The Best Kind of Day

Way back in mid-April, on a beautiful, sunny Saturday, my favorite event of the year took place. A dirty, smelly, sweaty event...branding day. Every year this is a day for family, friends, neighbors, and their various dogs and horses, to meet down at Grandpa's corral. There are dogs underfoot and kids swinging ropes and men wrestling calves. The tween nieces learn how to give shots and one even tries her hand at branding--stressfull business with all the men crowding around giving advice--but it isn't smeared after all, and she has done a great job. The little ones are pooped halfway through the afternoon and head up the hill to play at Nana's house. Hours later, the hard part is done. Up the hill there are steaks on the grill and a potluck in the shade of the house. More neighbors arrive. We stay late and everyone agrees that the weather was perfect. It was a good day.

Slim, the cowdog-in-training

Miss vet-tech-in-training

Flying boy's-eye view


Taking a break

Cousin loves

a new skill

tired eyes

bovine stink-eye

Ages and Stages

The other night, at a 29th birthday party for a dear Dear (who shall remain nameless to protect her in the future when lying about her age), I offered up the sage observation that "the 30s" are my favorite years so far. She responded that this might be true if you have acheived what you want by that point.

She might be a little bit right. I had a whole list of things to do before 30 that I didn't acheive, but the big goals did happen: I gave birth (at about 29.75 years, close one!); I've had a range of professional experiences that made me feel like I've done enough to ease back from the workplace and enjoy motherhood; and I'm the lady lucky enough to be married to my husband.

But all of those things would be good at any age! The thing I like about 30 (that I imagine will increase with each decade), is the comfortable confidence that I enjoy more often. Not because I've grown wise or learned a lot, but simply because I've learned one thing: that success is not the measurement of acheivement--it's the opposite! I've often limited myself to only doing things that I know I will be quite good at. That is a weakness. Trying something new, not doing it well, but trying over and over until you get it right or at least improve--that is strength, and that builds confidence! The 4-H motto "learn to do by doing" really is a life lesson! Here's to doing, whether you do it well or not!

Rainy Monday

Having planned a productive day of finishing up outdoor projects today, I was a little disappointed see that the steady drizzle outside looked like an all-day kind of rain. But thank goodness for rubber boots and a $5 rain coat! We had a great morning splashing, racing, and adventuring. We discovered that a dreary day is the best day to visit the cows - when they are huddled under the only tree cover, even the calves are hesitant to run away from a boy in a bright yellow rain coat.

where are the puddles, mom?

wait up, Katie!

um...are you sure I'm allowed to go in there?

come on in, Katie!

The adventure ended when he went in a little too deep. Then it was time for a piggy-back ride back to the house for dry pants and socks.

Giddyup

Every cowboy has to start somewhere, and a 35-year-old pony

named Billy seemed like a safe choice! This experience suddenly revived his interest in his stickhorse at home. He even practices backing up his "pony"--usually while underfoot in the kitchen.

I love it!

Emerging

I love my corner kitchen sink with its cheery windows, and my seedlings are also loving it! The cauliflower is growing like blazes, the teensy little mint seedlings are filling up their teensy little peat-pot homes, the poblanos are popping through the soil, onions are reaching for the sun, asparagus are sending up delicate shoots, and the eggplants are finally making an appearance.

The blackberries and raspberries have yet to show any signs of life, but round 2 with them will be digging up starts from someone else's patch. The seeds were just an experiment. I will not be daunted!

One more victory - successful transplanting of the cauliflower starts into larger pots (homemade newspaper pots, even) without significant shock and no losses!

Many more seeds to start this weekend, according to my notes-to-self on the calendar. Gardening will be MUCH cheaper if this works and I can get away with buy very few bedding plants from a greenhouse...or perhaps even none at all!