Ranchercise Rules

Tis the season to be- ah ah choo! Cutting grass, weeding, tree trimming, filling holes, hauling, mulching, and more all come with spring. Some people pay big bucks for a workout at a gym, but we, like many other outdoor enthusiasts, just do our regular ranchercise, aka ranchaerobics. Honestly, it'll kick your rear in gear and make you sleep well. 

This is our son's sand pile for filling holes after hard rains. Shoveling this stuff is equivalent to about 5 sets with 20 reps of squats, lunges, and curls plus about a half hour on the rowing machine - and it's free! 

This is our daughter-in-law's umpteenth time mowing yards that are the size of a subdivision block. Every time she does it she gets a free tan plus vitamin D, a killer upper body workout, and the equivalent of a week of allergy shots from all the debris flying up her nose. Can't beat that, Lifetime Fitness. 

"My name is Christie Williams. You have been making many dear people sick with allergies. Prepare to die." Ever need an outlet for all those pent up agressions? Unleash your fury on the weeds; they can take it. Again, it's free and much cheaper than a costly arguement or jail time. Plus, you'll have forearms like Poepeye and can crushing strength beyond what you ever dreamt you could. 

What about deadlifts and other power moves? We have that too. Robert lifts pallets of these cow cube bags - often two at a time when he's loading. That's 100 pounds he slings around over and over- not counting the quail feed bags, corn sacks, and dogfood. Maybe that's why he went down a belt notch and up a shirt size... 

Or maybe it's from loading and unloading trailer after trailer of limbs... Either way, it's free too. 

And sometimes, as you're ranchercising, as well as receiving a top-notch workout, you get the awesome reward of a surprise discovery- FREE MULCH! Right there in your gutters. Come to Mama...

Hide and Seek

Remember playing hide and seek? The other day we ran across this lone Bob White Quail scurrying around the sage and cedars of our back yard flower beds, engaging us in a friendly game of hide and seek until he finally darted across the road and into the high grass. He won! See if you can find him in this picture. 

Turkey Talk

With turkey mating season in full swing we were able to catch a rafter, or group, of toms fighting for mating rights! We were a bit far away, but if you turn up your volume, you can clearly hear them fighting with the thuds of their feet slamming the other one along with the funny sounds they make. This is serious stuff.

Doggie Do #1

Doggie do's are in order with spring upon us. No- not doggie doo, although we deal with that mess too, but doggie hairdos. Our quail hunting dogs are due grooming again, especially after their winter coats grew so thick with them living in outdoor kennels. Imagine yourself doing sprints in hilly, rocky terrain while wearing a ski jacket in the Texas heat - NOT gonna happen. So, clip and snip time it is! With the owners coming this weekend, and with all 9 needing a full work over, I need to hustle! We have waited until the last minute for those final spring freezes to pass, and now it' time! 

Doggy Do #1 

Name: Tia   Age: 13 (retired and loving it)

Before . . .

During . . . (That is only HALF of the hair!)

After . . . 

St. Patrick

So what does old, dead St. Patrick have in common with us today, and why should we celebrate his life? At the very least, we share snakes, slavery, and most importantly - access to a FAITH in God that never gives up. Click here to read about St. Patrick. He was a pretty cool dude.

As you know, Texas has poisonous snakes (sorry, this is gross, but it's the only current picture I have of one)...

1) In St. Patrick's day, around 400 years after Christ, the people of Ireland had a problem with poisonous snakes too - and not just physical ones, but things like practicing magic and praying to other gods and spirits that went against believing in the one true God. Through St. Patrick, God showed the people of Ireland the truth by way of miracles and love. What snake-like things are making you afraid today? 

We can learn from his example that we have no need to fear the "snakes" in our lives - real or figurative. God is WAY more powerful. 

2) Similarly, St. Patrick was kidnapped at 14 years old to become a slave for those same Druids and pagans of Ireland (read the article at the link above for details). It was during those six years as a slave and being mistreated that St. Patrick learned to pray and to depend on God. Like St. Patrick, we are all a slave to somebody or something that is always telling us what to do. Who or what is always bossing you?

We can choose now to practice St. Patrick's example and pray through it by asking God for help and wisdom instead of fighting it, as is our human tendency.

3) Finally, through receiving the gift of FAITH, St. Patrick was able to escape his slavery and for the next 40 years to share the Good News to all of Ireland that we all have forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ! Who is around you today that, like Ireland, needs to hear that?

We can be like St. Patrick today and share our FAITH with others in our world.

There is much more significance to this holiday than I will go into on this blog, but I encourage you to read about the symbolism of the shamrock and more. God is in every part of the story! If you know the meanings behind the festivities, it can make celebrating them all the more fun and meaningful, although pinching people not wearing green is fun in itself. 

Happy St. Patrick's Day! 

Ooo Baby Baby

So - we have our precious grandbaby for a couple weeks . . . 

And what do her mommy and daddy do?

Adopt a baby squirrel . . . 

This must mean more children are on the way. 

That's Bull

When a bull acts nasty and charges you over and over, what happens? It gets darted (sedated) hog tied, and trailered. The auction is tomorrow. This one gave meaning to the term "bully" and that's bull.