Some Soldiers Smell Nice

All but one of my rose bushes made it through the Winter of 2017-2018. (Grammar junkies, don't judge me. If you'd weathered our Worland, Wyoming, winter, you'd capitalize the W too.) 

It's finally summertime, but the roses and I continue to fight for their survival [cue theme from Glory www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1YuKBp11sU] against such foes as hailstorms, hungry grasshoppers, and pillaging goats. 

I put out deer repellent made with oils of peppermint, cinnamon, and cloves. It appears to repel white-tailed deer but not brown-and-white-tailed Nigerian dwarf dairy goats. Repellent spray containing cayenne pepper doesn't faze them either. I hope we don't have to resort to bunkers and rolls of barbed wire.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places." ~Earnest Hemingway

Goatspeak

"Recess!!!"

"Nice to meet you. Did you bring us any treats?"

"Eat my dust!"

"Were we that crazy when we were little?"

"Who are those tiny ladies? What are they doing in that box?"

"This dog is nice, but why does she always stare at me like that?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away." ~Isaiah 35:10 NIV

So We Flew the Coop

As a rule, farmers and ranchers don't celebrate weekends. We've heard of them, of course, but we can't just clock out of fieldwork or tell livestock that since we don't get paid overtime, we're going home. We are home. 

Sometimes, however, a hiking trail beckons louder than weeds and a dear family member offers to feed the baby goats. There's nothing else to do but forget all there is to do and flee to the mountains.

This was our first hike up the Cottonwood Canyon trail.

Ellie got to romp and hunt pikas with Lily, our beloved granddog.

I don't know if Cottonwood Creek is good for fishing, but it's excellent for wading.

Scarlet globemallow cheered passers-by.

It would be fascinating to hike this canyon accompanied by a chatty geologist! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"The whole earth is filled with His glory, so keep your eyes wide open, Traveler. You are no aimless wanderer." ~Beth Moore, The Quest