May Challenges

Let’s just say a dry spring is no fun. Mark is run ragged trying to get the water started, changing streams on the fields being irrigated, sorting yearlings, feeding cows, branding, moving cattle around, and still monitoring a few sick babies. We put two bunches on grass today. That feels great, but with each job we finish, fifteen more vie for attention.

I’m trying to help, but I’ve caught a mean virus and three days of burning ditch, pitching weeds, then branding has me pretty “gentle” as Mark calls it. I've coughed and coughed, but I'll do it all night if I have to; I just don’t want Mark to catch it.  

Seth and Anna made it home from college. We’ll have them for a couple of weeks before they’re off again on their summer adventures. Mark said they were coming home “to dig me out.” They’ll certainly help, but the hole we’re in is pretty deep at the moment. Mark and I are trying to keep our spirits up, but it's difficult with such a laundry list of concerns.

We had a good branding day on Saturday. The best part was our friends Dick and Lonna Jean, who spoiled us with dutch oven stew when we finished. They rounded out the meal with homemade rolls and two kinds of desserts, strawberry-rhubarb cobbler and pineapple upside down cake (we determined that in Idaho it was legal to have some of each). Nothing like good friends and good food to remind us of what really matters.

After dinner we took a photo of the youngsters of the crew. Such great kids; such good help. Any parent would be proud to claim any one of them.