Inconsistent Blogger

I was informed this week that I have not updated my blog in quite sometime, my work family is upset....maybe it was the Holidays, maybe it was starting the Barn, maybe it was work....but mostly I have been busy and this took a back seat to LIFE!

So my last update was in November.....hmm since then.  We made a flying trip to Vegas for the NFR, celebrated Christmas with my amazing family, and started construction on our Barn home!

NFR - Vegas, always fun.....we were upgraded to a 1700 square foot suite on a private floor because we are from Texas (most likely because my husband was in his black hat and a t-shirt.....what a cutie, but she said "I like Texans, you will love this suite".  Well, ya, we love Texans too.....WE ARE AWESOME!!!).  It was a great time as always and we met up with my cousin and his wife for his 40th birthday, which made it even more fun, even though we didn't have a rocking "Rock of Ages" concert for ourselves....still fun.

Christmas....Matt, myself, and Landon were all sick.....it was still blessed and wonderful but we were sick.......

New Years.....I spent 2.5 days stuck in my house due to ice storms....I planned a bachelorette party and may or may not have had a self dancing and singing party with Duke and the cats at midnight, still just a normal day at the Priddy household.

After the Holidays, I had quite the experience....my MIL and SIL were out of town and I went with my sweet Hubby to the Ranch to "help" (really I was set to do a long run and organize our home [two sea containers] and take landscapes of the ranch for decor for the Barn home).  What really happened was far from expected.  I was taking a beautiful picture of the sunrise...

I kissed my hubby good bye to head down to our place and start my run......then, my FIL asked "you aren't going with us?"  It took just that simple question for me to load up in the middle seat of the feed truck to join the guys to the South pasture and the most adventurous day I had ever had at Priddy Ranch!

So here we go....2 hours to the farthest part of the ranch to work a group of cows (for my city friends: to work= vaccinate, castrate, and implant all the little fellas).  I learned so much on this Saturday morning...that turned into an afternoon........I learned how to turn cows with the feed truck, to count head for my FIL and to sort cattle for easier workings.   As my husband was atop his horse (again....such a cutie), I rode with my FIL in the feed truck learning exactly what was needed of me that morning and what will be needed of me in the future (you know when Matt and I are in the feed truck and our son is pushing cows behind us....oh what a wonderful life, but I got off topic here).  Any who....as I was dressed in running tights and my new Brooks with my camera in tow, I counted calves and listened to my FILs wisdom about a working cattle ranch.  I will cherish that day for as long as I live.....I am so blessed to have such a wonderful set of in-laws.  Again, I get nostalgic.  We finally reached our set of pens but the boys horse back had many cows to wrangle so Mike (my FIL) and I had work to do until they arrived.  So we sorted (city friends: we separated mommas from their babies).  I had sorted once before, with my MIL in charge, to help weigh calves and I wasn't nervous because I knew she would tell me where to be and when to be there.....this time was different.  I had done this once before and I should know what to do.  Not that my FIL wouldn't tell me what to do and when to be in a certain place, but I wanted to be good at this....I wanted to be in the right place without being told.  You all know me, I am a perfectionist.  Well guys, I hate to disappoint but I was terrible....I spilled calves, I was scared of bulls, and I pushed too many toward the gate at one time.  My FIL was patient and kind and told me to "keep pushing" towards him.  I only got hollered at twice....[To be clear a Bull was looking at me with snot dripping from his nose and yes, he took one leg and scraped it across the dirt like something in cartoon ready to charge....I froze, I thought I was done!  When I informed my husband of my near death experience, he laughed and said "oh, he just had a little itch"....looking eye to eye with that big ole' guy (and his non-steer properties) I thought I was done] Being hollered at twice when working with a Priddy man is a wonderful success!  Please don't take that as a negative comment...Priddy men are passionate about their work....especially in Talpa and especially when it comes to their cows!  By the time Matt, Scottie, and Will got back to the pens, Mike and I had everything sorted and really, we were waiting on them to get ready to work....I think next time Mike and I will be able to get started without them....but I don't think I would be good on the inside of the squeeze chute (this is where you work the calves so you have a better handle on them)....because I really don't intend on getting kicked by those cute little calves.  [Confession: I had to text Matthew and ask him if the squeeze chute was the "squeeze chute" so I would sound smart].  So back to when the boys got back....we where ready to start, gates were closed, medication was out, my chair was set up, tools were ready, and it was time.  One by one each calf went through the SQUEEZE chute, "heifer" or "bull" was called out and the process began.  A hormone injection (yes, green meat eaters, I know), an ear tag, a vaccination, and if the poor baby was a bull, it became a steer just as soon as it kicks my Hubby twice and Scottie and Will 4 times.  You see guys, this poor "bull" tries to cross it's hind legs (as any of you men would if you were in a chute to be castrated) but the Man wins and the bull becomes steer.  This process repeats itself for HOURS!  The hours pass by until this one sweet little calf runs up ( I had already spotted this calf with an abscess on it's face when we pulled up that morning...I was also promised I would be able to I & D that thing [ incision and drainage in the medical world].  My day was made...I got to drain an abscess, I was ready.  The boys all complained of the smell that would come along with the drainage, said they had seen grown men vomit, mentioned all the horror stories.  Well, my time had come.....the calf was in the squeeze chute and my FIL had his pocket knife ready for me!  I tried to use that knife like a scalpel I use in wound care, careful and easy.  Well that did not work....hide and skin DO NOT EQUAL.  So one swift stab and cut with the knife exploded the abscess all over my hand!!!!!  IT WAS AWESOME!  The boys all said they could smell it, obviously they have never been 2 inches from a man's hind end while working on a pressure ulcer.....now that is an unpleasant smell!  So any who, the I & D was over but the "mayo" was all over my hand....[now, I will cut into an abscess all day long but I usually have gloves on so I needed to wash my hands].  Of course, my FIL had dish soap and water in his truck, so working stopped for me to wash my hands (Princess, I know)!  The day continued pretty uneventful after that....other than getting yelled at by the other Priddy man due to a calve breaking through the squeeze chute and running straight towards me and I COULD NOT MOVE.  I was frozen in time, again, and my Hubby was worried!!!! Finally it was time for break....I was concerned when my FIL said, "Let's get a snack and work the other bunch after".  Matt and I were not prepared....I didn't have my lunch bag, my organic snacks and zeal was all at HQ (headquarters =home) miles away.  Needless to say this woman, who always needs to eat was worried!  Well, my FIL was clutch again.  Cheese crackers, oatmeal cream pies, Vienna sausages, and cokes were ready for all of us!  Now, I haven't had a non-organic cracker, an oatmeal cream pie or a coke for years but on this day, I was one of the guys!  I wasn't too crazy though, no Vienna sausages or coke for me but those cheese crackers and that pie was AMAZING!  It didn't even give me a stomach ache....success!  Again the day went on and we all made it back to HQ, a little more cow poo on our new running shoes and a wonderful day in the books.  That day will forever be one of my favorites on the ranch for the time being....until the next great adventure on Priddy Ranch!!!!!  Stay tuned!

Love you all!  I promise, will attempt to be more regular with the events from the PriddyRanchWife!