Feb. 16, 2009

I feel the need to give you a Valentine report. This year I did not have to buy my own roses- Jim and the kids sent me 6 beautiful roses. Life is good at the Blundell household.
Since it has been unseasonably warm I am expecting the Killdeers to show up early this year. The little bird is due to be seen running up and down the creek bottoms and running around the stock tanks on the 20th of February. I hope that he does not show up just to freeze his little tail feathers off, but that has not stopped him before.
We had the pleasure of the company of Jim’s Uncle Larry and Aunt Pasty Blundell Sunday evening. They live in south-western Colorado. It is so much fun to visit with them. They spent the night with us as they were going to a funeral in Greensburg on Monday afternoon. Larry has the most entertaining stories. Then Aunt Pasty tells us what really happened. He has the same kind of luck that we have endured through the years and does not mind telling us about the predicaments he finds himself. Some of them are really funny now that we know that he survived. He married very well, Aunt Pasty is a gem. She is a great rancher’s wife and Larry actually appreciates all that she does for him. Their children do not live too far away so Larry and Pasty get to enjoy the grandkids. Since Larry grew up in the Springfield area he has other family close by as well. On their ranch they have elk, antelope, deer and all kinds of wildlife with all kinds of stories that pertain to each species. They have about three times as many cattle as we have but they have eight or nine times more land than we operate. One of Jeff’s favorite stories is how they feed cattle in extreme conditions. When they need to feed the cattle in an emergency, such as blizzards, they burn the needles off of the prickly pear cactus with propane burners for the cattle to eat. But with the cost of propane, it is not as feasible as it was years ago. Uncle Larry was telling us about burning the cactus needles and how the cattle really like to eat the once pokey plant, but he said that it was not as much fun as it sounds. I might no know much-- but I do know that does not sound like fun.