Bruce
Herd Master
I noticed today that they both have a few of their namesake feather colors coming in.
High Desert Cowboy- How far is it up north?
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Senile_Texas_Aggie
Herd Master
Mr. @High Desert Cowboy,
I am now caught back up on your journal. Regarding:
I got to play with my water line again this past spring during the time I was off the forum. I will tell everyone about it once I get caught up on everyone's journals. I am caught up on 5 or so, about 20 left to go!
Senile Texas Aggie
I am now caught back up on your journal. Regarding:
I got to play with my water line again this past spring during the time I was off the forum. I will tell everyone about it once I get caught up on everyone's journals. I am caught up on 5 or so, about 20 left to go!
Senile Texas Aggie
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- #1,043
High Desert Cowboy
True BYH Addict
I’m alive!!!! It’s been a long time since I posted, all I can say is life got crazy, then crazier, and I just got to realizing I hadn’t been on here for almost 3 years. There’s been a lot of changes at our place.
Horses: I still have old Brolo, my kids love him and I don’t know if I could ever part with him. I did however sell Jack, and he has become an older woman’s best friend. She moves cows on him with her family and adores him. Funny how things change after 10 years working with a horse that used to be broncky. I bought a new horse, who is just turning 4 this year. Her name is Blueberry!
She has been such a good little girl to work with and has a good head on her. I picked her up as a two year old and she’d never even been haltered. She can be unsure of new things but she never loses her mind. I’ve also kept training horses on the side and that’s been fun.
Sheep: Sheep were hard for a minute. Last winter was extra cold with temperatures down to -30 at one point and my lambs really suffered. I sold most of my home bred ewes and tried to bring some heavier show sheep into the mix. Two big ewes, each had two beautiful babies apiece. And then they randomly died on me. The older ewe was just old, I didn’t pay a ton for her it was more one of those deals if you want the one you gotta buy the other. But the other got pneumonia and died shortly after. Their lambs were all looking good until they unexpectedly started going down too. After discussing it with my neighbor who runs thousands of sheep, we figured it was probably pulpy kidney. So I’m down to a buck, good old Heart who continues to produce great babies, and two of her babies I held over from last year. Just enough to keep Bella busy but hopefully we can get more in the near future.
Dogs: Bella is still a workaholic. She loves to work her sheep and doesn’t trust me to get any work done without her. She’ll climb fences, squeeze through barb wire, and jump a 4 foot fence if I’m with the sheep and she hasn’t been invited. I’m not to be trusted. We’ve also added two small dogs that are my wife’s, the one little shorkie poo sometimes tries to emulate Bella and be a herding dog but she doesn’t always come out on top in that battle.
My son also got a bernadoodle because his mom thought he needed a dog so clearly a small horse was the answer! He’s a lovable goober.
Chickens: We have 7 laying hens and one rooster at the moment. At one time, we got up to almost 30 when some friends moved away and dumped their chickens and ducks on us! We gave several away and lost all the ducks and a couple hens to the mink attack of 2022. Little beggar killed 7 birds in one night! He came back the next day and became a lovely pelt. He was quick, but I shot faster! We will probably pick up 6 chicks in the near future to augment the flock, I kind of like 12+ layers on the place. The rooster, I don’t care either way but he’s been a lovely fellow, very well mannered. He doesn’t attack anyone, he’s not overly rough with our hens, and he’s a handsome black color. We call him Pepper.
We also raised some pigs last year, and when I got laid off last June they were a huge blessing because I had a freezer full of pork and I sold a couple. We may be doing more this summer depending on some plans and how things go. Utah continues to get more and more expensive and land is insanely priced. We went to Dallas for my uncles funeral and staid with my mom in Purcell Oklahoma and really liked the area! And it’s affordable. So there is some discussion of packing up and moving to Oklahoma which makes my mother endlessly happy to have us closer to her and her little homestead. They have some dairy goats, small wool sheep, and kune kune pigs. And bulgarian LGD’s. So that’s the update, we’re alive, well, and looking to see what surprises are coming our way in the next year!
Horses: I still have old Brolo, my kids love him and I don’t know if I could ever part with him. I did however sell Jack, and he has become an older woman’s best friend. She moves cows on him with her family and adores him. Funny how things change after 10 years working with a horse that used to be broncky. I bought a new horse, who is just turning 4 this year. Her name is Blueberry!
She has been such a good little girl to work with and has a good head on her. I picked her up as a two year old and she’d never even been haltered. She can be unsure of new things but she never loses her mind. I’ve also kept training horses on the side and that’s been fun.
Sheep: Sheep were hard for a minute. Last winter was extra cold with temperatures down to -30 at one point and my lambs really suffered. I sold most of my home bred ewes and tried to bring some heavier show sheep into the mix. Two big ewes, each had two beautiful babies apiece. And then they randomly died on me. The older ewe was just old, I didn’t pay a ton for her it was more one of those deals if you want the one you gotta buy the other. But the other got pneumonia and died shortly after. Their lambs were all looking good until they unexpectedly started going down too. After discussing it with my neighbor who runs thousands of sheep, we figured it was probably pulpy kidney. So I’m down to a buck, good old Heart who continues to produce great babies, and two of her babies I held over from last year. Just enough to keep Bella busy but hopefully we can get more in the near future.
Dogs: Bella is still a workaholic. She loves to work her sheep and doesn’t trust me to get any work done without her. She’ll climb fences, squeeze through barb wire, and jump a 4 foot fence if I’m with the sheep and she hasn’t been invited. I’m not to be trusted. We’ve also added two small dogs that are my wife’s, the one little shorkie poo sometimes tries to emulate Bella and be a herding dog but she doesn’t always come out on top in that battle.
My son also got a bernadoodle because his mom thought he needed a dog so clearly a small horse was the answer! He’s a lovable goober.
Chickens: We have 7 laying hens and one rooster at the moment. At one time, we got up to almost 30 when some friends moved away and dumped their chickens and ducks on us! We gave several away and lost all the ducks and a couple hens to the mink attack of 2022. Little beggar killed 7 birds in one night! He came back the next day and became a lovely pelt. He was quick, but I shot faster! We will probably pick up 6 chicks in the near future to augment the flock, I kind of like 12+ layers on the place. The rooster, I don’t care either way but he’s been a lovely fellow, very well mannered. He doesn’t attack anyone, he’s not overly rough with our hens, and he’s a handsome black color. We call him Pepper.
We also raised some pigs last year, and when I got laid off last June they were a huge blessing because I had a freezer full of pork and I sold a couple. We may be doing more this summer depending on some plans and how things go. Utah continues to get more and more expensive and land is insanely priced. We went to Dallas for my uncles funeral and staid with my mom in Purcell Oklahoma and really liked the area! And it’s affordable. So there is some discussion of packing up and moving to Oklahoma which makes my mother endlessly happy to have us closer to her and her little homestead. They have some dairy goats, small wool sheep, and kune kune pigs. And bulgarian LGD’s. So that’s the update, we’re alive, well, and looking to see what surprises are coming our way in the next year!
Mini Horses
Herd Master
Good to hear -- don't make it so long next time 
farmerjan
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Another Country HEARD FROM !!!!!!! Glad to see a post.
Yep, life sometimes gets in the way of .....life.......
Just a thought since I am completely "ignorant" of your day to day situation.... if you can sell out, of a higher priced area, find somewhere that is closer to family and you like the area, for a more reasonable cost, this might be a very good time to move. Although there has been some real drought problems this past year, since you are used to the "high country" I am also assuming that you are used to a more arid climate, so dry/drought type conditions would not be as big a shock to you, as say for me, coming from a climate here in the eastern portion of the US with much greater amounts of rainfall.... saying that you would be more acclimated and know how to "live with it" alot better than me.
The thing I am getting at, is there are some very real changes in this country, and things like food security is something to be more and more concerned about... and being nearer to family or a "core group" of like minded people might be something that will mean the difference in "living" and just barely surviving... and you may need to help with your mom in later years (don't know how old either of you are) and you would be in a position to help out and even take over her place in the future... and it is good for kids to grow up with extended family... something that so often we don't see or get in this more transient world. If you are going to do it, do it soon, because it might get to where you will not be able to do it...
Yep, life sometimes gets in the way of .....life.......
Just a thought since I am completely "ignorant" of your day to day situation.... if you can sell out, of a higher priced area, find somewhere that is closer to family and you like the area, for a more reasonable cost, this might be a very good time to move. Although there has been some real drought problems this past year, since you are used to the "high country" I am also assuming that you are used to a more arid climate, so dry/drought type conditions would not be as big a shock to you, as say for me, coming from a climate here in the eastern portion of the US with much greater amounts of rainfall.... saying that you would be more acclimated and know how to "live with it" alot better than me.
The thing I am getting at, is there are some very real changes in this country, and things like food security is something to be more and more concerned about... and being nearer to family or a "core group" of like minded people might be something that will mean the difference in "living" and just barely surviving... and you may need to help with your mom in later years (don't know how old either of you are) and you would be in a position to help out and even take over her place in the future... and it is good for kids to grow up with extended family... something that so often we don't see or get in this more transient world. If you are going to do it, do it soon, because it might get to where you will not be able to do it...
Baymule
Herd Master
Welcome back stranger! Good to hear from you again.
I’m with @farmerjan on the moving part. Sounds like a wise decision to me!
I’m with @farmerjan on the moving part. Sounds like a wise decision to me!
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High Desert Cowboy
True BYH Addict
Things are starting to warm up and dry out around here. These last two winters have been incredibly wet and our sump pumps have been working like crazy to keep water out. My corrals look like a swamp. This year it didn’t get as cold though, last February we had temps down to -33 and it snowed forever. This year we’ve seen a lot of rain which is odd but when we’ve been in a drought we’ll take some good wet years. Chickens are happy and laying like crazy and the animals are soaking up the sunshine. Should start seeing some babies hit the ground in a couple weeks.
Our biggest hindrance to moving is the custody agreement for my step son. When me moved to Beaver for 6 years it was a huge pain emotionally and financially as we had to hire lawyers to adjust the agreement. My son is older now and potentially has more say in the matter if we move. In 4 years it won’t be a problem but that’s a long wait if things keep getting worse. My wife does love this area, we are within 10 miles of her parents and 5 of her siblings, and my kids go to school with their cousins, but she understands that we can’t really have what we want if we stay here. And I get plenty of offers to apply for positions in other states that will pay almost double my current salary and the cost of living is way lower. So be it tomorrow or in 4 years, without any great change we will most likely move
Our biggest hindrance to moving is the custody agreement for my step son. When me moved to Beaver for 6 years it was a huge pain emotionally and financially as we had to hire lawyers to adjust the agreement. My son is older now and potentially has more say in the matter if we move. In 4 years it won’t be a problem but that’s a long wait if things keep getting worse. My wife does love this area, we are within 10 miles of her parents and 5 of her siblings, and my kids go to school with their cousins, but she understands that we can’t really have what we want if we stay here. And I get plenty of offers to apply for positions in other states that will pay almost double my current salary and the cost of living is way lower. So be it tomorrow or in 4 years, without any great change we will most likely move
farmerjan
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Tough for you to have your mom in one place and your wife's family all in the area you are now.... hard decisions to make... especially with children involved... and it is nice for kids to grow up with family, cousins, all around too... Bless you for the tough spot you are in... but this country is getting crazy...insane.... some of what is going on.... scary actually.... and if you cannot do what you want, and financially you would be better off... it is something to have to seriously look at.... I moved a day's drive from EVERYONE and everything... because I had to get away from EX and wanted more of a farming life...it was tough with DS living with his father as I lost physical custody.... because I was a "crazy female" that was moving away from my family and all that.... boils down to an old fashioned, old time male judge who did not believe a woman should be independent or all that "stuff".... I was depriving my son of familiarity and all that...couldn't very well say that if I stayed there I would wind up in prison for shooting him one day..... so gave physical custody to ex....son moved here 1 week after graduating high school.... did not speak to father and step mother for several years... but it is a long ago thing...
I can sympathize with your situation...
I can sympathize with your situation...
Baymule
Herd Master
4 years isn’t that long. And if he’s 14, can he go before the judge and say which parent he wants to live with? In Texas it’s age 12. But that may be too hard of a decision to put on a kid, so I get it.
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High Desert Cowboy
True BYH Addict
I think it depends on the judge. We spoke to a lawyer a few years back because we had heard that before and she said while the child’s opinion would be considered it was a small part in the overall decision.
Utah has the best weather. It was nice and warm and everything was drying out and tonight it’s started snowing again. I doubt any will stick but it’s always a good reminder that our weather changes at the drop of a hat.
Utah has the best weather. It was nice and warm and everything was drying out and tonight it’s started snowing again. I doubt any will stick but it’s always a good reminder that our weather changes at the drop of a hat.
