I haz a Piggies!!!!!

Scott took a picture of me being all hillbilly and weeding my garden.

I've given up on pulling every weed one at a time since then. They've become a carpet that's everywhere. I've taken to reaching down into the dirt and grabbing a handfull of weed and soil and just churning everything up. Scotty bought me a Garden Weasle. It's not so great at digging up the weeds between the rows. It does get some of them out, and it sure makes the soil alot looser so I can dig in with my hands and get the weeds out though.



I got to go play cowgirl last week with my friend Andrea and Honey Jo. Honey's dad was moving some cows down the valley, and up over the mountians to a smaller high valley on the other side. Let me tell you, those cows were not happy about being pushed up the hill. The were lined out and moving along as long as they thought they were moving to the next ranch down the velley. Soon as we turned them up the fenceline it was a fight the whole way. The side of the mountian was rather steep. Steep enough that I prolly wouldn't have chosen to go up it if I'd just been out for a trail ride. Good thing 'Ole Benjamin Butthead has worked cows before. Dad Cisco and Andrea got a bunch of those critters moving up towards the top and me and HJ were trying to keep pushing from the bottom. I ended up pointing Ben right through the middle of them and whooping and hollaring drove right up the middle. Managed to push some of them up, then circled back down and did it again.

Here's the view from the top looking back the way we came. The view was worth the trip alone.

Scotty almost has my chicken condo done. It's turning out just the way I was hoping when he was decribing how he wanted to build it. This is a view through the top into one of the nest boxes. He made the lid with hinges on the outside so I can just lift the lid and grab my eggs and go.

Scotty and the boy working in the garage on the chicken condo

And now we move onto finishing the pig pen, because yesterday I picked up the piggiez!!!! Scott and the boy worked hard all day getting it ready for the pigs.

Here's Scotty trying to herd them out of the trailer. They were not happy about coming out. It was getting late in the evening after we unloaded them so I promise more pics later today.

Benjamin Brown

The ugly horse has a name. A little forlorne doggie came in, matted to heck and back, for an emergency haircut yesterday, and I decided I loved the name. Doggie's name was Benjamin. It seemed to fit my big ugly horse.  My big ugly horse that is turning out to be everything I was looking for in a flashy pretty horse and wans't finding. He still needs work, but he's been a pasture ornament for two years.

Wednesday we took Minnesota, Cadilac, and Ben to my first cattle drive. Cadilac is an old pro now, and Sota's been to them before. Benjamin did fantastic. I didn't know what to expect out of him. He didn't seem to be bothered by the dairy cows up the street, but I wasn't riding into the middle of them and getting all up in their business either. Honey Jo and Andrea loaded up horses Tues night and slept out in the bunkhouse. I met them about 8:30 Wed morning. They took Ben with them overnight. Saddled him up Wed morning and he was eager to go. I think he's just happy to be out doing anything. We road right up to those scary, horse eating cows, and he didn't even snort or flick an ear at them. He wasn't right on some cows behind following her every move, but we got into the middle of them, and made them go where we wanted to. He's very buddy sour with Soda. He called out and fussed like a weeney when Soda rode off into the fog. It was really foggy Wed morning. So we worked on making it work to act like a weeney. Every time he started to jig and dance we either rode tight fast circles or rode off away from the herd untill he walked. Then he got the oportunity to walk calmly back. We did it alot. lol. He still has issues with not neck reining when he doesn't want to. We got the cows down to the next ranch with sorting pens and a loading/doctoring shoot. Our job was pretty much over at that point. I sat there on him and finally got cold enough to put on my jacket. Did I mention all the clothes I was wearing when we headed out? Big woolen socks that went clear up to my knees. My smaller socks on over that. I didn't want my toesies to get cold and numb. I put on a nylon something long sleeve turtleneck from stateline tack. Over this and underthings went Scott's red unionsuit. Think  old time cowboy under clothes with the trap door and everything. I had a heavy tee shirt and gloves on over top of everything. I wanted to be warm. Ben did better than I thought with all the mooing cows and all the silly thingsI did with him. I rode him right up against the fence into the shoot. I was swinging the end of my mecate reins and smacking the fence, hooting and hollering for the cows to, "Git in there, come on cow!"  I was leaning over the fence and swatting the cows on the butt. Ben just stood there like a trooper.