Ranch Report: The cold, and the prep for it

2,475 Views | 19 Replies | Last: 3 yr ago by Iron Claw
Pecos 45
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4:02p, 2/16/21
Last Wednesday, when it was 65 degrees, my son and I drove out in the desert around Pecos County to get a load of mesquite firewood. We heard a cold snap was coming.


Got two full truckloads of mesquite "grubs" or the rootball of the mesquite.


Here's what one looks like. It burns hot and for a long time.


When the arctic cold front hit at the ranch, we were ready.


Kept a big fire going, for four straight days! Those are two "grubs" burning in there.


Biggest concern was our horse, Sunny.


I had to go out to the tank in the corral and break the ice on it every three hours so she could have drinking water.


She stayed up in her stall, out of the wind, but got quite a bit of ice on her mane before she moved in there! (She didn't leave the stall for three days.....don't blame her.)


It was just bitter cold the past four days. Dropped to 9 degrees on Monday.


Hoping for a thaw today. Supposed to get up to 43, so I can ring the dinner bell again!


Stay warm, everybody!!!
“If you have a job without aggravations, you don’t have a job.”
Malcolm Forbes
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beardoc
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5:16p, 2/16/21
About what time will that dinner bell ring? Asking for a friend.
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Pecos 45
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8:15p, 2/16/21
Usually around 5:30.
We eat early out here!
“If you have a job without aggravations, you don’t have a job.”
Malcolm Forbes
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BellCountyBear
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12:18a, 2/17/21
0' in bell county yesterday morning. You had it easy.
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Pecos 45
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1:06p, 2/17/21
I know, and I feel badly for it.
“If you have a job without aggravations, you don’t have a job.”
Malcolm Forbes
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BaylorOkie
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3:43p, 2/17/21
I enjoyed this, thanks. Do you have to knock off a significant amount of dirt from those grubs so they can burn more easily?
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Wichitabear
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6:18p, 2/17/21
Pecos, can the horse have a blanket over him? Ha.
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IslandBear
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9:12p, 2/17/21
Thanks for sharing that picture/story Pecos. Prosopis glandulosa is your variety of mesquite. Here in the islands our variety is Prosopis pallida which we call Kiawe. Just as nasty with thorns, thriving in the drier areas and prized as fire wood or for smoking pork. Bees make great white honey from the flowers. With snow on the Mauna Kea summit, we have had cold fronts coming down -- truly wimpy stuff compared to you guys.
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Pecos 45
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In reply to Wichitabear • 10:30p, 2/17/21
Wichitabear said:
Pecos, can the horse have a blanket over him? Ha.
Ranchers out here don't use horse blankets.
As one of them told me this week, "Give 'em more feed and make sure they have water. They'll shiver a bit, but they'll be okay.

My grandfather never used horse blankets, and none of our horses died, so I'm sticking with what he did!!!
“If you have a job without aggravations, you don’t have a job.”
Malcolm Forbes
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Pecos 45
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In reply to BaylorOkie • 10:30p, 2/17/21
BaylorOkie said:
I enjoyed this, thanks. Do you have to knock off a significant amount of dirt from those grubs so they can burn more easily?
Not really.
It usually just falls off when you load and unload 'em.
“If you have a job without aggravations, you don’t have a job.”
Malcolm Forbes
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william
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10:32p, 2/17/21
... and the p*igs???

chop some nopal leaf and put it out there.

- KKM

assuming you have nopal.

if not, drive to the walmart in FS and buy some.

It’s method on the edge of madness
It’s a balance on the edge of a knife
It’s a smile on the edge of sadness
It’s a dance on the edge of life

Endlessly rocking.....
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Wichitabear
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In reply to Pecos 45 • 1:52a, 2/18/21
Pecos 45 said:
Wichitabear said:
Pecos, can the horse have a blanket over him? Ha.
Ranchers out here don't use horse blankets.
As one of them told me this week, "Give 'em more feed and make sure they have water. They'll shiver a bit, but they'll be okay.

My grandfather never used horse blankets, and none of our horses died, so I'm sticking with what he did!!!
thank you Pecos. I still want to cover him up. Lol
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Pecos 45
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In reply to william • 10:05a, 2/18/21
william said:
... and the p*igs???

chop some nopal leaf and put it out there.

- KKM

assuming you have nopal.

if not, drive to the walmart in FS and buy some.

p*igs are fine.
they still come up into the yard.
been throwing them, and the other wildlife, corn every morning.
19 degrees now, and snowing (again)
Lather, rinse, repeat.
“If you have a job without aggravations, you don’t have a job.”
Malcolm Forbes
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william
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In reply to Pecos 45 • 4:35p, 2/18/21
Pecos 45 said:
william said:
... and the p*igs???

chop some nopal leaf and put it out there.

- KKM

assuming you have nopal.

if not, drive to the walmart in FS and buy some.

p*igs are fine.
they still come up into the yard.
been throwing them, and the other wildlife, corn every morning.
19 degrees now, and snowing (again)
Lather, rinse, repeat.
p*ecos is a good p*man.

- tbp*

{ sipping coffee }

{ eating donut }
It’s method on the edge of madness
It’s a balance on the edge of a knife
It’s a smile on the edge of sadness
It’s a dance on the edge of life

Endlessly rocking.....
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Pecos 45
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1:49p, 2/19/21
We feed our javelinas!!!

“If you have a job without aggravations, you don’t have a job.”
Malcolm Forbes
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HunterBear
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4:39a, 2/20/21
Enjoyed this. Always look forward to the ranch reports. Was hopeful of getting one around Christmas, but this one is very timely.

You've got javelinas out there, but what about wild hogs? Any of those?

Still have jackrabbits there?

Finally, ever hear of any mountain lions in your parts?
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Pecos 45
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In reply to HunterBear • 7:32a, 2/20/21
HunterBear said:
Enjoyed this. Always look forward to the ranch reports. Was hopeful of getting one around Christmas, but this one is very timely.

You've got javelinas out there, but what about wild hogs? Any of those?

Still have jackrabbits there?

Finally, ever hear of any mountain lions in your parts?
Yes, feral (wild) hogs are in Pecos County. Mainly around irrigated, cultivated fields where they can get easy pickings.
We have a few jackrabbits. Used to have tons of them when I was younger, but they have slowly disappeared, and I don't know why that is.
Yes, we have mountain lions. You don't see them because there is no closed season on them, and they are very fearful of humans. Unlike other states, they are not protected out here.
I have seen ONE in my lifetime, but they are around.

Christmas was spent up in Lubbock with our granddaughter, son and his wife.
Didn't have our usual gathering at the ranch house, so there were not as many photo ops.
“If you have a job without aggravations, you don’t have a job.”
Malcolm Forbes
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Eleven-League Grant
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In reply to Pecos 45 • 11:50a, 2/20/21
Pecos,

Thanks for the pics.

BTW, what model year is your Ford F100 truck?

It looks a little newer than the '63 I owned, and which I sure enjoyed driving. It had an oil-bath air cleaner and a vacuum-tube AM radio that's still the best-sounding AM radio I've ever heard.
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Pecos 45
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3:21p, 2/20/21
That's a 1970 Ford pickup.
One owner (my grandfather, who bought it new.....left at the ranch since he passed in 1976)
Owner's manual is still in the glove box.
“If you have a job without aggravations, you don’t have a job.”
Malcolm Forbes
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Limited IQ Redneck in PU
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12:09p, 2/24/21
Thanks for the pics. It made me miss my place. I know how your horse feels.


"When the ice that clings on to your beard
Was screaming agony"

My beard freezes every morning. It was well below zero everyday the last week but we have warmed up to 15 and got a foot of snow last night.

The good thing about this freeze is it will get most of the grasshoppers. Will be a good Spring.
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Iron Claw
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1:24p, 2/24/21
I've got a couple pastures full of horses. Was chopping ice in the ponds and they walked right past my hard work and busted their own holes with their hooves. I stopped chopping ice. The water troughs we have (well water that we shut off) froze to about 6-8" thick. They ate through the ice down to the water. Amazingly resourceful animals. Cattle would never do that.
FKA tri it
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