Sitting Pretty

Remember five months and six days ago...

...when Wings had her first calf, Sky?

And Ziggy had Zoey a day later?

Wings, Sky, and Zoey today. 

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" ~Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

Lost Mirror Lake

It's known by some as the Middle Tensleep Creek Trail; others call it the Lost Twin Lakes Trail. After studying the Forest Service map at the trailhead, we set our sights on Mirror Lake, which appeared to lie some two or three miles up the trail. 

We hiked for hours but never found Mirror Lake, which is apparently not as close to the trail as we thought. Even if we return with a guidebook and have more success, we'll always call it Lost Mirror Lake Trail. 

The falls were a delightful surprise. 

A few wildflowers have survived the frosts. Luckily, the mosquitoes and flies have not. 

I'd like to know the name of this Christmas-colored groundcover. 

The Middle Tensleep Creek--I think! 

Summer meets fall. 

This goshawk had earlier flown just over my head. Its size was a bit intimidating!

Pikas can be heard in every boulder field along the trail, but they're not so easily seen. (Can you find it?) Oh, for a zoom lens!

 

"I have never been lost, but I will admit to being confused for several weeks." ~Daniel Boone

Pollmart

A sunflower actually has one- to two-thousand tiny disc flowers, making it a one-stop pollen-mart for bees. 

American Indians are believed to have begun cultivating sunflowers as early as 3000 BC--with the help of their honey-making neighbors, of course. 

"The world was really one bee yard, and the same rules work fine in both places. Don't be afraid....Don't even think about swatting....Above all, send the bees love. Every little thing wants to be loved." ~Sue Monk Kidd

Jungle Book, the Farm Edition

The terrible tiger and peerless panther steal out of the jungle and into a clearing.

Cat-astrophic casualties lie in their wake. 

Even jungle cats take naps.  

"The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater." ~J. R. R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

Floriculture

Sugar was kind enough to weed the alfalfa out of my flowers this morning. 

"There shall be an eternal summer in the grateful heart." ~Celia Thaxter

The Office

Just another morning at the office, feeding cows and irrigating hay with Bodie:

"Men are not so much the keepers of herds as herds are the keepers of men." ~Henry David Thoreau 

Death Canyon Hike

Ominous name and smoky haze (sourced in Canadian wildfires) notwithstanding, the Death Canyon Trail in Grand Teton National Park was pure delight.

"Perhaps the truth depends on a walk around the lake." ~Wallace Stevens