County Fair

It seems like it took forever for the fair to come this year.  Maybe that's because we had two 4-H animals this year instead of one.  The boys were definitely ready for a break from school, and Rodger and I wanted to have some fun also.

The fair is like a mini vacation (sort of) because it's a break from the regular grind, but it's a whole lot of work in and of itself.

We were totally sweating the goats weight right up to the weigh in day.  He was just puny from the start, and we had such a hard time getting him to eat.  We were so surprised when the man reading the scales announced 70 lbs. on the dot!

The life of Gondor

We finally got everything squared away and settled in for 3 long (and hopefully peaceful) days in St. Johns, but it just wasn't meant to be.  Despite the hours upon hours (Lori and Grandpa can attest to this) of work we put in with those hooligans, both the lamb and the goat went berserk at the fair.  Alec really had his work cut out for him because neither animal would relax and work with him.  He got dragged all over the place while we practiced and both animals were BARELY contained during the judging and sale.  I am so proud of the way he handled himself and kept it together during all the drama. 

The life of Rohan



Hopefully we won't have to do it again next year, but I won't hold my breath.

We did have lots of fun on the rides after everything with the animals was said and done though.  Alec is a daredevil and ready to ride on anything.  I think he gets that from me.  Dean is a bit more cautious, but not about to admit to being scared in front of his friends.

Fireworks

I have wanted to take pictures of fireworks for a long time, especially since we have such a great show here in RV every 4th of July.  Unfortunately I have never had them turn out.

I decided this year was going to be different though.  I reviewed several photography websites that taught how to do it, I got a new camera, tripod, and timer, I carefully set up my equipment long before showtime, and I meticulously shot so much through the show that I didn't get to see anything at all with my own eyes.  And dang it, they still didn't turn out exactly like I wanted!  They are still better than anything I'm managed to get before, but I was hoping for something more dramatic.

 

I guess there's always next year.  Maybe I need a different lens...

New Computer

I just haven't felt like blogging for the last few months.  I thought that after I got my new camera I would be more excited about documenting our life.  And it worked, I was really gung-ho for a couple of weeks.  Right up until our computer started going haywire!

It's official, I have a virus.  I don't know what's wrong with our browser.  It won't let me save anything from the Internet.  All my favorites are gone, so annoying when I had a million recipes bookmarked.  It also won't let me print from the Internet.  Also annoying especially when I am preparing my Relief Society lesson and need to print off a bunch of things from LDS.org.  I tried to install Mozilla again, and it won't let me.  I also tried to restore my system to a previous save point, no go.

So I'm fed up and haven't posted because I can't upload any pictures.  I did a few while we were evacuated and I could use Mom's computer, but now I'm back home and am mad at the computer again.

I keep telling Rodger it's just time.  This computer is 5 years old now, and even though we got a very nice model ( 5 YEARS AGO) it's obsolete now.

So if you want to see all my fabulous vacation pics, or hear my very amusing calf branding story (I'm the one that got branded), see the aftermath of our fire, or just hear what's going on with us in general. Then you need to take a minute and use the little comment button below and tell my husband how much I need a new computer. 

This is really very funny since Rodger hasn't cared about public opinion for even one minute of his life, but I'm desperate and willing to try anything...

Goodbye

I've started posts several times over the last few days.  This is definitely one of the few times in my life that I haven't had anything to say.  It's not that I don't want to share or talk about what's going on.  It's that I feel so overwhelmed and emotional that I can't seem to put it into words.

A couple of days ago I spoke with a friend in town, and she compared this process to mourning a death.  That's the closest comparison I can come up with for what I'm feeling.  I will miss our home.  I'm not talking about our physical house.  I still think that will be fine.  I will miss our mountain and the many traditions and memories that revolve around it.

My Mom has been wonderful.  I feel so grateful to have someone willing to do anything to help.  But I still can't get it out.  I feel the need to keep it all together so that my children won't freak out, but the stress of keeping it all in is wearing on me.  The cracks in my armor are starting to appear, and I don't know how to stop them.

When we got the pre-evacuation notice a few days ago, we already had a plan in place.  My grandparents did not want to evacuate and they were firm on that.  Neither Rodger or I thought that we should leave them alone.  I wanted to stay with them so that Rodger would be able to keep working and not use his vacation time.  But Rodger was adamant that he would not be leaving his wife or his elderly grandparents in the path of the states 2nd largest fire in history, no matter how prepared we were. 

So the boys and I were packed and ready to head to the valley, and Rodger was packed and ready to head over to Grandma and Grandpa's house.  Honestly we didn't think the notice would ever come.  I know many of us talked about it in town for days ahead.  We are in the grasslands, pinion and juniper don't burn the same way as the forest.  When the order actually came I was ready, but stunned.

Knowing logically that I would go and they would stay didn't prepare me for the panic I felt in leaving my loved ones behind.  As I drove out of town I couldn't believe that I had left my best-friend and grandparents in the path of this:

I was a mess all last night, and most of today.  I feel brittle and the cracks have been getting bigger.  Keeping everything inside does not seem to be helping me cope.

Today the news has been better, and I can breathe a little easier.  No pun intended.  I know that my very capable sweetheart will take care of Grandma and Grandpa, and that he will get them and our livestock out if he can see, "the whites of it's eyes," so to speak.  But not being able to judge things for myself or talk with him as much is really tough. 

I really do want to talk and spend time with all of you.  Thank you for your calls and messages, your concern truly helps ease the ache of this loss.  I'm just not very good company right now, and I can't seem to focus on anything else.  It's taking all I have to keep things normal for the boys, and helping them to not worry.  I just wish I could take my own advice.

It's been a good day for the fight, and make no mistake, it's a battle.  The wind has finally calmed a bit, and they were able to make good progress on the back burns and fire lines.  I have hope that Rodger and I will be together again soon, honestly that's all that matters.  Maybe tomorrow will be a better day.

Preparations

As the fire grew nearer to our homes, we started to prepare for the worst.  Rodger and I worked in the backyard cleaning up the woodpile and taking care of the needles from our many pine trees.  We packed up our irreplaceables, things like pictures, scrapbooks, and important documents.  I wanted to take my Bosch, but Rodger wouldn't let me.

I told the boys that they could share 1 small suitcase for the things that were most important from the house.  I was proud of them when they filled it with their sports and school awards.  Alec wanted his Arrow of Light Plaque and 4-H belt buckle as well. 

Grandpa prepared in a different way.  He has had his well running all week, watering the surrounding pasture and lawns.  He also filled all the stock tanks and even dragged two up on the front yard.  They even have buckets already in them.  He has ladders around the house in case they need to get up on the roof in a hurry.  Next the ropes appeared all over the place quickly followed by hoses and nozzles.  Then he pulled both trailers out of the barn and removed all the saddles and other equipment from the tack room.  Finally he tuned up the generator in case the power was shut off.  Oh, he also has filters running and masks for them to wear when they are outside. 

I'm glad he is so prepared.  If I'm ever in an emergency, I want to be with him. 

He felt really good about their chances until a fish and game officer came to the door and told him that if he was set on staying he should, "cut down the trees on either side of the house."  He's not doing that.  I think he'd rather lose the house then cut down the trees. 



This is a picture of the sun at their home just before I evacuated.  My lungs and eyes are still draining crap.

Rohan and Gondor

You know that summer is officially here when the 4-H animals roll into town.  We got our animals a little early this year, and had them the first week of May.  In fact Rohan went to stay with our friends, the Knights, because we were still in California. 

Alec's lamb is named Rohan.  He's big and strong, but very sweet.  We learned quickly that he loves to eat and has a fondness for Alfalfa. 

Gondor is another story.  When we brought him home he wouldn't eat for 2 days.  We then discovered that he hadn't been weaned yet.  Eventually he started eating Alfalfa, and wasn't happy when we switched him to the complete feed.  Let's just say he's a bit fussy when it comes to food.  A little unusual when it comes to a goat.  We are a little worried that he won't make weight since he's so little.  Alec has his work cut out for him.

Alec thought about lots of different names, and Rodger really pushed for Starsky and Hutch.  However, Lord of the Rings won out it the end.  It does crack me up that tiny Gondor has such a big name.

They are a lot of work, and I keep reminding myself it's a good experience for Alec.  Dean missed the cut-off date by 2 weeks.  You have to be 9 by Feb. 1st to participate.  I think Alec is paying Dean to help him.  I wish I was getting paid ;)

So Rodger and I have some pretty good friends.  They live pretty close to us on a ranch, and they are honest to goodness cowboys.  This isn't something they do on the side, or even as weekend warriors.  This is their actual living and lifestyle.  We have felt pretty privileged to know them since they are diligently trying to teach us not to be "dudes."

Because of our friendship Rodger and I have found ourselves doing things we never would have imagined (or desired) to do.  That being said I will forever love Kristin for taking me horseback riding so much, because I never thought I would have the opportunity to ride very much again.  It was something I loved doing with my grandpa as a girl, but they no longer have horses, and as horses are VERY expensive to feed it doesn't look like that will change anytime soon.  And before I get to the real meat of this post let me say that her horses are a dream.  I've never ridden horses as well trained and fun as hers are.

Sorry I digressed, I just get kinda excited when I think about the whole riding thing.

Anyway this post is actually about branding.

The Knights run somewhere above 400 head of cattle.  That's just the mama's, they don't count the calves.  I still can't figure out why ranchers don't count the calves, but anyway.  Every year the cows have a calf, and then you have to brand, vaccinate, and castrate the bulls.  For the Knights this all has to happen before you send the herd up the mountain for summer grazing.  So because Rodger and I didn't have the good sense to say no we had the privilege of helping them take care of all these new little calves.  And when I say little, some of them were only a few months old and they were little, but some of them weighed almost 500 lbs.  Just try cutting off the manhood of an animal that big, and see what happens.

At their ranch headquarters, the Knights have a squeeze chute and a table, but their commercial herd is out in the middle of nowhere and so you brand the old fashioned way, in the dirt.  This was our families first introduction to the branding process.  For the littler calves the boys would go and grab one by the back leg and drag them over, then all of them would jump in to hold it down while the rest of us worked it over with tags, vaccinations, brands, and castration.  This was very dirty (they poop on you) and a little painful (they kick too), but relatively easy.  The bigger calves were a mess though.  The biggest one tried to get away from us and we would up with Rodger kneeling on it's neck while Lance yelled at me to straddle it and sit on it's ribs, all while it's bucking and kicking.  When I started screaming that it didn't sound like it could breathe very well because it was wheezing, Lance replied that, "we don't want it to be able to breathe very well, or it's going to kill us all." 

I actually had the job of castrating the bulls.  I seriously thought I might throw up the first time, and if anyone had let me quit then I would have been freaked out about the whole thing, but they wouldn't let me quit, and so you get used to it.  Dean was crying after we branded the first calf, because the whole process was a little traumatic, but once you see them jump up and go right back to eating you realize they don't care that much.  They obviously aren't scarred for life, no pun intended.

Now I am a super klutz and so I knew I was going to get hurt in some fashion the minute we started.  Initially I thought I was going to get kicked (which I did), then when I was sitting on one of the huge bulls I thought I was going to get tramples (narrowly avoided), and then when they handed me the knife I just knew I was going to cut myself (not even an issue).  But never did it cross my mind that I was fool enough to grab the wrong end of the branding iron and imprint a diamond K brand on my hand.  Some of you might have seen this coming, but I fortunately did not, or I never would have gone.  Let me just tell you the pain was so intense the whole night, I didn't think I could stand it.  The doctor was concerned and said that most of it was a 2nd degree burn, but that one finger was a third degree burn, I didn't care as long as she gave me the drugs, which she did.  I think I could become a drug seeker very easily if I'm not careful.  Fortunately the pain was only terrible the first day.

Anyway I spent the last hour with my hand alternating between the bucket of antiseptic and the stock tank, but all in all it was a good day.  And yes, we have branded again since then, and I have managed to not get hurt.  I also learned a new fact, the bright orange end, is the hot end.