Orpheus, Just Relaxing (like me) This Evening
Saturday, July 19, 2008
A Relaxing Day at the Ranch
07/19/2008 - This was another of those regular days at the ranch today. Where, mostly you just relax. That was after the morning walk with the dogs. And then, I needed to sharpen the chainsaw and refuel some things. That meant a quick trip to town to get diesel. While I was at it, I also got some basic food supplies. So, back at the ranch, it was time to swath down the last of the pasture grass. While doing that, a doe and her fawn wandered through a nearby pasture(video and images were of poor quality, so, sorry, no images to post at this time). They were probably coming over to the creek for a morning drink. When the swathing was complete, it was time to start the daily chores of picking up after the horses. There was just a short break when a neighbor came over to see if he could help with fixing the baler. I had improvised a fix so that the grass pickup reels were working, so, I decided to try baling in the pasture I had cut yesterday. The pickup worked fine, but when it came time to eject a bale, the plunger pushed, but the twine needles were not in the right place, and they both broke (in several pieces actually ... this was a show stopper for the baler!). So, the baler was pulled back to a resting place. The neighbor and I talked about the extra work that will be needed to fix the problem. He left, and I hooked on the grass rake to continue the relaxing day. I raked for a couple of hours to combine the wind rows I had cut yesterday. After that, I finished the daily chores. Still, relaxing a bit more, I walked out to see how the wind rows I cut this morning were doing. They were dry now, so, I decided I might as well drive the rake around in them for awhile to group them for baling. All went well. Now, it was time to get back to relaxing. I decided to hunt gophers. But, as I was going out to the pasture, I noticed the 'resident buck' was near the west hill (sorry, no good images or video of him either. The video was shaky and the images not well focused). I went through the arena building and watched him for a bit of time. Since he was walking around by the baler and swather, I realized I hadn't cleaned out the swather after cutting this morning, so I took some time to just clean it up a little. That done, I walked out to the pasture and gave a couple of gophers some sand in their eyes as they watched me try to shoot them. (Zero confirmed body count). But that was it. I headed back to the ranch and decided it was time to bring the horses in for the evening. Since they were out of munching hay, I walked down to the old barn with the hay cart and brought a bale up for them. It was bad and moldy, so I took it to the burn pile and went back down to the old barn to get another. It was bad, too, but I checked it in the old barn and just loaded it into the muck trailer to be disposed of tomorrow. I located a good bale and brought it up for the horses. They liked it! And, everything at the ranch was good. I walked up to the ranch house, played with the dogs. And relaxed. Ate a little supper, had a little wine. Later in the evening, a neighbor called to say I could use his baler tomorrow to bale my hay. What a great relaxing day! Come on tomorrow!
Orpheus, Just Relaxing (like me) This Evening
Orpheus, Just Relaxing (like me) This Evening
Monday, July 7, 2008
Revisiting the Past
Well, the last couple of days have been a bit of reflection into stored history for me. It all started with a gopher. But, more about that later.
About four years ago, when the major move from Minnesota to Montana took place, a rush packing event also occurred. This was the result of another longer story that might be covered in more detail some other time. The short version is that while on a vacation trip to Montana in March of 2004 I found out that I needed to be in Spokane for the beginning of training for my "maybe", new job on Saturday. The day I found out about this was the Tuesday evening before the Saturday, and my wife and I had just returned from a driving trip to Idaho, after first having driven a u-haul load of stuff to the ranch from Minnesota during the previous couple of days. In any case, this meant that after a plane flight back to Minneapolis on Wednesday evening I would need to turn-it-around and drive back to Montana in order to be able to fly to Spokane on Saturday. So, I had to pack what I could into the van on Wednesday evening (and also vacate the office cube in my at my then "current" job and handle some logistics to tell management I "might not" be back) and begin the drive back to Montana early on Thursday morning. In order to further shorten the story at this point: I did do a 1300+ mile drive in 22 clock hours; make the flight to Seattle; pass the training; get the new job; and therefore not return to Minnesota until about six weeks later. By that time, my wife had done all of the work to put the Minnesota house on the market, sell it, arrange for movers to arrive, and all I had to do was drive back to Minnesota over a long weekend, help pack stuff up, attend the closing activities for the house, and return to the Montana ranch just ahead of the moving truck. So, the second packing event (the stuff that didn't get into the van when I drove out to Montana six weeks earlier) got packed up during a hectic day or so when I went back to Minnesota. This huge paragraph was generated on purpose, just to show how bunched together things seemed to get during that time.
After the moving van was unloaded (a huge truck setup),
the essentials were placed throughout the house as expected, and about 80 boxes of "collectibles", (old books, computers, computer parts, parts of parts of stuff, and whatever someone can collect up during about 35 to 40 years of time and happened to escape the trash hopper during packing for the move -- way more escaped than my wife would have liked to see) ended up being placed into the workshop office area in one of the out buildings here at the ranch. Over the last four years, a box or two has been opened and those things exposed were once again integrated into day to day use. The collectibles remained nicely packed during most of this time. Until the last couple of days. That's when I wasn't able to find what I needed to deal with the gopher.
The ranch has a good quantity of various and assorted creatures, you know about the dogs, cats, horses and other animals that have peacefully existed here. We also have the passing deer, moose, skunk, etc. that can come and go as they please. The most troublesome inhabitant has become the gopher. They have full reign on a section in one of the pastures. And, across the blacktop, quite of number of the little critters stand up tall and chirp out all the time. A couple, and it seems their kids, or maybe some replacement gophers, have started crossing over the blacktop and set up residence in a system of burrows just up above the house. These guys have been thinned out with a shot or two from the .22. But, I think they've gotten faster through the evolution process and lately have been able to dodge the single bullet by detecting the muzzle flash and dipping back into their holes before the bullet gets to them. In order to solve this dodging of the single bullet problem, I decided the larger artillery was needed and got out the 12 gage shotgun. I watched closely the other day, and sure enough, one of the critters popped up, and I was able to snap off a shot at him. He was used to the single bullet thing and didn't expect the extra pellets. Gone! But there, just in a hole below him was another of the critters. (Please, for those who dislike random violence against critters, pardon my insensitivity for a minute and understand that I need to do this because otherwise these critters make holes that can break the legs of the horses. Doing a quick cost analysis: gopher critter value = -$.$$ vs horse value = +$$,$$$.$$ this comes out to be fair trade-off. I could, I suppose try gas, poison, etc. and I have to some degree, but then I worry about the cats, dogs, or other +$$$ animals that might get caught up in dead critter consumption problems). In any case, I knew I'd need another shell to deal with the remaining gopher(s). That's where the revisiting the past comes in to the picture.
I knew, somewhere, back in time, I had a few boxes of shells for the shotgun. So, I decided I'd just have to go in the house and get a shell from one of them. But, after doing a quick search in the logical places (out of reach of children, not in the kitchen cupboards, etc.) I was not able to locate the shells. This lead me to the boxes that had been packed and stored into the workshop arena building (some as long ago as 12 years ago, when we originally moved to Eden Prairie from New Brighton, Minnesota).
Unfortunately, not all of the boxes were marked with their exact contents. In fact, it might be safe to say that very few were marked accurately. Maybe none! So, over the last couple of days, I have been opening this fine collection of boxes. There is a lot of history stored in them. Sometimes, I paged through stuff. Sometimes, I marveled at the treasures I had saved. I opened, sorted through things, and in many cases, repacked the boxes and taped them shut again. These treasures would need to be dealt with at a later time. I just didn't have time to place them somewhere, because, after all, I was on a specific mission.
Well, today, I finished going through the last of the boxes. As I mentioned, it was kind of like revisiting the past. I found slides, pictures, film cameras, lenses, cards and letters, travel mementos and souvenirs, lots of race numbers, finisher medallions, radios, clocks, tons of computer parts (now totally obsolete, but still in working condition, so I can't really throw this stuff away), and books, magazines, and reference guides for almost everything I've every purchased in my life. It was an amazing review of my history. So I saved it back into the boxes again.
Oh, and I only found one shot-gun shell.
I think I'll go out and see if there is a gopher around.
About four years ago, when the major move from Minnesota to Montana took place, a rush packing event also occurred. This was the result of another longer story that might be covered in more detail some other time. The short version is that while on a vacation trip to Montana in March of 2004 I found out that I needed to be in Spokane for the beginning of training for my "maybe", new job on Saturday. The day I found out about this was the Tuesday evening before the Saturday, and my wife and I had just returned from a driving trip to Idaho, after first having driven a u-haul load of stuff to the ranch from Minnesota during the previous couple of days. In any case, this meant that after a plane flight back to Minneapolis on Wednesday evening I would need to turn-it-around and drive back to Montana in order to be able to fly to Spokane on Saturday. So, I had to pack what I could into the van on Wednesday evening (and also vacate the office cube in my at my then "current" job and handle some logistics to tell management I "might not" be back) and begin the drive back to Montana early on Thursday morning. In order to further shorten the story at this point: I did do a 1300+ mile drive in 22 clock hours; make the flight to Seattle; pass the training; get the new job; and therefore not return to Minnesota until about six weeks later. By that time, my wife had done all of the work to put the Minnesota house on the market, sell it, arrange for movers to arrive, and all I had to do was drive back to Minnesota over a long weekend, help pack stuff up, attend the closing activities for the house, and return to the Montana ranch just ahead of the moving truck. So, the second packing event (the stuff that didn't get into the van when I drove out to Montana six weeks earlier) got packed up during a hectic day or so when I went back to Minnesota. This huge paragraph was generated on purpose, just to show how bunched together things seemed to get during that time.
After the moving van was unloaded (a huge truck setup),
the essentials were placed throughout the house as expected, and about 80 boxes of "collectibles", (old books, computers, computer parts, parts of parts of stuff, and whatever someone can collect up during about 35 to 40 years of time and happened to escape the trash hopper during packing for the move -- way more escaped than my wife would have liked to see) ended up being placed into the workshop office area in one of the out buildings here at the ranch. Over the last four years, a box or two has been opened and those things exposed were once again integrated into day to day use. The collectibles remained nicely packed during most of this time. Until the last couple of days. That's when I wasn't able to find what I needed to deal with the gopher.
The ranch has a good quantity of various and assorted creatures, you know about the dogs, cats, horses and other animals that have peacefully existed here. We also have the passing deer, moose, skunk, etc. that can come and go as they please. The most troublesome inhabitant has become the gopher. They have full reign on a section in one of the pastures. And, across the blacktop, quite of number of the little critters stand up tall and chirp out all the time. A couple, and it seems their kids, or maybe some replacement gophers, have started crossing over the blacktop and set up residence in a system of burrows just up above the house. These guys have been thinned out with a shot or two from the .22. But, I think they've gotten faster through the evolution process and lately have been able to dodge the single bullet by detecting the muzzle flash and dipping back into their holes before the bullet gets to them. In order to solve this dodging of the single bullet problem, I decided the larger artillery was needed and got out the 12 gage shotgun. I watched closely the other day, and sure enough, one of the critters popped up, and I was able to snap off a shot at him. He was used to the single bullet thing and didn't expect the extra pellets. Gone! But there, just in a hole below him was another of the critters. (Please, for those who dislike random violence against critters, pardon my insensitivity for a minute and understand that I need to do this because otherwise these critters make holes that can break the legs of the horses. Doing a quick cost analysis: gopher critter value = -$.$$ vs horse value = +$$,$$$.$$ this comes out to be fair trade-off. I could, I suppose try gas, poison, etc. and I have to some degree, but then I worry about the cats, dogs, or other +$$$ animals that might get caught up in dead critter consumption problems). In any case, I knew I'd need another shell to deal with the remaining gopher(s). That's where the revisiting the past comes in to the picture.
I knew, somewhere, back in time, I had a few boxes of shells for the shotgun. So, I decided I'd just have to go in the house and get a shell from one of them. But, after doing a quick search in the logical places (out of reach of children, not in the kitchen cupboards, etc.) I was not able to locate the shells. This lead me to the boxes that had been packed and stored into the workshop arena building (some as long ago as 12 years ago, when we originally moved to Eden Prairie from New Brighton, Minnesota).
Unfortunately, not all of the boxes were marked with their exact contents. In fact, it might be safe to say that very few were marked accurately. Maybe none! So, over the last couple of days, I have been opening this fine collection of boxes. There is a lot of history stored in them. Sometimes, I paged through stuff. Sometimes, I marveled at the treasures I had saved. I opened, sorted through things, and in many cases, repacked the boxes and taped them shut again. These treasures would need to be dealt with at a later time. I just didn't have time to place them somewhere, because, after all, I was on a specific mission.Well, today, I finished going through the last of the boxes. As I mentioned, it was kind of like revisiting the past. I found slides, pictures, film cameras, lenses, cards and letters, travel mementos and souvenirs, lots of race numbers, finisher medallions, radios, clocks, tons of computer parts (now totally obsolete, but still in working condition, so I can't really throw this stuff away), and books, magazines, and reference guides for almost everything I've every purchased in my life. It was an amazing review of my history. So I saved it back into the boxes again.
Oh, and I only found one shot-gun shell.
I think I'll go out and see if there is a gopher around.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Not Keeping Up Lately
So, again a huge amount of time has gone by between entries into this blog. I should probably do a better job of thinking about what I am going to write into this area, but mostly, I just login and start typing. A lot has happened since the middle of June. I finished my training for the running of Grandma's Marathon. Then, I did it! Again! And had no injury or other problems during the run or after. The trip to Minnesota was great but the time went by too fast. Now, I'm back at the ranch again. And, the time is going quickly still. This week, the first cutting of the pastures took place, and we've put almost four tons of hay into storage for the horses. During the next couple of weeks the remaining pastures will be cut and baled. This is such a cycle in the circle of life I live.
I do have more to say about the things that have happened over the last few weeks. Perhaps I'll get better about adding another blog entry that tells about those things.
I do have more to say about the things that have happened over the last few weeks. Perhaps I'll get better about adding another blog entry that tells about those things.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
A Special Day in One Day at a Time
I've not kept up this blog very well in the last few weeks. I'm doing this posting late today just to establish a continuation point. For me, today is day 21914 (or so, if my calculations are right). It was a good day from beginning to end, as most have been lately. In just a quick general summary: I'm almost done with the marathon training for the upcoming event (Grandma's Marathon, June 21st in Duluth, Minnesota. I'll be number 177 again for those who keep track of such things!); horse care, riding, and facilities maintenance activities are going well; pastures, lawn, and gophers are flourishing; and the outlook for the haying season is good. Life on the farm is great!
Thursday, May 22, 2008
What Do You Think About While Running
I'm fully into the marathon training period now ... or at least I should be ... And, each time I go out on a run, I think about things as I slog (slow jog) along. One of the things that seems to repeat is that I wonder why I don't run as fast as I did at one time. I think awhile, and start counting up the years. I started running about 27 years ago ... and I wasn't even a spring chick back then! Then I realize my decreased speed does not surprise me too much. In any case, while running, I sometimes think about the "phases of my life".
When I started running, I was at a major transition point in my life. One of the major periods in my life that I picture myself as having gone through.
These phases they might break down into the follow general categories:
1. Pre-memory -- The time from birth until the first things I can now remember;
2. Childhood -- This period would begin in the grade school years, and go until about age 10 or 12 or so;
3. The Middle Years -- Probably the time after the grade school (grades 1 through 8 were in my hometown) 9th grade was 1-year of Junior High, followed by the three years of High School; (the transition from 8th grade to 9th grade was a major change -- leaving the "hometown" school and riding the bus to another place for school and where moving from room to room for each class also happened) ... so this period was quite a change for a small town boy used to the same routine everyday;
4. College years -- Again a major transition, since I started driving (without a license for the first few weeks) when college classes started ... before that, everywhere I went was either on foot, bicycle, or riding as a passenger as my parents took us (me) somewhere ... so the college years were a time of real change, independence, and the beginning of self-discipline;
5. Shortly After College -- Marriage, drafted into the US Army, totally an 18 month period that saw some of the major changes in my life that still affect me today;
6. The First Married Life -- A time of starting my career ... drifting out of both my marriage and somewhat out of the first career, and landing, upright for the most part, some number of years later. This was quite a major life phase with so much happening in the period of 10 to 12 years. Some of the best ... some of the worst;
7. The Beginning of My Current Life -- new jobs ... new marriage ... liking what I was doing, and after all was said and done ... finding myself;
8. The Now Life -- Still wondering what I am going to do when I finally grow up ... but realizing that I am/have grown up and this is what I am today.
So, these are the "life phases" that I think of myself as having lived. It looks like I broke it down into eight categories ... "My Life" periods of time. I have wondered where I would have changed something. And, if I had taken another path, what would my life be today? I know I can think of a number of places where a decision could have been made that, now anyway, it seems another decision would have been a better decision to have been made than the one I made at that time. But, where I am today is where I really enjoy being, so I am not sure that I would switch to another path. But, maybe. It would be interesting to have that option in one's life, wouldn't it? I wonder where I would be instead of where I am today. Would I feel better? I'm not sure.
So ... this is what I think about while out on my long runs. Pretty crazy I guess.
When I started running, I was at a major transition point in my life. One of the major periods in my life that I picture myself as having gone through.
These phases they might break down into the follow general categories:
1. Pre-memory -- The time from birth until the first things I can now remember;
2. Childhood -- This period would begin in the grade school years, and go until about age 10 or 12 or so;
3. The Middle Years -- Probably the time after the grade school (grades 1 through 8 were in my hometown) 9th grade was 1-year of Junior High, followed by the three years of High School; (the transition from 8th grade to 9th grade was a major change -- leaving the "hometown" school and riding the bus to another place for school and where moving from room to room for each class also happened) ... so this period was quite a change for a small town boy used to the same routine everyday;
4. College years -- Again a major transition, since I started driving (without a license for the first few weeks) when college classes started ... before that, everywhere I went was either on foot, bicycle, or riding as a passenger as my parents took us (me) somewhere ... so the college years were a time of real change, independence, and the beginning of self-discipline;
5. Shortly After College -- Marriage, drafted into the US Army, totally an 18 month period that saw some of the major changes in my life that still affect me today;
6. The First Married Life -- A time of starting my career ... drifting out of both my marriage and somewhat out of the first career, and landing, upright for the most part, some number of years later. This was quite a major life phase with so much happening in the period of 10 to 12 years. Some of the best ... some of the worst;
7. The Beginning of My Current Life -- new jobs ... new marriage ... liking what I was doing, and after all was said and done ... finding myself;
8. The Now Life -- Still wondering what I am going to do when I finally grow up ... but realizing that I am/have grown up and this is what I am today.
So, these are the "life phases" that I think of myself as having lived. It looks like I broke it down into eight categories ... "My Life" periods of time. I have wondered where I would have changed something. And, if I had taken another path, what would my life be today? I know I can think of a number of places where a decision could have been made that, now anyway, it seems another decision would have been a better decision to have been made than the one I made at that time. But, where I am today is where I really enjoy being, so I am not sure that I would switch to another path. But, maybe. It would be interesting to have that option in one's life, wouldn't it? I wonder where I would be instead of where I am today. Would I feel better? I'm not sure.
So ... this is what I think about while out on my long runs. Pretty crazy I guess.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
May Beginning to Mid-Month Weather Summary
Just to keep this site up-to-date with what I have posted to Wunderground, I decided to post the month summary so far. Spring is changing to summer over the next couple of days and the high temperatures are expected to move through the 80's and into the low 90's. This will be quite a change after the last couple of days that had cooler temperatures and some much needed rainfall.
05/15/2008 The increased humidity due to rain over the last couple of days made for tracks in the dew covered grass this morning. Overnight clouds were breaking up and rippling across the eastern half of the sky early today.
Clouds in the East Sky Above the Horses
Ripple Clouds Above the Old Barn
Tracks in the Grass During the Morning Walk
05/14/2008 Another day that started with some overnight showers. A rain pattern that would be nice to have repeat for the next couple of weeks, actually. Since conditions have been quite dry since the snow melt, the rain is helping with the spring green-up. Patches of sunlight took place throughout the day and into the evening.
Sun Patches Showing on Distant Foothills
Getting Down with Jonah for the Morning Grazing
05/13/2008 Some light rain ended overnight. The morning saw low clouds and fog along the hills that surround the ranch. Variable cloudiness defined the day with peeks at the sun but temperatures hovering between 55 and 60 throughout most of the afternoon.
Clouds Over West Hills during the Morning Walk
05/12/2008 There was another overnight shower and clouds persisted through the morning. The close foothills had visible snow again today. Cool temperatures hung on with the mid-day showing low 40's. An early afternoon "sucker hole" of sunshine disappeared as a light rain followed me back down the road while I ended my run. I had to remove my sunglasses after they were sprinkled to opaqueness. It became a fine afternoon for a video and popcorn snack! Meanwhile, the horses grazed contently through the afternoon and evening.
Horses Across the Pasture Near the Creek for Evening Grazing
Morning with Misty Clouds Above Snow on Foothills
05/11/2008 A bit of rain fell overnight, so the temperature stayed mild (low 40's). There was no ice formation on the unheated water this morning. With the overnight rain, the morning had an interesting misty cloud look to it. The day, spent at day two of the horse clinic, was one of off and on rain (east of the ranch about 25 miles, and close to the Swan Mountain range). After returning to the ranch, it appeared it had been dry here, with no automatically recorded rainfall, and nothing new in the outdoor manual gage. (Oh, oh, the weather geek thing almost showed, I think!) A quick evening walk of the dogs was done and the horses were all back together again and enjoyed the evening munching in the pastures.
Horses Grazing in the Green Grass of the Summer Pasture
Morning Clouds above the Ranch Buildings
Fog and Clouds in Foothills
05/10/2008 It was cold overnight, with ice on the top of the horse waterers again. I was away from the ranch to a horse ground rules clinic all day, and mostly in an indoor arena. The ranch that sponsored the clinic had a nine week old Friesian foal. I was reminded of Quinn ... he would have been three this week. ... The weather was a mix of high overcast with the temperature rising into the lower sixty range.
Cabin near Swan Mountain Range
Mare and her Foal
05/09/2008 Well, after the blue sky, fluffy clouds, green grass, and dandelions of yesterday, today is another reminder of the weather variety available in NW Montana. The horse water heaters have been turned off for the season, but this morning, they could have been helpful to keep the layer of ice from forming on the water. In addition, it is snowing nicely right now (about 9:30 AM). Pretty amazing! ... Later ... The snow did not last very long and the rest of the day was a mixture of clouds with glimpses of sunlight. It even felt warm enough to the horses that some of them decided to splash around in the creek pond for a little while.
The Boys Splash in the Pond
Splashing Horses Video (click this link)
Morning Snow Squall
05/08/2008 Today started bright and clear and stayed that way during the morning dog walk. But, as I look out now, some serious cloud cover is moving quickly to cover the last of the blue to the east. Time to get out and do some tasks just in case the afternoon brings another light rain event. ... Later ... The tasks were completed and the rain event did not appear. Instead, the sky was filled with the kind of clouds that just become whatever you want them to be as you lie on your back and look up at them. It was a wonderful afternoon just to rest with the dogs and enjoy the green grass and dandelions that can grow freely here at the ranch.
Clouds and Blue Sky
Titan Lying in the Grass
Ginger on the Grass
Titan against the Blue Sky
Clouds over the Trees
Cu and Blue
Watching the Clouds Drift Over
Morning Dog Walk Time
05/07/2008 Cloudy, and some additional rain today. So, actually, just kind of nice day to catch up on some indoor activities. All necessary outdoor activities were also accomplished between a few light showers. During the late afternoon and evening, enough breaks in the clouds allowed full shadows as the horses grazed away enjoying the growing grass.
Clouds Over the Grazing Horses
05/06/2008 There was a quick overnight shower that dropped 0.02" of precipitation. This was followed by an early morning rain that dropped another 0.09" or so before breaking into a mix of clouds with blue sky patches showing. So far this has been enough to just settle the dust a little. A combination of clouds with light showers became the pattern of the day. Another quick shower drifted through during the early evening. Afterward, the sun cloud assortment continued until the sun disappeared and darkness arrived.
Cloud Mix After the Morning Shower
05/05/2008 Today, high clouds persisted through most of the day. They don't seem to be bringing much moisture (which would be helpful, as it is quite dry here at the ranch this spring). The thin clouds allowed a filtered sun to push the temperature into the mid 60 range today. Green up is beginning in-spite of the dryness, and today, after a short trail ride, a couple of the horses enjoyed free grazing in the yard.
Wanita and Corrie Free Grazing in the Yard
05/04/2008 The cycle of days is repeating, with another nice clear sky today. Like most days, the horses were waiting for feeding again this morning. The low just touched the 30 degree mark overnight and with the sun, mid 60's are expected this afternoon. Yesterday, clouds showed up about mid-day and held the high to just at the sixty mark. No clouds, should mean warmer! And ... so it was, with temperatures in the upper 60's late in the day.
Horses and Reflected Fence
Waiting at the Fence
Mirage in the Woods
05/03/2008 With a clear morning, the thermometer showed about 55 degrees. Unfortunately, this was the indoor reading! Outside, it had dropped to the middle 20's again, and with no fire going to heat the house overnight, things cooled down a bit. I expect the full sunshine of the day will result in a more reasonable indoor temperature by late afternoon. Since most chore work is outside, the indoor temperature won't really matter until evening!
Horses Waiting for their Morning Feeding
05/02/2008 A mostly clear day today. The horses visited the creek again, both for wading and getting the fresh grass growing near it. I did another bicycle excursion into Kalispell and decided to feature the silo again. This time I just did a view down the fence line toward the silo and other structures. The evening was a sunny comfortable one and called for another fire ring event (no image, this time ... beer and brats repeat!)
Fence Line Leading to the Silo
Corrie Frames Wanita
Harmony and Orpheus Grazing in the Creek
05/01/2008 Mixed clouds started the day with sun making a full appearance by mid-morning. There was a mix of clouds and sun during the afternoon. The horses enjoyed a drink from the pond that recently starting filling again after a dry couple of days during which the creek had stopped flowing. At the last animal check the sky was totally clear. So, I expect the temperatures to drop to the mid 20's tonight. Kind of a chilly start of May.
Horses Get a Quick Drink
The Farm Next Door
05/15/2008 The increased humidity due to rain over the last couple of days made for tracks in the dew covered grass this morning. Overnight clouds were breaking up and rippling across the eastern half of the sky early today.
Clouds in the East Sky Above the Horses
Ripple Clouds Above the Old Barn
Tracks in the Grass During the Morning Walk
05/14/2008 Another day that started with some overnight showers. A rain pattern that would be nice to have repeat for the next couple of weeks, actually. Since conditions have been quite dry since the snow melt, the rain is helping with the spring green-up. Patches of sunlight took place throughout the day and into the evening.
Sun Patches Showing on Distant Foothills
Getting Down with Jonah for the Morning Grazing
05/13/2008 Some light rain ended overnight. The morning saw low clouds and fog along the hills that surround the ranch. Variable cloudiness defined the day with peeks at the sun but temperatures hovering between 55 and 60 throughout most of the afternoon.
Clouds Over West Hills during the Morning Walk
05/12/2008 There was another overnight shower and clouds persisted through the morning. The close foothills had visible snow again today. Cool temperatures hung on with the mid-day showing low 40's. An early afternoon "sucker hole" of sunshine disappeared as a light rain followed me back down the road while I ended my run. I had to remove my sunglasses after they were sprinkled to opaqueness. It became a fine afternoon for a video and popcorn snack! Meanwhile, the horses grazed contently through the afternoon and evening.
Horses Across the Pasture Near the Creek for Evening Grazing
Morning with Misty Clouds Above Snow on Foothills
05/11/2008 A bit of rain fell overnight, so the temperature stayed mild (low 40's). There was no ice formation on the unheated water this morning. With the overnight rain, the morning had an interesting misty cloud look to it. The day, spent at day two of the horse clinic, was one of off and on rain (east of the ranch about 25 miles, and close to the Swan Mountain range). After returning to the ranch, it appeared it had been dry here, with no automatically recorded rainfall, and nothing new in the outdoor manual gage. (Oh, oh, the weather geek thing almost showed, I think!) A quick evening walk of the dogs was done and the horses were all back together again and enjoyed the evening munching in the pastures.
Horses Grazing in the Green Grass of the Summer Pasture
Morning Clouds above the Ranch Buildings
Fog and Clouds in Foothills
05/10/2008 It was cold overnight, with ice on the top of the horse waterers again. I was away from the ranch to a horse ground rules clinic all day, and mostly in an indoor arena. The ranch that sponsored the clinic had a nine week old Friesian foal. I was reminded of Quinn ... he would have been three this week. ... The weather was a mix of high overcast with the temperature rising into the lower sixty range.
Cabin near Swan Mountain Range
Mare and her Foal
05/09/2008 Well, after the blue sky, fluffy clouds, green grass, and dandelions of yesterday, today is another reminder of the weather variety available in NW Montana. The horse water heaters have been turned off for the season, but this morning, they could have been helpful to keep the layer of ice from forming on the water. In addition, it is snowing nicely right now (about 9:30 AM). Pretty amazing! ... Later ... The snow did not last very long and the rest of the day was a mixture of clouds with glimpses of sunlight. It even felt warm enough to the horses that some of them decided to splash around in the creek pond for a little while.
The Boys Splash in the Pond
Splashing Horses Video (click this link)
Morning Snow Squall
05/08/2008 Today started bright and clear and stayed that way during the morning dog walk. But, as I look out now, some serious cloud cover is moving quickly to cover the last of the blue to the east. Time to get out and do some tasks just in case the afternoon brings another light rain event. ... Later ... The tasks were completed and the rain event did not appear. Instead, the sky was filled with the kind of clouds that just become whatever you want them to be as you lie on your back and look up at them. It was a wonderful afternoon just to rest with the dogs and enjoy the green grass and dandelions that can grow freely here at the ranch.
Clouds and Blue Sky
Titan Lying in the Grass
Ginger on the Grass
Titan against the Blue Sky
Clouds over the Trees
Cu and Blue
Watching the Clouds Drift Over
Morning Dog Walk Time
05/07/2008 Cloudy, and some additional rain today. So, actually, just kind of nice day to catch up on some indoor activities. All necessary outdoor activities were also accomplished between a few light showers. During the late afternoon and evening, enough breaks in the clouds allowed full shadows as the horses grazed away enjoying the growing grass.
Clouds Over the Grazing Horses
05/06/2008 There was a quick overnight shower that dropped 0.02" of precipitation. This was followed by an early morning rain that dropped another 0.09" or so before breaking into a mix of clouds with blue sky patches showing. So far this has been enough to just settle the dust a little. A combination of clouds with light showers became the pattern of the day. Another quick shower drifted through during the early evening. Afterward, the sun cloud assortment continued until the sun disappeared and darkness arrived.
Cloud Mix After the Morning Shower
05/05/2008 Today, high clouds persisted through most of the day. They don't seem to be bringing much moisture (which would be helpful, as it is quite dry here at the ranch this spring). The thin clouds allowed a filtered sun to push the temperature into the mid 60 range today. Green up is beginning in-spite of the dryness, and today, after a short trail ride, a couple of the horses enjoyed free grazing in the yard.
Wanita and Corrie Free Grazing in the Yard
05/04/2008 The cycle of days is repeating, with another nice clear sky today. Like most days, the horses were waiting for feeding again this morning. The low just touched the 30 degree mark overnight and with the sun, mid 60's are expected this afternoon. Yesterday, clouds showed up about mid-day and held the high to just at the sixty mark. No clouds, should mean warmer! And ... so it was, with temperatures in the upper 60's late in the day.
Horses and Reflected Fence
Waiting at the Fence
Mirage in the Woods
05/03/2008 With a clear morning, the thermometer showed about 55 degrees. Unfortunately, this was the indoor reading! Outside, it had dropped to the middle 20's again, and with no fire going to heat the house overnight, things cooled down a bit. I expect the full sunshine of the day will result in a more reasonable indoor temperature by late afternoon. Since most chore work is outside, the indoor temperature won't really matter until evening!
Horses Waiting for their Morning Feeding
05/02/2008 A mostly clear day today. The horses visited the creek again, both for wading and getting the fresh grass growing near it. I did another bicycle excursion into Kalispell and decided to feature the silo again. This time I just did a view down the fence line toward the silo and other structures. The evening was a sunny comfortable one and called for another fire ring event (no image, this time ... beer and brats repeat!)
Fence Line Leading to the Silo
Corrie Frames Wanita
Harmony and Orpheus Grazing in the Creek
05/01/2008 Mixed clouds started the day with sun making a full appearance by mid-morning. There was a mix of clouds and sun during the afternoon. The horses enjoyed a drink from the pond that recently starting filling again after a dry couple of days during which the creek had stopped flowing. At the last animal check the sky was totally clear. So, I expect the temperatures to drop to the mid 20's tonight. Kind of a chilly start of May.
Horses Get a Quick Drink
The Farm Next Door
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Time to Catch Up Will Come
The last couple of weeks sort of have skittered away. I need to catch up on a lot of things that have happened and I will with some updates to this entry and some changes to previous blog postings. Let it be said, that time moves quickly and sometimes I have trouble keeping up with it.
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