Oreo cookies and milk

Well, it was a great day in paradise yesterday. The morning was crisp and cool and I think even the calves were moving a little slow. Once they heard the Kubota fire up for breakfast they were all standing at the fence begging for chow. Ryan and Jade got started early on calves. The cool weather is making hair grow like crazy and they have been working their tails off trying to get through the calves and reclip. They don't have too many left so the rinsing and blowing process should go a little faster from now on.

The traffic started out slow but picked up to a steady stream right after lunch. Brad tossed some burgers on the grill and it seems like everyone must have smelled them because that's when they started rolling in.

The bidding is active and several of the calves have really taken off. It's always fun to see the different bidding styles. Some people will wait until the very last minute on Labor Day to place a bid. Others will see what they like and bid immediately. With our on-line bidding option everyone can keep in touch with where the calves are in the bidding. I have to appreciate the people that find that calf that they want and bid right away. If they have another bidder on that calf they have many "bidding wars" pop up. It's a good strategy I think because if you know what you are willing to spend on a calf you can find out early in the game if you are going to have a shot at her. If the opposing bidder drops out early then you may have a better idea that you are going to be able to stay on the calf with whom you initially fell in love. Some bidders will look at every calf in the state, pick their favorites and then bid on them accordingly at the last minute. I guess it's kind of like eating an oreo cookie. Some of us nibble off the top cookie and eat the filling, others like to dip them in milk or sprinkle them on ice cream...and most of us like to just stuff them in and devour them. I don't think there is a wrong way or a right way as long as you get the cookie. To each his own.

Never miss an opportunity

I know some of you who know me realize that I have a bit of a strange...perhaps twisted...sense of humor. If you are reading my blog you have probably looked at the on-line auction. Well, with those two things in mind I guess you know that I am having some fun with lot #90. If you don't know what I am talking about you probably haven't looked at ALL of the lots online. BAD BLOGGER, NO COOKIE FOR YOU!!!

If you don't know me yet or understand my sense of humor you may think that I have lost my mind or that one of my consignors has some SERIOUSLY ugly cattle! At any rate I thought you would enjoy the fun. Actually, I was hoping that I could get my citified extended family involved in what goes on out in West Central Iowa during Labor Day. They are going to learn what being an online bidder is all about.

When the work gets overwhelming you have to find something to make you remember the fun of having a sense of humor. NOW LET'S GET BIDDING!!

Waitin' on the "stuff"

No matter how well we plan our lives nothing ever seems to go the way you would like. In a perfect world...well, as of 4:10 P.M. today I just couldn't find that world. I am finding that being responsible for the care and marketing of the livelihood of over a dozen consignors can be a huge weight to carry at times. I have run everything as if it were my own; doing everything above and beyond the job. So far things have gone very well and I am very happy with how things are progressing and how great the calves are looking. The bunkhouse is open and ready for business. We are equipped with computer/web connections so we can use the online bidding and website. We have current bids listed on boards for all of our visitors to see, cattle are all feeling good and are getting rinsed and re-clipped in the "cowboy spa" , traffic and bidding is rolling, calves are sorted and ready to go, pictures and video have been taken and are up on the internet...well almost. O.K., so NOT perfect, but they will be VERY VERY SOON!! The editor had a little tornado issue. Sorry Texas folks...we'd send you some of this weather if we could...not a perfect world!

I hadn't heard from one of my consignors for a while and I was getting really restless about it. I like to keep in touch with my consignors but I don't like to be a pest so I hadn't flipped open the phone lately. I guess I should have. I was very heartbroken to hear this morning that Jeff and Toni Scott had a new baby boy and that het is in intensive care. I am so happy to hear about their new arrival and I am going to be sending my best for his speedy recovery! Welcome to Club Calf Paradise Jacob Jeff Scott!!! New babies...sometimes the world is a little closer to perfect.

Sortin' and blowin'...it's all good

Well the rains have ceased and the sun is shining. The calves look like mud balls but the guys are busy rinsing and blowing. We are hoping to get the heifers and steers sorted tonight and have everything up to shape by friday. We are still waiting on the last of the pictures and video but I am sure they will be finished by the weekend.

Rain drops

Well, I got up early and I have rinsed ALL of the calves. I am Wonder Woman! Actually, it's been raining like a monsoon here all day. I can't believe this is August! The funniest part is that I am sitting here inside the bunk house watching somebody actually walk through the calves!

It smells great in here today. I lit a few candles and, mixed with the rain, it is very refreshing. Actually the bunk house even has a hint of homemade brownies...burnt! I baked a pan of brownies after lunch and and ran down here to get something...that was a mistake. One thing led to another and I didn't get back to the house in time. I could tell something was not good even before I opened my front door. I think the smell of burnt brownies sticks to everything. Oh well, I guess I will give it another try. It will be something to keep me from pacing around the porch on a day like today.

I sent Ryan home for a day off and Jade has been cleaning the shop, working on the show cattle and guarding the sale cattle. I think they were both ready for a little down time. We'll be going full throttle tomorrow!

Juli is back!

Sorry to anyone... if there is anyone...who has been following my blog. I have been terrible about keeping up to date. Between Hayley leaving, going to the Iowa State Fair and getting ready for the sale it's been a little crazy around here.

Well, state fair was great. We brought home several banners and awards. Nelson 26T2 was the Grand Champion bull and the Grand Champion Iowa Bred bull. "Stella", a.k.a. Cowpower 418u, was the Champion Junior Yearling Heifer. The Iowa State Fair also presented me with the award for herdsmanship for all of the work that we do with the Iowa Maine display as well as the design and look of our Nelson Cattle Company display. It was a great fair!

Life at Club Calf Paradise is going well. The calves have all arrived and we spent the weekend finishing up the video on the last of the calves. That should all be up along with pictures by thursday or friday of this week. The calves look great and I am confident the we have something for everyone. We even have several Iowa State Fair winners including the Maine-Tainer Champion Junior Heifer, the Champion Maine-Anjou Junior Heifer, the Champion Feeder Calf heifer which was champion over all of the feeder calves...including the steers. We have NUMEROUS winners from area jackpots as well.

We kicked off our sale sunday night with a consignor appreciation BBQ at the bunkhouse. A very good friend of ours put together the entire dinner with smoked pork loin and smoked bacon wrapped eye of round, prosciutto wrapped shrimp, rosemary potatoes, home-grown tomatoes topped with mozzerella and drizzled with seasonings, balsalmic vinegar and garnished with fresh mint leaves, cooked carrots and chilled beverages! YUM YUM!!! We had a great time, the weather could not have been better and now we are ready to get the sale rolling.

It's a bit warm and humid today and it is supposed to rain most of the afternoon. Imagine that! The calves are resting comfortably and with the exception of doing some re-clipping, we will just stay busy rinsing and blowing from now on.

Jayde Hunt has joined our ranks to help with the sale cattle. He and Ryan Kunze are a great team and I am very happy to have such great help. Mostly I like that they appreciate my cooking but I am guessing that they are just buttering me up!

Darby had a near death experience yesterday when he somehow got a pretty nasty gash on his side. It actually looked like a shot from a pellet gun or something so he and I went to the vet. An x-ray didn't reveal any lead poisoning so we gave him lots of jerky treats, some antibiotics and he is resting comfortably on the sofa in the bunkhouse today. I did manage to slip him a piece of left-over smoked pork. He loves me.

Well, stay tuned. I will PROMISE to keep up better on my blog. I know how much you all enjoy my stories that reveal my own "blondeness" ...just kidding. I suppose that if I am boring you to death that you wouldn't be reading this right now. So keeping checking back! We hope to see all of you during the sale!!

The Slap!

I wish I could explain how good it feels to hear some of the stories our customers share with us. Sometimes it is hard not to get teary eyed. I would really like to share a story about a young man named Avery Bates that bought a steer on our sale last year. He and his family drove all the way from Montana to our farm and picked out several calves. Avery had his eye on a steer we all referred to as "Tank" and when the trailer left our place...Tank was on it. This young man was determined and he obviously put a lot of hard work into his calf. Here is a letter I recently received from his mother.
Good morning Juli --Well the end of the run is here...much to our dismay. I don't know why it's so stinking hard to see the good ones go, but it sure is tough. Many tears have been shed the last week seeing that the end was here. County Fair was quite eventful. We had a couple different families that we didn't even know travel down to the fair just to see "Tank". He got a little bit famous there in the last few weeks of Jackpost season. (Because he was winning all of them!)..... .. Avery and Tank were Grand again for ther final hoorah!! So lo and behold Tank had to come back home because of an injury and had a withdrawel period which was a nice treat until yesterday...Dan loaded him up and it was off to the processor!!! Oh what a tough day...but many good memories. Oh, I must brag a little more...Trista had Grand heifer and Avery had Reserve...we definately can't complain! The kids have one more show the 2nd week of August where they will shoe three of the other steers we got from you. Trista's little steer will hopefully do well there....but we have to wait and see.....
----Amber Bates

Yeah, that's what it's all about!

Smokin' at the bunkhouse.

Sorry I haven't been around for a while. It's been a mad rush here trying to get things ready. We have all worked our tails off trying to get the calves that are already here down to the front pasture. My brother, Erik, was back for a few days and he helped out a lot at the bunk house. Well, mostly he helped us fire up the smoker (by the truck) and smoke a ribeye loin. It was incredible but I suppose most of the credit goes to my beloved.

We spent the weekend installing two new shade canopies for two of the paddocks that were lacking shaded areas. Thanks to my ENTIRE family we were able to get them all put together and nobody was injured...but it was close! As you can see Brad was truly into the spirit of the task! It was especially nice to have my father overseeing the job.

Now that the shades are in place all of the calves that are here thus far have been moved, are clipped and are being rinsed every day for the sale. They are looking fabulous but I don't think that they are liking the warmer weather we are getting right now. It's still the coolest summer in history!