Winter on the Moore Ranch has become a time of some relaxation. A few years ago we changed some of our ranching practices to be in synchronization with nature. It has allowed us to "ride on the shirt tails of Mother Nature". We have changed our calving date to later in the spring instead of late winter. This allows us to feed less hay to the cows. They forage on the standing grass that is available instead of on the hay that we laboriously had to feed them. By calving later, we don't have to struggle through blizzards and cold nights to assure that the calves will survive. The calves are born in warm weather, thus the cold stress is not an issue.

By changing these few things, our life on the ranch has changed dramatically. You will notice that my entries in the journal are somewhat sparse as compared to the spring, summer and fall months. Our outside activities with the cows have curtailed quite a bit. They require only feeding a protein supplement occasionally and breaking the ice for them to drink if they are in a field that does not have running water. The rest of our time has been spent working on some of our residuals to sell such as horns, hides, and hide pillows, planning and brainstorming for the coming year, remodeling our house, playing games with the kids and kicking back, waiting for spring calving and the ranch work to go full steam ahead again.

November 1st   -   Wednesday

The beavers have really made a dent in the tree. I walked down to the beaver dam to see the progress they had made. They have nearly raised the level of the pond to the top of the dam. They have also cut down the rapidity of the stream flowing out of the pond. They have made remarkable progress building a natural wetland.

November 6th   -   Monday

While I was at a meeting in Colorado Springs, Joe weaned the calves today. He was able to get a kid who lives in town to help. They sorted the calves off and left them in the pipe corrals and put the cows back out to pasture. It was a noisy process as the cows and calves would like to be back together. We let the cows come from their pastures to within viewing distance of the corrals. Some of the cows had already weaned their calves and weren't bothered any. These cows were out in the pasture grazing. Some of the cows hung around and bawled as they watched across the fence.

November 8th   -   Wednesday

After Joe got all of the calves fed and chores tended to, he and Laramie went out to call some deer in a take pictures of them. They took some deer antlers and tried to rattle them together to call some deer in. They didn't have much luck. Laramie, who is four, did not help matters either. His mouth is constantly running! Some people came from Maine to pick up six head of longhorns they had leased from us. They took a neat video of some deer they saw on the ranch.

November 9th   -   Thursday

Joe went to Kiowa County this morning to load the calves that have been on cornstalks on trucks to haul to a lot to feed out. It was a very chilly morning Joe, Karen and Cody rode out to gather the calves. It took him until 1:30 to load all of the trucks. He went to the bull pasture to cake them. He made a buzzing trip back home to roll up some electric fence wire. He had intended on hauling a load of bales for the weaning calves, but he ran out of daylight.

He saw a bobcat today and had the camera with him. It was hard to get near it, and it hunkered down to hide.

I saw two coyotes today hanging around the pond. I could tell they were up so something by the way they were acting. I am wondering if they are trying to catch a beaver.

November 11th   -   Saturday

It is Veteran's Day. Veteran's Day is a big event in Bucklin. There is a nice parade, carnival, chicken noodle dinner, community play, arts and crafts and other events. Today was proof that the Veteran's Day parade goes on no matter what the weather. Joe and Laramie took horses to ride in the parade. It was a very cold morning and it began raining and sleeting. Laramie was the smartest of all the horse riders. Before the parade got going too far, he got back in the pickup. Joe rode the entire parade and was soaked as were the kids in the High School band and all the children riding on floats. Joe helped a friend take the harnesses off of his team and we headed for home to warm up and dry off. Laramie went to Casee's house after a treat of hot chocolate.

Today was also opening day of pheasant season. Not many hunters were out in the rain. Joe manages hunting on some range land for a neighbor. Fee hunting is just catching on in Kansas, although we have been doing it for some time.

November 12th   -   Sunday

We all went to church and picked up a load of alfalfa afterwards. It makes it awful tough for Joe's broken ribs to heal when he is constantly handling the square bales of hay. Joe fed the calves that are weaned. They seem to be doing fairly well. Joe went in the evening to haul another load of hay.

November 13th   -   Monday

Joe put out wire and posts to start on the fence on the cornstalks. It is cold outside, about 15 degrees this morning and the wind has howled all day long. I feel so guilty that he is out there by himself while I am waiting for my back to heal, but at the same time I am enjoying the time inside.

Laramie and I went to a Sunday School Teacher's Meeting this morning and then played the rest of the day.

November 16th   -   Thursday Joe shipped half of the cows to cornstalks today. It took two semi loads and most of the day. Tomorrow he will ship the rest of the cattle.

November 18th   -   Saturday

Joe checked the cows on stalks and watered them.

A group at our church sponsored a soup supper for us to help with the expenses of all our recent accidents. It was touching to see so many turn out from the community and so many who worked so hard to put the evening together. We do without many things in a rural area, but good friendship and genuine concern is not one of them.

November 23rd   -   Thursday

After all the cattle had been fed and watered, we had Thanksgiving Dinner. Joe's dad and our oldest son T.R. were here. We managed to cook a turkey, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, gravy and cranberry sauce. Of course we had pumpkin pie also. The rest of the day was quite lazy. It was a long day for Laramie since he was up all night with an earache.

November 24th   -   Friday

All the clinics around close were closed, so I took Laramie to the Emergency Room in Minneola to get his ear infection taken care of. An old friend was in town, so she rode with me to Dodge City to pick up the antibiotics.

Joe fed cattle, checked cattle, watered the cattle on cornstalks and put out feed for the deer.

November 25th   -   Saturday

Today was Joe's Birthday, but it "was not his day". Cody and his friend Cody Hawes had left early in the morning with horses to help a neighbor gather and work his cattle. Joe had left his vaccine in the pickup Cody took, so he had to drive 50 miles one way to retrieve it. It put a big dent in his day.

A friend of ours, Shawn Brack, came over to help Joe vaccinate our calves and sort them. It took them longer than they expected, so they didn't get a chance to do any hunting as they had planned.

His wife Brooke visited with me while Laramie played with their daughters Canyon and Ty. Brooke and I made plans about interior ranch home decorating and painting. We decided neither of us were qualified experts, but maybe we would get together and help each other out.

November 26th   -   Sunday

Cody helped Joe feed the weaning calves today, cake the cattle in Kiowa County, and scout for deer this morning. They found an unfortunate death. A bird hunter had evidently taken a pot shot at a Mule Deer doe. She was lying dead right along the road in our pasture. She had been shot with a shotgun, apparently at close range. Joe saw the sheriff at the Café in Mullinville and reported it. Hopefully this will be the only such incident this year and for some years to come.

Laramie and I went to church. I spent the rest of the day catching up around the house.

November 27   -   Monday

Laramie and I had a breakfast picnic this morning! It was the first time I have been on a breakfast picnic! It was also the first time I have taken a picnic in November with coats and gloves for attire. We took French toast, cinnamon toast, apples and hot chocolate up to the beaver dam. Laramie played on one of the trees the beavers had cut down. The beavers have started on another big tree and continue to raise the water level of the pond. It has been an amazing process to witness. We had our breakfast and listened for birds. We did hear some ducks. I was hoping to see more birds, but then I was reminded that the loudness of a four year old has an effect on bird counts. It was so good to be outside. I haven't been outside much since my accident. I don't want to tempt myself to do something I shouldn't, so I have stayed inside.

Joe shipped our commercial calves to a friend who will feed them for us this winter. This afternoon, the vet was out to pregnancy check 40 cows and bangs vaccinate our longhorn heifer calves. Brucellosis or "bangs" is a disease that is watched closely by animal health authorities. Normally all heifers are vaccinated before they are a year old to prevent the disease.

I took pictures of some longhorn skulls to sell horns to a potential buyer over the Internet.

December 4th   -   Monday

Laramie went with Joe today to doctor a sick cow out on the cornstalk field. Laramie rode Cimarron and carried the medicine in his saddle bags for Joe. Joe was riding his yellow horse, Scooter. I am still taking it easy, taking care of my back.

December 5th   -   Tuesday

Today marked the beginning of tax season for me. I prepare income taxes part time. I have a small partnership with another gal in town. It is nice to have something to challenge the mind once in a while. Quite a few business and individuals have asked for some tax planning. This morning I left the house at 5:00 a.m. to do some bookkeeping. It is amazing how quiet the little town of Bucklin is at the time of the morning compared to the hustle and bustle of 8:00 in the morning.

I have been in contact with an ornithologist who is tutoring me on some bird watching. I was thrilled to notice a specie called Harris's Sparrow in our front yard today. In the past, I would have passed it off as just another sparrow and wouldn't have given it a second thought. Since we have been learning about the different birds, I am amazed at what I notice around me now. Laramie and I played "campgroud" in the evening.

December 13th   -   Wednesday

Winter is here and it has brought us about 6 inches of snow. The kids are thrilled. We are glad to see some moisture on the pasture grasses for next year. There was no wind when it snowed, so it was also distributed nicely over the prairie. Laramie, Casee and Owen played outside most of the day. Kristi came over and we worked on some family calendars to send out to family for Christmas.

December 14th   -   Tuesday

What a nice winter day today! I went for a fast walk down the road and decided to take a sidetrack down by the beaver dam. The ice on the pond had melted some and the beavers had left half frozen tracks across the ice. It looks like they are traveling back and forth from the dam to the trees they have cut down to eat bark. It has truly been interesting to watch them.

On my walk back to the house, Laramie met me with two lunchboxes, one in either hand. He had a blanket in one and fruit in the other. We looked for a level spot to sit down and have a picnic. He stayed in the trees for a while to play and I went on to the house. My back has healed a lot from my horse accident, but I am still taking it easy.

Joe hauled some hay in for the cattle and spent most of the day working on remodeling the house. Everything is really shaping up and about done.

December 15th   -   Friday

The day was plenty warm today and a lot of the snow melted. The Lepper's came over and we went Christmas tree hunting on the creek. It was a very memorable time trudging in the snow, trying to cross the creek without getting wet, and eyeballing the trees to find the right one. I had waterproof boots on and got across the creek just fine. Kristi, Bob, Casee, Owen and Laramie had quite an adventure crossing. Kristi finally built a bridge with some old logs for the kids to cross on.

Both of the kids found small trees to put up in their rooms. Bob scouted around and found a good tree for both families. Laramie and Casee had fun on the hills in the snow.

Joe saw a Golden Eagle up the driveway. I went up in the car to check it out. I got a picture of it in the tree, but I missed it when he flew off. The bird's wingspan is incredible. To lessen the disappointment though, I did see a porcupine and got a photo of it. I was surprised when I saw one for the first time that porcupines don't throw their quills and they are awfully slow. It is safe to walk right up next to them. It is advisable not to touch them though! That is when the quills are dangerous!

December 16th   -   Saturday

I took Laramie to the Christmas program practice at church. Afterwards I worked on some hand puppets for him for Christmas. I also got Joe's present done.

Joe checked the cows, broke the ice and ran water. We had a baby calf born today out of a cow that we had purchased. Her calving date is different from the rest of the herd. The wind chill was near 20 degrees below zero. When Joe saw the cow off by herself, he was afraid the calf might have gotten too cold and died. We underestimated the wisdom of an old cow. She had the little guy out of the wind and he was doing just fine.

He worked on the house remodeling most of the afternoon and evening. He is putting some finishing touches on and it looks great.

December 26th   -   Tuesday

Christmas is past and it is on with routine days. Today I got a phone call from a neighbor who said "there are longhorns parading down our driveway". The cows are nearly 20 miles away. Joe was already gone, and we had later appointments to keep, so Laramie and I jumped in the car. We went to the shop and grabbed some fencing material to fix the fence if it was torn up badly. Before I got back in the car, I saw Molly, our cow dog. She jumped in the car in an instant when I told her to load up. I knew that the cows probably had not gone far from the field, and we probably wouldn't need her assistance, but she went just in case. Joe arrived just as we did. The cows were nearly back where they belonged. They had broken down the fence and strayed out. We fed them a little supplement and then got the fence fixed. We were then just in time to run to a friend's house and change clothes and run into Dodge City for our MRIs. Joe had an MRI on his shoulder and I had one on my back. What a pair we are!

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