Nest Therapy

The Bighorn Basin, where we live, receives less than 10 inches of annual precipitation. Were it not encompassed by four distinct mountain ranges, it would surely be called the Bighorn Desert. At any rate, our arid climate typically provides ideal conditions for my solvophobic goats.

Solvophobia, the fear of dissolving in water, is latent during drought and dry spells but problematic during and after rain and snow events. The goats spent the last snowstorm in the barn, but when the sun came out, we were compelled to scrape the snow off of a sunny knoll and make a nest for them with straw and hay.

Minnie and Moey up in the nest

“Be diligent to know the state of your flocks, and look well to your herds.” –PROVERBS 27:23 (AMP)

Snowflowers

Rubber rabbitbrush "blooming" this sub-zero morning

“He wraps you in goodness….” –PSALM 103:5 (MSG)

Embellishments

Cupcakes are always better with sprinkles, which is the primary reason that I have a stash of—I’m reluctant to admit this—28 containers (hey, most are very small bottles) of sprinkles in my cupboard.  Well, Cupcake must subscribe to the same theory because yesterday she played in the hay, embellishing herself with hundreds of tiny green sprinkles.

Going My Way?

Moey has flourished so much these past few months that I sometimes forget how tiny and timid she used to be. She’s almost as tall as her sister Minnie, and every bit as confident, plump, and playful. Gone are the days when she wanted to be carried everywhere instead of running, skipping, and kicking her heels—or so I thought.

The latest storm left just 3 inches of snow, but Moey thought it was 3 inches too much. The other goats were glad to get out of the barn this afternoon, but Moey detested the feel of the cold, wet powder on her feet. She parked herself in a patch of bare dirt in the lee of some tractor tires, where she loudly submitted a barrage of I-hate-snow-please-carry-me requests!

“Save Your people and bless Your heritage; nourish and shepherd them and carry them forever.” –PSALM 28:9 (AMP)

Vim

Bodie, our Border collie-blue heeler-Catahoula cross, enjoys his typical ranch duties: herding cows, trying to herd goats, putting up with cats, holding down vehicle seats, terrifying visitors, and exercising rabbits. But Bodie’s activity-of-choice is walking, hiking, or running with his family. Bodie prefers to run with son Zach, who runs faster and further than those of us who are older and more sluggish!

Zach and Bodie running to their grandparents' house

Yet those who wait for the Lord
Will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary. –ISAIAH 40:31 (NASB)

Herding the Wind

A group of wind generators is called a wind farm, but I’ve taken the liberty of renaming this one in Shirley Basin: wind ranch.

Just look at the iconic Wyoming ranch scene below: sagebrush, gnarled cedar posts, barbed wire fence, wide expanse of grassland, distant mountain range, no trees. In my travels down the highway past this place, I’ve seen herds of cattle grazing beneath the wind gens, but I’ve never seen a single row of corn, wheat, barley, sugar beets, or any typical Wyoming crop. Looks like a ranch to me.

When I drove past yesterday, the wind was gusting hard enough to require a firm grip by both hands on the steering wheel. I didn’t see any cows and could only assume that they had blown away.

“…He was seen upon the wings of the wind.” –2 SAMUEL 22:11 (AMP)

Piled High

This looked more like a giant cow-cupcake than a haystack! A yearling steer (left) appeared to be scrounging for "crumbs" which the wind may have blown off the top.

"What a stack of blessing you have piled up

    for those who worship you." -PSALM 31:19 (MSG)