March - a month of firsts!

It's been a busy March and I've experienced a lot of "firsts" I'd like to share with you. I saw a calf being born. This little calf was having trouble so the cowboys (Smokey and Kyle) had to "pull" him out. What an adventure but what work! The cow was brought to the barn and as the little hoofs were poking out the back of the cow, chains were wrapped around its legs and with an enormous amount of strength, the calf finally moved from inside the cow to the barn floor. There's a picture of Smokey working hard.

I also got some pictures of a calf rescue. You can see Brad carrying a little 3 day old calf across a pool of water. Seems the mother ventured over to a quiet spot to have the calf and the cowboys were afraid that the baby might drown following her back to the herd. Brad donned some waders, picked up the baby, and trudged across the thigh deep pool with the 30 pound calf. Of course, the mom made bellowing noises and followed closely behind. Didn't take long until mother and baby were reunited.

A little colt was born early last Sunday morning to a Mother named Silkie. Funny how a white horse can have a solid back colt, except for the white mark on its face that looks like the ace of spades. Guess what, Frank and Vicki named him Spade! Doesn't he have long legs for a baby - you should see him wobble around the barnyard.

Hank got his drivers license on 3/12/07 - a new driver hits the roads around Wiggins, CO. Don't know that I was ready for this first but didn't have much of a choice. Of course, he couldn't wait to drive to school and stop riding the bus. He looks pretty happy in the picture, ugh? It sure saves alot of trips to Wiggins to simply let him drive.

Finally, our last first was a trip to Park City, Utah skiing. We met two families from Alabama, the Fishburne's and the Senseman's for a long weekend. The weather was great, snow was slushy, and Hank fractured his arm and got a black eye snowboarding! He's fine, in fact, travelled to Alabama for spring break on Monday (which is another first, letting him travel by himself).

March is almost over and I don't anticipate many more firsts, but for 2007, we had a bunch. It's blowing and snowing in CO today, 20 degrees! Looking forward to the spring!

Track Meets Begin

Today was Wiggins High Schools first track meet. Meets are generally on Thursday afternoons and Saturdays. The season goes until mid-May, then the state finals are held in Pueblo, CO.
Hank ran two races, 400 meter run and the 800 meter run. He also competed in the Triple Jump. The meet started at 9am and ended at 4:30 pm - it was a long day. Hank has made lots of friends at the school, and through sports and school activities, we have made friends also. Here you'll see some shots from today's meet, there were too many to post but I've uploaded my favorites. Hank pulls ahead in the first picture. Shaun Limbaugh, in the second picture is a competitive athlete, runs great and plays a mean basketball game. Gilbert Tucker is watched by Coach Garcia in the 3rd picture. Hank looks more serious that I've ever noticed as you'll see in the fourth shot.

Thursday was Henry's birthday. We had friends from the Ranch over to roast him over an open fire, and cook hotdogs too. Thirty-four people came!! Everyone seemed to have a good time, and we really enjoyed the fellowship.

Oh, What a Beautiful Morning!!

When I got up this morning and looked out the front window, this is what I saw! The sky was a filled with brillant colors, yellow, pinks and blues. The sun was barely peaking over the horizons as I walked out to the front porch and snapped this shot.

Now there is a warm yellowish light spreading over the ranch. The air is cold, 2 degrees, and there is a stiff breeze blowing from the north-east.

Looks like it will be a beautiful day in Colorado - hope yours is good as well. To all my Alabama friends, the news is full of dismay and tragedy of the Alabama tornadoes yesterday. My prayer is that you and yours are safe.

Jane