Winter Grouse Meetings

I’ve been in on some enjoyable meetings lately with ranchers, biologists and range scientists around a familiar topic, sage grouse.

Political sparring is in full swing over the bird as we move closer to the deadline for an Endangered Species listing decision in September of 2015. Cutting through the rhetoric and posturing, getting down to what’s best for the bird can be difficult sometimes . . . actually most times.  

The meetings were held to address rancher concerns and to nail down sites for a grazing and grouse research project to be conducted in Idaho over the next ten years. And as far as meetings go, these were great. It feels good to finally scientifically address the continuing debate over whether grouse and cows can co-exist. The research promises to be common-sense based and applicable to real world situations, and though the ranchers are understandably cautious, they signed on.

One meeting was held at a local fire station. It doubles as a community center evidenced by the boxes of canned food for locals in need. Another meeting was over coffee at Martha’s Café, another at a government agency conference room with high-tech overhead mapping, and finally we shared lunch at The Country Kitchen. Different ranchers in every setting, but all interested in learning ways to protect their livelihood and still do right by the bird. 

We listened to a member of the Shoshone-Bannock tribe talk about the medicinal qualities of sagebrush leaves and the long tradition of hunting grouse in tribal lore. Another long time rancher told of grouse flying up under his colt, watching summer broods scurry to cover and seeing large flocks rise late in the year when gathering cattle in the fall. A woman rancher described the beauty of the desert when wild flowers are in bloom. A middle aged ranching couple talked of the miles and miles of fencing they maintain each year and how to handle rats in the cabin over the summer. 

These ranchers are the real deal. I applaud them for stepping out as leaders, willing to move forward whatever the outcome.   

one frosty morning

Anna's Mater horse

new cedar post

   

Downtime

It’s been so dry and sunny this month that I’ve been mulling a blog entitled, “The Winter that Wasn’t.” I’m holding off until March, though, and hoping against hope the blog won’t materialize. We finally got some snow and rain this week and the mountains are a good solid white in the distance. Our summer water supply depends on snow accumulation throughout the total Snake River and Blackfoot River watersheds and it's looking bleak so far.

If the ranch has a slow season, it’s now. Mark comes in relatively early and the evenings stretch out in unfettered luxury. Yes, he might watch TV, but often he busies himself with some kind of ranch book work. He may research composting on the computer, read an article on herd health or tackle any number of management questions to implement in the upcoming production year. Soon enough he’ll be back working “in” the business, so we need to make the most of this time working “on” the business. 

My favorite winter spot in the house is the glider next to the wood stove. I keep a dictionary and thesaurus handy for working on the daily crossword puzzle from “The Morning News,” (no googling allowed). Also at my elbow are the 2-3 books I’m currently reading. It's lovely, but the tough part is staying awake until lights out at 9:00 p.m.    

It’s the continuing education time for the larger ranching community as well. Yesterday we attended a tax seminar and next week we’ll learn about soil biology and meet with a group of ranchers to go over our strategic plans for the future.  

I got a nice surprise this morning. I’ve asked Mark for years to weld me a step on the back of our 1977 Ford 2-ton Truck. It’s a great truck, we use it every day feeding cows, but it’s awfully high and getting on the bed is a real conundrum for me. I’ve had to strategically place a pile of hay underneath it to climb on or get assistance from the driver. I hate needing help, especially when I watch younger more agile feeders leap on without assistance. Well, it finally happened! Mark designed a dandy step that slides down into the slots on the bed so it's removable when winter feeding is done for the year. I can even get on while the truck is moving! Who said a woman is hard to please?

So beautiful this morning . . . .

The Yoga of Feeding Cows

We arrive each day at the same time. They trust us.  

I’ve had days, weeks, even whole seasons where I fought the daily ritual of feeding cows in my mind. I know it needs done, but surely there are better things to do with my time. Feeding cows, the labor part, is monotonous, often difficult for a woman as she ages, and mostly just plain COLD.

I don’t have to do it. We could find someone else to help. I go because I want the exercise and know that hiring another person this time of year is a waste of money. So I keep my complaints to myself. It is a mind game, like much of life. To acknowledge and accept the difficulties of life and to feel joy anyway. That is feeding cows. It also, as it turns out, is yoga.

Callie is studying this ancient practice and is teaching me little by little. We talked about how yoga applies to the whole of life, including ranch work. We Americans think of it as a form of exercise. Get a mat, sign up for a class and “go to yoga.” But it really is a mindset. In its purest form it means "connection," a variation of the word “yoke.” This connection is with your higher self, with the universe, even with cows. Callie will say “my yoga” meaning “my lesson” or “my path.” It’s all about controlling the mind.

So on the feed ground one can practice yoga. With clear intent, flake the hay off without fighting the bale. Breathe in, breathe out. Bend your knees, use fluid movements and the leverage of your whole body. It might be windy, and hay leaves and straw chaff swirl down your neck and up your nose. Breathe in, breathe out. Stay calm.

There are other annoyances. Cows crowd around the truck and one or two will insist on walking right next to the bed so you can’t slide the hay off. Don’t get mad. They’re good at being cows – so accept that. If there’s snow, plan on getting stuck on a dyke from time to time. No worries. You can usually rock your way out with a little ingenuity. If not, a tractor and chain can be brought from ranch headquarters. 

I've been learning on my own too. In my research, one style of yoga is defined as “the cessation of the perturbations of the mind.” That’s a good one - to cease being perturbed. Love it.   

Callie and Anna and the '73 International

King Dancer Pose
 or in Sanskrit, Natarajasana 

Sisters

We’re taking feed to the older cows every morning. The heifers are still grazing.

We finally got some snow today, much of it sideways. It coated the sagebrush and plastered the trunks of the trees along the driveway.  

Anna and Callie are still home on vacation. Though they’re the best of friends and spend most of their time together, they’re not very similar. They share the same set of values, but have different personality characteristics. Cal is serious, thoughtful, driven. Anna is fun-loving, engaging, and happy. They say they're good for each other. Callie helps Anna think deeper. Anna helps Callie lighten up.

Callie is alternative everything. She makes roasted kale to go with our squash, is deep into yoga, analyzes every situation for fun and wants to live in a city for the arts. Anna is more mainstream. She eats whatever I cook (and likes it!), goes with the flow and wouldn't mind ending up back home on the ranch. But what they share trumps any differences they have - a passion for family, a love of the outdoors and animals, an adventurous spirit and a determination to pursue their dreams. Their common history and a brother they both adore cements them together. 

Anna lives in a crowded sorority and with finals behind her, coming home brought peace and quiet reflection. Callie is used to independent living in New York. For her, home presents a challenge to dovetail her schedule with family time and ranch work. They both said the first couple of days, though fun, were an adjustment. By now after nearly three weeks together, we've done our head butting, made-up and settled into a pleasant routine.

Anita, always looking to hone her photography skills, suggested a photo shoot just two days before the snow came. It was a gorgeous evening with honey-colored light. The girls put on make-up, curled their hair, pulled out the pseudo Ralph Lauren jackets and the cowboy wear and had a great time in spite of the cold.

The next day it was back to work moving heifers to a new field and feeding cows. When we got done they were still laughing together in spite of cold fingers.   

That our kids are good friends is the sweetest of parenting rewards. They like nothing better than time together, preferably deep in conversation. I just overheard from the front room as Callie sank into one of the chairs in front of the wood stove, “Anna, come sit across from me!” 

Year of the Family Farmer

Have you heard - 2014 has been tagged as the International Year of Family Farming. Beginning in Spain and now picked up by the United Nations, many organizations in the U.S. are coming on board.  According to an article in The Capital Press, the effort is designed to: 1) support the development of policies conducive to sustainable family farming, 2) increase knowledge, communication and public awareness of family farming, and 3) attain a better understanding of family farming needs. All sounds good to me. It’s how we live day in and day out around here. 

Seth had visitors from back east over the holiday break. East (to us) meaning Indiana, and way east, as in Germany. The visitors were headed to the bright lights of Vegas and Hollywood, but detoured along the way for a western ranching experience. We gathered up all the outdoor gear we could find and outfitted them for ranch chores. They moved cattle on horseback one morning and then drove to nearby Wolverine Canyon for a climbing adventure.  Their boots are still drying in the mud room, though I see photos of them on Facebook under city lights.

We have lots of kids come and go on the ranch. Some work for pay, others just want to volunteer and learn. I always worry that we'll wear them out, and some we do. Some decide the romance was ill-founded. Others develop real staying power and learn like a sponge. 

There’s a passage in the FFA Creed that goes like this:

I believe in the future of agriculture, with a faith born not of words, but of deeds. For I know the joys and discomforts of agricultural life and hold an inborn fondness for those associations which, even in hours of discouragement, I cannot deny.

Today our own kids helped Mark vaccinate calves and finished up by washing out the stock trailer. Seth told his friend Leah, also visiting the ranch, that scrubbing manure was one of those “discomforts” they talk about in the Creed.

They seemed to be having fun, though. I think it has everything to do with WHO you’re working with and WHAT attitude you decide to employ.

So as you raise your glass at midnight tonight, say one for us, "here’s to family farming!"

Easterners having an Idaho cowboying experience 

working together

Reflecting

It looks like a Christmas card around here.

We’ve been moving cows around. The main herd is within ten minutes of the house. They’re grazing stockpiled feed saved since July. Seems nice not having to haul hay to them over the kids’ Christmas break, though that seems like a waste of young, strong backs. The calves, however, are on full feed. Seems like there’s always chores on a ranch at Christmas time.  

Someone in a card we received called this the “season of reflection.” I like that. We’re giving thanks for a year that’s closing, reviewing our blessings and thinking about those around us who could use a hand. We’ve hunkered down, living in close quarters, keeping the fire going.

Merry Christmas!   

Bah Humbug?

We’ve been in a deep freeze for the last couple of weeks since the cattle got home. Mark, Jesse and Gary have been busy chopping ice in the river and various water troughs to make sure the cattle get a good drink. Animals can take extreme weather if they have plenty to drink and eat. Still, I feel bad for them when we’re snuggled in bed at night.

I finally clued in and got the flannel sheets and down comforter off the top shelf to make up our bed. Mark waxed eloquent over the results when he climbed in last night.

We’ve been enjoying winter vegetables - sweet potatoes from the store, and red potatoes and squash from the garden. I figured out to turn squash over and put the cut side down while baking - lovely and moist.   

I can be a Scrooge this time of year. I love the decorations and the music, but the gift giving and high expectations put on mothers can be mind-numbing.

Every year I gather cedar boughs from Gary and Anita’s windbreak to make a wreath for the front door. It is a bittersweet task. The windbreak was planted when Mark and I were dating and I always marvel that the trees are so big. It brings the passage of time front and center.

I had found the pruners and dressed warmly. I got in the pickup to drive to the trees and on the radio comes Eartha Kitt, singing Santa Baby, about sables and convertibles (love that one). Then Nat King Cole’s, The Christmas Song. And finally old Blue Eyes, Frank Sinatra, with The Christmas Waltz.

It’s that time of year when the world falls in love

Ev'ry song you hear, seems to say, “Merry Christmas,

May your New Year dreams come true."  

Those old 50’s/60’s tunes can melt the heart of any naysayer.  

So, I put up the nativity in the little cardboard shed, picked out a lodge pole pine at Stop ‘n Shop for $28 (what a bargain!) and am dancing to holiday albums at breakfast. Even Mark is puzzled.  

23 years old

heifer calves looking good

nature's quite a hand at creating beauty

this morning at one above zero