The Calf We Pulled From The Creek
Some calves arrive quietly. This one arrived in the middle of a creek.
The wind has been doing what Montana wind does best this week — reminding us who’s really in charge out here.
The heifers already made their bid for Olympic gold earlier in the week (if you saw Tuesday’s poem, you know the story), and the steers have been watching the gates a little more carefully ever since.
Before we head south for a few days to Texas, I wanted to share a quick ranch update and introduce you to one of the steers you’ve actually been hearing about for the past year.
Make sure your hat is firmly on your head, and your coat zipped up.
The Creek Calf
Last May, we had a cow decide she was going to calve across the creek.
She made it about halfway before the mud convinced her otherwise.
When Al found her, she was stuck and already calving in the water. We pulled the calf, loaded him onto a snow sled, and hauled him out of the creek behind the four-wheeler.
Getting the calf out was the easy part.
Getting his mother out of the mud took quite a bit more convincing.
That little calf we hauled out of the creek last spring ended up earning a name around here.
We call him Spitz.
Because Spitz had a little extra human attention those first couple of days, he’s been one of the friendliest steers in the bunch ever since.
Spitz today with Al. He’s grown quite a bit since that muddy start.
This is Spitz checking to see if the gate might “accidentally” be left open, as those heifers told him earlier this week.
Every bunch has one that’s always thinking about the next open gate.
Fritzie does not approve of this behavior.
She plants herself in front of the gate, gives him the evil eye, and shows him her teeth.
So far, Spitz hasn’t been brave enough to test her authority.
From One Kitchen This Week
Susan received one of our Winter Slow Cook Beef Bundles last week and sent this 5-star review after it arrived:
Yummy looking slow cooker bundle
"I hope I can do this meat justice when I cook it. It looks beautiful and always arrives frozen and excellently packaged. Cooking some up tomorrow, and my mouth is already watering! Amber provides the best and friendliest customer service!"
We appreciate Susan sharing.
Those slow-cook cuts are some of our favorites this time of year — the kind that make the whole kitchen smell like supper before noon.
Supporting Big Hearts
We were honored this week to supply a ¼ beef share (freezer included) to the Big Hearts Under the Big Sky benefit auction.
It’s a wonderful organization doing good work for Montana families, and we’re proud to support them.
If you happen to be attending their event, you’ll see our ranch name in the raffle lineup.
Big Hearts Under the Big Sky is a nonprofit organization serving families of veterans, first responders, and children with life-threatening illnesses by sending them on fully outfitted, once-in-a-lifetime Montana adventures at no cost to them.
A Quick Beef Update
We do have one beef currently available that can be divided into whole, half, or quarter shares for families who have been thinking about filling their freezer before summer.
After this one is spoken for, frozen beef shipping will pause until September.
If you already reserved summer beef, you're all set for June shipping.
Additional summer beef is available for local or route delivery only.
We’ll begin taking fall beef deposits next month.
Heading to Texas
We’re heading to Texas for a few days, where we’ll get to watch 2 of our grandkids showing sheep at their 4-H fair. If all goes according to plan, I should have some good photos and stories to share with you next week.
Until then, we’ll keep shutting gates… and keeping an eye on Spitz.
P.S. If you enjoyed Susan’s note about the Slow Cook Bundle, we still have a few available. It’s a great way to fill the kitchen with the smell of supper before noon this time of year.
