Home on the Range

We have been enjoying some good quality time with family since we got back to Oklahoma. While Denisa was girl-tripping, Mark stayed with his parents at their home in the panhandle at Cap-o-Ranch. It's the season for colts and kittens, so be prepared for way too many pictures of both.

Mark's brother, Danny, is working to tame down the filly born this year. Denisa is in the corral as a space holder to keep the mare occupied, while Danny is getting the colt used to human touch.

The presence of the mother calms the colt enough that Danny could sneak a rope around the filly's neck.

With the help of the rope, we could finally get close enough that Denisa got instructions on the best way to touch a giddy colt.

This needs to be a regular routine until the colt gets used to being around people, and having a rope or halter on her.

This new little filly will soon learn what the rest of the ranch horses already know--getting attention from the cowboys and cowgirls is a good thing. There were several stretching their necks over the corral for Mark's Mother to rub.

If baby colts aren't cute enough, we also have a litter of baby kittens at the ranch.

Denisa is enjoying these kittens way too much, often sneaking down to visit them more than once a day. They are now old enough to be more mobile, and they come out of their bed as soon as she walks in.

We tried to get a picture of all six of them together by piling them on Mark's lap. But they were always moving, and one or more would escape.

There's an old saying that compares something really difficult as being the equivalent to "trying to herd cats." We have one more degree of difficulty, but two more degrees of cuteness--"trying to herd kittens."

We found the best way to get their attention was to have the mother cat's help. It is so much fun watching these kittens grow while we are visiting Oklahoma!

Just like the kittens, we are also growing from all the good cooking we have enjoyed during our visit. Maybe Mark gaining a few pounds led to him breaking through the seat of this chair? He was just glad it happened when he was sitting in it instead of one of his parents.

We have gotten into the rhythm of ranch life, watching as the bulls come into the corrals every evening for water. These bachelors are in the pasture beside the house, and we got used to their routine of laying under the shade trees all afternoon, and grazing in the cooler mornings and evenings.

There's also a bachelor road runner, and we are entertained by him "running down the road all day." This day he also flew into one of the trees lining the driveway. We could peek through the branches to get a good picture of him. 

Other times he would fly to the top of the roof to perch. We caught this picture of him gazing across the yard with his mohawk hairdo silhouetted against the blue sky behind him.

No pictures, but we also saw him catch a horned toad, and slam it against the ground several times. We tried to explain to him that horned toads are a protected species, and he should treat them more kindly. But he ran down the road with his toad treasure still in his beak.

Life in the panhandle of Oklahoma is fun when you are retired and have the time to enjoy the livestock and wildlife. We have to also say that we have missed these wide-open views. After spending the last several months among the tall trees of the east coast, we appreciate the wide open vistas of Oklahoma Panhandle. It's nice to be home on the range for now.