If I’ve learned nothing else in my 25 years of marriage to my amazing and beautiful Italian-American wife, I’ve learned there is much more to life than salt and pepper. Ms. Diane’s cooking has taught me that when you mix the right spices together to season a meal, amazing things happen. This might explain why Read More >
Growing up can sometimes be a noisy affair. With calves, that’s the first week of weaning season. Separated from their mamas, these little ones, and their mamas, have been bawling themselves hoarse for the past few days. Neither mama cow nor calf are hungry, but both are experiencing separation anxiety and the discomfort that often Read More >
How many years had the old oak stood its ground? For how many generations had it provided shade, rest, and perhaps residence for woodland creatures? From its size, well over a century. With this world’s cyclical weather patterns, alternating between periods of frigid low temperatures and sweltering highs, it survived both ice storms and drought Read More >
Heifers, bulls, twins, breeches, winter storms, health crises, social and political unrest, recession, or depression; so many unknowns, how can I face them all Lord? What I meant to be an encouraging start of the New Year post for all my friends this week suddenly changed direction yesterday with four little words. You-Could-Go-Blind. In the Read More >
For much of my career, the week between CHRISTmas and New Year’s was “shutdown”, a time when only essential tasks were happening around the office. For the most part, maintenance crews painted, repaired, or started construction projects when many employees weren’t around. It was both safer and more efficient that way. As a Capture and Read More >
Deciding what fence-splicing method you choose depends on where the break is and how much tension the wire holds. Here at the Cross-Dubya, some of our fencing is approaching 20 years old. Checking and repairing fences is an almost daily event. All those years of being leaned on, stretched, and tore loose from your anchors Read More >
Sometimes our lives become a desert, devoid of the life-giving water that normally flows through our souls. It doesn’t always happen in the heat of summer, but can happen in the midst of a cold, dark winter season. I’ve experienced thirst in both. In the heat of battle, when adrenaline is coursing through our body, 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 >
Nearly 18 months ago, God introduced me to a fellow writer and sister in Christ who continues to bless me through her friendship. I’m honored to introduce you to my writing pal, Mrs. Gail Kittleson, this week. An acclaimed writer of historical women’s fiction, her work features a unique blend of actual history with an Read More >
Had we not just finished a huge lunch at Tejano’s, the local Mexican restaurant, sitting on the drive listening to the cows eructate might not have been so funny. As my young helper Beau and I were just gearing up to do some more fencing, he asked, “Why do cows lay around and chew so Read More >