Bald Eagle, Golden Eagle and Tiger Turkey!

Dan the Man and I had to go to town yesterday for a meeting. I strategically scheduled the meeting for 10am so that it would be close to lunch time when we got done.

Unfortunately, the meeting didn't last as long as I thought it would so it wasn't really close to lunch time by the time we were done. I had to buy time so that we would still be in town when the hunger monster hit Dan the Man. That was the only way I would be able to get him to take me out for lunch.

I desperately tried to think of places I had to go, but couldn't come up with any reasonable stories or excuses as to why I had to go any where especially since we had just been to town the other day.

We still had to stop at the bank which is in Mitchell. I was already plotting that maybe we could stop in Morrill on the way home and eat at Subway, but that wasn't really what I was wanting. After we got done with our business at the bank it hit me as we were getting into the truck that we could stop at the Coffee Cabin and maybe at least get a latte or some kind of coffee drink for the drive home. I figured that it was still too early in the morning for Dan the Man to eat lunch, but maybe he would go for the coffee idea.

So off to the Coffee Cabin we went! I have been meaning to stop there for a long time, they've been open for months now, like maybe 6 months, or longer. Honestly, I don't really know, I just know that it was way past time for me to check it out!

When we got there I casually mentioned that they had sandwiches for lunch, did you want to eat lunch here? To my surprise, Dan the Man said that would be okay! Maybe he was as tired of working on the website as I was and was also not wanting to get back home for another fun afternoon of working together on the website. (That my friends is a whole other story in itself!)

They don't have an extensive menu, good thing cause it takes Dan the Man forever to read a menu, especially if he has never been to the place before! LOL! Anyway he settled on a roast beef sandwich and I settled on the Tiger Turkey sandwich. $5 for the sandwich, chips and a cookie!! Great deal! My Tiger Turkey sandwich was the bomb! Delish with a capitol "D"! Not sure what was all on it, but I want another one! Dan the Man really liked his roast beef sandwich as well.

We scoped out the gift shop, Pick N' Hammer, that is also part of the Coffee Cabin. Or is it the other way around, the Coffee Cabin is part of the gift shop? Wow, I thought it was just a rock shop, but they have way more than just rocks. They have jewelry, purses, rock art and much more.

On the way home we saw one of the resident bald eagles sitting in a tree pretty close to the road. I've been telling Dan the Man that I am bound and determined to get a good picture, one that makes you say WOW, of those eagles. So far I have been unsuccessful. Of course I didn't have my camera with me so I sweet talked Dan the Man into driving home (3 miles was all), getting my camera, driving back to the spot where the eagle was so I could get a few shots. He must have been in a good mood after his mocha latte, cause he was willing to go back with me. But he was going to sit in the truck while I tried to get close enough for the WOW shot.

I didn't do too good. The eagle wasn't willing to cooperate! Darn him! I told him I would be back and he would cooperate some day! Maybe I should have brought him a mocha latte and he would have hung around a little longer!

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Since I had the camera and the sky was so blue, I wanted to drive to the other spot where we always see two bald eagles. Dan the Man was still willing so off we went.

I had to get closer to get a better picture which involved going into some one's pasture. We stopped at the house and I asked the neighbors, who we've never met, if they would mind if I went over their fence with my camera to get a shot. She said no, not at all. Dan the Man waited in the truck.

This guy didn't cooperate either. Only got one shot before he left and I didn't get near as close as I wanted to.


As we were heading back I saw something on the powerline tower. As we got closer I could see that it was a golden eagle! How cool was that. Dan the Man drove up the ditch road towards the tower and I got these pictures before the eagle had enough of us interrupting his lunch. There was another golden eagle sitting on top of the tower watching this guy, but I didn't get a picture of him.









What a way to spend the lunch hour!

I still don't have my WOW picture, but I'm not disappointed, yet, that is!

Preg Checking and Bald Eagles

On Friday, Dan the Man and I took six cows to the vet to have them preg checked. That's cowboy talk for having the vet check to see if the cow is pregnant, thus preg check. If you know any real cowboys, they are usually men of few words, especially when it comes to womanly things or words such as pregnant. I guess it is just easier and more comfortable for them to say preg check!

Any ways, we are selling these cows and want to make sure that if we list them as being "bred" cattle, they are indeed expecting a calf this Spring. Good news is that they all are. I was going to take pictures of the procedure, but didn't. For you city folk, I'll lay it out for you and you can imagine what the pictures would look like in your mind. For those of you who know what I'm talking about, I'm sure you won't have any trouble visualizing this.

Before I knew how this was really done, I would have imagined that the vet would use some sort of ultrasound machine thingy to see if the cow was pregnant. Makes sense doesn't it? That's generally how it is done for us girls, why would cows be that much different? Well, if that's along the lines you are thinking, wipe that thought right out of your mind. That's not even close to the real deal.

The real deal is that the cow is placed in a squeeze chute and their heads are secured in the head catch. Just like they were when we tattooed their ears. If you missed that post, here it is: Tattooing our Registered Cattle. The vet then opens a small door that allows them to get right in the chute behind the cow. But before he/she does this they must don the proper attire.

The one essential element of attire that is a prerequisite is the arm-length rubber glove. Are you picturing this... arm-length rubber glove. One that is long enough to go clear to your shoulder and underarm. We're talking at least 3 feet long!

Warning: graphic description to follow, not for whimpy, prissy, proper ladies who get nauseated easily with poo.

Okay, back to THE GLOVE. Now that you have that glove pictured, now picture a regular glove, like one the doctor uses. Oh, don't forget coveralls and rubber boots. Now, the regular glove goes on first. Then THE GLOVE. Then a large rubber band is slipped over the glove up near your underarm, this it to secure the glove on your arm and to make sure it does not slide down. I don't know the reason for the first glove, but I am guessing that it is a "back-up" glove in case the outer glove tears and also to act as a barrier so your hand doesn't smell like poo when you are done. That's just my own guess.

Now if it was me who was doing this procedure, I wouldn't stop there, I would add a pair of safety glasses, but once again, that is just me.

So, now that the vet has donned their preg check attire, they open a small door in the chute which allows them to get in right behind the cow. Not too sure if I would like to do that, looks like a free kick for the cow in my opinion.

The vet now carefully moves the tail with the ungloved hand and takes the gloved hand and inserts it into the cows rectum. Then they push it further until they encounter some poo which they have to take out with their hand. After they remove a handful or several handfuls of poo, depends on how much poo the cow is holding, they then go back in, clear up to their armpit and feels the cows uterus to see if they can feel a fetus.

I just Googled "preg check cows" and found some real interesting stuff. Think I'll do some more reading on it. Very interesting I must say.

Back to the poor vet. The first time I saw this done, I just about fainted. Eeewww, yuck, are you kidding me? You would not believe the amount of poo involved in this operation. Poo inside, poo outside, poo being flung on tails that are swishing, poo everywhere! That's why I would wear the safety glasses!

Are you still with me? Sorry if I grossed you out, but that's how it is done. The cows don't pee in a cup for you to test with a test strip. Wouldn't that be an easy way to do it? I wonder if anyone has ever tried that?

So what does this have to do with bald eagles?

Absolutely nothing.

But I thought I would leave you with a much nicer picture.

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On our way home I made Dan the Man stop along side the highway for me to snap these pictures. These were taken just a little over a mile west of our home. These bald eagles have been hanging out in this spot for a long time. I'm not sure how long, because we don't go this way very often. I've always wanted to stop and get pictures of them, but never had. Now that I got these, I must go back and cross the fence and see if I can get closer. This is as close as I could get my camera to zoom. They were about an 1/8 to 1/4 mile away.

I just think eagles are so awesome, so majestic. What beautiful creatures and to think that I can see them most any day I want to...

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Yes, one day in the country is worth a month in town.