Marie, Pat and Sharon Christmas 2015, Hobe Sound, Florida
Pat’s Mom, Marie O’Toole, will turn 100 years old in May 2016. She still lives in her own home in Florida. Pat and I spent Christmas with her, conveniently missing some minus 20 degree temperatures at home. We are trying to talk her into moving West, but for some reason, she thinks Wyoming is too cold!
Winter gold
October 1st is a day of transition for us. It is the off-date for the cows and sheep who have spent the summer grazing on our national forest permits. This year, it is also the date that the Farm Bill expired, and the government shutdown started for everyone except Congress, which continues to dither along. No budget, no Farm Bill, no Immigration Bill, no plan. After a dry spring and summer, we finally received blessed rains, a lot of our ponds and reservoirs have filled, and the springs are flowing. After foreseeing a dry fall, we have blessed water. The leaves are finally changing colors–the latest I can remember. The first freeze came on the day of the equinox. October 1st is Rhen’s first birthday. Last year, the trappers killed a bear who had been killing rams. We said, “Bear in the morning–baby in the afternoon!”
Round bales ready for winter
Eutemio’s wagon at Dudley Creek
Switch horse Daisy and her colt Lulu on the Savery Stock Driveway
looking West to Muddy Mountain
rainbow over Sheep Mountain
Siobhan trailing cows off the Routt National Forest
Battle Mountain from the government corrals, Savery Stock Driveway, Medicine Bow National Forest
97-year-old Marie O’Toole with six of her nine great-grandchildren
Rhen eating cake on his first birthday
deer crossing Cottonwood Creek north of Dixon
Seismograhic helicopter flying over Battle Mountain during deer hunting season. They hope to drill next year. Don’t like.
Ladder Ranch
