A Surprise Flock & Bringing In the Heifers

Late this afternoon, as I was headed down to help bring the Black Angus heifers in for the night, I stopped to make this exposure.

At the time, I didn't see the flock of birds in front of the sun.  You can bet I'll be watching for them the next couple of days.

Lorenzo has done a great job of halter breaking and training Libbey and Tove, our Black Angus heifers.  About the same time every day, the duo are waiting at the gate, ready to be taken to their pen in the small covered arena.

Cold, Foggy Days

When one of the horses is feeling ill, it's common for the horse in the adjacent paddock to stand nearby.  That was the case yesterday when Jetblue (at left) was fighting a virus that sent her temperature spiking to 105.7 degrees.  Irish was always nearby, seemingly comforting the filly.  Thankfully, Jetblue is feeling much better today.

We've been in a fog much of this week, with more of the stuff forecast for tomorrow.  Yesterday's freezing fog produced some gorgeous spider webs encrusted with tiny ice crystals.  The following snapshot is a dazzling display of old-world "web" and "net" courtesy of spiders and the basketball hoop we have here at the ranch.

A Freezing Fog

Last night, a freezing fog moved into our area.  By morning, ice-encrusted spider webs hung from trees, glistening icicles.  On the drive into the ranch, the last of the 2011 roses were similarly adorned.

Not So Colic, Night Three

Jetblue's colic isn't a colic after all.  Usually, I can turn a gas or minor impaction colic in short order.  So, yesterday morning, when Jetblue didn't seem to be responding to all the usual tricks, I put her in the horse trailer and hauled her to Pacific Crest Sporthorse.  It was Dr. Jennifer Posey's day off, but ace technician Nikki James was there with Dr. Amanda Johnson.  The duo assessed Jetblue and recommended drawing blood to check for infection and organ function.  The results came back this morning.

My filly has a virus, a nasty gnarly virus that sent her temperature soaring all the way to 105.7 degrees late today.  Doctors Posey and Johnson have checked in frequently and we've used measured doses of Banamine and cold rag baths to help reduce Jetblue's fever.  Using what we know, we're supporting the filly's system and hoping she'll fight the virus off by Thursday.

Until then, it's going to be another short, watchful night.  Prayers for Jetblue would be appreciated.

Colic Watch, Night Two

Last night was unusual and tonight isn't looking any different.  My filly, Jetblue, has been running a fever.  One-hundred-four at last check.  The poor girl has a horse-sized tummy ache, a tympanic colic that arrived on the coattails of freezing weather.  Thankfully, Jetblue is still drinking water and producing road apples, albeit far fewer than usual.

Any kind of colic is a serious business.  It can be life-threatening.  So I've been checking on the filly every few hours:  taking her temperature, listening to her wide ranging gut sounds, checking her capillary refill and hydration, her pulse, and respiration.  My veterinarian is on speed dial and we talk.  Frequently.  At the vet's direction, I give Jetblue Banamine to reduce her fever and quell the abdominal pain.

To keep the filly's system moving, she and I have walked and trotted up and down the asphalt into the wee hours.  We've done so to owl hootenannies and dogs barking in the distance.  We've marched before the wild things' watchful eyes, their presence a whisper to my spider senses.

Throughout Jetblue's colic, I've come to realize there are times when my "to do" list is truly immaterial.  When nothing but the task at hand matters.  Plans and appointments go out the window as I work to bring my favorite filly back into balance.  This is my cowgirl version of a firefight -- a cold barn, a warm kissable nose, a shared quest.

A few years back, I lost a horse to a rare type of colic, a torsion of the liver.  The whole event ran less than twenty-four hours start to finish -- healthy horse to no horse.  I did everything I could possibly do and more, but it was never enough.  There simply was no enough.  At the time, finding value and meaning in Jack's passing was a tall, impossible order.  Now, I understand.  Every second of life, even the tough times, is a gift.  As my dad says, "It beats the alternative."

So, fully dressed and bundled in my coat and stocking cap, I set my alarm and stretch out in my favorite chair, savoring the warmth of the fire and hoping to catch a few hours of sleep.  Jetblue's counting on me and so am I.

"Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out." ~ Art Linkletter

La Nina Delivers the Start of a December to Love

Just a quick reminder about the photos at this site.  While I hope you enjoy viewing my work, please don't copy or use my images without permission.  Each of my photos contains a digital watermark, so I'm able to track use.  If you see something at this site, something you'd really like to incorporate into a project or advertising, please contact me by leaving a comment.  I'd be happy to visit with you.  On to today's post...

According to the Farmers' Almanac, La Nina or "the little girl" typically magnifies the weather conditions in any given area.  Areas that receive heavy snowfall typically receive way more, making for brutal winters.  Here in the Pacific Northwest, the long range forecasts have anticipated an excess of the usual heavy rainfall.  So what happened?

For the past several days, we've basked in the rare glow of December sunlight and it's been -- let me find the right word or words -- heavenly, divine, exquisite, and all so rare.  The weather folks are reporting this to be the driest December on record.  Amazingly, Don and Nick put up the ranch Christmas lights in sweatshirts and even managed a wee bit o' tan.  It's starting to feel a bit tropical.

And...  I was able to work on finishing my Shadows photo essay.  This past year, I've photographed my shadow in combination with that of horses, a duck, dogs, and cat.  While I've had my sights set on a cow shadow, getting one proves to be a bit more difficult than I had anticipated.  Cattle, it seems, are bashful about their shadows.  Late this afternoon, Don helped me snag our Black Angus heifers and I snapped a few photos with my favorite, Libbey.  Here's my pick...

I'm still playing with variations on this image -- I can definitely see it as a black & white or infared.
As I was walking up from the cow pasture, the late afternoon sun was streaming through the paddocks.  Seeing an opportunity, I snapped this shot of Irish and our Christmas barn star, the one Don and I made using ranch-grown red Dogwood branchees.  Having holiday lights up sure makes everything festive.

La Nina's gifts were plenty as I continued to work with the low late afternoon light.  I'm really pleased with the following photos of Jetblue and Irish.

On my way to the house, I managed to catch the following shot of Don as he finished lighting the gate.  Beautiful.

To top off a darn near perfect day, we made the decision to send each of our family members the Lincoln Crockett compact disc, Angels and Devils Alike.  It's our contribution to a Plaid Friday kind of Christmas, one where we support local and independent businesses and artists.  Part of our gifting will include fiber artist Maria Wulf's amazing "functional art" potholders, too.  This year, we're supporting a local musician and an artist from upstate New York.  Doing so sure feels good.  Ho! Ho! Ho!

Life is Always a Rich and Steady Time When You are Waiting for Something to Happen or to Hatch

The title line for today's post is a quote from American writer E.B. White (1899-1985), who is best known for his books:  Charlotte's Web, Stuart Little, and The Elements of Style.

It's confirmed.  Daisy, our Charolais heifer, is going to be a mama sometime between the very end of March and the first week of April.  This will be our second baby at the ranch, the last being our filly, Jetblue, who was born in April of 2010.  The calf will be our first venture into raising cattle, so we have to rely on experts like Dr. Steve Vredenburg of Banks Veterinary Service, 503-324-6060.

Earlier today, Dr. Vredenburg swung by the ranch and checked both Daisy and Libbey -- the girls were artificially inseminated with semen from a Black Angus bull this past June.  Libbey didn't take and will be bred again this coming April along with our other Black Angus heifer, Tove.  Any kind of birth is always cause for celebration and today's good news was, too.  Here's a snapshot of our mama cow to be.

Here's a photo of Libbey and Tove.