Gallery
..... "Ranch Talk"
June 7, 2007
It’s Spring on the
range. The grass is green; the wildflowers abundant. The weather is
unpredictable. The robins have nests in all of the trees including their
favorite spot on the wagon wheel chandelier. The cows are calving and the
horses are foaling. Hazel & Tabitha both had kitties and Ash is due to
have her puppies any day now. Growth and new life everywhere one looks.
It’s definitely Spring.
Everyone wintered well
including the horses and cattle. The cattle were gathered off the winter
range at the end of April and shipped safely back to Cottonwood. It went
smoothly thanks to the veteran crew of Kenny, Troy, Bruce, Ron, Marcia,
Matt, Tom, Alecia, Agee, Val, and the Eldredge’s: Bruce, Dennis, Bob and
their crew. As always, the cattle were very happy to be home again.
Lil and Bill are back
after a very busy winter of traveling and visiting their friends and
children and grandchildren. The crew is in seventh heaven with Lil in the
kitchen again and we’re thrilled to have Bill back on the crew.
McKenzie ended up taking
internet classes last fall instead of going back to town to school. It was
wonderful having her here riding and taking care of the horses and cattle.
She stayed until Christmas which was when her boyfriend, Jason, proposed to
her. She said yes, of course, and they are planning a summer 2008 wedding
at Cottonwood on Horace & Renie’s lawn. McKenzie is currently living in
Preston, Idaho and working at a cattle ranch in Utah.
Aron left the ranch to
go back to school last August. We had Gene join the crew for most of the
fall. He kept the water running in the troughs for the cattle, among other
things. Alecia was able to stay through the end of October to help McKenzie
and Kenny with the cattle work. Claudia & Thomas from Munich, Germany were
here through Thanksgiving and were great ranch hands as well as being a
delightful couple.
Annie, Kenny, Agee,
Horace, Renie, Sam, Shirley, Michael and Randy held down the fort at
Cottonwood throughout the winter. Sam had some successful surgery and made
a fast recovery. Horace had a bit of a scare in May which resulted in being
fitted for a pacemaker. His heart is extremely strong but just needed a
little help with timing. He’s been outworking
all of us since he returned home. Not that that's unusual. The man is a machine and a great example of an industrious work
ethic.
Trey arrived in April
from Pearl, Mississippi. He’s been working with the riding horses, getting
them ready for the season and also working on the barns, tack, etc. He’s
always there with a helping hand and a smile, as well as being hard
working and a good team player.
Piper just graduated
from Jackpot High School on the 25th of May. She and her
classmates asked Tom to be the guest speaker at their commencement
ceremony. He was extremely honored at the invitation and gave a very
inspiring speech. Piper is now at the ranch for the summer and plans to
head to the College of Southern Idaho this fall. Kim has finished the
school year as Dean of Students and Athletic Director at Jackpot High and is
out at the ranch for the season. We’re so happy to have her home again.
Alecia is also back for the summer. She’s put out hummingbird feeders and
planted flowers around her trailer and in the beautiful window box that
Randy made for her shed. The cats were very happy to see her again, but
that’s another story for later. Terry is expected to arrive at the end of
this week when the Nevada State Legislature finishes its current session and
we’re all looking forward to his presence, hard work and great stories.
Brittney, who is Mitch &
Sue’s daughter and Horace & Renie’s granddaughter is also here for the
summer. We’re so happy to have her here at Cottonwood. We had the pleasure
of her brother, Ty, with us last summer. Ty is working fire detail this
summer for the BLM. We miss him but know that he’s well needed since
they’re predicting a very busy fire season this year.
Renie’s sister Bonnie
and brother-in-law Jim are on a trip to Italy for a couple of weeks. While
they’re gone, Renie’s & Bonnie’s mom, Nonnie, is here at the ranch. She’s
99 (her 100th birthday is January '08) and is sharp as a tack. Everyone loves
talking with her, trying to glean some of the things she’s seen and done in
her amazing life. It’s a joy to have her with us.
Jeff and Mike, who just
graduated from McCallister College in St. Paul, Minnesota arrived a couple
of weeks ago and have been hard at work ever since. They seem to get all of
the odd jobs assigned to them which they tackle swiftly, competently and
with a great sense of humor. We recently took First Aid Classes together
and Jeff & Mike had us in stitches (not literally) by the end of the day. We all passed the
course, by the way.J
Maeva arrived last week
from St. Brieuc, which is in the Brittany region in the northwest part of
France. She is here on a study program and working with the horses and
working cattle for the month of June. Her English is excellent and we are
enjoying learning bits and pieces of French from her.
Check out the number 3
tab to the left to see photos of all our staff and the number 2 tab to see
photos of the Smith family. The number 1 tab shows photos of a few of our
riding horses.
The kids from Squaw
Valley Academy spent a week here in May. The weather was mixed but they had
a great time anyway. The Quilters spent their annual weekend at the lodge
and it was relaxing, productive and successful as always. Mona held a
photography class over a recent weekend and will be having another one this
Fall. We see Chuck often since he’s working down in the bull pasture
gathering soil samples for the Natural Resources Conservation Service of
Nevada. Sheldon & Dan just stopped by for an overnight since they had a
project on the Winecup Ranch for a couple of days. Jerry, his new
bride
Stephanie and daughter Melissa are here this week. We've lost track of
how many times they've visited us. Michael & Celine hosted
a couples retreat last week. Their son Brandon and friend Jaden were here
for their 4th visit. It was Michael’s 5th visit and
Celine’s 2nd time here. Russ and Michelle also attended for the
second time in a year. New guests Tyson & Jackie, and Cody & Jenny also
attended the couples retreat. Among other things, they rode horseback up on
the forest, relaxed, shot trap, played pool, had lawn bowling tournaments
and drove 4-wheelers up on the mountain to enjoy the views and have a
snowball fight in the huge snow drifts. It’s always great to have our old
friends visit and to welcome new Cottonwood friends and family. Speaking of
good friends, the guests for our Spring Horse Drive arrive this Sunday and
we’re excited to see Carol & Jack, and Suzanna & Lawrence again. Beau and
his girlfriend Erin will be here for the week and we’re looking forward to
working and hanging out with them.
We just celebrated
Piper’s 18th birthday and her friends Elvis and Veronica showed
up to surprise her. It was a great party. Piper had already had a
memorable day. We had seen a sick cow on the forest the previous day and
decided to catch it and doctor it on Piper’s birthday. Kim set up a
temporary corral and we herded the surprisingly spry cow into the
enclosure. She was definitely feeling much better but we decided to give
her the antibiotic for her lingering respiratory symptoms. Piper roped the
cow and held her tight against the panels while Kim gave her the shots. How
many gals can say they’ve done that on their 18th birthday?
Piper's mare, Fancy, had
a foal the other day. Piper brought them in this evening. The
foal is a beautiful paint bay filly. Check it out:
We have counted 8 new
foals so far this spring.
The owls have returned.
We’ve yet to see them but hear them occasionally in the night. We seem to
have birds everywhere again this year. The finches and wrens love the trees
by the teepee and also the willows by Tin Can Alley. The hummingbirds favor
Shirley’s feeders as they have each year and are very active there. One
hummingbird prefers the gnats that live on the exterior of the barn. We
don’t have many bunnies. The owls had a hand in reducing the rabbit
population last year. Out on the range the antelope are abundant again. So
are the coyotes. We’ve seen a few deer and elk, too, on the lower forest.
The sage hens are doing very well and seem to be everywhere you look and
everywhere we ride. The ducks, geese, killdeer plovers and sandhill cranes
love the moist meadows and the creeks.
The cats-Tom Cat, Oscar,
Hazel & Tabitha-spent the winter in the old bunkhouse, which has now been
renamed “The Cat House.” They are really good hunters. We very rarely
find mice anywhere anymore. Hazel and Tabitha were pregnant this spring and
had their litters sometime around the end of April. They originally had 12
kittens between them but we still can’t get an accurate count on how many
survived since the kittens hide anytime anyone goes in the Cat House. The
largest count so far has been 8. Because they had their litters within a
day or two of each other, Tabitha and Hazel share the nursing of all of the
kitties. Check out this photo taken when the kittens were a couple of days
old.
While most of the
kittens seem to be completely dark charcoal or black in color, there is one
that is a charcoal, black & grey tabby. One of the kitties looks exactly
like Tom Cat except that the kitty is charcoal and white instead of Tom
Cat’s black and white coloring. It has the same white patch that runs from
the nose bridge over the whole muzzle and chin down the chest and tummy, and also four white socks
like Tom Cat. We don’t know yet if any of them have Tabitha’s Siamese
crossed eyes or ringed tail. The kittens are all darling and we can’t wait
to watch them emerge and grow.
Like we mentioned
earlier, Beau's dog Ash is pregnant and we anticipate her litter sometime
soon. The father is McKenzie's fiancé Jason's dog, Cap. For
Ronnie, Smitty, Jimmy, Rockie and all of our other friends who love Ash,
here is a current photo of her.
That’s all of the ranch
talk for right now. We’ll write again when we get the chance. Check back
soon to see what we’re up to next and how all of the crew, guests and
creatures are doing. Until then…Happy Trails!
August 2006
With the summer quickly
winding to a close, we look back on the past few months of 2006 with
satisfaction and joy. Spring gave us a quick thaw that brought a lot of
water to the basin. Eventually the temperatures settled back down and
things evened out. The cattle came off the winter range (Spring Valley,
east of Ely) a lot easier than in previous years. It does seem to help now
that we’re all learning the country down there. Shipping went well also and
all the cattle, yearlings and calves made it back to Cottonwood safely.
We had a new cowboy join
us this year at Cottonwood. His name is Aron and he’ll be breaking horses
as well as working as an all-around ranch hand. McKenzie finished up the
school year and was at the ranch full time by mid-May. Kenny & Sam hold
down the fort year long and for that we’re so grateful. Terry has been here
off and on since January. We don’t know what we’d do without his never
ending energy, lively conversation, wealth of experience and just plain hard
work. Speaking of never ending energy, lively conversation and hard work,
Bill & Lil arrived in May. Lil’s been cooking up a storm ever since and
Bill has the grounds, storage and much of the maintenance all up to date and
under control. Emily also joined us for most of the summer. Among other
things, she cared for and fed the 4 orphaned calves three times a day and
nursed them back to health. Thanks to Em, the 4 babes are doing
exceptionally well. Horace & Renie’s grandson Ty (Mitch & Sue’s son) joined
us for the first time this summer and what a great experience that has been
for everyone. We will miss him when he heads back to college at the end of
August. We will also miss Beau who has helped Sam irrigating for most of
the spring and summer, and Piper who spent a good deal of her summer
vacation at Cottonwood. Piper heads back to school for her senior year.
Alecia spent most of the summer here, and after her August hiatus, will
return to spend most of the fall with us.
Randy has been hard at
work on the ranch shop, the staff housing and at the lodge. One of his
projects has been building two bathrooms in the new shop. They won’t be
anything fancy, but we’ll finally have bathroom facilities right by the
barn. Other notable improvements were the renovations he made to the
bathrooms of the Desert Room and the Boot & Spur Room. Incredible!
Although it’s very difficult to photograph, check out a portion of the
Desert Room’s new bathroom:
Ken has been out to
Cottonwood a couple of times this year and brought a good friend of his for
a visit in June. The June Horse was a huge success and we enjoyed the
company of good friends George, Lori, Taylor, Rocky, Jimmy, Merrianne, Jane
& Anni. We also met 15 other guests from Oregon, Washington State, New
York, Nevada, Massachusetts, Illinois and England who quickly became close
Cottonwood friends. The horses were brought in safely and everyone had a
great time. We had a wild and windy night at the Gully and also some crazy
weather at lunch time on Thursday but, other than that, the weather was
wonderful. Fran, Jerry, Bob, Daneen & Dominic rounded out the ground crew
all week long. They also entertained us with their music and singing the
entire week, especially Sunday & Thursday nights. Cowboy and his wife also
spent Sunday evening with us. Lisa from California surprised us Thursday
morning at camp and ended up helping us bring in the herd and also move
cattle on Friday. It was an incredible week filled with many wonderful
memories.
The Holistic Range
Management meeting was well attended. We were very fortunate to have such a
capable and knowledgeable crew on hand when lightening struck and began a
small fire near the ranch one afternoon. Manned with shovels, axes and
some tough soled boots, the “shoe-sole brigade” had the fire out within a
half hour, and all of the hot, sage roots tended to and squelched not long
afterward. Many blessings indeed!
The writers had their
annual retreat which was also a great success. It’s been lovely getting to
know all of these folks over the years and always a joy to have them with us
at Cottonwood.
Four orphaned kittens
ended up at the ranch this spring. Aron took in one of them while the other
three were adopted by Cottonwood’s notoriously elusive old Tom cat. “Tom”
has lived at the ranch for many years, and, despite being born a
domesticated cat, has become feral over the years. Well, he must have been
quite lonely because Tom took in the three abandoned kittens and began
raising them in the old bunkhouse. Eventually he took them down to live in
the old willow tree by the creek for a month or so where he taught them how
to mouse and live outdoors. The mice don’t stand a chance anymore. Even
when the hay crew began swathing, there wasn’t a mouse in sight. The
bunnies and chipmunks have had to relocate to safer havens but so far seem
to be doing fine.
The wrens have been so
thick this year that they’ve driven the goldfinches out to the trees near
the teepee/tent area. One pair of wrens felt so comfortable that they built
their nest in the overhang by the lodge back door. The robins continue to
build their nests at the lodge on the ledges and in the wagon wheel light
over the deck. It’s always fun to watch the babies grow till they finally
leave the nest.
The
nighthawks also seem to be everywhere. It’s not unusual to find one
sleeping in the lodge willow right off the deck or in other trees close by.
They especially love perching on Kim’s old satellite dish. Sam & Shirley
had hummingbirds again at their place; Annie also was able to tempt them to
visit her feeder on a daily basis. Sage hens abound again this year. They
especially love Horace’s hay fields. The mule deer buck still lives in the
ranch pasture although he’s a little more elusive this year than last.
Maybe it has to do with all the new kittens in that area. We also had baby
lambs that seemed to be anywhere and everywhere you looked. We were very
grateful when Calvin, the horseshoer, took all but four of the lambs with
him back to Utah. And when Calvin returned a few weeks later, he went home
with a wonderful female puppy. Can you say, Dr. Dolittle?
Speaking of puppies, we
have three new puppies at the ranch this year. Aron has a male border
collie pup named Dip. McKenzie also has a border collie puppy, a female
named Cye (who looks very similar in body type and coloring to Terry’s old
buddy Dub). And Beau has a female Australian Shepard/Border Collie mix
puppy named Ash. Ash came to Beau just before the June Horse Drive so she
became socialized in a big hurry. Beau was lucky that Ronnie or any of the
other guests didn’t pack Ash in their duffle bags when they left for home.
Ty’s friend Danny is
working for the Forest Service this summer on the mountain at the Pole Creek
Ranger Station. We’ve been fortunate to have him join us every once in a
while for breakfast or dinner and to hear stories of daily life in the
wilderness. Although Danny hasn’t seen an increase in the elk or deer herds
this year, he has been amazed at the overwhelming number of antelope that
he’s come across.
Tom visited for a few
memorable weekends. One of his visits fell over the Fourth of July
holiday. Since Tom had to leave on the Fourth, we decided to celebrate the
holiday on the July 3rd. Jerry and Melissa were also staying at Cottonwood
over the holiday. We decided to have a parade. Aron and Sam assembled the
team and hitched them up to the chuck wagon to lead the parade. Melissa
saddled up Razor and was our lone rider. We pulled the old gray horse
trailer off the hill, decorated and spray painted it. Horace, Renie, Terry,
Kim & Kenny rode in the trailer while Bill and Lil towed them with the
“flame” truck. Agee and Jerry climbed in the Jeep and towed Piper, Ty &
most of the dogs and puppies in the old WWII Jeep Willy. Tom and Alecia
hitched up the Hummer to one of the old John Deere tractors from Horace’s
Treasure Yard and towed it while Beau steered the tractor. Annie & Em drove
4-wheelers. Everyone dressed in their best red, white and blue and
decorated the vehicles as festively as possible. Even though there were no
spectators (everyone was in the parade) it was quite a memorable event and a
whole lot of fun. Our only mishap was with the old Jeep Willy after it had
been towed for about one mile. It first threw the front right tire tube and
then eventually the entire tire fell off. After a lot of laughs, we tossed
the tire on the hood and finished the last mile of the parade (digging quite
a trench with the bare rim the rest of the way). It was a truly Happy 4th
of July!
Our July Horse drive was
also an incredible success. Another great group of folks joined us from
around the country and the world: California, Nevada, Michigan, New Mexico,
Virginia, Ohio and Germany. We had a wonderful time once again with
Cottonwood friends Norm, Ellen, Annette, Bob, Carole and Jack. It’s always
very special sharing time with them and catching up on all that is happening
in their lives. They all brought good friends with them to introduce to us
and to Cottonwood. Others came to Cottonwood on their own after discovering
the ranch on the web. We all had a blast together and the weather really
cooperated this year.
Terry brought Spencer
out to Cottonwood for a week in August. Spencer has wanted to visit the
ranch ever since his sister, mother & grandmother were here in July of
2002. Two ladies from Japan were at Cottonwood that same week and a couple
from Austria is expected the following week. September’s just around the
corner and our schedule is delightfully full. We’ll write again in the fall
to keep you updated on all of the current “ranch talk.” Until then, take
care and happy trails!
October 2005
The summer season is over and fall is almost coming to an end.
Some of the golden leaves on the
Aspen
trees are still clinging to the limbs but every day a few more leaves drift
to the ground. The Indian
summers at
Cottonwood
are beautiful. The air is cold
and crisp in the morning and slowly warms as the sun climbs higher in the
sky. It is a quiet time, the
cattle have been shipped, the horses are turned out and the grandkids have
returned to college and high school. Even
our
Texas
cowboy, who was breaking horses for us this summer, had to leave to go back
to college. Alecia left the
first week of October to go back to her home in
Michigan
for the winter. We were lucky to have her with us most of the summer. She
spent most of her time on horse back with the rest of the crew, taking our
guests out and moving the cattle and checking them. She and McKenzie and
Piper are our top cowhands. Alecia loves all of the animals and has a
special affinity for the babies and anything that is sick or hurt. The leppy
calf she named Moo followed her around like a puppy all summer. Moo
is missing her since she has been gone. We all miss her gentle presence.
We’re
happy that McKenzie isn’t going so far away to college this year. She
transferred from the University in
Reno
to
Great Basin
College
in Elko. She and Piper come home
when they can on the week-ends to help out on the ranch, catching their
horses early on Saturday morning and heading for the range to check on the
cattle that are still out. We
love having the kids come home on the week ends, it
is far too quiet when they aren’t around.
One of the last events
we have in the fall is when the
Squaw Valley
Academy
kids come to the ranch. This
year they really found out what cowboy life is all about. The day they
arrived the neighbors cattle got into our riparian area and, instead of a
short breaking in ride, they had to ride out on the range and gather the
cattle and move them back through the broken fence.
They came back in, tired and a little sore, but feeling pretty good
about accomplishing a really important job.
We don’t allow cattle to graze the riparian areas, so it was vital
to get the cattle out of there as quickly as possible. The last day the
Academy kids were here we had a day of arena games, so Piper came out to
help out for the day. They had a
great time barrel racing, pole bending and taking part in lots of fun
events.
This year we had guests
from
England
,
France
,
Belgium
,
Germany
and
Japan
. It is always such a treat to
meet folks from other countries. One
thing we learn is that folks are pretty much the same no matter where they
are from. They are warm and
friendly and always so appreciative of our Western way of life. They are
always amazed at the vast empty spaces out here.
We had a great season
this year. The horse drives were
exciting and fun and all the participants were such great people. All the
folks who stayed at the ranch and joined the crew moving and gathering
cattle were a joy to get to know. We
always feel that our circle of friends is growing and growing each year.
What a privilege it has been to be able to welcome so many wonderful
people to
Cottonwood
over the years.
It’s interesting that
we seem to have more birds that hang around close to the lodge and the ranch
buildings each year.
We have a pair of
resident owls that have been around for several years now.
They seem to have decided the people on the ranch are pretty harmless
because they swoop down just over our heads when they are hunting, and perch
on limbs or the roof tops just above us and watch us come and go with their
great yellow eyes. Of course we also have a lot of little cottontail rabbits
and chipmunks running around that I’m sure are the main attraction.
Earlier this summer we
had several night hawks living in the trees in the yards who ignored the
people coming and going and perched on the archways and limbs around the
houses to take their daytime naps. The
hummingbirds still visit Sam and Shirley’s porch to help themselves to the
nectar Shirley provides in the feeders she puts out for them.
Several robins built
their nests on the lodge decks wherever they could find a handy ledge. The
sand hill cranes stop by to visit the pond on their way to the meadows where
they live in the summer. We even
had visiting pelican stop by for a day or two.
Every morning the little
mule deer buck that lives in the meadow below the barn comes up to help
himself to the clover in the house lawns. Sometimes he is caught in the
truck lights at night before he bounds away.
He seems to ignore Moo the leppy calf, who also likes to visit the
lawns for a snack.
As sad as it is for
summer to come to an end, we always look forward to the beautiful snows of
winter. This year we will be welcoming new friends to share in sleigh rides
and snowmobiling here at Cottonwood Ranch.
August 2003
Wow! Cottonwood has been
a very busy place this year. We have been very busy remodeling the lodge.
We have learned a lot about construction these past five months. It is
going to be beautiful when it is finished. We are hoping to have a grand
opening in November. We also have had guests at the ranch for our horse
drives and ranch stays. Everyone has been wonderful working with us with
all the construction that is going on. Our June drive was a very fun trip.
We loved having Jack, Les and Ken back from New York and Lori, George, Josh,
Kristie and Mark back from Florida. The country was so green in June this
year. We had some beautiful spring rains that gave the earth a much needed
drink of water. The horses all came off the winter range looking very
good. They had a very easy winter last year, and with all the spring grass
they were feeling and looking good. We missed Varl terribly this year, but
he continues to recover from his accident last September. I am sure he will
be with us next year. His bypass surgery went well and he says he is
feeling much better. We want to thank everyone for their prayers for Varl
this past year.
Our family week was so
much fun. George and Lori’s daughter, Taylor, was here along with Kristie
and Mark’s daughter. Josh’s friend, Jenny came too. What a doll. She was
so much fun and became a great rider! Walter who helps us with our website
joined us along with Candy who works with Lori at the 911 center. I want to
thank everyone that came for the family week for being so flexible with all
the confusion that goes along with remodeling. It worked out great and just
think, if you come next year it will all be done!
The Smith Family all
headed for Montana right after the family week for our yearly family
vacation. Our youngest sister, Kristin, got married at her beautiful home
in Corvallis, Montana. She is a remarkable woman. She had all of us at her
home and guided us on some wonderful adventures throughout the week before
her wedding. We all pitched in and helped her get ready for her wedding on
Friday and on Saturday, July 5th she wed her best friend and
partner. It was a beautiful outdoor wedding. Her two sons gave her away
and Rick’s two children gave him away. They had a joining of families and
there was not a dry eye in the house. It was very touching. On Sunday, we
rushed back to the ranch to get ready for our July horse drive. It was a
great horse drive. We had to start a day late, because we had to move
yearlings onto the meadows. It worked out well. We got back from the horse
drive on a Friday, instead of Thursday. We also had the pleasure of having
some familier faces from last years July drive. Annette and Ellen joined us
again from California and Norm from Michigan brought his daughter. We also
met some wonderful folks from Ohio and California.
Our Mother/ Daughter
pack trip was a blast. We got to meet some of Tom and Alecia’s dear
friends. Audrey and her daughter Samantha came from California and Camille
and her daughter, Scarlett and her mother Camille joined us from Michigan.
We had a wonderful trip and had a new record leaving Emerald Lake camp for
Jarbidge. We got into Jarbidge and had a wonderful dinner and danced until
our feet hurt.
While we were on the mountain, the ranch was as busy as ever, putting up
hay, moving cattle, fixing fence, working on pipe lines, putting out mineral
and all the other ranch work that goes on here daily.
We want to thank everyone that helps keep things going on here at the
ranch. Terry, Craig, Jerry, Lori, and George, thank you so much for your
continued support. You are all such wonderful friends. I hope everyone is
having a wonderful and safe summer. Take care and keep checking in.
From all of us at Cottonwood.
Dec 2002
Winter is not far off. Its amazing how fast the spring and summer flew
by. We had so many wonderful guests. Old friends and new came to Cottonwood
to enjoy the horses, the adventures, the ranch and the wide open spaces and
beautiful mountains that are so unique to our corner of our beloved Nevada.
The holiday season is here! And we started it off with a wonderful
Thanksgiving here at Cottonwood. All of the family was here except Kris,
Rick and the boys. There was 24 of us, including our precious great grandson
and his great, great Grandmother, Nonnie. We have so much to be thankful
for!
While the kids and grandkids were here we gathered the cattle off the range
and put them in the meadows. Its nice to have all that expert help. This
family was raised in the saddle and it is a joy to see them all on
horseback. We also gathered the horses, which is exciting for the riders and
a thrill for us all to watch the herd come thundering in. We checked out the
colts to see what we will need to have trained or sold. Its always fun to
see the young colts and the yearlings. They are so wild and beautiful. We
also took time to shoot trap, a favorite sport of the family and one that
the men and women and girls and boys all excel at.
Last year it was snowing at Thanksgiving. But this year the weather was
amazingly warm. That was nice for riding, but its time for the snow to
start. We need a lot of snow in the mountains for the grass to grow next
summer.
The lodge is undergoing a major remodeling. We are adding more space and
redoing the interior. When its finished we will have a more efficient
kitchen and a beautiful new dining room, an extended great room and more
bathrooms and prettier bedrooms. So it is going to be very busy around here
this winter. And, of course, the care of cattle and horses in cold winter
weather is a demanding job, so we have plenty to do in the next few months.
It is amazing how fast the seasons go. It seemed just yesterday that the
kids came home from school for the summer. It is such fun to have our
teenagers around. One of our greatest joys has been to watch them grow
through the years into such accomplished riders. They are up first thing in
the morning, wrangling and catching horses to spend the day in the saddle,
checking or moving cattle or out fixing fence. And they are always full of
laughter and enthusiasm. So we are sad when fall comes around again and off
they go; back to school and new adventures.
One of the reasons the holidays are so precious is that we all gather
together again on the ranch to share this wonderful place we love and call
home.
God bless you all and best wishes for the holidays. Merry Christmas! Happy
New Year!
July 2002
What’s Happening This Week at Cottonwood
It’s been a busy time since the June horse drive. We brought the mares and
colts in. The colts are all wobbly long legs. There are about twelve of them
right now and all adorable. There’s quite a variety. We have thoroughbreds,
quarter horses and draft crosses.
Mike brought four young horses home from Idaho that we had sent away to be
trained. We are anxious to see how well they will do when they are ridden.
Gary, the young cowboy from Arizona who is riding the ‘colts’ looked them
over pretty good. They are all tall leggy horses that look like they will
really cover country. That is what we need out here to cover the range that
needs to be ridden checking cattle and fences. There are three sorrels and a
beautiful light brown in this bunch.
Gary wrangled on the brown horse that came from Idaho. He behaved pretty
well. A little high strung, but that’s to be expected at this stage. I think
we will name him Wrangler.
Thinking of the perfect name for each horse is a challenge. We have one
sorrel horse colt, and two sorrel fillies to name from the horses that were
just broken this past year. Any suggestions out there?
We took some time to go for a ride to look at wildflowers. We were looking
for bitterroot specifically. After driving over several miles of mountain
roads strewn on both sides with hundreds of varieties of wildflowers, we
finally topped a hill and there on a rocky hillside we found hundreds of
bitterroot in full bloom. We hated to even drive down the road; the
wildflowers are so thick this year they are even blooming in the middle of
the roads.
Gary caught a sorrel colt that just came back from being trained. Must have
missed a lesson, he put on quite a rodeo for a little while. Gary stuck with
him and before long he was loping around the corral pretty smoothly so he
rode him out to check the cattle. We named this horse Clipper.
The crew has been working on fences and the pipeline. Derek and Josh drive
posts, McKenzie and Piper put on the clips, and they get it all done pretty
fast and it’s ready for wire. Kenny got water to the troughs where the
cattle will be going next.
McKenzie took her quarter horse colt out to ride herd today, he took a quick
turn and turned right out from under her. Before she knew it she was sitting
on the ground. Those quarter horses are pretty quick. Piper rode a colt
called Strawberry. The boys have been breaking him, so it looks like he is
ready to go in Pipers string.
Another day, another cowgirl ‘bit the dust.' Piper got bucked off her own
colt, Fancy. She said something spooked Fancy and she jumped out from under
her. These girls better join the rodeo. They are excellent riders, but you
never know what’s going to happen with colts.
The boys have been putting in a new fence to split what we call the
‘Choke-a-Man’ pasture in order to better control the grazing in that area.
We will be moving the cattle in there soon.
We had an HM team meeting Tuesday. Folks from Bureau of Land Management,
Forest Service, Nevada Wildlife Department , Stewards of the Land, National
Resource Conservation as well as several other groups came out to look over
the range. We always have folks from California that are interested in the
condition of the range. There have been great improvements in the condition
of the land with the holistic grazing that we have been doing for the past
seven years. The grass is beautiful this year. We are grateful for the
winter snow and the rains we have had. The wildflowers are still absolutely
gorgeous. The hillsides are covered with purple, yellow, and white flowers.
There must be hundreds of varieties out there. It is fun to try to identify
them in the Wildflower book. Everybody is very pleased that the bitterbrush
and service berry shrubs are coming back after the burn two years ago.
The cowhands continue to ride and check the cattle. They are moving them to
a new pasture today. |
