Around and Around He Goes!

It seems like I spent most of the day mowing. Well, I guess it was most of the day -- from around 2:00 until dark-thirty. I took one short 20 minute break to grab a bite of supper.

We have 4 acres. It takes a while to cover it with a mower -- even a good sized mower like I have (Toro EZCutter Z380). It was almost like swathing hay. The grass was over 12 inches high in some places. No, it's not all lawn. Most of it is in native pasture. The rains have been so good this year that it has really grown. I have to mow it to keep the undesirable grasses, weeds and cactus controlled. There's really not enough of it to graze. It's too dangerous to burn it. So, I mow. Usually once during the summer will do because it normally is dry for most of the summer and it doesn't grow. This year I have cut it twice and it will probably need to be cut at least one more time.

Seven hours on a mower gives you a lot of time to think. It reminds me of driving a tractor. You go round and round and your mind wanders. It's no big deal on the mower. I remember letting my mind drift while driving a tractor and waking up to find that I had plowed up a couple of hundred yards of cotton -- 8 rows of it! Not a good thing to do. Worse, I had to go back and plow it again to get the water furrows straight so that it could be irrigated later. Telling the farmer that I was working for was not fun. He took it well though. After the black cloud over his head dissipated, he just said, "That will teach you to let your mind wander."

All that time mowing I kept thinking that surely I would come up with some brilliant subject to post about. Sorry. All you get is an account of my mowing. How I love this exciting life I lead!

Signs of Spring

There are definite signs of spring beginning to show. This morning I noticed the buds on my hybrid poplar trees were swollen and ready to open. The temperatures have been starting to reach into the high 70's during the day and some nights are staying above freezing. Some of the late winter weeds are beginning to show themselves. Today, as I drove across the Panhandle, I noticed that most of the geese had already moved north. There were very few left on the playas or in the corn fields.

The farmers are beginning to show signs of wanting to get into the fields and plow. I've seen a couple of tractors working the ground this week. There's always someone who wants to be the first to get the soil ready for planting. I guess it's time. In just a few short weeks they will be running full time to prepare the soil for the seed.

Spring Break from school is only a couple of weeks away. The kids are getting excited about what they will do and where they will go. I find it humorous that some families will use it as a last opportunity to go to the mountains to do some skiing. I'd rather go south where the flowers are starting to bloom, the days are warm, and the fish are ready to be caught.

Winter isn't over. We'll likely have a few more cold spells before spring truly arrives, but it is nice to feel the hint of it in the air. I'm sure the "hollyacademedia" will say that it is too warm, too early and that it is a sign that global warming is upon us. I suspect that it is just the natural rhythm and cycle of the earth.

Someone today told me that one of their greatest fears was global warming. They also thought we needed to get out of Iraq. Isn't that a sign of backward thinking? They are terrified of something that is a slim possibility for the distant future, but oppose proactively preventing terrorism on our soil (by attacking it at the root) which is a much more likely immediate threat if left unchecked. How did the people in this country get so confused? It would take volumes to address that question.

I think for now, I'll think about the coming spring.