Month: January 2019

Finished my tool cabinet!!!

I finally got tired of pulling the spiral nails used to hold pallets together, so cut the  boards off the pallet frame for the doors. That gives the doors a little different look, but saved me lots of time and effort. I prefer the look of a single board the full length of the door, but pulling those nails is really hard on my back. And that’s hard on my disposition!

The only problem now is that I have to clean the whole end of the garage to make a place to put the cabinet, and clean up the unbelievable mess I made finishing it. But how can I clean up the mess until I get the cabinet moved so I can put my tools away? Brings to mind one of my favorite words – a conundrum.

It’s bangs vaccinating season for the veterinarians so we were lucky to get the calves here done on a 40 degree day, which is the warmest I remember for this job. Since it has to be done before the heifers are a year old, we do it in January or February and often use a propane torch to keep the tattoo ink thawed. Not so this time!

Before the calves are vaccinated and tagged, the guys select the replacement heifers that will stay on the ranch. That way, the ones that go into the ranch’s cow herd have bangs tags in numerical order.

In addition to the vet’s work on the day, the replacement heifers also get their ranch ear tags.

The Head Honcho brought the calves to the chute (although in this video it looks like he’s just holding the fence up), I ran the gate into the tub, Shawn pushed them up the alley, Ed gave them the final push into the chute and put the ranch’s ear tags in, and Clint ran his hydraulic chute, bangs vaccinated and put the metal bangs tags in.

The girls went through like troopers and things couldn’t have gone any better.

Sonny, Ed and Jake sorted the replacement heifers off the other day while I ran the out gate and took pictures. I just made sure my two – my Jersey milk cow baby and the only brockle face heifer – ended up in the replacement pen.

The Head Honcho and I made a trade way back in the spring – my bum steer calf for the only brockle face heifer in this year’s calf crop. Now it looks like it was a brilliant move on my part – the heifer is blooming good and the steer was on the light end of the steers, but he did ship with the big boys.

The heifer calves were even and quiet, and the Head Honcho was so pleased with Jake’s ability to work the calves, never stirring them up, never getting in a hurry. The Head Honcho was as proud of his grandson as he was of his calves, and that’s going some.