Knowing Who’s Up There
“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 …
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Semper Vigilans
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 …
A Proper Dusting
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 …
The Welcoming
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 …
The Gatekeeper
“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 …
Bull Strong and Horse High
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 …