Awake before the sun

Good morning to you all. As Wyatt frequently likes to point out this time of year, the sun is not awake yet this morning, but I am. It seems to be a common theme for me in the fall. There is always too much to be done this time of year to allow me to sleep in comfortably. So rather than toss and turn in bed or harass the animals before the sun is awake, I thought I would take the time to update you all on ranch life.

This is a busy weekend for us here on the ranch. We have been readying bull calves for shipment to Kansas for the past several weeks and they will begin their journey today with a short trailer haul over to the ranch where they are being consolidated for shipment to Hays, KS. All of our spring calves have been weaned for three weeks now and they are doing well and looking good. The process for shipping calves to Mark out in Kansas is a long one, but one that is well worth it in the end. The bull calves calves receive two rounds of vaccinations, a dewormer shot and an ear tattoo. They also get inspected a couple of times.

Earlier this week they were inspected by the brand inspector who issued shipping papers and yesterday afternoon the vet inspected them and issued health papers that allow them to be shipped across state lines. He also gave our heifers a brucellosis vaccine, tattoo and ear clip which are required ahead of breeding. So, it takes time to prepare our bulls for shipment but it's also a very rewarding process. It allows me to get some outside perspective on how our animals stack up against others. The vet and brand inspector see a lot of other cattle at a number of ranches and both commented on the quality of our cattle. They also offer some valuable insight on the places we might make improvements to our herd, particularly the veterinarian which is also beneficial for us.

So, after one more trip through the chute this morning to swap ear tags, three of our bulls will load up and head for the feedlot in Kansas where they will be developed for sale next year. We have a number of other calves that didn't quite make the cut this year due to age and they will be sold privately as steers for either show calves or into the beef program next year. We also have a few heifers that we will be holding back for either show calves or for breeding next year. The herd is growing pretty quickly now and we are nearing the upper limits of what we can carry on the ranch without leasing more grass in the summer. So, as a result, we'll have to start making some strategic decisions about any future growth and how we want to proceed.

One of the big limiting factors for us is time. With two full-time jobs, Wyatt and all that goes with it, we are nearing the limits of how much we can accomplish on our own without outside help. It's a point that I think all ranches reach eventually as they grow, but I never thought we'd hit that point this quickly. I've done enough work on the facilities to be able to work cattle on my own most of the time, but even those improvements have been tested this year with the 30 head we've been running through the summer. I'll keep you posted on where we go from here. It's always an interesting ride though.

We have a few more fall chores that have to be finished soon, so those are the items waking me up in the morning. I have to finish the bull pen to contain Gosar the Destructor along with making a few improvements to the calving barn to make sure it's ready to go come our February calving dates. We have our first semi-load of hay coming in next weekend and after those things are done, we'll be close to ready for winter here. We've already had a taste of that and I have to admit I'm really not looking forward to the real onset of weather. I never minded winter until I had a job that forced me to go out regardless of the conditions. It doesn't matter how bad the weather is, or how cold it gets when you have animals that depend on you.

After we ship calves today, we'll be heading over to a club calf sale at Spruce Mountain Ranch. Spruce Mountain is the reincarnation of the Lazy H Ranch in Colorado that Mitch built. For those of you that don't know the story, we bought our initial foundation cows from Mitch four years ago. Since then he has been partnering with a new guy who's built an incredible facility and herd program. They have a show barn and newly finished sale facility that will be seeing its first use this afternoon. I've been following their progress and am excited to see the sale this afternoon. The guys over there have been working hard for a couple of years to build the herd and facilities and it has been very interesting to watch them grow in both size and reputation.

They now have the ninth largest registered Angus herd in Colorado, a big accomplishment for them. They are broadcasting the sale on the Internet today starting at 4:30 mountain time at: http://cattleinmotion.com/event-spruce-mountain-ranch-091017 if any of you are interested in taking a look. Internet sales have become a big new trend in the cow business and the Lazy H Ranch bull sale will also be online next spring. I'll post the link for that after the first of the year for anyone who's interested in seeing it. Most of you probably don't find cattle sales as interesting as I do, but you never know. If you like it and you're looking for an unpaid internship, I'd be happy to provide room and board for you. :-)

Aside from the cow business, it has been a pretty nice summer and fall for the rest of us here. We had a lot of fun camping in the new trailer this year and we're looking forward to more next summer. Wyatt is a pretty good fisherman and we're still eating the trout that we caught. I think there is a limit to the amount of trout a human can eat in a single month and I think that limits is about twice a month. After that, I start looking for hamburger or pretty much anything but trout. I think we have enough to last us until spring at that rate. However, trying to explain the benefits of catch and release to a three-year-old who just waged the fight of his life with a ten-inch trout is impossible so, we have a freezer full of fish. If you take that internship, you'll need to like trout...or at least pretend to as your picking through those little bones.

Wyatt is in preschool this fall and doing very well. We made the decision late this summer after some challenges with daycare last spring. He wasn't enjoying the daycare he was at, mostly I think, because he wasn't learning or being challenged. So Amy did a lot of research in late July and early August and we decided to send him into the preschool program at Palmer Ridge High School. They have a small program with just six kids and two teachers. Wy is one of only two three-year-olds there and doing very well. He really thrives when he's around kids who are slightly older than he is and this turned out to be a great fit for him. Amy had a conference with his teacher this week and he's doing very well. He is at or above his age level in all tasks and his teacher, Ms. Heidi, said he is a joy to be around. That's always nice to hear as a parent, especially when your child is going through the terrible threes at home. Two was no sweat for us, three has turned out to be another matter altogether. That said, he's still a great little boy and he amazes us every day.

He's already very excited about Christmas and spends a lot of his free time developing his Christmas list. If it was written down, I am pretty sure it would stretch several pages. We have at least twice weekly talks about how Santa is going to come to the house and bring him whatever toy he has singled out at the time. I'm trying to shift his focus toward Halloween first, and it has worked to a degree, especially when he's wearing his lion costume around the house, but it's short-lived at best. Normally he reverts back to the Christmas list while he's wandering around in the lion costume. You have to love the three-year-old's ability to multi-task.

Amy's school year has gotten off to a mixed start. She's very happy with this group of kids. She has said they are near the top of her list in terms of favorite classes which has been very nice for her. There are, of course, budget problems this year and talks of more for next year. That resulted in a tough start to the year as they were understaffed and had too many kids and too few teachers as a result of having eliminated teachers last spring. Now that they have brought another teacher on and re-split the classes things have become much more manageable for all of them. She's getting ready to coach forensics again this year. She was the assistant coach last year and they did very well. This year, she's taking over as head coach and I expect the kids to do even better. She'll be starting practices next week and has been looking for good speeches and performances for the kids routines. I think it allows her to fulfill her need to be a part of the drama and performance world that she's missing here.

The sun is awake now and so is Wyatt, so I need to get to work. For us, life is busy as always, but also very good these days. We'll be enjoying these last warm days of fall while we're working our way toward the white, icy gap of winter. I hope this finds you well and enjoying your last days of fall, where ever you are.

All the best from us on the ranch,
John, Amy, Wyatt and the rest of the crew