Catching Up on the Ranch

I'd like to say this is a quick update on the happenings of late on the ranch but quick may not be the right word unless you're a speed reader. But a read it is.

The cats. Well, my friend April convinced me that if I'm going to feed the feral cats that live in my hay shed and barn that I also should catch them and bring them in to be fixed. After some reluctance, I have embraced this challenge whole-heartedly.

I thought I had 4 feral cats. Then I started seeing these other 2. Then the other night I caught Mandy, one I hadn't seen before at all. So, really, I have no idea how far along in my project I am.

So far, Lynxie, Graysin (the beautiful mom with pretty babies--see photo) and La Negrita have been to Bend Spay and Neuter Project and returned home to spend a few nights at kitty recovery center. I brought Mandy in and they discovered that she had already been spayed so they vaccinated her and wormed her and she just spent one night in kitty recovery.

I have two recovery crates set up and the cats seem to do quite well in them. I think they really like the warm bed, canned kitty food, convenient water and clean kitty box. Mandy just curled up in her bed and looked at me through the slats when I put the crate in front of the door to let her outside, as if to say she'd like the extended stay package. Eventually she went out. La Negrita darted without hesitation. Graysin jumped out, stopped to turn around and look at me--I'm pretty sure with appreciation in her eyes--and took off. Lynxie, my first catch, was another sprinter. Although he has since been caught twice more.

My other hobby is cat tracking. With this snow and an occasional fresh dusting, coating or additional accumulation, I can see the kitty tracks and follow them to learn their habits. I think my years of Thursday night CBS watching has honed my CSI skills as I'm quite good at determining the "directionality" of the kitty.

Today, I saw precious prints going in to the pumphouse where the duck feed is stored, but no prints coming out. I went around to the other side and beneath a hole in the wall were dainty exit prints. My favorite is the collection of prints at the base of the heated water troughs. These troughs seem to be a favorite of cat and bird alike.

The ducks. We only have 7 ducks, well, 8 if you count Mrs. Mallard who joined the domestic flock several months ago. But we seemed to have attracted another 40-50 wild ducks. So, in order to feed our 8 ducks, I have to feed 50.

They were breaking the bank feeding them high quality Purina Flock Raiser at $14.95/bag. A kind woman at the feed store educated me in the economical choice of hen crack, I mean hen scratch. It's only $9.50/bag (recently increased from $8.95 due to the rising price of corn.) So, now I feed hen crack during the day to the larger flock and at night when the wild ducks fly off to wherever they go, I feed our ducks the fattening Purina. We seem to have a few regular overnighters--wild ducks that is. At least it's not 50.

This morning I was out there and saw Maxwell grab Tuxey by her neck and dunk her underwater. I had seen this the other day and started throwing bread at him to stop him. For sure I thought he was going to drown her! I hate to say it, but I think I was witnessing duck mating. It's brutal and very barbaric. I threw snowballs today. Then it hit me (not the snowball for those of you [Laurie] who think like that) that it looked a lot like the roosters mounting the hens--sans water. They hold the back of their neck, get on, fluff up and get off. I shudder!

Oh, and the big thing in the middle of the pond? That would be a horse shelter. That was adjacent to the hay shed when we had a freak wind one day that picked that shelter up, dragged it across the fence--broke the fence--tore up the grass and planted it in the middle of the pond (see photo.) It was 2 days before the ducks would go back in the pond. I imagine as that thing came flying in they all screamed, "Duck!" Then the pond froze.

The chickens. A very sad day recently. Three dogs visiting the neighboring ranch came over and killed Black Top, one of our much adored hens, and chased off Peep Peep, the problem rooster. They were missing that late Sunday afternoon and I waited to see if they came back. Night came and they didn't return. The next day I went out looking and found Black Top in the dry creek bed. I followed a trail of feathers to her body. It was so sad. It broke my heart to see evidence of what she endured. I never found Peep Peep.

A week later, I was out at the street talking to my neighbor Todd across the way and he told me a rooster showed up on the other neighbor's property. The rooster had been chased by a dog and bitten. They brought him someplace, I'm not sure where. At least I know he survived the attack. As a week had already passed and I was hoping to rehome Peep Peep anyway, I opted not to call Ron to inquire about getting him back.

Symbolically, that Monday that I realized Black Top and Peep Peep weren't coming back, the scabs on my leg from Peep Peep's last attack fell off in the shower (see photo if you dare.) I knew that chapter had ended.

Now we have just 4 hens, and very good girls. Cowboy Tim who up and rode off one day left behind 2 roosters, Red and Black. After one of them was attacked by another dog, but survived, we brought them over here to live. The boys abandoned their bachelor pad after Peep Peep left and now they all bunk-up inside the hen house. A happy chapter has begun.

The horses. The other day we had another foot of snow, on top of the foot that fell just a few days before. I was out for what I thought would be a quick morning feed and noticed Alibi trying to tell me something. I separated him from the other 4 and gave him his morning cereal with glucosamine and noticed him starting to shake. I watched and he progressed into a true shiver.

These horses are wooly wooly this time of year, but for some reason my hardy Alibi's body temperature was going awry. I brought him over to the unfinished barn and put a cooler on him to wick away the wet and dry him off. Took his temp, listened to his heart and respirations, checked his gums for dehydration. All vitals were good.

I brought over Alibi's friend, Faramir, to keep him company. Larry and I had to clear lumber, lights, saddle stands, hay feeders and several other miscellaneous items from the neighboring stall to accommodate Faramir. Like I said, the barn is unfinished. But now a little closer to ready.

We plugged in a heater lamp, brought in water, closed up the doors and let them be. We checked on Alibi regularly and he seemed to be coming around quickly. Pooped and peed several times--all good. The coolers dried them both off.

So around 6pm under the waning rays of sunlight, we blanketed them up and walked them back to the other horses, kicking through over a foot of snow to get there. Everyone seemed in good spirits. Alibi is a stoic horse. But I'm relieved he communicates when something isn't right. I love this horse.

And Faramir is so adaptable. He and Alibi are like really good brothers. Hy Note is a brother for sure, but there is that rivalry that rears its head on occasion. Alibi is the alpha of this group of gentle geldings. He is a passive alpha: just the ears starting to pin back or a slight head nod or even a glance and the other boys back away getting the message. So civil.

Kenna is learning, she just needs training and schooling and she is all too willing to learn--which is why we keep her around. She and Faramir are in love. Needless to say, when we brought Faramir back from the barn she was all goo-goo eyed to see him. Because we have so much snow, they haven't been out on the pasture but rather in their respective dry lots. Kenna and Faramir are not in the same lot but they can see each other and she spends a lot of time at the common gate.

Pursuit is a good boy. He is a foster child here. He is the low boy on the totem pole and he looks to me for protection and reassurance. He has a health history that we're not exactly sure of. What I do know is that he is stronger now, physically and emotionally, than when he arrived at the end of September. I feel happy for him.

All Arabs (Kenna is Arab/Quarter Horse.) It's so beautiful to open the gates and watch them all prance out to the pasture, tails held high--classic Arab characteristic.

The dogs. Bodie and Pinkie are my dear dear dogs. You have never seen 2 dogs love each other so much. They play for hours, from the moment they get up to the last minute of the day. When they nap, they nap hard, snoring and dreams included. Bodie is into the chase--the herding. Pinkie, the chase and I'm pretty sure the catch. They are obsessed with the couple of gray squirrels that feed at the bird feeder. Oh, you should hear them when I open the door and let them out! They have no chance of getting that squirrel but my goodness, they run like mad for that golden dream.

They love the snow. Well, I'm not sure the snow even registers with them. It's the same game come snow, dry grass, mud, rain or wind. Happy dogs make my heart happy.

The birds. At the moment, I'm pretty sure we have 95% of the Central Oregon Red-Winged Blackbird population. If you haven't seen this bird before, take a minute to look at them. They are very pretty and have the exciting call of spring: www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-winged_Blackbird/id.

We also have a healthy population of Brewer's Blackbirds. Doves galore, fat doves. Quail are hiding eggs somewhere nearby. Hawks aplenty, falcons, juncos, woodpeckers, Northern Flickers, Clark's Nutcrackers, oh the list goes on. During the coming weeks we'll start to see more migratory birds. We have our Field Guide to Birds of Western North America handy. We note what birds we have seen and when.

They really like the wild bird seed from Costco. Figures. I tried getting a 50# bag for the same price and they protested. So, we're back to the 40# box.

Deer. Rabbits. Fox. Raccoon. Geese. On a regular night you wouldn't know who has passed through. With the snow, I track prints and smile at the discovery of nocturnal activity.

Feed. When I go to the feed store the guys load up the truck. But when I get home, I'm unloading all that feed. Most feed comes in 50# bags, so a 25 pound bag of something or other is a breeze. Just yesterday I unloaded 6 bags, or 300 pounds, of feed. Moving hay is another daily task. Most bales are between 70-80 pounds.

I welcome day passers to my gym.

I wear a pedometer every day to keep track of my steps per day, striving for that 10,000 steps in a day. I feel good knowing on average I walk 5 miles/day in the winter. During January when we had 50 degree days, I was back to 7-8 miles/day. In the summer I walk as much as 10 miles a day, just around the ranch.

So, when I ordered my new Wrangler Low Rise ranch jeans and opened them to read the label, "Real women have curves" I was at a loss. I can carry grapefruits in my side pockets to fill out those jeans!

The days go by with always a taste of something different. Before I can sit and write a bit, I'm falling asleep only to wake up in the morning and head back out. I so enjoy the time outdoors and the time with the animals. They are funny, interesting, educational, loving, predictable, and hungry. I am happy to be their kitchen. It brings me such joy.