Rector’s Mini Ranch, Woodlawn, IL (2026)

06/05/2026

Your 15 seconds of cuteness for the day. Enjoy!!

06/05/2026

Some evening piggie zoomies for ya.

06/02/2026

Wilber loves to push things around so I got him a beach ball for his pool. Porky got out and isn’t interested lol

05/28/2026

Do I own a ranch or a 3 ring circus pt 4

Thursday the 22nd I had gotten the call that Tootsie was able to come home. While on the phone with U of I I asked if they would be able to see Lady. She has had this crazy hacking cough for the last year and half. Every time I had her around Dr John she wouldn’t do it. He tested for what he could but all was clear. Anyway they said sure have her here at 10.

Friday morning I get all my feedings done and it time to load Lady. She has gotten to be a pain to load since she has starting “working”. It took way longer than it should have to get her on the trailer. But we finally got there and was off for the 2 hour trip to Urbana. I had taken a call and wasn’t paying attention and the fuel light came on, 50 miles to E 🤦🏼‍♀️. Ok well I’ve got like 12 miles to U of I and I know I passed 2 stations on my way there last week. This would have been great but the damn GPS didn’t take me the same way as last week!!!!! Mother’s Day Joey and I had literally had the conversation about not running the truck low on gas especially while pulling the new to me 30’ gooseneck stock trailer.

I look up diesel stations on maps and pick the closest. I go to whip into the island and this station does not have diesel!!! There was a tenant outside so I ask him where the closest station with diesel was. He says on university st by the hospital. Ok so I look up the next one on maps. Get there again no diesel. But I don’t see a hospital. Ok fine. I called the station and asked them where the closest one to them that had diesel was. The lady tries to tell me it’s on such and such street. Ok well that doesn’t help. So to the ol maps app again. There was literally another station 3 blocks up. I at this point am begging God to help me find a station cuz I was down to 12 miles to E. I’m not sure if y’all know if a diesel runs out of fuel, it’s a bad deal. A 5 gallon jug full isn’t going to fix the crap that happens. Thankful the lord was on our side and we made it.

We finally get to the U of I and they of course run their own bloodwork and of course it’s clear. They then decide to run a scope down her throat. Come to find out her larynx collapses. Nothing can be done about it really except get 62 pounds off of her 🤣. I’m like all she really gets is hay and grain once a week. So we are working on that.

After a very interesting visit to the U of I we get home. Mom says “what’s that”. Me as I’m trying to back the trailer is like what. She says “that”. Ok woman you need to be more specific. I finally look over and low and behold, I have a baby cria on the ground. So after we get backed in I go collect baby and mom and head to the maternity barn. Y’all newborn llamas are so stinking cute!

I run and pickup some things in town. Got back and tried to “milk” mom, and I got NOTHING! So now I have a bottle llama again 🙄.

Please welcome Libi: A short, beautiful Hebrew name translating perfectly to "my heart". She has a heart on top of her head.

05/28/2026

Bedtime meal….. oh meet Porky! Wilber, not his biggest fan.

05/25/2026

Do I own a ranch or a 3 ring circus pt 3

Do you remember yesterday when I said that last part about the fence was important well here ya go….

Tuesday the 19th should have brought a little calmer day. Did you catch the key word in that last sentence? I was outside doing noon bottles when I looked down the hill against the fence and I seen cardboard flapping in the wind. I tell myself we need to go get that as soon as I was done feeding. As I’m watching the cardboard I noticed that it was moving at both ends. Hmmmm oh that’s not cardboard that is a calf! Suzy was bagging 2 weeks ago when we was working cattle. I slipped and turned her back out in the big pasture.

After I get bottles rinsed I hop on the side by side to go down and collect my “cardboard”. Mom came up to the gate with the herd because they thought they was getting feed, 🙄 of course. So I get to the bottom of the hill and start toward the lil bo**er and it gets up, ok. Then it walks under the hotwire fence. Alright no biggie I back off and it’s only one strand so thought she will come back to where mom left her. NOPE!!! That lil heifer crossed the corner of the pasture and walked through the freaking barbwire fence!!!!! That was alright I watched her lay down so I knew where to look.

I get to the top of the hill and Joey was outside and he hops on and we drive over and down the edge of the neighbors field. He picks her up and she is fighting him. It’s very clear at this point she isn’t a fresh calf.

We get back to the house and we grab a bucket of feed and go down to the gate where we can get mom and move her over to the maternity pasture. We place the calf in the maternity area hoping mom will see her. Calf takes off running up the fence. Of course ALL the cows see we have grain so they are all in the way. Suzy is being a pain but we finally get her through. We look up and I seen the calf at the corner gate at the other end of the pasture. We hop on the side by side and drive out and to the top of the hill. We look out at the pasture and NO BABY!!!!!

We both start looking around like WTF could she possibly have gone. The gate she was last seen at had a bent spot where someone was playing on their tractor in the snow earlier this year and got stuck, but that’s a whole other story. Anyway we walk down and start looking. I walk all over the field and along fence rows, nothing. Joey goes back around and starts driving the field, nothing. We come back to the house and start doing other things hoping that mom will start calling for baby, but do you think we can ever get that lucky?! Not here on WTFN ranch.

4 hours later I finally turn to Facebook and asked if anyone had a thermal drone. Joey has the scopes and crap but evidently that doesn’t “shoot” through grass. As expensive as that freaking thing was it should see through a brick wall 🙄. I had posted on a local page and my cousin Amber seen it. She tagged her mom and asked if someone they knew could help. After a chat they was waiting on a call back. In the meantime I had a nice lady message and say someone was going to reach out. The guy was a firefighter and said he had a short window and would head my way in 20 mins. Joey had decided to drive back down to the field and see if maybe he could get a better view with his scope. He gets to the ditch that runs through the field and stops. He just so happens to look down and low and behold what does he find?!?! You guessed it the calf. He almost ran her over!

Joey comes in the house and says “something is wrong with her”. 🤦🏼‍♀️ of course there is because the last week hasn’t already been a nightmare. I go out and she won’t get up. She is looking around and all the good things but suddenly she just won’t get up and she had some bloody snot. So I make a call to the vet and they page Dr John, this man is going to regret taking us on, and he said to give an antibiotic and she is just likely stressed. Before I called doc tho I had called SuLynn with Cupcake Cattle Company, super sweet and very knowledgeable lady. She didn’t answer so that’s why I called the vet. Last year CCC introduced me to this supplement called Boost. It’s a liquid packed with vitamins and minerals to “give a boost”. I had given that as well as the antibiotic when SuLynn and I finally connected. She said other then giving those things, put her with mom and pray for the best.

This time we got them together in the original barn inside the chute area so that I know neither of them can get out. Joey laid the calf in with Suzy and it cries out. Suzy walks over to her and shoves her with her nose and the damn thing jumps to her feet 😑.

If y’all could take a second and welcome Aella - Greek, meaning “whirlwind.” This name conjures images of a powerful, unstoppable force, perfect for a girl who will make her mark on the world.

05/24/2026

Do I own a ranch or a 3 ring circus pt 2

If your following along I left off with tootsie and her very traumatic week and a half and now for part 2.

On Saturday the 16th RMR had the honor of helping the city of Ashley celebrate Mayfest and the 250th anniversary of our fine country. I had read somewhere that it started at 10 so we showed up and 9 to find out where we was supposed to setup and get things going.

It was drizzling rain off and on so I put up my fancy 10’x15’ pop up tent for the first time. I need to take a second here and thank my husband and my mom once more. It was enough to keep the pony dry, so that my dear helper Libby could still do the pony rides. And of course the goats, cuz rain is lava and they will melt if they get wet. I rolled out the awning on the trailer to help with the rest. About mid day it finally stopped and while we had no sun, it was still a decent day.

About 4:30 mom’s phone goes off and says scattered thunderstorms in our area. And not long at all after the wind picked up. I got the awning rolled back in before the rain hit. For about 20-25 mins the wind whipped and it poured. Needless to say the pop up didn’t fair so well, took a hacksaw to get it down. The animals were all soaked before we was loaded I was soaked. I called Joey and said come and help me tear down we are all over it.

Sunday I spent the day laying everything out so it could dry. Joey put a Hotwire fence across the bottoms so we could keep the cows off of it to let it grow up a bit (this is important for part 3).

(Sorry no disaster pictures)

05/23/2026

Do I own a ranch or a 3 ring circus pt 1

As some of you know Tootsie has been in ICU at the University of Illinois. For those who don’t know on the morning of May 12th I noticed Tootsie had gone into labor, it had been a long 11 month wait and we had been watching close. When I found her the water sack, weighted sack that helps the placenta deliver, was out. I went to looking for the foal. I couldn’t find anything. At first I thought maybe it had gotten in the pond or a coyote had gotten it. But the more I watched her I noticed her rolling back and forth, something moms will do to get baby in position, and pawing like she was in pain.

I called one vet and he was in surgery and of course couldn’t come out. And I called another vet and he had just left for a farm call in the opposite direction. I knew I was in trouble when Tootsie let me walk up to her and snap the lead on. Any of you that has ponies knows, this doesn’t happen normally. So time for me to “woman up”. I grabbed the l**e and went in. Sure enough baby was still inside. Problem was baby was on its side. When I went in I was met with his from right leg, the only thing in proper position. At this point I could not get “under” the baby to get the other leg. So I called a neighbor. He had longer arms and was bigger I thought maybe I needed more leverage.

As I was waiting on the neighbor I thought since she is up maybe if I can get her on the trailer I can take her to the vet so while he finished surgery I can be pulling into the lot. So I called them back and he agreed once I told him what I had. God love Dr John at Sesser animal hospital. He worked for an hour to get the baby into position. That man worked up a serious sweat. Finally he said I’m sorry I can’t get there. You are going to have to call someone else or we have to make “the decision”. Dr John was honest and said he wasn’t comfortable doing the 2 options we had reached that would help her.

I called the equine hospital in Wentzville, MO. We all about fell over when they told me I was looking at 15k. I love my animals, but she is 16 and frankly I wasn’t going to spend that kind of money on her since there was no guarantee she would pull through. I then called the U of I as Doc messaged a local vet. The other vet couldn’t see her so off to Urbana we went. I need to take a second here to thank my mom, Kiesha, the best sister in law a girl can have, and of course my lil ranch assistant Corbin. They always pull through when the circus hits.

I get to U of I and it came down to it they had the amputate the colts head to get him out. His head was big and he just wasn’t in a position they could get him out. Tootsie had retained some placenta but they felt with the trauma she had that day it was best she rested for the day.

Wednesday morning they was able to get the rest of the placenta out. And her pain was a struggle to manage. I had made the decision if we couldn’t get it under control I wasn’t going to make her suffer. The doctors and students up there, top notch highly recommend them!!

Thursday I got the call that Tootsie had started to colic. This happened a couple of times while she was there. They was tubing her from both directions, I’m surprised I can handle her at all. Finally Wednesday the 20th everything started “flowing” more normal and I was able to go pick her up yesterday and bring her home!

Welcome home sweet Tootsie!!!

05/23/2026

Oh you was wanting to sit on the porch and enjoy a few seconds of down time?! NOT if I’m around mom. 😑

05/17/2026

Allow me to introduce Wilber one of the newest RMR residents. This little bacon bit is keeping me on my toes at just a bit over a week old.

Rector’s Mini Ranch

06/05/2026

06/05/2026

06/02/2026

05/28/2026

05/28/2026

05/25/2026

05/24/2026

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05/23/2026

05/17/2026

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