Hank--14 Weeks and What Is Consuming Us

Stop holding your breath everyone--here are the newest pictures of Hank on his 14 week birthday. Wow! The big goof is holding a ball. For being a RETRIEVER, he sure gets bored retrieving. I keep telling Max he isn't the brightest Golden Retriever ever born. There's no way it's the trainer herself. I think I'm being pretty clear in my instructions. If I say stay and hold and gesture for him to stop, he shouldn't jump his highest and try and bite me, should he? It's almost as if he lives in opposite world. Good thing he's cute. I was pretty sad Max and the kids forgot to take Hank and my camera to the ranch this morning. I had to resort to putting him in this planter basket for a birthday picture.
He tolerated it a few seconds, only because he needed to shake his ears. But then...
he was outta there! Maybe he's not the goofy one. Think the basket shot was bad? How 'bout the car shot?
Believe it or not, it took a lot of attempts to get this natural looking pose. Wouldn't you agree it looks like he drives around in that car all the time? It was actually his very first time trying it out. Yeah, I don't think he'll be craving it again anytime soon.

Now it's time for my excuses. I would like to get my disclaimer out there early for why my next few posts will be less than ideal. We are in the middle of one of our least favorite activities. After 7 1/2 years we finally gave in to painting! Time to cover up that patina of daily living.

Cowboy Max can paint, and fast! I don't even know why he wants me to help him. I think he should let me go get a pedicure and a bite to eat with some friends while he finishes up. Wouldn't that be thoughtful and romantic? I'm probably just in the way. Please enjoy this shot of my house in its current state. Feeling our pain? I should probably get my rump in gear and help out a little.

Here's hoping your day is a little more exciting than ours.

Update: I took a few pictures of Max to show us painting. The picture I posted was selected to flush out a reaction from the one person I knew would react--Regina! Disappoint, she did not! :) Funny comment, sassy girl.

The Two Ranches--A Little Clarification

Three of you questioned what was up with the horses--where Max was taking those that didn't make the cut at Galloping Grace and where we got them in the first place. Max and I are blessed to be a part of two different ranches. Let me explain the cattle ranch a bit more (because you've already heard a ton about the Youth Ranch. )

Here is our family cattle ranch. Max, his father Jerry, and two of his brothers, Roy and Tom, all used to be home builders together. (Max also has another brother and a sister, Terry and Alicia who were not in the home building business.) Jerry wanted a piece of land to house a mule he would use for hunting, so he started looking around at different properties. Before we knew it, all four of them were looking at large chunks of land--a great tax write off they reasoned. Almost nine years ago they purchased what we call the Wade Ranch. It is located out in the sticks of New Mexico, outside a town called Vaughn. Know that there isn't much to Vaughn--at all. We always laugh that the original idea was to have a piece of land for a mule, but now we (the whole family) have a large ranch (near 100,000 acres--a capacious place) and not a mule in sight! How that happened, we still don't know. But we do know the ranch is an amazing place for our family and friends. A great many of our very favorite memories have happened at the ranch. In fact, it is my children's very favorite place on Earth! (No exaggeration!) Have a quick scroll down memory lane.

The ranch has about 1900 mama cows, about as many calves either already born or still cookin' in their mama's bellies, and about 100 bulls. Yep, life is really good for a bull. Every summer we have a large cattle branding/really fun weekend. Last year there were over 180 people in attendance. People come from all over the country come to help out. What used to take five weekends to brand even fewer calves than we currently have, now takes about five hours! It is a sight to behold! We laugh that crews made up of primarily city slickers (ourselves included) can do such a fantastic job. Our ranch manager has had cowboys on other ranches call him a liar when he told them how quickly we (using that word lightly--I'm behind the camera the whole time) get the job done. Good, good times! 2006 Group Picture

When Max and I decided to open up a youth ranch on our personal land, we brought quite a few horses back from the family ranch. Max's dad wanted to thin the herd out a bit, and we needed horses for our program. It was a good fit. Max brought some that were no longer of use at the big ranch--too old, arthritic, not needed, etc. He also brought back some real winners that we just "borrow" until they are needed.

Black and Buck fit the too old and arthritic category. Black had been Candido's horse for the last 28 years, but the old guy cannot and shouldn't be expected to do ranch work any longer. Candido thought that being at Galloping Grace would be a good retirement for Black. Buck was Max's roping horse until he went lame--arthritis and ring bone. The vet said the best thing for Buck now is to have small children ride him on a regular basis to keep him moving. Kinda perfect. Because he was such a good roping horse, he's very responsive which is great for the kids.

Smoke, Jericho, and Tomahawk all fit in the not needed category. They were not being ridden that often. Max figured with a little work. they could potentially make good program horses. If you read last night's post, you know that wasn't the case. That was why Max was taking them back to the cattle ranch.

The real winners category I mentioned would have horses like Red and Blue. During cattle drives, Red and Blue are always in the rotation. They are the type of horses that both novice and expert riders can enjoy. Max worked it out that we can use them at GG, but he needs to return them for big events and weekends.

The other horses at Galloping Grace belong to Max and me personally, were donated to Galloping Grace, or belong to friends and family members. I guess I can see why this was all confusing to you. I hope this rather long, rather picturey post cleared things up a bit.

Yum Yum

So if you find yourself in need of a recipe for Rocky Mountain Oysters, please feel free to drop in on our friends' blog. TJ put up what appears to be a pretty tasty way of preparing those little jewels. (Pictures and all!)

It's too bad that at our family cattle ranch our ranch manager believes in banding our bull calves instead of cutting them. (He thinks thinks there is too much infection with straight castration.) The "little guys" just fall off after they've lost enough blood supply. I might never get to use this recipe myself. If any of you try it, let me know how they tasted. :)

Happy Saturday.

Trimming the Fat

First off, how great is this self-portrait? Lovin' it! I sent my camera with Max the other day so that while Max was loading horses to take to our family ranch, Chase, the handsome rascal pictured below, could take some pictures of the final morning at Galloping Grace of Smoke, Jericho, and Tomahawk. I guess Chase was feeling extra photogenic and decided to get a shot of himself. The picture was not deleted from my camera, so I'm assuming he longed for it to be posted right here-- and here it is. I bet Chase loved the freedom of taking pictures of whatever and whomever he chose. The grin tells it all. It was one fantastic morning for Mr. Koester. If only for that day, he was a patrician, and a happy one at that! Lucky for all of us, Chase also took some pictures of the above mentioned horses. Those three just did not make the cut. I think we're all a little sad to see them go, but we want what's best for all the kids that come out. And let's face it, it doesn't make much sense to feed horses that are not fulfilling any needs on the ranch.
Tomahawk is the horse pictured above. The vet guesstimated that he was in his late 20's. I really wish I had a before picture and an after picture to show you how great he is looking now. He had ribs sticking out every which way. Max and Deanell have really worked to put weight on him. Deanell took extra care several times a week grooming, feeding, and rubbing salve on areas of his body that are private but needed help. It was a tough job, but Deanell was sweet enough to try and help him out. I know he'll miss all the extra TLC he got here. Deanell, thanks for being there for the old guy.

Tomahawk was Brooke's new favorite horse of the last few months, but as of late he has started acting up. Brooke couldn't get him to stop one day in the arena--full run, no stopping. Max got on him and Tomahawk even gave Max a hard time. If a horse seems unsafe, it really doesn't make any sense to keep him at a youth ranch, right? (Yeah, we know, obvious answer. That's why he's leaving.)

Good Ol' Smoke. This guy ruled the herd and how! If only he knew how to cooperate a little better under the saddle we'd continue to let him harass and bully all the other fellows. Sadly, he isn't much fun to ride. I think Trish and Taz liked him, but that was about it. Plus, I'm sure the other ranch herd has been missing his stern, yet effective leadership. Horses are just like humans--they want someone to tell them what they can eat and where they can stand and how close they can be to everyone else. I bet they also have been missing the little love nips he dishes out. That has to feel good on their tough, itchy hides. I'm sad I wasn't there to see their reactions as he rolled off that trailer. I miss all the fun pictures! Jericho is also being cut. Axed. Let go. He had such promise, but it wasn't to be. We want to thank Steff, Max's step mom, for letting us try him out at GG. Maybe if Max had more time to dedicate to working with him, things might have ended differently. Claire used to ride Jericho all the time at the big ranch with little problem. Maybe they all just get a little cranky and uncooperative in their old age. But maybe not. Black is the oldest horse on the ranch and definitely my favorite because he's so responsive. I guess I should stop flinging my theories around like they hold any water--clearly they don't. Tomahawk, Smoke, and Jericho, enjoy your greener pastures. We'll see you around. Oh, and you're welcome for the cushy life you've lived for the last few months. Take those memories of easy feed, lots of love, and horse treats galore as your parting gifts from all of us at Galloping Grace.

Chase, thanks for the pictures.

Thankful Thursday--Money Edition

In past Thankful Thursday posts I have told you about a lot of the wonderful donations and services we've received for Galloping Grace--things like saddles and horses, wood, and sand. (And much, much more.) We are some blessed people! What I have been dilatory in telling you about are all the people who have made monetary donations to The Ranch. It's awkward for me. Would it be apropos and would someone appreciate me announcing their gift here on the blog? Should I, in future instances, require the giver to pose with a check? ;) What about the people that donate money every month? Would they mind me telling the world they do that? (Dan and Betty, Mom, do you mind?) What about the person who recently donated $1000?! How cool and generous is that? Tacky or appropriate to give his/her name? I don't know. How about that person's initials--R.W. Dearest R.W., thank you so very much!! We were blown away by your donation!

Because I do not know the correct protocol for this kind of gratitude, I'm going to just play it safe for now. If you are one of the people who have donated money to GG, please know that we sincerely appreciate your generosity!

Thanks for helping us bring pure joy to children.

We couldn't do it without you.

Lauren's No Stick in the Mud

I think I know more people with birthdays than anyone else! Boy, howdy, there's been a lot of them lately!

Today's special birthday girl is none other than my lovely and likable niece Lauren. She is my brother's first child, and man is she sweet! Would you like to see some pictures of her riding horses at Galloping Grace? Yeah, me too! Unfortunately, Lauren is part of the family that up and moved to Oregon. The good news is that they're coming for a visit in two weeks so I should be able to take lots and lots of pictures during their visit.

This is Lauren almost four years ago taken at the big ranch during branding weekend. One of the events we had for the children was a muddy pig wrestle. I think this is about as muddy as Lauren got. She's a real smart girl that way. She's a real smart girl in a lot of ways. Miss Lauren practically taught herself to read fluently when she was only four years old. Need to know the lyrics to a song? Just ask Lauren. The child's memory amazes me. These next few pictures are to prove that not all children made the same decision as Lauren that day. Some got down and oh so dirty!

The disgustingly gross thing is that the pigs were left in the area with the water and mud for almost a week. Please imagine, if you will, the aroma lofting out of that pen. Not all were deterred by the stench. Oh, contrare. The vast majority dove right in. It was an absolute maelstrom of activity!

That's good times right there, I don't care who you are! Wanna see which child had the most fun of all?

That would be my always serious, never wants to have fun, would hate to stain a perfectly good white shirt hubby, Max! If my memory serves me correctly, Lauren wasn't asking for any hugs from Uncle Max after that event. As a matter of fact, I think I avoided the man for a while myself. I must mention that the laundry piles lined up for the washing machine were gigantic and stinky. Wow! Definitely not my favorite memory of the festivities. (A festivus for the rest of us! Hee hee!)

Please excuse that tangent. I didn't mean to muddy Lauren's birthday tribute with such silliness. OK, I did. I couldn't resist showing highlights of the fun. I'm sure Lauren will understand. (Her mother is another story. I better brace myself for the lashing!)

Here's a picture of everyone nice and clean. Look at Lauren there in the middle! What a face. The girls were so proud of the wild bunny they got to "nurse back to health." Please, no comments about rabies and other dangerous stuff. Trust me, I've already worried about that. And, since this picture was taken years ago, I think we're safe from this particular bunny. We are such great parents out here in New Mexico.

Lauren, Happy 8th Birthday! We can't wait to see you! Hopefully we'll have a safe and clean visit. (But probably not!) We love you.