah had put the Navy beans on sometime in the afternoon, so we had them too. I'm glad Savannah had warmed supper up because I wasn't available to do it.

Sometime in the afternoon I went down to check the mail and whistled to Snip. He came over to the fence (I think he is starting to get the idea that when I whistle it means "come here") and then we both headed back up the drive-way. It's kind of funny, I'll trot with him a little bit then he'll run off and leave me, stop and look back at me like, "Well, are you coming?"

I tossed the mail (sale ads basically) on the washer, hopped back into the garage and snatched up my lead rope, lounging rope (which is FULL of goat-heads--blah!), and whip. By now, Snip was standing there staring at his feed bucket (sink)--at 2:00 in the afternoon!! "No way I'm going to feed you this early in the day!" 

I got the lounge rope tied on his halter and drug him out. (Actually, he came out very easily.) We started to work and he started to crow hop (I just learned that term--it's very appropriate). Part of the reason was because he had a horse fly on him and part of it was just that he was being frisky. I'm glad to say that he has not tried to run off on me the few times I've lounged him recently.

Once I was done lounging him, I brushed that mass of goat-heads out of his forelock (and got few down the front of my shirt in the process. Then I put him away and ignored his sop-eyed request for his supper. :)

Around 3:30 or so, the W brother's showed up to help me work the cows. Tommy was the gate man, and Ricky and I each drove our respective trucks. Ricky didn't feel the greatest (not that he complained or anything), because he'd just had a tooth pulled. I learned (the hard way, like usual) how to push cows better with a pick-up. I usually am on foot or in the back of the truck just hollering.

Once we got the animal's in the pens, we--well, mostly Tommy and Ricky--just separated most of the cows and calves; without putting them in the hopper. Then we parted out the big calves from the little calves. We had seven total...only six went to market (four bulls and two heifers); I kept the white heifer and will be weaning her. Right now she is out in the pens. I have to go feed her and Snip here momentarily.

I rode into the market with Ricky and Tommy...there were a few funny incidents on the way there: 1) on one turn, it looked very much to me (in the back seat) that Ricky was going to bump a car sitting at the light...I instinctively grabbed a hold of the back of Tommy's seat. Ricky looked behind him with a grin, "Did you think I was going to hit him?" On the way home, when we turned onto a different road, he made an illusion to that incident...
2) We saw a dog slung out of someone's golf cart. It really was funny. I don't remember what Tommy said, but it made it funnier--then when I mentioned that, "My cousin did that to me once. I threatened to beat him up if I did it again..." (I was kidding him really...we were both laughing like crazy things), we kept right on laughing.
3) The two red bull calves were comfortably sparring with each other as we roared down the road in Ricky's awesome Dodge diesel truck.

Once we got to market, Ricky had me talk to the man; so I learned that part of the deal too. I told him who the calves belonged to and how many we had. He handed me the pink slip with our selling number on it--#13. Sometime later today I'll have to take Granddaddy and go pick-up our check.

When I got home, I ran and fed the horse; poked food down myself and dashed through the shower. Then we girls headed off for the SCV meeting. To cut things short, I'll just say that we're now offically part of the Order of the Confederate Rose--which will meet at the same time and place as the SCV... :D (Each OCR chapter must be affiliated with an SCV camp.)

Now--I HAVE to go. See ya, later!

        Racheal

 
I have supper going in the kitchen...I wish that ol' HP laptop worked; that way I could cook, type, and watch 'Emergency!' all at once. :)

After getting the soup started this morning, I headed for town...first stop Beall's. I got some nice socks and some Christmas presents--it is getting to be that time of year you know.

From there I popped over to Bryan's. "I'd like to get a roll of hay; you think it will go in the back of my pick-up?" "Sure." And it did. They picked the hay up with a fork-lift and set it in the back of the truck. The suspension got visibly lower.... I got in the truck, then decided to strap the roll down. I'm actually glad I did because I felt safer like that. So I crawled around like a very non-limble creature and strapped it down.

I took the hay down the back-roads for the most part (I normally go down the non-main-highways anyway) and soon arrived at our place. Abe was in the east pasture and he watched me very carefully as I unlocked the gate. I pulled into the west side of the pasture, cut the netting off the hay, and rolled it off the back of the truck. That took a small amount of grunting; after all, that roll of hay weighs over twice as much as me. I attempted to push it over so it wasn't sitting on a rounded side, but just ended up snorting at my own foolishness. I was actually out of the pasture before Abe and his horns showed up.

I ransaked the honey house for trims that Savannah might find useful and then left--going BACK to town--this time to Smith's. I walk in there, lean on the counter, and told the lady I wanted 4 bags of pellets. "Oh, 20 or 14%." Oh boy. "I don't know what Daddy usually gets." This is where it gets funny. The owner's son, busy taking care of somebody else, with his back towards us says the following: "She gets 14."

I just laughed...then I laughed some more when I told the lady whose account to put it on and she basically said, "Duh! I should have know that....I can see the family resemblence now that you say that." I often have people know who I am because they know Granddaddy...it can be quite funny sometimes.

Then I had the following exchange with Drummer-dude out in the back while he loaded my pellets. "Wow. That's a big cat!" "Yeah, it is..." "I thought my uncle had a big cat, but that one is bigger!" "You been to Fenton's?" "Uh, no." "Well, in the shop they have this big orange cat with feet this size [holding his fingers up to describe a two-inch diameter cat's paw]." "Wow...Thanks!" (For loading the pellets.)

I came home for lunch....the rest of my day between then and trapping the cows is rather insignificant. I took pellets to our place after lunch and feed a few to my cows...I couldn't NOT after they had seen them and started being all excited.

Savannah and I trapped the cows for tomorrow's work. I shut all the gates after trolling out a bag of pellets. We have three cows outside of the trap, but since we're doing nothing but parting calves out tomorrow, it isn't a big deal. At the gate into the woods, I jumped out of the back of the truck and fell down. I had landed kind of funny on my right foot and so the whole leg just turned under me. It didn't hurt at all and was actually kind of funny.

Now, I'd better get that food on the table and Granddaddy fed!

        Racheal