Over the last few weeks, a blue jay is feeding on my tall sunflowers. After last night’s deep freeze, the heads of the flowers bend over so much that the jay is having trouble getting at the seeds. I watch as he flits to the ground, jumps/flies up 8 feet, hits the downward-facing sunflower heads…
The days of camping whenever, wherever are over for now. Today the high will be 45 degrees; tonight we get snow showers. Just wet and cold. Snow camping beckons, but not until after a large snowfall, when the skies are cobalt blue, the humidity low, and the snow a fine powder. So what does a…
I now start a long stretch without camping. I won’t go again in October because of work commitments and a visit from my son and his lovely lady. If we have sunny, calm days in November, I will get out again, at least for day trips. I am seriously considering a few winter expeditions, nothing…
We had a blizzard warning all day, but the snow fall remained light and steady. Being Friday, when I study and work on my sermon, I stayed in, lounging in sweats. The wind picked up intermittently and the lights flickered but never went off. For lunch I decided to make something from a few of…
Wet. Heavy. Snow. Just the kind that farmers love.
“I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by a conscious endeavor.” Henry David Thoreau My brain is muddled by a cold but I must share my recent accomplishment. The weather forecast calls for up to 10 inches of snow by Friday evening. I don’t believe…
Every now and then I go on a date. However, there are no “first date” restaurants in Wheatland. It is okay to stay here for a second date, say, for a pizza and beer. On a third date, the local diner will do, especially on Mexican Monday. It is the selection of a first date…
Like most boomers, I grew up on pot roast, mashed potatoes, green beans, and jello. During my college years in Arizona I learned to love Mexican food, and while living in California I learned to drink wine and cook gourmet foods. During a visit to Italy I discovered real Italian food. Along the way, I…
My heart breaks for the people in the Colorado flood areas just south of us. The news gets worse everyday, with more rain on the way. I was shocked to learn that up to 12″ of rain fell in parts of the Front Range. That is normally the yearly total for rain. This part of…
The official Cowboy Era occurred from 1866-1886 (http://www.blantonmuseum.org ). That final year, 1886, is well known in these parts as the end of open-range ranching due to a severe winter that resulted in heavy losses. Around the same time, the Homestead Act of 1862 fostered the rise of smaller, family-operated ranches, which further reduced the…