Sandy Snider Stahl

Celebrating 100 years!

August 12, 2020Sandy Snider Stahl

Amidst the pandemic and with temp expected to reach 100 degrees, we are celebrating 100 years with my Mom’s cousin Virginia today in Broadus, MT. This wonderful woman is a treasure to our community, county, state and nation. Her memory and wit are sharp and her nature is gentle. I am so blessed to count her as one of my closest friends. It is an honor to know and love her. Happy Birthday, Virginia!

Two of Virginia’s cousins recently visited, my Uncle Bryce (95) and my Mom (90). Virginia and Bryce played harmonicas together (Though blessed in many ways, my Mom’s branch of the family tree is less musical!). We are a lucky, lucky family!

Cousins celebrating 100 years! — Bryce Rumph, Yvonne Snider, Virginia Robinson

First Saddling

November 6, 2019November 6, 2019Sandy Snider Stahl

As far as we know, our new 2 year old Tango had never been saddled before. In fact, we were told she was barely halter broke. And I spent our first session together teaching her to back off as she wanted to stand right on top of me.

So I didn’t know what to expect when I sacked her out. I’d used a rope around her legs before and she was obviously used to that. So this time, I used a rag rubbed then hung all over her, then draped an unfolded saddle blanket across her back. When she packed that around without flinching or spooking, I cinched it up on her with a soft rope. She looked it all over pretty closely but didn’t object to any of it.

So I got my old saddle – one my parents gave me for my 7th birthday – since it’s light enough for me to handle easily. She inspected it, then didn’t object when I put it up on her neck and slid it back, or when I put it directly on her back. She didn’t mind the cinching up either and walked off like she’d been saddled every day of her life.

So far, she’s making points in everything she does!

She doesn’t walk on me any more, but she leads so close she nudges my arm with her nose every few steps. I’m having to adjust to that and other things about her, too. Windsor has been my partner for several years now, but she’s much more standoffish, where this girl wants to be CLOSE.

We keep the fillies in a little pasture behind the house. It’s one of my pleasures every day to step outside and call them. They come on a lope and stand with their heads over the gate while I halter them. I’d like to think they love me that much, but truthfully – and as the Head Honcho says – it’s because I lead them to water!

Shipping Steer Calves

November 5, 2019Sandy Snider Stahl

We had a great day shipping and the photo shows part of the crew waiting for a load to come off a trailer.

We gathered the first pen of cattle in a pitch black morning before the sun showed even a hint of rising. I’m glad to say it was the Head Honcho that had to go back to get a calf he’d missed in the dark!

It was so cloudy we never did see the sun rise – the gray just lightened. But the weather wasn’t bad, even though we did go through a squall or two. The flakes were enormous and I thought they were going to turn my little filly from red roan to white before they melted.

Wet snow blanketing Windsor — Windsor in snowfall

In the video you can see the Head Honcho whipping us all into shape. He doesn’t usually use a flag, and in discussions after the fact, we agreed that the flag really kept the calves moving up the loading alley. I also told him that there were times that I wanted to use the flag on him, and he agreed…that at times he wanted to use it on me! We both operated with restraint and laughed about our frustrations… after the calves were on their way to Nebraska.

The cows worked off the calves great, and the calves couldn’t have loaded any better. Thanks to our great neighbors that helped haul the calves to the scale then stayed for the best part of the day – warming up and visiting. Well, getting the pay check was pretty good too, though the Head Honcho never thinks it’s big enough. But that’s just part of ranching.

At the scales, I served munchies and hot drinks out of the horse trailer my Dad bought in the 1960s. That trailer was Dad’s pride and joy for a good many years so when it was no longer feasible to use it as a horse trailer, I couldn’t bear to part with it so converted it to a “chuck wagon”. We were dry, out of the wind and the propane stove kept us toasty warm on a darned cool morning.

All in all, a great day!

First Fall Feed of Hay

October 29, 2019October 29, 2019Sandy Snider Stahl

The pairs got their first bite of fall hay today during a blizzard that lasted about 15 minutes. In this protected bend of Corral Creek, the snow floated and danced for the camera. On the bench above, the wind drove the snow and it was a bitter cold white out.

The Head Honcho wants to keep the old girls full before we finish weaning and shipping this week and next. With all the pasture growth this bountiful year, they were full before the hay, but they were eager to get it. More important, the Head Honcho was happy knowing he’s provided for the ones that provide everything for us.

And when the Head Honcho is happy, we’re all happy!

We got home to a loaf of bread raised and ready for baking. So our afternoon snack (and my supper) was bread hot out of the oven, slathered with melting butter – a treat for us as the hay was for the cows! And our waistlines show that we needed it just as badly…

A Rarity -Three Generations Horseback

October 10, 2019October 10, 2019Sandy Snider Stahl

It’s pretty rare that rodeo schedules allow for both bull riders to be home to help on the ranch at the same time. It’s even more rare to find them helping horseback. The Head Honcho and I are old school and think horse before we think motors. Not so the rest of the crew, so it’s well worth while to get a photo on these occasions.

Riding with his grandsons makes the Head Honcho hopeful that they may carry on the ranching traditions that built and maintain this ranch.

Does It Get Any Better?

October 8, 2019Sandy Snider Stahl

The Head Honcho had a birthday and I got a new horse! Can it get any better than that??

The only problem is that he’s pretty impressed with her so far and talking of taking her away from me – the dirty rat. It would be nice if we could share her, but we found out early on in our relationship that one thing we can’t share is a horse.

Love only goes so far so I’m not seriously considering letting him have her, but I am getting his approval on what we’re going to call her. Her registered name isn’t user friendly, but so far he’s rejected everything I’ve come up with.

I have to be careful or he’ll change a few letters of her name and call her something insulting. The less he likes the name, the worse the insult will be. For example, if I call her Bandana he’d call her Banana or Hankie. No kidding! I have to consider every possible rhyme or corruption of the name.

More thinking is required, so for now she’s just The Filly…but she’s still mine!

War Bridle…Lost

October 3, 2019Sandy Snider Stahl

The Head Honcho enjoys using the war bridle I gave him two years ago for his birthday. A few days ago, he lived a story with the war bridle, and it’s well worth sharing. To read the the full story, follow the link to the Short Story section of my web page using the following link War Bridle.

And I hope you can find the time to wish Sonny (you don’t have to call him Head Honcho) well on his 85th birthday on October 6th. He insists that we throw no parties for him, but he loves to see birthday wish messages .

Lucky Fire

July 29, 2019July 29, 2019Sandy Snider Stahl

We were lucky the other night when lightning struck a stack in the hay yard near the house. A small stack burned but the much larger stack on the left in the photo was unharmed…no wind, no flying sparks. Lucky!

The smell of smoke didn’t even reach our open windows so we were unaware of the fire until neighbors started seeing the smoke the next morning and calling to see where our fire was. It wasn’t hard to find then!

We were lucky in so many ways. The fire was less than 100 yards from the buildings. Sometimes losing a hay stack is devastating, but sometimes, when you think of the things you didn’t lose, it’s just not that bad.

Days Gone By

July 15, 2019July 12, 2019Sandy Snider Stahl

This old tractor sits above the house in clear view every day.

But in today’s early morning hours (while corralling the escapee horses) seeing the old Farmall H made me wonder about its arrival on the ranch. Can you imagine how excited the original owners were, how proud, yet how doubtful that it was a wise purchase even though it would have cut their work to a small fraction of what it had been before? At that time, the convenience of labor saving machinery rarely outweighed the expense.

The Head Honcho bought the H from Dan Gilmore for $300 in the early 60s. And he tells of buying a new AC15 in the late 60s – the first new tractor he ever purchased. He was so excited that after a long day of work he’d get on it in the evening and drive it around the yard, cutting cookies and showing off for his wife, then giving the kids a ride.

He so loved that AC tractor that he had it refurbished a few years ago and it’s still pulling a rake during haying. The grandsons aren’t excited about raking with the AC – after all it doesn’t have a radio, a plug in for their cell phones – or even a cab!

With a smile, the Head Honcho argues with his sons about which tractors deserve to be stored inside. The AC gets to live inside the shed, but not in the heated garage – a compromise they can all live with.

The Old Heston, on the other hand, lives outside year round. It is a generation newer, as hard used but not yet refurbished. No one, OK – no one but the Head Honcho – wants to use it, but it always starts and is miserably reliable. It’s hooked up to the old hydro-swing swather right now, but the Head Honcho’s neck doesn’t turn very far anymore and everyone else has a more modern outlook on haying. The Heston is more like the emergency back up that requires a real emergency to be considered.

The Head Honcho and I had worked all morning hooking the Heston to the swather. Well, we worked all morning, got sweaty, tired and horribly greasy. The elder son came in from the field and took pity on us. As he drove up, smiling, he said, “What are you going to do with THAT?” But he finished hooking them up, aired up the tires and parked in position so the Head Honcho sees the duo and knows they’re ready to go in the sad event they’re needed.

This attachment to his old tractors is nothing compared to what he feels for his old horses! Those stories will have to wait for another day – the AC and rake are waiting for me. And did I just hear the Head Honcho start up that old Heston?

In High Clover

July 12, 2019July 12, 2019Sandy Snider Stahl

The Head Honcho didn’t want to waste all the clover Mother Nature has given us this year, so we brought one bunch of cows back from summer pasture and turned them into cow heaven. They grazed about 200 yards in the first 6 hours and not a quarter mile in 24 hours.

The cows are happy, the summer pasture is getting a well deserved rest, and the Head Honcho is all smiles – and when he’s happy we’re all happy!