It's been fairly routine around the ranch lately. Still plenty of snow on the ground and mostly cold although we've had a few nice days. The days are filled with feeding, chores or fixing something, and then walking with the dogs to make sure they get enough activity since they don't get as much work in the winter.
Everything grew fur.
Yesterday had a cold frost that hung in the air all day and clung to everything. I think it's the longest "frost fur" I have ever seen. I'm surprised our power is still on with all that weight hanging on the lines. We've had a lot of flickering so we'll see if it stays on.
My hens haven't been laying many eggs on account of it being winter, cold, and their age. But I think they must know I need some eggs for my Christmas baking because today I got 4 eggs. Recently I've only been getting 1 or 2 a day.
I helped JM with morning feeding, spent half the day mending jeans, then did odds and ends around the house. In the evening we went to a neighbors for some penny poker. I lost all my money, twice, but then JM won the "all in" pot in the last hand so we made out all right.
We had another three trucks coming for shipping so we got the corrals loaded and ready. The trucks didn't show up until sunset. It got dark fast and we ended up loading two of the trucks in the dark. We have only one light at the corrals and it's at the opposite end of where the loading chute is (very handy). It sure is fun trying to count black steers in the dark but we got it done. Then as the trucks were pulling away one of them blew a coolant hose. That took a while but they got it fixed and were able to get on the road. We finally got back to the house and had dinner about 10:00 pm, it was a long laboring day :) 
Truck 1 getting ready to load
This morning when we went to saddle up and get ready for shipping today we had a visitor waiting for us. 
He is usually with the neighboring ranch's sheep but he sure was determined to hang out with us this morning and help get the yearlings corralled. We had to hold him in one of our pastures until I could get him kicked back to where he belonged. 
Then we got our first bunch of yearlings into the corral, minus help from "Eeyore".
We loaded four trucks this morning and have three more days of shipping ahead of us over the next week.
Well maybe it's not quite "the open road" but it's our road and we love it :)
If anyone recognizes this saddle makers mark, knows what year it may have been made, or has any information on it I would appreciate hearing what you know. Thanks! (see update below)
In the border it has "Trade Mark" on top, "Portland Oregon" on the bottom
UPDATE! It is the makers mark of the George Lawrence Company. I was able to get in contact with a relative of George Larwence and this is part of his response.
"I looked in our 1921 catalog, and found wild designs of that period, but could find nothing like it. I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't a custom order, since I don't recall ever seeing the pattern of the couple carved onto the skirt - or the double hearts for that matter."
Sunday Stills Challenge Check it out!
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