A couple of weeks ago, we were riding out to move some cattle to a different pasture, when David stops and says, “shhhh, do you hear that?”
Macklee and I stopped and listened. “um, no, what is it we are supposed to be hearing?”
“You can hear the grass growing” he tells us with an almost straight face.
The last week in September we were blessed with a lot of rain. (over 4 inches in a week) It was a little late in the growing season, but we are not complaining. We have received some moisture this summer, even though it is not wide spread. Never complain about the rain, we’ll take whatever we can get. Sadly, this continued drought has been very hard on many NM ranches. My dad reminds us regularly, “not to worry because it rains after every drought!”
As I rode across the growing grass, I was counting my blessings and contemplating many things. First, I wondered who named all of these plants and grasses. Second, I dove down the rabbit hole of increasing America’s cattle inventory. Pondering how the average American rancher is supposed keep heifers with diesel and feed pricing soaring. Switching gears quickly to how fun it is to live paycheck to paycheck when your paychecks are a year apart! Shifting to all the things that I need to accomplish before work on Monday. Completing the loop and the gather by circling back to my blessings.
Remember to count your blessings and pause to hear the grass growing!
out some new and old recipes. We made sweet potato salad, pasta salad, homemade granola bars, coffee ice cream. And if that wasn’t enough . . . our speciality oatmeal chocolate chip cookies! It is a good thing I don’t stay home often, I would weigh 300 pounds. Macklee gave the pasta salad “4 thumbs up”!
The horses are wishing they were somewhere in a stall with blankets on them . . . . or not?
The storm delivered. It continues to snow as I write this at 6 p.m. December 27, 2015. So far, we have around 18 inches on the level. The problem however, is the drifts many are greater than 5 foot high. The entire sorting alley is snowed in to the top pipe!
The real snow hero is my husband. He has piloted the blade or the bobcat ALL day. He has delivered feed to all the animals and cleared the roads and the pens. He has not stopped since early this morning. We have had some water problems. It started out as snow waiting down floats, and has progressed to pump house leaks and smoking pumps. He has just left again to recheck the red tank, he hopes be be back by 8:30 p.m. I guess this why he doesn’t want to move to Alaska, where much like today, I would do my part . . . bake and keep the fire going!
