“Cricket, you on?”; those haunting words came from somewhere deep in my past. When we heard our call sign, everything around us faded. We listened intently for what was coming next. When on overwatch, you were even more focused because the lives of your buddies was in your hands. Whether on “glass” (looking through a Read More >
Getting a telephone call from your foreman at 6:03am, advising you to hurry outside with a gun, assures you won’t need that cup of coffee to get your heart pumping. I didn’t ask why, I just grabbed my Smith and Wesson, donned my muck boots, and skedaddled outside. Judging from the clowder of barn cats Read More >
Elpis (pronounced “L-peace”, the Greek word for “hope”) the donkey and her antics often leave me laughing. This morning, it was her daily summer beauty treatment. While filling the stock tank near her stall, she walked over to her bare spot and lay down. Next, she rolled back and forth, side-to-side, creating a mini-dust storm. Read More >
While the birth was as private as a wide open pasture can be in the early morning hours, the unwritten rules of calving among cattle fascinate me. Leave mama and baby alone for a bit and let them bond. Then, drop by for a social call, give them a lick, let them learn your voice Read More >
“Buongiorno Giuseppe. Posso entrare?” (Italian for Good morning Joseph. May I come in?). All 600 pounds of him stands at the gate each morning. He doesn’t budge until I’ve hand fed him three cubes. Then, after I’ve paid the toll, he allows me to open the gate and drive through with the feed buckets. The Read More >
Any rancher will tell you, “Fences are almost always in need of repair.” The reminder to build my fences bull strong and horse high came to mind while I worked on fencing this past weekend. I think the original quote, of unknown origin, is “Build your fences bull strong, pig tight, and horse high.” Given Read More >