Saturday, October 31, 2015

A Cow Came Calling

When a stray milk cow invited herself to lunch at our place yesterday, I hurried to check the status of the fence. Nothing seemed knocked down, as I'd feared. She's so tall that maybe she just stepped over our beef cow-sized fence. 

A neighbor retrieved the sweet old gal today. If he doesn't start feeding her better at his place, we'll likely find ourselves re-hosting a Holstein. 

"Nice place you have here."

"Is that a cow on stilts?!"


"Be quick to give a meal to the hungry, a bed to the homeless--cheerfully." ~1 Peter 4:9 MSG 






Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Falling Further

Indian summer has given way to deep fall. Even late spring calves are past due for weaning. 


More leaves are on the ground than on the trees. 


The last of the tomatoes and peppers have been rescued from the garden and rendered into chili and soup. 


Most songbirds have shipped out. The cats are hunting less mice and more blankets. 



"The leaves fall, the wind blows, and the farm country slowly changes from the summer cottons into its winter wools." ~Henry Beston

"While the earth remains,
Seedtime and harvest,
Cold and heat,
Winter and summer,
And day and night 
Shall not cease." 
~Genesis 8:22 NKJV 











Friday, October 23, 2015

Fluff

Despite the mild temperatures, all the livestock are growing their winter coats. Easter's face--well, see for yourself! I don't think the cold wind and snow will bother him in the least. 

Easter's pre-winter face. His sisters, Millicent (left) and Sky (right), are fluffless. 

Easter's younger, summer face. 


"Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face." ~Victor Hugo


Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Dayspring

The horses' breakfast was late because I was too busy taking foggy sunrise pictures. 

I guess you can tell by looking that they were in no danger of starvation. 





"There was never a night or a problem that could defeat sunrise or hope." ~Bern Williams 



Monday, October 19, 2015

Brightenings

This time of year, early evenings find me keeping one eye on supper proceedings and the other out the kitchen window. For a few brief but resplendent moments, the setting sun sets the cottonwoods alight. 



"My God turns my darkness into light." ~Psalm 18:28 NIV












Friday, October 16, 2015

Zonkey?!

Hubby and I took a different route for our morning run. When I first glimpsed the stripes on what I'd thought was a mule, I thought I was seeing things. 




"The more side roads you stop to explore, the less likely that life will pass you by." ~Robert Brault 




Monday, October 12, 2015

The Best Kind of Friend

Sugar's tiniest friend visits regularly to brush her and bring her apples. Today, Sugar repaid the kindness by giving her a ride. 






"What is important is faith expressing itself through love." ~Galatians 5:6 NLT



Sunday, October 11, 2015

Hoofing It

As if jogging with cows (see When the Cows Come Jogging Home) isn't odd enough: I love walking with my little goats. We generally go for a spin after supper. 





"Little by little one walks far." ~Peruvian proverb 




Friday, October 9, 2015

Panther in Paradise

Mercy, the fierce but fair-weather mini-panther, loves Indian summer. It's not too hot, cold, windy, or wet in her jungle. For sport, Mercy pursues lemurs (mice) and parrots (songbirds) and ambushes villagers (us) and dholes (Bodie).





"There is a wonderful wideness in God's mercy." ~Joseph M. Stowell











Wednesday, October 7, 2015

When the Cows Come (Jogging) Home

On my way home from running, I saw that one of the calves wasn't feeling well. I called Cupcake and Blossom, who promptly accompanied me, and the other 40 head soon joined the procession home. 

It wasn't very western, but it definitely was easy. 




"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me." ~John 10:27 NKJV




Monday, October 5, 2015

Why and Wherefore

I'd planned to spend the afternoon in town running errands, but the sunshine was too bright and the horse too unridden. 





"On earth there is no heaven, but there are pieces of it." ~Jules Renard


Saturday, October 3, 2015

Tiny's Rescue

A month ago, I found a tiny cottonwood struggling to grow in the middle of the gravel canal road. Somehow it had survived herbicide sprayed by both the canal company and the nearby farmer, not to mention a nearly rainless summer.


I began watering Tiny regularly to help it recover from stress before I rescued it. Hubby and I waited until rain was predicted before beginning Operation Extrication. 


The pen around the goat shed needs a shade tree, so we picked a spot nearby for Tiny's new home. 


Tiny looked even tinier surrounded by the tree "cage" that will protect it from browsing goats and deer until such time as we need to change Tiny's name. 
__________________

"He reached down from heaven and rescued me." ~2 Chronicles 22:17 (NLT)