It’s time to gather the cows from their summer grazing grounds on the Forest. Rhen is getting the crew organized.
Rhen organizing the cattle gathering crew
Monthly Archives: September 2014
Fall haying
It’s been a wet summer. That is a blessed event all around, except for the delay in getting the hay up. Still, we’re grateful that we have a bumper crop of hay, after two hard years of drought. In mid-September, we’re still haying, trying to get ahead of the next rains.
Cutting hay in the Upper Smylie
windrows along Battle Creek
Making the big round bales
Eamon cleaning the baler
Cows checking out next winter’s feed in Don’s Meadow
Camptenders
Our ace-number-one camptender, Pepe, has gone to Peru for a family visit, and maybe even a tour of Europe with his sister, who is a doctor in Italy. That means that Meghan is now the number one camptender, with me filling in as number two. Luckily, we also have some backups.
Maeve and Rhen helping with the water barrel
Maeve and Barbie on the truck
Rhen and Maeve
Maeve and Jaime unloading the truck
Siobhan siphoning water for Avencio
Seamus holding the hose for the water barrel
ewes on Bridger Peak
sheep on Victoria meadow
Maeve on the run on the Fireline Stock Driveway
There’s a story about the Fireline Stock Driveway. I don’t know if it’s true. The Forest Service had hired a crew to cut the Driveway, which served the dual purpose of cutting a line for fire fighting purposes, and providing a route for the many thousands of sheep trailing from the Red Desert and Great Basin to the summer grazing around Hahn’s Peak and Rabbit Ears. The word came down that the logging crew was doing some illegal logging on the side, so they hired my grandfather to investigate. The next word was that he had gone to work on the logging crew for good wages. As I said, I don’t know if it’s true.
4-H is Evil and Bad for Kids
It’s not often that I repost, but as another person whose life was “ruined” by 4-H, I urge you to follow the link above.
Snake River Community Barbeque and Fun Day
Has anyone else noticed the prevalence of “Fun Day” to describe gatherings in our community–and it’s true. We in the Little Snake River Valley really know how to have fun! Right after Labor Day, we have an end-of-summer, about to plunge-into-fall-work, guess-it-will-be snowing-soon celebration. This year the Community Barbeque included a barbeque (go figure), bouncy big toys for the kids and some grown-ups, live music, an arts and crafts display, and, of course, The Mostly Peruvian Soccer Tournament. One of our neighbors donates the use of his hayfield, next to the museum, as a soccer venue. Most years, the hay is put up, and the stubble is a little stiff. This year, due to generous (some might say overabundant) rains, the field featured somewhat soggy windrows, some of which had been raked aside to allow for clear soccer fields. This year, eleven teams played. A few were turned away, after being deemed to be too far afield and too semi-pro to participate. This gives you an idea of how many Peruvians are employed in agriculture in our area and surrounding communities. This is a day that the players look forward to all year. Even though several of our sheepherders left their flocks for the day to play for our team, the Osos de Ladder Ranch, alas, our guys did not prevail. Still, a good time was had by all–truly Fun Days!
Peruvian soccer game in the hayfield next to the Little Snake River Museum
Sundog, entertaining the crowd
A fabulous quilt by Aggie Stocks on display.
Rainbow over the swingset and museum
Oso Antonio with Rhen
Kids in line for the bouncy toy, with their shoes off
Eamon on the bungee pull, with Brenden
Museum Director Leila Emmons with McCoy , Tiarnan, and the garden planted with the kids on Pioneer Day
Sally Martinez supervises the roasting of the lamb, beef and pork
Peruvain soccer players check out the Strobridge House
Rhen at the top of the slide which has terrified generations of children
Museum scarecrow
Tiarnan and Siobhan under the sunflowers
Ladder Ranch
