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Tag Archives: snow

Out Like the Abominable Snowman

March came in like a Polar bear, and is going out like the Abominable Snoman. Here’s the cows in the Ames Field, waiting for spring.

 
 

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Safe and sound, but still snowy

hanging out on the snowdrift

The sheep, herders, dogs, and horses are all safe and sound on our hay meadows near Dixon. All the grass is still buried under snow, but we can get to them with feed every day, and bring alfalfa and cake to them (except when the highways are closed, which is pretty often). It took several more days to ferry all the sheepwagons, panels and other equipment off the Red Desert and to the Dixon ranch headquarters. It continues to be especially brutal in the area we evacuated the sheep from, on the Chain Lakes allotment. Hay prices are high due to demand from impacted livestock producers and state game agencies. These historic winter conditions stretch through northern Nevada, Utah, northwestern Colorado and southern Wyoming. Wyoming’s Governor Gordon has declared an emergency. Spring still looks like a long ways away!

sheep on the plowed lot

guard dog still on the job

ewes, drifts and Muddy Mountain

 
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Posted by on February 16, 2023 in Animals, Dogs, Sheep

 

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Bubba and Chandler, first snow

 
 

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Not the storm of the century

First snow (?) on Squaw Mountain

 

As we suffered through was we consider brutally hot weather (95 degrees), we were told that a huge early snowstorm was on the way. Our new cook, from Alabama, said she was terrified of winter and abruptly left. Sure enough, all over the state, roads were closed, power was off, tree branches were broken. Here’s what the storm looked like for us. Things have cooled off nicely though.

 
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Posted by on September 9, 2020 in Musings

 

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Merry March

 

Still Christmas in March—
Sparkling trees cast colored cheer,
Cords buried in snow!

 
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Posted by on March 8, 2020 in Poetry

 

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Saint Francis of Ladder Ranch

Saint Francis of Ladder Ranch

 

Poor St. Francis,
he never knew such outrage in Italy:
Patron Saint of the Ladder Ranch,
animals, and the natural world.

His statue stands guard in our yard,
watching over birds, even the grouse,
the eagles, the robins, and it seems,
ravens, crows and magpies.

He looks out for cattle, sheep,
horses, dogs, and those wild critters.
our children.
He sees deer, elk, antelope.

St. Francis, please care for
the bats, the bees, and butterflies—
maybe not mosquitoes!
No patron saint for them.

So here stands his likeness,
concrete birds upon his fist.
In summer, actual bird poop
paints stigmata hands and feet.

But now, in the depths of winter,
in cold winds and drift
poor Francis stoically endures,
waist-deep in snow-white robes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
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Posted by on February 7, 2020 in Animals, Nature and Wildlife, Poetry

 

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Winter south of the Wall, no dragons

Sheep Mountain

long underwear weather

There MAY be dragons in that sky.

 
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Posted by on January 17, 2019 in Nature and Wildlife

 

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Snow after drought

Aspen Alley in the fall

 

Snow settles on ground

left thirsty by months of drought,

now kissed by moisture.

homestead cabin on Box Creek

Dudley Creek aspens

 
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Posted by on October 10, 2018 in Nature and Wildlife, Poetry

 

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Snow and Sage

 

 Sagebrush humped under
albino buffalo robes–
Waiting out winter.

 
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Posted by on February 27, 2018 in Nature and Wildlife, Poetry

 

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Snow Day

Maeve, Rhen and Tiarnan building the first snowman of the season

 

 

Rhen and Maeve making snow angels

Tiarnan’s snow angel

 
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Posted by on November 19, 2017 in Events, Family, Folks, Nature and Wildlife

 

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