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.
Still Christmas in March—
Sparkling trees cast colored cheer,
Cords buried in snow!
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.
Sheep Mountain
long underwear weather
There MAY be dragons in that sky.
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
Maeve, Rhen and Tiarnan building the first snowman of the season
Rhen and Maeve making snow angels
Tiarnan’s snow angel
Adolfo as St. Nick ( the snow was too deep to drive the cake to the waiting critters)
I feel like I’ve stepped into “Dr. Zhivago” with piles of deep snow everywhere. It’s more like an old-fashioned winter, and we are glad to have lots of hay in the stacks. Luckily the temperatures aren’t very cold (relatively speaking) and it just keeps snowing. I know this is making our friends in California very happy! Glad to help out, folks, but you could come help shovel the sidewalks!
Note the magpie who was riding the grub line.
Llamas on the feed line
waiting for feed in the Wyoming Field
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