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This week is always one of the busiest on the ranch. We AI our momma cows and heifers (artificially inseminate) for the best possible genetics for superior meat quality and to continually improve the genetics of our breeding momma cows. It’s quite a process that involves lots of cold early mornings checking to see who is in heat and bringing the cows through the corrals every other day. The girls are a big help for the whole process and work hard to make this happen. We finished the AI process yesterday and then had to move the whole herd up on the mountain where it’s drier to feed all winter. It didn’t quite go so smoothly but we got it done just before dark. I also had a save a bloated calf mid-way through moving them up the hill. It’s unusual for a calf to bloat up but it happened quickly and started suffocating the calf. The calf laid down and was trying to breath but we started loosing him so I grabbed James’ knife and stabbed the rumen to release the pressure. We had to pump its heart and continue to push to get the pressure down (even used a straw) and finally we got it breathing! It was pretty intense but the calf is alive! He will need antibiotics and will recover in the barn with momma. But everybody is motivated to push through the long week because our tradition has become to head to the NFR in Vegas as a reward after the hard work week and before we start lambing next week!

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Francie took it upon herself to make the advent calendar this year (I love teenagers) and the first night was matching Jammies for all! Don’t Stop Believin’ theme to remember our buddy Miles, of course 💛 They came in the mail and I thought maybe a nice IG friend sent them and Francie swooped up the box before I could open it all the way. She got matching ones for Brian and I too. We sure miss you Miles, especially going into Christmas time (your favorite time of year!) but we think of you everyday… and those bright lights at camp? They are still shining for you and look pretty spectacular in the snow. ✨

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It’s been a tough few months around here in a lot of ways – but I’m always so grateful to have him by my side for the hard days and the beautiful days. He’d the best partner I could ask for. He treats me like I’m the most important thing in his life and is the best dad to our girls. He drives the big rigs and fixes all the things and manages the rodeos. He gets up at 4:40am rain or shine and feeds our cattle and sheep by himself before anyone else is up. He manages our businesses and all the paperwork (woah it’s a lot ;) and has big ideas and dreams with me. He is a man of his word and always does what he says. He has the highest standards for our operation and never takes shortcuts. He’s proud of what we do. And I’m so proud to stand next to him through all of it. ♥️ @heffbrian photo by @christarenee

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Beau, 🐾 rest in doggie heaven and guard dog peace. 💔 In 2014, we moved to the ranch – green and inexperienced. I found Beau on a Craigslist ad two hours away, from a 4H girl who raised him as a project. I wanted a guard dog to protect my chickens. Brian didn’t really say yes, but also didn’t say no. I picked him up half way and he’d never been in a car. I read up on LGD‘s and put him out in the pasture with my chicken “cluck truck” and told the girls not to pet him as instructed. He stayed with the chickens for two days, then went to guard the sheep, then went to guard the pigs, then went to guard the cows, then… circled the house every day while the four little Marys, six years old and under, ran about playing and patrolled the mountains at night. They say really smart livestock guardian dogs know to protect the most precious and vulnerable species. To Beau, that was our family. As a Great Pyrenees, he loved to protect while he roamed the road and thought the crest of the road gave him the best vantage to survey both sides of our ranch. We spent years trying to break his habits, change our fences, keep him in the barn or a feed truck in the mornings and evenings to limit how much time he spent on the road… but if you know this breed, you know that’s nearly impossible. Last night, someone driving way too fast didn’t see him. But he didn’t suffer. 10 years old is a lot of years for a big old ranch dog. No dog ever had a better life than Beau. He spent his days chasing coyotes and bears and lions and even tangled with a wolf who moved in last year, always protecting our livestock and family first. Our country trapper tracked a bear through the snow for miles, following Beau’s footsteps all the way. But he’d always come home to snuggle to his girls. We buried him under his favorite watching spot tree on the hill. We will forever miss you, Beau. You were so good and so loved. 💔

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