Tag Archives: family

Still Life Blessings

Posted on December 24, 2016 by John | 4 comments

Fresh-picked fruit waiting for family, friends and rain to arrive. 1.30″

4 Comments

Posted in Photographs, Ranch Journal

Tagged Christmas, family, garden

BIRDS OF A FEATHER

Posted on December 23, 2016 by John | 8 comments

Like quail before a rain, like deer
we gather in the granite brush
that yet survives the times and us—

around a fire. Lift a water glass
to the first ones here, a jam jar to
the pioneers that spawned this bond

of swirling smoke we nose at dawn
within our clothes and grin, trying:

to remember when
we loved life, or one another more.

8 Comments

Posted in Photographs, Poems 2016, Ranch Journal

Tagged Dry Creek, family, Home

Too Much Fun

Posted on December 28, 2015 by John | 3 comments

Four straight nights of family making music. Grandpa’s done!

(Photos: Neal Lett, brother Todd’s daughter Katy’s husband, OMG!)

A light caress reminder
after a long time gone,
slow wet promises of more—

of fidelity we believe
as if she never left,
our flesh blooms green.

Christmas fell in 2015
to fill four nights rejoicing,
strings and voices rising

to greet the gentle rain—
four dry years forgotten.
We’ll never be the same.

3 Comments

Posted in Photographs, Poems 2015, Ranch Journal

Tagged Christmas 2015, family, music

Sulphur Peak

Posted on December 25, 2015 by John | 6 comments

Overnight rain, wind, hail and a light dusting of snow down to 2,000 feet for our Christmas present on Dry Creek. Fairly rare, especially during the last four years.

Whole family here jamming into the late night hours (10:00 p.m., 3 hours past my bedtime), Robbin and Bob with guitars, Jaro and I with harmonicas, all singing what lyrics we knew.

All good, beautiful morning, Christmas 2015!

Bagels and lochs on the deck.

6 Comments

Posted in Photographs, Ranch Journal

Tagged Christmas, family, snow, Sulphur Peak

Mustard Greens

Posted on December 20, 2015 by John | 7 comments

A beautiful day Friday, I took my camera while checking the calves we branded, photographing this one resting comfortably in a bed of mustard greens, along with the gray cow and calf born late September.

We’re taking the whole bunch back to Belle Point this morning after a slow 0.30″ rain yesterday afternoon and overnight–the same rain we raced yesterday morning while branding Tony Rabb’s calves just over the ridge in Antelope Valley.

Forecast for 8:00 a.m. up until the last moment, skies were clear at daybreak as the storm approached from the coast. Tony made the call and we hustled through 100 calves before the first drop landed at 11:30 a.m.

I note, not so much for posterity but to jog my failing memory, that we had a lot of fun at the quickened pace, far from ‘old people slow’. My first opportunity to help the neighbors brand this season, I took Bart, Robbin’s wonderful gelding, who worked well-enough to have some fun himself, a tough little horse hard not to like.

I also found the Burrowing Owl in his digs Friday while checking the heifers just recently exposed to Wagyu bulls. The first wave of family arrives today. ‘Tis the season.