Hello & Welcome to our Diary page. The purpose of this diary is to record our adventures, folks who stop by, travels and events at the Thorne Ranch. It was primarily meant for family and friends in the beginning, but we have grown a large number of faithful readers over the past years. Over 100,000 from all over the world have visited us. We don't intend to offend anyone or to glorify our life here. It's pretty boring most of the time as you will see! We are pretty common folks trying to make a living doing what we love, breeding and raising cattle. Our wish is that someday this Diary will be enjoyed and appreciated by our grandchildren and great grandchildren. In the mean time we hope you get a few good laughs at our expense. "Learn from the mistakes of others. You can't live long enough to make them all yourself."
Welcome to the Diary &
"The Adventures of Dear Abbie's Wife"
THE PEN IS MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD..
Remember to welcome strangers, because some who have done this have welcomed angels without knowing it! Hebrews 13:2
Copyright © 1998 - 2010 A. W. Thorne Land & Cattle, Inc. All rights reserved.
"Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed." Proverbs 16:3
A.W. Thorne Land & Cattle, Inc.
435707 E370 Rd
Adair, Oklahoma 74330
Office 918.783.5477 Joan 918.284.0175 A.W. 918.527.2002 joan@thornecattle.com
This page was last updated: July 30, 2010
The Best Days
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'To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did.' When God takes something from your grasp, He's not punishing you, but merely opening your hands to receive something better. Concentrate on this sentence... 'The will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you.'
There comes a point in your life when you realize: Who matters, Who never did, Who won't anymore...And who always will. So, don't worry about people from your past, There's a reason why they didn't make it to your future.
April 2010
April 1-3 We made it to Josh and Hanna's wedding in Tulsa last Saturday evening! We had a great time and it was fun to see everyone. The past week has been a fun time visiting several Museums with our family friend Doc Gilg. He is retired now and has the time to see places he never got to see when he was a busy General Practitioner. So we set off on March 30th for Will Rogers Museum, J M Davis Gun Museum, and the Military Academy of Oklahoma called OMA. That was my first visit to that establishment that was started in 1919 and closed in 1972 to form Roger's State College. Wednesday we traveled to Tulsa. Abbie got to go with us that day and we visited the Gilcrease Museum to view the Charles M. Russell collection. We had a great time. Then on Thursday we left off for Oklahoma City to see the Cowboy Hall of Fame and the Murray Building bombing site. We didn't make it in time to see the Museum but we got to walk the grounds. The Channel 5 News team interviewed us to see what our opinoin was of the McVeigh tapes that are now available to hear. He was recorded for 15 hours and those tapes have not been played for the public. We were asked our opinion if those tapes should be played and vailable to the general public? You can see our short interview at Channel 5 KOCO. We loaded up the kawasaki mule yesterday as it was pouring down rain and took it to Pittsburg KS to get repaired. We stopped off in Joplin to pick up parts for one of the New Holland tractors. So I feel like I have gotten my traveling and education for a full week! Doc left out this morning for friends of his in Muskogee so my tour guide job has come to a close. Now it's try and catch up on weeds that have over grown the grass in the yard and the pile of paperwork that has accumulated on my desk! ha All good times much come to an end and normal life is knocking at the back door! ha Plus if I am going to find those Easter eggs I had best mow some weeds down! ha
The flood..it went down by evening but it sure looked like a deal for awhile! I went to KS that day March 26 and had to go around north to get to Highway 69.
April 4-11 Congratulations Brenna and Eric! A new baby boy named Jacob Wyatt! We are so happy for you!
It's been busy here..to say the least! I went to Church with Renita and Roger on Easter Sunday and sure enjoyed that time. Guys are working cattle and we moved several to fresh pastures on Thursday. We saddled up Tee and Wiley and had a full day of horse back riding! Then that night I loaded up Wiley and headed over to Rita's to ride trail with my Ya Ya Sisters. I have been slowly getting the memory book done for the folks. Carol came by on Friday and we went to the Chuck Wagon for lunch. Enjoyed getting to see her for at least a half a day! Saturday morning I went to Renita's to help her with her Creative Memories and picked up some alfalfa and hay for my nags, since I have captured them in the corral. They seems to be enjoying the TLC. They are shedding off pretty well now. I worked them over pretty good yesterday morning and I think I had most of the hair on me when I got done. ha We had to run to Pittsburg KS to pick up a tire on Friday night! I spent a good part of that afternoon searching for a 23-1100-10 inch tire for the kawasaki mule! Not one in Pryor or Claremore.. so they had one up there and we had date night to go and pick up the tire! ha We ended up with four new tires! So now we have a spare! ha Abbie has about run the tires off that little mule! ha It sure saves lots of steps and of course he would rather use it than a horse! He says he has been there done that and doesn't want to do that again! He grew up horse back and all he remembers is the extreme pain of daily horse back riding in hot and cold weather. I do too but for some reason it's work and play for me? I do remember all the cattle drives growing up that we headed out at day light with 300 steers to take down to Uncle Lorenzo's summer pasture north of Burwell. Cold back horses and stiff saddles! I never did get bucked off but there were moments that it was extremely possible! ha Those were the good ole days! huh? I used to help Fuzzy Dean move cattle too! Those are such fond memories of trailing and gathering cattle! We set off across big pastures and hardly ever ran into a road! You sure couldn't do that here in this civilized area called Oklahoma anymore! You would cause a wreck! ha
I have seven new members to the family! Baby ducks! Yes I just love raising those quackers! ha My plans are for them to go to the new pond in front! I am trying not to mark them as my children so that they will leave me and find bugs to live on at the pond dam! The cats are all pregnant and it looks like an overflowing crop of kitten! Oh dear! How did we get to this situation so fast? Does anyone need barn cats? ha
I mowed down the acres for the 2nd time yesterday and that means the grass is growing along with the weeds. The fescue is already starting to head out and stool! It will be time to bush hog fescue heads soon and here I am sitting on my behind (sore behind from riding) ha and I still have pastures to finish draggin! Okay I am off like a herd of turtle! You all have a great day.
Brenna, Eric and Jacob Wyatt. 8 pound baby boy!
Ya Ya Sisters Trail Riders.
Redbud tree in full bloom!
Turk and Punisher bull calves!
Turk heifer.
Tee eating his oats. He always has one foot up just like a painter with one hand behind his back! ha
The front of the house greening up!
April 12-13 Happy Birthday Dad! We hope you had an extra special 81st birthday! I heard that you had to walk from the East Corral when you got stuck dragging pastures. Soak your feet in epsom salts. ha I drug the rest of pasture 17 and both 16 north and 16 south yesterday. I had to kick in four wheel drive once on a big bale pile I was dragging down! ha Now it's off to pasture 18! The wind is blowing gang busters here today! I caught Jet this morning and we had to have a lesson on getting caught. I don't think she will run away next time! ha We went for a run about in the pen at a full lope! If she even hesitated once I gave her some slack, but she was persistent until she started licking her lips and looking my way like, " Are you ever going to stop pushing me? ha Funny how that system works! It works on kids too! ha If they don't mind just make life miserable for them and they will come around begging for mercy! ha Of course in today's climate that would be child abuse! ha I call it tough love!
Today's subject! How American are you? I for one am about as Chevrolet and Apple pie as they come! I shop for made in the USA when I can find it! That is hard to do these days! I don't have to business at restaurants that don't speak English plainly! I will not have my nails done in a foreign salon if they speak their language. I don't get it done often enough to be in a habit! ha My nails are non existent anyway! I just think it's rude to not speak your customers language? I didn't vote the present administration in. But some of my best friends are black. It's not a matter of skin color it's a matter of character and honesty. I have rich American friends, middle class friends and poor American friends. All have to have one common American trait, trustworthy. You can sort a whole USA neighborhood in a few minutes with trust! Some of the richest people I know are the hardest people to pay you.. Maybe that's why they have so much money? Some of the poorest folks I know would give you the shirt off their back if they could? Our American way of life is still better than the alternative world powers! So appreciate it and hang out your American flag today! I did and it's about to move north in this wind! ha
Here is the last page from the 35 page 60th Wedding Anniversary Book for Mom and Dad that I am doing.. Thought you would enjoy seeing the Herrington Family Collage. I put some new pictures of the Spring calves on the Club Calf page! Finally getting some pictures taken! Abbie is clipping out fall calves so will have some pictures of them soon! It's been hard to catch up around here!
1983 -Dad, Ray Herrington on Duke with Brenna when she was little
Delynn, Shawna, Shareen and Diann with Delynn's 4-H Hereford heifer in 1982.
April 14-21 This has been a busy past couple of weeks. Between trying to finish up calving and dragging pastures. Trimming trees and getting the yard in shape. We had some unexpected visitors from Indiana stop by for a minute last week. Some of our Diary readers named Fred and Betsy Eiler. They are with World Missionary Press Inc. Really nice folks and so glad that they took time to stop and say hello! The kids came on Friday night and spent the weekend with us. It went by fast and the weather was cold and wet. Grace and Logan are spending the week. That has kept this Jo Jo hopping! Doesn't seem like I get much of anything done but after a full day with them you know that you did a whole of lot of grandparenting! ha We fed the ducks, we fed the horses, we brushed the horses, we stopped and swung in the new horse swing several times. They played in water at the fountain, which meant dry clothes a couple of times. ha They have been taking turns riding in the tractor with Pa Pa too and riding on the Mule to feed cattle. So it's been a very busy week of fun times. What is a grandparent? Someone that takes the extra time to make sure you get to do all those fun things that parents just don't have time to do for you! ha Yes we spoil them rotten! ha
Fred and Betsy Eiler -World Missionary Press, Inc.
Happy Birthday Brother Bill the 21st of April! My little baby brother isn't very little anymore! Bill on Goldy our old Palomino mare we all grew up riding!
This morning the two geese were talking to Bolt and telling him to move over! ha We are getting some real nice calves out of Bolt! His papered name is TLC Anna's Knight.. So far they have been polled.
April 22-25 Well we survived grandparenting again! We delivered Logan and Grace to a happy Mommy and Daddy in Durant! They only ended up with a skinned up elbow from all their excursions on Thorne Ranch. If you had followed them around we would be in the hospital from exhaustion. They have more energy than the ever ready bunny! ha We stopped in McAlester and did something we seldom do and played the one arm bandits. Not many arm pull machines anymore they are all push button! Something sterile about pushing a button and not pulling the leaver? ha We donated $20.00 to the Choctaw Nation but had fun. Came out smelling like a smoked ham and happy to breath fresh air again! They should hang hams on the ceiling of those places. Cheap way to smoke them! ha We also stopped at the Honor Heights Park in Muskogee to see if the Azaelia's that were in full color. They were still pretty but sure were starting to fall off. They have a festival each spring and the park is spectacular. Ponds, water fountains and beautiful landscaping. My friend Leona and I went a few years ago and really enjoyed that day there!
So today we are catching up on several projects. Cloudy and cool today. It's 65 degrees and we have very little sunshine. We had two new calves born this morning. Only a couple of heifers left to calve, which is a good thing. So far, knock on wood they have been small babies. My mower is ready again so plan on knocking down the weeds in the front bull pastures today! Think I had better get a coat, sure don't need sun glasses or sunscreen today!
Hollywood Grace
Grace and Logan on cart at the pond dam.
I called for the horses and they came running for their oats! Tee in the lead and Wiley behind! Carol called them my big dogs! ha
This is a weed growing out of the top of a plastic post cover.. Yes the weeds do grow that tall in Oklahoma too! ha It knocked off the cap! Need some roundup!
