Cow Goat

Yesterday Flower the goat was up early and out checking the herds when she discovered that #51, a classic red Hereford, was limping badly on her right hind. Being the earnest and kind goat that she is, she took her time bringing her in; no mad rushing and nipping and barking that those other animals do. Good little Cow Goat that she is she just occasionally lets out a quiet 'maaa' and shakes her floppy ears. After bringing her into the corrals, #51, (who we call 51/50 even though she is anything but crazy) is carefully escorted into the cattle lane and then into the chute. Flower has a bit of a difficulty handling such equipment, so she lets Mark help catch the cow's head and close the rear door.
51/50 appears to questioning Flower's intentions in this photo.A rope was carefully placed around 51/50's leg and then gently pulled back so as to inspect it for any problems. All fine. So then her hip, and leg were felt. Again, no indication of the cause of her injury. So 51/50 will get to spend a few days at the barn hotel with daily maid and food service. Of course, Flower will keep her company as well.

The Pig Hunt

We have lots of pigs. Too many pigs. Pigs that need to be shot because they are rutting around in all the fresh grass and making it inedible for all of my old toothless cows. And they muddy up the creeks. Also, a month or so ago the acorns began falling, so now all those pigs should be getting fat and tasty. Their time is up.

Three men arrived early to get some pigs on Tuesday and I am sure there is a story to tell... only thing is ... no one is talking. Saw the wife of one. She says her counter now has some holes in it due to some kind of accident prior to the hunt. My husband says two pigs were killed and cleaned and that Eric the Bold was a good guide. Eric says the two pigs were gut shot and he had to dive off the hillside and slit their throats and there was mention that it was a close fight. Yeah. Two clean, tasty looking carcasses were loaded in the car when they left. Other than that no one is talking and there are no photos to tell the tale.

Today

“Here dies another day

During which I have had eyes, ears, hands

And the great world around me;

And with tomorrow begins another.

Why am I allowed two?”

~G.K. Chesterton

We have been a little under the weather here at the ranch. Rain, fog, and mists swirl around these hills and our hearts as my body has been physically fighting off an illness. It has been good that the body has followed the emotional into a time of rest because it has been difficult processing the recent deaths of two young men from families that we are close to. Brent in August and now Josh. And then to really think about all the loss that happens day to day in the world. Many different worldviews try to explain suffering and death and, of course, as Christians we have our view as well; death comes from the Fall/eternal hope comes from Christ. And this is good, and this is enough, but it is still hard.

For those of you who were a little freaked out by the thought that a sinus infection could become meningitis, I would like to reassure you, but I can't really, for while it is uncommon, it is not unheard of. To get more information on meningitis you can go this site. It is good to be informed, but what I take from this experience is a fuller understanding of the fine line between life and death that we all balance precariously on. Eric The Bold has been fond of saying recently, "well, you do know, don't you, that 10 out of 10 of us will die?" At first I thought, 'how unthoughtful to say such at this time', and yet... and yet, he is right. We all die. Most of us hope for more tomorrows, but ultimately all we have is today. So may I encourage you to live your today in such a way as to have no regrets. God bless.

"I have always, essentially, been waiting. Waiting to become something else, waiting to be that person I always thought I was on the verge of becoming, waiting for that life I thought I would have. In my head, I was always one step away. ...[But] life's made up of more than that one moment. Life is a collection of a million, billion moments, tiny little moments and choices, like a handful of luminous, glowing pearls. And strung together, built upon one another, lined up through the days and the years, they make a life, a person. It takes so much time, and so much work, and those beads and moments are so small...This pedestrian life is the most precious thing any of us will ever experience...You have stories worth telling, memories worth remembering, dreams worth working toward, a body worth feeding, a soul worth tending, and beyond that, the God of the universe dwells within you, the true culmination of super and natural.You are more than dust and bones.You are spirit and power and image of God. And you have been given Today."~Shauna Niequist (edited by Ann at Holy Experience)

Swiss Chard

A few weeks ago I mentioned the joys of growing greens. There is nothing to it and they are tasty and good for you. In the above photo I chopped up 4 to 6 cups of rainbow swiss chard, sliced 1 onion, minced 3 cloves of garlic , added 1/4 cup chopped raw almonds, and sauteed the whole thing in a few tablespoons of some olive oil. After it was almost done sauteing, (very fun word) in about 5 minutes, I sprinkled on a pinch of raw sugar to make a nice glaze. Of course, the quality of the olive oil is really what makes all the difference. We barter for Arbequina California Ranch Olive Oil at Riverbend Cellars, a small winery down the hill. They are also kind enough to accept our firewood cut to fit their brick oven for some of their other fine signature products! Which went quite nicely, I might add, with the grilled steak, baked potato and toasted cheese bread we had as well! Are you salivating yet? Ah, the comfort of good food. Bon Apetite!

October Photo Review

Pin up choices for the October page of our soon to be released Ranch Calendar. Choose wisely. Everyone who participated at least once this year in our little photo fun will receive a free calendar in December. (We will pick a secret, surprise photo for the last month).

If you are new to our blog, here is the spiel. Pick your favorite photo from the images below and give it a name as well. The photo with the most popularity wins. Lucky photo.

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Rising Hopes

Regardless of your political views, an historical event has taken place in America and we would feel remiss if we did not chronicle this somehow on our blog.


Barack Obama has been elected our 44th president and he has brought hope to millions and millions of Americans. Hope is good. Hope to some because of race and hope to others because he had no obvious connections to wealth or power, being born of humble means. Hope because throughout his campaign he maintained connections to his small donators and grass roots organizations which, whether you like him or not, activated the citizenry who are the true strength of our country.


Our citizenry is a blend of left, right and middle. It is important that we keep talking and listening and working together. In baking, if the portion of any ingredient is too large or too small the whole product can be a flop, but blended together in the correct proportions the end result can be miraculously transformed beyond any single ingredient. As in baking, heat is necessary, so as watchful citizens we need to provide that heat by keeping the politician's feet to the fire. One way we personally keep their feet to the fire is through prayer. We believe God is sovereign and calls us to pray for our leaders.

Elections End

The stump stood empty, so Flower took her turn.