Who's My Baby's Daddy?

873 "calf in question"



73, had a few options for who actually sired her calf this year.

I'll give you as much information as I have and I want you to make an educated geuss on who's this baby's daddy is.

Ofcourse, it's a guess and there's no way to know without a DNA test...good thing I had a DNA test done and know the answer. Just want to see if anyone can guess this right.


Dam - 73





Possible Sires
Houdini




Dr. Seuss




Snake Farm, Catfish, Rudy, Wasabi.

Catfish was 14 years old. Snake Farm, Rudy and Wasabi (both Catfish calves) were yearlings. Rudy is NOT a possible sire (he was behaved and stayed on his side of the fence).

The story:

On June 26th we had 73 Ai'd to Houdini.

On June 2nd we put 73 (and the rest of the AI cows) out with Dr. Seuss who was already on pasture as our clean up bull. Took him off on Septempet 17th.

On July 13th we looked out the window and noticed that Catfish and Wasabi broke through the fence and was in the cow pasture. They were sniffing and riding 73. Dr. Seuss was in the pasture but about 10 acres away from 73 (possibly already bred her, possibly not..)

Ran outside to get this mess cleaned up. The fence was broke down between the 2 pastures. I saw Catfish and Wasabi both in with 73 and both breed her.

Then Catfish and Wasabi starting fighting and Snake Farm went through the fence to 73, he sniffed her but didn't once breed her that I saw.


873 was born the afternoon of April, 26 2008.

Who do you think it is?

BONUS QUESTION: What happened to the swish of 873's tail?

3 weddings, 1 week!!!

Wow, I'm just a little tired.

Sunday, June 1st, 2008
Bucked bulls from 12-4, immediately drove to SylvanDale (about 10 miles west of Loveland, CO) for a rehearsal dinner. My friend Kimberly was getting married the next day. She paid for me to have a 2 night stay in a little cabin on the place. so, it wasn't hard to convince me to stay up drinking, giggling and having a fun time with her, the other bridesmaids, groom and groomsmen.

Monday June 2nd
Couldn't sleep. The cabin is cute and I love all the western and rustic decor...but the bed is not comfortable and I miss sleeping next to Phil. Woke up at 6...took a bath and read my new Picoult book. Had breakfast about 7:30..spent the rest of the day helping with decorations for the wedding.

Wedding that night at 7:00, Phil came about 5:00. The wedding was beautiful. She had it in front of a little pond. It was very serene and she looked beautiful. Great reception afterwards, prime rib that was very yummy. About 11...I lost the fight with the sleepies and went to bed. It was nice to have Phil there and even nicer that he was able to spend the night with me...but still couldn't sleep very well.



Tuesday, June 3rd
Woke up early, ate breakfast, said goodbye and went home where I had to catch up on all my lost work...pretty grumpy and overwhelmed all day.

Friday, June 6th
Woke up early to get as much work done as possible. Left the house at 10 a.m. to go back to Sylvan Dale for another wedding. This time I was the maid of honor, bride is my good friend Brenda. We spent the day taking things to the location and decorating. Rehearsal dinner that night...and once again I spent the night. This time in the bunkhouse with 9 other girls....7 under the age of 16!!!!!!!

She had a morning wedding...and wanted us all to get our hair professionally done...so that meant I had to be up at 4 to get in the shower and be ready at 4:30 when the hair girls arrived.

Wedding was again gorgeous..and in front of the same pond. Brenda made all the flowers and decorations herself, she did a great job and everything really came together nicely. Had the reception immediately after, BBQ pork. My brother Sean was invited to the wedding. Since he was in town we decided to go to dinner and bowling afterwards. I started bowling left hand and I'm pretty good...my first left handed game I scored 92...right handed I'm about a 120..so not bad..think I'm going to keep challenging myself to bowl left until it becomes natural. I got home and in bed at 11:30.

Sunday June 8th.
Another wedding. Phil was very nice and fed for me so I could sleep in a bit. The wedding is for his niece, Bethany. Again a very beautiful wedding, this time not at Sylvan dale but a church in Westminster with a reception in Golden. Had a little time between the ceremony and the dry reception, so Phil, his Aunt and Uncle and I stopped off for a quick drink. Had a great time chatting with them. Phil's uncle use to work at the Mayflower Hotel in Denver...way back when..during stock show he got to know the likes of Casey Tibbs, Larry Mahan...some very impressive rodeo guys and has some great stories about fighting, boozing and healing!!!





Got home about 9 and crashed...could barely get up for work the next morning.

But we are done with weddings this year, whew...don't think I can handle another.

And it was all worth it because, while I was all dressed up for Brenda's wedding I took the opportunity to put on my muck boots and take some pictures with a couple of my favorite guys....I think I love these pictures ;-)

Dorthory and the Wizard of Oz

That's how I felt anyway.

Thursday at 11:30 am, a tornado went over head and touched down about a mile away. It then went on a 30 mile path of destruction taking out houses, barns, telephone poles, trucks, cars, trees and killing 1 man.

I was working from home and had no idea a tornado was in the area. I really should keep the news on when I'm working and the skies are overcast, but we don't get lots of tornadoes in this part of Colorado. The area I grew up, was a different story, but here it's usually pretty safe.

The Internet went down and I thought it would be a good time to stop work and chill for a bit. Then the rain and hail came, I was looking at the window making sure the calves were safe in the windbreak. They were of course, they have great mommies that do their jobs well.

I texted Phil saying "raining and hailing like crazy here." Still didn't think anything of it. Then Phil's mom called and said a tornado touched down in Gilcrest. Then Phil called and told me to go to the basement. Both calls came after the tornado already past while I was being oblivious.

We went out yesterday too look at the destruction. I meant to get pictures for the blog, but I couldn't bring myself to snap pictures of others that were not as fortunate as myself.

It was bad, 100 year old trees laying on their sides with roots ripped from the ground. Barns that looked like a hill of lumber instead of a shelter. Brick houses with only 2 rows of bricks, tons of homes with the roofs plum blown off.

Reports say it touched down 1 mile from the house, but the best I can see the destruction was about 5 miles away...still too close.

A dairy in the area lost 25 cows and all their buildings. They built the place in 1977 and it had been in the same family since it was built.

The news showed a story where a 8 month pregnant wife ran outside to save her blueheeler, but when she saw her patio set blowing away she got scared and ran in without him. As any good blueheeler would, he hunkered down in a low spot. He lived through it, their house did not....but a house can be replaced a pet cannot.

A day care in Windsor moved all the children to the bank vault next door minutes before their roof was blown off saving all the kids

TR Cattle 2008 calving season - done

May 14th about 1 in the afternoon, TR Cattle had their last calf of the season. Fishhook was the last this year. She and daddy spent the summer at a friend's pasture who wanted to breed to skunk. This calf is Skunk's only calf, we personally have.

I think this little guy looks like a cross between a jersey cow and an albino deer...really neat how he is colored up, almost all grey with that tan head. His nose is black with one pink stripe down the center. Cute litle guy. Let's hope it's a little bull.

May 7, 2008 Berry calved early morning. Phil was out in Yuma planting corn for work so I was flying solo. Checked cows that morning and this new little one was up and drinking already. At first all I could see was the tail-end...looked like an all black calf...then saw a white face...couldn't get close enough to see the brockle maze...so she looked like a black bald face...that was pretty interesting since mom is Red and dad is black and white (with more emphasis on white). Sure was wondering if Catfish jumped the fence in the middle of the night...but once I got a closer look this one is definitely Dr. Seuss. He's been throwing that brockle face and this one looks just like Dr. Seuss's mom (just black instead of brown).

We have one more to go, and she's the tie breaker. Currently we have 5 bulls and 5 heifers....hoping the bulls win this year. I can only keep about 15 females around and right now with yearlings and the newbies, I'm at 22....gotta starting selling soon.

Happy 12th Birthday Cowboy

Ok, I have no kids of my own....so yes my little puppy Cowboy gets spoiled and a little extra attention from his mommy.

Today Cowboy is 12...It's hard to believe.

I remember the day I got him. Phil and I were still living in Sterling. We'd been together 3 months, but it felt like we were a happily married couple with 5+ years of expeirence.

Phil had Jenny, his little girl blue heeler, and I wanted a little boy for myself. We'd been looking but hadn't found anything.

It was the summer of 1997 and we decided to drive to Windsor to the bull riding (this was a few years before we had bulls and just went to watch). I'm pretty sure Phil was retired by then, but can't remember exactly.

A couple from New Raymer had a litter of pups for sale and I headed right over. Saw a cute little red heeler. A fun little boy, but pretty scrawny and just not 100% perferct. I was about to settle for him when this big fluffy blue pushed his way through the litter mates and stole my heart. I picked him up and it was all over..I had found the one. He was $100, and $100 was a lot for a starving college student working at Wal-Mart for her part of the rent. But, he was worth every penny.

Named him Copenhagen Cool Cowboy on the way to Phil's parent's (couldn't be this close to their house and not visit, Phil said).

I love you Cowboy, thanking you for being my best friend...here's to another 12

My boys

If they could see him now!

Catfish was a hell of a bull in his day. He knew his job and he took it serious. But, he was never out for blood. He didn't want to hurt the rider, just wanted to win and buck him off, he was an athlete. And he never did stay in the arena to chase the bullfighters like some of his team mates would. He went out... did his job and left. But, he wasn't a softy either. Catfish wouldn't let you close to him, he was a bull...a bull didn't get scratched behind the ears..At least so he thought.

In his prime he bucked off some of the best bull riders. The ones that were lucky enough (or talented enough) to ride him, well, he took them to the pay window. When we were invited to bull ridings, we were told "Bring Catfish and those bulls." Everyone wanted to see Catfish.

I could talk about Catfish forever, the time he went to Tucson Arizona and Donny Gay was announcing. "They call him Catfish, and that bull BUCKS," Donny said. Or the time we took him to Jerry Nelson's PBR in Casper Wyoming and he through off his riders both nights. Or Bismark, ND where Cody Lambert marked him a 22. And the many times we'd take him to Greeley or Fort Collins for a Wild West Show and everyone knew Catfish and everyone wanted to draw Catfish...of course they had to make it to the short-go for a chance at him as more times or not that's where he'd be.

Don't get me started on all the times he'd jump fences. Once he jumped over Phil who was standing on top of the fence, I thought he'd killed him. Or the time he jumped out of his pen at the Greenriver rodeo and Phil thought I'd leave him if he didn't get Catfish back safely. And my favorite story, the time he jumped out of a pen of bulls going to the packer and jumped in with a pen of bulls that were trying their "hooves" out at rodeo.

But now, Catfish is retired. He's a daddy and a trainer (I like to think the younger bulls look up to him and learn from him). And he's not the hard-nose bull anymore...now he is a softy. He's learned that this girl and that guy that comes out twice a day and feeds him, the ones that are always talking to him, the ones that let him spend a few summer with his girlfriends, well they aren't that bad. Actually they are pretty fun. And well, being scratched is almost as fun as bucking.

And Phil...Well, a bull rider, even one who's retired, never lets an opportunity to get on a great bucking bull pass him by. Even one that is smart enough to know the best scratching happens from above. Oh my boys! I wouldn't trade them for the world.