Kinder, Gentler Winter

2011 had some pretty drastic changes for us, and I'm not really too sorry to put it behind us and get on with 2012. Already it's been a kinder, gentler winter.

It's not necessarily that they weren't good changes-- just drastic. (It's kind of like getting a divorce. You don't really consider that to be a wonderful event until you've moved on to a happy marriage!) If you've been following my blog you already know that, for the first time in our married lives, we are actual home owners. Even more exciting, we were able to pick up another 15 acre piece bordering us last week. With that addition, we can run a few cows if we want, or more likely, given the cow market at the moment, roping steers. It's irrigated, so for sure we'll raise hay on it.

Going from 320,000 acres, to 31 is a pretty drastic change. BUT it's ours, and I thank God for it. It's pretty amazing how everything fell into place and how our Heavenly Father was working out the details long before we had a clue this was it. It's the perfect home base and we love it.

I haven't been horseback for a few months now. But that's pretty typical of the last 10 years or so. I've learned that sometimes it's nice not to have to work if it's nasty out. I just leave maresy barefoot during the winter so I have a good excuse.

Yep. A fair-weather cowgirl. But I figure I've sacrificed plenty of flesh, and there's no sense aggravating my creaking knees, my bony fingers, and my twinkly toes by exposing them to more cold than they are comfortable with. I usually made it a point to get out on the worst days though, since that was always a good opportunity to find “cowboy suffering” photos.

I haven't decided for sure how to continue my blog. We're looking at a whole different scene than we were last February when I started this, so my current material is on a different tangent. On the other hand, we had such a unique life for the past 37 years, I feel like I need to work on writing things down before I forget. And I absolutely have to get my photo site re-done.

Since I've never been a journal-er, this blog has been a good exercise for me. We had the best years of our life, raising our kids, on that ranch, and, I suspect they may even have been the golden years of the ranch. We were able to do things that will never be able to be done again given the current trend of government, social, and corporate affairs. And we were able to leave with it being in the best, most profitable state it's ever been in. Really, the best way to retire from anything.

I've taken on another project, and just like a year ago, I'm glued to my computer. I put up an intro site for Clayton's new business, “Farm and Ranch Personnel”. I've got to finish the on-line forms I'm trying to build, and get the finished site up. I'm excited for him, because there is a real need for a good ranch job matching site for the intermountain west. Roger Koopman started that business in the early 80's, so he's got a pretty good base to build on, and Clayton has about as good a set of connections as anybody in the industry, coupled with broad, in-depth experience, and, he enjoys helping people. ("Like" FRP on Facebook)

2012 is off and running. It is bound to be interesting seeing as how it's an election year here in the States, but I hope and pray it is a prosperous and peaceful year as well.

“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 (Thanks Stan, I grabbed this reference off yours.)