At the Ranch - The Idaho Rancher's Wife

The Buckarette

January 20, 2015 by Allison

Hello again…

I’m just going to jump in and pretend that it hasn’t been forever since I have been here…

In fact, lets just pretend its August. Yep, on this chilly January night I want you to pretend that its a blistering hot (I don’t know that it ever gets THAT hot here, but for dramatic effect- it works nicely) summer day. Say like August 2nd in fact.

Why August 2nd?

Because something awesome happened August 1st- I got a new sister in law! I love all my sisters, in laws and outlaws. Everyone of them brings their own awesome-ness to the table. In our Eliason family, EVERY girl is celebrated. For so long there was only The Cattlewoman, raising 5 cowboys without any female to stand strong with. Even the dogs were all boys! I guess if you wanted to get picky, there have been thousands of female cows go through, but they don’t count… don’t count AT ALL.

As the first of the married-in-daughters, I told everyone that it was my right and privilege to approve their choices for wives before the question was even popped. Unfortunately, they didn’t take me seriously and never asked if I was cool with their choices… But lucky for them they picked well. So well, I don’t know that I could have done any better. The Cowpoke knew that any girl from Montana would fit in just right (history has proven that!) and now The Buckaroo has found himself a fine cowgirl of his own. She isn’t from Montana (but she does LOVE it) and that’s ok because she more than makes up for it with her sweet cowgirl skills, mad basketball skills, and awesome baking skills.

I’ll let The Buckaroo tell you how he wooed her so fast… that’s an exciting story of its own… The only thing I’ll divulge is that she was the perfect girl in his eyes- she could rope, rodeo, cook, and looked HOT. But really, what else is there?!

I’d like to (finally…) introduce you to The Buckarette! This girl was raised on the back of a horse and taught that she was the one that would get the work done. Sound familiar? Oh, ya.. like the rest of us. There have been some great moments getting to know her over the last year. Like when she came to the ranch for the first time for branding and out roped all of the boys. Or when all she had for church shoes were her work boots and she didn’t even bat an eye. Or when she, repeatedly, made the blind steer walk into the barn (not like IN the barn like.. “bam!” INTO the barn). Or when she nearly out shot all the boys when we pulled out the clay pigeons.

Yep, she’s a girl after my own heart and I’m excited to share her story with ours too. Of course you have already seen her here on The Blog, but she has officially been given a name- The Buckarette!

Family Photoshoot in the Snow

November 18, 2014 by Allison

For having a population of about 90, there are so many terrific people in this little valley. In the few years that we have been living here I have made some incredible friends. Over the last few struggling years its been humbling to watch our ranching and farming friends plead and pray for help and to see them celebrate in their triumphs and stand tall in their trials.

This little family has to be at the top of our best friends. He was best friends with The Rancher as they grew up, she and I hit it off instantly and we have kids the exact same age that already love each other. She asked me to take a few family pictures and we found the perfect day on the morning of the first snow of the season. Now when I say she wanted me to take a few, she really meant it. “I just need a family one, one of each kid… and I guess just the two of us!” That’s just what we said. I snagged a few others and then talked them into taking a few fun ones “sledding” that I think turned out so fun!

I’m a work in progress, ready and eager to learn how to take AWESOME pictures, and I’m grateful for those willing to jump in and let me capture their story!

The End of a Satisfying Year

November 14, 2014 by Allison

The first week in November is always a big week for us. Over that week most, if not all, ranchers in the valley sell and ship their calves. We calved out these babies, grown them over the summer, and then put the weight on them since weaning. I’ve said it over and over-this is the day we work for. Sale day is the day that makes every other day possible. And when its over we can finally relax (its only for like a day until we start thinking about the next year!).

We have had amazing growth over the last two months and it really showed on sale day. They were chubby, so chubby that we weighed in heavy! Seriously, fantastic! When we contract our calves, we contract less than what we have (mostly to hedge our bets because occasionally we contract before the calves are even born!). When we weigh heavy and have more calves than in the contract, that means there are more we can keep and sell on the side. Its like having two paydays! We do keep back anywhere from 90-115 heifer calves to keep for replacement heifers the next year.

The morning of sale day we bring the calves, already sorted into steers and heifers. We weigh all the calves, getting an average weight. Based on that weight, our broker will pick out any calves that he won’t be taking and then we reweigh those (to make sure we have the MOST accurate weight down). After the work of sorting and moving and weighing and reweighing its time to load the trucks. Once those trucks are full, they drive off into the sunset and we all live happily after. Ok, not really… It was noon so more like driving into the sun…. And its not all sunshine and roses, but having another year behind us is as sweet and satisfying as any fairy tale ending!

Why Ranchers Don’t Need a Personal Trainer

November 12, 2014 by Allison

I just got done spending a few days helping The Rancher fence. Mostly by accident. Like, my kids took off trekking down the busy road to find their dad and I followed after in my sweats. And of course once I got there I got put to work. And boy was it work, actually more of a workout. I tease The Rancher from time to time that he had better get doing some exercises before he has to move his buckle down a notch. But in reality, his daily living is enough of a workout that he doesn’t need to exercise.

Well, I take that back. As an exervise science major I believe that everyone needs to exercise, everyday. But hanging out with a rancher provides enough core building, heart racing, strength training exercises that you won’t have to hit the gym at the end of the day.

For example, take the job of tamping- using a narrow, 15 pound bar to pound and pack the dirt around a fence post. And since nothing done on the ranch is slow, you do it fast, as fast as you can. You squeeze your core tight as it will go to stabilize your shoulders as they slowly begin to burn from lifting the bar over and over again.

Moving hand lines. In the days when I was a pipe mover I always considered it to be my morning exercise routine. Squatting with an extra 50+ pounds stretching out 15 feet off each side is a great for a little balance work, especially while the water is still running up and down the pipe.

Roping… oh boy roping… I’ve learned this last year what a great workout this is. Keeping your elbow, swinging at just the right rhythm and then still having the strength to throw is so much harder than what it looks. In fact, I have yet to even remotely come close to figuring this out… But I have gotten sore, super sore.

And then there are all of the sledge hammers. Big, little, tall, short- they all have one thing in common. They are all heavy. So heavy that you don’t slam them down as much as swing them up and then just let them fall on whatever it is you are hitting. While they are doing whatever damage you need, they are building some beautiful core, shoulder, and even back muscles.

I really could keep going on… ranching is a physical job. So much so that even with my intense morning workouts, I still get sore after a long day with The Rancher. If ever you were looking for a change in your exercise routine, come spend the day with a rancher!

The Chicken Fiasco

October 22, 2014 by Allison

I had to buy eggs today. It’s the first time in like five years because we always had our own chickens. Even when we were poor-starving-college-students we had a few hens that provided “golden” eggs. Moving to the ranch only meant more eggs for us because when you have 18 hens and three families the eggs get shared around fast.

But it seems that every fall we have some sort of chicken drama. It was this time a year ago that the calves found their way into the chicken coop and scattered those crazy chickens all over the ranch yard. We spent all day gathering up those darn critters to try and keep them from the drooling dog that stalked them from the shed to the shop to the tractor… This year, though, we couldn’t save them from such an end.

Yep, you heard right. The chickens are gone, dead, no longer laying eggs! Fortunately for the dog, he wasn’t the one to get them (I’m pretty sure he would be done for too!) and it wasn’t because the calves crashed down the door. The intruder was much more stealthy- coming in the night and nabbing a few at a time. After the first couple nights of losing a few hens we guessed there was a weasel or racoon that had tunneled into the coop and moved the hens.

But it didn’t stop that ninja critter.

We tried to get one step ahead of the hunter to save the few chickens we had left- the four remaining chickens. We put them in the horse trailer and left them there for days. The Ranch Boss set traps hoping to nab the intruder and let us feel safe to put the chickies back. But we never caught him. For weeks we didn’t catch him. By this point we figured he had gotten frustrated and moved on.

So we put the chickens back. They were happy and we were happy to have the few eggs they were laying. The kids and I were stalwart in doing the nightly egg gather and chicken lock up, always careful make sure there was no way a chicken could escape or a creeper to get in.

But one morning we heard the bad news- the last of the chickens had been attacked and killed. We felt defeated. We lost all 18 chickens. And all this boiled down to one conclusion- no more fresh eggs.

To appease your curiosity, we did find what got the chickens. There was a mink that had escaped the mink farm in town and trekked down to our chicken coop.

Now we know that we need to beef up our chicken coop to prevent any unwelcome visitors for getting their dinner. And until next spring when the next batch of chickens comes in we will buy eggs, coloring eggs as The Rancher’s Sidekick calls them (apparently white store eggs have only one purpose!).

Checking Out the Calf Crop

October 14, 2014 by Allison

Every time we look out towards the fields we see the beautiful green speckled with the black of the calves. Its a beautiful sight… Actually, the contrast of the beautiful green with the black really is pretty. But there is a different beauty. The beauty of a year’s hard work. The beauty of the rain that has blessed this valley with the feed we desperately need. The beauty of the healthy calves eating and energetically running through the field. Truly, a beautiful sight.

Throughout the week, we will take several trips through the calves- checking the feed, the mineral and salt, and the overall health. Its a little routine, but at the same time its a fun little drive we take as a family. We spend a good part of the time yelling at the dogs to not chase the calves (who invites the dogs anyway?). That usually follows with them trying to jump on the 4 wheeler, where there is NO room for any extras. Just picture the Beverly Hillbillies… Now that the calves are really beginning to settle in, they have become quite curious. They’ll follow us around or chase the dogs, but as soon as we make a sudden move they take off to the other end of the pasture, just to turn back around. Any typical curious child, right?

These calves have really taken to the mineral and salt that we have been putting out. We are doing everything we can to supplement their feed so that we can get them all the nutrients they need for healthy growing. That means that on a lot of our family drives through the calves we are also loaded down with bags and bags of mineral. How is the picture you are creating in your mind? No, no one has fallen off…yet… But do go so far as to imagine that dumping the mineral in the troughs is a highlight for the kids because it is SUPER fun to play in!

This is the time of year we take a little pride in the hard work we have put throughout the year to raise this calf crop. A little drive through the calves has such a sweet smell of satisfaction!

Vaccinating in the Rain

October 10, 2014 by Allison

We gathered… we sorted… we weaned… we hauled… and then we vaccinated. Not all ranchers do it, but we do. Its like with kids- not everyone has to, not everyone chooses to but we think its well worth it. There are two times a year that we have all of the calves gathered up that we can give them their vaccinations- branding and weaning.

In the few years that we have been back to the ranch this is one of those areas that I have really jumped in to help. Maybe that was because the first year we weaned I was big and pregnant and that was about all I could do. But there is the nerdy medical side of me (the one that likes to think that I can be part of the at-home-vet crew) that likes to give shots… I don’t know why I’ve settled myself in here, but I did…

Having the new chute was so nice. So so SO nice! It was fast, it had an awesome neck bar so I could give shots without my hand potentially getting hurt, and even better we didn’t hurt any calves like we have in the past with the old chute. Thanks Moly Mfg. for the Silencer!

One of our vaccinating days we had to wait for a break in the rain. Lucky enough we got a few good hours of dry work in before the rain stared again. But the rain didn’t dampen any spirits. Especially any of our little helpers. These kids of mine love to come and help and don’t mind being hours at the chute with bawling calves. In fact, they each find a hot shot or a stick and find a place to poke the calves as we go through.

It was a great few days vaccinating, but its great that its over. They’ve had their booster shots and now its time for them to grow, grow, grow!

Weaning Anxiety

September 30, 2014 by Allison

Oh weaning… A time that we love and hate. I should say I and not speak for the others. I love the days out riding, sorting and working the cattle through the chute. It’s awesome to see the growth that they’ve had over the summer and the satisfaction to see your hard work paying off.

But there is a flip side. Weaning is stressful on calves. It can be super stressful. Ideally you don’t change terrain or feed too much. You try to not work them too hard or even haul them long distances if you can manage. But when your calves are NOT at the home ranch you bite the bullet and do all those things. The hard thing is stressed calves can turn into sick calves. Sick calves don’t eat so well. Sick calves can become super sick calves. And super sick calves can die. What we don’t want…

Whatever we are doing, whether it’s sorting, moving, vaccinating or feeding, we take care to keep these calves running healthy. We only have to make it 45 days (give or take) and in that time we pack on the pounds and keep all healthy so we can turn a good profit. These calves are our payday… Now dont think I’m talking about getting rich off these babies. What I’m really talking about is earning enough to keep doing what we love.

So for the next month or so, there is a little more tension, a little more anxiety, and a lot more prayers that our efforts everyday haven’t been in vain and that we can continue this cowboy living.

Throw Back Thursday: Cattle Drive From May

September 11, 2014 by Allison

Remember that terrible cattle drive? That one where there were more cows out in the fields than on the road… I wish I didn’t… That adventurous day was day one of two of our cattle drive. I know what you are thinking (ok maybe you’re not thinking this…) that if day was so bad, day two must have been horendous and that is why I have to do a little “throw back Thursday” to catch you up on it.

Nope, on all accounts. Day two went as smooth as… it was GREAT! Granted, we did have a good road to follow, fences on all sides, lots of cowboys, and a shorter drive. But hey, it was good! We will take it any way that we can!

And lets say we learned a little from day one. The Rancher just started the day with a motor bike. We called up The Buckaroo who brought along his sweetheart and a bull whip. Both highly useful, just one more so than the other (just to be clear, his girl really is quite the cowgirl!) And I opted to not try a photo shoot on the run. I went with the 4 wheeler, kids and camera- its a lot less pressure!

Moving Cows on a Wonderfully Rainy Day

September 1, 2014 by Allison

You know that we are desperately in need rain. Every time we have a cattle drive means that we come home covered in dust. Somewhere there always seems to be a trough that runs dry. The feed is so dry and not so palatable (not that I would want to eat yucky dry crusted wheat!) that those blasted cows are out all the time. That all equals some pretty intense praying and praying for rain.

We have had a great answer to those prayers. In the last two weeks we have had 3 inches of rain. THREE! Its been amazing! There was so much rain that we were having flash floods… all over our freshly cut hay. With the fields so wet we couldn’t even haul out the bales… with out getting stuck. We found that out the hard way. There was so much debris and water coming down that we had some intense back hoe work to be done to get the water following in fine fashion again. The ground was so saturated that any bit of rain turned into a flood.

But we were so thankful for the rain that none of that mattered. It didn’t even matter that we had hundreds of cows to move seven long miles… we are just so happy for the rain! It was muddy and cold… but so wet!