Ranch
After my previous post regarding critters, I have to share a story from this morning. I was working on Biochem (boo) when Chance started sniffing and whining at the closet door. Now this closet is semi-dangerous. Don't judge, I know that you have closets like this in your house too. It is the most convenient place to store dog food, shoes, winter clothes that we never wear, and golf clubs. We never go in there, so it is usually a congregating place for all of the mice in our home. I think they hold conventions in there (which is why I avoid it at all costs). We (and by that I mean S) have strategically placed mouse traps all over in there. Thus, I opened the closet door for Chance with much chagrin. Chance immediately launched himself on something. When I mustered up enough courage to look around the corner, I found that he had a sticky trap stuck to his mouth... with a live mouse on it (EEK!). I screamed like a girl and ran away. Again, mustering up all of my courage (because for some reason I believe these tiny rodents will give me syphilis or leprosy), I went back into the living room and ordered Chance to take it outside.
At this point, our Lab was having a wonderful time trying to free the now half-alive mouse from the sticky trap. He would get the trap stuck to his face, used his paw to get the tray off his face (which then became stuck to his paw), and then used his face to get the tray off his paw. This cycle went on for about 3 minutes before I started to become concerned about Chance getting covered in sticky trap glue. I called S. Unfortunately (as is always the case when things like this happen), S was gone. He asked if he should drive 5 hours back to the house to solve this problem. Of course he should, why does he bother to ask these questions! He told me I was being unreasonable, and that I should put on a glove, pick up the half-dead mouse and tray, and throw it in the outside trash. This sounds like a great plan in theory, but holding this mouse and tray in my hand was not going to happen today.
I mustered up all my remaining courage (there was not much left at this point), gathered a stick and a trash can lid, and had a plan to 'catch' this mouse and tray. I approached Chance with my weapons. He picked up the tray and the now completely dead mouse and ran across the lawn with it. He did this 3 more times. I'm sure the people passing on the highway were entertained by the sight of me in pajamas chasing my dog with a stick and a trash can lid. I eventually persuaded Chance to drop the tray (i.e. he got tired), and I scooped it up and disposed of it in the outside trash. This experience may scar me for life. Is it fair to be mad at S for not being here?
Aspiring
On another note (and one not involving rodents of any kind), I had a great week at work. I learned that I was awarded a scholarship to attend the International Symposium on Energy and Protein Metabolism and Nutrition in - get this - Parma, Italy! This is going to be a great conference, but right now I'm pretty excited about going to Europe for the first time. I'm even planning to drag S along for part of it (even though this SW Kansas man isn't nearly as excited as he should be - I'm bribing him with the thought of pasta and real tiramisu). The conference is in September, so I'll be spending my 25th birthday in Italia!
I also learned this week that I've been awarded an undergraduate intern from the University of Hawaii for the summer. She'll be able to help me with a big portion of my lab work and will have her own small research project. I'm obviously hoping that she likes me so much that she invites me to spend a week at her family's beach house on the big island (this is all imagination at this point, I have no idea if her family has a beach house). Still, I'm excited about the prospect.
Thanks for reading,
C
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Mice and snakes and raccoons (oh my!)
Ranch
There are lots of benefits to living on our 'ranch.' We don't have loud neighbors, there is lots of space for the dogs to run, and we have the opportunity to raise cattle. Unfortunately, living in a ranch house (that is 100+ years old, mind you) means that we have our share of unwelcome critters to deal with as well. Our basement walls are made of boulders and some kind of cement, we figure it was laid before concrete was invented. Around October the mice started burrowing their way through this soft cement into our lovely home. We had seen evidence of mice in the basement before and could live with it... until they started invading our main floor and my cupboards. I flipped. There are few things more disgusting than discovering your brand new bag of powdered sugar has become the nesting and breeding ground for these creatures - ick. After trapping the cupboard invaders S and I sat down and had a long talk. We knew what we had to do... get a cat. Neither one of us are cat people, but we decided it was better than living amongst mice all winter.
The cat was great. We got Boots for free from craigslist. She was a known mouser and very friendly. Unfortunately, Chance was not thrilled about the cat situation. We thought she would fight back a little (she didn't) and that eventually we could all live together in harmony... without mice. This obviously didn't happen. No matter what we tried - spray bottles, shock collars, yelling - Chance and Boots were never going to be friends. I guess we were trying to go against nature. We probably should have known better than to expect that of a yellow lab (who has been trained and genetically selected to hunt and chase small, furry animals). After a month of Boots spending her life in the rafters of the basement, she became a barn cat. She now owns the loft, and teases Chance by staying just out of his reach. Chance would really like to learn to climb ladders - his ultimate goal in life now seems to get that cat. Still, he and a raccoon family that Spencer attempts to shoot at every couple months also tend to do a number on her cat food supply.
Boots' month in the house seemed to diminish the mouse problem. We had a few flare-ups where I would find taco seasoning packets or flour dispersed throughout several cabinets, but spring came and the mice seem to have retreated outside... for now. I was pretty excited about living creature-free for a few months; but recently I was cleaning the basement and found (dun-dun-dun) a snake skin. GROSS. If there is a creature worse than a mouse living in your house... it's a snake. Now a logical person would probably say, "oh, it's a harmless snake and it should take care of your mouse problem." In this instance, I am not that logical person. I HATE snakes. They move unnaturally and just freak me out - always have and always will. The only person I know who is more freaked out by snakes than I am is... my husband. After I told him I found the snake skin he declared he was never going into the basement again (and really hasn't since). This actually plays out pretty well for him, considering the washer and dryer are downstairs - I wonder if that had anything to do with his declaration. Still, I live in fear that one day I will open my shower curtain and find a bathtub full of snakes. After hearing enough horror stories, I always check the toilet before sitting down to make sure one isn't coiled up in there too - eww!
The worst snake story I have happened the summer before my Sophomore year in college. I was living with Leanne and Britni at the time (and LOVING it). Somehow, a tiny little (but still incredibly disgusting) snake got into our apartment and was laying in the middle of the kitchen where Britni found it. She didn't know what to do with it and wanted to be sure we knew a snake had gotten into our house, so she put it in a ziploc bag and laid it on the coffee table. I came home, made supper, and was eating at said coffee table before realizing that a bag with a LIVE SNAKE in it was about 6 inches from my plate. I almost died. I was freaked out by snakes before then, but have since sworn a vendetta against them. Yesterday I was mowing the lawn and saw a snake. I ran over him. Damn snakes.
Thanks for reading,
C
There are lots of benefits to living on our 'ranch.' We don't have loud neighbors, there is lots of space for the dogs to run, and we have the opportunity to raise cattle. Unfortunately, living in a ranch house (that is 100+ years old, mind you) means that we have our share of unwelcome critters to deal with as well. Our basement walls are made of boulders and some kind of cement, we figure it was laid before concrete was invented. Around October the mice started burrowing their way through this soft cement into our lovely home. We had seen evidence of mice in the basement before and could live with it... until they started invading our main floor and my cupboards. I flipped. There are few things more disgusting than discovering your brand new bag of powdered sugar has become the nesting and breeding ground for these creatures - ick. After trapping the cupboard invaders S and I sat down and had a long talk. We knew what we had to do... get a cat. Neither one of us are cat people, but we decided it was better than living amongst mice all winter.
The cat was great. We got Boots for free from craigslist. She was a known mouser and very friendly. Unfortunately, Chance was not thrilled about the cat situation. We thought she would fight back a little (she didn't) and that eventually we could all live together in harmony... without mice. This obviously didn't happen. No matter what we tried - spray bottles, shock collars, yelling - Chance and Boots were never going to be friends. I guess we were trying to go against nature. We probably should have known better than to expect that of a yellow lab (who has been trained and genetically selected to hunt and chase small, furry animals). After a month of Boots spending her life in the rafters of the basement, she became a barn cat. She now owns the loft, and teases Chance by staying just out of his reach. Chance would really like to learn to climb ladders - his ultimate goal in life now seems to get that cat. Still, he and a raccoon family that Spencer attempts to shoot at every couple months also tend to do a number on her cat food supply.
Boots' month in the house seemed to diminish the mouse problem. We had a few flare-ups where I would find taco seasoning packets or flour dispersed throughout several cabinets, but spring came and the mice seem to have retreated outside... for now. I was pretty excited about living creature-free for a few months; but recently I was cleaning the basement and found (dun-dun-dun) a snake skin. GROSS. If there is a creature worse than a mouse living in your house... it's a snake. Now a logical person would probably say, "oh, it's a harmless snake and it should take care of your mouse problem." In this instance, I am not that logical person. I HATE snakes. They move unnaturally and just freak me out - always have and always will. The only person I know who is more freaked out by snakes than I am is... my husband. After I told him I found the snake skin he declared he was never going into the basement again (and really hasn't since). This actually plays out pretty well for him, considering the washer and dryer are downstairs - I wonder if that had anything to do with his declaration. Still, I live in fear that one day I will open my shower curtain and find a bathtub full of snakes. After hearing enough horror stories, I always check the toilet before sitting down to make sure one isn't coiled up in there too - eww!
The worst snake story I have happened the summer before my Sophomore year in college. I was living with Leanne and Britni at the time (and LOVING it). Somehow, a tiny little (but still incredibly disgusting) snake got into our apartment and was laying in the middle of the kitchen where Britni found it. She didn't know what to do with it and wanted to be sure we knew a snake had gotten into our house, so she put it in a ziploc bag and laid it on the coffee table. I came home, made supper, and was eating at said coffee table before realizing that a bag with a LIVE SNAKE in it was about 6 inches from my plate. I almost died. I was freaked out by snakes before then, but have since sworn a vendetta against them. Yesterday I was mowing the lawn and saw a snake. I ran over him. Damn snakes.
Thanks for reading,
C
Sunday, March 21, 2010
SPRING!
Ranch
Spring has sprung here at the ranch. After waking up to a surprising 4+ inches of snow on the first day of spring, the forecast for the next week is sunny with temps in the 50s. The hubby and I spent most of the day outside trying to repair the damage caused by a long winter. It's always a glamorous job - raking manure and picking up trash - but it felt good to be outside and stimulate some Vitamin D production. We only have 2 cows left to calve and are thankful that our biggest calving problems were the loss of a few ears.
Daddy's Pasta
1 box penne pasta (cooked just prior to al dente)
1/2 stick salted butter
1/2 sweet onion (diced)
1 jalapeno (diced finely including seeds and ribs)
1 package country sausage (the kind that comes in a casing; bratwursts also work)
1 jar spaghetti sauce
Spices to taste
Melt butter in the biggest skillet you own. Add diced onions and cook on medium until translucent and starting to brown. At this point everyone one in your house knows you are cooking something delicious. Add jalapeno. Halve sausage links and cut into 1/4" thick half-moons. Add sausage to the frying pan and fry until brownish. Add spaghetti sauce and spices. Tonight I added parsley, oregano, and basil. I'd normally just add 1 Tbs italian seasoning but S hates rosemary. Cook until the sauce is bubbly. Add cooked pasta to the frying pan and mix everything together until it gets all yummy-looking. Taste it and add whatever is needed. Sometimes I add more salt, tonight I added about 1 tsp cayenne pepper because my jalepeno must not have had much kick. Serve with parmesan cheese and garlic bread. Tonight S declared that this may be becoming one of his favorite meals. The great thing about my husband is that no matter what you cook for him - it's always one of his favorite meals. :-D I like this recipe because it takes about 30 minutes from start to finish and it serves 4 regular sized people (that means enough for lunch leftovers for both of us)!
Until next time - thanks for reading.
C
Spring has sprung here at the ranch. After waking up to a surprising 4+ inches of snow on the first day of spring, the forecast for the next week is sunny with temps in the 50s. The hubby and I spent most of the day outside trying to repair the damage caused by a long winter. It's always a glamorous job - raking manure and picking up trash - but it felt good to be outside and stimulate some Vitamin D production. We only have 2 cows left to calve and are thankful that our biggest calving problems were the loss of a few ears.
Other happenings this week include the birth of 7 Labrador pups sired by our dog, Chance. If you'd like a pup, let me know. I think that they're $200. This was Chance's second set of puppies, and his last. Sadly, Chance got the snip this week. He feels mighty sorry for himself right now, but he's getting back to his old self. It would be hard to kill that dog's spirit. A couple weeks ago (in 30 degree temps) he was jumping into the flooding creek and riding the current to the end of our property line - and then getting out, running back up, and riding it down again. He's not a dumb dog! I also included a picture of our black mix, Taos just so that she doesn't feel left out. I'm sure you'll learn much more about them if you continue to follow the blog. I always thought there was something wrong with people who treated their dogs like pseudo children. I'm one of those people now.
Wife
After a crazy two weeks of Aspiring (pig fecal and urine collections. harvest, and grinding - along with attending and presenting at a scientific meeting), I needed to redeem my wife-skills with some quality cooking for S. Fridays during lent are always a challenge for me because I married a meat-and-potatoes man. This week I cooked an heirloom recipe called cream noodles. It's kind of like ravioli, but the filling is sour cream with sugar and salt. The stuffed pasta is then fried in butter and onions. It sounds weird and S thought my family was crazy when he first heard of it - but trust me, it's delicious. Tonight I cooked another pasta dish created by my dad. At the risk of my blog being too similar to Pioneer Woman's, here's the recipe.
Daddy's Pasta
1 box penne pasta (cooked just prior to al dente)
1/2 stick salted butter
1/2 sweet onion (diced)
1 jalapeno (diced finely including seeds and ribs)
1 package country sausage (the kind that comes in a casing; bratwursts also work)
1 jar spaghetti sauce
Spices to taste
Melt butter in the biggest skillet you own. Add diced onions and cook on medium until translucent and starting to brown. At this point everyone one in your house knows you are cooking something delicious. Add jalapeno. Halve sausage links and cut into 1/4" thick half-moons. Add sausage to the frying pan and fry until brownish. Add spaghetti sauce and spices. Tonight I added parsley, oregano, and basil. I'd normally just add 1 Tbs italian seasoning but S hates rosemary. Cook until the sauce is bubbly. Add cooked pasta to the frying pan and mix everything together until it gets all yummy-looking. Taste it and add whatever is needed. Sometimes I add more salt, tonight I added about 1 tsp cayenne pepper because my jalepeno must not have had much kick. Serve with parmesan cheese and garlic bread. Tonight S declared that this may be becoming one of his favorite meals. The great thing about my husband is that no matter what you cook for him - it's always one of his favorite meals. :-D I like this recipe because it takes about 30 minutes from start to finish and it serves 4 regular sized people (that means enough for lunch leftovers for both of us)!
Until next time - thanks for reading.
C
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Murphy's Law
Ranch
Our cows are big K-State Basketball fans. They must get so excited by Clemente's play that one will inevitably calve during a game. Maybe Frank Martin's glare is equally effective on cow reproductive systems as it is on his players. We've had 12 calves and I think 10 of them have come on a game day (usually during the game itself).
Our cows are big K-State Basketball fans. They must get so excited by Clemente's play that one will inevitably calve during a game. Maybe Frank Martin's glare is equally effective on cow reproductive systems as it is on his players. We've had 12 calves and I think 10 of them have come on a game day (usually during the game itself).
Our cows are also more likely to calve when S is gone. Maybe they feel more comfortable around me, but I think it's just Murphy's Law. This leaves me perplexed on how to move a wet, slimy calf and overprotective mother out of the IA mud and into the dry straw of the barn. When I was first challenged with this situation, I tried (unsuccessfully) to pick up the slippery 90-lb baby with one arm while yielding a stick in the other to keep the mother at bay. After about 20 minutes of this experiment it was obvious that I overestimated my strength. Why can't we raise sheep again? I began exploring alternatives; and damning S for not buying me a calf sled. So what does an aspiring ranch wife do in this situation? I built my own. Now, when I say I built a calf sled, you have to understand my construction genes.
My maternal grandfather retrofitted a grainery, and later added additions, to a construct a lovely home that housed his 5 children and 3 of his grandchildren. That's pretty damn impressive. On the other hand, my dad has successfully hung a bathroom mirror and can wire together a mean set of panels (sorry dad). I got my dad's construction genes. I thought that my type A personality would lend well to construction projects in ag class, but my birdhouse corners were never exactly square and my stool was always a little wobbly - even after cutting off inches of leg length to try to correct this problem. So, when challenged with building a calf sled, I found a piece of plywood, drilled 2 holes in it, and threaded some twine through the holes as handles. Believe it or not, it works. I have moved 3 calves with it and (while the holes aren't even so the sled pulls a little to the right) the sled gets the job done. When I proudly explained my construction prowess to S, he laughed... but after viewing the sled (and me using it so much) he promised to buy me a real one next year. Maybe it will be my Valentine's Day present (oh goodie).
Anyway, K-State's playing and S is gone, so I best go check cows. Thanks for reading and GO CATS!
C
My maternal grandfather retrofitted a grainery, and later added additions, to a construct a lovely home that housed his 5 children and 3 of his grandchildren. That's pretty damn impressive. On the other hand, my dad has successfully hung a bathroom mirror and can wire together a mean set of panels (sorry dad). I got my dad's construction genes. I thought that my type A personality would lend well to construction projects in ag class, but my birdhouse corners were never exactly square and my stool was always a little wobbly - even after cutting off inches of leg length to try to correct this problem. So, when challenged with building a calf sled, I found a piece of plywood, drilled 2 holes in it, and threaded some twine through the holes as handles. Believe it or not, it works. I have moved 3 calves with it and (while the holes aren't even so the sled pulls a little to the right) the sled gets the job done. When I proudly explained my construction prowess to S, he laughed... but after viewing the sled (and me using it so much) he promised to buy me a real one next year. Maybe it will be my Valentine's Day present (oh goodie).
Anyway, K-State's playing and S is gone, so I best go check cows. Thanks for reading and GO CATS!
C
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Aspiring, Ranch, Wife
Welcome! After practically 99% of my friends started blogging - and some spurring from some of them - I've decided to let peer pressure win and start my own blog. I know - you're confused about my title. I actually put a lot of thought into what I wanted to call the suitcase into which I pack all of my random stories and happenings, and have settled on 'The Diary of an Aspiring Ranch Wife.' I like the title because on the surface, as a phrase, it's what I really want to be at the end of the day - an aspiring ranch wife. But I think that if you put commas between each word you come up with the 3 themes to my life and what will become my regular blogging topics. Here they are:
Aspiring - I'm 10 months into my PhD program in swine nutrition at Iowa State. My research project (which currently consumes my life) revolves around identifying the biological and physiological differences between fallback pigs and their heavier contemporaries. For the non-swine nutrition geeks who are reading this, I'm trying to learn WHY runt pigs are runt pigs (and hopefully improve their welfare and economic value by doing so). My major professor and I obviously think the project is much more involved than this, but that's how I explain it to my mom. Besides that, I'm on a university advisory committee, part of a graduate student organization, running for a position on a national board, etc. etc etc.
That's me. I can't not be involved. I don't know why, but I've always been Aspiring for something. Winning the 4th grade spelling bee, playing a role in the high school play, serving as an officer in a college club - I just can't help myself. One of my greatest strengths and weaknesses is that I always throw myself 100% into what I am doing at the moment and want to be the best at it. Not everybody likes this, but I've learned that it's a part of me I need to accept and run with. Right now I'm Aspiring to one day (think 2012 - 2015) be a professor in applied swine nutrition at a university. Until then I'll just keep finding more (shorter-term) goals that I will be Aspiring to achieve.
Ranch - My husband (S) and I own a few Angus cows and manage a few more (apx. 25 total). We bought the cows last May and we're in the middle of our first calving season. It's interesting - I grew up as a sheep girl and work with pigs. I've honestly always been scared to death of cattle, which makes for an even more interesting calving season (think momma cows that don't always understand why I am moving their new baby out of the mud and into a warm, dry place). We're learning though. It's good for the spirit to have a hand in the cycle of life. We'd like to expand the herd rapidly in the next 5 years so that it is the full-time job for S.
Wife - I (selfishly) used to think that women who would compromise their goals so their husbands could achieve their own were weak. I have since learned that I had it backward. Love/marriage is a strange thing. There was a time when I had my list of dreams and a resume of what I wanted in a long-term mate... then I met S. He is definitely not the past state FFA officer, future CEO-type that I thought I wanted - and I love him for it. He balances me out and helps me understand what marriage and life should be. I'm crazy-lucky to have him in my life, and try to repay him by being a good wife. I LOVE LOVE LOVE having friends/family out to the 'ranch' (i.e. 12 rented acres of IA mud) and cook recipes from A Pioneer Woman's Cookbook and take all the credit for the incredible food (sorry Pioneer Woman). I love to help him on the ranch, watch The Office with him on Tuesdays, and satisfy his sweet tooth with homemade desserts. I know that there will come a time when I will compromise my goals so that he can achieve his dream of running a ranch full-time, and I'm coming to terms with that. I love him and am damn lucky that he loves me.
So that's me - an Aspiring, Ranch, Wife. Unfortunately, I compartmentalize my friends, so a lot of people only see one or two of those themes. Hopefully throughout (shorter) posts in the future you'll find some entertainment in my trials and tribulations as I try to blend these three pieces together into a fulfilling life.
Until then, thanks for reading.
C
Aspiring - I'm 10 months into my PhD program in swine nutrition at Iowa State. My research project (which currently consumes my life) revolves around identifying the biological and physiological differences between fallback pigs and their heavier contemporaries. For the non-swine nutrition geeks who are reading this, I'm trying to learn WHY runt pigs are runt pigs (and hopefully improve their welfare and economic value by doing so). My major professor and I obviously think the project is much more involved than this, but that's how I explain it to my mom. Besides that, I'm on a university advisory committee, part of a graduate student organization, running for a position on a national board, etc. etc etc.
That's me. I can't not be involved. I don't know why, but I've always been Aspiring for something. Winning the 4th grade spelling bee, playing a role in the high school play, serving as an officer in a college club - I just can't help myself. One of my greatest strengths and weaknesses is that I always throw myself 100% into what I am doing at the moment and want to be the best at it. Not everybody likes this, but I've learned that it's a part of me I need to accept and run with. Right now I'm Aspiring to one day (think 2012 - 2015) be a professor in applied swine nutrition at a university. Until then I'll just keep finding more (shorter-term) goals that I will be Aspiring to achieve.
Ranch - My husband (S) and I own a few Angus cows and manage a few more (apx. 25 total). We bought the cows last May and we're in the middle of our first calving season. It's interesting - I grew up as a sheep girl and work with pigs. I've honestly always been scared to death of cattle, which makes for an even more interesting calving season (think momma cows that don't always understand why I am moving their new baby out of the mud and into a warm, dry place). We're learning though. It's good for the spirit to have a hand in the cycle of life. We'd like to expand the herd rapidly in the next 5 years so that it is the full-time job for S.
Wife - I (selfishly) used to think that women who would compromise their goals so their husbands could achieve their own were weak. I have since learned that I had it backward. Love/marriage is a strange thing. There was a time when I had my list of dreams and a resume of what I wanted in a long-term mate... then I met S. He is definitely not the past state FFA officer, future CEO-type that I thought I wanted - and I love him for it. He balances me out and helps me understand what marriage and life should be. I'm crazy-lucky to have him in my life, and try to repay him by being a good wife. I LOVE LOVE LOVE having friends/family out to the 'ranch' (i.e. 12 rented acres of IA mud) and cook recipes from A Pioneer Woman's Cookbook and take all the credit for the incredible food (sorry Pioneer Woman). I love to help him on the ranch, watch The Office with him on Tuesdays, and satisfy his sweet tooth with homemade desserts. I know that there will come a time when I will compromise my goals so that he can achieve his dream of running a ranch full-time, and I'm coming to terms with that. I love him and am damn lucky that he loves me.
So that's me - an Aspiring, Ranch, Wife. Unfortunately, I compartmentalize my friends, so a lot of people only see one or two of those themes. Hopefully throughout (shorter) posts in the future you'll find some entertainment in my trials and tribulations as I try to blend these three pieces together into a fulfilling life.
Until then, thanks for reading.
C
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