October 1 - Hunters & gatherers
October 4 - Shipping time soon
Rib Stickin' Ranch Vittles: Cowboy Beef Stew & Noodles
October 6 - 100 Canadian Honkers visit
October 7 - Two below Zero
October 8 - Stubborn leaves
October 9 - Stripping the roof
October 11 - Proud to be an American Cowgirl
October 12 - Columbus Day
October 12 - Skunkbusting!
October 14 - General errands & whatnots
October 15 - What dogs do best
October 16 - Country BS Session
October 17 - Rudy cussing the roofing project
October 18 - No horse wrecks today
October 19 - All the cowboys here today

SKUNKBUSTING!

Sunday, October 1 Slightly overcast skies today. 'Tis the harvest month for hunters and gatherers. Several hunting seasons in various areas of the county are opening for elk, moose, and deer. Archery season has been open for a couple of weeks, already. The game seems to be getting edgier with each passing day. I feel sorry for them, but I also know that harvesting must happen to keep the herds healthy and at numbers that can survive our harsh winters and sparse, snow-covered vegetation supplies. Many of our pioneers, still living, were raised on this tasty fare. Many hunters welcome the season as an opportunity to enjoy nature with old friends and new, and to take advantage of a perfect time to teach their kids new life skills - respect for guns and rules, survival and safety, and the care and responsibility owed to our wildlife. And yet other folks count on the game meat to help feed their families during the upcoming months. But, many more of us simply love the unique flavor of this healthy, red meat. It's gotta happen to keep the balance in life.

Wednesday, October 4 Nights are getting colder again. Freezing ice. Horses growing extra winter coats. Looks like they're in light jackets right now. Soon be wearing down coats and coveralls. Cattle looking good. Calves sure are growing. Shipping time is soon. Grass feed disappearing quickly. Must plan with great efficiency and farsightedness - prolong grazing, preserve the hay pile, while protecting next year's potential new growth. Hope the drought ends soon...

Friday, October 6 100 Canadian Honkers settled in to the lower pasture at sundown. The flock congregates here every year to rest and eat for a few days before heading to their winter grounds. They'll then set up one a heck of a racket, saying goodbye to the milk cows, the sheep, and perhaps, me, as they lift off into the wild blue yonder.

Saturday, October 7 A rough and rugged two below zero hit us at first light! Sort of makes you step right along to keep warm. This is the transition weather that helps you remember to grab your gloves and neck scarf before leaving the house.

Sunday, October 8 I attended the Daniel Centennial slide show at our old school house. Another peaceful time sharing good company and great historic information about our area. The slide show is a prelude to the new "old-time" book, due out in the near future, about the Daniel Valley and its perpetual, die-hard inhabitants.
   Mother Nature's fall paintings are beginning to rust and flake and drift to the slumbering earth. I'm surprised that given our past droughty months and recent wind gusts, the leaves have stubbornly clung to their branches as though not wishing to let go of the first summer of the new century. But the circle of that which is to come moves on.

Monday, October 9 Rudy began the tedious, hair-pulling job of ripping 4-5 layers of petrified roofing paper from our 75-plus year old storage garage. The old roofing material is full of tacks, so we gotta keep 'em rounded up so the horse hooves and vehicle tires don't pick 'em up and get crippled. When the roof is stripped, he'll roll out the new tar and paper - if temperatures ever reach 50 degrees again before next spring. 

Wednesday, October 11 A wintry storm marched in this morning with the stealth and purpose of a cavalry unit. Nearly time to change the straw and felt hats for woolen Scotch caps and mittens. 
   Got to get the chores done in time to watch the second Presidential Debate. Critical things are at stake in the upcoming election, not only for us folks way out West, but also for the sake and safe-keeping, and freedom and honor of everyone from shore to shore in our great nation. The dear "Old Red, White, and Blue" deserves the very best we can give her. Yes siree! I just can't tell you how extremely proud I am to be an American - a wild ridin', cowpunchin', egg gatherin', dog totin', kid lovin', storytellin' American Cowgirl!

Thursday, October 12 Columbus Day! A day of new discoveries, new beginnings, new adventures... A circle, neverending...  Almost as good a time to make resolutions as New Year's Day, yes? 

Thursday, Oct 12 You know, I've always wanted to find a hobby, a sport, or something that I could proudly say - "Hey, I'm pretty danged good at this!" Well, over the years, I've looked and tried, tried and looked, and tested and protested all of my options with great enthusiasm. Mostly, though, I've heard only these comments about my efforts: "Well, Crissie, sure tries hard, bless her heart...Boy, sure gotta give her credit for trying...Man, she just doesn't ever give up, does she...Crissie, have you ever tried sitting this one out...?
   Well, bullheadedly, I say: "Don't y'all ever give up!" I'm glad I didn't, because I've finally found my calling in life. Who'd a thunk it...Sweet, little Crissie grew up to be a skunk charmer! Now, call it what you will, friends - a hobby, a craft, a profession, a talent -but I am a pretty darned good Skunkbuster, by grabby! At long last, my folks are just ever so "proud" of me. And I can see it now - my epithet: Here lies "sweet" Crissie, who most certainly was never very prissy. She had a "special air" about her that always made folks just wanna step aside whenever she entered a room! 
   Anyhow, folks, all joking aside, we have had a surplus of skunks this fall and have had to deal with them, practically, on a daily basis. Soon, though, they'll be hibernating till spring. In the meantime, Skunk Wrangling has become the unofficial sport of Sublette County residents. Recently, I was called out to my cousins' family ranch where I "taught" his little girls the great craft of "scent"less skunk removal. What a wonderful evening spent passing on the family "talents!"  Hope you enjoy my poetic version of SKUNKBUSTING! on the story page! 

Saturday, Oct 14 First thing this morning, Rudy helped load out yearlings at the "Skunk Ranch" in the Cora Valley, then he worked on his roofing project. I made sourdough bread for our shipping day, chopped firewood, cleaned up the yard, brushed the stickers out of the dogs' hair, fed the little barn cats, did laundry, got the mail, grained the sheep and old horses...general errands and whatnots.

Sunday, Oct 15 Moved the big cowherd home from Horse Creek this morning. The alkali road was slick and muddy and slow going from recent snow and rain. The dogs worked with brilliant strategy. In other words, they behaved perfectly. I complimented them many times, saying. "You dogs are so good at what you do best!"  Yep, it's countdown to our own shipping day next Sunday. Might call it our only payday of the entire year. Hope things go well.

Monday, Oct 16 Fixing gates, checking stock water, airing up horse trailer tires for shipping day. Early evening hours till midnight were spent in BS session with cousins and neighbors - sittin' around the kitchen table, drinkin' cowboy coffee, and telling stories about old county livestock brands and awesome historic legends and lore. 

Tuesday, Oct 17 Rudy is still cussing his roofing project...wishes he was a better carpenter...knees hurt...dropped two rolls of roofing paper from the peak of the garage...cold enough they broke up and couldn't be used...will use the chunks to paper the dog house roofs...all is not lost if you use your imagination...Turned the boss's new desert horse, Billy, out with the main horse herd...Squealing, kicking, running...pecking order quickly reestablished...Hail, King Billy...The old dog, Lacy, killed a little barn kitten...Hollered at her, but not in time...Bad dog...Poor little baby kitty...Won't have to face the harsh winter, now...Nature calling...I guess...

Wednesday, Oct 18 Helped another cousin, up country, ship out his steer calves.  Nice warm weather - brilliant blue sky. No horse wrecks today. Good cowboys, good help, good day. Raccoons tearing into our grain sacks. Hellava mess!

Thursday, Oct 19 All the cowboys here today to help cut out our replacement heifers, bull calves, and peewee calves. Long lunch "hour" recalling more "history!" Toward evening tide, when the calves are mothering up for their supper meal with mama, the crew rode out again, to cut out more cow/calf pairs. Two days till shipping...

Where did that story go?!? The stories from earlier front pages aren't gone. We just move them to the monthly journal pages to make room for the latest diary entries on the front page. See the Journal Index for a listing of all previous front page journal entries!

Copyrights: Photos and page text content copyrighted, Cris Paravicini, 2000. No part may be reproduced without permission of the author/photographer. Page graphics copyrighted, Pinedale Online, 2000.