Scenes from the Ranch: June 2024

The whirlwind of busyness that is summer has begun! I managed to capture a few Scenes from the Ranch for June between all the activity:

It was a cool month, though not nearly as wet as last year. The prairie is drying out, yet the wildflowers continue to bloom. It has been a banner year for sweet clover (not pictured), which covers the hillsides in blankets of yellow. Sego lilies always catch my eye and my breath with their delicate, colorful beauty.

Maverick and Scooter are swallowed up by lush growth in our irrigated alfalfa fields.

Storms continuously sweep across the prairie, bringing gorgeous clouds and sometimes some moisture. The rains this year have fallen in unusual patterns, dropping an inch in one area while leaving the land just a mile south bone dry.

In March I collected cottonwood buds and soaked them in safflower oil for two months. I used my Grandma Clark’s “doodle bug” to strain the buds out of the oil, which is now infused with their sweetness and healing properties. Like many species in the willow family (Salicaceae), cottonwoods contain the natural anti-inflammatory salicylic acid, a precursor to aspirin. I was inspired to make this by my friend Kristian whose cottonwood bud balm has helped soothe many of my aches and pains.