Well we aren’t dashing through the snow, but we are dashing through December.

Monday was another hectic day. Kaine’s football banquet was Monday night, Jaxsen had a basketball game. We had some people out to look at foals. Dad had a dr appointment. Cows calving, Ben tagging calves, you know, a usual Monday. Kaine was co defensive player of the year with his friend Tucker. We got a picture of all the Jr boys, there is a big group of them. Kade and Toni moved the weanling colts around back, got three more in the halter breaking pen, and fixed two down poles in between the studs in the dark. It doesn’t sound like much, but moving the colts was a job on its own. They had to get all the weanlings in, sort the fillies back out, then move the colts. I hear it went really well. Sarge decided he couldn’t go with the other colts so he got walked back to the pen after all the rest. The colts went to the back of Mom and Dad’s in between the old mare pen and the corral, so the colts had to walk around the house, passed a bunch of stuff and they all did great.

Tuesday was foggy, but not as cold. We had our first clubby calf, out of a Red Angus cross cow we got from Mike Corrales and by Trump Train. Ben went and got some little straw bales, a friend said we could pick through their bottom bales before they discard of them, there were only a dozen or so that were still good. Toni and Kade tied the foals up to the donkeys, the donkeys had had a few weeks off due to mud, and I guess they thought they were done for the year, they were not the best. The colts in this week are Fire, who is really big and our oldest foal, City, and Gold Buckle Dreams.  Yes, we call him by his full name. Gold Buckle Dreams took about 5 seconds and was done. City wasn’t impressed and didn’t do as well. Fire is big, broke a halter and a lead rope, will definitely need more time on the donkey. Kade also started riding Joss again. He just hasn’t had time to ride her, but with her trip to CA coming soon, he needed to make time. She did really well.  After chores Kaine went in and watched the girls basketball game.

We had a few more calves on Wednesday.  Gold was only the donkey for one day, City two days and Fire three. The final count was that Fire broke 2 halters and 4 lead ropes. Kade led Gold Buckle Dreams on Wed, City they were able to lead after being on the donkey for Wed. Kade rode Joss again on Wed. Kade helped dad get his big star up for Christmas. It is lighted and can be seen from the road. Kaine opened his birthday present from us since I was staying with grandma on Thursday. Toni went home to meetings and I got a text about 8 pm that she found some horse she wanted to buy.

Happy  Happy birthday Kaine, you are the big 1 7. Anna and Lane came home from U of I on Thursday afternoon. They finished their finals and are on Christmas break. Kade rode Joss around out in the driveway and in the mud. Fire had his last day on the donkey and Toni could lead him a bit by the end. Toni and Kade worked on the other two colts, leading them around the corral. Once City got it, he got it, no dinking around. When we talk about leading them, we also tie them for short periods of time. When the week is done, they have been led around and tied all week.  I stayed with grandma. And she was a horrible sleeper. Jaxsen got taken to the dr and has pneumonia, which is allegedly going around- the bacterial kind.

On Friday Toni had a hearing, I had a Family Farm call, so Anna went down and showed Suzanne and Mike the horses. I got down there when my call was over, so Anna and Lane went back to cleaning the alley and putting down corn cobs. Suzanne and Mike had lots of choices, so went home with a long list. Toni went and grabbed straw from my house the little bales Ben had picked up, then Toni came down and Marlo, Toni, Kade and I did the horse chores, per the norm. We also put out straw to try to soak up the mud. The straw doesn’t do as well as corn cobs but the straw makes better bedding for the foals We also moved Belle into her pen, where she will stay until she foals this next spring. Kaine went and did the cattle chores.

More calves on Saturday, we got them tagged. Toni showed the boys the colts again on Saturday and they took Shiney Guy home with them. Toni got some pictures for Suzanne and Mike, who are still trying to make a decision on which horse to go with. While out in the pasture, Absolute broke Toni’s pu mirror and took a big chunk out of her pu seat, so she is not happy with that horse. Toni and I got some pics of Fire, City and Gold with our cell phones and took them for a walk about. We also got a bunch of pictures of the fillies. Saturday was a beautiful day. You couldn’t ask for a better Dec day. Kade rode Joss.  Anna and I got some pictures of the new calves.

On Sunday we had Kaine’s birthday party, Erina and Terry came down. We had meatballs and Dutch Oven potatoes. Mom made trifle and we had pie. Lots of good food and good times. The overarching theme for Kaine’s bday presents was stuff for his pu. I guess when you turn 17 and are a boy, your pu is your main priority. Kaine and Anna also got to open their Christmas presents from Grandma Sherri. While we had the bday party, a big bald eagle landed in the tree outside of my house, so that was cool. Then we worked on the horses, took the three colts around to the colt pen and got the last two colts in to halter break and Jet.  Kade brought his welder down and welded up a joint area on the continuous fence. Both Kaine and Kade are pretty good welders. Thanks to the FFA program at Connell that teaches welding and other really useful life skills.  We weaned Santana so he can also get ready to move to CA. Joss and Santana are moving together at the end of the month. They are going to a family we have known for many years that was one of the first families we met in the AQHA Youth program, so that is really cool.

                Well we aren’t dashing through the snow, but we are dashing through December. We do have a couple of December specials right now on foals, so if you are wanting a really good deal on a nice weanling, let us know. The Fire colt is big, gritty, smart, and just needs a bit more one on one that we are giving him, so is priced, to the right home, for $2500.00 for December. Peaches is also priced at $2500.00 but we have someone coming to look at her at the end of the month. However, if you want to talk about either of them, let us know. Again, the right home is a must. The countdown to Christmas is upon us! The best gift has four legs and comes in lots of colors.