Gorgeous Spring

The grass is technocolor green and flowers are beginning to pop.  It's a gorgeous time on the ranch and yet I lay in bed feeling overwhelmed by tasks to be done.

Yesterday I rode around the ranch with a county extension rangeland consultant giving her a brief overview of the ranch.  All I could seem to see were things to be done as I just talked and talked.  I tend to do this when I'm feeling a bit uncomfortable.  The winter has been a long one and the 120 inches of precipitation hard on the land and infrastructure.   Every year we also seem to fall a little bit more behind on fixing things.   (Or rather 'restoring' them as Mark likes to say).

 

We've been gone quite a bit this winter as well. Christmas in Vegas with family.  Then a hike in Arizona in late February and early March.  Followed by hanging out with our youngest son while he recuperated from a serious auto accident.  Then a week babysitting our oldest son's three wee ones while him and his wife got their first getaway together in almost 4 years. 

All my attempts at getting a photo of the three wee ones turned out a bit like this.  It was like herding cats!

 

I think it is  time to stay home and enjoy this gorgeous place and try not to get overwhelmed by all the tasks to do.  

One thing I noticed yesterday, driving around, is that the cattle look healthy and happy and the hogs do too.  When we are home we try to check on the cattle once a week and give them a bite or two of hay and we normally supplement the hogs with organic grain.  We ran out of hay for the cattle and grain for the hogs a month ago and we are kind of low on funds too so we didn't get anymore feed.  The animals are all doing fine though.  The hogs are growing a bit slower, but they look great. The cattle were all laying around chewing their cuds by mid day, a sign of contentment.  I think we've made it through winter and the grass is beginning to grow.   Hurray! 

Maybe I should just roll out of bed and ignore the pile of dirty laundry and dishes and bills to pay and forget about broken spring boxes and leaking roofs and bulls that need to be moved. Maybe I should roll out of bed and go find some flowers just waiting to be discovered, but after my coffee, of course.