I hate spraying weeds!

If you want to see me loose my cool and be very cranky, just ask me to spray some weeds for you.  It ruins my day real quick!   If cowboys don't have to spray weeds, why do cowgirls?  I would much rather be horseback than spraying weeds!

For starters, it is July and it is hot!  Being on irrigated pasture, it is also muggy.  Don't get me started on the bugs.  Mosquitoes try their best to eat you alive.  Even with a long sleeve shirt, long pants and a hat, bug spray doesn't even phase them.  Not to mention the bugs in your eyes and teeth, just driving down the road to get to where you need to spray.

Then there is equipment.  I have a great spray rig for the 4-Wheeler.  It holds 25 gallons, has an electric motor and long hose so if you cant get right on top of the weed, you can get off and walk 5 feet to it.  It is awesome for a rosebush here, white top there, spurge, or the occasional thistle.  Unfortunately, I don't have the occasional weed to spray, I have the occasional acre!  So I drive 6 feet, spray, backup, pull ahead 6 feet, spray, backup, pull ahead, you get the picture.  I get frustrated that I've been spraying for an hour in one place, and only have  an area the size of my house done.

Let's talk 4-Wheelers.  I love them, and would kiss the guy who invented them.  They are small, go fast, can go just about anywhere, and you can even ram a cow if needed and not really hurt them (the 4-Wheeler that is).  I am not sure what was ram repeatedly with our ranch 4-Wheeler.  The handlebars go one direction, the front tires a different direction.  Brakes?  No, we don't need no stinking brakes!  Actually I would prefer them.  Driving down the road the other day, I got to going a little too fast, missed my turn and had to coast into the neighbors drive way to turn around and go back to my turn.  A little embarrassing when the neighbor and one of his friends were right there watching me and asking if everything was okay.  (They might have heard me swear when I realized I was going to miss the turn)!  The transmission is shot.  I think that whoever ruined the brakes started throwing the 4-Wheeler in reverse to stop it.  Needless to say it doesn't always catch a gear when it needs to.

I think I mentioned we are on irrigated pastures.  That means there is water everywhere!  Oh yeah, and the grass?  Taller than the 4-Wheeler in some places.  Not that I am complaining, but unless you've been in the pasture horseback, it's kind of hard to find weeds if they are shorter than the grass.  Water = Mud.  Mud = Stuck.  You have to drive fast enough to not get bogged down in the mud.  Not much of an issue if you have brakes and need to stop to spray something, or come up on a ditch.  Ditches are kind of hard to find if you don't know where they are, and impossible to miss without brakes!

So, I have spent this morning being eaten alive by mosquitoes, water up to my knees, my hands are dyed blue from HiLite, and I'm stiff and sore from hitting ditches going too fast!  Is it too early for a glass of wine?!!

Happy Birthday to me!

     Okay, so I am a week late!  I'm just so excited about the horse colt I bought for myself!  It just so happened that we picked him up on my birthday, so he was kind of a birthday present.  Now, I'm not the kind of girl that gets myself a gift for my birthday.  I might tell my husband what he is getting me for my birthday (more on that later!), but I never buy something for myself and say it is for my birthday.  Since we've cleared that up, lets talk more about my new horse!  He is a yearling, and is going to be huge!  I may need a step stool to climb on him here in about a year when we start him, but he will be big enough to doctor yearlings on and drag calves to the fire.  2 very important things in my line of work.  His daddy is KayCee Image A Glo (Imager for short), and his momma is a double bred Sugar Doc Dan mare.  Those of you who know me well, know that my pride and joy is a fat sorrel horse known as "Cricket"  his daddy was Sugar Doc Dan.  So with my new baby, I have the best of both worlds.  Sugar Doc Dan who's babies like women and kids, watch a cow, and love to rope, and Imager who is beautiful and throws really kind, gentle babies.  I expect grand things from this little guy!  So far he is living up to my expectations.  We were able to halter and lead him into the trailer the day we picked him up (that was a first for him!), and what little ground work I've been doing with him, he picks up quick!  Don't worry, you will all be hearing a lot about my new horse!

     Everybody ready for the 4th of July?  We are going on a picnic/drive with the Bieroth Family.  This has turned into quite the event.  It started out as a drive with my parents and a couple of cousins several years ago to somewhere close, just to see some new country and enjoy each other's company.  This year it is going to be probably 5 or 6 vehicles and several Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins!  The big excitement this year is that The Cowboss is picking the tour.  When he worked for Simplot, he learned a lot of the history of the homesteads between Southern Idaho and Northern Nevada, and the cool part, is that a lot of them were homesteaded by our family, so we are going to have a great time learning a little about our ancestors!  I hope everyone has the chance to enjoy their families this weekend like we will!

I know I should just let The Cowboss do his own shopping for me, if he feels like it for my birthday, Christmas, etc.  Let's face it.  Left up to him, I wind up with a pat on the back, or something I never really wanted and then feel obligated to use/wear it.  I know it is the thought that counts and all that good stuff, but if he is going to spend money on something, it might as well be something I want, and really, he is much happier if I just tell him what to get me.  This year is no different!  A little birdie told me she had a lead on some puppies.  Rat Terrier puppies to be exact.  Those who know me and know me well, know I have been wanting a Rat Terrier puppy for years and years and years!  I've come really close a couple of times with a couple of Border Rats (my own special breed of Rat Terrier and Border Collie, great cow dogs, and very good with kids), but never my own full blown Rat Terrier.  Fingers crossed it will work out this time!

My blog wouldn't be complete without a TR story, so here is your TR story of the day!  This morning before QT woke up, TR and I were checking my email and playing on Facebook.  We got to looking at some "Ike's" (pictures of some Rat Terrier puppies), and our cousin Tyler.  Tyler is a couple of months younger than Trent, but they are good friends.  Tyler was laying on the floor with the puppies and just really cute.  TR and I were talking about which puppies we liked the best and he pointed to Tyler.  "I want this one" he told me.  I said Tyler?  "Yes!  I do like Tyler.  I want a puppy like Tyler."  So if you have a cute little boy like Tyler and he comes up missing, don't worry, Trent just kidnapped him!  =)