Movie

Have you watched this movie?  I highly recommend it!

Name: Temple Grandin

Director: Mick Jackson

This drama/biography of Temple Grandin was very touching.  It takes a certain movie to make me cry and this is one of the few.  I have to admit, I was near tears at more scenes than I can count.  Can I say, "every scene"?  If it wasn't sad tears it was happy tears.

The movie showed how Temple worked through her autism and made her life worth something.  As was said in the movie, "I know there are a lot of things that I can't understand but I still want my life to have meaning."  She faced life, all the down talk from people and tough situations, and eventually succeeded. 

She was tough.  She didn't give up.  Whenever a door was in her path, she'd accept it.  After all, you never know what's on the other side until you open it.

During the movie, we were pulled into her life.  We saw things as she did, at least the best that we could. 

If you were to ask what part was my favorite, I'd say there were too many!  The whole deal was everything a movie should be.

But if you were to ask what part was my least favorite, I'd say, without hesitation, the part when the men changed her ally set up and killed three cows.  It was SO frustrating!

I don't want to tell you everything, so I'll end here.  If you want to watch a movie that at least inspired me, I say watch this one.  : )   

Different

not less

 

Web photo of Temple Grandin

My Taxidermy

 
Some of you may already know that I really like taxidermy.  Last year, I guess it was, I took it upon myself to learn how to mount animals.  With the help of the internet and practice, I have come quite a long ways.  At present I have two pigeons I'm working on. 

Don't get me wrong!  I'm no expert!  I still have bug problems (they eat and ruin the whole mount) and some of my mounts haven't turned out real-looking.  However, I'm still learning.

Here are a few taxidermy projects I have done since I started.  They aren't in any order.  : ) 
  

Antelope Hunt 2015

Yesterday marked the 3rd year I've had my blog, and now marks the day I got my first antelope.  What a big day!

Remember back in March, I wrote a post about winning the guided antelope hunt?  ( http://happyfaceranch.blogspot.com/2015/03/success-is-mine.html )  Well, I was terribly wrong about thinking the hunt wouldn't be fun.  What was I thinking?!  The hunt was one of the best.

Dad and I drove down to Stratford, TX, late Friday afternoon.  We met up with the landowner and his son, the guy in charge, the boy who also won the contest, and his brother.  After we had met everyone and talked for a bit, we drove around the pastures and fields, scouting for antelope.  We saw some right off...on the neighbor's land.  Finally, we saw some on the land we were going to hunt on and at dusk, headed to town for supper.

Early, early Saturday morning, I tossed and turned in bed as thunder and rain filled my ears.  Lightning was almost a constant light in the room and some thunder awoke me.  Finally, I fell back to sleep and then it was time to get up.  There was no light coming into my room as I climbed out of bed and slipped into my jeans.  The sound of thunder had ceased.  It was no longer raining.  My hunt would continue.

All 7 of us met up at a local diner and stuffed ourselves with breakfast.  It was after eight o'clock by the time we started hunting.  It was a very crisp morning.  With over cast skies, heavy sprinkles, and temperatures in the mid 40's, we felt frozen driving around with the windows down.

Then we saw one.  A buck off in the distance. We drove towards him, but nearly got stuck in the mud from the rain during the night.  Instead of standing still, he bolted.  We tried to cut him off, but that didn't work.  The race was on.  With long, smooth strides, he covered ground at a speed which caused us pursue at a faster pace.  He crossed a road and was lost in the CRP ground on the other side.  We attempted to follow him, but the grass grew so tall he was lost forever.

But, there, in the distance, stood a herd of antelope grazing in a field.  Another rain was approaching.  Low thunder rumbled across the sky and a meadow lark called to its buddy.  The grass waved as  a gentle breeze chilled us.  It was as peaceful as it gets.

We had driven around the whole circle of wheat before we found and got a close up look at the herd, and they were splitting.  The four best bucks went with a handful of does and disappeared between two circles of corn.  After a good look at the remaining ones, we followed the herd which had left. 
 
The Ford was close to stuck again and mud was flung everywhere.  We managed to get out and on safer ground before the antelope had left entirely. 

When we stopped on the paved road, we saw them standing there.  Most of them were broadside, the lighting making them silhouette, and if only we had a camera out at that moment!  They moseyed down the other side and we pulled off into the grass.

Every time we got settled and close, they would ease their way from us.  We moved a few times before the distance and angle was just right.  And finally, I had one picked out of the four.  We called the other hunters so that they wouldn't be in the way and I got ready.  

I sat in the back of the pickup (it's legal to shoot from the pickup in TX).  My gun, Zipper Trigger, was loaded, I was mentally ready, and...the antelope laid down to chew his cud.

What?  Really?

We sat and waited for minutes.  Five minutes grew into fifteen, then twenty.  A doe stood up, stretched, shook off the raindrops, and laid back in the grass.  After we had sat there with the windows down, just waiting on that one antelope, they reluctantly stood up.  Of course the one I was going to shoot was the last to stand.  But when he did, it was the end.

Raindrops dripped off Zipper Trigger's barrel as I shot the antelope through the heart.  He fell dead just a little ways from where he had taken his last stance.  My first antelope was in the book! 

The other hunter trailed after the herd after a few pictures and successfully shot his.  More pictures were taken of both of us and of the group and then we took care of the critters. 

I don't know why I was nervous.  The fun--like most times--out weighted the nervousness by a ton. 
Everyone was so polite, helpful, and great.  I would do it again if I only could!
 
And that, my friends, is why I couldn't do a blog post yesterday.  : )     

October 1

Work hard and cheerfully at all you do, just as though you were working for the Lord and not merely for your masters.

Colossians 3:23

 

Happy October 1st to you all!  : )



 

Picture Post, Sept. 24

Some of Mama Hen's chicks

We have chicks!  Beatrice and Mama Hen must not like laying daily eggs since these are their second batches of chicks this year.  The way it's looking, we'll not be buying chicks next spring.  Beatrice has two and Mama Hen has six, bringing our total to twenty.

~~~

Little J.'s cat wandered off a few weeks ago and hasn't returned.  Since then she's been longing for a kitten and so yesterday, her wish was granted.  Thanks to our grandma, she/we now have two black and white kittens. 

~~~

I went to the writers' meeting thing again yesterday.  I'm so thankful God has blessed me with all of those women and opportunities.

~~~

There's not a breath of wind at the moment.  It's sunny and 78 degrees.  : )

Cattle Drive in Oklahoma

 

We never knew there was land as rough as this in our own state.  You can drive through flat farm land and then at once you're in rolling hills and canyons.  These pictures don't show the real texture of the place, it was much more rough.

 

 

Wednesday night through Friday had a feel of old fashioned days and a museum.  We spent two nights in a cabin with no electricity and water.  We used an old outhouse, antique cots as beds, and lanterns and flash lights.  We also had to ignore the fact that mice were staying in the cabin...  But it was such a joy.  It inspired me to get on the ball and write.  The cabin and everything was so quaint, but served its purpose well.

       

This is a gigantic sunflower we came across.

 

We got up in the dark each morning and after a large breakfast, headed out with three other riders to gather the cattle.  The pastures were big and most of the time fences, pumps, houses, high-line poles, etc. were out of sight.  In many ways it was as if we went back in time and were riding the range just as the old cowboys use to. 

 

That's what we were doing really.

 

Riding the range, picking up any cattle we saw with the right brand and heading them to the gate.  Only the wind in the grass and occasionally the whistle or hum of a cowboy was heard.  Thunder rumbled in the sky at one point in the day.  The cattle never ceased to moo and there was the cracking of branches as they broke their way through brush.  The cowboys hollered and whistled them forward.    

  

 

When we weren't on the horses or working with the cattle, we were in the house.  Stories were told across the dining table and laughter was a common sound. 

 

We had to leave on Friday afternoon and getting away was tricky.  It was hard to break a conversation, but it finally happened.  We got home safe and sound.  Most likely, we'll be doing this again. 

 

Happy Early Fall!  : )

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wednesday/Thursday Post

Miss Paradise

I know what you might be thinking.  It's Wednesday, Savannah, you post on Thursday...
And you are 100% right.
We will be helping move some cattle tomorrow so I won't be near Dizal (my computer).  But I couldn't let all you readers go without a post this week!  So no worries.  I might even do a post about moving the cattle, so stay tuned!

Last Monday we branded our calves.  We had just a few over 100 calves and only 11 workers; however, it went better than ever.  And we had so much fun!  I flanked till I was worn out and then some.  Needless to say, over the next few days I was sore like crazy.  I had bruises in places I didn't know I'd bumped.  It was crazy.  And thank you to everyone who came, whether you watched or helped.  It was a great day!

I was also boarding two dogs during Labor Day weekend.  After they went home on Monday and all our friends and family returned home, we five had a moment to rest.  Tuesday Dad and Big J. worked and on Wednesday it was back to busy-ness (is that even a word?).  We had to bake and get things ready for the county fair which took place the 10th -- 12th. 

What we entered in the fair got anything from a blue, 1st place ribbon to a nothing.  It was good to get out and about, see other folks' things, hear live music and sounds of a carnival, and see what venders had to sell. 

Once those activities came to an end, we got to spend the evening at home.  We had church the next day.  This Monday was our first day of school. 
  

Example of the rope we redid.

The other night we took over the kitchen and living room and turned them into a temporary  work space.  All five of us unwound a regular rope so that there were three strands.  Then we re-braided it into a three strand braid.  The outcome is a more flimsy, yet just as strong, rope in which we can tie horses/goats/whatever to a stake and let them graze. 

However, one rope was extremely long and as I braided it, my hands began to hurt.  I now have a blister right smack in the middle of my right thumb!  It really doesn't hurt, but I bump or press this bubble on everything and it's tender.  Silly, who would have thought you'd get blisters from simply braiding.
 

Me, making the best of a blister.

I believe this is all I have time to write.  Thanks for reading and we'll "see" you next time.  : )