Photos of the Week: Week 14

Sorry I am late getting this up....it has been a CRAZY weekend! You know that the sheep sale went on, but trust me, that wasn't close to the craziest thing that went on as you'll read about below. Anyway, we have quite a variety of pictures, hopefully you enjoy! I'd love to hear your comments on which one is your favorite!

Theme: April Showers

Sadly y'all, this picture is going to fill you in on some of the drama. We haven't had ANY April Showers....so things are scary dry back home. This picture shows you how dangerous the situation is. A huge grass fire started on Saturday afternoon. My family and our neighbors spent hours on fire trucks, lost a lot of pasture land, and will be spending a lot of time re-building fences, but we were so lucky to come out with no structure damage and no injuries to people or animals. Please say a prayer for rain soon! Also, I am linking this up with Happy Monday, so be sure to go over and check out all the other entires at Allie Photography!

Theme: Wedding

Because there was no time to squeeze in a wedding this weekend, I hit up the archives and found this picture from the Trevi Fountain that I took during my post-bar vacation. I love this picture, because these two are surrounded by hundreds of tourists, but they acted like they were the only people in the place.

Theme: Excitement

My friend Little Cowboy was at my house this weekend and after all of the fire drama, he was pretty excited when I let him use the hose on the fire truck and try on this helmet. What a face!

Theme: In Motion

I took this picture a little while back while out driving on Sunday. It is actually someone's entryway sign for their horse farm, but I love how it looks like they are running against the sky (mind you this was right after I watched Secertariat for the first time....I had race horses on the brain!)

Theme: Don't Ever Change

I got this shot while I was home a couple weeks back. It's off an old farm implement that sits in one of our pastures. I love that our land has been involved in agriculture for so long, and I sure hope it never changes!

Theme: Romans 8:28

I originally had another photo planned for this weeks' verse, but after the fire situation, I knew I would be making a little change. The situation could have been so much worse. There were a lot of people thanking God for his protection on Saturday! Check out other people's takes on this verse here!

Project 64: Week 14 - Burnt Sienna

Apparently every time I see a color from the brown family, I immediately think of a horse. Remember "Chestnut" and my dispair over not finding a horse? This week's color is Burnt Sienna, so my first thought was of a bay horse.

That thought led to this week's photo. Without further adieu, I give you my version of Burnt Sienna.

I snapped this shot of a little cowboy on Little Brother's horse, Lou. I think that Lou is the perfect shade. This farm girl is glad that I was able to redeem myself and get a horse picture for at least one of the color assignments!

Be sure to go over and check out all of the other photographers and their takes on this week's color!

Family Farm Friday #48: Please Report to the Golf Cart

"Enjoy the little things in life. For one day you may look back and realize they were the big things."

Today I'm actually not chained to my desk like a normal Friday, but instead I am at home for my family's anual show lamb sale! Woo hoo for sheep and family and friends and NO legal research!

How many of you just looked back at the title of this and thought, "What does a golf cart have to do with a show lamb sale?" Stick with me.

As you know if you read the blog regularly, Mr. Franklin was my high school ag teacher, and one of my favorite people in the world. He was like my second father and his family is like family to me. And, you've also read that he passed away in 2009 from Lou Gehrig's disease. When it came time to plan a blog about today, I knew that I wanted to follow up on my post from last year.

In that blog, which is probably one of my favorites that I've written, you read about my very first lamb sale with Mr. Franklin. Today, I thought I'd write about my last.

When Mr. Franklin was diagosed with ALS at Christmastime of 2008, he began to lose the use of his feet and legs. And into the story enters the golf cart. His preacher brought it out to him to use so that he could still get around the farm and go check on things at the barn. When I was home in March a few weeks before the sale, he insisted that we go for a ride to check out the lambs. So we loaded up onto the golf cart and away we went to the barn. By the time we were done, I think we had rammed into about every gate and stuck about every bit of manure possible onto the tires of the golf cart. I remember thinking that this poor preacher had no idea what he had gotten his golf cart into.

Because I knew that his legs were getting worse pretty quickly, I wasn't sure how well he would be able to get around at the sale a couple of weeks later. I didn't have to wonder long, because early that morning I looked out the barn doors and see a golf cart zooming off of a trailer into the barn. Mr. Franklin had arrived.

He was all over the barn that day in his little golf cart. And someone gave him a megaphone (is that what it's called? You know, like a microphone thing?). This supplied an endless commentary of entertainment for the crowd. And at one point, he had a question for my dad and everyone hears, "[My Dad's name] please report to the golf cart." As out of place as that statement seemed, no one blinked or asked any questions....my dad just beelined it for the golf cart like it was his turn to tee off on 18. After Mr. Franklin died, I remember my dad saying that he would never forget that line being screamed over the megaphone.

Throughout the day, Mr. Franklin's golf cart ran into everything that he could possibly hit. At one point, Little Brother was with him in the cart, when he backed right into the tables where everyone was eating lunch and almost took them out. Another time, I was sitting with him trying to make a sale order when he decided it was time to move and rammed us into the bleachers. Whiplash seemed in my near future. I guess it could have been that he was having a hard time with the pedals. But I know that little man better and I have no doubt in my mind that he thought it was hilarious to have all these mini crashes and to know that no one would tell him anything about it!

You know, I don't remember what sheep we sold that day. I don't remember how much money we made. But I'll never forget that golf cart and the man in the green jacket with his floppy eared cap harassing everyone and crashing into everything in sight. I can't tell you how much I wish that whiplash was something I had to worry about leaving that barn with this year.

This One's For The Girls

“Nothing but heaven itself is better than a friend who is really a friend.” ~Plautus

I was talking to a friend of mine this week and she made the comment that she didn't have very many girl friends. This really got me thinking. My first instinct was to think "me too." I have always been better friends with boys. It's not that I didn't have girl friends growing up because I did, but as far as really good, hang out all the time, talk every day, trust them with your life kind of friends.....I had always trended toward boys.

Even now, I would probably say I have more guy friends. And the guy friends in my life are great. I mean seriously, I love them to death. They have awesome compliments for me, given me places to stay, managed not to kill me in a canoeing incident, taught me to give real hugs, always been there with awesome advice and ice cream when needed, use football analogies to help me understand life....you get the idea.

However, there are just some things girls are better for. BFF and Flintstone really do their best to help me with clothing issues, but do you think they actually know what they are talking about? No. I go to BFF and Cousin Kevin with guy drama.....and while I know they both love me, neither one has a sympathetic bone in his body. Nomad is awesome to talk about politics and religion and books with, but he doesn't know anything about hairstyles or nail polish. Brett-Brett and I talk most days, but he's so freaking random and crazy that having a serious conversation about something is probably next to impossible. You get the point.....these boys are great, but sometimes, a girl needs girls!

What I realized from her comment, is that I have been SO blessed to find my group of girl friends who have broken my trend. I now have these girls in my life who fall right into that category of really good friends. And as much as I love my boys, and I do, I know that I would be lost without my girls as well!

When you find the right girl friends, you will have people in your life who love you and who support you, who have your back no matter what, and who would give their right arm and first born to see you happy. If the girl doesn't fit in that category, don't waste your time. I've been lucky enough to find these girls in my life.

Girls who will always have a "If he doesn't like you, he must be gay." or a "Your ex's new (or old) girlfriend looks like a horse." in their back pocket. Girls who you can analyze boys with for hours one end one day, and then call them up just to be reminded that said guys are still jerks, lest they seem nice and you forget. Girls who make any random situation the best time of your life and can make you laugh so hard your drink comes out of your nose. Girls who understand you, even when you don't feel like you understand yourself. Girls who inspire you with their lasting faith and amazing strength even in difficult times. Girls who make you want to be a better person just because of their kind hearts and love toward other people. Girls who motivate you to do things you never thought you would be able to by the amazing things that they do. Girls who show you how to manage life and love and friendship and still have time to send you homeade gifts in the mail.

It's hard to find them......sometimes it takes years to meet them. Sometimes, it takes years to realize that they have been there all along. And they may not be who you'd expect--sometimes, they will seem like your long lost twin, while other times, you'll be completely opposites. But I'm here to tell you, it's worth it. When you find them, you'll end up finding yourself.

So....today I'm thanking my girl friends. I love all of you so much and thank you for helping me find the person who I want to be. I would not be the person I am without each of you in my life.

Whatcha Call It?

“The accent of one's birthplace remains in the mind and in the heart as in one's speech.” ~François de la Rochefoucauld

Okay, so I am stealing this from another blogger. She actually did a video where she said a list of words to check out people's different accents. I'm not a fan of myself on video, but I will answer the questions below. And I added a couple of new ones to spice it up a little bit! :)

The idea is to see what people from different parts of the US (or the world would be even better!) call different things. I'd love to hear what other people would say.....so leave a comment or do this on your own blog!

What is it called when you throw toilet paper on a house? T.P.'ing.

What is the bug that when you touch it, it curls into a ball? Rolly polly.

What is the bubbly carbonated drink called? Coke. It doesn't matter what kind it is, they are all called coke. So, for example, if one was going to go to Sonic, he would say, "What do you want from Sonic?" I would respond, "A coke." He would say, "What kind?" I would say, "A strawberry limeade." At OSU everyone called it "pop" and that drove me crazy!

What do you call gym shoes? Tennis shoes.

What do you say to address a group of people? Y'all. No question. Except not if I'm talking to a panel of judges or a jury. Did that once in law school. Didn't go over that well! :)

What do you call the kind of spider that has an oval-shaped body and extremely long legs? Granddaddy long legs.

What do you call your grandparents? I only knew my grandmas, and we called them Nannie and Gran.

What do you call the wheeled contraption in which you carry groceries at the supermarket? A basket.

What do you call it when rain falls while the sun is shining? Strange? I have no idea! Is there a term for this that I don't know?

What is the thing you change the TV channel with? Clicker.

What is the large piece of furnature in a livingroom that multiple people at a time can sit on? Couch. Although Gran referred to it as a "devan" and I remember my babysitter calling it a "davenport." I've never found other people who called it those, however.

If someone calls and asks what you are doing, and you are preparing to do something, what do you say to them? "Fixin' to." For example, I am fixin to go to the gym. This drives my friend Brett-Brett completely crazy and he thinks I sound backwoodsy.

If you want to know what one person said to another person on the phone, what do you ask? What did (insert name here) allow? I blame this on my dad. He always says this. No one else I know does---and people don't know what it means. So, for example, if my dad was on the phone with my brother, when he got off, I would say, "What did he allow?" and my dad would tell me what my brother said.

What I'm Laughing/Listenting/Reading/Watching Update

"Believe in love. Believe in magic. Hell, believe in Santa Clause. Believe in others. Believe in yourself. Believe in your dreams. Because if you don't, who will?" ~Jon Bon Jovi

Well folks, I realized it's been a while since I filled you in on what I'm reading, watching and listening to. So, here is my attempt to fill you in on the things I've been enjoying here lately! PLEASE fill me in on your favorite books, movies, songs, and tv shows! I am always up for new suggestions!

What I'm Laughing at:

I'm starting with a video from a 5 year old about her thoughts on marriage. I am IN LOVE with this video and this kid. I'm telling y'all this girl has it figured out and I want to just pat her parents right on the back for teaching her this! Trust me....click on the link and turn up the volume! (Sidenote: I can't get Blogger to let me embed videos....it keeps saying there is an error and re-starting. Any ideas on how to fix this??)

What I'm Listening to:

In addition to the songs I've mentioned recently here and here, I wanted to list a couple of the other songs that have caught my attention here lately.

First we have "Old Alabama" by Brad Paisley. Y'all, I am here to tll you, I am a huge Alabama fan. I mean I love love love them, so their mix with Brad Paisley in this song is fantastic. Favorite verse: "She’d rather wear a pair of cut-off jeans than a fancy evening dress,and with her windows rolled down and her hair all blown around, she’s a hot southern mess." Perfect!

Next, we have "Diamonds on the Inside" by Ben Harper. Not only do I love this guy's voice, but more than that I love the idea of this song. Diamonds on the inside--where they matter. Love that. Not that I would mind a big fat diamond on a very important finger....but you get my point. Favorite verse: "Make sure the fortune that you seek is the fortune that you need."

What I'm Reading:

I'm linking this portion up with Kelly's Corner! I've currently grounded myself from buying any more books. I have a problem. I just love a good book and I love how they look in my house. I currently have over 10, yea, for real, that I have yet to read. Until that stack is gone, no more buying new ones! (To check out the books I've read, am currently reading, and have on my to-read list, click here!) As you'll see below, I'm currently on a Mitch Albom kick. Check him out and you'll see why!

First up is "Have a Little Faith." I plan on writing a couple of blogs based on ideas from this book soon. I'm here to tell you, it's one of those books that makes you think to yourself, "if there were more people like this, the world would be a great place." The book chronicals the story of two men: A Jewish Rabbi who asked the author to give the eulogy at his funeral; A former drug addict and dealer turned Christian minister who makes a difference in the lives of the homeless and forgotten in Detroit. The stories of these men teach us all something about faith and religion, about love and kindness, about understanding and tolerance, about believing and making a difference. I don't know about you guys, but I sure need to hear about all of these things. One of my favorite quotes from the book: "And, as is often the case with faith, I thought I was being asked a favor, when in fact I was being given one."

Second is Tuesdays with Morrie. This book is all about lessons about life taught by a man who was dying.

I realize I may be the only person in the world who didn't read this when it came out 15 years ago.....I'm a little slow. Maybe I wasn't meant to read it yet, because I can assure you that at this point in my life, having lost Mr. Franklin to the same horrific disease that Morrie suffered from, the book really struck a nerve. I can't believe the parallels between this book---the fact that the author's teacher was dying of ALS, the fact that the author called him "coach", the description of the progression of the disease, the mannorisms of the professor, their last words to each other-- and what I experienced in my own life. I am a slow reader, but I read this book in three nights, and had I not had to stop because I was crying a couple times, I could have done it in a day. It's that good. Whether you have had experience with this disease or not (and I honestly pray that you never do), this book is a must read. One of my favorite quotes: "The problem is that we don't believe we are as much alike as we are. Whites and blacks. Catholics and Protestants, men and women. If we saw each other as more alike, we might be very eager to join in one big human family in this world, and to care about that family the way we care about our own."

What I'm Watching:

I'm really not a huge tv person. I have my handful of shows that I watch, but that's about it. I'm counting down the days until Friday Night Lights comes back for its final season (April 15 FYI).

First up, we have Army Wives. This is one of those handful of shows and I'm here to tell you guys, last week was SO sad. I'm not much of a crier, especially at tv shows, but this one got me. Realizing that families losing their loved ones in this manner every single day just really tugged at my heart. Please take a minute today to say a prayer for our soldiers in harms way and for their families. I just cannot imagine what it is they go through.

Second, the NCAA tournament. March Madness is one of my favorite times of year, and this year it didn't disappoint! I said from the beginning I thought there would be tons of upsets, and boy was I right. The Final Four didn't have a single #1 or #2 seed. Nope--we had a 3, 4, 8 and 11. And I think it's awesome. Sidenote, you know what else is awesome? Of the 15 people who entered my friends and family bracket pool, the winner was the Blonde Oklahoma Girl. She hadn't watched a single ball game this year and it was her first time to fill out a bracket. She decided to share her scientific strategy with you all....just click here. Just so you know, she not only won, but she was the ONLY person to correctly pick the winner. That's right, the girl is a rock star.

Meet the Cast Monday #13: Miss Canada

Today I am super excited to introduce everyone to my friend, Miss Canada! We met through The Crazy Canadian. As she says below, agriculture is a small world! She is a fantastic lady who has her own successful business in Canada. She is always dressed like she stepped out of a magazine. She's such a great example of a happy, independent woman, which I think we all need to have in our lives. Here we go...

Meet Miss Canada!

Note: I realized I do not have a photo with Miss Canada, but she's there on the left holding the flag---I thought that this was perfect to go along with her name! :)

How does a Canadian lady end up at Oklahoma State? With a lot of help! The shortened long story is agriculture is a small world. Growing up showing cattle and competing in livestock judging contests, I was fortunate to make friends who pursued livestock judging scholarships to American colleges in the years leading up to my post secondary. When I expressed interest in doing the same, they kindly helped me get a spot on the team at NEO A&M. My advisor, college president and GPA then helped make additional scholarship opportunities available in Oklahoma and so after juco I completed my degree at OSU.

Tell us about your big win at the Canadian Country Music Awards! It’s a bit of a crazy story, really. We worked with Gord Bamford (2010 Male Vocalist of the Year) on his website redesign last spring and found out in the summer that the site was nominated for Canadian Country Music Association Website of the Year.

After a few rounds of voting, the site made the top five and we were invited to attend the CCMA Industry Awards in September. We had no thought that our first musician website would win, but I was pretty excited to attend the ceremony anyway! Double D Ranchwear , Silpada ,Taryn Stewart, and Jade-Ann Schneider kindly outfitted, styled and made me up for the big day so I could at least look presentable.

I was sitting beside Gord and his team and when they got to the presentation for Website of the Year, I was pretty relaxed. Being quite certain we hadn’t paid enough dues to win, I had no stress and no speech prepared. The MC goes through the nominees and then says there is a 4-way tie! I am thinking, Really? No run-off vote?, when he goes on to joke that the one company who didn’t make the tie must be really poor at their job, and that they should probably find a new profession.

At this point I am wanting to crawl under my seat. What if it’s us? I’m sitting right beside Gord and we’ll be humiliated! “And the first award goes to... Gordbamford.com by Bella Spur Innovative Media...”

I quit listening, I was just so happy not to be humiliated! We’re all hugging and cheering and Gord says I have to go to the stage to accept the award. My heart drops – I’m not prepared for this! So I tell him he’s coming with me and we push-pull each other to the stage. When we get there, the other award winner is doing his speech and so we stop at the steps to wait our turn. I’m listening to him thank his family, thinking to myself, It’s not like you are a musician, man! You are home every night! He wraps it up and they motion for us to come up, so I look behind me for Gord and he’s not there!

Now I’m in full panic mode – I intended to make him speak as I am deathly afraid of public speaking but he’s gone! They essentially drag me up on stage and push me in front of the mic. I don’t remember anything I said, but it must have been ok because the audience laughed and he’s still talking to me. And there was only a two-way tie for the award, with the website that has won for the past three years. So we’re pretty ok with that. {I don't care if it was a tie or a landslide--Miss Canada walked home with a trophy!}

Did you meet anyone famous while you were there? It’s industry awards, so not as many musicians attend. But I chatted with some of my fave Canadian artists: Hey Romeo and Tiffany Dowhan.

You recently spent some time traveling across Europe. What was your favorite place? I have to choose ONE?!? I loved Vimy, France. There is a Canadian war memorial there and we were able to attend Remembrance Day ceremonies that I will never forget. It’s beautiful and heart-breaking at the same time.

You've also said you felt like you really found some peace with a lot of things on your trip. Tell us about that. I think when you are traveling alone in unfamiliar territory, there is the opportunity to really think about your life, consider what is important and make realizations on your own, without the distractions and influences of day-to-day life.

You are pretty straight forward in saying that you don't want to have kids. Do you feel like people judge you or don't understand that? Some do. The people who matter don’t. A lot of people, men and women, have children without ever really thinking about it. But ask any parent how much they think about that decision once their kids are born and they will tell you “constantly.” It is the biggest decision anyone can make in a lifetime, the greatest responsibility you can take on, one you can’t undo – it’s a life. I think that deserves careful consideration and thought as to whether you are really prepared to give everything that commitment deserves. Some people are. I’m not. {Very well put....she needs to teach a course on this or something!}

Tell us about the best date you have ever been on? I was dating a guy who lived in another state, and we decided to meet halfway and spend the weekend together. When I got there, he had an entire romantic evening planned complete with dinner, massage, candles, the whole nine yards. I was impressed! The next day we spent looking at cattle and enjoying the countryside – two of my favourite things. {Love love love this!} Lots of fond memories from that weekend!

And....because these are always better stories....the worst date? From the same date, surprisingly. We broke up in the parking lot as we were leaving. I’ll save you the gory details, but suffice to say it was not cool.

You've started your own business that is now crazy successful (HELLO...CMA trophy!!). What is your best piece of business advice? Follow your passion and the rest will come.

Project 64: Week 13 - Spring Green

First off, I have to tell you that Project 64 got a whole lot more exciting this week when a surprise package arrived in the mail from The Bride........crayons! She's the best!

Now I can actually see the colors I'm shooting, including this week's color....Spring Green. So fun!

My first thought was to photograph the trees around my house. I don't know if you guys are as sick at looking at the same old photos of the green trees with the white flowers as I am of shooting them, but I knew I needed to mix it up. So, I did. Here is Spring Green!

While out running, I saw this great vine growing on a wall. Most of it is still dead, but you can see the glimmers of green leaves starting to appear. I tried to get a fun angle and really use the sunlight.

Photos of the Week: Week 13

This beautiful spring weather we are having has been really good motivation to get out and shoot some pictures this week! If I could push "pause" and have weather just like this year-round, I would totally do it. Enjoy this week's shots!

Theme: Macro

Apparently pine cones start out as these little things during the spring. Who knew? I loved this shot!

Theme: Horses

This is my first time to link up with the Pioneer Woman's photography assignment. I thought this was a pretty good photo--love the white horse against the red fence, love the sunlight on his face, and how he's looking right at me. Then I saw the other entries and was blown away by them! I have a lot of work to do! But I'm making it a goal right now to get selected for one of the "Groups" by the end of the year!

Theme: Friends

I love this weeks' theme for Happy Monday. No, I didnt' make a trip to San Francisco this weekend, but I pulled this out of my archives. Not only are these two of my best friends, but I think it's the perfect shot of friends having fun and experiencing something new together. I snapped this shot of the Oklahoma Girls the first time either of them set foot in the ocean. I just love it and love those girls so much. Can't wait to be back there for Girls Weekend 2011!

Theme: Fools

Not going to lie, I struggled with this theme all week. Then I was going through my shots from the PBR (Professional Bull Riding) that Cousin Whitney and I went to last weekendand just loved this. The clown dancing with the bull rider who just rode. Please note I am not saying I dislike clowns or rodeos--I like both, but these guys are crazy! (Sidenote: It was so awesome to watch Little Brother's friend, L.J. Jenkins, win in his home state! Go L.J.!)

Theme: Buds

I saw this plant while out for a run last week and knew I had to go back with my camera. Love the buds close up with the blooming flowers behind them.

Theme: Repetition

I had been thinking for a while of the right shot for this theme, and when I was home a couple of weekends ago and drove by this freshly plowed field, I thought it was great!

Theme: A Different View

You've seen this photo before in black and white, but I also really like it in color and knew I wanted to enter it for this theme. I love the focus on the barbed wire with the different colored cattle in the background. I'm entering it in the Live Every Moment link up, so be sure to check out the other great entries.

Theme: Matthew 28:19

I snapped this picture a couple weeks ago in Santa Fe at the St. Francis Cathedral (yes, you've seen pictures from there once or twice before) and thought it was perfect for this verse. You can check out the other takes on this verse at Little Thoughts by LT.

Family Farm Friday #47: Bull Semen and Bonding The Results Show

"However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results.” ~Winston Churchill

Show of hands, how many of you remember my post called "Bull Semen and Bonding" from last spring? Well, this was one of my post popular blogs to date (thank you catchy title!) so I wanted to give you an exciting update. That's right folks, we have results of our semen selection in the form of baby calves! (If only Ryan Seacrest could host this results show....)

For ranchers, having babies born is the most exciting time of the year. (If you missed my blog all about baby livestock, click here). After months of figuring and thinking and planning about which bull to use, it's awesome to see the outcome. Because I want everyone who reads my blog to get a sense of how this feels, I thought I would share that excitement with you guys today! Here we go.

So, as you remember from the Bull Semen and Bonding post, my family spent a lot of time pouring over bull semen catalogues trying to decide which bulls we would breed to which cows. And you may remember from this post that, in the end, we bred our AI (artifical insemination) cows to four different bulls: Indian Outlaw, Ali 2 (both of those were Dad's choice), Nationwide (Little Brother's pick) and Bojo (my selection). Just a quick FYI--we actually only AI about 10 cows, and the other 60 or so are bred by bulls that we own.

Calf Number 1

Our first baby is out of cow #124. We are pretty excited about this little bull calf.

This calf is out of a bull called Ali 2. This bull is known for having high quality calves, with a low birthweight (which means easy calving for the cows).

Now, to show you how complicated all of this can get, we always consider the bull who is the father of the cow (the baby calf's grandfather basically) when thinking about what bull to breed to. So, for example, 124 is out a bull called Total Solution.

So we take that into consideration when deciding which bull we want to AI her to each year. It's quite the complicated family tree that gets going on!

Calf Number 2

The second baby is this little heifer calf. She's cute, right?

Her daddy is Indian Outlaw.

My dad was intrigued by this bull, even though we almost always AI to black bulls, so he had to give him a try (remember how this ruined his Father's Day present??) This year we just bred him to a commercial black cow (meaning no great genetics, and no AI in her bloodline) and it worked out pretty well, so we are excited to try him on a couple of red heifers that we have next year.

Calf Number 3

Calf number 3 is out of Nationwide. (Sadly I don't have a picture of him....apparently he's not online!) This is our first year to try this bull, so we are excited to see how this little fella turns out! So far, we really like what we see.

The Missing Calf

You'll notice that I don't have a Bojo calf to show you. Well, I guess you might as well share in the disappointment of ranching too, because my cow, Bonus, didn't breed by AI apparently. The good news is that she is bred and will be having a calf soon, but it won't be out of Bojo. Instead, it will be out of our "clean up bull" who we put in with the cows after they are AI'ed just in case they didn't take. It would be like expecting a baby from Matthew McConaughey and getting one from Charlie Sheen. (Okay, it's not that bad, sorry for the insult, RedMan, but the Blonde Oklahoma Girl helped me come up with that it it was freaking funny!) Sometimes, that's how the chips fall. There's always next year!

Hopefully you found this interesting and feel like you have a better idea of the decision making process that goes into breeding cows. In a couple of months, I'll be looking for bulls to breed The Bettys to.....maybe I'll suggest a few and take a blog vote! Thoughts on that?