Fixing fence is the one of the hardest jobs on a ranch. I no longer live on a ranch, but I do know what hard work is. Fences are everyone's concern, but nowadays,the "hole" is always your neighbor's side not your own. It used to be that you would respect your neighbor and mend the fence together. If their cows got in your field, a simple phone call resolved the problem. You might even saddle up your own horse and help them gather them up. We need more people who are willing to roll their sleeves up and fix the fence regardless of who your neighbor is. There are people in this country who need to be reminded that a fence is like the way you should conduct your life. Your posts should be straight and neat. The wire needs to be stretched tight and your gate might be closed, but can still be easily opened. And most of all, we can all saddle up together and ride the range, it won't matter if you have an Appaloosa, Quarter Horse or Thoroughbred. The cows still have to be gathered, fences have to be fixed, and the range is a wide open space of opportunity for us all.

Enjoy the Sunset-Birdhouse Thoughts

Posted Thursday, February 16, 2012, at 10:48 PM

Idaho Sunset in November

I miss those wonderful Idaho sunsets. Sunsets are meant to be enjoyed and shared and I am going to share some of mine.

This week, I watched an interview about a couple who had been married for 70 years. They are a lovely pair. Of course, the interviewer asked what their secret was.

"Compromise". They mostly agreed on everything but the decision making was based on some type of compromise. Neither of them felt cheated.

Their love story is not all that complicated:

He saw her from across the room and knew that she was the one. He told the interviewer, that she was by far the prettiest girl in the room.

She fell in love with him because he had a car. It was 1941 and they lived in New York. Most people did not have cars then and especially in New York City.

They dated for a short period of time and were married in 1942.

Love stories like that should be in the news every day. Maybe if we had more love stories, our own lives would seem as beautiful as a summer sunset in Idaho.

Watching the sun disappear slowly over the horizon is a wonderful thing to enjoy at the end of the day. You have time to savor all of the rich colors and the graceful majesty of the sun. And best of all, a person knows that in a matter of hours, they have the opportunity to start all over with their goals, dreams and hopes.

In the old days, before TV, people sat out on their porches and enjoyed the outdoors. They waved to their neighbors and breathed the fresh clean air. And---they watched the sunset every evening.

These past few years, I think that we have all missed a few sunsets. Our lives have been centered around storm clouds and dire weather predictions. I have resolved to take a deep breath and try to enjoy a few sunsets myself.

The end of the day is a time for reflection. We may laugh, smile at corny jokes or cry. It is an opportunity to hold hands and to enjoy the quiet.

After 70 years of marriage, the couple that I mentioned have enjoyed many many sunsets together. They took each day as it came along and didn't worry about things that they couldn't change. They compromised on major decisions without feeling resentment.

So--Take a deep breath everyone ---take stock of your surroundings. We have so much to be thankful for in this country. Our sunsets have been spectacular and the envy of the world.

Right now, I am enjoying the memories of those Idaho Sunsets. My problems and worries have faded away with the promise of tomorrow.

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It always comes back to the same thing. Basics are really what make life ...well...LIFE

-- Posted by jessiemiller on Fri, Feb 17, 2012, at 8:14 AM
One of the more awesome sunsets I remember was looking out a hotel room window on the then outskirts of Austin, Texas in November of 1987.

It was my first ever trip to Texas and I was astounded how few people that were out and about in Austin or at the University of Texas campus. And there wasn't a Texan among the couple of hundred folks I saw that day.

Turned out those "Is he CRAZY" looks I got were from locals that KNEW a tornado was brewing. It was the tourists that didn't have a clue.

The series of storms that blew through that evening killed over 30 people.

Gave me a whole different view of Idaho sunsets.

BTW, one of my blog photos is a combination of a scan of a piece of rock from near Little Camas taped to a print of a sunset at Anderson Ranch...

-- Posted by wh67 on Fri, Feb 17, 2012, at 10:23 AM

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