STORMS OF LIFE

As Boyd and I were driving to the valley from the ranch one day last week to take three cow calf pairs up to summer pasture. We had unloaded them at the cattle guard close to the Hell Creek corral, and then headed back to the valley. We noticed black clouds to the west that looked like quite a storm. Boyd had received a “severe storm warning” for our area on his phone, so we weren’t surprised at the clouds. 

            We made it home but within an hour the storm hit, and it was a doozy! There was thunder and lightening, high winds, and pouring rain. The hail that was predicted did not materialize at our place though.  This storm didn’t last more than twenty minutes, I guess all of those elements had to get their job done in a hurry!  The storm then moved on to the east and Boyd and I agreed that it was a good thing we got down from the ranch when we did.

            Shortly after the storm died down, I went outside to check on something. I stopped and looked around. Everything looked greener than it did before the storm, the birds were singing louder, and the air had that wonderful clean fresh smell that follows a rain storm. There was a feeling of peace in the air. It was a wonderful feeling that affected all of my senses, sight, sound, smell, and touch.

            This made me think of some of the challenges and trials we have gone through. How we can see them coming and aren’t always in a position to stop them. How it is good if we make it to shelter before they hit, but if we don’t we seem to make it through with the elements pounding down on us.  Also, what a feeling there is after we have lived through and survived one of these storms/ challenges or whatever they are called. It’s as if a new perspective is revealed to us.  It seems our sight is made clearer, we can see more of what we need to do, where we need to change, and even sometimes how to change. There is a freshness in the air after going through these, a lifting of a burden from off of our shoulders. 

            I realize that often the challenges and storms of life last a lot longer than this storm did, but I think the aftermath can be compared.  Yes, there are a lot of comparison with nature and with ourselves.

MEMORIES FROM AN OLD SCRAP BOOK

     We found one of Boyd's scrapbooks from when he was in grade school and high school. Interesting what he kept. his interest in athletics began when he was just a child and accompanied his dad, Phil Schwieder, when his dad refereed basketball games. Boyd told how he made friends with Joe Louk, the janitor of the Iona School. Boyd agreed to do some of the sweeping and cleaning and Mr. Louk would leave a window in the the gym just a crack so Boyd could slip in on the weekends and play basketball. I'm sure he wouldn't go alone but would take a friend of two with him to do that.  Maybe even enough to have a game of basketball! that agreement with Mr. Louk was a good one for Boyd and probably benefited Mr. Louk.
    Then he had some newspaper clippings in that scrap book. these were articles cut out of the Post Register of an LDS Church basketball tournament held in Iona. a team came in from Canada to this tournament, and the winner of the tournament went on to the All Church Tournament in Provo, Utah. I think the Canadian team one, but not sure.  That was in about 1954 or 1955.  Interesting that two of the Canadian boys, brothers, playing on their team went on to Utah State at the same time we did and they played  on a basketball team with Boyd there. Small World!
    Another thing we found of interest was the Valentine cards that Boyd had in his scrap book. Back then we would buy a box of Valentine cards and give one to each student in our class. the teacher would print off the names of all of the students in the class and give a copy to every one. it was important that no student be forgotten. Interesting and good times.
    I look at what is done now in the grade schools and I don't know that much celebrating occurs for Valentine's Day. Did we just need something fun to do, something to take away the boredom of a regular school day?
     When i was in the 5th grade, my teacher was Mrs. Gladys Southwick. every year she would make a special box to put the valentines in. that year I was in her class I was chosen to have the Valentine's Day box. She had built it to look like a castle, with a slot cut out of the top to slip the valentines in. how  excited I was to get that special box!
    When the valentine box in each class room was opened, someone would pass out the cards. It was fun to look at the cards and see who they were from.  And there was always cookies and punch to go with this special day. Probably room mothers provided the refreshments.
     Oh, we had a good time remembering our younger years as we we looked through Boyd's scrap book. Our daughter, Janna, was with us when we did this and she enjoyed the memories that book brought out of us.

AGRICULTURE - IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE!

(Boyd and Jon finishing up fall work at ranch)

     As I write this i am looking out the window on the mornings of our first snow of the season. it is cold, as can be expected, and the path to the garage will be slick. i will have to be extra careful walking to the car, I don't want to fall! the snow is beautiful as it clings to the tree branches, as if afraid of falling just like me. right now there are no tracks, vehicle or animal, in the snow. it is almost like being on a new planet ready to be explored.
     Just a couple of mornings ago I enjoyed another beautiful morning with all pastel pinks and blues. a couple of weeks ago we drove to the top of Dan Creek and enjoyed the fall fashion show the aspen and other trees presented. i can't help but be thankful for the opportunity to live where we can enjoy these natural beauties!
     Agriculture and our life involving around it is another thing I am thankful for. Farming and ranching are hard work but they create a good life. do those of us living this life really appreciate it? Are we sharing our feelings with our family and friends? It seems so much of our time is spent complaining about the price of gas and fertilizer, the weather, and anything else we can think o. Do we take the time to really enjoy the simple things that agriculture has to offer us or are we always so busy that these things pass us by?
     Summer days with this good life are long with no such things as an eight-hour day. By necessity we get up early and go to bed late. there is usually a good feeling of accomplishment at the end of each day unless it has been a time of constant breakdowns. Then the feelings might be of frustration. We may not get everything done that we want or need to, but we can always see that we did get something done. And we can sleep well at night because we are tired from the labors of the day.
     We can set our own hours, although the sun seems to have a big control over that. It seems if the sun is up we need to be up and usually are. We do have the privilege of making appointments during the day time to see doctors, dentists, get haircuts, etc., except at harvest time. The knowledge that the work needs to be done and we are the ones responsible to get it done weighs heavy on us.
     Farming and ranching are forms of gambling. Everything we have, from financing to labor, is put into the work that we do with the hope of gaining a reward at harvest time. That reward doesn't always come like we wish it would. Some years with drought, our grain harvest will not be as good. If we have a rainy fall the grain may sprout while still uncut in the field. The calves may not be gain as much weight during a summer of drought, due to less feed, and they may suffer and even die of dust pneumonia because of so much dust in the air. But we seem to make it through those bad years, always praying for a better one to come.
     I always love to see the shorter days this time of the year. We seem to be able to slow down some. Of course having the fall harvest over helps with having less work to do. And, the big plus for me, having the shorter days and it getting dark earlier is that Boyd is in the house for the evening and we can enjoy the evening together. I think maybe I have some chicken blood mixed in with mine as I want to "roost" when the sun goes down, necessarily go to bed but get a good book to read, or some handwork while Boyd watches sports on TV.
     As we are getting older we recognize the fact of restrictions on what we can and can't do with our farming life. But we can always look back on it as a wonderful life, one we were blessed to have, to raise our children in, and to see the changes come in agriculture.
     Even with natural problems such as drought, rain during harvest, early frost, small harvest returns, low-weight calves, this is a good life, a productive life, and a love we love. We are happy to be farmers and ranchers. We have not regrets! We have a lot to be thankful for!

A WEEK OF RELAXATION AND REST!

Boyd on the lake in a rented kayak

Sitting here at the kitchen table looking out the big window at the lake is most relaxing. ‘I’ve been at this spot since 6 a.m., off and on, and feeling like I could be here forever and still love the peace and serenity I feel. But this is a one week out of the year experience I have the opportunity of indulging in laziness. I love being in the mountains among the pine trees, off the beaten path. We are at Big Sky Montana in a time-share condominium that my father-in-law gave to Boyd and me before he passed away

            Boyd is cooking breakfast, our friend Ken is lounging in the living room waiting to be told it is time to eat.  What an ideal life even if it is only for a week. We have been coming here for probably 15 years and love the time we are able to spend here.

            I have found that it takes me a few days to calm down and relax. Even then I’m up and going early, but I don’t feel the pressure that I have at home. I will admit that most of that is self-imposed pressure but pressure is pressure!

            I can get up early, about 6 in the morning, sit at the computer wearing my pajamas, and put in a good couple of hours writing. I love that. Boyd and Ken have been sleeping in so I don’t have to visit or be nice to anyone, just type away. It’s a good time to do it.

            We only eat twice a day unless you consider the fact that there are cookies, licorice, nuts, and chocolate on the counter to nibble at every time we walk past them. Breakfast is usually about 10 and our evening meal around 5. A few times we go out to eat, other times we fix something simple here at the condo.

Boyd did rent a kayak for an hour and went out on the lake just outside our condo. That is an unusual event for him as he rarely wants to get in the water like that. We have had a bald eagle come every morning and evening on a dead tree branch where we can watch it. We spend a lot of time feeding the ducks and fish in the lake from from off our deck. We haven't seen other wild animals this year, but there is always a chance we will yet.

            It’s a simple life we lead here, no irrigating, no cows bellering, no lawn to mow and water, no garden to water and weed. There are no meetings we have to go to, no appointments, and very few phone calls. And after a day or two we can ignore the nagging reminders that come into our minds that we need to check to make sure those things are taken care of.

            This is a time of renewal and rejuvenating that we look forward to each year. We take road trips during the day, ride the chair lift up and walk around then ride back down. We’ve found a place to buy an ice cream cones.

            I don’t think either Boyd or I could live this kind of a life for very long, but it is relaxing and calming and we always go home feeling rested! Yes, we love doing this one week out of the year and hope we can keep it up for a few more years. We are building memories to sustain us when the time comes that we can no longer do this type of thing.

             

THE RIGHT TO STAND UP FOR ONE BELIEVES

     I've been looking at Facebook and all of the comments about the NFL and kneeling during the presentation of the colors. There are many different postings concerning this so I decided to add my feelings to those others in my blog.
     I believe in standing, having my hand over my heart, and singing "The Stars Spangled Banner" and/or reciting the Pledge of allegiance when the flag of the United States is presented. However, I respect other's rights to not do so.
     The thing that I find so interesting, is that these football players were respectful in their protest. I didn't see any of them swinging posters, using microphones to be able to be heard, using guns to show their strength. I didn't see any fighting  because of a disagreement with those not kneeling. I didn't see policemen being called in, dressed in their combat uniforms, swinging billy clubs and spraying participants with pepper spray, because that wasn't necessary. I didn't see anyone breaking windows on shop windows, turning cars upside down, starting fires on police cars, and being hauled off to jail. From what I could see, there was no shouting or shoving or trying to get anyone else to do what they were doing.
     Are we so enamored in violence that we have to criticize a peaceful demonstration? Do we want to create violence by insisting that all players by fired, that we put up protests outside of the playing field?.
     Maybe we all need to take a step back and think about our reaction to this. Are we being drawn into a crowd mentality wanting more action, more excitement, more deaths, more media coverage? Is social media helping to incite these types of feelings? Are people in authority helping to incite these destructive behaviors?
     I respect everyone's right to their opinion, even if it differs from mine. I respect their right to protest and I especially admire those who protest peacefully.

NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS

          Ah, that time again when we make our new year’s resolutions. By this time in January I’m usually breaking most of mine anyway. But it is fun to listen as people talk about what they are going to do. The most common resolution seems to be that of losing weight. Yes, I’ve had it on my list for many years, until I quit making resolutions that is.

It seems to me though that the week after Christmas would probably be a good time to implement that goal whether as a New Year’s resolution of just a goal. We personally get so many gifts of candy, cookies, cakes, and nuts at Christmas time, that I can’t resist them. I’ve tried to hide them but that doesn’t work because I know where they are hidden. Leaving them out makes them a bigger temptations.  And I love to get them at Christmas time because I’ve never been one to make candy. Tried it a few times and failed.

So I’ve been listening to others as they discuss their resolutions, especially losing weight and thought I would share some thoughts. It seems there are a lot of ideas of how to lose weight from impossible to starvation. These include:

·         Grow taller. This will spread the weight further. Now if we only knew how to do this I think it would work. Just two or three inches for me would definitely diminish the need to cut out chocolate and desserts.

·         Be aware of the foods that you eat. I think this might be one that I can work on. I hereby resolve to not eat any meat from animals that have been given growth stimulating hormones. Because we are ranchers and sell a lot of our calves to feed lots, we are aware that growth stimulating hormones are given often to increase the weight quickly on animals. I wonder if that hormone works with humans when we eat the meat of the animals that have been given it. Sure sounds reasonable to me. We don’t use this hormone with our animals so when we take one to be butchered I know it doesn’t have any residue of growth stimulants in it. I will have to watch labels and do some research for any meat I purchase.

·         Be aware of other products which I use. I listened to a conversation the other day that got me thinking. These women were talking about their favorite shampoo that “adds body.” Now if I didn’t wash my hair when I showered I probably wouldn’t be concerned, but the shampoo runs down my entire body when I wash and rinse my hair that way. AND I certainly don’t need to “add body” to my body. I will definitely read labels more closely when I buy shampoo from now on! And I think I will check lotions and creams too.

·         Calorie counting is supposed to work but it never has for me. I always figured that calories were a measure of heat, so if I eat my food cold there shouldn’t be any calories. Apparently I’m wrong on that assumption.

·         There are always weight loss groups you can join but a few years ago I did join one such group that must have been a fly-by-night bunch because it folded up before I finished the time I had paid for. And of course I didn’t get any money back from them. However, I did get the weight back that I lost. I don’t think that was a real selling point of that group.

There are other resolutions that are just as challenging to me to work on: get organized; keep up with the bookwork for the farm; keep a journal; face each day as a joy not a challenge; and lots more

I know we all go through something similar to this goal setting this time of the year. You know that every morning is a “new beginning.” So I don’t think we need to feel like we fail if we can’t follow through on yearly goals. Daily goals and resolutions are going to be my aim for this New Year. We’ll see how that works.

BEAUTIFUL SNOWY DAY

     We are having a beautiful snowy day. I decided to walk outside and take some pictures before the dogs and birds covered the snow with tracks. It's been a year or two since we have had a storm like this. Everything looks so pretty dressed in white.

The wind is supposed to blow this afternoon, which will probably

cause problems, but I'm enjoying it now.

 Boyd and Jon will have to go out and work with the cows, and I should feel guilty about being in the house, keeping warm and dry. They may end up needing me though to help with gates on this stormy day, and that's ok because I have warm clothes and boots to wear.
     When a storm comes in like this it causes me to be grateful that I canned last summer and that we have a freezer full of meat! W also purchased a generator a year ago so don't have to worry about getting water for the cattle if the electricity goes out. Life is good! It might be cold and things might be inconvenient, but it is still good!