Friday, November 28, 2014

Supply and Demand

Recent bouts of snow and fog have made sunshine a sought-after commodity for man and beast, especially since the days are getting shorter and shorter. The same livestock that sought the shade not so long ago now turn broadside to the sun so as to absorb every available wavelength of radiant energy. 

The same two-legged folk that shunned the bright afternoon summer sunlight just a few months ago are now throwing open curtains and hugging hot mugs and hearths. If some physicist-entrepreneur would figure out how to capture and package sunbeams, we'd pay whatever the asking price!



"Those who look to Him are radiant with joy." ~Psalm 34:5 (HCSB)

Thursday, November 27, 2014

Chiplifting

Don't tell Hubby, but this afternoon, I misappropriated some of his tortilla chips and snuck them out to the goaties for a Thanksgiving treat. (I also pilfered carrots and apples for the horses, but he won't miss them so much.)


The Terrible Tiger served as lookout while the goaties crunched the contraband. I guess that makes him an accessory to the crime. 


"How joyful are those whose lawless acts are forgiven and whose sins are covered!" ~Romans 4:7 (HCSB)


Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Cat Burglar

One minute, Mercy is nestled in my arms, an angel with whiskers...


...the next thing I know, the little twerp has stolen my checkbook out of my purse! 


Did I say "angel"?


"...Who beautifies, dignifies, and crowns you with loving-kindness and tender mercy." ~Psalm 102:4 (AMP)

 

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Homecoming

How can I not be thankful for the advent of winter? If it weren't for the bitter cold that freezes the northernmost rivers, the bald eagles wouldn't be back. 

I'm thrilled to report that at least one of the two youngsters hatched and raised in a nearby tree has also come home!



"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is though everything is a miracle." ~Albert Einstein 

Saturday, November 22, 2014

The Heffie Chronicles

The weanling heifers, aka the heffies, are thriving despite the recent severe cold snap, growing noticeably both up and out! Since they've been residing close to home, we've thoroughly enjoyed getting to know them better....



Pansy (above right, eating her straw bedding) is an outspoken little busybody. She always wants to know what we're up to and give us her two cents' worth, loudly. Even if we're out of sight in or around the barn, Pansy generally voices an opinion, registers a complaint, or fills us in on the latest back-fence buzz. 



Marigold (above) mothers the others, especially Brownie, one of the youngest. One morning, Brownie was stretched out, napping so soundly that Marigold was worried that something was wrong. When a gentle nudge didn't arouse Brownie, Marigold panicked and butted Brownie so hard that the latter was rolled onto her back, feet pointing heavenward. Needless to say, Brownie woke up.


"No matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love." ~1 Corinthians 13:3 (MSG)



Friday, November 21, 2014

Jungle Day

For the first time in 10 days, the mercury managed to clamber up and over the freezing mark--by only 2 degrees--but after all the sub-zero-ness, 34 felt positively sublime. 

The horses, goats, and weanling heifers lazed and napped nearly all day long, but not so the Terrible Tiger. He awoke from semi-hibernation on the bed and happily went outside to prowl the jungle. He must have annoyed the gazelles (goats) one too many times because I saw them chase him up a fencepost!


At sundown, the Terrible Tiger surveys his domain from atop a round bale. 


"Rejoice in every good thing which the Lord your God has given to you." ~Deuteronomy 26:11 (NKJV)






Thursday, November 20, 2014

Meadow Ballet

Mule deer are a fairly common sight in my corner of the world--but usually in arrears, since the appearance of a two-legged person with a spotted dog always sends mulies into disappearance mode. 

This morning, however, a doe and nearly grown fawn didn't notice Bodie and me on the canal road. Perhaps the falling, shimmering frost distracted them because for a few mesmerizing moments, the pair glided our direction, two elegant ballerinas on a snowy stage. Suddenly, one caught a scent and coughed a loud warning. In an flash, they were gone, but the smile on my face lingered long.  





"It is a terrible thing, I found, to be grateful and have no one to thank, to be awed and have no one to worship." ~Philip Yancey, What's So Amazing About Grace?



Wednesday, November 19, 2014

When Snow Flows



"Grace, like water, flows to the lowest part." ~Philip Yancey, What's So Amazing about Grace

Monday, November 17, 2014

Frosting

In this part of the country, red and blue roan horses generally bring higher sale prices than their more solid counterparts. But winter is a great equalizer. On a sub-zero morning, every horse--and cow--is a roan!

                           Sugar

                        Cupcake 


"That grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God." ~2 Corinthians 4:15 (NKJV)

Sunday, November 16, 2014

Farm Skiing

Making the most of our early winter, I've knocked the dust off the cross-country skis and swished some ski swatches through the new snow. Cows, deer, rabbits, mice, a feral cat, and even our dog seem to think I made the trails for their traveling ease and use them like so many sidewalks!

Bodie--good cowdog, great trail buddy, awesome sidekick. 


"All the paths of the Lord are lovingkindness and truth." ~Psalm 25:10 (NKJV)

Saturday, November 15, 2014

Then and Now

                     Coneflowers 

                  Snowconeflowers 


"How many lessons of faith and beauty should we lose, if there were no winter in our year!" ~Thomas Wentworth Higginson



Thursday, November 13, 2014

Summer Echoes

Winter flexed its muscles this morning, sending the mercury to 28 below, yet as this afternoon's photos suggest, summer is having the last word. 

      Freeze-dried roses in the garden

         Wild rose hips along the river



"One must maintain a little bit of summer even in the middle of winter." ~
Henry David Thoreau

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Tiers

Just last Saturday, I was running in a sweatshirt and mowing the lawn in a t-shirt. But this weeks' double-digits-below-zero lows and single-digit highs means that now I'm sporting more layers than a wedding cake!

Sparkle looks dazzling in her winter coat. 


"Restore the sparkle to my eyes." ~Psalm 13:3 (NLT)




Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Best Thing

 "All horses deserve, at least once in their lives, to be loved by a little girl."  -Author unknown 


Sugar loves being groomed by this young student who has grown leaps and bounds in skills and confidence. "This is the best thing I've ever done," she said on one of her recent rides. Apparently the feeling is mutual, since Sugar follows her girl around without a halter or lead rope!

Saturday, November 8, 2014

Promising

Some of my favorite places are paths. A path, whether walked, run, hiked, or ridden upon, is at once soothing to the soul and stirring to the spirit. How can I not feel hope when trotting down a trail, when some treasure of vista or wild thing surely waits just around the bend or over the hill? 



"You direct me on a path that leads to a beautiful life." --Psalm 16:11 (VOICE)

Friday, November 7, 2014

Of Cud and Kin


I wonder if social scientists have ever posed this question: Does the family that chews the cud together stay together?

Daisy Mae (center) chewing the cud with daughters Gracie (top) and Mayzie. 

Meels (center) chewing the cud with daughters Moey (top) and Minnie. 


"Keep the corners of your mouth turned up."--Mother Teresa






Thursday, November 6, 2014

Pretty in Pink


 

Tonight's sunset cast Sugar in a quite flattering, pinkish light. 


"He wraps you in goodness--beauty eternal." --Psalm 103:4 (MSG)


Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Moments

Most of our fall hues have either faded, fallen, frozen, or flown away in the wind, but today divulged a few tiny bits of color here and there.  

               Berries on red cedar

                    Currant leaf

               Johnny-jump-up
 


"Cherish every moment of the fleeting life God has given you under the sun." --Ecclesiastes 9:9 (VOICE)




Monday, November 3, 2014

Their Time

Normally, these frost-shapen blooms wouldn't catch my eye, let alone grace these pages. But around here, flowers blooming in November is anything but normal. Since each of these plucky posies is surrounded by countless spent seed heads and zillions of freeze-dried, shriveled blossoms, they've definitely earned their place in the sun!

                            Rose

                       Sunflowers  

                      Blanketflower  


"...Restoring dignity and respect to their lives--a place in the sun!" ~ 1 Samuel 2:8 (MSG)

Sunday, November 2, 2014

Upstream

Before it's the Big Horn River that winds lazily past us, it's the more industrious and effervescent Wind River advancing up its namesake, the Wind River Canyon. I say up because there are places where inclines and angles of the highway and slopes combine to give the impression that the river is actually flowing uphill. 

Maybe the Big Horn isn't lazy. Maybe it's just tired!



"Ask {the Father} in my name, according to my will, and he'll most certainly give it to you. Your joy will be like a river overflowing its banks." --John 16:24 (MSG)