THE SIMPLE THINGS

     This morning our son, Doug, and I were having our usual early morning phone conversation and the subject got around to the simple things in life. He mentioned the sunrise this morning, how beautiful it was even though it only lasted a couple of minutes before the clouds moved in.
     This made me question how many beautiful but simple things I probably miss each day because I'm not looking for them. I don't always look toward the east early in the morning to view the sunrise. But on the mornings I take Sydney down the lane to catch the school bus I often wish I had grabbed my camera because of the sunrise. I have found myself running errands or coming home from grocery shopping in the early morning and again see the beauty of the sunrise. A picture like that should be enough be make any day wonderful.
     Our sunsets around here are fantastic also. Again, they don't last long. The other day I just stood at one of my west-facing windows enjoying the sunset and felt such a peace come over me. Many times I rush to get my camera to record such moments, but that evening I just watched.
     Another time I was looking toward the south during the early morning and the colors in the sky were pastel blues and pinks. Framed by a couple of the big cottonwood trees at the end of the lane, that would have made a beautiful picture. Again, no camera, but that's no reason to not enjoy the beauty and bask in it's message.

(Sunset in winter)

      Simple things in life are important. We take so much for granted until we happen to have someone we know and love who is struggling just to get their bodies to perform the simple tasks that are necessary for life. Then we stop and hopefully voice gratitude for those simple things.
      This early morning phone conversation with Doug every day is another simple thing that I take for granted until he leaves for six and eight months at a time. Derrald stopping by every morning on his way to or from checking the cows is a simple gesture which I love because we get to visit one on one. Jon sitting at the kitchen counter visiting with me while I'm doing dishes or cooking; Skyler coming into the bedroom and getting on the bed beside me when I'm taking a break and reading; all of these things are simple things but they are the things that make life worth living.
     I need to recognize and acknowledge these simple things more. I shall!

CALVING IN FREEZING WEATHER

       It's -14 degrees at 11:30 a.m., and the cows are starting to calve. We lost one calf last night. The cow had separated herself from the herd during feeding time, gone through a gate that the guys later closed and she was unable to get back with her other pregnant friends. She and the dead calf were found about six this morning, not far from the gate. The calf was still warm but couldn't be revived. The cow was okey. So sad when those things happen. We are a bit short handed right now as Derrald is laid up and that puts extra pressure on the rest. But we will make it through.
          We had a float in one of the waterers break during the night, so Boyd had to fix that one, and he just came in the house to get a bucket of hot water as one of the other waterers is freezing. There are definite advantage to calving this time of the year, but also some disadvantages. When the weather gets this cold it is a great disadvantage. We are always thankful for a warm home, and for a shed to put the birthing cows in. The sheds don't have heaters but they do have canvas covers to protect the cows from the cold. And we do have the homemade incubator to put the newborns in until they get warm.
      It's a special time on our ranch, a busy time but a time of rejoicing birth. A time for lots of hot chocolate, soup and hot rolls out of the oven. A time to appreciate what we have and recognize what our resposibilities are. And where we are a family-run ranch, it is a time to appreciate and to voice appreciation to our family for all they do.