A dose of winter finally made it’s way to Platte County last week. Badly needing the moisture, we’ve been waiting for it. Routine daily chores suddenly have to revert to an alternate plan. The distance between two points is no longer a straight line. The first challenge is traversing the mile and a half driveway to get to the main road. Living at Bordeaux, our famous winds can rearrange 8 inches of snow into 4 foot drifts. A tractor and bucket for snow removal is only a temporary fix. By the time of the return trip, the path has blown full again. Bare spots in the adjoining pasture which involve opening a few gates and dodging irrigation ditches become the new route back to the building site.
As supplemental nutrition for the cattle during the winter months, we have lick tubs scattered throughout the pastures on the ranch. The cows gather at the tub sites waiting for the weekly replacements. This week the tractor had to precede the pickup delivering the tubs to open up the 2-track roads in the pastures. Weather patterns don’t interfere with the daily feeding of our livestock in the winter. We feel blessed with the moisture in a very wet snow and consider it a part of the great adventure of life on a ranch in Wyoming.
From RealRancher Donita Graves – Bordeaux, Wyo.
