tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7712081316919368672024-03-13T21:12:01.236-06:00Naval Air CowmanThoughts, observations, sea stories and ideas from a former sailor and lifelong rancherPrairieAdventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06466447251827774900noreply@blogger.comBlogger962125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-771208131691936867.post-82544344648015279142022-08-11T09:02:00.001-06:002022-08-11T09:04:14.066-06:00Dog days, indeed!<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHAcJ29RcP1CMNnZKyUChDOeLYeA7zVBChzfxkFSRuaoxBz__dVpxH2cTuLCuQhb4aL__7A0X3WzebkaSc9Fld_377ym3vXxFzmFZG60wI6iRu4mfqmHDcLpmrW0v-yT2OCszAhRnTzTa2M3y8vwtCzD_0M-i9qFvORnuBGYCE10leEX-v9NowrDj3Tg/s4032/20220810_092004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1960" data-original-width="4032" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHAcJ29RcP1CMNnZKyUChDOeLYeA7zVBChzfxkFSRuaoxBz__dVpxH2cTuLCuQhb4aL__7A0X3WzebkaSc9Fld_377ym3vXxFzmFZG60wI6iRu4mfqmHDcLpmrW0v-yT2OCszAhRnTzTa2M3y8vwtCzD_0M-i9qFvORnuBGYCE10leEX-v9NowrDj3Tg/w640-h312/20220810_092004.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />And now it's August 11. I didn't expect to get run over with ranch work the way I did, but it seemed like little projects just snowballed on me. It's the way these things sometimes happen. "If I'm gonna do x, I might as well spend the time and effort to do it really well. Especially since it's the season of easy living." Anyway, I didn't intend to go sinker, but I kinda did, didn't I?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A complicating factor is that the last week has been leading up to the terrible date. Hard, busy work has helped keep me out of the land of morbid self reflection, but the combination of physical tiredness and heart/soul healing hasn't left a lot in the tank when it comes to writing.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And of course the Dog Days have arrived with a vengeance. Hot with blazing sunshine and not much breeze; a blanket of heat that begins early in the day and lingers for hours after the sun goes down.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Friday was a seemingly endless round of preparations for working and moving cattle. I know I mentioned plans to conduct this evolution a couple of weeks ago, but as is often the case in this business, plans change. As ape-lizards we continue to plan and try to shoehorn our chores into the human calendar, but nature's reality always gets the final say. The cattle owners have other cattle and farming to do as well, and with lots of variables in play plans change on an almost moment-by-moment basis. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">So on Friday changing plans and future-drifting deadlines gave me the opportunity to apply some longer-lived solutions to a couple of fence repairs. I've been trying to fix a couple of gates most of the summer and I finally got the opportunity to collect, then install, some serious fenceline anchor posts, which I commonly call corner posts. Such posts have to be deep and solid if they're going to stand up to the weight and tension of stretched barbed wire as well as nature's constant environmental pressure. You can do them half-assed, which I do more than I like to admit, but they begin leaning over relatively quickly -- within a year or two at best.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I spent the bulk of the day in preparations. Getting supplies lined out mostly, along with the usual daily cow checking and grass/nature scouting.<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="525" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/f6ElXiLkpxA" width="975"></iframe><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I noticed the butcher birds had been active.<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="525" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/yoMK5D97mNs" width="975"></iframe><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And I shut down the windmills for the season.<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="525" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/mGJjBvJZYyk" width="975"></iframe><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Saturday was a busy day both on the ranch and in town. I failed to get any images or moving pictures, but I did get panels in place for working and moving cattle, a few newly required fence repairs done, and I got my yard in town mowed.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Sunday dawned relatively cool and breezy.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">First I helped bring cattle in from pasture.<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="525" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/zOJfPbB_cwY" width="975"></iframe><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And showed off my broken windshield.<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="525" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/zOJfPbB_cwY" width="975"></iframe><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">After getting the cattle in it was time for the crew to sort. It's the kind of job where an extra helper can be a real pain in the ass, so I had an hour or so to do something productive. I decided to harvest some timbers and railroad ties from "storage." I also made a video wherein I attempted to mansplain why it seems important that I accept challenges and often choose physically hard methods over the easy ones.<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="525" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/aHkpD58K4UU" width="975"></iframe><br /></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Then it was back to working cattle.<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="525" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/eSc41KM-aQQ" width="975"></iframe><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Sights and sounds.<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="525" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Y5C58S6rhQE" width="975"></iframe><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Red got to work cows too, and that made it a great day for her. The chuckle we shared was when a calf got a shot and lunged ahead as one fellow was walking in front of the chute.<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="525" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/0vJXvUtIYhc" width="975"></iframe><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Since the owners pulled 21 calves off to feed out and prepare for a video sale, it was effectively weaning time for those calves and their mamas. It's usually best to give the suddenly calfless cows a day or two to adjust before moving them to a new pasture, so we decided to hold off on the move until Tuesday. Which we did.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I pushed myself pretty hard Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. In addition to working on fence I hand-mowed weeds up in the ranch yard. Tuesday I logged 24 miles, which was a good effort and left me pleasantly tired but not exhausted. The getting/staying in shape thing pays off. Over the three days I logged 57 miles. It was a good run of 116,000 steps. It's good to know that, at least for the moment, there's still plenty of gas in the tank.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I thought this was cool.<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="525" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/2UqWxZRWFZ0" width="975"></iframe><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://prairieadventure.blogspot.com/2016/06/take-it-easy.html" target="_blank">Some time ago</a> I coined the phrase (at least in this space) "the season of easy living." It was springtime and I was trying (not very successfully) to 'splain how much easier everything is in the not-winter. No bundling up, no snow to trudge through, no biting winds, etc. It's a concept.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And now it's time to take kids up to the county fair.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Be well and embrace the blessings of liberty.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>PrairieAdventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06466447251827774900noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-771208131691936867.post-70036042351266517222022-08-05T21:33:00.000-06:002022-08-05T21:33:29.636-06:00Gratitude list, partial<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A few images of August hot.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzCV9EEoxZFJjBsLqGMtq4lLA-29QVWrg3_jFTgFKKRBbZCwKkgBNY7Wnh5Ty8eUQCKOW69o9XI-7pAv05rtQG-aZSttD51OTE__jpYy8YMBFkrIwwBSu9QvPNDgNr435YmpT_NpfDO4z4uDBOASxNwwjCcWGyWxTiIXOwyD2-BvlxFiuui6MNTurzaQ/s640/IMG_2206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzCV9EEoxZFJjBsLqGMtq4lLA-29QVWrg3_jFTgFKKRBbZCwKkgBNY7Wnh5Ty8eUQCKOW69o9XI-7pAv05rtQG-aZSttD51OTE__jpYy8YMBFkrIwwBSu9QvPNDgNr435YmpT_NpfDO4z4uDBOASxNwwjCcWGyWxTiIXOwyD2-BvlxFiuui6MNTurzaQ/w640-h480/IMG_2206.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5lkGzwvE7BgqB8vXprnIivG79k1O10AsYRPPrr7VvrdmwAlKe3lQyKUw6VXQFNPC4qXOBz2sTgcwNsTwH1eNviaHBCLtUxP5uf3Xgt0q4FUeU2KAAPsvYW98j-TXtL6dQY_TakjFADtihcxtCFf4Oa8nq52NwCSMJ8g25j7cOJ-gN9GdWgkXFP4-IPg/s640/IMG_2199.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5lkGzwvE7BgqB8vXprnIivG79k1O10AsYRPPrr7VvrdmwAlKe3lQyKUw6VXQFNPC4qXOBz2sTgcwNsTwH1eNviaHBCLtUxP5uf3Xgt0q4FUeU2KAAPsvYW98j-TXtL6dQY_TakjFADtihcxtCFf4Oa8nq52NwCSMJ8g25j7cOJ-gN9GdWgkXFP4-IPg/w640-h480/IMG_2199.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCGInkxrXABteGxW4Fci3nv586ByvG2WcHEv3jzK8C1_CNuwapQu7qp6pf3He4INNI2nL5-oaZGiQ-py30Wgd88zZUmyGp7aJlthnPNIXeRSWd4P4FyL4j9GrtyedDhgLV_Z6otd26_C63rCAsQEmvnsDbmUOMg4nz6FQxndlm2t8eO7tzZYwkdiPdbg/s640/IMG_2142.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCGInkxrXABteGxW4Fci3nv586ByvG2WcHEv3jzK8C1_CNuwapQu7qp6pf3He4INNI2nL5-oaZGiQ-py30Wgd88zZUmyGp7aJlthnPNIXeRSWd4P4FyL4j9GrtyedDhgLV_Z6otd26_C63rCAsQEmvnsDbmUOMg4nz6FQxndlm2t8eO7tzZYwkdiPdbg/w640-h480/IMG_2142.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7wH42teDBOTIjzzrEaGPUdIHYMQua58_Cl5K1tjaQeFR3vvBebrjfgKDNXoeq4lLyu2y_cH4ckc5ClMf-c9WQS8tPBoWscWtInLogx4Vys0ZTWYs5CsagO9zRJQWBmnXpDodlIdsrUIm49uauLPiCifc7gnh2sVfGAHm406dbxaCboRt43QqZH5-R3w/s640/IMG_2056.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7wH42teDBOTIjzzrEaGPUdIHYMQua58_Cl5K1tjaQeFR3vvBebrjfgKDNXoeq4lLyu2y_cH4ckc5ClMf-c9WQS8tPBoWscWtInLogx4Vys0ZTWYs5CsagO9zRJQWBmnXpDodlIdsrUIm49uauLPiCifc7gnh2sVfGAHm406dbxaCboRt43QqZH5-R3w/w640-h480/IMG_2056.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEZKbIgbaDV0LPL93POI6CsIeH1goeMMJstRSZA9kR2AumYWMrf7L9ggL2-qJHXdDRCRL_9iLvlwY5E3EtjRdRM3tLweKlcjuuYDfgcZF7tckTFoiU-VBDLbbTtqKVIbQYRmqKXiEvTeK5BjvPl5gyAJ7ZAvs3MKtbO00KWmasAb7_MsiJQBGqfz6EjA/s640/IMG_2008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEZKbIgbaDV0LPL93POI6CsIeH1goeMMJstRSZA9kR2AumYWMrf7L9ggL2-qJHXdDRCRL_9iLvlwY5E3EtjRdRM3tLweKlcjuuYDfgcZF7tckTFoiU-VBDLbbTtqKVIbQYRmqKXiEvTeK5BjvPl5gyAJ7ZAvs3MKtbO00KWmasAb7_MsiJQBGqfz6EjA/w640-h480/IMG_2008.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Yesterday the heat felt oppressive. It only got up to 97, and there was a good breeze throughout most of the day, so you'd think the heat would be less than oppressive. However, the wind was in the south and it was hot. There were few clouds in the sky until afternoon so the sun hammered nearly straight down and it seemed I could feel the weight of every single photon. Dude, the sun is 93 million miles away! When the clouds rolled in they were mid-level cumulonimbus, flowing through to deliver rain somewhere to the east. As they rolled majestically through the atmosphere they let the hot breeze continue to wash over us. They also prevented ground heat from cleanly radiating up and away. Throughout the day sunset seemed impossibly far away, and the forecast predicted a warm night, with temps falling only into the 70's. These are the dog days of summer.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Surprisingly, the forecast was incorrect and the mercury dipped all the way to 63. It was still 66 as the sun peeked over the eastern horizon. After bitterly complaining about having to endure a hot night, the back of my brain was delighted to be surprised by a not-hot night. Seven whole degrees did that!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">So this morning I'm grateful for the relatively cool night. I'm even more grateful for having lived the day yesterday, for all the little moments of beauty and satisfaction I experienced, for the opportunity to accept the dog day challenge and persevere instead of sulking in a sweaty pity party. I'm grateful for a meal and conversation with people I love without reservation.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Yesterday Tommy escaped again. This time he bum-rushed me as I took the trash out and was off like a shot, completely ignoring my commands and not even pretending to hesitate. That's something new. I decided to leave the back gate open. I posted a note on the local lost and found and got on with the day. As I worked I considered what to do with this new, bold Tommy. I thought about different ways to instill discipline in the dog, but eventually I realized that he wasn't the only one who could benefit from some applied discipline. In the early afternoon I stopped home and happened to see Tommy come back into the yard through the open gate. He was tired and thirsty. He seemed glad to see me, and I was glad to see him. After inhaling a big bowl of fresh, cool water, he lay down in the shade and snoozed.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">So I'm grateful that Tommy returned safe, grateful for thinking new thoughts about my responsibilities, and grateful for learning a few new things.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Speaking of dogs and heat and August, from the<i> Iliad</i></span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><i>Priam saw him first, with his old man's eyes,<br />A single point of light on Troy's dusty plain.<br />Sirius rises late in the dark, liquid sky<br />On summer nights, star of stars,<br />Orion's Dog they call it, brightest<br />Of all, but an evil portent, bringing heat<br />And fevers to suffering humanity.<br />Achilles' bronze gleamed like this as he ran.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Everybody (for certain values of everybody) knows it, the Dog Days of Summer are hottest and most uncomfortable days of the season.<br /><br />The term comes down to us from the Greeks and Romans, who noted that the onset of the most intense summer heat -- along with drought and intense thunderstorms -- seemed to coincide with the late-summer arrival of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sirius">Sirius</a>. The Dog Star.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPCL6HHwtTCSp6wbvQrpIqqFf6EKkHEaHwNQcTymtYYwcmnd-hMeSU4cyUpVDdc8hVtWbh1U9ET6rmu9ek8smB8KtsVHzmLxlaDL4OuoLhJ5He8pmOESQvxmPrpiqgQ8od-nXIq2lEBigTSIhdRshDFXI2_t-7xqZWf9dheehivKzfZZuS18pTNKq7NQ/s512/CanisMajorCC.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="340" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPCL6HHwtTCSp6wbvQrpIqqFf6EKkHEaHwNQcTymtYYwcmnd-hMeSU4cyUpVDdc8hVtWbh1U9ET6rmu9ek8smB8KtsVHzmLxlaDL4OuoLhJ5He8pmOESQvxmPrpiqgQ8od-nXIq2lEBigTSIhdRshDFXI2_t-7xqZWf9dheehivKzfZZuS18pTNKq7NQ/w426-h640/CanisMajorCC.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br />Sirius is part of the constellation <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canis_Major">Canis Major</a></i>, or Great Dog, and represents the shoulder of the big dog. It is also the brightest star in the night sky (and in fact is a double-star).</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The Greeks described Canis Major as the companion of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orion_%28constellation%29">Orion</a>, following the mighty hunter through the night sky. Orion is located on the celestial equator and due to the geometry of Earth's orbit is absent (in the northern hemisphere) below the southeasterly horizon in spring and through much of the summer. It begins to rise late at night in August.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKDnkdzAUOmF-gfbVmL1VD4VucOgnpEW8bro9gutRDMayOzRqvSK0J-MYGj-4c8GylZEjsZdJ7dK08eNNMStaXr-dme3qhLr0nAPXsb9x5j18gL0839kIhzVZnNu0nYOb3zOSejacaToOJdMiRrIkW8r-sVMKYmiAuwMhOCWrDFsTB82JjvIr9m9Jw5Q/s512/OrionCC.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="360" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKDnkdzAUOmF-gfbVmL1VD4VucOgnpEW8bro9gutRDMayOzRqvSK0J-MYGj-4c8GylZEjsZdJ7dK08eNNMStaXr-dme3qhLr0nAPXsb9x5j18gL0839kIhzVZnNu0nYOb3zOSejacaToOJdMiRrIkW8r-sVMKYmiAuwMhOCWrDFsTB82JjvIr9m9Jw5Q/w450-h640/OrionCC.jpg" width="450" /></a></div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Sirius and the Great Dog are actually located in the southern celestial hemisphere, just below the celestial equator, and appear to trail "behind" Orion as the stars make their nightly swing through the sky.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />The Greeks -- and later the Romans -- noted the brightness of Sirius and wondered if that blazing bright star was responsible for the stifling summer heat which arrived at about the same time.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">It was a good hypothesis. Now that we're a bit more astronomically accomplished, we've discovered that Sirius A is about twice the size of our own sun, twenty-five times more luminous, and is one of our very near galactic neighbors, being only about 8.6 light years (50,556,178,209,379 miles) distant. Today we know that Sirius is much too far away to add heat to our planet, but you can understand and appreciate the reasoning of the ancients.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">As with everything else about climate, the actual warmth of the Dog Days is variable. We can imagine that late summer featured relatively warm and still periods during the last ice age -- roughly 15,000 to 110,000 years ago, but it's unlikely that anyone complained about the heat at that time.<br /><br />Furthermore, the actual onset of late-summer heat isn't linked to a particular calendar day. The Dog Days can arrive any time between mid-July and early September.<br /><br />And finally (at least for this post), the Dog Days are a period of heat and stillness which are relatively hotter than the rest of the season, but there's no absolute thermometer reading which defines the heat. During the Little Ice age (Ca. 1300-1850) the mercury may have only touched 75 degrees during the Dog Days, while 115-120 degrees might have been the norm during the Dust Bowl era.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">As for 2022 at Kimball, this second dog day (August 5 as I write this) might be the final dog day of the year. The prediction is for a high of 101 today and the electronical spectrum is alive with heat advisories. The hot south wind is expected to continue bathe us in the dog star's scalding and fetid breath. Until just after sunset when the wind is expected to swing west, then north, with the arrival of more late-season monsoonal air flow. The next five days or so are predicted to be 10-15 degrees cooler with an increased chance of precipitation. Overnight lows are predicted to dip into the mid- to low-50's. Which will be delightful. And about which I'm sure to complain, for those temperatures will be on the other side of of perfect.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">After I wrote the above, it got busy. and it got hot. The mercury hit 100. I got quite a bit of work done, spent some time with family, and had my brain boggled a couple of times. I planned to write more this evening, but now at 9:30 p.m. when things are finally slowing down and cooling off I find that my writer isn't up to it. A little sleep should put that right. Tomorrow is forecast to be cooler, but also forecast to be busier. I guess it's that time of the year.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Be well and embrace the blessings of liberty.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>PrairieAdventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06466447251827774900noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-771208131691936867.post-42455295226238091982022-08-04T21:54:00.000-06:002022-08-04T21:54:01.787-06:00Eighty years ago in August<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But before we go there, how about zero years ago, early August, Kimball, Nebraska. The weather guessers prognosticated...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3FeMKrNDu8kB2VuAGxDaHqzb-Q6jG9IbKAQF7GP9QvNysRFK2qHpwY9tduuDaGR4BqAM4X7G4Uxk0afAhsfJvd-bEuJK-2U9oG9oyqyoeSt2wnLWc8o_BWP7oA1Gzcr7wX7oelSlMwrHoaNCHrvQmPXqiDuVby0ImC9Szkor1TPgc9ttZbEnLoUPBug/s1721/Screenshot%20(23295).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="855" data-original-width="1721" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3FeMKrNDu8kB2VuAGxDaHqzb-Q6jG9IbKAQF7GP9QvNysRFK2qHpwY9tduuDaGR4BqAM4X7G4Uxk0afAhsfJvd-bEuJK-2U9oG9oyqyoeSt2wnLWc8o_BWP7oA1Gzcr7wX7oelSlMwrHoaNCHrvQmPXqiDuVby0ImC9Szkor1TPgc9ttZbEnLoUPBug/w640-h318/Screenshot%20(23295).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And they weren't far wrong. The wind shifted to the south before dawn and went from calm to breezy. It was fairly pleasant, but a south wind in August in this part of the world usually means it's gonna get hot. It was 90 by noon and hit 97 shortly thereafter.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">At 7 a.m. I noticed a pigweed poking up from the cucumber patch in my garden. Pigweed is, obviously, a weed. It's stealing moisture and nutrients from my future pickles. I should pull it out and toss it in the compost. But I don't think I will. It's not hurting much, and it's an interesting example of nature doing nature stuff.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4vghwkJATzoDqcWt6FvNVUvMDXTfoUmTgNiVWRqc-Cj8qKlSNFMXdxJ_8BKfMIgSGT9kLfCsYuQkjYny0w7t6ri0FeGOxPnZfsQnPXl07tx4DqX3ixw0G92wgcJ2_mRWRoSlOK_VZteM8hQqyqXAMlZwbJcXF7adJupHMaT3J9YDsVTTQj7HMPq6ALg/s5184/IMG_9717.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2912" data-original-width="5184" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4vghwkJATzoDqcWt6FvNVUvMDXTfoUmTgNiVWRqc-Cj8qKlSNFMXdxJ_8BKfMIgSGT9kLfCsYuQkjYny0w7t6ri0FeGOxPnZfsQnPXl07tx4DqX3ixw0G92wgcJ2_mRWRoSlOK_VZteM8hQqyqXAMlZwbJcXF7adJupHMaT3J9YDsVTTQj7HMPq6ALg/w640-h360/IMG_9717.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ9ZymT3MiN389ABeN0NyG1i6-qAZS_vI4qch2xq2qNzs1PxM_FPDL0gmXHCN5e0PKO-krFoqpn8NIz8M9DJFIVxm-bLCteGtj82H3dt1KWqmVtWQ3ysdVAur0nuNLMdM6cadC7uv61fnymHk7Vz_kRdvL53AhW1KNazktqrAR6fpJFRy5bYHYHIxA7A/s5184/IMG_9714.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2912" data-original-width="5184" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ9ZymT3MiN389ABeN0NyG1i6-qAZS_vI4qch2xq2qNzs1PxM_FPDL0gmXHCN5e0PKO-krFoqpn8NIz8M9DJFIVxm-bLCteGtj82H3dt1KWqmVtWQ3ysdVAur0nuNLMdM6cadC7uv61fnymHk7Vz_kRdvL53AhW1KNazktqrAR6fpJFRy5bYHYHIxA7A/w640-h360/IMG_9714.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCYwuJZ5nT4oz9s8WnLK3IACuI7n89bs-nQ7zNjlZ5nwdLW0fvXEGLxzorE6kerYdJq3XboaDYy-pLADdIUzTHU0ts9kU_TLEmwPpcful6BLAcn86M09N2hCYJjOSGNM1NyrMKsAQc9uwJxR9BAo5xTxGoLQe9GcQBqDuQyqwe_seVqUHi7r1wqo8usg/s5184/IMG_9720.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2912" data-original-width="5184" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCYwuJZ5nT4oz9s8WnLK3IACuI7n89bs-nQ7zNjlZ5nwdLW0fvXEGLxzorE6kerYdJq3XboaDYy-pLADdIUzTHU0ts9kU_TLEmwPpcful6BLAcn86M09N2hCYJjOSGNM1NyrMKsAQc9uwJxR9BAo5xTxGoLQe9GcQBqDuQyqwe_seVqUHi7r1wqo8usg/w640-h360/IMG_9720.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Then it was time to pull maintenance on the mower.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_42J0nfnFgL0FPSz3LfQ8G8hwWyFn_iVr0p0E9umdJkCqkWaRLQZXmqwRumT0UcOO87N0G_Zyeg6bLNdKrtDnNaRpOTNTf__q26nDj4d1SBgQSDiZAY_hDrSLCnEwfIFZKvLO-3wSSA8XHhBv-G0bUT2jecNrCrBihAuKL3Efa8CpCmaggKZaWKincA/s4032/20220804_071824.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1960" data-original-width="4032" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_42J0nfnFgL0FPSz3LfQ8G8hwWyFn_iVr0p0E9umdJkCqkWaRLQZXmqwRumT0UcOO87N0G_Zyeg6bLNdKrtDnNaRpOTNTf__q26nDj4d1SBgQSDiZAY_hDrSLCnEwfIFZKvLO-3wSSA8XHhBv-G0bUT2jecNrCrBihAuKL3Efa8CpCmaggKZaWKincA/w640-h312/20220804_071824.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Last night I cleaned and dried the air filter, which was caked nearly solid with a mixture of oil and dirt and grass particles. No wonder it wasn't making full power yesterday.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This morning I looked in vain for an oil drain plug, then realized it's one of those small engines where the filler port is also the drain hole.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">While I was searching for the drain hole I noticed a bunch of twine wrapped around the blade shaft. That's always fun to cut away, and this particular snarl did not disappoint. I also noticed that the blade was dull and dinged up. So I pulled the blade off (and emptied the gas tank) before flipping the mower and draining the oil.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Then I headed out to check cows, blade in hand. The cattle were fine and enjoying the still not roasting hot breeze. I took the time to fix a little bit of fence and to "harvest" a few steel posts which have been waiting several years for me to pull them out of the ground. I stopped by the ranch shop and sharpened and balanced the mower blade.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Back home I reassembled the mower, filled it with gas and oil, and let it rip. Runs like a Briggs.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This evening I had a conversation about mowing weeds, and the consensus was that using a push mower to tame big weeds in a large area is foolish. I appreciate the argument and I don't entirely disagree. However, when I mow weeds I'm not just doing an unpleasant job. I'm livin' a life, and each second that passes is a second I won't get back. I prefer the challenge of doing it the hard way. I know that there will come a time when I can't, so I relish what I can, while I can.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Aside from the enjoyment I get from livin' this life, there's also the matter of my duty to live this life. It's part of the debt I owe those who have fallen in service to the Constitution of the United States. Those who gave everything they had and everything they ever could have had.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://prairieadventure.blogspot.com/2015/03/gold-star-boys.html" target="_blank">Eighty years ago</a> there was a worldwide shitstorm going on. In the sea off the Solomon Islands sailors from Kimball, Nebraska were locked in desperate combat. Not all of them survived.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Be well and embrace the blessings of liberty.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>PrairieAdventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06466447251827774900noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-771208131691936867.post-8887862747894853182022-08-03T16:35:00.000-06:002022-08-03T16:35:28.874-06:00The everything giver<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Before we get to that, a morning garden update.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">What kind of bees are black and sip nectar from sweet corn flowers? I love the falling pollen grains. I think it's a black longhorn(ed) bee, but I don't know for sure.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPFQgWHdEBbemL12sKwTv8J6_UgUFYeN8cVLLL-LyYPT4cKkufhPVFD6DIjn7ZKwPICHRKg4gVIaEhWCrAj5yAO7bZYrcwuaV6ffN3n7Ks3WNmK3UHXW3AIRBcG6mGeFoYNP8EDSt5PTSJr5jUyB39NVcgRT6SYLIViyBF3Bdspu7AIfmNLPN2bPs17g/s1468/20220803_082229.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="828" data-original-width="1468" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPFQgWHdEBbemL12sKwTv8J6_UgUFYeN8cVLLL-LyYPT4cKkufhPVFD6DIjn7ZKwPICHRKg4gVIaEhWCrAj5yAO7bZYrcwuaV6ffN3n7Ks3WNmK3UHXW3AIRBcG6mGeFoYNP8EDSt5PTSJr5jUyB39NVcgRT6SYLIViyBF3Bdspu7AIfmNLPN2bPs17g/w640-h360/20220803_082229.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Tomatoes and Tommy.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrd3Ta461zCh4zwXsGRNcSROu3T3zOU4y_W17Iig8yd4lK15vQfjeNc1aEGTrnbqY7ZpQpeJwSGkoXp7woAdi3XvK_Pbqit23OODyCPH39CgQI-cPSNfvZ6h9CrVXZ4t0-X0ZOccCN4S90rYkaUWXcfOhyMTm_u8RzFXlB8JchHB97b1YeYpdHZ01Anw/s4032/20220803_081900.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1960" data-original-width="4032" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrd3Ta461zCh4zwXsGRNcSROu3T3zOU4y_W17Iig8yd4lK15vQfjeNc1aEGTrnbqY7ZpQpeJwSGkoXp7woAdi3XvK_Pbqit23OODyCPH39CgQI-cPSNfvZ6h9CrVXZ4t0-X0ZOccCN4S90rYkaUWXcfOhyMTm_u8RzFXlB8JchHB97b1YeYpdHZ01Anw/w640-h312/20220803_081900.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGIJG2U4iSp9yVeGlP_YGMWWK_orpJpEk6yG4dYNf0epA2ryeXRcKN73wFoh3bb5aZJta9GJilS9SSmw8fdnHMUbkFzVncHRn0rfNRvy1n9rksYtJX5wAa_woqlP5ztcjztDaAD4RBDB0E0Nvkek-FiNWSxn8lhZU3-w-5usNqPC8GgpD56rmWJPHb6w/s4032/20220803_081741.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1960" data-original-width="4032" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGIJG2U4iSp9yVeGlP_YGMWWK_orpJpEk6yG4dYNf0epA2ryeXRcKN73wFoh3bb5aZJta9GJilS9SSmw8fdnHMUbkFzVncHRn0rfNRvy1n9rksYtJX5wAa_woqlP5ztcjztDaAD4RBDB0E0Nvkek-FiNWSxn8lhZU3-w-5usNqPC8GgpD56rmWJPHb6w/w640-h312/20220803_081741.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I got some video, too, but it's mostly babbling.<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="525" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/qwDGhSd6ljE" width="975"></iframe><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And once again, before the everything giver, a chore report. I know.<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="525" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/ytilfwfVz8I" width="975"></iframe><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Preparing the home place corrals for working cattle this weekend was a good morning chore. It involved fence work and a lot of mowing. While it's cooler here today, only about 87, there's very little breeze and the sky is crystal clear so the sun was really hammering down. Lots of effort, lots of sweat. Like James T. Kirk and Jason Nesmith I gladly took the opportunity to get my shirt off. I'm probably too lazy to do the work of describing what the experience of hard work in the summer sun feels like for my body, mind, and soul. It's simply amazing. It's a very satisfying thing to have learned how to do physical labor and to be able to do it unflinchingly and with boundless enjoyment. Even when it sucks, which it did not do today. And let's not forget the bonus vitamin D!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Speaking of the sun, I get morning sunshine on the north side of my house for the nine or ten weeks surrounding the summer solstice. It's about gone for the year.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Perhaps unsurprisingly <a href="https://prairieadventure.blogspot.com/2015/02/sun-worship.html" target="_blank">this</a> post from February, 2015 was one of the things that came to mind as I was working in the sunshine.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Be well and embrace the blessings of liberty.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div>PrairieAdventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06466447251827774900noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-771208131691936867.post-90198711064995296042022-08-02T18:06:00.002-06:002022-08-02T18:06:58.757-06:00Drought, heat wave, and other reported weather phenomena<div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Cows and calves grazing in the cool morning air.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAsOZSBIlSNQL7aJcAMe6SLe6puIzhdO6eT-A-VwEE4AdMU3IwTmEt14yyKnGI3KkzyIkHsCZBuyeg9fG1wwf9V7CbYOXJw1yoyM7xA0UYFLycnT9pPsoXlJvueDCG0l3NpxjeTfRJ8ubLO7UuQdNW8tkMigbzHEDaQSYt8LZdtQe65x4EniOnNEZ6uA/s4032/20220802_075839.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1960" data-original-width="4032" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAsOZSBIlSNQL7aJcAMe6SLe6puIzhdO6eT-A-VwEE4AdMU3IwTmEt14yyKnGI3KkzyIkHsCZBuyeg9fG1wwf9V7CbYOXJw1yoyM7xA0UYFLycnT9pPsoXlJvueDCG0l3NpxjeTfRJ8ubLO7UuQdNW8tkMigbzHEDaQSYt8LZdtQe65x4EniOnNEZ6uA/w640-h312/20220802_075839.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNAgnFtnd-q-t4B5TBb9APtKrcTD0HpWSB9en-5XckQuB1KDEF0rueooLL8-TcK1l2v4TvO8U7uQHFwks8M6rwPTPlZcOq1iElhx_3hMxsMOK6hLjszXcMPFEa1iGmEaciw8VmHJo5R-kVXa8LERXD78u8wEQh_8ix9mZ39gahneggTKU1_2zcuuDLxg/s4032/20220802_075919.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1960" data-original-width="4032" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNAgnFtnd-q-t4B5TBb9APtKrcTD0HpWSB9en-5XckQuB1KDEF0rueooLL8-TcK1l2v4TvO8U7uQHFwks8M6rwPTPlZcOq1iElhx_3hMxsMOK6hLjszXcMPFEa1iGmEaciw8VmHJo5R-kVXa8LERXD78u8wEQh_8ix9mZ39gahneggTKU1_2zcuuDLxg/w640-h312/20220802_075919.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Quite an interesting day today, even if nothing Earth-shattering happened.<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="525" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/3fcaXmpZydI" width="975"></iframe><br /></div></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">As the sun came up this morning the cows and calves were enjoying fresh tall (ish) grass on a cool and mostly cloudy morning. The weather guessers predicted 96 and sunny with a chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon. For the most part it stayed cloudy and calm, so while it did touch 93 for a few minutes there was no pressure from a blazing sun, which made it seem relatively less hot.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">This morning the littles and I took an hour or so to swing and catch bugs. The six year old is very excited about the rapidly approaching school year. He'll be a big first-grader. The little one will be going to pre-K, and she's both excited and apprehensive. But thanks to some of the kind neighborhood girls she's spent time this summer learning how to meet and play with other kids. It's a big step!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">When the thunderstorms rolled in after lunch I decided to give up working on the four-line lightning conduit. I dove into some writing instead and have much of part two of "what the firetruck's wrong with my leg" whipped into shape. I hit an editing logjam and decided to go in a different direction, resulting in this post, such as it is.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Therefore...</span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Ya know, reported reality isn't the same as real reality.<br /><br />When it comes to summertime weather reporting, the print and broadcast and electronic media headlines are filled with doom and gloom. Record high temperatures! Record low rainfall! Killing drought! Crop failure! Wildfires everywhere, thousands of homes burned! And on and on.<br /><br />So how does the reported reality match up with real reality?<br /><br />Not very well.<br /><br />Sure, specifics are often more or less correct. But when the focus is on bad stuff only, you run into the soda straw effect. When you rely only on media reports to tell you what reality looks like, you are essentially looking through a soda straw. What you can see you can see fine, but that’s only a tiny and constrained field of view. You see a tiny pinpoint very well, but you see nothing else, and what you don’t see is vastly bigger than what you see through the soda straw. If you fall into the trap of believing that you are well informed via the soda straw, you are actually extremely poorly informed. You begin to think that reported reality represents all or nearly all of reality.<br /><br />That’s a dangerous place to be.<br /><br />So how terrible was July? Let’s look at Kimball, which is a fair representation of our tri-state region. And of course the place I have data for and easily to hand.<br /><br />It was warm. That shouldn't come as a surprise. July is known for being warm in this part of the world. In the first three weeks, 16 days topped 90 degrees. There were also two days of triple digits with both days hitting 101. As usual, the nights were relatively cool during that three week period. Fifteen of those were in the 50's, and all of them were below 70. It’s one of the nice features of this High Plains region; we generally have cool summer nights.<br /><br />Over the first three weeks of July the average high temp at Kimball was 92.36; the average low 58.54, and the daily mean temperature 75.45. The 129-year averages at Kimball for July are 87, 56, and 71.5, respectively. It’s fair to say that those first three weeks were warmer than average. However, the month has four weeks and change -- 31 days in all. So what did the final 10 days look like?<br /><br />Over the July 22-31 period, the average high was 84.12, the average low 58.5, and the daily mean temperature was 71.31 degrees. The high was almost three degrees below average, the low was about two degrees above average, and the mean was, unsurprisingly, about two-tenths of a degree cooler than average.<br /><br />With the entire month behind us now, what did the July, 2022 temperatures look like in the record book? The daily high averaged 90.09, or just over three degrees above average. The daily low was 2.64 degrees above average at 58.64. The daily mean temperature averaged 74.37, about two-and-a-half degrees above average.<br /><br />So was July warm? It sure was. Was it record warm or even exceptionally warm? Not really. Over the last 129 years the warmest average daily high was 95.9 degrees in 1934. The coolest average daily high was 80.8 degrees in 1906. The warmest average overnight low was 62.5 degrees in 1936. The coolest average overnight low was 52.1 degrees in 1924. The warmest average daily mean temperature was 78.7 degrees in 1936. The coolest average daily mean temperature was 67.1 degrees in 1906.<br /><br />With history as our guide the July 2022 averages were pretty close to average.<br /><br />Hottest July day at Kimball? 110 degrees in 1934. Coolest July day at Kimball? 53 degrees in 1895. Coolest July low? 37 degrees in 1952. Warmest July low? 73 degrees in 1936.<br /><br />Let’s not forget widespread reporting about how terribly dry it was this July. At Kimball precipitation for the month measured 3.03 inches, almost a half-inch above the long term average. How dry can a dry July be at Kimball? Over the last 129 years the lowest July precipitation total was a mere 0.18 inches in 1920. The wettest July over that period came in 1998 when 7.28 inches of rain fell. Measurable precipitation on 15 of 31 days! Imagine that!<br /><br />None of this is intended to accuse the various media outlets of wrongdoing. The point is that you can’t get enough objective information to be well informed by spending a few moments with a television or a newspaper or on the interwebs. You have to do the work to be informed.<br /><br />And let’s remember that weather statistics are based on single location measurements. The world is a big place, and weather information is gathered from only a very few locations. The information we get from them help us understand general trends and conditions, but they don’t tell us anything about what happens in the rest of reality. Rainfall measured at the local airport is not the same thing as the rain that fell (or didn’t fall) in a field or pasture. Reported weather figures give us an idea of what’s going on in the area, but the important information is what nature is doing in all the vastness of her real reality.<br /><br />So what does all this mean about July, 2022? Simply that it was July on the High Plains.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">##########<br /><br />Be well and embrace the blessings of liberty.</span><br /> </div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>PrairieAdventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06466447251827774900noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-771208131691936867.post-33422862322714790392022-08-01T19:02:00.001-06:002022-08-01T19:02:29.452-06:00Amor Fati<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKGfctezebNjVO8ngKlz_vYqQTjzwBnCtW99WRZ2WQdK-9Uo1ycFVUXmzbNGOLVs2RK5PXkZWwnrG0IqxgirVHlG1oTa3lWC-WTuiINfwIq63OljWZ8dMaJ18Uw9cL1loAi8RRspzu1y6wbWhsb5Bxel9Y7_WImOVmR7hmHEFx9LCReR5js60QXb83bw/s4032/20220728_114353.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1960" data-original-width="4032" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKGfctezebNjVO8ngKlz_vYqQTjzwBnCtW99WRZ2WQdK-9Uo1ycFVUXmzbNGOLVs2RK5PXkZWwnrG0IqxgirVHlG1oTa3lWC-WTuiINfwIq63OljWZ8dMaJ18Uw9cL1loAi8RRspzu1y6wbWhsb5Bxel9Y7_WImOVmR7hmHEFx9LCReR5js60QXb83bw/w640-h312/20220728_114353.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Long, busy day today.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I decided to move cows into an adjacent pasture this morning as we won't be taking them south until this weekend. There's abundant grass in the new pasture and it's closer to the corrals which will make moving them a bit easier for all concerned, especially the cattle.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Red got to try helping.<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="525" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/jxKLKlAIaMk" width="975"></iframe><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">An unscripted primer on moving cows through a gate.<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="525" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/8rLId2VIJnk" width="975"></iframe><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">There was more. Much more. It was hot and muggy and buggy. I'm pooped!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Therefore I've dredged up a blast from the past, which appears below.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The love of fate.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">What?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Our corporeal existence on this plane -- this thing we know as life -- is extremely limited in duration. As far as any of us can tell for certain, this short life is all we get. Maybe there's more after and even before, but we can't know this for sure. It's a matter of faith. In that light it seems unwise to squander the precious gift we've been given.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The Stoics talked about a fleeting life and the importance of cherishing all of it, the importance of not wasting priceless time on morbid self reflection or anger or greed or feeling sorry for oneself. The Jedi mind trick they used was the notion of <i>Amor Fati</i>, or the love of fate. The idea is to love your life so much that you love all of it, even the slings and arrows of outrageous fate. Perhaps especially those slings and arrows, for they provide context and perspective. Could I actually love life's most beautiful and precious moments if never experienced their antithesis? I don't think I could.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">So, how do you love fate?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I wrote this back in June of 2012.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Last week we talked about calculated risks and the potential injuries farmers and ranchers face when executing those risks.<div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">But talking about risk without mentioning reward kind of skews the issue. I skirted around it last week – saving time and money are part of the reward farmers and ranchers receive when their calculated risks pay off.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">But there are other rewards, too. Most folks in this country work directly for employers. We don’t. We set our own course. We are the epitome of the sovereign citizen. No one tells us when or how to do our work. We do our own quality control. In many ways, we are the freest of the free. And that’s a reward that only comes from daring to take calculated risks.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">So there’s a big paradox. To be the freest of the free you have to risk it all – or at least a great portion of it. And if your risk doesn’t work out, even if you’ve done your best to manage it, even if you've done everything right, you can find yourself among the ranks of the former farmers and ranchers.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Risk and reward go hand in hand.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">A top-of-the-head definition of risk might be ‘the potential for unintended foreseeable and non-foreseeable consequences to occur during the course of a particular action or inaction.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">A similar definition for reward – so far as farmers and ranchers go – might be ‘the realization of great freedom and independence which comes only from having successfully executed equally great risks.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Hard work, solid planning and perseverance usually allow farmers and ranchers to survive unanticipated negative outcomes or events. But not always. Nature doesn’t deal in our conception of fairness. Successful farmers and ranchers understand this. Perhaps it’s why my Grandpa said “endure the bad years and enjoy the good years.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I’ve been building fence around a quarter-section that recently came out of CRP. The quarter is adjacent to two sections which are already fenced, so I’ve really only been fencing the south and west sides.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The other day I marked and drilled post holes along the south side and started tamping in posts. But near the east end of the fence line I got lazy and about a dozen of the post holes were off line. Only by about six inches, but it’s a property boundary, so the fence line needs to be straight and precise.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I initially decided to dig out the sides of the post holes with the old “Armstrong” post hole digger, but the dry soil was a lot tougher to dig than I expected, so I only repaired one hole the old-fashioned way. It was a lot of work. I used the skid-steer and auger to refine the other errant post holes.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I had thirty or forty posts tamped in when quitin’ time rolled around, so I called it a day and headed for the house, leaving the one hand-dug and tamped post isolated, a few hundred yards away from the others, like a soldier standing guard.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Sometime after midnight the wind shifted around to the south, wafting the scent of our cow herd, now congregated on summer pasture, toward our herd bulls, isolated in a pasture four miles away. They were behind a stout four-wire fence, as were the cows. There were two other stout fences in between, as well as my partially-completed fencing project.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">But a four-wire fence won’t hold a bull that wants to go visiting. None of the four fences seemed to slow them down a whit. In the morning they were with the cows, 11 days early. Not a major problem. But there will be some early calves next spring.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">During their nighttime journey south, the bulls paused along my growing fence line and milled around long enough to fill several open post holes. And they found my isolated fence post irresistible for rubbing. After all the effort I expended setting that post, they casually snapped it off right at ground level.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Experiences like these tend to keep a person centered. There’s a whole big universe out there, and it’s not really concerned about your plans.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">As Stephen Crane put it:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>A man said to the universe:</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>“Sir I exist!”</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>“However,” replied the universe,</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>“The fact has not created in me</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>A sense of obligation.”</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>We work with the bountiful tools nature provides. We also work with the roadblocks and setbacks she provides.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Be well and embrace the blessings of liberty.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div>PrairieAdventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06466447251827774900noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-771208131691936867.post-89989682367111675852022-07-31T18:41:00.000-06:002022-07-31T18:41:23.229-06:00Morning garden update<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Among other things. Warm, hazy, and humid this morning. At 8 a.m. it was 73 degrees and 49 percent humidity. That there is humid, at least for this part of the world.<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="525" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/E7FYyZvI0sw" width="975"></iframe><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">My sweet corn was flowering this morning.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIrHfXRP6mMmKAkfcYjR2D9Z0tN6GB349WMU5lnIUy34QPlfKJu32ipGQ-MENlEq62GxAnNSuIDrER7Un8HbHWEvSAPPSatmzBkTfVtP40GsUyVpROtaRt2TTclwhAHREcIKrrRe300miLV2iWcC6gK5L5fmPtGHUQQLEYKr9QD7Ck39_Yw0IHPD3zAg/s4032/20220731_094533.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1960" data-original-width="4032" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIrHfXRP6mMmKAkfcYjR2D9Z0tN6GB349WMU5lnIUy34QPlfKJu32ipGQ-MENlEq62GxAnNSuIDrER7Un8HbHWEvSAPPSatmzBkTfVtP40GsUyVpROtaRt2TTclwhAHREcIKrrRe300miLV2iWcC6gK5L5fmPtGHUQQLEYKr9QD7Ck39_Yw0IHPD3zAg/w640-h312/20220731_094533.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Squash bee in a pumpkin blossom.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLlxfDG-nsdILG94kL9B1nnY63FhX-RMuxldIChaCVOZSNguIekBw7YlgJZM4kEO3d2-2bA-8h5lrnJ74HRskyqSllkBpixRvp2vxiQrG3GNbgWeI42NIOBNsYihJhQC9TSOEjOKV1K6S-qKPpwH7gkklo1TBr6WhBGru-Cl-zgkN51ZhE_Zguzc30zg/s1959/20220731_094616.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1129" data-original-width="1959" height="368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLlxfDG-nsdILG94kL9B1nnY63FhX-RMuxldIChaCVOZSNguIekBw7YlgJZM4kEO3d2-2bA-8h5lrnJ74HRskyqSllkBpixRvp2vxiQrG3GNbgWeI42NIOBNsYihJhQC9TSOEjOKV1K6S-qKPpwH7gkklo1TBr6WhBGru-Cl-zgkN51ZhE_Zguzc30zg/w640-h368/20220731_094616.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Out in the country, sunflowers and corn in a field of proso millet. And an unidentified bee zipping through the frame.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirLCvTO-gzmGar30y8qbZUh8TrnyNaKRZQdhtP1GdS5234OGl_MPrbPvL8yxMpgdDx-0G5pQspQKYvwAy4JiakHj8VTAUOvavZxY8TgF6OW3iHE_oxtV-3sTmE__5Tq5cKcVRu_rG8wYOU1pbTXMrT2L73oyv0uj1mQGGannB_vw-nWE8Hm9tiPnZnQg/s4032/20220731_102409.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1960" data-original-width="4032" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirLCvTO-gzmGar30y8qbZUh8TrnyNaKRZQdhtP1GdS5234OGl_MPrbPvL8yxMpgdDx-0G5pQspQKYvwAy4JiakHj8VTAUOvavZxY8TgF6OW3iHE_oxtV-3sTmE__5Tq5cKcVRu_rG8wYOU1pbTXMrT2L73oyv0uj1mQGGannB_vw-nWE8Hm9tiPnZnQg/w640-h312/20220731_102409.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Dryland soybeans were setting pods.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM6QkZDe6LugwvrylWfWCAjPutsIJ7Tax_RxGWzmcUTOBsE6RZZG9ADpoRk65Pi417JL8oWbrWyAbr-6QSNn0QSPX_9T2DhmM9JANDYxgAC5Z0L0E6S9YLO7nkJT81bU_bwM0nP3vLhLIqlLaNS6LpbHzpfQBZuuBjKf5qt4x4PsMsCPHD7s1uY6kfOA/s4032/20220731_102531.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1960" data-original-width="4032" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM6QkZDe6LugwvrylWfWCAjPutsIJ7Tax_RxGWzmcUTOBsE6RZZG9ADpoRk65Pi417JL8oWbrWyAbr-6QSNn0QSPX_9T2DhmM9JANDYxgAC5Z0L0E6S9YLO7nkJT81bU_bwM0nP3vLhLIqlLaNS6LpbHzpfQBZuuBjKf5qt4x4PsMsCPHD7s1uY6kfOA/w640-h312/20220731_102531.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Field corn flowering.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge6tgsCP2iucbGgElUPTNijlEEbSjCkvYwqoCfZg0DjfPvZheqihQF45qqEuUFAoUK96mIOEtmVI5dzQSpGkpqKxGUjNiuluGjpTXETma09yU835A0w8Ese4Ce2GerS5D7BfSoOyDFYI_cx4k9Qk3G2pKTummNxrq9ygYp5aoYPn7zOFEdwvNAmk1h0w/s4032/20220731_103002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1960" data-original-width="4032" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge6tgsCP2iucbGgElUPTNijlEEbSjCkvYwqoCfZg0DjfPvZheqihQF45qqEuUFAoUK96mIOEtmVI5dzQSpGkpqKxGUjNiuluGjpTXETma09yU835A0w8Ese4Ce2GerS5D7BfSoOyDFYI_cx4k9Qk3G2pKTummNxrq9ygYp5aoYPn7zOFEdwvNAmk1h0w/w640-h312/20220731_103002.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Prickly poppy, one of my favorite wildflowers.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuE_mOuZzeIUmIfuCPhVSKSsAuQz0uSOFlho8FmkX-X-DsRFYYo87e4WmFn9WQZiM5Tnhc55dmeiAcxoifQGZqYAJR_x3EiNDjUPiYOK_VF6S8ygUXYgtI-3IIGPJjz5EjuT0pSLXwg4GO517xqtu-M68NvgRmNtQknAml5iZjORtzXZcRJ-28o1ACBA/s4032/20220731_110340.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1960" data-original-width="4032" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuE_mOuZzeIUmIfuCPhVSKSsAuQz0uSOFlho8FmkX-X-DsRFYYo87e4WmFn9WQZiM5Tnhc55dmeiAcxoifQGZqYAJR_x3EiNDjUPiYOK_VF6S8ygUXYgtI-3IIGPJjz5EjuT0pSLXwg4GO517xqtu-M68NvgRmNtQknAml5iZjORtzXZcRJ-28o1ACBA/w640-h312/20220731_110340.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And of course there had to be an irritating part of the day.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQdLikjoH-agMynaovBU9yK6xmLMm-rK6hli8AoSLf0x7Ht2tTuTaI3ZaHGD5ZVUipl1fXFItlfai85XbTFfDjx7vdZYSKp9Er4oTwg1BwHSKMsdsOIxo8hwtm0GygMjHyi5-HSTlWVG8R9SFmGWKmf2w05MV7MX0ULMu955nx_WOb30CCPVe1LUYYAg/s4032/20220731_104735.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1960" data-original-width="4032" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQdLikjoH-agMynaovBU9yK6xmLMm-rK6hli8AoSLf0x7Ht2tTuTaI3ZaHGD5ZVUipl1fXFItlfai85XbTFfDjx7vdZYSKp9Er4oTwg1BwHSKMsdsOIxo8hwtm0GygMjHyi5-HSTlWVG8R9SFmGWKmf2w05MV7MX0ULMu955nx_WOb30CCPVe1LUYYAg/w640-h312/20220731_104735.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The cow that does this pushes her head through the wire to reach grass on the other side. It's learned behavior and probably comes from being hungry in another pasture or lot and learning to reach for grass through a fence. In this case it's become a habit. She has to walk through green tasty grass to get to the fence, and the grass (and millet crop) on the other side is neither as tasty or nutritious.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTomgaA3ZkW4QiQGWiXhcq7ERAxFBJmRDvJCPR7cHKJ78USKx4xvoHor0x68y9XOqrl5L8ShXVzYgf2GrYUztfAxtAM_wDSCZzthkErGxVVMDPLvTCH-B3hsmfcTcbzGY-D5G4Nu0QcpXh2DrYeEZ-0cjx0KOI4zwu5KfAhFBa0UdSv809-696plsJXw/s4032/20220731_104805.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1960" data-original-width="4032" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTomgaA3ZkW4QiQGWiXhcq7ERAxFBJmRDvJCPR7cHKJ78USKx4xvoHor0x68y9XOqrl5L8ShXVzYgf2GrYUztfAxtAM_wDSCZzthkErGxVVMDPLvTCH-B3hsmfcTcbzGY-D5G4Nu0QcpXh2DrYeEZ-0cjx0KOI4zwu5KfAhFBa0UdSv809-696plsJXw/w640-h312/20220731_104805.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Because she's a cow, big and strong, she can push the steel posts over as she reaches for the grass. Along the edge of this pasture, where it butts up against a farm field, the soil is quite loose and doesn't firmly hold the steel posts. Which is why when I built the fence I placed eight-foot wooden posts in between the steel posts. That means that the wooden posts are anchored in four feet of soil. They'd be very solid and prevent the steel posts from pushing over except for one thing. They were improperly treated against rot and insects. The shoddy treatment crystalized the wood. So when a cow pushes on them, they break at ground level.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">No use in blaming anyone but myself. <i>Caveat emptor</i>.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1HWdAjukWHrcw8smPCLLh5iYXNKjfSET1tzUPwFuZAVPrBSke0O-VDkLcrOQi3laHgJsc5MfcC4dgJAUGfKw7Mtw-RDTbxxSd8EoAK4ZzHDHxDZA66zFXmjFdwgHnJ_-2BHdjDE6yNZ7I_pgolXViK4a9p7ZS6bLMSoJU94Tjm2UIiI7hrb1BhNJcsA/s4032/20220731_104816.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1960" data-original-width="4032" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1HWdAjukWHrcw8smPCLLh5iYXNKjfSET1tzUPwFuZAVPrBSke0O-VDkLcrOQi3laHgJsc5MfcC4dgJAUGfKw7Mtw-RDTbxxSd8EoAK4ZzHDHxDZA66zFXmjFdwgHnJ_-2BHdjDE6yNZ7I_pgolXViK4a9p7ZS6bLMSoJU94Tjm2UIiI7hrb1BhNJcsA/w640-h312/20220731_104816.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The whole fencing gig is a process. Fences are temporary structures placed upon an astonishingly dynamic landscape in an extremely dynamic environment.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">All in all it's a good thing. This quarter section is the only place we have this problem, and the fix is relatively inexpensive and requires only time and effort. It's work I enjoy doing in a place I love to spend time. And good physical labor is beautiful exercise for mind, body, and soul.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">So there's that.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Seen at the local dollah sto'.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPGso-IEmdHuvSqBGK20z-50a5ENa7fdtCGRvFjsG78FjHueWOplLHzJTdZn2Oi5gsRPayqZj0kVd5xn9OR59wsqa9npjjepHBU9lVDNAdBMMDCrGj7Xjocj2EAU7ntpv9s4tzU2R8FUYqpsS8IYN37dBpZm8mDjIXWi8ntHWYJetJ_Bm2Ou58oqdFfw/s1883/20220729_154259.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1883" data-original-width="1362" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPGso-IEmdHuvSqBGK20z-50a5ENa7fdtCGRvFjsG78FjHueWOplLHzJTdZn2Oi5gsRPayqZj0kVd5xn9OR59wsqa9npjjepHBU9lVDNAdBMMDCrGj7Xjocj2EAU7ntpv9s4tzU2R8FUYqpsS8IYN37dBpZm8mDjIXWi8ntHWYJetJ_Bm2Ou58oqdFfw/w462-h640/20220729_154259.jpg" width="462" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">To help me what?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTAbDMtxoueMvHL7sqzQyWE5k9hZOlqQEOsaS5qJ1hBs_WAT-GHAGU1uNRF4K44H5L6F9QSOQnE8i8eBgU9Kg_9ZglWPDv212QKq4GnllDfI3nP7OtkSGHpqGnYDYc-7kRL1IH0eOzhf7ovsOEpkMJnUMi5mjvlRk-LgrgwrvXQOQBcdCUHzktqIT9Xg/s1087/20220729_1542591.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="235" data-original-width="1087" height="138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTAbDMtxoueMvHL7sqzQyWE5k9hZOlqQEOsaS5qJ1hBs_WAT-GHAGU1uNRF4K44H5L6F9QSOQnE8i8eBgU9Kg_9ZglWPDv212QKq4GnllDfI3nP7OtkSGHpqGnYDYc-7kRL1IH0eOzhf7ovsOEpkMJnUMi5mjvlRk-LgrgwrvXQOQBcdCUHzktqIT9Xg/w640-h138/20220729_1542591.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Yeah right.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">After checking cattle I worked on corrals. By that time it was muggy and well over 90 degrees. A superior workout with lots of sweat sting in the eyeballs and biting stable flies. Those things are a challenge and a trial. It's good to be uncomfortable from time to time. It's important to know that hard work and discomfort aren't fatal, that they can be worked through. That knowledge might be the difference between living and dying when the unexpected happens.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Then I spent quality time at the park with the kids, followed by a late lunch at my house including free-range cherry tomatoes from the garden.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtfaWir6U1376VDTArM_x53iPpJdHIvm41wp_XUkAVtzYb-YTyHlJxMFeUmLzghtzbeN8KhbIcpSeBplzHFyDUVbkE3PTohVUU0CwsN6yreT6bKxryS84_tCwbsKQETmk427gCFL_rsNMBtqVWuSR7x2alznJJleelFq2Jxpkg-Xv8xHkQbO-Czgy5rw/s4032/20220731_093705.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1960" data-original-width="4032" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtfaWir6U1376VDTArM_x53iPpJdHIvm41wp_XUkAVtzYb-YTyHlJxMFeUmLzghtzbeN8KhbIcpSeBplzHFyDUVbkE3PTohVUU0CwsN6yreT6bKxryS84_tCwbsKQETmk427gCFL_rsNMBtqVWuSR7x2alznJJleelFq2Jxpkg-Xv8xHkQbO-Czgy5rw/w640-h312/20220731_093705.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And tricycle decoration.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYRgDEHKJfaKOTtMtG1gFVc-s7_d0nWeRwVRlX4YI1ZxH9REVjDF-rNsrgn6KeJf5f1XB2qm18IEExrMmnFNQ9KiPMaZqNtQvRL6tCXfsmI50SlENBmTwdlBKKJ80KI9t6mPKV-3HILaNOqYIsfleslH-zwxSajh6OiMCAvIoAAwGQHPBr2WH8XjkRrQ/s4032/20220729_184602.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1960" data-original-width="4032" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYRgDEHKJfaKOTtMtG1gFVc-s7_d0nWeRwVRlX4YI1ZxH9REVjDF-rNsrgn6KeJf5f1XB2qm18IEExrMmnFNQ9KiPMaZqNtQvRL6tCXfsmI50SlENBmTwdlBKKJ80KI9t6mPKV-3HILaNOqYIsfleslH-zwxSajh6OiMCAvIoAAwGQHPBr2WH8XjkRrQ/w640-h312/20220729_184602.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">July has been delightful. Bring on August!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Be well and embrace the blessings of liberty.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>PrairieAdventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06466447251827774900noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-771208131691936867.post-38917313501962927042022-07-30T21:04:00.001-06:002022-07-30T21:04:54.467-06:00Snapshot of survival<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It was quite the day today, followed by quite the day yesterday. Yesterday I did about 16 miles on the LPC's including my Tommy hike, ranch work, and a little over five miles playing a game with the littles and a handful of the neighborhood kids. The game involved rolling the kids back and forth across the front yard inside a big, heavy duty, cardboard tube. By big I mean two feet in diameter by 3.5 feet tall, so bigger than a 55 gallon drum. You can fit a pair of 10-year-olds in there, or a couple of littles and a 10 year old. It was a very good cardio workout and also great fun. A real pleasure to experience kids at play, enjoying outside fun on a lovely summer evening in slowville.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Bedtime was late, and I intended to get to work fairly early, but the littles are little and need their sleep, so I let them snooze until they got up on their own.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I got a lot of work done and by mid-afternoon it was time for the party. Grilled hot dogs, chips, and fruit punch, followed by a load of presents and finally some birthday cake. It was a lovely time, filled with love and family. The newly-minted six year old had a great time, and if Sissy felt a little left out, she also had a great time and experienced one of life's important lessons. I have only one image, and that one taken by someone else. I intended to document, but I did not. I was too wrapped up in the moment.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPAUkm28-IEX51e5OmcBdj1LtQ5Kqia1SLlBd-zU4Sy1in9muu6va-3z9hkKEp1PRM8lcH5qIiyNW0-ktN3M6MJSdfPP1xsAo4huBydtGw0sgmOSM2XnsgKl6kENWSWb3GOYtJI1b5PtlDOaT5D2UblyHzWLzIk70hNiB10vuvFBJn6WhgSnTvDkAYgg/s2000/Resized_20220730_163936.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1500" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPAUkm28-IEX51e5OmcBdj1LtQ5Kqia1SLlBd-zU4Sy1in9muu6va-3z9hkKEp1PRM8lcH5qIiyNW0-ktN3M6MJSdfPP1xsAo4huBydtGw0sgmOSM2XnsgKl6kENWSWb3GOYtJI1b5PtlDOaT5D2UblyHzWLzIk70hNiB10vuvFBJn6WhgSnTvDkAYgg/w480-h640/Resized_20220730_163936.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Here's a resurrected post from long ago. An interesting bit of drama served up by nature and providing good food for thought.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Originally published April 13, 2011. This</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> is a story about and some pictures of a unique turkey vulture I "met" in July, 2009. The bird unknowingly shared with me a good lesson in living life with adversity.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />At 9 p.m. there was still a warm glow in the western sky though the sun had long since set and full darkness was only minutes away. Speeding east along the county road, a farm truck loaded with freshly harvested wheat was making the day’s last run to the elevator. The big GMC truck had only one headlight – a dim, weak headlight at that – and the driver was moving fast, trying to complete the trip while some twilight remained.<br /><br />Ahead of the speeding truck a young fox bounded through tall ditch weeds and up onto the road. Startled by the sudden appearance and noise of the truck, the fox paused and stared into the single dim headlight, then turned to scamper out of the way. Too late. The truck driver barely noticed the thud as he ran over the fox, leaving a bloody carcass behind in the slowly settling dust.<br /><br />Two days later the fox carcass attracted a curious visitor, a visitor that illustrated in plain and basic terms nature's no-bullshit reality.<br /><br />The big dark bird arrived an hour after sunrise, soaring in looping, graceful circles in the clear, cobalt sky. Fluttering wingtips proved that the bird was riding rough currents of warm, rising air as a high summer sun baked the farmland below.<br /><br />After twenty minutes of lazy circling the bird stooped toward the road, flared a dozen feet above the fox carcass, then made possibly the ugliest, most graceless landing in the history of flight. Slowly, almost painfully, with wings still spread wide, the bird hopped once, twice, three times toward the carcass. Folding its wings, the seemingly tiny, bare red head became apparent, almost glowing in the slanting morning sunlight.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRtyxGIFaAx1lNhFhwW5YnldFE1zohEdhHrNyruCC6xtXJjX0GIjUDuInYRfXtHP9XGR9zwNph2LZGocPqfqnMPiuTfeo4DL9u5WnrpQ-9GOV7a5OYULuKrRH8PZR4EyAxgpX75nZULjwq6sgPqEvjRK2U8KcgRA3ceopI_uNfgrMYSlnaXeZYj4Cvlw/s640/SANY0014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRtyxGIFaAx1lNhFhwW5YnldFE1zohEdhHrNyruCC6xtXJjX0GIjUDuInYRfXtHP9XGR9zwNph2LZGocPqfqnMPiuTfeo4DL9u5WnrpQ-9GOV7a5OYULuKrRH8PZR4EyAxgpX75nZULjwq6sgPqEvjRK2U8KcgRA3ceopI_uNfgrMYSlnaXeZYj4Cvlw/w640-h480/SANY0014.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Ah-ha! Turkey Vulture.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />The Turkey Vulture (<i>Cathartes aura</i>) is far from uncommon across the High Plains, though populations are probably smaller than those of the more commonly seen hawk species. Often called Turkey Buzzards, the big, dark birds are almost exclusively carrion eaters. Graceful on the wing, they are rather clumsy on the ground, and rather ugly with their red, naked head. They serve a useful purpose, though, helping to clean up the remains of dead animals. Turkey Vultures have one of the most highly developed olfactory systems of any animal, and can scent decaying carcasses at incredible distances.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDqD3BDhrINLNH8ZGedgnhyYQcnxKxN6kLSbfiMWBFpqnbxETaVOlWZrdEsT58fNFKu2jFssxJ0VQDe9As6fhjZ7wLF0NCKHJ49wfSQ7oUbgffeknowgqzr01C3SJmoEZJMQBcOGBeuyPgkL8sRBNDsPd9nt9DvvC9f_Ktdj0fwsYnceZXZJuju7_0vQ/s640/SANY0015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="471" data-original-width="640" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDqD3BDhrINLNH8ZGedgnhyYQcnxKxN6kLSbfiMWBFpqnbxETaVOlWZrdEsT58fNFKu2jFssxJ0VQDe9As6fhjZ7wLF0NCKHJ49wfSQ7oUbgffeknowgqzr01C3SJmoEZJMQBcOGBeuyPgkL8sRBNDsPd9nt9DvvC9f_Ktdj0fwsYnceZXZJuju7_0vQ/w640-h472/SANY0015.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Remarkably, the Turkey Vulture’s acute sense of smell has proven uniquely useful to mankind in recent years, as they have the ability to detect and ferret out small leaks in natural gas pipelines, scenting and homing in on the ethyl mercaptan additive in commercial natural gas.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />A closer look revealed the reason this particular Turkey Vulture seemed so clumsy on the ground – it had only a single leg. Other than the missing leg, the bird seemed to be a healthy adult. Whether the missing limb was a congenital or traumatic defect, it didn’t seem to have kept the vulture from thriving.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo5KFyKCpx8OGTT9zw6DQZn_2_9EBq56oJ-sbJvhQed_xnV6ab-39YaNPq2lrUqEdnVbSpAo3kSyN9UYeMru2PwVgXF_bBdoWccYvj14gF8OXtJ7fKf3mnt5yD18igV9rC285ucF2UR7tYKHhN6N_5ABwvhqC5Q8bOBpawHkTAw-2vL7znrjpV-c0PGA/s640/SANY0025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo5KFyKCpx8OGTT9zw6DQZn_2_9EBq56oJ-sbJvhQed_xnV6ab-39YaNPq2lrUqEdnVbSpAo3kSyN9UYeMru2PwVgXF_bBdoWccYvj14gF8OXtJ7fKf3mnt5yD18igV9rC285ucF2UR7tYKHhN6N_5ABwvhqC5Q8bOBpawHkTAw-2vL7znrjpV-c0PGA/w640-h480/SANY0025.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">Author and historian Douglas Brinkley recently (for certain values of recently) appeared on C-SPAN touting his new book, “The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America,” the story of the former president’s contribution to the conservation movement. Brinkley noted that Roosevelt, sometimes called America’s only conservationist president, was responsible for setting aside more than 230 million acres of “wilderness” and launching the National Park System.</div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK10rRlK_BH5S49qE09uriUTUknCG8_LjmULkz6ycGspJxgCSmUb01aoBOfS7k6pvdPRZc8apFm7JCLvy6d8VmZDb3dEgrsQp_bqfVIF6CFQ5hgQmz_ZUne2FlN4tObpoNRikpRErkALIVg0jXAQ33QrmdxCo_wcNqXyxWtXB1LUfSwk7z7AkECxzRWA/s640/SANY0042.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="617" data-original-width="640" height="618" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK10rRlK_BH5S49qE09uriUTUknCG8_LjmULkz6ycGspJxgCSmUb01aoBOfS7k6pvdPRZc8apFm7JCLvy6d8VmZDb3dEgrsQp_bqfVIF6CFQ5hgQmz_ZUne2FlN4tObpoNRikpRErkALIVg0jXAQ33QrmdxCo_wcNqXyxWtXB1LUfSwk7z7AkECxzRWA/w640-h618/SANY0042.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Like Roosevelt, Brinkley was a sickly child, and again like Roosevelt, felt strongly drawn to nature and the country’s “unspoiled” lands. Especially smitten by the High Plains, Brinkley said that he travels to the region annually to “...recharge my spirit by getting back to nature,” a practice he highly recommended. Brinkley called the National Park System a national treasure and a life-saver for millions of Americans suffering from nature deficit disorder.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Those of us who lead rural lives, particularly farmers and ranchers, spend many – if not most – of our working lives outdoors and in the midst of nature. Though few of us live in majestic national parks, we are surrounded by and interact with native and wild flora and fauna on a daily basis. We tend to take our daily experiences in nature for granted and rarely give thought to the hundreds of million Americans who visit nature only during brief, whirlwind vacations.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Though in general use the term “rural” carries the negative connotations of poverty and backwardness, especially among urban conversationalists, we rural Americans are rich in our nearness to nature and the “real” world, as encounters such as this one illustrate.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Be well and embrace the blessings of liberty.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>PrairieAdventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06466447251827774900noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-771208131691936867.post-41857084066522250612022-07-29T23:49:00.001-06:002022-07-29T23:49:26.109-06:00More Semper Gumby<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">You never know whose mugshot is going to appear on the interwebs.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVlt1EDyHFbNwu7K-T6xWc5knjUXJCska4PJOQunxJSpgsSewy6hQZM1GJlvCgkbWJ2OWrA2E4Svt-b902GJ6NtyJpd9d09eusq4qZW6cfrKn8dxWnO_EwM4g8HgorcXjAYuCW43zZ5ZnhuTNzOq4mW8slDQ75tfOlWyOUrj03-QczkaVGFChUnCdukw/s960/tommy1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVlt1EDyHFbNwu7K-T6xWc5knjUXJCska4PJOQunxJSpgsSewy6hQZM1GJlvCgkbWJ2OWrA2E4Svt-b902GJ6NtyJpd9d09eusq4qZW6cfrKn8dxWnO_EwM4g8HgorcXjAYuCW43zZ5ZnhuTNzOq4mW8slDQ75tfOlWyOUrj03-QczkaVGFChUnCdukw/w480-h640/tommy1.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">John Blackshoe's comment on yesterday's post was perfect.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In case you missed the post, I was trying to write about what you do when your plans get turned upside down by reality. I didn't write it very well. Some days are like that.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Get back on the horse, right?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This morning my plan was to take out the trash, go check cows, do a little bit of fence work, watch the kids for an hour or so, and then do some afternoon stuff.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">So I took out the trash. The most important thing in taking out the trash is to make sure that Tommy doesn't get out. He's rushed the gate a couple of times before. Both times he just flew off in whichever direction his nose was pointed an it was a real not-so-fun adventure getting him back.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Therefore, it's important to get his attention at the gate and tell him "Stay." He almost always minds that command nicely. Most often he steps back and sits down. So give the command, go through the gate and close it, say "good boy," then after tossing the trash in the dumpster, carefully re-enter and secure the gate behind you.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This morning I did all that except for the "good boy" and the careful re-entry. My brain was already planning through the next thing on the list and while I was wool-gathering Tommy bolted </span><span style="font-family: arial;">through the gate</span><span style="font-family: arial;">.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Firetruck!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I grabbed the leash and followed him, thinking he'd get tired of playing "can't catch me I'm the gingerbread dog" eventually and let me take him home. Three miles later my last sight of him was disappearing over a hill in a pasture south of town.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Well, shit.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">So I hiked on home, opened the back gate, and headed out to check cows. Along the way, texting while driving, I tried to post my plight up on the Kimball lost and found pets koobecaf page. Since I wasn't yet an approved member of the group (I am now) I had to wait to be approved. So I got on with checking cows. Which went fine.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Later at home, with only 20 minutes before I had to show up to watch the kids, I checked the koobecaf and immediately saw Tommy's mugshot. All my worry and dark fears instantly vanished. Man that felt good.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Along with the mugshot the lady who captured him posted: <i>"</i></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>This dog showed up outside of my grooming salon. Doesn't look very old and looks a little hungry. Please come get your dog"</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Which I did.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As an aside, the grooming shop is on the opposite side of town from where Tommy disappeared. That boy can cover a lot of ground in a hurry.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;">I got him home and still had seconds to spare for my kids watching gig.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;">What a morning!<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="525" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/T6BxJyYuVEE" width="975"></iframe><br /></div></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;">##########</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;">There was much fun had through the rest of the day, as well as a little bit of work. Tomorrow is the now six year old's birthday party, four days after his actual birthday in order that family might attend. And as it's 11:44 p.m. I'd best post this up before today becomes tomorrow.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;">##########</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;">Be well and embrace the blessings of liberty.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div>PrairieAdventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06466447251827774900noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-771208131691936867.post-45002734959289655062022-07-28T21:32:00.000-06:002022-07-28T21:32:23.468-06:00In the moment<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The rain started just before 6 a.m. Over the next two hours there was some grumbling thunder and 0.31 inches of soft, soaking rain. It was delightful.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Once the rain had let up the weekly (ish) tornado siren test was conducted. The construction in the background is the new local hospital boondoggle. Yeah, don't get me started...<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="525" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/rGFy7MQiqIE" width="975"></iframe><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Things were lovely and green out on the prairie, and there were no cattle out.<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="525" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Wv0A1o5CKvY" width="975"></iframe><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Being a Homo sapiens type ape-lizard, during my non-sleeping hours I find myself constantly making and modifying plans. I think most of us are that way. It's part of navigating life. I make both short- and long-term plans, and then, as Gunny Highway put it, I improvise, adapt, and overcome whenever reality refuses to adhere to my plan. Strangely enough, reality never lines up exactly with my plans. It's usually in the vicinity, but to get stuff to actually work out requires that I tweak my plans to make up for all of the incorrect assumptions I based them on.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">When I find myself dealing with real reality and having to junk my moronic version of imagined reality, I have two choices. I can shoulder the adversity I've made for myself and relish the challenge, or I can whine and bitch and complain that "it's not fair" in true 'merkin professional victim style.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As for the second choice,<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="525" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/4F4qzPbcFiA" width="975"></iframe><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As for the first, it's the hard choice and by far the best choice. It's livin' in the moment, and that's where the best of life is lived.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I spent a lot of time in the moment today. Quite a bit of it was with the kids. I shot a couple of long videos, almost forgetting that I was filming as I experienced lovely, lovely moments. I intended to post them up, the videos that is, but I suspect they're not as awesome as I think they are. Or perhaps that kids at play are just kids at play unless they're your kids.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2O8ZSOBPefO6fLgj4GoANsvLpAlKH2U1RyhsjJesrFjZtyJds0YXpBSVw73aBoetzRy2zDXNql_qOqYj4w05LkQJDbDmOFp5cyb6q-L-7nrfNsWGtmzFVHSd3B44eq8IcqcoRpc0WQMHl2cP13mILVVwheT8TzuF7cVwY0k9ceyDLqCJgvl7EPRZ0Mg/s4032/20220728_115838.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1960" data-original-width="4032" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2O8ZSOBPefO6fLgj4GoANsvLpAlKH2U1RyhsjJesrFjZtyJds0YXpBSVw73aBoetzRy2zDXNql_qOqYj4w05LkQJDbDmOFp5cyb6q-L-7nrfNsWGtmzFVHSd3B44eq8IcqcoRpc0WQMHl2cP13mILVVwheT8TzuF7cVwY0k9ceyDLqCJgvl7EPRZ0Mg/w640-h312/20220728_115838.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0DPLzxzl0DZLLqyDBWHgXTICsknbbY2H2axyS9CiLWnbaZjhiYjjYQIw9OO1NklBnV2OfCF4KbbqGI4YDVBPgjmbbreQnE_VU1J3OlWCv5QKrrIL2oPDFgrptL2feDBnkHJqdcGIR-rbtTeaz8FhwYLhCy5bRjSu0YqmKscD4dyCvMPXbbzzdxpIHTA/s4032/20220728_114414.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1960" data-original-width="4032" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0DPLzxzl0DZLLqyDBWHgXTICsknbbY2H2axyS9CiLWnbaZjhiYjjYQIw9OO1NklBnV2OfCF4KbbqGI4YDVBPgjmbbreQnE_VU1J3OlWCv5QKrrIL2oPDFgrptL2feDBnkHJqdcGIR-rbtTeaz8FhwYLhCy5bRjSu0YqmKscD4dyCvMPXbbzzdxpIHTA/w640-h312/20220728_114414.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">There were three yard bunnies too.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijbhYvctXAnLZDeWgydfAMpl1FvveaEZBPpI1OJsm5caC0N3Lg2WxcPsp1OTVaDrsdQR8S0aqb2xqAjRia4GcHuDpZl3PRB3iE80nvCDfSBXDTVsdmi94sI22YnKgdqxmTmmLbCNfgbKN6GB77ffE-ZOXAUejMfXc01kyObbeXaSMmuV4h62pPcMvmsA/s4032/20220728_125016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1960" data-original-width="4032" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijbhYvctXAnLZDeWgydfAMpl1FvveaEZBPpI1OJsm5caC0N3Lg2WxcPsp1OTVaDrsdQR8S0aqb2xqAjRia4GcHuDpZl3PRB3iE80nvCDfSBXDTVsdmi94sI22YnKgdqxmTmmLbCNfgbKN6GB77ffE-ZOXAUejMfXc01kyObbeXaSMmuV4h62pPcMvmsA/w640-h312/20220728_125016.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">After supper and as I was preparing to soak my aching carcass there was a knock at the door. Three of the tweener neighborhood kids wanted to play on the tree swings. That was a good moment to be in, a small town neighborhood moment that is possibly rather a rare thing for most of today's civilized world.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Be well and embrace the blessings of liberty.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div>PrairieAdventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06466447251827774900noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-771208131691936867.post-8563378284523557232022-07-27T21:54:00.000-06:002022-07-27T21:54:01.775-06:00Cows do what cows do<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And so it begins. 😊<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUlnkSDVyNN64s9waqnV-serPAv9pWUZcctKbVmG4MWVZYhdeiWToyFtSV254OHxDYLUb8u8T5h5waR3G8IGO_-iDdjLEnw_u5utKPp2QtJaMhq8oGpgqelMOXt-cOlkmLnQ7ZBxA962Xy13yNQ6nLF879ga_ZPy_1C80DPwVVFMkvt951vh_liBrr0w/s4032/20220727_175630.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1960" data-original-width="4032" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUlnkSDVyNN64s9waqnV-serPAv9pWUZcctKbVmG4MWVZYhdeiWToyFtSV254OHxDYLUb8u8T5h5waR3G8IGO_-iDdjLEnw_u5utKPp2QtJaMhq8oGpgqelMOXt-cOlkmLnQ7ZBxA962Xy13yNQ6nLF879ga_ZPy_1C80DPwVVFMkvt951vh_liBrr0w/w640-h312/20220727_175630.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX9MBLPNpEYIyZtXcKYRhwBrLQR2qsznMHnJErW1kQRoEPszF95Iv5jVJRMqNiMk4RRDcVKLjZmJiB2vxgU5Ohhiy52atgGCysKrgwxkXILNsFMD9vkH8Y6UcwAgFtj5UOwbSC00fDitUZvewkNaaUOyNijKeSYZu_D02ryRKKa5qrCBXRsxJ6VgEE7A/s4032/20220727_180633.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1960" data-original-width="4032" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX9MBLPNpEYIyZtXcKYRhwBrLQR2qsznMHnJErW1kQRoEPszF95Iv5jVJRMqNiMk4RRDcVKLjZmJiB2vxgU5Ohhiy52atgGCysKrgwxkXILNsFMD9vkH8Y6UcwAgFtj5UOwbSC00fDitUZvewkNaaUOyNijKeSYZu_D02ryRKKa5qrCBXRsxJ6VgEE7A/w640-h312/20220727_180633.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">One of the great joys in my life is the frequent surprises. When I go to work in the morning (it's always morning o'clock somewhere) I don't groundhog day myself into the same commute-cubicle-commute cycle. My days often rhyme, but they never repeat. Not even close.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">This means surprises are not infrequent. And while sometimes they are inconvenient and even vexing, they always bring the joy of livin' to the party.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This morning I immediately noticed a slight major problem surprise.<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="525" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/REHfnAFiJYk" width="975"></iframe><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Then it was time for a little hillside cattle handlin'.<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="525" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/vhkpZNmjBJE" width="975"></iframe><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Followed by fixin' the fence.<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="525" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/1GhVSbnwMrk" width="975"></iframe><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Later on I spent a good bit of the day with the kids. As usual they wore me plumb out. But in a good way! We had lots of adventures including a lovely scooter crash. Sissy really put on a show over protecting Brother. Then she danced!<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="525" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/jYMHfP7HjwI" width="975"></iframe><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">After that we introduced the Cousin's Beagle Odin to Tommy. They had a grand time. In the middle of that one of the neighborhood kids climbed over the fence to join in the festivities.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia-hBvlUMs7krTyje7gP3q7HopKrlxzh3hwgLpW0wax-T5eIFrJnn8tEfAK26PcOu7qCF6X0gEg0Dw7fPhpef2TcfdHGEPo1DyzbdoA-yOv2Rn0WfrhkomSJ7RQWBvEm8O5GK7w_aNa_xaZanWcaJFMlySvAf5NyeFD7JcyQYqUzrWKZn355PaTN2dTA/s4032/20220727_155521.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1960" data-original-width="4032" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia-hBvlUMs7krTyje7gP3q7HopKrlxzh3hwgLpW0wax-T5eIFrJnn8tEfAK26PcOu7qCF6X0gEg0Dw7fPhpef2TcfdHGEPo1DyzbdoA-yOv2Rn0WfrhkomSJ7RQWBvEm8O5GK7w_aNa_xaZanWcaJFMlySvAf5NyeFD7JcyQYqUzrWKZn355PaTN2dTA/w640-h312/20220727_155521.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Eventually we played all the play out of the day and the neighbor girl introduced the little one to the concept of "no boys allowed." It hurt brother's feelings, but I 'splained to him that sometimes girls do that. And hinted that there was nothing preventing him from making a sign himself.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And now that it's nearly 10 p.m. it's time for me to post this up and hit the hay.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Be well and embrace the blessings of liberty.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div>PrairieAdventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06466447251827774900noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-771208131691936867.post-61313198634905828102022-07-26T20:28:00.003-06:002022-07-28T13:20:57.075-06:00Fences and neighbors<div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>It's been a lovely, long ol' day. I got a lot of work done, including mending some fence on the south unit. It's a fence shared with a neighbor, and as I worked I kept seeing signs of the neighbor's contribution to maintaining the fence. Which made me think long and hard about about the beauty of having neighbors.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN5GDKMsVKooWTTgFXohSIweFjzXZUL8xg9RMa8kNhyUWOi-dhXkDNAPHq7C109cEeDR3r-WwX8NS8kSRmZTJlElx03P4gCH1014nyw7hzprgVNIATizQPn6D_IxpySm8TCg5VRiyII35cMpaI0BlGdlfI6uEwiiIxReXenSyFPV68sxK2HN4RAT-Y8Q/s4032/20200615_104619.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1960" data-original-width="4032" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN5GDKMsVKooWTTgFXohSIweFjzXZUL8xg9RMa8kNhyUWOi-dhXkDNAPHq7C109cEeDR3r-WwX8NS8kSRmZTJlElx03P4gCH1014nyw7hzprgVNIATizQPn6D_IxpySm8TCg5VRiyII35cMpaI0BlGdlfI6uEwiiIxReXenSyFPV68sxK2HN4RAT-Y8Q/w640-h312/20200615_104619.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">You may recall that Robert Frost (1874-1963), one-time Poet Laureate of the United States and recipient of four Pulitzer Prizes for his work, penned in 1914 a poem called </span><a href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44266/mending-wall" style="font-family: arial;" target="_blank">“Mending Wall.”</a></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><i>Something there is that doesn’t love a wall,</i><br /><i>That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it,…</i><br /><br />Frost was describing the stone walls of New England, walls which marked property boundaries and kept livestock within the bounds of the owner’s land.</span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmqSTSAxT9J8cl7E_2ZChnOm1czboCyk1jV2KVd7m8nWJ8rjdXZoqQd_cIy9MJ9euD8RYrmOfFni5ijFQSao8iqcEJsqqc4j6UuYJMe8g7YDXUAZ0MP4mgFD6wMITrL85nHqaOzIruTrtpVVdTjgyQ7gc27Lerqooqk1-mt_HrINPQFxJB3eDTVjazCg/s1024/6fa6c218ce80206c77349d37b4a82de50682c2e2v2_hq.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="767" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmqSTSAxT9J8cl7E_2ZChnOm1czboCyk1jV2KVd7m8nWJ8rjdXZoqQd_cIy9MJ9euD8RYrmOfFni5ijFQSao8iqcEJsqqc4j6UuYJMe8g7YDXUAZ0MP4mgFD6wMITrL85nHqaOzIruTrtpVVdTjgyQ7gc27Lerqooqk1-mt_HrINPQFxJB3eDTVjazCg/w480-h640/6fa6c218ce80206c77349d37b4a82de50682c2e2v2_hq.jpg" width="480" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="Mary Benefiel: http://www.marybenefielart.com/artwork/184433-2313723/SELECTED-PAINTINGS/Painting/Oil/Landscape/mending-wall.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><i>Mary Benefiel</i></b></span></a></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;">In this part of the country, we have fences, but, walls or fences, the purpose is the same.<br /><br />So to is the heavy hand nature lays upon a fence or a wall. Frost spoke of ground heave disrupting a wall and necessitating annual repair. Here on the High Plains our fences suffer from ground heave too, as well as from wind pressure, wood rot, rust, and gravity. In Frost’s poem he also describes the ravages of hunters, who tear holes in walls to more easily pass, as well as to <i>“…have the rabbit out of hiding.”</i><br /><br />Modern “hunters” have torn down miles (actually yards) of my fences. Such people most assuredly do not deserve the noble title of hunter. Frost seems to have held such hunters in small regard as well.<br /><br />The wall Frost’s poetic character shared with a neighbor was not a livestock barrier. Perhaps this is why he didn’t comment on damage wrought by livestock. Or perhaps livestock can do little if any damage to a stone wall. In my mind’s eye, stone is much sturdier than stranded barbed wire stretched between wooden and steel posts.<br /><br />Livestock can certainly damage a fence, though.<br /><br />Some years ago a neighbor’s (Same fence and neighbor from today) bull pushed his way through an aging (but to the eye, still sturdy) six-wire fence to join the yearling heifers in our adjacent pasture. In the wake of his fence-passage, he left snarls of wire and broken posts. He made, in fact, not one passage through the fence, but three.<br /><br />We didn’t want the neighbor’s bull in with our heifers. We had our own bulls, our own breeding program, our own carefully selected genetics. The same was true for the neighbor. He had no desire for his bull to mix with out cattle, nor for our bulls to mix with his cattle. This is why we shared, and still share, a sturdy fence.<br /><br />But if a fence has a week spot (or two, or three) a bull in pursuit of heifers in estrus will find it. It’s what they do. We clever humans try to prevent cross-herd genetic flow with our fences. But, to paraphrase Frost, something there is that does not love a fence. Wire rusts, posts rot, staples heave themselves from posts over years of freeze-thaw cycles.<br /><br />In “Mending Wall,” Frost puzzled over the motivation of his neighbor, who insisted on maintaining the shared wall even though Frost’s poetic narrator saw no need, and would have preferred ready access to his neighbor’s land – to wander unimpeded where his poetic muse led him. He saw his neighbor as an ancient, fading farmer, unable to break the time worn habits of the past:<br /><br /><i>He will not go behind his father’s saying,<br />…Good fences make good neighbors.</i><br /><br />Still, Frost not only shared the annual backbreaking labor of wall repair with his neighbor, he initiated and coordinated the chore:<br /><br /><i>I let my neighbor know beyond the hill;<br />And on a day we meet to walk the line,<br />And set the wall between us once again.</i><br /><br />Here on the High Plains, where fence repair is somewhat less taxing than rebuilding a stone wall, there’s seldom need for neighbors to meet and share the labor. A few hours suffice, and the neighbor who discovers the problem generally fixes it.<br /><br />The wayward bull was eased back into his pasture where he could attend to his own responsibilities, and the fence was quickly repaired. As I repaired the fence I marveled at the ravages time had wrought upon the fence. In places the oldest wire had corroded to almost nothing, and in other places, sturdy wire was the only thing holding base-rotted fence posts aloft. Indeed, …something there is that does not love a fence.<br /><br />Though Frost used the line “Good fences make good neighbors” twice in his poem, and though countless college professors have made much of this, carefully explaining to their students that fences clearly serve to keep people apart, I read in the poem a far deeper understanding of nature and of people than most professors will ever be able to achieve.<br /><br />In my mind, Frost was describing the very real beauty of the relationships between men and nature, men and their tough agricultural pursuits, and between men and men – neighbors if you will.<br /><br />Though the lettered demand that Frost was railing against divisions between men, it’s clear to me that he was observing and reporting the simple beauty of human existence on the land, and on the remarkably special intersections where men and toil and nature meet.<br /><br />Though Frost’s character repeated the phrase “Good fences make good neighbors,” it’s clear to me that his ultimate message is that good neighbors make good neighbors. And that together, good neighbors do remarkable things. Remarkable things that most people rely on, but only rarely understand.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Be well and embrace the blessings of liberty.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>PrairieAdventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06466447251827774900noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-771208131691936867.post-75689154592732233602022-07-25T19:35:00.000-06:002022-07-25T19:35:33.682-06:00A little rain<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Harvester ants explore a sunflower bud north of Kimball this afternoon.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJWENZjUBIp1Pa2TXalSfpq8gN3h9bcoXo-4_KcHxToQJodC5hRh7yI4O9aYruUGfdj36hS0XMeSsO7uMjUlszlhhbGvchGntDGkkqZQ1Cq0rJ10wBHwsynacE8dJ949sh2HHvTMAuKLWjmyqg-JlqpOsCCjUMmDW3vL8cpeMlcVlS0xG5nbrpDe2Niw/s3364/IMG_9693.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2055" data-original-width="3364" height="390" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJWENZjUBIp1Pa2TXalSfpq8gN3h9bcoXo-4_KcHxToQJodC5hRh7yI4O9aYruUGfdj36hS0XMeSsO7uMjUlszlhhbGvchGntDGkkqZQ1Cq0rJ10wBHwsynacE8dJ949sh2HHvTMAuKLWjmyqg-JlqpOsCCjUMmDW3vL8cpeMlcVlS0xG5nbrpDe2Niw/w640-h390/IMG_9693.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We just had a very brief rainstorm which delivered 0.55 inches of lovely precipitation. The little thunder cell popped up out of nowhere and flowed down from the north. The ones that come from the north often seem to deliver more rain than those coming from the west or south.<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="525" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/ChSBTN3QTaA" width="975"></iframe><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Pretty routine day today. Not as warm as it's been so pretty pleasant. I got a lot of little chores done including a trip to Scottsbluff to fetch the F-150 home from recall work. I took the top picture while returning. Also saw a combine offloading on the go while cutting a field of irrigated wheat.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR6lRdhmfKfsqu8uPpl7TEn9cEkDUhqXkFh6ncBxcnr98LRZNPj0FbVjMGmDJf2kJmsrWnIlglqSnADi19iB6DLO89nxAOgT1C6ZKp4mSPwh32H5XQQzljg71QVT4CqKRLCMWIK_blfyjtws-NsyCCAo7SZswA2fSaujr2hfwissntBMk500DfeLKy1w/s5184/IMG_9712.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2912" data-original-width="5184" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR6lRdhmfKfsqu8uPpl7TEn9cEkDUhqXkFh6ncBxcnr98LRZNPj0FbVjMGmDJf2kJmsrWnIlglqSnADi19iB6DLO89nxAOgT1C6ZKp4mSPwh32H5XQQzljg71QVT4CqKRLCMWIK_blfyjtws-NsyCCAo7SZswA2fSaujr2hfwissntBMk500DfeLKy1w/w640-h360/IMG_9712.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">After checking cows this morning Red reported to Mom. "It's all good."<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcoFSeWOb_3ZHWKCxUk5OkqSV8HatNiYCmUkeLtORjAORTrfSroY9tq_ZFwq9Q-Y2WeffAGh_Lwjbep-V_mfYBChVLEpJP8_5p4BohSyig7yv3Um-ZnHukA7sOEpV6Pg7eiE5L-wwu8iTOCKf2yJLvmWf4b_2JBpG3IvQR_0nocG5Jo4nYEpBw6PMbKQ/s1689/20220725_100550.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="978" data-original-width="1689" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcoFSeWOb_3ZHWKCxUk5OkqSV8HatNiYCmUkeLtORjAORTrfSroY9tq_ZFwq9Q-Y2WeffAGh_Lwjbep-V_mfYBChVLEpJP8_5p4BohSyig7yv3Um-ZnHukA7sOEpV6Pg7eiE5L-wwu8iTOCKf2yJLvmWf4b_2JBpG3IvQR_0nocG5Jo4nYEpBw6PMbKQ/w640-h370/20220725_100550.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A question about the ranch dog Red prompted a memory and the decision to link to <a href="https://prairieadventure.blogspot.com/2016/06/red-dog.html" target="_blank">this</a> post. Red's a tough dog!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">While I was perusing some other 2016 posts I found <a href="https://prairieadventure.blogspot.com/2016/12/pus-in-polite-conversation.html" target="_blank">this one</a>. Coming hard on the heels of my 2016 Achilles tendon surgery, it should have been a Corpsman Chronicle, but it was not. I blame the drugs.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And now it's time to hit the big bathtub for some hydrotherapy. Just a little achy this evening. A good soak with Dr. Teal's Epsom salts plus melatonin does wonders.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Be well and embrace the blessings of liberty.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>PrairieAdventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06466447251827774900noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-771208131691936867.post-19051021027206671632022-07-24T18:21:00.002-06:002022-07-24T18:21:17.919-06:00Slow weather front<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">These calves were sampling tasty currant shrubs halfway up a canyon wall this morning. It's not completely vertical but it's close and I'm relatively sure I couldn't scramble up there myself. They were about 20 feet above the canyon floor and 20 feet from the rim. Their moms didn't appear to be worried. Adult cattle are grass eaters and only rarely browse shrubs, usually only if there's nothing else to eat. Calves, on the other hand, seem to be interested in novel experiences. Kinda like kids. Nature and her works are always fascinating, but I don't always take the time to look, think, and appreciate.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihyOR1JQGeBBMMD090ZVvrs3Wq-0X3PzhxX17U0B5KTv6Fh8qhYmIZAU12ohoBAQs0GYWZBcNu0WFf3kI-Ya4fk5ZE5BXpy-9N3A0M--7JwnNUWrANg852T5xFDgisJt29rVh0Wv1qKhj9eHHXr28Qcx6YgMCY6LnBE5kdIXPo_sTdH8K4NIjeAD5vFQ/s5184/IMG_9659.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2912" data-original-width="5184" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihyOR1JQGeBBMMD090ZVvrs3Wq-0X3PzhxX17U0B5KTv6Fh8qhYmIZAU12ohoBAQs0GYWZBcNu0WFf3kI-Ya4fk5ZE5BXpy-9N3A0M--7JwnNUWrANg852T5xFDgisJt29rVh0Wv1qKhj9eHHXr28Qcx6YgMCY6LnBE5kdIXPo_sTdH8K4NIjeAD5vFQ/w640-h360/IMG_9659.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheQV7DgpQaNDZwuwxtnjXjPynafEFTOGIePND_JOSdCu004fp5UM_hFeJblG4vQhXzXPBcNp79yc1cX291tAnt6pmczUs4kXy0dvwc-2CM_jQDyhbpxFl6dM5_xqBKrm167Qt-H46pOo2l1LfbVG1XgihV-OQAlfvA2tslkV8q5UHcFmWvaCXYcmuogw/s5184/IMG_9657.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2912" data-original-width="5184" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheQV7DgpQaNDZwuwxtnjXjPynafEFTOGIePND_JOSdCu004fp5UM_hFeJblG4vQhXzXPBcNp79yc1cX291tAnt6pmczUs4kXy0dvwc-2CM_jQDyhbpxFl6dM5_xqBKrm167Qt-H46pOo2l1LfbVG1XgihV-OQAlfvA2tslkV8q5UHcFmWvaCXYcmuogw/w640-h360/IMG_9657.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We're presently in between a couple of atmospheric pressure ridges, one to the east and one to the west. There's low pressure northwest of us and relatively higher pressure to the southeast. The resulting air flow, from higher pressure to lower pressure, is giving us southeasterly surface winds. Those winds, because of the higher pressure east and west, are flowing through a pressure trough which is rather deep, perhaps 7,000 to 10,000 feet above the surface. All of that flowing air is serving to slow the passage of the weather system which arrived Friday evening.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">That and fifty bucks will buy you a cup of tepid "coffee" at a macdombles.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The day has been (unsurprisingly) breezy, slightly overcast, and relatively cool with the high temp only touching about 85 degrees. It's quite refreshing. The weather guessers predict a quarter-inch of rain later this evening and an overnight low of about 58. We'll see.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Following yesterday's rest break I was able to hit it hard today. I fixed some fence, checked some cows, mowed some thistle, watered some garden, and mowed my "lawn" in town. We didn't move cows today, schedules simply didn't line up. Perhaps tomorrow.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Now that evening is coming on and I've sat myself down to write, I find that I'm struggling to compose any kind of an interesting post. I guess I'm not surprised, having logged more than 36,000 steps today totaling around 18 miles. So it's been a good and productive day, except for the writing part. And I had such high hopes this morning!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I think I'll link to a <a href="https://prairieadventure.blogspot.com/2011/02/grass-101.html" target="_blank">grass</a> post and a <a href="https://prairieadventure.blogspot.com/2011/11/and-and-two-stage-weaning.html" target="_blank">weaning</a> post from some many years ago. My intent is to provide some fundamental ranching information, kind of as a setup for some more detailed explanations. Maybe it'll be interesting and informative. We'll see.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Speaking (way up above) of kids and novel experiences, how do you teach a kid to fill water balloons? My method is 'splain, demonstrate, and let 'em at it. Encouragement seems to help.<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="525" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/7pk8X71yU-I" width="975"></iframe><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">They don't need much guidance on throwing the things.<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="525" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/46lzCPBlXi4" width="975"></iframe><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I've posted these before but today feels like Intruder Sunday. Desert.</span><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NYy7mXYcHA4" width="853"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Boat. Night. Almost a pinky.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KGeLLMYTGv4" width="853"></iframe></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Be well and embrace the blessings of liberty.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>PrairieAdventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06466447251827774900noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-771208131691936867.post-86734476851921524182022-07-23T20:09:00.000-06:002022-07-23T20:09:58.088-06:00Weather front<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Mule deer doe in the neighbor's July corn.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJjsIcpV5PtNPkSJzq8dXYCdDQ2J9i5RCiBDYbN8jzq_Q_WHwoXzRups5STBzY38-kSoq3nZx9k71G-_2EnQfIFng3TsN80hehBN_JLTho8xH6rK7CEwD99wWsc2k_hCAPp4H7-4AVCVuMcmv6aCznrp56qkC24eXeGSVOujcdhh77AJ2rPpJJL77B9w/s5184/IMG_9652.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2912" data-original-width="5184" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJjsIcpV5PtNPkSJzq8dXYCdDQ2J9i5RCiBDYbN8jzq_Q_WHwoXzRups5STBzY38-kSoq3nZx9k71G-_2EnQfIFng3TsN80hehBN_JLTho8xH6rK7CEwD99wWsc2k_hCAPp4H7-4AVCVuMcmv6aCznrp56qkC24eXeGSVOujcdhh77AJ2rPpJJL77B9w/w640-h360/IMG_9652.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">See the wee trailer?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It's been a warm July. That shouldn't come as a surprise. It's warm in July. Thus far in the month we've had 16 of 23 days where the temperature has been 90 degrees or above. We've also had two days of 100 or above -- both days hitting 101. We've also had 15 of 23 days with low temps in the 50's, and zero days with low temps in the 70's. That right there is one of the nice features of this part of the world, we generally have cool summer nights.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As of today the average high temp for this July is 92.36; the average low 58.54, and the daily mean 75.45. The 129-year averages for Kimball for July are 87, 56, and 71.5, respectively. Before anyone calls 911, let's keep in mind that there are eight more days to go in the month. If history is any guide the July 2022 averages will be closer to, well, average, by the time the month closes out.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Interestingly, we had a "heat wave busting" weather front move into the region today. Today's high only reached 88 degrees, and the forecast predicts sub-90 degree daily highs for the remainder of the month. I suspect when I crunch the numbers in eight days time this July will have been a degree or two above average. Over 129 years a degree or two is indistinguishable from average.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">What does it all mean? It means it's July.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I took a lazy day today. I had stuff that needed to be done, which I did, but I also had stuff I could have done which I did not do. It was a good day for it. I got some lovely relaxing reading done, sitting in my camp chair on the front porch while the cool July day went on all around me.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This may have something to do with my desire to be lazy today!<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="525" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/ceb0-DyFeDE" width="975"></iframe><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Here's a video from Thursday morning at about 9 a.m. No unscripted blabbering!<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="525" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/6fvvxs1OcBQ" width="975"></iframe><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And here's a slightly longer one, take a few minutes later, also sans blabbering.<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="525" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/UPu9o5xGuqE" width="975"></iframe><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Something about the beauty of the morning kept my yap shut. I should do that more often.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This morning there was a cow and calf in an adjacent pasture. I'm not sure exactly how they got in there; no wires down or obvious tracks. No big deal, I had only to open the gate and the pair came running, anxious to rejoin the herd. Moving cows can be easy when everyone is on the same page!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I did a lot of blabbering though, and there was some wind noise...<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="525" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/sfadn3NrNBk" width="975"></iframe><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Tomorrow, unless plans change, we'll move the lot down to the south unit.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Be well and embrace the blessings of liberty.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>PrairieAdventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06466447251827774900noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-771208131691936867.post-29655855472407277092022-07-22T20:35:00.000-06:002022-07-22T20:35:06.818-06:00Royals, slime and spiders<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"See if you can guess," said the message from my Herefordshire farming friend, "who the lady holding the bouquet is."<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHALKFI_NR24f4wG9towOryTlfbBYOXumIj1_0v--0UTHc_wJb70s31TyFMN2x9NhvNJhiW0yXtDYjZAgTNvrXICST7Np-d8ErBW07AEd99cnPhuA8HtPJajHJzBkyyrdTqRw7tJKFZu9vB6oYn5m65tqAUaqHiDrnew3ekrl8yro2s2801K5jrL3aCw/s1200/IMG-20220719-WA0000%5B1%5D.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="935" data-original-width="1200" height="498" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHALKFI_NR24f4wG9towOryTlfbBYOXumIj1_0v--0UTHc_wJb70s31TyFMN2x9NhvNJhiW0yXtDYjZAgTNvrXICST7Np-d8ErBW07AEd99cnPhuA8HtPJajHJzBkyyrdTqRw7tJKFZu9vB6oYn5m65tqAUaqHiDrnew3ekrl8yro2s2801K5jrL3aCw/w640-h498/IMG-20220719-WA0000%5B1%5D.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">So. Evidence. Message is from Great Britain. Lady wearing that style of dress and sensible shoes, holding a bouquet, surrounded by a small group that looks like English Gentry. Gotta be a Royal.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Other than The Queen, I have no real idea who the Royals are or how the whole thing works. But for some reason I knew that she was Princess Anne. My farmer friend added, "</span><span style="font-family: arial;">She was on her way back from the Royal Welsh Show which is being held for first time since Covid. Someone got her to come and open a building they had built for foreign visitors, and as a neighbour and friend I was invited along."</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I got a recipe for slime from one of the ewww!toobe mom channels I follow. If that isn't an odd sentence for a Naval Air Cowman to blog up and post, I don't know what is. Which feels like a pretty cool thing for some reason. Anyway...<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="525" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/ZaRUB9zeZj0" width="975"></iframe><br /></div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">They had a great deal of fun making their own slime. Which lasted about 20 minutes. Then the boy was off the play minecraft, whatever that is, with big brother. And the little one wanted to go outside and play with daddy longlegs.<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="525" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/6nyYJV3YN0c" width="975"></iframe><br /></div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I get such enjoyment from adventuring with the littles. When they're not being grumpy or recalcitrant their open minded curiosity is delightful, and reminds me of the old saying that grownups should strive to be childlike and fight against being childish.<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="525" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/yTuizDZtcaQ" width="975"></iframe><br /></div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Sometimes I pull it off. It almost always takes an assist from these precious miniature ape-lizards. When I put these things in a reasonable context, the concept of blessed seems far too small and insignificant.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">##########<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxaclpHVmDmdkPvJzB6wJeGSFyGnp4nTZ3EvSlBj-XbuSLxevTJIIvF2MNRvngv0SlVr_7-OLSYU2E8yE3R4IhSoNTvP_B7pY1xUrtTHrxj5eed0uHoJYX-llsVGQp2uYknq2n5vischAvfN2PZxvDQj__Waw9O1_165NWUAG75GkvTuYVEB_Unwa1Qg/s2128/20220720_082736.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1204" data-original-width="2128" height="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxaclpHVmDmdkPvJzB6wJeGSFyGnp4nTZ3EvSlBj-XbuSLxevTJIIvF2MNRvngv0SlVr_7-OLSYU2E8yE3R4IhSoNTvP_B7pY1xUrtTHrxj5eed0uHoJYX-llsVGQp2uYknq2n5vischAvfN2PZxvDQj__Waw9O1_165NWUAG75GkvTuYVEB_Unwa1Qg/w640-h362/20220720_082736.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd7AI33-76o45nQqzYx-Hp_ggqbnkPTRnVnJDc3UhOZpArZEeNEjiS1dEzXVlhkXS5GgTMURRqhatQVj4Ht6cgTH6Pw-8qj7q2LOwDdbeImXYGxNLMPwFLonS__hlX3-7ABUaLIaKoquoi_I_lB8SyQXuGpooYcRqnEuMI5H5A7T1Z9xCqEP9irR4Gqw/s4032/20220720_082734.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1960" data-original-width="4032" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd7AI33-76o45nQqzYx-Hp_ggqbnkPTRnVnJDc3UhOZpArZEeNEjiS1dEzXVlhkXS5GgTMURRqhatQVj4Ht6cgTH6Pw-8qj7q2LOwDdbeImXYGxNLMPwFLonS__hlX3-7ABUaLIaKoquoi_I_lB8SyQXuGpooYcRqnEuMI5H5A7T1Z9xCqEP9irR4Gqw/w640-h312/20220720_082734.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1w0zAEbnVIGW3aecX66Livh0P8Mg_oEujqt74tu11phhzikTOF57W1hsZ8J7HjO-1MRqawoTlML7aP6CHMYPpki64lPdizITO1Vi-6Or145_zsISTA-ztHG3Fr4TFAGYt_EI6WJ9P-4GP8yTcwnuFqk3p_Y-SuPMauT_j3tDGeKyWxurCl7LmI5gb3w/s1256/20220715_164946.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="793" data-original-width="1256" height="404" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1w0zAEbnVIGW3aecX66Livh0P8Mg_oEujqt74tu11phhzikTOF57W1hsZ8J7HjO-1MRqawoTlML7aP6CHMYPpki64lPdizITO1Vi-6Or145_zsISTA-ztHG3Fr4TFAGYt_EI6WJ9P-4GP8yTcwnuFqk3p_Y-SuPMauT_j3tDGeKyWxurCl7LmI5gb3w/w640-h404/20220715_164946.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Be well and embrace the blessings of liberty.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>PrairieAdventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06466447251827774900noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-771208131691936867.post-36831055136163136402022-07-21T20:24:00.002-06:002022-07-21T20:26:36.654-06:00Quick-kick<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg50ylLSU7E_JQmdN-Hd33eY0NF8fYFM8F3kMk7oIpqe8JC_8GilXHUlz-_c2OWO0g9GHRfjdnAEKhccBBn4-rW1UTD8_juLcgJZBLJRsRCQrogN-Cx_JH9HLP3FyFqkyiHzk_ItETcW6wfJ4wAKee1CUqF0yQtrCxwcMw7yR_surd0VFXMWtBOTEgzIg/s4032/20220721_141822.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1960" data-original-width="4032" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg50ylLSU7E_JQmdN-Hd33eY0NF8fYFM8F3kMk7oIpqe8JC_8GilXHUlz-_c2OWO0g9GHRfjdnAEKhccBBn4-rW1UTD8_juLcgJZBLJRsRCQrogN-Cx_JH9HLP3FyFqkyiHzk_ItETcW6wfJ4wAKee1CUqF0yQtrCxwcMw7yR_surd0VFXMWtBOTEgzIg/w640-h312/20220721_141822.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4zbwPfzdYMpY3I6-HvW0yazHaiBFiQITXMnI_pD9qhniTTb4TR-qvTyccdgQE62OthDgOoxryT4EJiy9xEYTWmalFjAebrsCI9-dy1MK31m4osu-8hcpmoKMnQ7uGQMJKS9TipKYHiMNljKZM2dQDjeX95IpGCzBWpDK4a5XVe06Hvz048fNrsQ2gTA/s4032/20220721_141832.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1960" data-original-width="4032" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4zbwPfzdYMpY3I6-HvW0yazHaiBFiQITXMnI_pD9qhniTTb4TR-qvTyccdgQE62OthDgOoxryT4EJiy9xEYTWmalFjAebrsCI9-dy1MK31m4osu-8hcpmoKMnQ7uGQMJKS9TipKYHiMNljKZM2dQDjeX95IpGCzBWpDK4a5XVe06Hvz048fNrsQ2gTA/w640-h312/20220721_141832.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />The littles have flat run over me today! I'll post up some video and images and commentary tomorrow-ish. Which probably means Saturday or Sunday. BTW, I'm working on Part Two of What the Firetruck is Wrong With My Leg? Shouldn't be too much longer.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In the meantime... <a href="https://prairieadventure.blogspot.com/2015/10/squeeze-sequelae.html" target="_blank">A Blast From The Past</a>.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Be well and embrace the blessings of liberty</span></div>PrairieAdventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06466447251827774900noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-771208131691936867.post-88254420906073729162022-07-20T20:10:00.000-06:002022-07-20T20:10:23.218-06:00Just summer stuff<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">What was the moon phase 53 years ago today? </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Waxing crescent.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd7KzKm7zJ0_uliZ7wxIaDnYnEAb-sWBReAowtMYXxFmkwUEb0LXr3aOODqYYQ7TuLOlIRoMTH0Q-NkMGXCDkSYVL7hWYBATc4TZS4hXhYweCvitFoAZvuZACSu5Ci0l9upZ1asH-cERg3ih6r8kFyuZFwM4wgZvuIMo9kKEPTYYYku6qPP7f1vFTjpw/s682/Screenshot%20(23138).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="602" data-original-width="682" height="564" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd7KzKm7zJ0_uliZ7wxIaDnYnEAb-sWBReAowtMYXxFmkwUEb0LXr3aOODqYYQ7TuLOlIRoMTH0Q-NkMGXCDkSYVL7hWYBATc4TZS4hXhYweCvitFoAZvuZACSu5Ci0l9upZ1asH-cERg3ih6r8kFyuZFwM4wgZvuIMo9kKEPTYYYku6qPP7f1vFTjpw/w640-h564/Screenshot%20(23138).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">What is today's moon phase? </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Last quarter.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4_9aDxJD_xG9qyWFBc1OniUSBaIUtJJI25qmncSrjuMtUj9GPJhNwVz7ucZc4rgtbQxYVlq_iIMUZbG8AbqoNOWLyr76_sx-g36rRp2irvhRkQMJ6irfrk4CeyKWi_OWsY3KtGKVDnaGiZvizDITGr9PIClPh3GoAHsUDfQ2LYUoyDhOjo-JZswpnUQ/s684/Screenshot%20(23137).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="608" data-original-width="684" height="568" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4_9aDxJD_xG9qyWFBc1OniUSBaIUtJJI25qmncSrjuMtUj9GPJhNwVz7ucZc4rgtbQxYVlq_iIMUZbG8AbqoNOWLyr76_sx-g36rRp2irvhRkQMJ6irfrk4CeyKWi_OWsY3KtGKVDnaGiZvizDITGr9PIClPh3GoAHsUDfQ2LYUoyDhOjo-JZswpnUQ/w640-h568/Screenshot%20(23137).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">So, yeah...?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrTbcrQGRnWGlNfH4iKpFCBtJ30oQt7fqiimctLCLK3F47CZqbpslTRWdDOiXx6hYKsMGspvQKjOFFY3KsMlqP5vzleKDy7jusXNbBbA7iUJM7tnNSSYyiilMYaNnL3KstgRBLsGuiiZEjEdTpFgXeH4u1V9lp57oHp1dfdJL6qyHWiQm2d6J4H7fJaQ/s3936/Aldrin_Apollo_11_original.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3936" data-original-width="3912" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrTbcrQGRnWGlNfH4iKpFCBtJ30oQt7fqiimctLCLK3F47CZqbpslTRWdDOiXx6hYKsMGspvQKjOFFY3KsMlqP5vzleKDy7jusXNbBbA7iUJM7tnNSSYyiilMYaNnL3KstgRBLsGuiiZEjEdTpFgXeH4u1V9lp57oHp1dfdJL6qyHWiQm2d6J4H7fJaQ/w636-h640/Aldrin_Apollo_11_original.jpg" width="636" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I was in Safeway in Scottsbluff this afternoon when I remembered that it's July 20.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Six hours before Safeway...<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="525" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/xhcVanwkpeE" width="975"></iframe><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">After fixing fence I checked cows and found another sick calf, 0009.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQYkmY1dt7lhOt_aoBkiuI1CJiKCkyoU_AXSRuICW8zDtNKNObT7Q_k1IUQ305iti2OHxxLP0dYBgZ5zIhfW_jXc8KheosokLUcWwD8pmCMoSMuHwIKEJNJKeLHwJ4oaKQjpRLalCiIgTeM8YNVZDXzbS7Dfa7CtlJStRBv0Ec7d4UsgdfLZtpDFt6kw/s4032/20220720_094835.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1960" data-original-width="4032" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQYkmY1dt7lhOt_aoBkiuI1CJiKCkyoU_AXSRuICW8zDtNKNObT7Q_k1IUQ305iti2OHxxLP0dYBgZ5zIhfW_jXc8KheosokLUcWwD8pmCMoSMuHwIKEJNJKeLHwJ4oaKQjpRLalCiIgTeM8YNVZDXzbS7Dfa7CtlJStRBv0Ec7d4UsgdfLZtpDFt6kw/w640-h312/20220720_094835.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I heard him coughing before I saw him. When I looked him over his ears were droopy and he was a little snotty and moving slow. Also breathing fast and a bit laboriously. The owner came right out and darted him with draxxin. That should put him right. We plan to move the cows to the south unit Saturday or Sunday when it's cooler, and that should give him time to feel better before having to trudge a mile or so across a stubble field and down a lane.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">After that the littles and I had an exciting Daddy Longlegs hunt while the almost thirteen year old went to swimming lessons. It was starting to warm up by then but it was still cool on the north side of the house and there were dozens of longlegs of all sizes. The little one is fascinated by them and wants one for a pet, however, she's not quite ready to touch or hold one yet. The almost six year old doesn't like them at all and complained mightily every time a blade of grass tickled his leg. "It makes me think there's one on me!" Yesterday he actually did get one on him and it was a rather traumatic experience for him. I didn't get any pics or videos today.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Yesterday, however, I did. This one has a lot of fun (at least for me) detail. At one point the boy scolded the girl for cutting a corner on his 'maginary race track, to which she replied, "I'll do what I want." Shortly after that I thought I heard the boy call his sister the B word. They had a car-trike collision and Sissy said, "Watch where you're goin', Dude!" His response sounded to me like, "Watch out where you're going, b****!" He almost convinced me that he said, "sis." Hmmm.<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="525" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/tHKhCX6VrNQ" width="975"></iframe><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Later, when it was time to go inside, the boy took it upon himself to put both the trike and the scooter away, and then complained loudly about having to do all the work. I wasn't buying any, and that really made him cross.<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="525" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/HJjnRPCEEXI" width="975"></iframe><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Ah, fun times in July.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Be well and embrace the blessings of liberty.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>PrairieAdventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06466447251827774900noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-771208131691936867.post-72825569912277501622022-07-19T20:11:00.003-06:002022-07-19T20:11:49.525-06:00Cows don't stutter<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In size and coloration, this cow -- the white one -- reminds me of a cow from long ago. In disposition, however, this cow resembles the other not at all.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgANGp_H46vZ_RKOaSlvoaAJ4zVaUfQnRb0wXc71Z9Gesf4gzvv3hbimGE6gbvJSB1D1GA545fwIZZqvqWkK0G-wJ81OyOk8_Rx7xLRcrCZAMzKOcaFtt0x0bGXOjwntjJdbxKfNI0vwRJ71ea_IVJQgc8pbpBmTOgNdKKFQLeuKirYwkxstujrjwbv5g/s4032/20220718_095159.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1960" data-original-width="4032" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgANGp_H46vZ_RKOaSlvoaAJ4zVaUfQnRb0wXc71Z9Gesf4gzvv3hbimGE6gbvJSB1D1GA545fwIZZqvqWkK0G-wJ81OyOk8_Rx7xLRcrCZAMzKOcaFtt0x0bGXOjwntjJdbxKfNI0vwRJ71ea_IVJQgc8pbpBmTOgNdKKFQLeuKirYwkxstujrjwbv5g/w640-h312/20220718_095159.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Cattle will tell you, clearly and unequivocally</span><span style="font-family: arial;">, what they are going to do. They speak through body language, and if you pay attention their message is always pretty clear.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Frank asked an interesting question the other day regarding feral cattle. I have exactly zero experience with actual feral cattle; however, I do have some experience with near-feral Wyoming range cattle.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;">##########<br /><br />To the best of my recollection this happened in the spring of 1995. I'd returned from a career upon and above the briny with the U.S. Navy, and at this point I was just helping out on the ranch. I had a job with the University of Nebraska doing crop research at the High Plains Agricultural Lab near Sidney, Nebraska.<br /><br />On this particular May morning my Dad and I were checking cows. We were trending toward the end of calving season. As we drove through native prairie we saw a cow with a new baby alongside a four-strand drift fence. In this case the drift fence was a quarter-mile of fence extending from the gates of a set of working corrals. It was well built and well maintained with close-spaced 6-inch cedar posts. The idea of such a fence is that when you're gathering cattle you kind of aim them toward the corrals, and when they reach the fence they turn and follow it through the gate. It works quite well so long as you take it slow and easy.<br /><br />My job on this beautiful spring morning was to tag, vaccinate, and if necessary, band the new calf.<br /><br />The ear tag is for identification.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcLbW7Xcc28HvlTGZyugU7JyFul5pmpiw-vGPIG_w5mwG3anFmcOOtsjBvA6Ry7UCI9zCgIHdRgdgBUcWowrNf_ZLyqFn_4lGOMDy0Kb_BSC-p_EBX2-ODnMzoN6kG0KVuhDNv5-L3MCjV_A6-AV232mx_KhoTGZWJR1p0OVq96s3J8ASSX1cIQO--rw/s1600/etagger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcLbW7Xcc28HvlTGZyugU7JyFul5pmpiw-vGPIG_w5mwG3anFmcOOtsjBvA6Ry7UCI9zCgIHdRgdgBUcWowrNf_ZLyqFn_4lGOMDy0Kb_BSC-p_EBX2-ODnMzoN6kG0KVuhDNv5-L3MCjV_A6-AV232mx_KhoTGZWJR1p0OVq96s3J8ASSX1cIQO--rw/w640-h360/etagger.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The vaccination is to prevent disease. This kind of vaccine is the real deal, a properly tested and trialed attenuated vaccine.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ALm7DdbVfVwub0W5LbFbVmwPzjds_TBeW4MZHHyJTrc7o_ylzOvyB4_Dgt9eeXpl1yevHPOeQhIpKn5fE8H2sWhgC9_tWtwBC9wwfxx14mTzFpMyJY_ZtozvDJu9Oa9DuqYkyYDfVZpLazEsjkhR3lpRuQ19ZRncm5q9V6cK4qnoT-Da-wfiXA3zPQ/s1600/cvaccine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ALm7DdbVfVwub0W5LbFbVmwPzjds_TBeW4MZHHyJTrc7o_ylzOvyB4_Dgt9eeXpl1yevHPOeQhIpKn5fE8H2sWhgC9_tWtwBC9wwfxx14mTzFpMyJY_ZtozvDJu9Oa9DuqYkyYDfVZpLazEsjkhR3lpRuQ19ZRncm5q9V6cK4qnoT-Da-wfiXA3zPQ/w640-h360/cvaccine.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Banding is a form of castration.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRoPiIxqCr95SK_Lc1FefosH1fj6fb7p7OrYMgERT_rpBjV-6JWXzW5d-K-_EprLuqspsnnqHnMDPXN3cdM2prw8Pk-0mGUEhZXssbbyp9nyPxnNChOaFYduWQCjbajCENO5BSZxAKDtBxUkToYWLHbeQ2t-34bZ9_dRZ3n3mbtwxQuHbObwGJ12Q6-g/s1600/jloadedclose.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1260" data-original-width="1600" height="504" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRoPiIxqCr95SK_Lc1FefosH1fj6fb7p7OrYMgERT_rpBjV-6JWXzW5d-K-_EprLuqspsnnqHnMDPXN3cdM2prw8Pk-0mGUEhZXssbbyp9nyPxnNChOaFYduWQCjbajCENO5BSZxAKDtBxUkToYWLHbeQ2t-34bZ9_dRZ3n3mbtwxQuHbObwGJ12Q6-g/w640-h504/jloadedclose.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTT7T-BwXaWyQkILACc67RxbuKluh6sHsaxlkAahCk27EeI5NHOz-vst4yB2Ev1_wRDY1iNex40Jz6fusGFqO6A21cuZtnVN0s5cJ7vT_762vnbaGtIdER37W1uIcMEk1iXGUJ25Cenh8uxA9IZ2UGMd9_2vuGhDE3BdXTFo-fU2s0O3HtHrSUtVEROg/s1600/hbander.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTT7T-BwXaWyQkILACc67RxbuKluh6sHsaxlkAahCk27EeI5NHOz-vst4yB2Ev1_wRDY1iNex40Jz6fusGFqO6A21cuZtnVN0s5cJ7vT_762vnbaGtIdER37W1uIcMEk1iXGUJ25Cenh8uxA9IZ2UGMd9_2vuGhDE3BdXTFo-fU2s0O3HtHrSUtVEROg/w640-h360/hbander.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">For various reasons male calves grow better when castrated, and income is directly tied to the pounds of live calf you sell. The band is placed above the testicles around the base of the scrotum. It cuts off the blood supply below and in a few weeks time the testicles and excess scrotum wither and fall off. When done at or near birth it's nearly painless and non-stressful. Doing it the old school way -- castrating with a knife at branding time -- is very stressful and painful.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />As we pulled up beside the pair I was pleased. The calf, a solid looking bull calf, was on this side of the drift fence while the cow was on the other side. The calf wasn't completely dry yet, so I guessed that he'd somehow wiggled himself under or through the fence after having his first drink of mama's milk.<br /><br />"Watch out for that cow," my Dad said, "she's one of the new ones and they've been kinda owly."<br /><br />From my perspective I was quite comfortable with the situation. As a lad I'd dealt with owly mama cows before; been knocked down and chased out of corrals and into the backs of pickups. In this case there was a solid fence between me and the cow and if she decided to misbehave she'd have to run a good quarter-mile to get to me. I'd have plenty of time to do my job and skedaddle before we'd have a problem.<br /><br />Except we already had a problem. I just didn't know it yet. The new group of cows my Dad had bought had come off the range in Wyoming somewhere and were, for all intents and purposes, feral cattle.<br /><br />As I approached the calf the cow glowered at me, lowering and shaking her head at me. It was a clear warning. A serious warning.<br /><br />The calf was quiet until he felt the jab of the needle, then he bawled.<br /><br />Several things happened at once. I heard my Dad shout a warning. I glanced up and saw the cow coming. I did not like the look in her eyes. She tore through the fence as if it was wet tissue paper. I can still hear the four distinct pings of wire parting, as well as the two cracks of posts snapping.<br /><br />I had exactly zero time to do anything to protect myself. The cow lowered her head and with a negligent and immensely powerful flick of neck muscles flung me beneath the pickup. She continued her charge through the pickup cab, entering via the passenger door I'd left open and exiting through the driver door, which my Dad had fortunately been able to open and escape through. In addition to evicting my Dad she broke off the steering wheel and column and mashed the gear shift flat to the floor. It was quite a performance.<br /><br />The cow circled the pickup a couple of times, clearly warning my Dad to stay put in the pickup bed. She snuffled at me beneath the pickup but decided I was no longer a threat. Then she collected her calf and they moved off to the west and over a hill.<br /><br />“You get the shot in?”<br /><br />“Yep,” I replied.<br /><br />“That’s good enough,” he pronounced.<br /><br />We had to hoof it on home, a three mile walk. There were no cell phones in those days. We were both fine, and laughed at our reactions to the cow's antics. We also marveled at the power and speed of the cow. We each knew that cattle are bigger, faster, and stronger than people, and we'd both seen some wild cows in our time, but this cow was head and shoulders above the wildest either of us had ever seen.<br /><br />The old '74 Ford 4x4 was a total loss. We drug it home with plans to fix it up but we never did. It finally went for scrap after Dad died a couple of years ago.<br /><br />The moral of the story? Pay attention to what cattle tell you. They don't stutter. They don't lie. And don't be afraid to learn from your mistakes.<br /><br />And equally importantly, don't forget to enjoy the ride. This life thing is awesome.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">##########<br /><br />Be well and embrace the blessings of liberty.</span><br /> </div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>PrairieAdventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06466447251827774900noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-771208131691936867.post-90939144797943111372022-07-18T22:00:00.002-06:002022-07-18T22:00:54.763-06:00Busy and hot<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I keep running out of hours! While I did get a chunk of another post written this morning, I don't yet have it whipped into shape for publication. Therefore this will be yet another brief one, touching superficially on the day.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It did get quite warm today. The predicted high was103 and we came close with the mercury actually touching 101.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6cdUIIFbdzXf7cICtiVFRTGiVoSjEHkvfGTDA4PoDeRVrvyh-nIYLPRfRApWEQOGivaCfsqGryTqaFimKO1u-gnjzaVB3UGMfvy0t6CstTKPSVQeI9VL8Mlq6NImSgZuZiXBa5bnVwFg3d2Mgr05bJzkPKwzeybgHivHX9j84ZjwhFDuZpN4RJvrZCQ/s1006/07182022hot.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="614" data-original-width="1006" height="390" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6cdUIIFbdzXf7cICtiVFRTGiVoSjEHkvfGTDA4PoDeRVrvyh-nIYLPRfRApWEQOGivaCfsqGryTqaFimKO1u-gnjzaVB3UGMfvy0t6CstTKPSVQeI9VL8Mlq6NImSgZuZiXBa5bnVwFg3d2Mgr05bJzkPKwzeybgHivHX9j84ZjwhFDuZpN4RJvrZCQ/w640-h390/07182022hot.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It was a reasonably cool 68 when I got up at 5 and for an hour or so it was quite pleasant. As I checked cows I noticed that we'd had a nice overnight rain across the northern third of the home place. Probably about two-tenths, judging by the puddles and the dampness. Nary a drop at the house or down at the south unit. Rainfall can be funny like that at times. There was a nice breeze early which had the windmills pumping water. The wind shifted from north to south though, and you could taste and smell the heat of Texas.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The cattle were grazing where the rain had fallen and seemed to be relishing the bright greenness of reinvigorated grass. By the time I snapped this image, though, it was already getting hot.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheNH2yLS-KeUmbI3f468Jf_jOBmgFb29NFnhnzlaNqHStNTal0JegtiAHVfbagtPad0tDkxc6YMYM_XudmHC2kbd5FJ0DWh-JIoJNkPEoZYqUoHyF2sArqDpcivDRGbTEcuY8QHSy3B8_apKN5wc3h5-YrXWAtBvzmnFZtsyasISic6Rmy0Q8-d_TFFQ/s4032/20220718_095205.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1960" data-original-width="4032" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheNH2yLS-KeUmbI3f468Jf_jOBmgFb29NFnhnzlaNqHStNTal0JegtiAHVfbagtPad0tDkxc6YMYM_XudmHC2kbd5FJ0DWh-JIoJNkPEoZYqUoHyF2sArqDpcivDRGbTEcuY8QHSy3B8_apKN5wc3h5-YrXWAtBvzmnFZtsyasISic6Rmy0Q8-d_TFFQ/w640-h312/20220718_095205.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">My next bit of pop-up tasking was to get on the phone with the ranch's sat tv provider to clarify whether we would be getting the Wyoming PBS channel in HD. The young woman I spoke with was quite pleasant and had a delightful rather than non-understandable accent. She introduced herself as Alex. I've no idea whether that's her real name or a <i>nom de job</i>, but it felt like a nice coincidence. It took longer than it should have to get the yes to the simple yes or no answer I was looking for, but I understand how this stuff works. Or I think I do. Anyway, I was nearly late for watching the kids, but I was not late, so it was all good.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">When I arrived the big boys were playing video games. It's not a hill I'm gonna fight on, however, I'm not above occasionally (not often, just occasionally) remarking in response to a question, "you'd know that if you spent a little quality time in reality." Of course in their world I'm massively antiquated and not at all equipped to deal with the actual new world. There's truth on both sides.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The littles were divided on what kind of adventure we should have. The almost first-grader wanted to go outside to swing and ride scooters. Therefore the four year old wanted to stay in and color. The compromise was color first, then go outside. Interestingly, and completely unsurprisingly, by the time the four year old was ready to go outside, the almost first-grader wanted to keep coloring. Moments like these are some of the very best parts of livin'.<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="525" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/QTDUwvCMnJI" width="975"></iframe><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We decamped to the yard and commenced playing. We did swinging, then stick throwing, then had a lovely spruce cone fight. Covered in sticky and aromatic spruce sap, it was time to ride scooters and trikes and have a lesson in sound wave propagation. Which mostly made the kids realize it was too hot out.<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="525" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/YZa5CUY0nmU" width="975"></iframe><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">So we went back inside and played with play dough and slime until it was lunchtime. Then it was back to work for me, and I spent a couple of hours working on cleaning up retired fence. A perfect job for a scorching hot day.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In the early evening I took the opportunity to make a batch of hyper-chocolate ice cream. Kids will probably be at my house later in the week and it's still supposed to be hot, so perfect ice cream weather.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The ice cream thing is fun to do, at least so far. I remember it fondly from when I was a kid. The taste was wonderful, particularly after taking my turn on the churn crank out in the heat of a mid-summer evening. I only recently decided to give it a try once again. For thirty bucks the rain forest river company sent me an electric motor-cranked churn/freezer (proudly designed in 'merka!), and my first two 'speriments have been successful.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Food for thought. I spent five minutes trying to find past prices of home ice cream makers. The newspaper ad I found was from 1925, for White Mountain brand. A four quart hand crank (no 'lectrical available) model would set you back eight bucks. According to the Fed Bank of Minneapolis inflation calculator, $8 in 1925 equals $133.45 today. What does that mean? Hell, I don't know, at least not comprehensively. There are a lot of variables. Fun and worthwhile to think about though.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The real fun will be getting the kids involved. The big boys should be able to cook up a custard base with only a few disasters and plenty of opportunity to learn about supercooled water and freezing dairy mixtures. I think the littles will be down for five minutes of the adventure and then be massively impatient for the eating. I've done my learning and practicing so I should be able to supervise a fun and messy experience. We'll see how it goes.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Learning and practicing?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Here's the hyper-chocolate recipe:<br /><br /><i>2C half and half<br />1C sugar<br />2T unsweetened cocoa powder<br />¼ teaspoon salt<br />3 egg yolks, lightly beaten<br />3 ounces each white and dark chocolate chips<br />2 cups heavy cream<br />1 teaspoon vanilla extract</i></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br />Combine milk, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly.<br />Place egg yolks into a small bowl. Gradually whisk in about 1/2 cup of hot milk mixture, then return to the saucepan. Heat and stir until thickened, but do not boil.<br />Remove from the heat and stir in chopped chocolate until melted.<br />Pour into a chilled bowl and refrigerate, stirring occasionally, until cold, about 2 hours.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Stir in cream and vanilla. Churn and freeze.</i><br /><br />Chilled base<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMBiSzVUYpt29LbhJ2GlMirip_o-iMITKrm0835e99o41xOUkiYgfuHhBeYPgs4zmp1kThdfJ7tfhkA6RlcegHP9-GeHyP4PPwRr19EQID2SUGsCryMqJqX_BOqcBmchzR3IVvVLSU3Xo3LC3hl0e5NWHse1Lh1_JEM4oYhQ-qiiU8PMmv38JdmpKWhw/s4032/20220718_195610.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1960" data-original-width="4032" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMBiSzVUYpt29LbhJ2GlMirip_o-iMITKrm0835e99o41xOUkiYgfuHhBeYPgs4zmp1kThdfJ7tfhkA6RlcegHP9-GeHyP4PPwRr19EQID2SUGsCryMqJqX_BOqcBmchzR3IVvVLSU3Xo3LC3hl0e5NWHse1Lh1_JEM4oYhQ-qiiU8PMmv38JdmpKWhw/w640-h312/20220718_195610.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Add cream and vanilla<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtjorRYg3I_47XESB_XLP_ZYtebFIva27gg51OzyMT6OSJFbLrWHHeVjDoUYBfA7O_Z5PtskV4Z0fV9tR0YXg-FvYd1eH5-7-zn83Mo0JfGPlXmHT8aykbdkHKDdG6zDSWDLRuE4VK7oBf2cJriMuiK3HMhAHQCnOe1mzaITnqCU1lRsc2GryhJmeSPg/s4032/20220718_203532.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1960" data-original-width="4032" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtjorRYg3I_47XESB_XLP_ZYtebFIva27gg51OzyMT6OSJFbLrWHHeVjDoUYBfA7O_Z5PtskV4Z0fV9tR0YXg-FvYd1eH5-7-zn83Mo0JfGPlXmHT8aykbdkHKDdG6zDSWDLRuE4VK7oBf2cJriMuiK3HMhAHQCnOe1mzaITnqCU1lRsc2GryhJmeSPg/w640-h312/20220718_203532.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />In the churn<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiqO_x4jSNc0jVOsqCOnPdacgJWnkwyNq_GSp39vzSPgwX1Rs3iJDZmlMu3shY1db1QnqasMS4dQJB1NgnWJH8Hu0FL8rTiOvU6OgYQTWn5EKsCmdFaNuS0qXdpl975H0VMhdKKM5j4ttWo6KNh0sgVfsfjgfnnApn7LuIiOVzZWzqBvEicpHIJW-UFQ/s4032/20220718_203812.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1960" data-original-width="4032" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiqO_x4jSNc0jVOsqCOnPdacgJWnkwyNq_GSp39vzSPgwX1Rs3iJDZmlMu3shY1db1QnqasMS4dQJB1NgnWJH8Hu0FL8rTiOvU6OgYQTWn5EKsCmdFaNuS0qXdpl975H0VMhdKKM5j4ttWo6KNh0sgVfsfjgfnnApn7LuIiOVzZWzqBvEicpHIJW-UFQ/w640-h312/20220718_203812.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Done<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF8Zg0pqgAH4GcfTwHYm-iZDEuRrcf8f293XHTd2tRifV9wB_vMGCMIMMirKPvqGhPOzv4i8MMB15m-agnLn02U3jMm2ev1iycQZ6Yz0KJ_hfyoWTdpb0Z6mIZi9DKpV8C1M7CqdE7SuAyo_NGdU65MobVjU22WJM4I9-e5aRRzszQHwxpx1o-P-6zVg/s4032/20220718_211629.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1960" data-original-width="4032" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF8Zg0pqgAH4GcfTwHYm-iZDEuRrcf8f293XHTd2tRifV9wB_vMGCMIMMirKPvqGhPOzv4i8MMB15m-agnLn02U3jMm2ev1iycQZ6Yz0KJ_hfyoWTdpb0Z6mIZi9DKpV8C1M7CqdE7SuAyo_NGdU65MobVjU22WJM4I9-e5aRRzszQHwxpx1o-P-6zVg/w640-h312/20220718_211629.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Freezer container<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiBM_e3OARSn4ecGIEK28XWy6J50twuJMI7AtY-OuMWWHYZHxYOvRGFcigbJ5k3m9PVcQkMAjD4UuhJ2I2PdKwdPmwf3kYRq36o-CQUMlq_VgoXEDkN6p1K1dtKYL80Ok7H0YQZ07yu_VgN19gXQRuRrCJyf8bHJVjDT390WMheviy5JFX5fAix2lf7A/s4032/20220718_211633.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1960" data-original-width="4032" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiBM_e3OARSn4ecGIEK28XWy6J50twuJMI7AtY-OuMWWHYZHxYOvRGFcigbJ5k3m9PVcQkMAjD4UuhJ2I2PdKwdPmwf3kYRq36o-CQUMlq_VgoXEDkN6p1K1dtKYL80Ok7H0YQZ07yu_VgN19gXQRuRrCJyf8bHJVjDT390WMheviy5JFX5fAix2lf7A/w640-h312/20220718_211633.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />It's alive!<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="525" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/NPCeIk46YTI" width="975"></iframe><br /></div><br /><br />And just for kicks, here's an "American Style" (no egg or cooking) recipe for fresh strawberry ice cream.<br /><br /><i>12 ounces trimmed strawberries (one of those baskets should get you close)<br />3/4 cup white sugar<br />very tiny pinch of salt<br />1 tsp vanilla extract<br />1 cup milk<br />2 cups heavy cream<br /><br />Hull strawberries and blend with sugar into puree. Let sit for 10 minutes. Add sugar, salt, vanilla, milk, blend until smooth. Add cream, blend no more than 10 seconds. Churn and freeze.</i></span><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">And now that it's nearly 10 p.m. and the outside air temp has plummeted to 80 degrees, I've opened the house, turned on the window fans, washed up my ice cream mess, and it's time to shower and hit the hay. Busy day tomorrow. Thank goodness!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Be well and embrace the blessings of liberty.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>PrairieAdventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06466447251827774900noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-771208131691936867.post-39186732042499765982022-07-17T19:53:00.000-06:002022-07-17T19:53:39.339-06:00Idle hours<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Post-rain reflecting pool, Fire Station, Kimball, Nebraska.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEnSZQBV4w6DLholTnHDyZMyfoMp5enuyna-O7VlJ58bbQGVVSdKI2dCurHd1GIylwekODaqdbM70DufhnjfQkdkbvcWWaCKWbwyfrWFiC0o-Y32zFb8Ipxy0P8VptPYyrOdm5yvdXas6mDV5SiEZvBIcxoYOJ1T7VweG6eEmAQtYlrTL0AKVo9IBrOw/s4032/20220716_091849.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1960" data-original-width="4032" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEnSZQBV4w6DLholTnHDyZMyfoMp5enuyna-O7VlJ58bbQGVVSdKI2dCurHd1GIylwekODaqdbM70DufhnjfQkdkbvcWWaCKWbwyfrWFiC0o-Y32zFb8Ipxy0P8VptPYyrOdm5yvdXas6mDV5SiEZvBIcxoYOJ1T7VweG6eEmAQtYlrTL0AKVo9IBrOw/w640-h312/20220716_091849.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Anyway, idle hours were anything but idle today. I did almost zero ranch work; I only checked cows and saw that all was well. Had a nice chat with Brother and Sis-in-law. Sis-in-law in particular taught me, or perhaps re-learned me, an important lesson.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">Watched a couple of movies with the almost six year old and the four year old. Monster House and Edward Scissorhands. Then we played hide and seek and tag in the 96 degree heat. Those two wore me out! A full day of ranch labor is leisure time in comparison. What joyful idle hours. I was so idle in fact, and so caught up in livin' the idleness, that I was too lazy to remember to take pictures or videos.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I took a picture of the waning gibbous moon, low on the west horizon at about 10 a.m. I could see it clearly, but the camera doesn't seem to have been able to see it.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbk4fuGQquTpe4mBN_SNTGIre2PLczEUhs2PxZGiUjRr6JX8LAPRIBvwRWjCwGHOrhrePCEjPh_DTBOm6d_0slAPOlecq4kPXdFSz3myaHEWh_cTUrVdCIrdHnHDRs6bZgfgwmG_gsNKixCMTuJ68-deFGtNUvfHp4XfWQLq9fTf06gHgceEYfWtKl5Q/s5184/IMG_9629.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2912" data-original-width="5184" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbk4fuGQquTpe4mBN_SNTGIre2PLczEUhs2PxZGiUjRr6JX8LAPRIBvwRWjCwGHOrhrePCEjPh_DTBOm6d_0slAPOlecq4kPXdFSz3myaHEWh_cTUrVdCIrdHnHDRs6bZgfgwmG_gsNKixCMTuJ68-deFGtNUvfHp4XfWQLq9fTf06gHgceEYfWtKl5Q/w640-h360/IMG_9629.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Before I set out this morning I took a few pictures of a fledgling blue jay. He seemed to be sampling a bit of green ash leaf which he didn't find palatable. Just a few colorful summer morning moments.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD9RLHdeBoOfnJydR8PPcJGDtCimqvNuXz8eWG3BDVrgJ1H5QXOWeRitGBzhZla2Z3P67ZYjgzbTqAiVZEjtNGD3c622xhqHQWSFbi5ccDLkfepCxis2pBykrh-6ZXNOAFmQFpHMI-0F1bQq3CPhkJCZZMCdnI3kjHjukJ4GtL6_7298Qi6cm53TBLdw/s5184/IMG_9617.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2912" data-original-width="5184" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD9RLHdeBoOfnJydR8PPcJGDtCimqvNuXz8eWG3BDVrgJ1H5QXOWeRitGBzhZla2Z3P67ZYjgzbTqAiVZEjtNGD3c622xhqHQWSFbi5ccDLkfepCxis2pBykrh-6ZXNOAFmQFpHMI-0F1bQq3CPhkJCZZMCdnI3kjHjukJ4GtL6_7298Qi6cm53TBLdw/w640-h360/IMG_9617.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8GiJz_hE4nlqXrH6_HdaPlUhfFsxji0vKGPCDWw7k4ix2FbxCbHMs1HveAEBHyGXLPkGBG3_HULDGDNmPM_M6bbU79ossWJsuAmfgse879admcApENhOXNNREN-i2CWAUTOd3WAKm2UcAKiFYlauSpKeydo4ta_1_PZlYj6gba_8rkrVHNS7mjbtf2g/s5184/IMG_9618.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2912" data-original-width="5184" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8GiJz_hE4nlqXrH6_HdaPlUhfFsxji0vKGPCDWw7k4ix2FbxCbHMs1HveAEBHyGXLPkGBG3_HULDGDNmPM_M6bbU79ossWJsuAmfgse879admcApENhOXNNREN-i2CWAUTOd3WAKm2UcAKiFYlauSpKeydo4ta_1_PZlYj6gba_8rkrVHNS7mjbtf2g/w640-h360/IMG_9618.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuwLFLPn_DZUgJ5b5d8uh9winnlwW3wPeuNapWcXYgnnAsQhCNp5SG9riRuYkMHnL1qW7UjVxb3DTJa11T5Br5hE_0pIdOr4dA2kO5Po6tMD1G6IWNDBdSNpA8RljIWFH02b0eHbHjUFZ3sMh9y2YSS_pDCJSwffnp90FLAtDn83QmeueTyFTmaD0bCg/s5184/IMG_9621.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2912" data-original-width="5184" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuwLFLPn_DZUgJ5b5d8uh9winnlwW3wPeuNapWcXYgnnAsQhCNp5SG9riRuYkMHnL1qW7UjVxb3DTJa11T5Br5hE_0pIdOr4dA2kO5Po6tMD1G6IWNDBdSNpA8RljIWFH02b0eHbHjUFZ3sMh9y2YSS_pDCJSwffnp90FLAtDn83QmeueTyFTmaD0bCg/w640-h360/IMG_9621.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFYBiYLzHrk_FjgNJPYDRN5aXrS9xsKXlqnS_ruZ3jM2kt5bkNj18lD_IRtmwVu4Z7h2agREqEuEVKTN9dPocMfHfrWhdlz3XIjb9YoAEdiQmFC_tATElWxchv5UtvJ4l13huWoVn0IvrnOL1raLXXdEr2P6e8p10u9rY4qdC-ZtUb9T5zzesq4dmKIA/s5184/IMG_9622.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2912" data-original-width="5184" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFYBiYLzHrk_FjgNJPYDRN5aXrS9xsKXlqnS_ruZ3jM2kt5bkNj18lD_IRtmwVu4Z7h2agREqEuEVKTN9dPocMfHfrWhdlz3XIjb9YoAEdiQmFC_tATElWxchv5UtvJ4l13huWoVn0IvrnOL1raLXXdEr2P6e8p10u9rY4qdC-ZtUb9T5zzesq4dmKIA/w640-h360/IMG_9622.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioSzjScxOKWAyjLFbRRPCj8SoLkhRyLdl9h-XJ-I0-lbaRMxFr4FRZi8lYA18C6u8iIdmcXK-wiZESbrk4IY-w8EimRv2PJh-0o7vHY9nROv3M-XDLVVOe2W8pS1xKnngsCTTF37WYUgSz3dGEz248EgCZKDSy-ATlAWQj75H17Q14LS7NqSOoCFx9Ow/s5184/IMG_9626.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2912" data-original-width="5184" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioSzjScxOKWAyjLFbRRPCj8SoLkhRyLdl9h-XJ-I0-lbaRMxFr4FRZi8lYA18C6u8iIdmcXK-wiZESbrk4IY-w8EimRv2PJh-0o7vHY9nROv3M-XDLVVOe2W8pS1xKnngsCTTF37WYUgSz3dGEz248EgCZKDSy-ATlAWQj75H17Q14LS7NqSOoCFx9Ow/w640-h360/IMG_9626.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Be well and embrace the blessings of liberty.</span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>PrairieAdventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06466447251827774900noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-771208131691936867.post-89134993751834438012022-07-16T21:30:00.003-06:002022-07-16T21:30:40.415-06:00Rain, ice creams, family things<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Tommy got a pork shoulder bone this morning.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"Did you touch my bone?"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb-0C3EpA3ir4RZn6xMmNvTwimhg2cqulS-xPdjs9RGUSrui3bEf8r9FM5zME4pJ2UdqVXNmrgzzajgX5LyJESP0Xa7x7s2iBjB4Rl20MIyI1uA6PeQxyyTDFuYDj-QP28E3IqD1WyUbXqWgEQOXM-OH3C3e_zUv5xx3cFw1CFxJY3EH40MXqucWvgyQ/s4032/20220716_084142.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1960" data-original-width="4032" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb-0C3EpA3ir4RZn6xMmNvTwimhg2cqulS-xPdjs9RGUSrui3bEf8r9FM5zME4pJ2UdqVXNmrgzzajgX5LyJESP0Xa7x7s2iBjB4Rl20MIyI1uA6PeQxyyTDFuYDj-QP28E3IqD1WyUbXqWgEQOXM-OH3C3e_zUv5xx3cFw1CFxJY3EH40MXqucWvgyQ/w640-h312/20220716_084142.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"I buried it right there."</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK4vmdKWEoiytmbIj5-Qnh-7JuqKzl1yID-ETNV7HVfhLKjoCS3GFtA73uGfYMixqPSa-Xk8-eZXc9ywh6kt1_3En6gLh4m2TzVT2jpc-SYYUKaXpbQGnYExfkd_F9R5vgwxz2-0WBMHC_2vkGvRGYFymCrYuUMg-iNpZhZL6adtksXEhORdMYi7K_FA/s4032/20220716_084140.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1960" data-original-width="4032" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK4vmdKWEoiytmbIj5-Qnh-7JuqKzl1yID-ETNV7HVfhLKjoCS3GFtA73uGfYMixqPSa-Xk8-eZXc9ywh6kt1_3En6gLh4m2TzVT2jpc-SYYUKaXpbQGnYExfkd_F9R5vgwxz2-0WBMHC_2vkGvRGYFymCrYuUMg-iNpZhZL6adtksXEhORdMYi7K_FA/w640-h312/20220716_084140.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"Are you sure? 'Cuz I'll firetruck you up, Cuz."</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS-GjBSBEAWvJ5H_ynQ7jyRKXyC3uELvc3RcIEyOw-yuWfe20IUvJJ2Cn2R-6GAAc5A8ja_xaD8dEM37PbTxfU1ZHujGKVW7IkMhfS8LMvWoZp-fUeQu2lekW6T4DwSsHbMq-QrDiVFXZtG8uJLfSh61om3kOP7SFur2z2fXhpYEtljdfC4k21wtm8CA/s4032/20220716_084144.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1960" data-original-width="4032" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS-GjBSBEAWvJ5H_ynQ7jyRKXyC3uELvc3RcIEyOw-yuWfe20IUvJJ2Cn2R-6GAAc5A8ja_xaD8dEM37PbTxfU1ZHujGKVW7IkMhfS8LMvWoZp-fUeQu2lekW6T4DwSsHbMq-QrDiVFXZtG8uJLfSh61om3kOP7SFur2z2fXhpYEtljdfC4k21wtm8CA/w640-h312/20220716_084144.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">What a dog. He takes his bones seriously.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">This morning I'm deep into family BBQ preparations. My niece and her family are visiting from cali. Her Mom and Dad are picking the three of them -- Joy, hubby Preston, and son Leo -- up from the Denver airport, and they'll stop for eating and visiting on their way to Cozad. I'm making from-scratch baked beans, the kind that has chunks of pork in it. It's not hard to do but takes some effort and planning. Which I think is pretty much okay, because the result is summer bbq tasty!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">Yesterday I made strawberry icecream. Dead simple recipe although the churning/freezing is a little fiddly and takes time and attention to detail. Which is okay, because...<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="525" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/qFsFTuHX3uM" width="975"></iframe><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Last evening we had a glorious line of thunderstorms move through. They brought the usual lightning, thunder, and straight-line winds, but most importantly, well over an inch of beautiful rain! In town and at the home place precip totaled 1.38 inches. Down at the south unit 2.1 inches. Big smile. We'll be taking cattle to the south unit in a week or so and they're going to have bountiful grass.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">One of the downsides to thunderstorms is that high winds can "lodge" corn, even it town.<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="525" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/km7b-n5c7NE" width="975"></iframe><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Tiny price to pay all in all.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And then the day got away from me. Despite my intentions to get pics and video of the family BBQ, I did not.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I was in the process of checking cows when the County Sheriff's office called. A neighbor had reported that we had cows out on the Airport road. I quickly counted and checked fence. All cattle present and accounted for, fence all up and intact, no tracks in the muddy ground on the wrong side of the fence.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Then I realized that most likely the reported cows belonged to the ailing neighbor lady. I drove to the scene of the report and found and followed the tracks into the Cederburg parcel in the south unit of the ranch. Over the hill, sure enough.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I called the SO back and let them know what was going on. The story actually takes an even more grim turn. The neighbor lady's son has been trying to look after his Mom's cattle, but he's also taking care of his Dad who is dying of cancer a hundred miles away down in Colorado. Upshot is that I'm looking after the neighbor lady's cattle for now. It's no great chore, and the least I can do in the situation.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Whenever I imagine that I'm having a rough day or things aren't going just right for me, God shows me how very misguided my thinking is, and with that revelation comes the realization of just how blessed I am.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The BBQ was a great time, and everyone had fun and enjoyed the meal. The kids got to roast marshmallows and get gloriously sticky making and eating s'mores. At the beginning, though, the little one was very quiet and clingy. I picked her up and she held on for dear life. I think she was feeling shy and overwhelmed with all the new people. And other stuff. I just held her and anchored her with the kind of love I didn't even know existed a couple of short years ago. She worked through whatever she was working through in about 30 minutes. Then she wanted down and was ready to play and have fun. I am so very blessed.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">After the s'mores something drew my eyes to the sky.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeDQQ9na2DENB38OXTk5Io2q_DNO0bt9dIIxk2P9mSXmGzFPk9oZb5t_ecB5SILS6gFB2wwTR4xJ1cyC-Xh9fNxWCwgjvDZR6EQ7qUMfH_6GMobTBQGPJEp0ywONB_w8U9cufOaoFEh5t3U_5BOChAwmvPhDdhk8NiiBCQgqZajCAuJkshu6Xk8N8AAA/s4032/20220716_150317.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1960" data-original-width="4032" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeDQQ9na2DENB38OXTk5Io2q_DNO0bt9dIIxk2P9mSXmGzFPk9oZb5t_ecB5SILS6gFB2wwTR4xJ1cyC-Xh9fNxWCwgjvDZR6EQ7qUMfH_6GMobTBQGPJEp0ywONB_w8U9cufOaoFEh5t3U_5BOChAwmvPhDdhk8NiiBCQgqZajCAuJkshu6Xk8N8AAA/w640-h312/20220716_150317.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">On the one hand, it's just water vapor. To my eye, though, it's a white dove. My heart filled with peaceful joy. This livin' thing is awesome. Let's do it again tomorrow!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Be well and embrace the blessings of liberty.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div>PrairieAdventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06466447251827774900noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-771208131691936867.post-65375456972499661982022-07-15T17:51:00.001-06:002022-07-15T22:55:19.015-06:00Farewell to the cow doctor<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">John Blackshoe made a good suggestion.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">When I checked cows this morning everything was looking good until I saw a steer calf that didn't look right. He was laying up in the early sunshine, as were about half the calves. Unlike the rest of the calves, this one looked droopy. He wasn't holding his ears up, and something about his posture said "I'm sick." I drove over for a closer look and stepped out to see if he'd get up or not. He got up, but instead of moving off he just stood there panting. Then he started coughing. He looked very sick.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFqVa9wY2f9V2DZAo-kkqr7tJG2AapciUtpZReZrhQFWMDos5515Iy48YPwYHXEVqz6p-zSMiOnRywRt4wBpVojYj0vtJW8U7wAQvG6-UvH9qD_OLKfG85DTb8Uqix-RJWOQyOwQ_ncAxofMV4qa4V1oWHOmRoJTSY1-dOrNuTuqnaM_IdSTTKR_QTmQ/s4032/20220715_095004.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1960" data-original-width="4032" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFqVa9wY2f9V2DZAo-kkqr7tJG2AapciUtpZReZrhQFWMDos5515Iy48YPwYHXEVqz6p-zSMiOnRywRt4wBpVojYj0vtJW8U7wAQvG6-UvH9qD_OLKfG85DTb8Uqix-RJWOQyOwQ_ncAxofMV4qa4V1oWHOmRoJTSY1-dOrNuTuqnaM_IdSTTKR_QTmQ/w640-h312/20220715_095004.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Yep, early BRD, or Bovine Respiratory Disease. Us young fellers used to call it summer pneumonia or dust pneumonia. It's fairly common in calves and if left untreated can be quickly fatal. The key is catching it early and treating it quickly with the appropriate antibiotic. I texted the owner and he came right out and darted the calf with 5cc of Draxxin.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This evening the calf is still a little droopy but he looked more alert, less miserable, was chewing his cud, and wasn't coughing. Looking good so far.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih2Yd3eSR2Aq9_Skkbno7F7TSIoA5kPd3EqfMkBoLDXx2FVtVLsyx_SkhERYofHGf5G5voCYl_2cqclb_cwQ_NDRbH9xV4TGmy5NMYJQ0PiIM51ax1IA5DzgFcnhpYzbPNBqPmMCHNJt0MmbqeN2NGCfIeyTH7cdocWFXU7yLfucuUovvNEQLDHeZ3Tg/s4032/20220715_155840.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1960" data-original-width="4032" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih2Yd3eSR2Aq9_Skkbno7F7TSIoA5kPd3EqfMkBoLDXx2FVtVLsyx_SkhERYofHGf5G5voCYl_2cqclb_cwQ_NDRbH9xV4TGmy5NMYJQ0PiIM51ax1IA5DzgFcnhpYzbPNBqPmMCHNJt0MmbqeN2NGCfIeyTH7cdocWFXU7yLfucuUovvNEQLDHeZ3Tg/w640-h312/20220715_155840.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I've often been asked how it's possible to tell when a cow or calf is sick. I mean, they're all out there in the pasture and they all look pretty much the same. But when you've looked at cattle day-in and day-out for years, you find that sick ones simply stand out. The cues may be subtle, but they're quite clear.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">So the Cowboy Poet Baxter Black, who was a hell of a fine cow doctor before all that, has "rode his old horse on home." Here's the obit submitted by his family to the Amarillo Globe-News.</span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><br />On June 10, 2022 Baxter Ashby Black, large animal veterinarian, cowboy poet and philosopher, husband, father and papa rode his old horse on home. Just before sunrise on that day, Jesus signed on one more ol’ cowboy to ride the Golden Fields across the Jordan.<br /><br />The iconic cowboy poet and storyteller had humble beginnings. He was born to Robert and Teddie Black at the Brooklyn Naval Hospital just before the end of World War II. He was the first of what would eventually be four brothers: Baxter, Bob, John and Stephen. The family traveled through West Virginia, Texas and ended up in Las Cruces, New Mexico where Baxter would call home. When Baxter was 15 years old his life changed dramatically as his father, Robert, who was the youngest Dean of Agriculture at New Mexico State University, passed away unexpectedly and he became the man of the house. All while doing his part for the family, he continued to play the guitar among many other things but he always went to church on Sunday.<br /><br />He made his first attempt at writing in high school where, as he would recall, “I wrote something religious I think…” His teacher’s encouragement, after marking an F the size of Texas in red on the paper, was, “Baxter, write about what you know.”</i></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><br />As Baxter began college he started wondering about what he would major in. His first love was agriculture, there was also, a war going on again and he didn’t want to get drafted. He did go in on more than one occasion and take his physical for the Navy. He ‘wanted to fly one of those big planes’ is what he would tell those recruiters.<br /><br />His decision to apply for Veterinary School came when he realized that no matter what came about he could always ‘fix your cow’. He applied to Colorado State University. He was accepted providing that he finished a few math classes. At the end of his third year the only thing standing between he and vet school was a 58% in “triggernometry” (60% was passing). He went ‘begging’ his teacher to give him that D. The graduate teacher finally conceded as long as he vowed to “never take Calculus or Trigonometry again”. He kept that promise the rest of his life!</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><br />Veterinary school saw his jovial and entrepreneurial spirit and vigor take flight again. Baxter made and sold leather belts, brewed coffee in the mornings, cut hair, and did laundry, all for those willing to pay a few cents. He even counted ants one summer for a grad student’s research project. He also earned a few dollars playing in a band with a couple of his classmates on the weekends.<br /><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Baxter graduated from veterinary school in 1969 and eventually ended up in Idaho working as the company vet for the J. R. Simplot company. It was while out there driving around and talking to the old cowboys where his storytelling started to take root. There were no TVs and very few radios in those days so he would take his guitar and tell stories. He found that he could take the cowboys’ stories, write a poem about it, tell it back to them and they loved it. In 1980 he ended up in Denver, CO working as the troubleshooting vet for a pharmaceutical company. Baxter’s reputation as an entertainer spread. Soon the constant requests for his brand of poignant, insightful and hilarious programs allowed him to transition from part time cowboy poet to full time cowboy entertainer.<br /><br />Shortly after forming the Coyote Cowboy Company, he married his wife of 39 years, Cindy Lou and became the father of Jennifer. A decade later his son Guy was born and after Jennifer graduated high school they moved down to Benson, Arizona.<br /><br />Over his 40-year career, Baxter wrote about what he knew, cowboys, cowgirls, rodeo, cattle, horses and ranch life. He wrote with a flair that still captures the imaginations of everyone who reads his stories today. He spoke throughout the United States, Canada and Australia. His column was printed in over 130 newspapers and his radio program was on 150 stations through the years. He sold over 2 million copies of his books, CDs and DVDs. He was on the Johnny Carson show on several occasions and was a regular commentator on NPR’s Morning Edition for 20 years.<br /><br />He lived his life guided by a simple faith in Jesus and his admonishment to, “Love God, practice forgiveness and mercy to all who offend, and to care for the least of these.” No one was a stranger to Baxter, whether you sat next to him on the airplane for thirty minutes or knew him for decades. Every person he met was a friend.<br /><br />Something that Baxter would always say after getting home from one of his frequent trips seems profoundly fitting for his journey through this life. Should Jesus look at him and say, “How’d it go?” it is easy to imagine Baxter, with a beaming smile shining out from under his mustache saying, “Lord, I made ‘em laugh, and that’s all that matters.”</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><br />Baxter is survived by his wife, Cindy Lou Black; his daughter Jennifer Cubbage, husband Will, and their children William and Savannah; his son Guy Black, wife Jessica, and their children Gwendolyn and Magnolia; his two brothers, Bob and Steve and his two dogs, Solomon and Rudy. </i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">And here, if I'm reading the story right, is his final poem.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />I Know You’ll Miss this Man<br /><br />By Baxter Black, DVM<br /><br />The Lord spoke to the heavy hearts that stood with hats in hand<br />"Your sadness pains me deeply and I know you'll miss this man<br />But, it's true what you've been hearing, Heaven is a real place.<br />That's no small consolation. You should use that fact to face<br />The emptiness his parting left that seeps into your bones<br />And draw on it to ease your pain. For he is not alone.<br />You see, all his friends are up here and all his loved ones, too,<br />'Cause it wouldn't be a heaven without each one of you.<br />And heaven for a cowboy is just what you might expect,<br />It's horses that need tunin' up and heifers that need checked.<br />It's long rides with a purpose and a code that lights the way<br />And a satisfying reason to get up every day.<br />It's the ranch he's always dreamed of and never knew he'd find<br />And if you think about it, you can see it in your mind.<br />Him, leanin' in the saddle with his ol' hat on his head,<br />Contentment set upon his face like blankets on a bed.<br />The leather creaks a little as he shifts there in the seat.<br />The bit chains give a jingle when his pony switches feet.<br />And you somehow get the feelin' that he's sittin' on a throne<br />A'gazin' out on paradise just like it was his own.<br />I can promise you he's happy, though I know you can't pretend<br />You're glad he made the journey. It's too hard to comprehend.<br />The earthly way you look at things can never satisfy<br />Your lack of understanding for the answer to the 'Why?'<br />So, I offer this small comfort to put your grief to rest,<br />I only take the top hands 'cause my crew's the very best.<br />And I know it might seem selfish to friends and next of kin<br />But I needed one more cowboy and Baxter fit right in."</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">##########<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="473" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/93V717ZVvsc" width="840"></iframe><br /></div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Be well and embrace the blessings of liberty.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>PrairieAdventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06466447251827774900noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-771208131691936867.post-9882992373076539252022-07-14T18:03:00.002-06:002022-07-14T18:03:29.463-06:00Under pressure<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A little thunderstorm this afternoon.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Squirrel running on powerlines in a thunderstorm.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBNfyJS6p8JG2SAXgx8UZna525pehgXiN2vIqsQgyxmNjNQCkciYBBJ62qYOWlb2d6S9g0hHX-JdurHgqYgFFN8QPhWR983-3BaXvPLLtRR40TFSOlBvTSZrkm12fH-zRekALK7n4Si-wJSxwdedr9eDHjR32g7_Ng75fq0O1i0ZaYv9poe_VHOdcxwg/s4032/20220714_174238.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1960" data-original-width="4032" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBNfyJS6p8JG2SAXgx8UZna525pehgXiN2vIqsQgyxmNjNQCkciYBBJ62qYOWlb2d6S9g0hHX-JdurHgqYgFFN8QPhWR983-3BaXvPLLtRR40TFSOlBvTSZrkm12fH-zRekALK7n4Si-wJSxwdedr9eDHjR32g7_Ng75fq0O1i0ZaYv9poe_VHOdcxwg/w640-h312/20220714_174238.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Gardens like rain better than sprinklers.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Omvudy6Mr1524JiDeH7ugOd2uaiEEC4IaDD42P6llxVYzPaoPzhk1OkrCktK1Kz-58fwwpglZ9h8lF_rFm19Cg1cu9T_5BSq2TpcM7v_fKNDx-klx3dbiMvHdZEeBgJbhYe-ED94mzlmPGIw4rw7UqMpRZoMJxZfDg6PXvUvevcjxHSMQlGzx3hk-A/s4032/20220714_174118.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1960" data-original-width="4032" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Omvudy6Mr1524JiDeH7ugOd2uaiEEC4IaDD42P6llxVYzPaoPzhk1OkrCktK1Kz-58fwwpglZ9h8lF_rFm19Cg1cu9T_5BSq2TpcM7v_fKNDx-klx3dbiMvHdZEeBgJbhYe-ED94mzlmPGIw4rw7UqMpRZoMJxZfDg6PXvUvevcjxHSMQlGzx3hk-A/w640-h312/20220714_174118.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">My front porch sittin' chair filled with rain water. Yay!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBvccEUjcFqDmrfGBXoit3Uo8-2_M-JhSwd1VyfDX6RNKMIHjp0j-kfd3VqpZI3qjM-o1GkYE2AO5_3goqdxjj_2Ov0TpnxfDgOuq1EGB4_S42ldKyLSj52iU9sTvcSgKmVF3NMA8I44GvJC37weUhluhwlhm2ERMkgmE1OGueKDkUaoC6sOoFgJ2-XQ/s4032/20220714_173926.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1960" data-original-width="4032" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBvccEUjcFqDmrfGBXoit3Uo8-2_M-JhSwd1VyfDX6RNKMIHjp0j-kfd3VqpZI3qjM-o1GkYE2AO5_3goqdxjj_2Ov0TpnxfDgOuq1EGB4_S42ldKyLSj52iU9sTvcSgKmVF3NMA8I44GvJC37weUhluhwlhm2ERMkgmE1OGueKDkUaoC6sOoFgJ2-XQ/w640-h312/20220714_173926.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Not a lot of rain, but three-sixteenths of an inch -- 0.1875 inches -- is nice to get when it's been so hot and dry. It'll perk up the warm season grasses a bit. We'll be taking the cattle to the south unit (home to the swimmin' tanks) soon where the grass is already abundant and this latest rain will make it even more better.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Just a brief word on soil moisture. In my post on <a href="https://prairieadventure.blogspot.com/2022/07/morning-garden-update-evening-style.html">Sunday</a> I described digging a post hole. I found surprisingly good soil moisture down to four feet. So while it's been dry and hot and we want more rain, we're not end-of-the-world hurting.<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="473" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/c_anYpBqfbc" width="840"></iframe><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It's been a bit of a goofy day. I woke up at 0430 when the wind shifted to the south, which made the curtains in the bedroom suck into the open window. It was hot yesterday, but the overnight prediction was a low of 63 lasting until at least sunrise. The wind changed all that, and as warm air blew up from Texas the OAT shot up from 62 to 74 almost instantly. Really?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The way I (and most old folks) do air conditioning here is to open up the house at night when it's cool. I have a house exhaust fan to suck the day's built up heat out, and I usually put box fans in the windows to help suck the cool air in. About the time the temperature begins to rise I shut off the fans and close the windows, which keeps it cool inside through most of the day.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Anyway, with the air temp shooting up at 4:30 I had to get up, secure the house for the day, and, then, start working. So I was a little bit grumpy, but I talked myself down pretty quickly.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I managed to get some good work done before it became blazing hot, and I finished in time to joust with tech support regarding my Mom's new hearing aid, or more precisely, the transmitter which is supposed to stream the television audio to her hearing aid.<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="525" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/521XBBlYLrs" width="975"></iframe><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">That tale is gonna have to be a story for another day.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But in the meantime, under pressure. I've plugged this into previous posts, IIRC. I really dig this edition of the Foo Fighters cover. Sucks that Hawkins had to mort himself with drugs. Good lesson about livin' though.<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="525" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/4vofALn_zHo" width="975"></iframe><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">So why under pressure? Believe it or not, it's all been a set-up for <a href="https://prairieadventure.blogspot.com/2011/12/pressure-dancing.html">this</a> blast from the past regarding working with cattle.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It's been a long day, but that's okay. Tomorrow will be a long one too, and long days are good days.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Be well and embrace the blessings of liberty.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>PrairieAdventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06466447251827774900noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-771208131691936867.post-2673891538048805342022-07-13T20:31:00.001-06:002022-07-13T20:31:51.215-06:00Too much sitting<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I was up and out early this morning, trying to beat the heat by getting the hard(ish) physical work done before the air heated up. Curlycup gumweed was blooming, a certain sign that high summer has arrived, as well as one of the main providers of fine panhandle pollen. Thus yesterday's stuffy head, which continued today but was not as acute since my system is getting used to the assault.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4eshdyLsrwIpaoIdq1uCzWCWK5oA_wnO518jx0kibFE3heR754EGhAhKElpX6BHIPsMY4zYINtfrlKwa8o3TWMeGDsZh9-X6sIbOxxKKTztIhMs25byaKUQo0QeYhrbCW9hAOMtSHY2RSfKDXo-LYbX9khv7TFpvFc5tpnoPvOuYB3EDHIEyY-_sMhg/s5184/IMG_9552.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2912" data-original-width="5184" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4eshdyLsrwIpaoIdq1uCzWCWK5oA_wnO518jx0kibFE3heR754EGhAhKElpX6BHIPsMY4zYINtfrlKwa8o3TWMeGDsZh9-X6sIbOxxKKTztIhMs25byaKUQo0QeYhrbCW9hAOMtSHY2RSfKDXo-LYbX9khv7TFpvFc5tpnoPvOuYB3EDHIEyY-_sMhg/w640-h360/IMG_9552.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Before I got started working I had to check out signs of activity at an oil well lease on the south unit.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="525" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/egpG_vF5VuI" width="975"></iframe><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And then I ran into some neighbor cows which are part of a rather glum and potentially sad story.<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="525" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Bndjv_5bqPw" width="975"></iframe><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Now why in the world, you may ask, would anyone in their right mind use a lawnmower to trim weeds around a stock tank in the middle of a shortgrass prairie pasture?<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="525" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/akD81nBmrCk" width="975"></iframe><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">No matter, it needed doing in my estimation and it got done.<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="525" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/9FQ8sZdLzRc" width="975"></iframe><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I had tank float adjustment next on the dance card, followed by barbed wire tear-out and replacement with heavy duty panels. I knew the barbed wire wouldn't work but I tried it anyway in the interest of saving time. Why is there never enough time to do it right, but always enough time to do it over?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I didn't get any pics or vids of the last two tasks, it was already too hot and I had a deadline to meet, a 1300 departure for Scottsbluff where Mom had a date with the audiologist to get a new hearing aid.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Along the way we picked up birdseed at Menards and stopped by the Ford dealership to schedule some recall work on the F-150.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">After the important stuff was done we stopped for a bite at the <a href="https://tangledtumbleweed.com/">Tangled Tumbleweed</a>. The <a href="https://tangledtumbleweed.com/menu/">menu</a> looked good...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwnkHI85Nn9m7tKPicxfi1SdSX1MD5ADgEdXI4D_7CL8bh2Y32zUNqhZCosU62GbFxtQm8LxV0QHLLeSjXxACKQj_7yK4gT2CE-Z2_gR69WQ9RfLDxz4_bUF91loV6jiNJCmJhh3SEpV0eW3ohDWQ9X50gyVRY-rxcK3PislemltuQ-QpG-TKVvThEvg/s2021/20220713_162007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1792" data-original-width="2021" height="568" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwnkHI85Nn9m7tKPicxfi1SdSX1MD5ADgEdXI4D_7CL8bh2Y32zUNqhZCosU62GbFxtQm8LxV0QHLLeSjXxACKQj_7yK4gT2CE-Z2_gR69WQ9RfLDxz4_bUF91loV6jiNJCmJhh3SEpV0eW3ohDWQ9X50gyVRY-rxcK3PislemltuQ-QpG-TKVvThEvg/w640-h568/20220713_162007.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFCy9mSCyv_e_0imNh-Zb1vV7QszRSYszV_aFM5us_VGmLX2w_ZDz3igpqUdjf2FvGsmQPuY47U13ZOYd1f8NZGfS95hfakmyWD9LWTiRoR0txRJX3MJMk_WOK-5BnTD-40vF11I-Tn0DR7zSNG3WL8lEF-b2RVyYOibh3IoyygnrPBJP8193Ltj8Ujg/s2917/20220713_162018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2917" data-original-width="1509" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFCy9mSCyv_e_0imNh-Zb1vV7QszRSYszV_aFM5us_VGmLX2w_ZDz3igpqUdjf2FvGsmQPuY47U13ZOYd1f8NZGfS95hfakmyWD9LWTiRoR0txRJX3MJMk_WOK-5BnTD-40vF11I-Tn0DR7zSNG3WL8lEF-b2RVyYOibh3IoyygnrPBJP8193Ltj8Ujg/w332-h640/20220713_162018.jpg" width="332" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>...and the local paper had nice things to say about the joint. Food and service were excellent. The place had an unpretentious, tattooed, younger crowd vibe which I really enjoyed, being myself tattooed and younger. Two out of three ain't bad, baby! Mom had the poutine; she'd been curious about the dish since one of my brothers had described it after a trip to Canadia.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiohRkkTtqxmQi3my3UyKhVBjxG0tjpiiA1KW4uO4V4V-cuZmP1aZeOz3cWLNglWeCN_dCk0xLMs_dd47Xkou6j5i-osoIKi4bp4QkiZ6vu9QH9E4kTE8fXDxO52TD104DXr_V4Y2gpc97306p52nRLDVsOnbH8zC6pFqXM5kGT7puD-7Pf2AF1pBEsgg/s4032/20220713_164651.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1960" data-original-width="4032" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiohRkkTtqxmQi3my3UyKhVBjxG0tjpiiA1KW4uO4V4V-cuZmP1aZeOz3cWLNglWeCN_dCk0xLMs_dd47Xkou6j5i-osoIKi4bp4QkiZ6vu9QH9E4kTE8fXDxO52TD104DXr_V4Y2gpc97306p52nRLDVsOnbH8zC6pFqXM5kGT7puD-7Pf2AF1pBEsgg/w640-h312/20220713_164651.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiz1d2vsgSl-L4Btu83IokA-8BYlZs-Q_H88L51ggoR23VRz3Pq85VBh3lF7F89eV3lt38tgEy2eyoIMENNM219Sw1DGFumdgSEUYr5aN9WTFV1eBcJt7_7gGV2QWcBrKmL24EmlkR_SkJEn_03uZzGVOyk6IsI68sQkTTd5uD26ZYJK_8E_4gLE9_2w/s4032/20220713_162024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1960" data-original-width="4032" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiz1d2vsgSl-L4Btu83IokA-8BYlZs-Q_H88L51ggoR23VRz3Pq85VBh3lF7F89eV3lt38tgEy2eyoIMENNM219Sw1DGFumdgSEUYr5aN9WTFV1eBcJt7_7gGV2QWcBrKmL24EmlkR_SkJEn_03uZzGVOyk6IsI68sQkTTd5uD26ZYJK_8E_4gLE9_2w/w640-h312/20220713_162024.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I had the Roma Flatbread which was astonishingly delicious. Salami, roasted Roma tomatoes, cheese, pepper flake, and a balsamic reduction. Couldn't finish it, mostly because it was so rich and filling. Tommy got the leftovers (it's a doggy bag, right?) and thought it was fantastic too.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">By the time I got home it was after 7 p.m., so the road trip had been six hours. Most of it sitting down. Too much sitting!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">##########</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Be well and embrace the blessings of liberty.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>PrairieAdventurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06466447251827774900noreply@blogger.com4