Mid Winter Boring..........

It's hard to find something to blog about in the middle of winter.  We're waiting for calves to arrive in another month or two.  We're hoping for some real snow because we need the moisture this winter.  It was 48 degrees here today - just beautiful - but not our typical winter.

So, just for fun, today became a picture day so that we could be outside.



Above are Seanna and Carnival.  Carnival is growing like crazy.  Seanna is such a good mom.

Some of the boys hanging out in the sunshine.  Winchester on the left, Max the steer in the middle, Harper behind Max and Yellowstone to Max's right.  'Dance was relaxing farther down in the meadow with his best steer pal.

Yanni, with her hay belly, comes running as fast as she can go when she spots the treat bucket.  She's rather spoiled.  Nothing stops her full out run when she knows a few treats are headed for "her" feed bucket.

She and Cinder disagree every day over ownership of the feed buckets.  They eventually sort it out.

Just because they look so cute and are such good pals:  Yellowstone on the left and Harper on the right.  Harper is for sale, by the way.  We think we might show Yellowstone this year.  We'll decide after he loses some of that winter coat and we can get a real good look at all his stuff!  Harper is such a nice little bull that we hate to sell him, but we can't keep them all - darn it!  Not too many of our boys make it to bull status, so we think these two are particularly nice guys.



What to Do? What to Do?

Winter in Wyoming usually means that we are well tethered to the home place.  A cow's gotta eat and we are responsible for making sure that happens.  Whatever the weather, we fill feeders every few days so a winter vacation is out of the question.  A short getaway works, but there aren't many warm options available!  Denver is a mere four hour drive for us and the Denver Stock Show is on in January.  Officially known as the National Western Stock Show, the National Western hosts "more than 25 'Yard' shows representing 19 different breeds, and 50 'Hill' shows including 1 World Show, National Breed Shows, 28 Auctions and 28 Rodeo performances."

As usual, after a few days of exceptionally warm weather, our trip involved high winds, blowing snow and black ice.  Yippee.  We arrived safely in Denver and met up with our friends from South Dakota to take a look at all the hoopla.  We had in mind that we'd like to maybe, just maybe, show Dexters here someday.  Well.......

Maybe not.

All the credit in the world to those who show here.  Seriously.  Even with our limited experience, we still know that showing is tough work even under the best circumstances.  If we were to have a Dexter class here, we'd be housed outside in the Yard - no matter what the weather might be.  Tents, heaters, windbreaks.....still too cold for us to do this voluntarily.  It's one thing to be out in the weather because we have to take care of our Dexters.  It's a whole 'nother thing to volunteer to be miserable.  Call us crazy........

The National Western is an amazing experience though.  We'd like to go again.....preferably without the wind and snow!

High Wind Warning

From the National Weather Service:
A HIGH WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM THIS EVENING. WEST TO
NORTHWEST WINDS WILL BE SUSTAINED BETWEEN 35 AND 50 MPH WITH GUSTS
AS HIGH AS 75 MPH.

Our weather forecast is proving to be extremely correct this morning.  It is literally snowing sideways and visibility is poor.  Good thing we planned to stay home for New Year's Eve!

The gusts are bending the cottonwoods from side to side.  We're nearly certain that we'll lose a few more before this is over.  Sounds like a train coming......

The boys are pretty well protected from the winds and the snow coming from the north and west.  The girls have protection with windbreaks - both natural and manmade.  Fortunately, there's no bitter cold accompaning the high winds, so we're all better off than in previous years - - this time. 

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from Moosters Meadows to all of you from each of us!

Just another day at the hay feeders

Got treats? 

My favorite Dexter (aside from Yanni - my best bud) changes from week to week.  This week, it's Bessie.  Her registered name is a number and she's ever so much more than just a number.  Lately she's been first up from the herd to greet me.  I can rub her all over with no fuss.  Since she arrived home with us late in the summer, she's become more and more friendly.  Now she's my best girl! 

Dance knows that his time with the girls is nearly over.  We'll have a few fall calves next year.  He's had the herd all to himself, but that's going to be changing really soon.  He'll have to go back to being one of the boys in a week or so.  Some Christmas present........  He's such a good boy!

Just Rambling

Winter update in Wyoming:  11 below last night (not including the wind chill)!  Everything is moving pretty slowly this morning.  Hay is disappearing much faster from the feeders - keeping those bellies filled keeps Moosters warmer in this weather.  Starting the tractor ought to be a good time today!

A Belated welcome to our latest Moosters from Missouri:  Last month we made the long trek to Missouri pulling a trailer that made our rig almost as long as a semi.  A very long detour to get there and back (who knew that the flooding along the river last summer would still be an issue?).  Six very nice cows, three very nice bull calves (soon to be steers), and two bulls destined for Tiny Twisters made the trip back to Wyoming in great shape.  Can't really say the same for the two humans involved, but we made it!  Here are a few of our latest additions:

That's SF Mulgwen and two of the bull calves.  Neither belong to her, but they seem pretty attached to her anyway.  She's a fine older cow with the most beautiful face, nicest build and amazing horns.  We're hoping for a few red calves in her future.

Gladhour Rominy Reah - a very pretty girl with a super nice udder and another pretty face!  She's polled and potentially homozygous polled at that!  Seems like we've been trying to buy her forever and now she's here!

Gladhour Swallow -  lovely horns and a great traditional Dexter look.  Not the best picture by any means; it just doesn't do her justice.

At this point, we're sure they are wondering what the heck with the weather!

Chow Time

It's been a bit busy around Moosters Meadows lately, so not many pictures have been taken.  A post without pictures isn't much fun, so the camera finally made it outside today.  All three feeders for the big herd were empty.  If you are a Mooster, that's serious!

Time to fill the feeders!  The girls hear the tractor and come running when it starts up.  The biggest challenge is to get the bale into the feeder without three or four cows attached to it. 

They will follow those round bales anywhere!

Even Miss Carnival comes to the sound of the tractor delivering hay....   She's getting so tall already.  Lots of leg!