We have had such plentiful rain in the past few weeks; our pastures are green and ready to graze. Last weekend, my husband’s brother, nephew and one of their friends brought a few cow calf pairs out to our place to graze one of our front fields. We intended to get our bull up to send to the sale barn. A person who shall remain nameless failed part of the job (gate closing) and he got out of the round pen. We will have to get him up for next week’s sale. It was a great evening to grill out and catch up on our nephew’s rodeo schedule and bull riding escapades.
This past week, my husband focused on getting all our fields brush hogged. They look beautiful and the cows are happily enjoying the green grass. Our daughter has our horse up in Springdale getting ready for the Rodeo of the Ozarks. She has been busy with work and selling raffle tickets for the Rodeo of the Ozarks Queen fundraiser.
Our younger daughter is working at a church camp in Oklahoma this summer. We get to see her on her 24-hour hiatus every Saturday. She comes home long enough to sleep in her own bed, catch up laundry and pack up and head back to Okla. on Sunday. She will have a couple weeks off before we move her over to Stillwater for college in August.
Our youngest son has been busy with morning football practices. He has hit a growth spurt this summer. He helped me mow the yard this week. Our neighbor is out of town, so he caught her yard work up as well. He loves to spend his free time fishing and camping down by the creek with some of his buddies.
Our oldest son has been back to the racetrack in Catoosa, Okla. He stays busy working all week alongside my husband. They have been working on metal buildings, excavation and construction projects since early this spring. He also stays hooked dropping off and picking up roll off dumpsters for various clients.
I have been getting a couple of rental properties turned over for new tenants. It is always a process to get carpets cleaned, walls painted and appliances fixed to prepare for someone new to make these their home. I am enjoying the slower pace of summer and eating late dinners cooked on the grill. Our garden is flourishing. We have enjoyed yellow squash, strawberries, sugar snap peas, asparagus and onions so far. I have even dug up a few barrels of potatoes that were ready for harvest. I am hoping to get a hold of some fresh peaches soon.
Whatever your summer looks like – working or playing, I hope you enjoy every minute of it with the ones you love, neighbor.
Jody Harris is a freelance communications specialist, gardener, ranch wife and mother of four. She and her family raise Angus beef cattle and other critters on their northwest Arkansas ranch. She is a graduate of Missouri State University. To contact Jody, go to ozarksfn.com and click on ‘Contact Us.’
