Golden Memories

Sunset over Lake Victoria

Trips to Africa are always hard to describe.  I think it's because in one scene you can see such incredible natural beauty, crushing poverty, amazing opportunity and loving kindness that I think one's senses--or emotions--are overwhelmed.  Our trip in July was a wonderful chance for me to see things anew through Kathy's and Amy's eyes.  We went mostly as tourists and observers, which isn't comfortable for me--I like to have a project and a schedule--but which allowed (or forced) me to just look and listen.

The giraffe sanctuary, baby elephant orphanage, Lake Victoria beach day and our safari to Maasai Mara were beautiful.  A sunset picture at Angel House that Amy took in the first hour we were there revealed beauty I hadn't noticed before, although I've visited several times.  Be sure to look at Amy's pictures--she did a great job documenting the trip.

But the memories I keep having, and that make me want to go back again, are of the people.  Holly and Lawrence of course, who we just wish weren't so far away.  The angels at Angel House, and the wonderful staff there.  The students at Angel Secondary, and their devoted teachers.  Piki-piki drivers, car drivers, safari drivers, Lawrence's friends and family and neighbors in Gem, solar/pump technicians--new acquaintances and renewed ones.  For the most part, people who enjoy simple friendships and will do anything for a friend.

There's a quote from Ernest Hemingway where he's lying awake the night before he leaves Africa, listening, and homesick for it already.  It takes a week or more, when I get home, for my dreams to not be dominated by the African sights, sounds, smells and people.  And when they finally fade and are replaced by more mundane subjects, I'm saddened a little.  I miss it already.

Just A Few Friends...

The traveling squad for Jimmy Buffett was small this year.  We missed you, Holly, Lawrence and Pete, and we missed Rich and Paul.

We modified the fin to fit the new truck, and scared all the old Parrotheads as we drove down the road.

Good times and good music.  Come with us next year.

They're Back...

I imagine Bert Schrank Inc. (where I buy diesel fuel) and Lawson Implement (where I get parts, supplies and take stuff for repairs or maintenance I can't do) love to see the spring and beginning of summer.  In the past few weeks I've used almost all the farming equipment--a rented Ditch Witch to dig a trench across the dirt road and lay a water line into Nettie's Pasture, then the bucket on the JD and the box blade on the IH to smooth it over; the tandem plow, field cultivator and grain drill to plow and plant Sudan in 3 fields; and both tractors and the hay cutter, rake and baler to cut and bale John Finley's oat hay on halves and the hay wagon to bring my half (4 bales) home.

Hay Fleet

I dragged a harrow over some ground where termites had built surface tunnels to break them up, pulled a different harrow to make some small grooves in the dirt, then sat on the back of the Gator scattering seed as Amy drove me around the area.  I didn't fall off once despite her driving, and today I can see that some of our seed is coming up.  We might need another tunnel-busting mission and spray with Malathion, and maybe we can drive those termites back over the fence to Zane's.  We've loaded the 4-wheeler with mesquite-killing equipment and hooked the small trailer to it to carry cut brush to the burn pile.

Some of the equipment is showing its age, but I'm trying to maintain the functional parts if not so much the aesthetic parts.  Everything worked fine as I cut and baled John's hay, although the IH isn't in the picture because it had a flat tire on the way home.  It sports a new seat, new muffler, new fuel filters and runs as well as it's run in years (and will have a repaired tire tomorrow).  The JD has a new air conditioner compressor and will chill you right out.  Looking forward to running it this summer.

I got to ride around a while with a guy in his GPS/autosteer-equipped JD tractor.  Very impressive technology, and he used it just right--mixing exactly enough chemical to cover the acreage he had to go, with no overlap, no underlap and no waste.  Very environmentally responsible, very cost effective.  I wish we could publicize guys like him.  Life is good.  Come on down and drive around with us.

Move Over, George's

Amy has a new recipe for Chicken Fried Steak, and she's not afraid to use it.

Home Cookin'

Spring Roundup

Last Saturday was spring roundup at the old Busted Handle calf factory.  Amy, Kathy and I were joined by Jeff and Krista, Ed Kearn, and Lauren and Kyle Trodden to gather and treat 27 cows, 20  baby calves and 1 bull.  It was a beautiful day, cool but sunny, and we started with a nutritious breakfast of Texas-shaped waffles.

Breakfast

Then we went outside and called them into the pens.  With the extra help it went pretty smoothly, and we separated the calves to work first.  They each got an ear tag, matching tattoo and one shot.  Jeff started tagging and tattoing, Amy giving shots and bossing people around, and everybody else opening gates and keeping the chute loaded.  Kyle soon picked up tagging and tattooing, giving Jeff's knees a rest.  There was so much I help I didn't have to do much and we finished the calves pretty quickly and took a water break before starting on the cows.

Lauren and Ed move calves

Tagging and tattooing calves

The cows each got 3 shots and a pour-on anti-parasitic, as well as a quick general health evaluation.  Kyle started as the pour-on moron but moved up to wrangler, allowing Lauren to move into a skill position.  She, Krista and Amy gave shots and Kathy kept the records.

Krista comforts a calf

Don't drink it, Lauren

We replaced our new Angus bull's ear tags with some custom Heyroth Ranch ones and gave him 2 shots.  We heard him introducing himself to a few of the cows through the fence and making some dates for breeding season.

Tagging the bull

New tags

It was a great day.  Sunny enough to get sunburned but cool enough to not stress the animals--bovines or humans.  We all got nice and dirty, a little tired, a little burned and had a lot of fun and followed up with good BBQ brisket sandwiches.  The cows and calves are back contentedly grazing in the oat field.  I'll catch them once more soon to separate them into breeding herds, put the bulls in and let nature take its course.

Thanks to everybody for your help.  You're all invited back for weaning in the fall.  Come join us and we'll put you to work too.

Baseball Again...Finally

Enhanced Truckage

Apparently some varmint saw his shadow and gave us one last (I hope) winter blast.  This one brought a tiny bit of rain (.4") which was welcome, and some hail which wasn't because...

...I'd just brought home a new truck.  I traded in the Ford which wasn't a bad truck, but was limited by its payload/hauling capacity and its V-6 engine.  This one is a big Dodge 4x4 and can haul or pull most anything.  I imagine Paul is pleased to know it even has power windows.  Now our fleet consists of the new one and the '94 Chevy which still runs good, or at least as good as it ever did.  I have gooseneck hitches in both so we can haul round bales, cows or whatever we need to.  I put a toolbox in the bed of the Chevy so the seats can be a little more accessible to humans.  It blocks the view of the hitch, so I'll have to figure out a system for hooking up.  You can't see the hitch in the new one from the front seat anyway, so I might as well put a toolbox in it too.  I'll probably miss the Ford at the gas pump.

This pose of the fleet reminds me of 2 old friends of Gonzo's who had been known to howl at the moon occasionally.  They both bought new 4WD pickups, one a Ford and the other a Chevy, and the trash talk began immediately.  They decided to settle it one night at the Hog's Breath Saloon, backed them up to each other in the gravel parking lot, and hooked the bumper hitches together with a log chain.  Within seconds they destroyed both bumpers, tailgates and every tail light assembly, mirror and back window in both trucks and dug a set of trenches in the parking lot a World War I field marshal would have been proud of.  Asked later if they had settled anything one of them, known for his ability to see the silver lining, said "Naw, but we've got the only log chain in Harris County you can push."  I heard they told their wives they were minding their own business, duck hunting over at Anahuac, when this big hailstorm came out of nowhere...

Life is good.  Come see us and go for a truck ride.