“Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear – not absence of fear” ~Mark Twain

To those brave women and men who serve, shed blood, and have died for our freedom, We Salute You.

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*Updated*

This evening Patrick called on his way home from the South Ranch wanting me to make his favorite snack, “a shiver” he says. “You mean a smoothie sweetheart”?

So tonight we made Very Berry Patriotic Smoothies.

The Yellow Finch

The weatherman said we were going to be riding out thunderstorms and high wind today. Boy was he wrong. It has been a gorgeous day. I had a lovely morning walk, baked a macaroon pie, and for a little while stood and watched these golden beauties frolic all over the yard. They would fly from tree to fence to grass and then soar over the roof of the house. They even got close enough for  a portrait or 3.

perched on the apple tree

grazing through grass

resting and observing

May 24th, Snow in the High Country

Yes folks, this day in May the wind howled and snow fell. Patrick grabbed my camera and took a couple shots of the mountains behind the house.

Squaw Mountain. Image by Patrick McGuire.

The Lawrence. Image by Patrick McGuire.

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Gathering Pairs

We worked all day Sunday. The weather was much better yesterday than today. We got 43 mommas and their babies paired up to be trucked to the Laramie Plains today for more grazing.

John’s cow dog, Dixie, did a great job. She perched at the top of the hill until John told her to come. She’s very obedient and works hard.

Dixie, down.

Dixie and I sat at the top of the hill and watched the cowboys work.

They're all down the hill thankfully.

They all crossed the creek by golly!

Once in the main corral, we had to make sure the babies were paired up with momma and then put them in separate corrals for the big delivery. They are going to love the Plains. The grass is getting greener by the day.

Cowboy Cutting

We needed to get a few more pairs from the meadows. I was told to get behind the fence and DON’T BE SEEN!

Watching through the knot hole. I'm hiding, Patrick!

Through the knot hole: Ron and Patrick work their magic.

It’s a dangerous job-

-but the cowboy has to do it.

We’ll be taking the cows to the Laramie Plains soon so getting  the windmills pumping water is part of the preparation.

Patrick gets belted up and climbs 40 feet to add oil and start the blades rotating.

Dang that’s high. It’s scary up there he says.

And we have water!

The land is so flat and you can see storms miles away. Sheets of rain and dangerous lightning makes me very nervous but it never came near us thankfully.

It’s so wild to see this violent storm in the distance while we sit and watch all nice and dry.

The storm arrived later that night on the ranch. The roads turned into lakes and the night sky was lit up with lightning. But we welcome the rain. We should have some fat cows by the end of the summer.

Georgia Spring Beauty

I made it back home yesterday evening. It was a great week of visiting family and friends. I had several shoots while there, thank you to Mercer and Ginger and Avery! Here are some shots of springtime in Georgia.

Happy Butterfly

Last year, I found some old seed packets of my mothers that dated back to the seventies. Miraculously I lucked out with one sunflower.

Miracle Sunflower I

Me and a tiny honey bee just loved this flower. He’s burrowed in the seeds of the flower.

Miracle Sunflower II

This little guy would visit me often. He deserved a good portrait.

Smiling Dragonfly

It rained a good bit here in Wheatland last week. When I drove into the ranch, the meadows were green and the trees were blooming. I’ll have local updates soon.  xo

Time Flies

My how the years go by. This young lady has been a beautiful subject of my lens for 4 years now. We did her portraits in a friends yard and by the neighborhood lake earlier this week. We had great weather and little Avery was a trooper. Tears streamed once and only for a short amount of time. Otherwise we played and smiled.

She wanted to pet the ducks but they weren’t having any of that. We looked for fish in the lake instead.

This was her birth announcement portrait. I still cannot believe it’s been 4 years.

See you next year Avery!

Remembering Mom

I was traveling on Mother’s Day and just haven’t had time to write.  But I didn’t want to go without a post to remember mom. She was an incredible and loving woman who was taken from us too early.  She was stricken with cancer 4 years ago and passed away 13 months after her diagnosis. Amazingly, but not surprisingly, her strength and love helped us cope. She was a mother to the very end. Below are a couple shots from the archives.

A newborn Harriet with her mom, my Mema.

A newborn Leah, with mom and brother

Me and mom goofing off during a family portrait session. This was right after the diagnosis.

Watching the stages of the cancer take the life right out of her, fighting it with all her might, made us angry. Sad. Tired. We wanted her pain to go away. And when she took her last breath, there was relief on her beautiful face. She didn’t have to fight anymore. She was finally free.  It’s been 3 1/2 years since she’s been gone but it feels just like yesterday. I feel her with me everyday, and I’ve found peace while spending time in the hills of southeastern Wyoming.

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It’s amazing how life goes on after losing someone so special. Everyday feels like that dream you have when you just can’t run fast enough. You’re moving in slow-motion and you just want to give up.  And then someone comes along a year later to perk up your dad and breath new life into him and the family. A kind and loving woman named Debbie. She’s such a blessing.

Debbie and Dad: wedding dance

I hope we all took time on Sunday to reflect on how important our mothers are to us whether they gave us life and whether they entered later in life. We should let them know our appreciation for them more than just on Mother’s Day.

Thank you Debbie.

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Thank you Mom- miss you.

It’s that time again…

Branding. It’s exhausting. Not only for the cows but for the cowboys and girls too. We branded at Uncle Tom’s yesterday and Friday we’ll be at Kenny’s.

She's looking for her baby while that cowboy back there rounds up the stragglers.

Look at that loop!

I’ll have more images up soon but for now, the only shots  I’m concentrating on are the vaccines for the babies to keep them well.

ttfn.

The Ocean

After a restless night of the power going off and on continuously, I awoke this morning after dreaming of the ocean. I heard the sound of waves crashing and the sun was warming my face.  But lo I was in my bed, the sun was rising and the wind was whipping at 78 mph. Today, here in the hills of Wheatland,  we hear the sounds of the beach. Except there isn’t any salty moisture in the air or any bright colored swimsuits being worn. Shoot, I can’t even keep a hat on.

I have to laugh at my eager attempt at a morning walk. It just can’t be done today.

Guess I’ll play wii sports  for my daily workout. Big thanks to my Georgia friends who got me a wii specifically for days like this.

Sunday Roundup

This morning it was time to gather the cattle to move them to a new meadow. I took the lead in the Rhino and Patrick and Shadow, the cow dog, brought up the rear on foot. I had cake in the back so they were more than happy to follow me.

It was a beautiful morning with blue skies, lots of sunshine and very low winds.

We got them across the river and into the meadow and it was time for cake. When Patrick isn’t looking, I’m spoiling them.

OOPS! He spotted me and grabbed the camera.

Their tongues and rougher than kitty tongues. But they are gentle when they eat from my fingers.

The last of the calves are entering the meadow. We’ll check tomorrow for any stragglers that didn’t run with the herd.

Next it was time to repair the fences in this meadow. You can spot the Ranch back there with the green roof.

We fenced for a couple of hours, turned around and could no longer see the Ranch. Only a storm coming our way. We high-tailed it back to the house.

I spotted these tiny flowers along the way. If you know what this is, will you let me know?

We got home covered in snow. It only lasted a few minutes before the sun came back out and continued to be a beautiful day.

Puppies!

Oh my gosh. John and Debbie at the South Ranch have the cutest little Border Collie puppies and a few of them are there for the purchasing. I think a couple are spoken for but there’s plenty to go around. They are sweet and cuddly and if I was a dog person, I’d take them home for myself in a heartbeat. But we have enough animals to feed so the answer is a unanimous “no”!

They will sniff you ’til the cows come home.

I know you want to bring one home. Don’t forget, Mother’s Day is right around the corner and I’m sure she’d love a cuddly wuddly puppy. Leave me a comment with your email if you’re interested.