May 2012
Meet the Team Monday
Libby Ulring
Where are you from? I was born and raised in Wisconsin, near Milwaukee, but have spent over half my life now in Montana.
Favorite Season? Summer with no doubt; long days, lots of sunshine, swimming in the river...you just can't beat summer in the valley!
Favorite place? I have many: beach on a tropical island, the Centennial Valley, sitting at the dinner table with my family...the list goes on.
Tea or Coffee? Coffee. Make it a double!
Board games, card games, or video games? None. Bryan says it's because I can't sit still that long...
My best hidden talent is... reading horse's minds and impersonating people
The best thing I ever ate? Reeses peanut butter cup ice cream
On the weekends I... hang with the kids, exercise, and take care of dishes, dogs, and the old ball and chain.
The best thing about the J Bar L is... We're living the dream! It's by far the best place to raise kids, feed them healthy food, and spend lots of time outside.
Hilary's adventures on the ranch...
It must be spring, because we're calving! So we asked Hilary to share what she's been up to...
Right now the heifers have started calving and that means work around the clock for Andrew and I. Since it is their first calf, some heifers have trouble giving birth and after giving birth some heifers get confused with which calf is theirs. We monitor the cows every hour to two hours through the day and night so we can quicky catch one and help her if she is having a problem. After it is born, we tag each calf so we know who it belongs to and can then help the correct mother care for the correct calf.
photos by Hilary Zaranek
Hilary's adventures on the ranch...
Part two of Hilary's calving adventures.
Recently we also had a set of twins. Since the single mother was not producing enough milk for both calves we supplemented those calves with some calf milk replacer. Andy was in charge of feeding those babies each morning and each evening.
Meet the Team Monday
Elle Anderson
Age? 1 year old
My Mom and Dad are? Hilary and Andrew
Any brothers or sisters? 1 big brother named Andy
My favorite activity? Riding our horses Ziggy and Crow Heart.
My favorite animal at the ranch? The horses
Favorite food? Strawberries, bananas, yogurt, and candy
My favorite thing to do with my family when we're at the ranch is... pick up rocks and feed the chickens.
Meet the Team Monday
Olivia McConnell
Where are you from? I'm from a small town in California called Ojai, but have lived all over the southern part of the state, including Sierra Madre, Manhattan Beach, and Santa Monica.
Favorite Season? I love the changing leaves, crisp cool mornings, and apple everything of the Fall and the long days, beautiful gardens, returning wildlife, and outdoor adventures of the Summer.
Favorite place? Sitting on the front porch, soaking up the sunshine with a glass of wine.
Tea or coffee? Coffee in the morning and tea lattes all day long.
Board games, card games, or video games? I'm terrible at card games, but we play a lot of board games. Apples to Apples is a favorite at our house.
My best hidden talent is... I'm a trained soprano.
The best thing I ever ate... I've had a lot of good food in my life! We just went to Las Vegas and had the best albacore at The Sushi Factory and the naan and palak paneer at India Oven are still making my mouth water!
On the weekends I... chase dogs and chickens, teach yoga, play in my garden, wander the farmer's market, cook with my lovely husband, and always listen to "A Praire Home Companion".
The best thing about the J Bar L is...the amazingly inspiring team and advocating for holistic ranch management. The views aren't bad either!
Holistic work/ life balance...
Jalayne's always working! Mom and Olivia could barely pull her away to enjoy a recent shopping trip to Bozeman...
Meet the Team Monday
Stephen Becklund
Where are you from? I was born in Sheridan, WY, but I've lived in Montana my whole life.
Favorite Season? I like Spring and Fall
Favorite place? I love to be in the mountains.
Tea or coffee? Definitely coffee
Board games, card games, or video games? I like to do them all.
My best hidden talent is... dancing the jitterbug.
The best thing I ever ate... a lot comes to mind, but in particular I love "poor man's steak".
On the weekends I... like to hang out with my friends and family, including my dogs;)
The best thing about the J Bar L is... working with the livestock!
Adventures on the Ranch...
We had a very wet Memorial weekend. Early Friday mroning the snow started to fall and by Monday, the ground was dry except for a few puddles. Our oldtimers often say, "If you don't like the weather in Montana, wait a minute!" Never truer than this last weekend!
Evidence from left to right: Meet "Snowman Ulring". His life was short, about 4 1/2 hours. Sweet Ann making the world's best snow angel. Hank passionately cuddling Hugh. The herd.
Special thanks to our brave guests that treked up to the Valley this weekend and smiled the whole time!!!
