I looked at the clock. 3:23 AM. It was time to turn in, especially since I got up at 2:45 AM. The day before. Occasionally nature gangs up on us and we have interminably long days. There's just so much to do; first, we have the day-to-day, and then, the big jobs—and then, the …
The Day Tumbo Cried
Dear Friends,We have sheep. This is our 6th year. This past week, Abby and Ethan closed a deal on 200 more. It looks like sheep are set to be in the future of Alderspring. There are jobs for them to do; the war on weeds is real; sheep like them. In addition, they are complementary grazers to cattle, …
Annie Rides Wild
Annie was worried; I could see it by the way she rode. She was just a tad rigid in her focused attention in trying to stay with it. It's what we all do when we know the horse under us could easily blow up. She knew the young mare Maggie would likely want to run once we turned her out …
Under Light of Mid-Night
Dear Friends This Tuesday Morning: 2:20 AM: I flicked the barn lights on, and the new LEDs instantly burned bright (there are some things about technology that has made our lives better, it seems). Our 130-foot long barn structure is now easily illuminated from one end to the other. I made my way …
A Heart of Husbandry
Dear Friends My legs were on fire from the chem burn. Even worse, my eyes stung and the tears that rolled out of them fogged my vision. I squinted, straining to see the end of the field, but couldn't quite make it out. The five-gallon bucket I was carrying was almost empty—I wondered how many …
A Midnight Clear
Dear Friends Thirty Christmases. That's how many it's been on Alderspring Ranch. 1993: It was just Caryl and I that first year, huddled around a tree in our 350 square foot tin shack we called home. Without the wood stove that often glowed red on a frigid and brittle winter night the little …