Author: ride-n-mama Sharon

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Getting Cattle to Market is A Family Affair

We work all year to keep and care for our cattle so they will be in the best shape to sell. Knowledge and techniques are passed down to generations who will be carrying on the work of the ranch in the future. Younger generations learn as they work side-by-side with their parents, grandparents and great grandparents.

Getting cattle to market is truly a family affair. The Grieb Ranch crew recently took their sale cattle to the Visalia Livestock Market which is the closest market since the closing of the Templeton Livestock Market a few years ago.

Livestock market

Mr. P along with his dad, Daniel, his Papa and new friend, Jacob from Michigan all sold their year’s work. Mr. P sold his calf out of his cow “Pudges”. He kept “PJ” out of his cow “Peaches” for a herd sire. These are decisions a budding cowboy needs to make and he has three generations of experience to guide him.

 

 

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“Baby Bigs”

close up

Brand new “Baby Bigs”

This Spring, Grieb Ranch welcomed a new colt for the first time in 30 years.  “Baby Bigs”, as Little P calls him, was born trouble free. His registered name is “Buck N Big Time”. Dam, “Gemma”, is a Buck N Tuff daughter and sire is “One Big Time”, owned by Rick Machado Livestock.

Momma has been re-bred and went in for a Sonogram to see if she is in foal again.

one month old

Bigs is growing strong. He may have a brother or sister joining Grieb Ranch next year.

 

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Andi for Andrew

One of the traditions at Grieb Ranch is to plant a fruit tree for family members to give them a connection to the land. The Grieb family also gets family members started in the cattle industry by assigning them a calf.

Andi for AndrewThe newest addition to the Grieb family, baby Andrew, has a heifer calf named Andi. Grieb Ranch anticipates her becoming a top-producing cow for him.

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Welcome Baby Andrew

We welcomed the arrival of baby Andrew born on April 30, 2017.  Here he is with his welcoming committee at the hospital.

welcome baby Andrew

Little did we know that he was soon to become our miracle baby.  A few days after his arrival he was airlifted to a Children’s hospital in San Francisco.  A competent team of doctors and nurses went to work to discover and fix Andrew’s issues. . . while we prayed and prayed.

Heading Home

We praise God that Andrew is now home and doing well but his family could use more help. Read the rest of his story and see how you can help this new family here: gofundme.com/gnugqr-andrews- journey

Amanda's little family

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I LOVE YOU FOREVER, MOM

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You have shown me how to give of myself.

You have shown me leadership.

You have taught me to be strong.

You have taught me the importance of the family.

You have demonstrated unconditional love.

You have demonstrated a sensitivity to people’s needs.

You have handed down to me the important values in life.

You have handed down to me the idea of achieving one’s goals.

You have set an example, throughout your life of what a mother and woman should be like.

I am so proud of you.

And I love you forever.

– Susan Polis Schutz

“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.” Exodus 20:12

Happy Mother’s Day from the Grieb Ranch

 

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When it Rains

Rain changes plans on the ranch

Getting the train outRecently Stan and Little P went to work in the shop, out of the rain. When they didn’t return for lunch, Connie went to check on them. She was looking to see how clean the shop was and what projects were getting done. Upon entering the shop, Connie was greeted with two big grins and not the sound of rain but the sound of trains in the shop. Trains! A hinged platform was unearthed and brought back to its use of holding the HO train track rails. The train engineers resurrected life from the trains in the rain.

Rain changes work conditions

muddyThe weather forecast was for 51% chance of showers. 300 head of cattle, a three and a half hour drive away were on the schedule to be worked. The weather forecast didn’t deter. Connie got up at 4am to go help her niece get the cattle worked. Well that 51% chance happened and the cattle were worked in the mud. The cowboys had to struggle as the mud stuck to their ropes adding a different challenge to the day. In the end, it turned out to be a fun and safe day that gave even the experienced cowboys a time to remember – working 300 head of cattle in the rain.

wrangling in the mud

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Flowers Spring to Life

mustard

Can you see the cowboys and the cows?

picking flowers for great grandma

Picking flowers for mom

Spring has sprung at Grieb Ranch so we see amazing spring flowers – both wild and planted – come to life all over the ranch.

It is at this time of the year when Isaiah 40:8 comes to mind,
“The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.”

Each flower is so intricate and phenomenally created, but it only lasts for a short time.  In contrast, the word of our God stands forever.

Spring 2017 traveling scenery 2017-04-03 002

Have a Blessed Easter from the Grieb Ranch

More Spring Garden 2017 2017-04-09 011
Grieb Ranch Photos: Connie Willems
Flower photos: Sharon Jantzen

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Trust Your Neighbor, but Brand Your Cattle

Riding outThe Old West is almost gone. So far we have been able to gather enough cowboys to rope and brand the calves. Working cowboy skills have for the most part dissolved into memories, histories and legends of the Old West. Grandpa keeps threatening to buy a calf table.

Between wind, rains and bull fights and riding the neighbor’s ranch to find missing cattle we finally gathered all the cattle for the branding event.   The recent rains have resulted in boggy roads and hillsides making traversing them pretty tough.  We are grateful for the rains but it made it tough finding a slot to get the calves branded between rain and friend’s branding events.  We rely on friends to help us brand and we in turn help them.

That is why each year it is so important to get cattle worked…..because you “Trust your neighbor, BUT brand your cattle.”
This year, we gathered all the cattle from our ranch and the neighbor’s in preparation to brand. The unmarked calves are identified as Grieb Ranch property through their branded mothers. Unfortunately, rain and mud hindered us on branding day.  So we put both herds, Papa and Daniel’s, in the holding field to wait for a few days of sunshine.  Our youngest cowboy helper this year was one year old and the oldest was 91 years old. This year’s branding got off to a rough start, but ended well.
Logan

From One Year

Papa Carl

To 91 Years

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Branding: All Hands Appreciated

Branding is used for identifying ownership of cattle. Every ranch has a unique design, usually incorporating the initials of the owner or initial of the ranch. Grieb Ranch brand is a backwards G with an arrow underneath.

Grieb ranch brand close up

Grieb Ranch Brand

Fall calves were recently gathered at Grieb Ranch and driven to the branding area. In addition to branding the young cattle receive vaccinations and ear tags plus get looked over for any health issues. All procedures are done efficiently with the cattle’s best interests in mind.

Connie’s kitchen served as the stage for branding, ear tagging and vaccination prep.

Kitchen is staging area for vax sharpened

Branding is a social affair with cowboy friends showing up early and staying late. Many hands make the work light. Local cowboys help each other out by lending their assistance and knowledge at each other’s branding events. So of course there is food to enjoy after all the work is done. This year the big hit was a Fruit Pizza presented by Jessica Willems.

Fruit Pizza sharpened

Fruit Pizza created by Jessica Willems with fruit rearrangement by little L. Brandings require everyone to lend a helping hand, even a 16 month old boy.

Recipe for:   Fruit Pizza

From the Kitchen of: Jessica Willems 

Servings: 16

Ingredients:

Crust

  • 1 package(18 ounces) refrigerated sugar cookie dough, softened

Crust Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Shape dough into ball.  Place dough in center of round stone or pizza pan. Using lightly floured rolling pin, roll out dough to 12-inche circle, about ¼ inch think.
  2. Bake 18-20 minutes or until light golden brown.
  3. Cool 10 minutes.

Topping

  • 1 container of cream cheese frosting
  • 2 pints fresh strawberries, stemmed and sliced
  • 1 batch of red and green grapes
  • 1 small can mandarin oranges or 3 “cuties” peeled
  • 1 pint blueberries

Topping Directions

  1. Spread mixture evenly onto top of cookie.
  2. Starting at the outer edge of the pizza edge place strawberry halves, next a row of red grapes, a row of mandarin orange slices, next blueberries, then a row of green grapes and in the center a design made with strawberry halves.
  3. Cut dessert with pizza cutter.

Equipment needed

  • Pizza pan or cookie sheet
  • Roller
  • Paring knives
  • Spatula
  • Medium bowl
  • Cutting board

Grieb Ranch appreciates all helping hands at the branding from 1 year to 91 years.

from 1 to 91

 

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Taking Care of What He Gives

Yes we have enjoyed much-needed rainfall here at Grieb Ranch. However the resulting mud and other issues from the storms add tasks to our already full plate.
fence-down

Papa Carl, on his beloved tractor, cleans up debris after a storm.

Connie pauses to reflect on how God might want us to apply David’s prayer from 1 Chronicles 29:14, “Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you first gave us.”(NLT)
stuck-in-the-mud

Water and mud everywhere! The waterline to the trough had to be blown out for fresh water to fill the trough again.

When the business at the ranch gets taxing the words in the book Passion and Purity by Elisabeth Elliot take on new meaning: “If we hold tightly to anything given to us, unwilling to let it go when the time comes to let it go or unwilling to allow it to be used as the Giver means it to be used, we stunt the growth of the soul.  It is easy to make a mistake here; if God gave it to me, we say, ‘it’s mine.  I can do what I want with it.’ No.  The truth is that it is ours to thank Him for and our to offer back to Him, …ours to let go of.”
How blessed are we that everything we have “comes from your hand, and and all of it belongs to you.”  I Chron. 29:16
brooks-are-running

We’re gathering cattle while many little streams run down our hillsides.

We are thankful and blessed that God is sharing this amazing Central Coast with us.

 

Paraphrase from Our Daily Bread-Sept. 8