Yogi Update

Checkin' out the house

Just waiting for an invite





For those who have been wondering, Yogi is doing fine. He has been coming into the house on occasion. Doesn't stay long and it usually takes several "Yogi snacks", but he sleeps in his bed on the porch at night.

He is getting comfortable around here and even to the point of other dogs who don't belong on "his turf"

Have been able to give him a couple of shots from the vet to help with the mange and i appears to be clearing up nicely.

Spring has Sprung

Pasture is greening up nicely

 

Colors of Spring can be dramatic

 

       Has been a few days, but it looks like Spring has finally arrived in SE Montana!

Not so long ago as we crested the rolling hills south of Billings I wondered where in the world Lame Deer was in all that vast expanse.

 

       Now I look at those hills and realize, that's the way home.

Mooooo

It's calving season on the ranch, Already the old rancher has had one bad delivery, Mom cow not doing well and calf is being bottle fed.
Pictures promised in the couple of weeks

Weather or Not...

1st day of Spring

Here it Comes...

 

So, yesterday was the first day of Spring. What does it do today??? SNOW!!!

And I used to think the weather in Washington was unpredictable...

 

It was in the mid-60's last week, 30's and snow this week.

Tales of wild horses and Yogi

 

 

 

So now that it seems that we will be in Lame Deer for the near future, expect a more diverse page.

My wife and I are now the Pastors of the Pentecostal Church of God on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation. We are looking forward to working with these wonderful people.

 

Also, continuing the learning curve in regards to the local history and culture.

On the road for the next few days, so blogging will be at a minimun. Be Safe out there and Live Long and Prosper

 

Nap Time for Yogi

 

Posin'

 

 

So, when we arrived in Lame Deer and the Cheyenne Reservation, one of the first things my wife saw was this mangy, skin and bones mutt, running the streets with a pack of strays.

 

She took to him real quick and was soon feeding him scraps and leftovers. (Quite a feat to feed one dog in a pack of several hungry dogs.)

Fimally one day we were cleaning out the fridge and found some old sandwich meat. The dogs were hanging around so, from the back porch I started tossing meat slices to the herd. This little guy got his share by catching the slices out of the air, and not having to scramble and fight the other dogs, hence the name Yogi. (For all you non sports fans, that NY Yankee Hall of Fame Catcher Yogi Berra)

 

He has since decided to stick around more (go figure, eh?) and we have had the pleasure of seeing Yogi fill out and start looking healthier.

 

Yogi nows has a bed on our back porch is becoming more playful every day. It is good to see him walk around the yard with his head up and his tail not tucked between his legs.

 

More updates on Yogi to come.

Yogi the dog

 

So the Ol' rancher is tellin me of a time down around Colorado way. A friend of his and this fella's wife were trying to set up a homestead.

Well, the wife took to noticing the large amount stray dogs in the area, and being the soft-hearted type, she took a couple of them in and began to feed them.

As so often happens, 2 dogs became 5 or 6 and soon there where close to 15 or more dogs being nursed back to health and running around the place.

Finally the husband had to tell his wife, she needed to get rid of some of these dogs. Not being the mean sort, he suggested taking them into town and try to give them away.

Seems the nearest town was on the Shoshone Reservation and as she pulled into the local store to check with the folks where would be the best place to give the dogs away, she was told, in no uncertain terms, "Dogs?, Lady, we don't EAT dogs anymore!"

Thank goodness the Cheyenne had more respect, but there are still alot of strays here in Lame Deer and Yogi has become our rescue project.

Sunrise over the Prairie

 

And then the storm blew in

Love the Colors

And some very large livestock as well

 

Slick balancing act

 

 

Random drive with my wife today, set out to find an Amish store that had just opened.

Found it, 8 miles into a 35 mile stretch of gravel/dirt road.

 

Ended up in Miles City for lunch, then back home again. A scheduled power outage in Lame Deer put us on the road to begin with. Would not have known about it at all, if I hadn't of gone to the store this am. (They didn't schedule it with me!)

 

Oh well, good day fro a drive and in the mid 60's in Miles City. Spring is on it's way!

Of course it's supposed to snow by Monday!



 

Even after growing up in the Pacific Northwest and living near a campsite of the Lewis & Clark Expedition, it wasn't till I moved to Montana that I got a much bigger picture of the Corp of Discovery.
Turns out that the Expedition was expecting to cross the Rocky Mountains through only one pass to reach the Pacific Ocean. Not realizing that the Rockies are not one mountain range but a series of short, but extremely  dangerous ranges, each with it's own degree of difficulty.
Upon reaching the Bitterroot Valley, the Corp was so disappointed at yet another range to cross, this one seemingly unpassable, THEY ALMOST TURNED AROUND AND WENT HOME!
Now that was never in my history books in school.
If not for the local Native's showing them the pass through the Lolo Hot Springs, Lewis & Clark would have never found the Columbia River, never set up camp outside my home town of Washougal WA. and never made it to the ocean.
I think my history teachers owe me an apology for that one!