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.