Baaaack to Sweet Water County in Yellowstone Country
Baaaack to Sweet Water County in Yellowstone CountryRead Jetsetters Magazine at www.jetsettersmagazine.comTo read this entire feature FREE with photos cut and paste this link:http://www.jetsettersmagazine.com/archive/jetezine/cabinweb/ranches/lambing/lambing.htmlVirtually every state in the Union produces cattle. Most produce sheep as well. Why is it that no other state carries quite the mystique that Montana so easily holds? My visit to the working ranches of Sweet Grass County gave me some hints. Nestled in the Yellowstone River Valley, with the Crazy Mountains to the north and the Beartooth Range to the south, the place feels like a story unto itself.The western fringes of the Great Plains were white with spring snow as the plane descended into Billings airport. From there it was a ninety-mile drive up the eastern shoulders of the Rockies to Sweet Grass County and the town of Big Timber.
The county is home to Montana Bunkhouses, and I was returning after an initial visit last summer. This group of cattle and sheep operations offers authentic ranch experiences to visitors who want to be guests, not tourists.Note: Wait for slide shows to appear, 1 photo every 10 seconds.I didn't feel like a tourist at the Sanders Ranch. Heck, I felt more like a groupie. Lynn Sanders plays electric guitar and croons like Ray Price. (What, you don't know that name?) Lynn's wife Julie plays a mean piano.
Steve and Sheryl Richert and Terry and Wyoma Terland came from their ranches. Their friend Tom brought his electric bass, and Tom's wife Deb took a turn on the keyboard. After a delicious dinner of soups, bread and dessert ? all homemade ? we enjoyed a performance by the musicians. I found it entertaining just to hear that these people could spend their day deciding which animals to send to market and their evening choosing the appropriate key in which to play "Sioux City Sue."The highlight of the evening, however, was the storytelling. I've never encountered a badger, but I'm told that besides being destructive nuisances on a ranch, they're extremely feisty critters.
"And they can count, too!" said rancher Rick Jarrett, recalling the time he unsuccessfully emptied a revolver at a retreating badger only to have it turn around after the sixth shot was fired and come after him. Lynn Sanders told us of the time he saw a badger in the middle of the road and went after it with the only weapon he had ? a claw hammer. "I wouldn't have tried that," laughed Rick. "I'm not that good a carpenter!"Here's one you won't hear in the city: Steve Richert recalled the time his son Josh and several other kids had treed a bear in the yard and had gone and fetched knives to tuck into their belts like a pack of would-be Davy Crocketts. We howled at Steve's description of practical, down-home parental discipline dispensed through an open window to a bunch of kids milling about under a tree: "Leave that bear alone!"There were plenty of others: the day Rick almost bought a farm implement by accident at the auction, the County's road-paving techniques, and Terry's use of propane bombs to get prairie dogs out of his pastures.
I'd go back to Yellowstone Country for the stories alone.It had been a fairly mild winter, and the ranchers needed to protect their stock early against ticks and other pests. At Crazy Mountain Cattle Company, where Rick Jarrett and Karen Searle raise cattle and sheep, we started with their nine ranch horses. Rick sprayed them with an insect repellent and then vaccinated them for such ailments as "strangles" and West Nile Virus. Most of the animals took it well, but two were rather spooked by the spray bottle. Sometimes it's hard to predict what will scare a horse.To read this entire feature FREE with photos cut and paste this link:http://www.jetsettersmagazine.com/archive/jetezine/cabinweb/ranches/lambing/lambing.html, Jetsetters Magazine Correspondent ? Read Jetsetters Magazine at www.jetsettersmagazine.com To book travel visit Jetstreams.com at www.jetstreams.com and for Beach Resorts visit Beach Booker at www.beachbooker.com.
Like Oil and Water... Koi Ponds and Algae Don’t Mix
(ContentDesk) May 23, 2006 -- Pond owners spend time, money and patience building a beautiful koi fish pond only to have their hard work threatened by unsightly algae.
This stringy green nuisance has plagued most koi ponds at one time or another.
However, increasing the aerobic bacteria activity as part of a routine koi pond maintenance program will lead to the control of the slimy green nemesis.Actually, algae is not the problem.
It is a symptom of a larger problem, which is the nutrient level and oxygen content in the koi pond.
Algae feed on the nutrients in the pond and when the nutrient level becomes high, algae will bloom and grow very quickly.
Small amounts of algae in a koi pond is healthy, as it does add oxygen back into the water, however too much of a good thing is bad.
To help remedy this problem, excess nutrients need to be removed.
There is only so much that can be done to limit the nutrients that get into a pond.
Water > Like Oil and Water... Koi Ponds and Algae Don’t Mix
The Relationship Between Water and The Liver
Although many realize that the liver has its own cleansing system, it does need help - as it cannot maintain its healthy state if its being abused. Abuse occurs when too much of the wrong foods are entering the body.The livers main role is to neutralize the wastes and toxins in the body. Toxins refer to "bad foods" that do more harm than good. Some of these "bad foods" are fried foods that are high in fat, caffeine and alcohol.There is nothing wrong with eating these foods in moderation, however, too much of these unhealthy foods in the body can lead to low energy levels. These low levels are caused because the liver has to work much harder to break down the excessive amounts of "bad food" in the body and the liver is unable to continue processing the toxins at its optimum rate.In order to avoid problems, drink plenty of water to assist the livers cleansing function by flushing out wastes.
Water hydrates the body and allows the cells to stay healthy and active. This is necessary...
The Relationship Between Water and The Liver
Water > The Relationship Between Water and The Liver
Quest Innovations & Research Announces Inventions to Help Solve Environmental Issues
(ContentDesk) July 21, 2006 -- The major environmental issues our world faces are problems that must be solved for the survival of life. According to The Natural Resources Defense Council, scientists say that unless global warming emissions are reduced, average global temperatures could rise another 3 to 9 degrees by the end of the century -- with far-reaching effects. Sea levels will rise, flooding coastal areas. Heat waves will be more frequent effecting crop yields, health and water sources. Droughts and wildfires will occur more often.
Disease-carrying mosquitoes will expand their range and species will be pushed to extinction. According to Richard C. Duncan, author of "The World Petroleum Life-cycle," a general consensus is developing among geologists that oil production at current levels can not be maintained beyond 2010. Even if new oil fields are developed, they will serve at best to delay briefly, the decline in production. Hunger and disease will be increased because...
Quest Innovations & Research Announces Inventions to Help Solve Environmental Issues
Water > Quest Innovations & Research Announces Inventions to Help Solve Environmental Issues
Like Oil and Water... Koi Ponds and Algae Don’t Mix
(ContentDesk) May 23, 2006 -- Pond owners spend time, money and patience building a beautiful koi fish pond only to have their hard work threatened by unsightly algae.
This stringy green nuisance has plagued most koi ponds at one time or another.
However, increasing the aerobic bacteria activity as part of a routine koi pond maintenance program will lead to the control of the slimy green nemesis.Actually, algae is not the problem.
It is a symptom of a larger problem, which is the nutrient level and oxygen content in the koi pond.
Algae feed on the nutrients in the pond and when the nutrient level becomes high, algae will bloom and grow very quickly.
Small amounts of algae in a koi pond is healthy, as it does add oxygen back into the water, however too much of a good thing is bad.
To help remedy this problem, excess nutrients need to be removed.
There is only so much that can be done to limit the nutrients that get into a pond.
Water > Like Oil and Water... Koi Ponds and Algae Don’t Mix
The Relationship Between Water and The Liver
Although many realize that the liver has its own cleansing system, it does need help - as it cannot maintain its healthy state if its being abused. Abuse occurs when too much of the wrong foods are entering the body.The livers main role is to neutralize the wastes and toxins in the body. Toxins refer to "bad foods" that do more harm than good. Some of these "bad foods" are fried foods that are high in fat, caffeine and alcohol.There is nothing wrong with eating these foods in moderation, however, too much of these unhealthy foods in the body can lead to low energy levels. These low levels are caused because the liver has to work much harder to break down the excessive amounts of "bad food" in the body and the liver is unable to continue processing the toxins at its optimum rate.In order to avoid problems, drink plenty of water to assist the livers cleansing function by flushing out wastes.
Water hydrates the body and allows the cells to stay healthy and active. This is necessary...
The Relationship Between Water and The Liver
Water > The Relationship Between Water and The Liver
Wildlife in Winter Ponds
This may seem contradictory, but you want to leave a little bit of debris in the pond when preparing it for winter. Some water gardeners net out the fish, completely drain the water and scrub out the pond, refilling it with fresh water. Frogs, tadpoles, snails and microscopic pond life need to burrow down into mud and leaves to survive the winter. Fish also hibernate on the bottom, settling in around a bed of leaves and mud. I remove about 90% of the leaves and silt that have accumulated over the summer.
Leave the rest as "bedding material." You'll be amazed at the diversity of pond life that emerges in spring. Keep in mind that tree leaves will continually blow into the pond as long as the water isn't frozen. I recommend covering the pond with bird netting. This black plastic netting is almost invisible and prevents tree leaves and debris from getting into the pond..
Brett Fogle is the owner of MacArthur Water Gardens and several pond-related websites including Wildlife in Winter Ponds
Water > Wildlife in Winter Ponds
Water skirt Baaaack to Sweet Water County in Yellowstone Country