September 2006

"Welcome to the Adventures of Dear Abbie's Wife"

Our Grandson, Logan Jacob Thorne

Photo by Joan Thorne

2006

The purpose of this diary is to record our adventures, folks who stop by, travels and events at the Thorne Ranch. We don't intend to offend anyone or to glorify our life here. It's pretty boring most of the time as you will see! We hope someday this Diary will be enjoyed and appreciated by our grandchildren and great grandchildren. We thank all you fine folks that enjoy our adventures. With over 70,000 visitors since its birth we are amazed at our faithful readers. God Bless and visit anytime! COPYRIGHTS JOAN THORNE

January2006 February 2006 March 2006 April 2006 May 2006 June 2006 July 2006 August 2006

"Learn from the mistakes of others. You can't live long enough to make them all yourself."

The Old Farmers Almanac check out the best times of the moon projects!!

September 1-3 Happy Labor Day! We hope you all had safe voyages.. We made it to Ft Worth to pick up a trailer load of cedar fibers for us and friends. It also gave us a good excuse to leave home for grandson Logan's 1st birthday party on Saturday! We had a great time seeing all the kids, Brian, Patricia and Thomas, Whitney and Ruby, Doug, Joyce and Greg, Joy, Carson and Brett, Brian and Gigi Janis, Casey and Brandy, and babysitter Teresa. Diann had everything under control and had a real spread for the party! Complete with a room full of balloons! The little kids and big kids enjoyed them! All 80 of them! ha

We took off for home about 9:00 p.m. thinking we could find a motel room part way home! But everything was filled to the brim, so we struggled to get home before daylight! The ride was terrible as they loaded the load way too far forward so we bucked all the way home! We sure were glad to see home even though it was 5:00 a.m.! So today has been a little slow! I did laundry, and scraped and painted the front porch. The cow we had been waiting and worrying about finally calved at 6:00. It's another bull calf! Abbie took the load to Brian's and got several of the pallets off the trailer. We tried unloading two pallets tonight with the tractor and loader and had two come apart so we had to load them by hand into the barn. So I got some exercise today! ha Even though I was moving pretty slow!

One of the cows K459 had a back wards calf coming today! We walked her in and saved the calf. It was finally a heifer. So that ends the first group of calves. Now it's keep them all alive and wait for the next A I group to pop!

Happy Birthday Brian! We hope you had a great day!

September 5-8 Tuesday the day after Holiday weekend! Ran to town to the bank and shopped in the new tractor supply in Pryor! A nice store and the help is really nice too! Nice change from the farm store north of town. Won't name any names. Picked up various stuff for the barn and cattle. Finally getting caught up around the place from being gone.

Wednesday we gathered the south pasture of steers and doctored four head with droopy ears. We decided to go ahead and wean the whole group. So our video had to wait again! I got cleaned up and packed a satchel, loaded some Dragon semen into the number 10 tank and strapped it into the back seat of the little red truck! I can't go anywhere without a semen tank tagging along it seems! ha Off I went to Stillwater and REI to deliver the semen to be shipped to California. I made it into OK City about 5:00 and Leona took me to my Superintendent meeting for the OK City State Fair. She dropped me off and I met some real nice folks and had a great dinner. It kind of gave me some insight as to what is expected of me in the future when we get some Braunvieh cattle entered for the Fair. We had cattle there in the Spring OYE show and we didn't have a breed class so at least we will next year. This year most all of the cattle are coming to Tulsa. I spent the night with friend Leona and we shopped the day away in Yukon and the City! Looking for material for the new curtains I am making for the show cattle display. It shouldn't be that hard but we had trouble finding enough of what I was looking for! Yards and yards! Abbie thought it was pretty funny that I was going to sew something. As I am not the worlds best patch person or seamstress! I have used a hot glue gun on some jean pockets with some success... ha I guess he thinks I can't sew a straight line! I warned him not to get too funny or he might find some jock shorts sewed shut! I could give him a seam ripper for his birthday present! ha I made it home about 10:00 after I stopped in Pryor to see if I could find more fringe! Of course what I have picked out is being discontinued at Walmart. So I may be calling several to see who still has it on hand! Just when you think you have it all figured out there has to be a bend in the road!

Today, Thursday was catch up day! I had just gotten into some book work when Abbie dear called and said could you come help me gather the south pasture of pairs so we can doctor four cows that have swollen feet? Oh what the heck! I jumped on my trusty cart and south I went with two Schnauzer's to assist me! We didn't have an easy time of getting them but we finally prevailed! Donnie Shores was at the barn waiting on us when we got them caught at the barn! He came for his heifer and cedar fibers. Always great to see Donnie! I then started cleaning stalls and putting out new bedding, catching and washing heifers. We didn't get done until 2:00 but at least everyone got a bath today! Including the cow calf pair! Abbie weaned the bull calves yesterday so it's been a chorus around the place! We went to Vinita in the afternoon to pick up the green Ford truck! He has it running really well now! Hope we can get it sold! I gave Angel a brushing and a bath this afternoon! I had a pile of blonde hair! Got my house vacuumed and trimmed the two bushes out front with the hedge trimmers! So I am ready to hit the hay! We have customers from Texas coming at 9:00 in the morning. So best get some shut eye so we can sell cattle!

September 9 Another warm day today! High 80's! Not as bad as it could have been though. We almost got everyone fed and rinsed before the Dunn family came to see the steers and heifers. So we made a quick job of it and took them to the pastures. They selected another Ali steer and also a Titan heifer. Their Ali steer last year did really well for them and they made their county premium sale. So we decided since we had to get the heifers in that we might as well wean all the older heifers today! We took the Dunn's to Pryor to pick up health papers and we had lunch at Goldie's. We got home to a barn yard full of cattle to sort. So we sorted off the heifers to wean and weighed them. It was musical pens again as we moved the steers out of the last trap so we could enter bawling heifers across the fence from their momma's. I bet the neighbors are tired of hearing bawling cows and calves as much as we are. We watched a little football and then fed early to go to the steer and heifer show in Pryor. Emily and Buddy did real well and they were selected 7th in the premium sale and was 5th in the County feed out class. Now he will go to slaughter to determine the top carcass steers. Neighbor boy Ethan Propp won the rate of gain and also the steer show with his Simmental steer. Always good to see our friends and neighbors at the County Fair! Travis Ruddle won Reserve Supreme grand heifer with his red angus and Abby Hendrickson won Supreme Grand with her LImmie heifer. All great kids we enjoy watching show their animals! Tomorrow Matt, Brock and Madison will show in the Pee Wee show. You guessed it we are going to be there!

September 11-12 We Remember! 9/11 Today!

It was catch up day! I spent most of Monday working on, laundry, book work and web site projects. Added some new pictures to a couple sites. Aschermann Charolais. They are gearing up for their production sale October 14 at the ranch in Carthage, Missouri. Duba Trailer Customizing from Nebraska added a new trailer for sale.

Megan and Burk stopped by to get our FFA order for bacon, sausage, ham and turkey. Always great to see those folks!

We hurried and fed. Think we had 18 head tied in the barn today! Then loaded seven head of heifers to get their feet trimmed at Brian's. We had to laugh at Star. She was so afraid she wasn't going to get to go that she ran and bucked all the way to the trailer. Talk about a star seeker. ha Wish they all had that attitude! ha We got home about 10:00.

Today Tuesday is cooler in the 60's. Cloudy and damp, but no rain yet! Tim will be here this afternoon to fix the air conditioner! We have been thankful that it's been cooler! We will get it fixed and have to turn on the furnace! ha It's another day of preparation for the fair! I am paying bills and will try to work with cattle this afternoon! Show stick school! They are all doing really well though, even the little recruits from the weaning pen! Surprising how fast they learn that we are there to pamper them. ha The two bull calves were so easy to break! They love being scratched.. Must be the male in them! Scratch my back and I am yours! ha You all have a great day and keep safe!

Wednesday, Next day Abbie dear did come through though and he fixed the tire and delivered me down to pick it up! He didn't make we walk! ha I got the road all mowed and even made it back to the shop without anymore problems. ha

Thursday, Abbie left to take his mother to Tulsa for an eye exam so I worked with the cattle all day off and on. Tim came to fix the air conditioner.. the coil has rusted all out and it kept leaking freon. He spent most the afternoon installing that and he also fixed my dead short in a couple of plug ins. Now I can plug the washing machine into it's intended outlet without running cords across the utility room. I picked up Dani Leigh at school today. She lost her front tooth, so she is really looking like a 1st grader this year. Andrea came to pick her up and she noticed a cat tail hanging out of the bumper of her car. Lucky kitten named Sam. He had rode to Claremore and Pryor with her in the bumper. Dani was happy her pet kitty was okay as we were. One of his seven lives for sure!

I caught Tee and Jazz and noticed that Tee blew one front shoe ( another flat tire) and Jazz was limping on her left front foot. Just what you want to find when you have the trailer all hooked up and ready to go riding. I left Jazz and took Tee with one shoe on and one shoe off to Rita's for the Ya Ya Sisters Trail Ride in Claremore. The night would have been perfect had I not tried to put the snaffle on Tee. He pulled back and pulled off one of Rita's fence and went plummeting and jumping through the sisters and their horses. I was embarrassed. That darn five year old colt! We got him caught and settled down and no one got hurt. Just my pride! ha We all had a lovely ride and the night was perfect. Our picnic was simply spectacular! I don't know if we all go for the ride or the food and conversation afterwards! ha The topic that night was hot flashes! Guess you know most of the ages of the ladies that ride! ha We had some young gals too and their conversations were a lot different. ha My week has been going pretty normal. If you know me at all you know that it's pretty normal behavior to have a ( Dumb A_ _ attack)! My comment? If your not messing up your not doing anything! ha I could just sit in the house, watch soap opera's and eat chocolate! ha Right? But I choose to live a real life to the fullest.

Friday, Today we will do the normal wash and drag cattle to the fan's and misters. Really need to do some sticking today. Most of them are doing pretty well under the circumstances. The new recruits are starting to behave pretty well. One of the little Gold Club heifers threw a fit yesterday. She saw something that I didn't see! It could have been that other black snake. ha We had 18 tied in the barn yesterday. No rest for the wicked! You all have a super weekend. My advise for the weekend! Don't tie your horse to a flimsy board! Tie him to a big tree!

September 16-20

The weekend went fast! We hurried around with the show cattle on Saturday morning so we could go to Vinita to pick up the green truck as it had a cam go out of it this time! Pretty soon we won't be able to afford to sell it if we keep replacing stuff! Then we attended the Roger's County Fair in Claremore.. The kids did real well and it was fun to see everyone again! Morgan and Awnold were grand Champion Braunvieh and Daly boy and Gomez were Reserve Grand Braunvieh Market Steer. Reighly showed Juna to Grand Braunvieh female and also did well in the showmanship placing 3 rd. Morgan won the Junior Showmanship and they did a great job! We slowed Rox, Erica and Matt down long enough to go and have Mexican food across from the Expo Center. We stopped at Carol and Ed Smith's to look over the angus sale lots. Visited with Carol a minute while they were trying to get everything situated Boy I sure don't miss all those last minute sale preparations! Then we headed home to start the feeding process.

Sunday we were woke up in the middle of the night by thunder storms! We got about 3 inches of rain total during the day! I went to Carol's to help with the sale today! I clerked as her clerks didn't show up! I told her what ever she wanted me to do was fine! Sure glad I didn't have to push cattle into the sale ring! ha It was pouring down rain all morning! Abbie came later and he made sure we got something more to feed!! ha He came home with two bred cows, just what we needed two more cows! ha We had to go back with the trailer as he didn't bring the trailer.. If he had brought the trailer we wouldn't have needed it! ha Isn't that the way it goes? We got back home just in time to feed and clean stalls again!

Monday was catch up day! Laundry was stacked up pretty high! It's amazing how dirty we get each day! We caught the north pasture and tagged and weighed the little demons! They were way too stout for this old grandma! Abbie even had a time wrestling them around to get them into the scales and he held them while I tagged them. Wow we don't need to wait so long next time.

Tuesday, We bangs vaccinated about 20 head today and Clint got all our health papers written up for Tulsa! It took several pages of pink paper! ha I went to Pryor in the afternoon to pick up groceries! Picked up a new Brother Sewing machine since the two I have here are both hunks of junk and won't sew a stitch! I spent more time ripping it out that sewing it! Can't believe that Brother is making sewing machines! I remember having an electric typewriter from Brother. Brother what will they do next make furniture? I also picked up a new shiny orange wheel barrow for the barn. The little metal one is getting pretty worn out!! This one is plastic and it should last longer! What a combination! A new sewing machine and a wheel barrow! We didn't even think about the Roger's County premium sale until it was too late to attend! We hope all the kids made some extra money!

Wednesday I sewed up more curtains for the cattle display last night and this morning!! The new sewing machine hasn't missed a stitch! ha We started out bringing in the heavies from over north and sorting. Found a new Simmental baby with a pretty white face out of a first calf heifer. We got him onto my cart and he road all the way to the house like he knew what he was doing. ha Abbie caught our picture. The heifer came to the house like a real champ! It's hard to let these heifers go that you raise! You sure can't buy them that are this gentle and easy to handle! Nothing like raising your own replacements! It might cost more to raise your own replacements, but in the end it's worth the wait and the cost! I started washing cattle while Abbie put ET tags in bred cows and he did some preg checking. We stopped for lunch about 2:30. I finished washing about 6:30 and it was time to feed again! Queen was getting some show training and heard the feed buckets and managed to step on my left foot twice! So my foot is about the size of a grapefruit now! Wonder if I will get my shoes on tomorrow? Might get me out of washing cattle! ha

September 21-24 Where did these few days go? Between company and cattle it was a busy week! Clay Nohavitza of CowboySales.com got in here Wednesday evening and spent night. We got up early and looked at cattle and he had me write down his wish list! ha Friday we did the usual, wash and take care of cattle. Susan brought Morgan out on Friday night and she helped me all day Saturday. Harold and Cynthia Broom from East of Houston got here about 9:00 in the morning to select their steer and heifer. They left about 12:30 and headed back to south Texas happy with their new purchases for daughter Marisa! Abbie took Morgan and I out to lunch at Adair. Morgan cleaned stall pen cards and I sewed more curtains before we hit the string of 20 head of cattle tied in the barn at 3:30. Abbie put out hay in all the traps so we were all busy! He didn't have a gate opener or string cutter today! We had quite the assembly line going at the wash rack! I think I about wore Morgan out! She said she was hurting after the first 10 head, but she stuck it out! ha Erica and Brian got here at 6:00 sharp and we fed cattle to them to clip! Clay called and he got his cattle sold in Siloam Springs so he needed a place to call home again! We met Susan in Pryor about 8:30 with Morgan and picked up Arby sandwiches for the crew. On the way Clay just happened to run over a skunk just north of our place, so we had to stop in Adair on the way home and wash underneath the little red truck. It smelled pretty bad! To make matters worse we didn't see a black and white ink spot in the road when we got home, so he or she is still roaming the ranch somewhere pretty proud of shooting us I am sure! ha We spent a pretty relaxed day going over the cattle that Clay picked out and took some new pictures too. Clay went up to Vinita to church early. I grilled up t bone and rib steaks, sweet potatoes, corn and macaroni cheese and even baked some brownies. I think they appreciated the cooking since I have not been in the kitchen much lately! ha Need to work off all that food this coming week!

September 25-30 Wow what a week and weekend! We had Brian and Erica here on Monday night to finish up clipping the cattle and it was another late night for them. They did an awesome job as usual! Next morning it was hard to tell who was who as it makes them look so uniform! Tuesday was the usual! Feed, wash and blow out cattle. I did get the rest of the curtains sewed up and that was a relief to have seam stressing done. Mary the homemaker here can do about anything but sewing is the limit of my skills! I'd rather be doing other things! ha The Kentucky breeders, Daniel Roberts and his man Josh came in early Wednesday morning with their five head and spent the day and night with us! Clay pulled in late Wednesday night and wanted the three bulls we priced to him ready to load early Thursday morning! So Viagra, Romeo and Jonas went south to a happy cow herd! It's like sending the kids to summer camp!

Thursday morning I loaded the little red truck and headed to Tulsa Fair Grounds. Burke came and helped haul cattle to Tulsa for check before noon! Most everyone was there on time! All 70 some head! One of the bigger shows for the Fair! The San Gertrudis were the biggest with over 200 head. Their national show this year in Tulsa. We spent the beginning of the week with coats on and the end of the weekend with short sleeves. One extreme to the other! We had a fun crowd of breeders. Some were grumblers but you always have those no matter how hard to try to make things perfect! All in all the show went well. The female show went fast but the bull show was slow! Go to the News Page to see the results of our cattle. We had all the cattle shown by some great showmen and the friends behind the scenes preparing the cattle were simply artist! The cattle looked like they came out for a beauty contest! All our hard work at home preparing them paid off too as no one blew up or drug any of our showmen around the ring! I showed our Percentage bull TLC Energizer (Bunny) to grand champion percentage bull beating out the bull that beat us at Springfield MO. Sweet revenge Hampton! ha I know you will read this! ha Now we are even in the Bull Battle! No I didn't pay off the judge either and by the way Willard FFA, Blake Nelson is not my brother. I wish he was though. Very polite nice guy! He did a good of job of evaluating all the cattle. I know just wait until we come to Texas! ha Home court advantage! ha At least TLC wasn't asleep at the wheel! I know several will know what that meant! Thank you to Carlos Guerra and Pete from La Muneca Cattle Company for visiting from Texas during the show! Wish I could have went with you to look at our cow herd! So glad that you stayed to attend the show! It's nice to have friends in the stands! Madison (dba) BB will never live down her name sake!