Following the Fence line
Ranches that are well-cared for are the beautiful patchwork pieces of the Western landscape.
Traveling down the dirt roads only gives you a glimpse of the whole range. Being a rancher and having all that land to care for gives you "L2 R2,", love, loyalty, respect, responsibility.
Spring chores / work projects are overwhelming to most but if you start small you'll eventually make progress. An old saying, "Good fences, makes for good neighbors', is just the beginning. It's a huge job and one that is always on your mind, all year long. Other Spring jobs are just as important, like, irrigating, managing wildlife, spraying noxious weeds, cleaning out stream beds , creeks, ditches, springs, and ponds, as well as maintaining archeological artifacts like Indian sites, sheds, and old antiques. Knowing what to maintain and what junk to recycle is always key, knowing how, helps pay, and lends a sense of generational time to the place.
My favorite chore is checking cows or what I call 'following the fence line.' Today we not only looked at calves, cows and bulls but also saw antelope and their newborns, wildflowers & weeds, a very fat coyote catching mice, bear scat, and a huge golden eagle flew above us. We heard a whipper-will, curlews and a pair of sandhill cranes as we ate granola bars and sipped water. It was a beautiful Sunday morning to remember.
Traveling down the dirt roads only gives you a glimpse of the whole range. Being a rancher and having all that land to care for gives you "L2 R2,", love, loyalty, respect, responsibility.
Spring chores / work projects are overwhelming to most but if you start small you'll eventually make progress. An old saying, "Good fences, makes for good neighbors', is just the beginning. It's a huge job and one that is always on your mind, all year long. Other Spring jobs are just as important, like, irrigating, managing wildlife, spraying noxious weeds, cleaning out stream beds , creeks, ditches, springs, and ponds, as well as maintaining archeological artifacts like Indian sites, sheds, and old antiques. Knowing what to maintain and what junk to recycle is always key, knowing how, helps pay, and lends a sense of generational time to the place.
My favorite chore is checking cows or what I call 'following the fence line.' Today we not only looked at calves, cows and bulls but also saw antelope and their newborns, wildflowers & weeds, a very fat coyote catching mice, bear scat, and a huge golden eagle flew above us. We heard a whipper-will, curlews and a pair of sandhill cranes as we ate granola bars and sipped water. It was a beautiful Sunday morning to remember.
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