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Well I have finally come to a conclusion about this blog. If I do not post on the nights when I am tired I will be here only once a week or so from now until fall weaning time. I am just going to have to buck up and get something posted here some days even if it is brief and without much insight or humor.

I enjoyed a nice Easter Sunday with family and so far this week has been pretty good. Today was especially excellent, I would love to have days as productive as today was on a regular basis. The irrigation season is here and despite my pleas, prayers and raindances it is time to start things up. I usually use both the brown Ford and the gray Dodge for my main modes of transportation during this time of year. They both have regular pickup boxes and if you start with your tools and supplies neat and orderly they usually stay like that for a few hours. I like to have them supplied in case one or the other goes on the disabled list. The problem was they both were needing some assistance to start the season.

I know starting the day doing mechanical work is not the best idea for me. The neighbors tend to look at you funny when it is 7 a.m. and you are already frustrated and on your third beer. I bravely departed the house today determined to get both pickups roadworthy. I started with the Dodge which just needed a power steering belt. I purchased the belt about a month ago but no matter where I laid it on the dash the steering was still tight. Apparently you have to put the belt actually on the power steering pump to make it work properly. I got the needed tools like two crescent wrenches, a large screwdriver, some WD40 and a sledge hammer. I also got some knuckle bandages out of the house just in case. The belt actually went on fairly quickly and I was soon dodging the segregated yellow center line stripes on Scooteney road.

I then traveled to the corrals where the Ford had been setting for a couple of weeks needing a new solenoid. Putting in the new solenoid only took about 10 minutes but finding the screws in the dirt from when I removed the old solenoid took about two hours but it was now mid morning and I had fixed two mechanical items and still had drank nothing but coffee. I then started tossing things from one pickup to the other to get a good balance of tools and irrigation supplies into each one. I also found the bones to a smoked turkey I had put in the back of the Dodge to take to a neighbor back in December. I also removed quite a few broken sprinkler parts from last year and about $70 (estimated) worth of aluminum cans from each pickup from the 2009 season.

I had ordered irrigation water for the center pivot for today. The water is usually turned in about 1 p.m. and I was ready and waiting. The pump started fine and the circle did as well for the most part. I do have one broken sprinkler that I had to plug off and both endguns are running all the time which is not correct but at least it is moving and putting down water to the triticale. I looked outside awhile ago and the pivot light is still on meaning it is still moving. I hope the starting of the other side of the road tomorrow goes as well as today.

Today’s real environmentalist species found on the ranch is Big bluestem.

Today’s picture is calf 0401w who was in the wrong place at the wrong time while nursing his mother.