Blog - The Idaho Rancher's Wife

Fall Calves

October 10, 2013 by Allison

Any rancher’s wife will tell you that the fall is a stressful time. You have to get the calves weaned, vaccinated and occasionally some other fun stuff (tags?). In the mix you still have bulls to pull out, cows to preg check and get settled into fall pasture, and other fall clean up. Of course every ranch has their own process to but there is one common thing-stress.

There is an incredible tension that comes home with the semi loads of calves when these cowboys wean them off. Tension from thoughts like we hope we found all of the calves… We hope that they have grown over the summer… We hope that none of them are sick. And then we pray every night that they will keep growing and that none will get sick. The day that we sell those calves is the day that we can heave a sigh of relief.

In the meantime we are doing everything we can to fatten these babies up! We took our nightly spin through them and so far we are quite pleased with our crop of calves.

A Real Fireman

October 9, 2013 by Allison

The Rancher is very involved in volunteer programs in our community. He is with the Search and Rescue, Fire Chief of our local community, and runs with the EMTs. There was a point that I thought he was crazy but we had a good talk about why he does it.

He explained that when we are wanting to live away from the city for the space needed to run a ranch (or to stay sane), we are giving up the luxury of being close which equals taking on the risk of being so far from certain conveniences, or necessities. And when we take on the risks, we also must take on the responsibilities.

So The Rancher has taken on the responsibility to be the local fire chief. And with that comes some pretty fun perks- like visiting the local elementary.

Cowboy Kings

October 6, 2013 by Allison

Following The Rancher around has had some fun perks that I had never considered. Probably the most rewarding one has been the opportunity to get to know some of these other cowboys. The nature of the cowboy is to be hard working, rough and tough but looking at these men a little closer I have been able to see another side.

There is the tender side that I see- when they are helping a sick calf, a quick but gentle pat and word to their tired horses, and then when they take a minute to hug and talk to my babies.

These men are very humble, something I have learned with taking their pictures. They always say things like, “I’ll break your camera” or “Find someone better looking to take a picture of.” This is just one way they are humble. They aren’t looking for any fame or glory when they do something, even if it is cool. They just ride because they love it.

They also have a silly side, and not always alcohol induced. They will sing as they ride down the road. They tease back and forth constantly. One of my favorites is to hear their hilarious stories of days in the past.

There is so much to these men, living and working out here in this rough country. These men rule this land like kings, The Cowboy Kings. Riding because it is their fortune, working because its their legacy, and loving it all because it is their destiny.

Our Favorite Cow Hand (or Paw)

October 2, 2013 by Allison

When I gave you a look at our preg checking day I neglected to tell you about some of our best men. Well, they aren’t men at all. They are dogs.

After a few days of working calves through the alley and squeeze chute, The Rancher said, “Those dogs are worth two men working out there!” And he is right. These dogs run along the alley, sticking their nose under to bite the heels of the cows. Then they will nip at the cows in the chute to head them out. It sure saves a guy having to always run back and forth trying to get the cattle to move.

A Rancher’s Wife Chicken Chase

October 2, 2013 by Allison

The day started out ordinary and beautiful, and typical of a ranching day, that was sure to change. The cowboys were gone so something was bound to go awry.

After coming home from getting my hair cut I had a call from The Rancher’s mom across the way. She was somewhat in distress because the chickens were out. You may not think that this is much of an issue but I assure, it is.

I wish that we had the picturesque Little House on the Prairie farm where the chickens and bum calves ran around free… Lovely pets that nestle and come at a melodic call. But that isn’t what we have here folks.

We have wild calves that in their wild roaming they roam into the chicken coop. They reek all sorts of havoc on that little coop, like dumping out the water, turning over the feed and ruining the feeders. Of course this inspires more chaos as the chickens have been terrorized and set free. Chickens wandering free is problematic- first because it means we have to hunt them down and get them back in. But also because there is someone else hunting after the chickens… the ornery dog.

As good rancher wives we dedicated ourselves to finding the lost chickens, saving them from being dinner, and safely returning them to the coop. It was a darn good thing that we were dedicated because it took FOREVER to wrangle up those chickens. Have you ever herded chickens? I think it is worse than cats.

They had scattered all throughout the sheds where the old junk has collected, the new tractors are parked, and everywhere in between. We climbed under and over nasty, dusty, dirty, grimy… I actually don’t know what most it stuff was (but I did find a few treasures that would look lovely with flowers planted in them). But we suffered through it and slowly, but surely, we gathered the chickens one by one back to the coop.

The real hero of the story is The Rancher’s mom, who by the way needs a better “Rancher Wife” blog name than that (if anyone has any great ideas). She is so brave! I don’t really do chickens. I will chase them, cluck at them, gather their eggs, and occasionally squeal because of them but I won’t touch them (read pick them up in ANY sort of way). But this lady scoops them up without the blink of an eye. When she can’t just scoop them up she has a handy hook that snatches those chickens, just as if she was fishing. And as she walks them back to the coop she sweetly reminds them that it is much better to stay in the coop, gives them a pat and lets them gently down. I was so impressed at one point that I almost told her she was one good hooker lady, but I didn’t think that was very nice… She has some sort of chicken super powers that any nasty chicken had better beware.

50!

September 30, 2013 by Allison

I didn’t realize until after I had already posted my last adventure but I have done 50 posts! I have really been loving sharing the ranch with you. I have such a passion for our lifestyle and I love the chance to give you little glimpses of it. Our life here isn’t perfect, and it isn’t always picturesque (as I have shown) but there really is so much here for us.

There really is so much to capture on the ranch. And so many seasons. So many surges and lulls. You may not find it all too interesting, but it is all a part of my life as The Rancher’s Wife. I get to deal with the crazy schedule, dictated by cows, mother nature, and occaisionally the cowboys (oh, and we shouldn’t forget the BLM or Forest gurus… we could never forget them!). I try to fit in what can here and I hope you have enjoyed it thus far.

Is there anything more you want to see? What part of the ranch do you want to learn more about?

I would LOVE to have your input fellas, because even though this is my blog, its about sharing the ranching life with you!

First of the Fall Pasture

September 30, 2013 by Allison

This is the same bunch of cows that we preg checked and moved in my last few posts. These lucky critters get to be in all of my photos because they are actually where I can take a shot or two.

In fact I woke up bright and early to go out the with The Rancher and ride while Grandma watched the babies. We trailed these cows along the highway for a while until we could get on the back roads. It wasn’t too long and we made it to the first of the fall pasture. It was a nice move because there wasn’t any babies to slow us down. These cows walked hard and fast!

For a while The Rancher was up at the front to turn the cows so I got to be with some of the old cowboys. I LOVED it! These cowboys have such fun stories to tell. They talk about the days when they were just starting and getting things figured out. They have stories of one darn cow or another that had to be roped or that headed for home and had to be chased down. Maybe someday we will have some exciting stories on here to tell.

Here is The Cow Puncher again. A darn good cowboy, helping us out again.

Just a Mile or So

September 26, 2013 by Allison

It took a good part of the day to get all of the cows preg checked so when we were finished the cowboys took them down the road about a mile to a holding field until they were ready the next day. I decided to tag along for a few pictures. The Ranch Princess was having a nap which meant that I could go solo (because The Sidekick was loaded up with The Rancher). I opted for my bike… my pedal bike. I actually highly recommend it. Its a very good way to get some exercise while you are working, without the noisy 4 wheeler!

I finally have a picture or two of The Ranch Boss. Apparently he has been camera shy because I don’t have too many of him.

I should introduce you to The Rancher’s cousin. He has been really helpful the last couple of weeks. He has his own full time job but was still willing to come and help these cowboys get the work done. What a good little cow puncher… Ya, meet The Cow Puncher!

Where’s Waldo?

September 25, 2013 by Allison

Actually in this picture you won’t find Waldo. But if you used to read those books you won’t have any problems finding The Rancher. And can you find two other cowboys?

The Rancher’s Assembly Line

September 25, 2013 by Allison

We have our own type of assembly line on the ranch. No it isn’t putting headlights on the cows as they run past on a conveyer belt. But each man has a job along the way. There are the guys that keep the cows flowing. Without them the rest would be pointless… without cows there is nothing to work on. Once they get to the front we have the man running the headcatch. While there the cow is poked and prodded in all sorts of ways.

Preg checking is an important time for us. It when we learn how the next year will be. We can see when we will calve, who is calving and who isn’t. We can cull out the cows we don’t want or need to keep. We do maintenance stuff like vaccinations and new tags. This is the only time that we run the cows through and so it is important for us to run through them. Ans so we set up our assembly line.

I only have a picture of Rancher Sr. preg checking but he and The Rancher swapped on and off whenever their arms get tired. The Rancher’s Sidekick found all sorts of things to do. He pulled out the branding irons, syringes, and the pill pusher (that’s what I call it… is there any other name you need?). I was privileged to give shots. Gotta love getting out to help The Rancher!