For Once, It Wasn't The Heifers
Do birthdays at your house involve ice cream? They always have around here.
Around here, if you make it to your 13th birthday, or any birthday for that matter, you get ice cream.
Especially if you're Fritzie.
Sunday was her birthday, and as is tradition around here, we had an ice cream social.
Thirteen is getting up there for a Border Collie, but don't tell Fritzie that.
She still has ranch business to take care of — although on Sunday her most important job was making sure there wasn't any ice cream left in the bowl.
A little recycling...and a whole lot of beeping
Friday we loaded up and headed to Red Lodge for the agricultural chemical collection and recycling day.
Getting the old and unused chemicals properly recycled is one of those ranch jobs that isn't particularly exciting, but it needs doing.
Our Dodge truck, however, decided the trip needed a little excitement.
On the way, it started beeping at us as though somebody didn't have a seat belt fastened.
Then the gas gauge started moving back and forth.
The brake light came on.
The anti-skid light started flashing.
And a few other lights decided they didn't want to miss the party.
Every time we hit a bump, it got worse.
If you've ever driven a vehicle that keeps sounding an alarm, you know how long that drive home from Red Lodge felt.
We took the truck into the shop Wednesday morning. They worked on it, and we brought it home.
And it still does it. So...back it goes.
Meanwhile, the cattle were behaving. Sort of.
We also moved the electric fence over on the alfalfa field.
Our older cows are grazing there now, and we don't turn them loose on the whole field at once. We move the electric fence periodically and give them another strip of fresh alfalfa.
Their calves are really growing, and three of them are heifers. Daughters from old, proven cows like these are exactly the kind we like to look at when we're choosing our future replacements.
Later, Pat called and said the electric fence was down, some barbed wire was broken, and he thought our heifers might be in his shelterbelt.
These particular heifers have given us plenty of reasons to suspect them.
We went to investigate.
The deer had knocked the fence down.
The deer had been in the shelterbelt.
And for once, all 19 heifers were exactly where they belonged.
They missed a golden opportunity.
I don't know whether to be proud of them or concerned that they're losing their touch.
From our ranch to a lot of different freezers
It's also been quite a week for beef.
We shipped 18 boxes Monday and another 14 Tuesday, and we've been making local deliveries as well.
And then pictures like this start coming back.
That's a T Bar J half beef that made its way all the way to Texas.
But something struck me this week as we talked with customers.
I found myself wondering what your week looks like.
Maybe you're packing something to eat because there isn't time to stop for lunch.
Maybe you're feeding four people every night and wondering how quickly an empty freezer seems to happen.
Maybe the kids are grown, and you're cooking for two now.
Or maybe you're the dad who still likes knowing his grown kids have plenty of good food in their freezers.
No two households need beef in quite the same way.
We saw that firsthand this week.
One of the families we delivered to has been buying bulk beef from us for 20 years. This time they needed Trail Sticks for themselves to heal up after surgery and some for their son, who doesn't always get a chance to stop for lunch.
Another customer has been with us for about 10 years. They're downsizing and getting ready to move, so right now a ground-beef bundle makes more sense for them than filling a big freezer.
Another neighbor needed Trail Sticks for those afternoons when stopping for lunch isn't always an option.
And a dad who bought quarter-beef shares as Christmas gifts for his grown children had those boxes arriving at their homes this week.
Different families. Different stages of life. Different freezers.
And that's really the way it should be.
You shouldn't have to fit the way we sell beef.
The beef should fit the way you live.
Whether that's a few beef sticks tucked in the pickup, ground beef for the meals you cook most, or a freezer stocked with a beef share, you know your household better than we ever could.
Al and I are simply here to help you figure out what fits.
See What's Available at the Ranch
And the best news of our week...
Many of you have been following our granddaughter Ayla through her bone marrow transplant. You've sent notes, prayers, and words of encouragement, and you've asked us how she's doing.
This week, we finally got the test results we've been waiting for from Denver.
Ayla's donor cell results came back at 95%.
Her medical team was waiting for a result above 90%. That's the threshold they use to consider her bone marrow transplant successful.
She made it.
Now they'll begin taking out her tubes and getting her off her medications. If everything continues to go well, they're hoping she may be able to go home in about another month.
I think that smile tells you about as much as I can.
Thank you to every one of you who has asked about Ayla, prayed for her, and kept our family in your thoughts through all of this.
You may be scattered all over the country, but you've made our family feel awfully well cared for.
And we won't forget it.
Have a good weekend.
And make sure you have ice cream on hand in case any birthdays come up... Or it's Saturday. Al always has ice cream on Saturday, just because it's Saturday!
Amber, Al & Fritzie
T Bar J Ranch
Molt, Montana
