Saturday, February 27, 2016

The Quest

Every time we go for a run in the desert, we look for the wild horses. 


We haven't seen this band for years, but we've seen plenty of evidence. 



Maybe they're just over that hill, I say to myself. Nope. Maybe over that ridge. Nope. 

Maybe next time!
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"An optimist is someone who figures that if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's the bluebird of happiness." ~Robert Brault 








Monday, February 22, 2016

Crown Princess

Just a few years ago, Jubilee, our herd queen, was born into the relative obscurity of a Wyoming barn. I'm pretty sure she knew all along that she was destined for the realm. 




"For the Lord delights in his people; he crowns the humble with victory." ~Psalm 149:4 NLT 





Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Shades of Grunge

On our place, pre-spring is the most unsightly time of year. The snow and most of the ice have melted, leaving bare vistas in variations of drab. Mud mucks up roads, corrals, animals, tires, boots, and doormats. 

Piles of partially-thawed sustainable-farming natural fertilizer, aka manure, are everywhere, as the fields are still too mushy to harrow. 

Happily, the scenery is about to change: cute, hilarious calves will soon be appearing. 



"You can only come to the morning through the shadows." ~J.R.R. Tolkien 

Saturday, February 13, 2016

Mountain Goats

It's a good thing Minnie doesn't go shopping with us at Scheel's...


...where her long lost relatives are stuffed for display. 



"In Him was life, and the life was the light of men." ~John 1:3 NKJV 


Friday, February 12, 2016

Unfrozen

While much of the country is enduring the polar vortex, we're basking in a tropical version. Balmy weather means that the sparrows are beginning to chirp, the horses are happily receiving callers...



...the Terrible Tiger is back in the jungle...


...and the hubs and I are busy with spring cleaning. 



"Despite the forecast, live like it's spring." ~Lily Pulitzer 

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

The Best

I don't mean to brag, but...



"Don't compare yourself with others. Each of you must do the creative best you can with your own life." ~Galatians 6:4-5 THE MESSAGE 

Monday, February 8, 2016

The Cracker Conspiracy

The goaties always enjoy company, especially that of kids bearing crackers. It's sort of an inverse hospitality racket: visitors bring food to and serve the hostesses. 

Jubilee and Blueberry graciously accept their serving of Saltines. 


"The greatest among you must be a servant." ~Matthew 23:11 NKJV 


Saturday, February 6, 2016

Jane Doe

Our cows aren't the only consumers of homegrown alfalfa. Mule deer feed in our hayfields all year round. 

Mulies are quite skittish, but this curious doe couldn't resist a peek into the back window. 




"All fear is but the notion that God's love ends." ~Ann Voskamp 



Friday, February 5, 2016

Printmakers

At first glance, it's unremarkable. Upon further inspection, however, naturalists will note the tracks of the fastest runner in the Western Hemisphere, the pronghorn antelope~~only inches from a footprint of one of the slowest, yours truly. 

Oh, well. Biodiversity is a sign of a healthy ecosystem, you know. 




I did take several photos of the antelopes running across the road, but they were traveling so fast that they looked like blurry beige ghosts. 

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"Your miracle is on the other side of just do it." ~Priscilla Schirer 






Wednesday, February 3, 2016

They and Them

During a bad snowstorm, they close highways, shut down schools, and cancel flights. No unnecessary travel, they advise. Wind chills are dangerously low, they warn. Stay indoors, they say. 

But "they" aren't hungry cows!



On the Downing Ranch in eastern Colorado, Red Angus eat breakfast in this week's blizzard. 

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"Lots of people can be cowboys. Few can be cattlemen." ~Ricky Booth

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Groundhog Optional

Beyond a shadow of a doubt, Wyoming livestock forecast spring every bit as well as that oversized Pennsylvania squirrel.  

When the horses start shedding...


...and the expectant cows get rounder...


...we know that springtime is certainly brewing!

~~~~~~~

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." ~Hebrews 11:1 NKJV 

Monday, February 1, 2016

A Lily by Any Other Name

We don't know her original name. Found running on the streets, apprehended by animal control, and detained in a shelter, someone dubbed her Silo. 

Adopted by my son and re-christened Lily, she soon overcame her fear. As cattle dogs are wont to do, Lily quickly appointed herself Head of Security and Chief of Staff. 

When Lily recently jumped atop the stove and apprehended freshly baked scones, she added another name to her repertoire: Sconasaurus. 






"One of the greatest diseases is to be nobody to anybody." ~Mother Teresa