Hat Tips

Hello,

I am writing this at 4 in the morning. On Monday. A snowy Monday. It’s not that I like to get up and write at 4 in the morning. It’s just that I can’t sleep. Maybe that is because I went to bed at 7:30. Shirley says that is why I can’t sleep in the morning. I always tell her that you should go to bed when you are tired, not at a certain time. Anyway, after going to bed early the past few nights, I now find myself getting up around three. By the time it is light enough to work, I’m ready for a nap.

Or maybe it is the weather. We had a heavy wet snow all afternoon yesterday. The forecast is for another three inches today. Maybe they are wrong. I hope they are wrong. But the weather does have farmers and ranchers nervous. Lots of farmers have beans and corn in the field yet. Ranchers have calves on cows, cows on summer pasture, and hay still in fields. But at least there is hay.

Or maybe I can’t sleep because I am getting old and I have to ride a colt this morning. I sold my solid horse, Lena, last fall. I had a fall back position. Zip would be alright. And Lois rides right off. No fear. But Lois has developed a cinch sore, and Zip is packing a leg.

Daryl didn’t call me until after dark last night. And asked if I could help ride this morning. What could I say? What could I do? I need help on Thursday, so I had to agree.

If he had called earlier I would have left the horses in a nice warm barn, with a nice dry back to throw a saddle on. Now I have to go out in the dark, call a wet horse in the barn, feed him some grain that he doesn’t need, and throw a saddle on a cold, wet back.

But I have a plan. I am going out now and will saddle him. I’ll snug the cinch up pretty good. Then I will come in and have another cup of coffee. Then I will go out and pull that cinch up another notch or two. And come in and wake Shirley up. She has to go to work to support my cow habit. Then I will go out, pull that cinch up another notch, and load Gunny in the trailer.

I figure if I leave here by six, unload him at the corral, pull the cinch up that last notch, and have the dog chase him around the corral for awhile, he should be alright.

And tonight, I will be tired by six.

Look out boys, I’m riding a bronc.

Later, Dean