(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!
