Fairy flowers

There are no blossoming cherry trees where I live.

There are no daffodils.

But there are these.

Tiny fairy flowers tucked beneath blades of grass.

33 & 3

Wow. Thank you all for all the beautiful birthday wishes yesterday ~ Charlie lapped them up and said, “well, yesss,” while I was truly humbled. The care from afar… made me tear up, dammit! And makes me want to do more work, for you, to share with you.

ALSO. Where did this whole “aging is a horrible thing” come from? I adore getting older. Young’uns out there, know this: the twenties are hella fun but the thirties… oh, so much greater. The thirties are something to look forward to.

xo S.

Beloved

Every day finds me on my horse,
even if it’s only for an hour
to slip out the back gate
and race the two-track
to the base of the mountain
thundering down the deer trails we have memorized
until we both are panting.

When I’m on my horse, I can’t think of anything else
in the world
I need.

Before the grass grows, again…

…..we feed hay to the cows and the yearling calves and the horses and the bulls and Daisy. These animals need sun-dried grass and alfalfa to survive until a proper ratio of moisture (snowmelt, rainstorms) and daylight and warmth (come on, sunshine!) compels green grass to emerge, once again, from once-frozen ground.

It’s a thrilling sight, to see blades of grass peeking through dirt. It’s taken me a few hard years in Wyoming and a soul-connection with a few beloved herbivores to truly appreciate the miracle.

Through the winter, and until the new growth is lush enough to sustain these animals, Mike and I feed one-and-a-half tons of hay every day. Sometimes we feed giant round bales that weigh 1000 pounds each. A special truck does the heavy lifting. Sometimes, we load small bales by hand. 3,000 pounds each day.

The second-best part of loading so much hay by hand is knowing that, because of our hard work and physical effort, the animals are happy and nourished, well-fed without ever having to experience the anxiety of foraging in winter. The best part is being able to beat exceedingly macho guys at arm wresting.