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, …
From Alderspring to Orcas
Dear Friends As we sat on a massive driftwood fir log while dining on our light lunch of summer sausage and sheep cheese, Caryl and I watched the V-shaped ripple of disturbance in the quiet bay waters manifest a harbor seal. He cautiously raised his head above water, his eyes furtively scanning …
When Beauty’s Poison Kills
“Dang it.â€, I thought. I could hear the squawk of magpies over the continuous rustle of aspens turning golden in the mountain breeze. The striking contrast of white and black iridescent beauty in their plumage was quickly eclipsed by their grisly reputation: dead animal eaters. Hearing the …
Hail and Hearty
Dear Friends It was the unsettling low roar that got my attention. When first perceived, my mind simply put it in the folder marked ‘wind in trees.’ But then the rational mind took over with a nagging thought: there were no trees on this part of the range. The nearest forest or creek-side …
There’s a Storm Coming
It’s been an eventful (full?) week with long days (often into the night), tumultuous weather, and a new summer horseback crew learning the ropes. Yesterday, a couple of aspiring range riders inadvertently overloaded the fenced corridor that led to the ranch’s livestock scales, causing a cattle …