Mud Story

"All that matters is that you are deeply loved in the midst of your deepest dark." ~Ann Voskamp (paraphrase of Romans 5:8)

Undone

We Wyoming gals know very well how wind so quickly dishevels and bedraggles. Even the cows' coiffures~and dignity~are soon undone. 

"He rekindles burned-out lives with fresh hope, restoring dignity and respect to their lives--a place in the sun!" ~1 Samuel 2:8 (MSG)

Relief

The Southern Big Horn Basin Glacier is finally melting. This is great news for stock and stockmen. Packed, crusty snow and ice has made travel by foot, hoof, or tire difficult and often hazardous. Grazing has been largely out of the question. If this Ice Age had continued much longer, folks may have had to switch from cows and sheep to reindeer and polar bears. 

"As the sun makes ice melt, kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust, and hostility to evaporate." ~Albert Schweitzer 

Customer Magnets

Our little town boasts two hardware stores. I prefer to shop at the one with the amiable Sylvester cat napping on the check-out counter. 

We have two feed stores. Both are nice, but I'd rather frequent the one with the very friendly and terribly cute Border collie-Australian shepherd pup, Josey. 

Looking for an edge on the competition? Consider adopting a charismatic cat or an irresistible puppy!

                          Josey

"Buy a pup and your money will buy love unflinching." ~Rudyard Kipling

This Just In

Everywhere, ice. Groundhog shadows. Fog and frost, again. Hollow-eyed gardener. Hungry deer slinking past the house to feed on the goats' bale. More snow this morn--

We interrupt winter with this breaking news report: The horses are beginning to shed! Spring is coming!

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

The Cow Whisperer

Hubby's Tennessee Walker, Solomon, can't run fast, stop hard, or "turn on a dime" like most cowhorses can. The only spins he's ever performed have been mid-air reversals of direction while being challenged by a cantankerous Angus bull.

But Solly has an amazing herdside manner, completely at ease amongst cows--and they with him. When ridden into a herd to sort out an animal, he's so affable that they rarely get ruffled. We've never seen Solly get impatient and lay his ears back or nip at a recalcitrant cow. He gets the job done with a minimum of stress and offense. "It's almost like the cows think he's one of them," Hubby says. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HUBBY! I love to work cows with you!

 

"Walk with me and work with me--watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace." ~Matthew 11:29 (MSG)

Enlistment

On a farm or ranch, there's always more work to do than hands to do it. Any friend or family member who comes to visit dreads the inevitable: While you're here, would you mind giving me a hand with ______? I was going to do it yesterday, but the cows (got out/busted  the fence/needed doctoring/all of the above).

On our place, even the cottontails have a job: keeping the cowdog in top aerobic condition!

"The duller the ax the harder the work." ~Ecclesiastes 10:10 (AMP)