Blow Bubbles

Celebrations of life are definitely better than revering one's passing on from mortal life.

A good friend to many passed recently. Her family chose to celebrate her legacy with great memories and a host of living relatives and younger friends. It was mentioned several times the memory of her faith and laugh, telling it like it is, a magnificent cook and lots of hugs and kisses.

The stories had us all laughing out loud and nodding our heads in agreement. It became evident once more life goes too fast to enjoy sometimes. The sermon the next morning by our lay leader mentioned having a relationship with God, is being thankful and faithful.

Life is fast paced with children and adults never stopping to breath in and out.  The instant results wherever one may be is how the culture rolls. 

Could instant temporary gratification be the root of many of today's mental and health issues? Look around the happiest people garden, run, work out, hike, walk, play sports, play cards, sew, read books, visit the aging in care centers,cook, sing, play musical instruments, ride horses,volunteer helping others, build and design accessories to help the physically challenged, blow bubbles, make mud pies and attend church. 

Stop because life is good. There is goodness here on earth. We can be the goodness.

Those signs that say "Live, Love, Laugh", mean what they say.

Blow bubbles.

Boxed In

How many times have you heard the saying  "Be careful what you pray for."?

Box retail is perceived to save more money, access to everything in one stop and a large contributor in several areas to rural America.

The recent change of moving products to accommodate more liquid product seems to have caused complete chaos. It has also reduced product choices in other areas. Consumers are coercion to accept the choices and prices too.

Rural America encourages extensive education to bring professional services to the community. It is a goal to serve others with great care while paying a monetary debt.

Human beings want freedom of choice. Why would anyone invest money in higher education to perform professional services for a box?

The professional and the consumer will be coercion to accept the service and product. It is a dangerous  environment to continue to accept. There will be no raising the bar, to set higher standards, to exceed, or to create a better service.

When you vote, think long and hard about what you are voting for. Will it really give a right? Or another take it because that is all you are going to get.  Or better yet, if we don't have it you don't need it.

I will be voting no on SQ 793.

Blue Ribbon Fair

County and state fairs are happening 
across the United States. 

Yes, the blue ribbon is exciting, the purple and lilac ribbon is a feeling of accomplishment.

The ribbon is not the experience. Be still watch, listen, touch, breathe, and taste all you can.

People see their family, everyday friends, long-time friends and friends from many years ago. They see the intricate art of a quilt, painting, portrait, the fresh produce, and 4-H and FFA animal projects. Seeing robotic shows, the wildlife, the rodeos and concerts is always a memory to recall for a happy moment.

Family, good friends and acquaintances hear the greetings, the hugs with a pat on the back. You can hear the excitement of crowds clapping and cheering exhibitors during contests. Hearing children excitably digging through a corn dig for a prize. The challenged squealing or pounding their chest in pride as the ribbon is displayed on their project.

As mentioned already you can touch with the handshake, pats on the back and greetings. Touching animals creates a warm fuzzy feeling. Dancing the last dance so close feeling the heartbeat at the close of the night. Carrying the relaxed, worn out, deep in sleep child on your shoulder still clutching the prize toy

Some pinch their nose to the unfamiliar smells of livestock. Others breathe in deep as the smell of popcorn, funnel cakes, BBQ, tator curls, and cotton candy wafts through the air.

And now to taste the corn dog, the root beer, ice-cream, cotton candy, BBQ and much more! Everyone has their favorite food and drink to try at the fair. Some even have cold water out of the hose while running water for their animals.

Strive for the best knowing perfection is not a destination; it is a continuous journey that never ends year after year creating traditions.

0 replies0 retweets0 likes

Reply

Retweet

Like

View Tweet activity

Great White

His signature was his starched stiff as a board, white, collared, button down shirts giving a subliminal status in any collective setting.

In today's world humans survive in a very competitive and combative environment. Nearly every culture has a share of less than desirable behaviors that lead to an array of events that often end in permanent cessation of vital functions. No domain is immune to any culture or behavior. Awareness of  surroundings, other's behavior and one's own behavior is a factor of cohesion of life.

The 'Great White' included in royalty, a rancher in jeans and even casual sports attire creates a level of conduct of common courtesy. The dressed person has more conscious of their behavior too.

Health reasons require  a healthy posture stance while driving, walking,  and working. This habit also keeps one more alert. "Great White' may be subliminally interpreted as asepsis.

The unwritten common courtesy gestures should always be returned with a simple 'thank you'. 

Consistent practice of the 'Great White' and common courtesy can ameliorate civilization forever.

She sleeps with the generator guy

This is a little late in posting. The ranch and outside work keeps us occupied.

Storm Ursula unleashed a heavy dose of unbalanced weather wrath on the last day of April 30, 2017. Strong high gusty winds blew all day with heavy wet snow that stuck to everything it landed on.

Now a ranch woman is prepared or so she thought. The old ranch house is not modern enough to handle an automatic generator. So we still plug the refrigerator in to keep the food good and unpluging it when we need to use other appliances one at time. This plan works well if your battery wasn't dead.

We waited the weather out until the next morning without power. It was bone chilling cold. The drifts made it very hard to dig out. Every tractor, skid steer and feed truck was drifted in. The hay was unreachable because of the drifts. The trees looked like a tornado had hit with the huge branches broken and some fell clear out of the ground blocking our way to the road. Hand shoveling is good for soul and body it releases some of the frustrations of feeling helplessness and overwhelmed.

Mid morning the county maintainer busted through the drifts on the road. It was a one way track with sides as high as your pickup. This was a sign to get out, get to town for a new generator battery and fuel. By the way the ranch woman bought the last generator battery in the town.

The ranch woman has a second job 43 miles away one way. On a normal day it is not an issue because she is early to bed early to rise. The ranch guy aka generator guy goes to bed later after feeding orphan kids so he gets up when she is leaving for work.

The generator guy gets up to start the generator when she gets up to begin the day. The first couple of days it was cold enough to run the house furnace. That generator guy finds ways to make things work even when he is bone tired, cold and wet. He never complains eating microwave meals or sandwiches and chips. On day 7 his son and daughter in law cooked up a great steak meal on the grill.

The generator guy had gone through several pairs of work jeans trudging through mud and snow all week. Day 7 the ranch woman loads up the laundry to find a laundromat at the nearest town 19 miles away. It has been 40 years since she has used a laundromat. Luck is on her side because when she scopes the laundromat out two other women were very helpful to let her know which machines were the cleanest or didn't work and how many quarters to use. How great is that?

Ice, Fire, Wind, Rain and Snow

2017 began with a catastrophic ice storm doing widespread millions of dollars of damages. Then came the fires taking many of the same people out again with millions more dollars of damages.

Today the wind, rain, and snow is flooding out areas, knocking out power and leaving us with thoughts at what is next. Life goes on. It doesn't stop when things go awry. 

We are very thankful for the moisture and the challenges today set the bar high for us here at ranch keeping over 1,000 goats dry. Goats don't tolerate cold wet weather especially now during kidding season. 

Modern technology gives us an idea at what to expect for weather most of the time. This works well when you don't live two blocks away from a food supply, hardware and feed store. We do pay attention and no matter how tired we are after working a second job 40 miles away, we get our supplies to prepare for inclement weather before heading home. Today we are thankful for making wise decisions to prepare for weather.

The digital world keeps us connected second by second on practically anything we want to know today at home, stateside and worldwide. It doesn't take long reading any news and social posts to appreciate the good things in life.

The wind is kicking up again with blowing snow. We can only hope for the best. Take care until next time.

Rancher's Hand

A rancher's hand could be a man's, a woman's, a grown child or a very young child.

A rancher's hand might be missing a thumb or a finger or two from headin and heelin or wrapped in wire.

Scars from burns, wire and knife cuts are visible too. 

Chunks of skin could be missing from getting pinched in rope, baling twine or some other dreaded condition.

No matter what the size they could be rough from the harsh cold winter air chopping ice for livestock. They could be soft to hold on a wee youngin too.

What can't be seen is the strength in those hands working every day to provide for animals, family, church and community. The unsaid words in the handshake will offer great care in end of life, malady, and birth. The soft touch from a pat of a caring little hand because they too understand.

The rancher's hands prepare food from the heart for the body and soul in clouded and joyful times.

They clap with soul to songs at worship, school, and a rodeo dance or two. The hands quietly drum a beat listening to string instruments and the harmonica played on the front porch or in the truck with the radio on.

A rancher's hand can pen a letter, poem or song and don't wait long to raise a bid to help others along.

The rancher's hand drives miles and miles to watch the children, help a neighbor, to ensure voices are heard by local, state and national legislation.

The rancher's hand endears little ones so gingerly. They take great care of young animals to start them right at all hours of the night. The rancher's hand gives divine dignity to man and creature at end of life.

A rancher's hand may be missing from serving his country, an accident, or infirmity. They don't express regret nor hail scrutiny as the strength is still there.

A rancher's hand yields action for good things in the vision of God.