by Texas Homesteader
There’s an old saying: “Make hay while the sun shines”. Although you can’t control the weather, it’s important when you work outside for a living to work as closely in tune with nature as you can.
When I worked in a corporate environment in the city my days were much the same. Get up, get dressed, drive to work – sit at a desk all day long, come home, LIVE LIFE. (Shower/Sleep/Repeat).
Now that my days are filled with ranch duties workdays are not only much longer since we work weekends and holidays, they’re less comfortable since there’s no climate control in the pastures, and they’re infinitely more fulfilling since I LOVE what I do!
But there’s no reason to make what you do difficult, even if you love the final result. For instance the weatherman predicted rain recently. We’re loving any and all prospects for rain since we’re still on the long road of recovery from the drought. But knowing there’s rain coming means you’re able to plan ahead a bit.
We took advantage of the preceding dry days to haul hay to our offsite pasture for our stocker steers. Because the ground was still dry we didn’t rut the pastures while dropping off the hay and our work was more comfortable and more productive – even though the boys wrestled their way to the hay ring. Typical teenagers!
Knowing the rainy weather was on the way also gave us the opportunity while the sun was shining to get a little laundry done. Although we own a nice dryer I haven’t even turned it on in over 3 years.
There’s no comparison to the wonderful smell country sunshine imparts to your clothes when they’re hung on the line under that blue sky. Even though the laundry industry has spent untold millions attempting to duplicate that wonderful scent, we enjoy the natural version with each & every load.
All of this preparation means that when the weather does turn stormy we can be inside and enjoy the rain. There’s still plenty of business to take care of inside where it’s much more comfortable. And of course the calming sound of rain on the windows can’t be beat.
We recently had a brand new heifer calf – a much anticipated and glorious event here. Today she’s experiencing her very first rainfall. By the bounce in her step, I’m guessing that although the rain is cold, she’s loving it too!
There will be sunny days and rainy days. There will be hot days and cold ones. Of course there will be times when there’s nothing you can do about your workload with regard to the conditions.
A new calf typically won’t wait until the weather’s nice, and a broken fence must be repaired quickly whether it’s raining or not. But wherever possible we try to take advantage of the nicer days to do outside chores and take care of the inside things in this kind of weather.
Now where did I set my hot tea?
~TxH~
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Lovely tour around your farm/ranch. I’m hoping to get a clothesline up this spring. Not only will the clothes have that natural sun dried smell but the electric bill will be less 🙂
KarenLynn – What a great blog hop – thanks for the invite! We hang clothes inside with inclimate weather as well. We try to reach all our goals too and sometimes fall short, but it’s all about balance. Each family must do what works best for them, so I don’t beat myself up for falling short from time to time. Thanks for your kind comments. ~TxH~
Being on a ranch I am sure you live closer to nature than I do but our lives since we have chickens and bees are also ruled by the weather. I use an indoor clothesline in the winter which means only half of our clothes get dried on the line but it still helps with the bills. With both of us working full time sometimes its hard to accomplish ALL of our goals but we try. Your pictures are beautiful! Thanks so much for linking up to “The Ole’ Saturday Homesteading Trading Post” blog hop this week!
Thanks Anne! Get one, you won’t regret it. Our clothesline is a double-line retractable one. We set it up when we do laundry and pull it down when everything’s dry. LOVE IT! Plus yes, your electric bill will love you for it. 🙂 ~TxH~
I’m so with you on the laundry routine — I rarely use my dryer. I hang clothes no matter the weather.
Love your blog and am now following. Visiting from Down Home Blog Hop. Have a wonderful weekend!
Thanks for commenting and thanks for following my blog Nancy. I feel a kinship with my grandmother when I hang clothes – I remember standing next to her when I was a child as she hung the laundry. I still feel her as I’m standing under that blue sky doing this chore, it’s one of my favorites! Thanks for stopping by. ~TxH~
Oh, this makes me want to put up a clothesline again! We moved hay before the rain this week too.
Jamie – I truly had no idea that cattle were in the cards for me. Funny how life turns out sometimes… It’s one of the most peaceful things to me to be out in the pastures watching them graze, watching the little ones jump around and play with each other while mama cow keeps a close watch. I can’t imagine any other life for me. Thanks for your comment! ~TxH~
I love all of your pics of your herd. Both sets of my grandparents had cattle (one dairy and one beef) and I really miss them. I’ve always wanted a herd of my own, but that’s not going to be in the cards for me, so I will just have to enjoy your pics instead! 🙂 And maybe convince a kid or two to take steers as a 4-H project. 😉
Your ranch is lovely. I am a little bit jealous! We run a small micro farm on less than an acre with gardens, goats, chickens, quail and a few sheep. So I know what you mean about the work load. The work is hard, but it’s a wonderful life! I enjoyed reading your blog, which I saw on the Homestead Barnhop.
Thanks for your kind words Kari. I know the workload can be intensified on a MicroFarm – sounds like you’ve certainly got your hands full! But I agree, isn’t it wonderful?? 🙂 ~TxH~