This is Sarah’s first day on the job as a Dunrovin wrangler; so naturally, Miss Gertie wanted to make an impression and stand out from the rest of the equine herd. She did this by getting herself trapped in a little fenced in triangle in the corner of our arena. Our arena has these little triangles in each corner of the arena to protect the trees that we planted to provide both beauty and shade. Both horses and donkeys tend to destroy trees by striping the bark, eating the leaves, etc. Life with equines is a matter of protecting them from themselves and protecting all the property from their curious, mouthy ways.

The DIVAS, along with Bonnie and Clyde, spent the night in the arena with plenty of space to roam around. However, Miss Gertie felt the need to crawl under a wide spot in the fence to try to eat some of the leaves off the trees. Getting in the triangle was too easy for her; but getting out eluded her all together. So when Sarah arrived for her first ever feeding of the herd, she immediately found Miss Gertie pacing in her little cage wanting out. Not knowing exactly how we might want to handle this, Sarah appeared at my door with the news.

All it took was a hammer to take down a rail to let the rascal out. Sarah just learned the number one lesson for dealing with our equines: NEVER trust the DIVAS!

 

Notice the wires running in the trees. These are the wires that connect our mobile camera to our computers. We have been experimenting with the best location for the camera, but now that we have installed a new pole, we need to dig a trench to bury the cables. Another small job at the ranch.

My husband had a senior moment and forgot to turn off the sprinkler last night – AND the temperatures obviously dipped below freezing. This is the artistic result!

 

This post is an archive of the Lolo Fires outside of Missoula. What follows is reporting on those fires as they happened:

Horses from the area surrounding Dunrovin Ranch are being evacuated to stay here with us. We’ve also been coordinating with the forest service and they are planning on setting up their Lolo Creek Fire Command Center on land leased by Dunrovin Ranch. Our live webcam will cover the action here. Make use of our forum to tell your stories and help with the efforts to save animals affected by the Lolo fires. The forum is dedicated to coordinating resource sharing. Please post in this forum if you can help move livestock or if you have a need for assistance. Register with the website (free of charge) to access this forum.

August 22, 2013

The Montana National Guard arrives at the ranch. Photos by Tamar.

Also, click the link for a great source of fire news updates.

 

 

 

August 21, 2013

The fires made another BIG run last night and left the Bitterroot Valley full of smoke and ash in the morning.

Tamar’s fire photos:

The night of the big blowup.

 

Evacuated horses at Dunrovin Ranch

 

The sun ablaze.

 

August 20, 2013

Dunrovin’s Osprey family continue their activities at their nest that is now engulfed in smoke.

August 19, 2013

Strong winds and high temperatures whip up the fires into an exploding conflagration. Smoke pillows in the skies.

 

August 17, 2013

Two small fires along in the Lolo Creek drainage in western Montana along Highway are started. Their smoke creates a beautiful sunset.

At no time in my life did I imagine running a guest ranch. Over forty when horses first entered my life, it never occurred to me that they would be anything other than an expensive distraction from an already full life as a wife, mother, and career biometrician. So how did all this happen?

Well, like many horsemen, I bought a second horse for guests to ride. Then, like many Montanan’s, we built guest quarters to accommodate all the relatives and friends who descended each summer to enjoy Montana’s great outdoors. This all escalated into several guest quarters and many horses until one relative finally exclaimed “why, it’s like a little resort here!”  All this happened at a time in my life when I longed for a structural change – a change that would get out from behind my computer and into Montana’s backcountry – a change that would connect me more with people and animals than numbers and reports. So here I am and ever glad for the transition!

It has not been easy. There is a great deal of truth in the saying that “the business owns you rather than you owning the business.” It has been a struggle in many ways – learning so many new things: business plans, marketing strategies, financial statements, licenses and permits, insurance, and employee benefits. Whew! These have been some of the busiest years of my life!

But I would not go back. The people, the animals, the places, the activities, the adventures, the misadventures, the trials, the joys, the tears, the heartbreaks, the challenges, and the opportunities that have come my way via Dunrovin Ranch have enriched my life beyond measure. In many ways, Dunrovin is a reflection of my life and my values. It nourishes me in so many ways – plenty of hard physical work, strong emotional bonds, spiritual connections, never ending challenges, awe inspiring moments, and more things to learn than time in which to learn them. Every Day at Dunrovin brings new stories with new characters, new adventures, new plots, new scenes, new beginnings, and new endings. No one knows where the Dunrovin story will take us.

I hope you will become part of our story. You don’t have be to here physically to share the experiences, participate in the conversations, and contribute to the story. The magic of the internet with our web cameras, chat rooms, videos, photos, and forums can connect you in meaningful ways to all of us, this place, our animals, and each other. Together we’ll write the story of our Days at Dunrovin.