Though it threatened, no rain fell here today. The wind decided to blow instead and the road is quickly drying from its persistent breath.
We helped Brandon with his cows this morning, then took a tour of the Mesa Pasture… back for lunch while we waited for the vet to show up to check something on his hydraulic chute he left here (and help out Bravo who has a torn toenail). I finished the day with cornering Vernon to help with a few yard chores.
While driving through the Mesa, like everywhere else around here, I was marveling at the tall grass due to these rainstorms.
It was looking really good… even through a mud spattered windshield…
It got me to thinking about how bad it was when this pasture burned. It was horrible back then. No feed for our cattle, the rushed search for replacement pasture, the senseless burning of multiple fence lines, the sadness and the fury and disgust… it wasn’t a good time. While we knew fire is a healthy tool for rangeland, we still lived those feelings to our very core.
When *was* that, I wondered. So I did what I often have to do… search my blog for “wildfire” and follow those posts! Found it. June 26, 2012. JUNE. Not August, not July. JUNE. I’m almost there in my Throwback Thursday posts. Here’s the first mention of it.
Our wheat hay under “smokey” skies at noon…
Our wheat hay under SMOKEY skies at 8 pm.
Sh*&^%$t.
Yes, that’s the Mesa Pasture in flames. Four thousand acres burned in that fire. We and multiple neighbors suffered. Driving through today, the burned trees still stand eleven years later, but with all this rain, a lush carpet of green stretches in front of us. With rain, Wyoming is a fancy girl, waving her green skirts in the breeze, decorated with flowers of varying hues. Without rain, Wyoming becomes a withered crone, cracked and wrinkled and dried out.
I had mentioned this morning that I missed the sun, but I would like to withdraw that comment. I much prefer the green skirts of Wyoming swirling to the music of the meadowlark…
Looks very green, and more like our farms here in NYS. Hope this year continues to bring some extra rain, and a great crop for you.
Bravo’s torn toenail will heal and be fine?? He didn’t lose too much blood or develop an infection. I ask because around here several years ago a dog tor an toenail on a chain link gate (jumping over) and bled out. You could follow bloody pawprints until they stopped! Don’t want anything like that to happen to Bravo.
Thanks for the beautiful green grass.
Such a comparison. The green is beautiful to see out there! And Indy looks like she’s enjoying the breeze,