Scenes from the Ranch: April 2025

It is with a heavy heart that I share this photo, the last one we took of Betty, one of the Belgian mares we brought home from Iowa last fall. In the first week of April, Betty suffered from a complicated case of colic, and we lost her and her unborn foal. We are frequently witness to the thin line between life and death here on the ranch. Yet it doesn’t ever get easier. Each life lost hurts my heart anew as I try to reconcile myself to the cycles of nature that hold us all. At just nine years old, Betty was far too young to leave this world. She and her partner Beth helped us feed the cows over the winter. Together they made a steady-working, calm and solid team. Spring was to bring new life and new opportunities for hitching Betty and Beth up with Jack and Jill to mow the hay for next winter. Betty is already very much missed.

One can rely on spiny phlox to be the first blooms on the prairie every spring. With its low-growing habit and tiny, hairy leaves, it can flourish in the colder, harsher weather of late March and early April. Following on its heels will be the delicate yellow blooms of Nuttall’s violets, five-petaled star lilies, and the prairie golden beans of late April.

I had the pleasure of learning the art of dovetail carpentry with the Red Ants Pants Foundation. Over the course of a weekend in early April, I built a beautiful shadow box frame using chisels and saws. It was a delight to work alongside a diverse group of amicable women while crafting something with my hands.

Following the deep, persistent snow of February, I’ve discovered many of these large piles of woody scat out on the prairie. Grouse burrow under the snow during cold spells in order to take advantage of the relative warmth offered by the subnivean space. In Nevada, sage grouse have been documented making caves under snow-covered sagebrush so they have shelter AND food close at hand… correction… close at wing. These piles are evidence of where they may have sheltered for awhile when the temperatures dipped below zero.