by Bill Byrne | Apr 10, 2014 | Uncategorized
Of course, it doesn’t come in gradually. Today is in the mid 80’s, yesterday evening was 27 degrees. We had a family group from the Chicago area at the campground, so now they can say that they are officially below freezing campers! The grass is growing, the birds are singing, forsithia, firebush, serviceberry, and redbud trees are all showing forth their blooms, and the peacock is looking for a mate [along with a lot of our other animals]. We have 15 newborn goats on the ground just starting to jump and run, and the sheep are next. All in all, a great start to a new year.
by Bill Byrne | Mar 16, 2014 | Uncategorized
The bird feeders are thick with finches until a red headed woodpecker barges in and scares them all away. In typical Ozark fashion the weather has gone from 65 degrees yesterday to 30 degrees and falling snow today. The crocus and daffodils are still standing in the snow, as Spring does an about face and heads back toward winter. Even the bird songs are spring songs, and seem a bit out of place in the new fallen snow. Yesterday we set corner posts for new fences, and had our first guests of the season staying at the Lakeside Log Cabin. Today we get to worry about the predicted single digit temperature freezing the water in the shower house! You have to love the Ozarks….if God is all about changes. then He [or She] is certainly all around us.
by Bill Byrne | Mar 3, 2014 | Uncategorized
I put the tractor in the hay barn to keep the ice storm from freezing the doors shut, but there wasn’t any electricity in the barn to plug the engine heater into. My thought was I will move it back to the power area before it got so cold it wouldn’t start. As happens many times, our assumptions and hopes don’t always work with the actual circumstances of life. We need the tractor every day to feed our cows and other animals during the winter. We unroll large half ton bales of hay out for them to eat, and for the young to have a warmer place to lay on. So this morning I sit here in the dark at the start of a new day, knowing i’ll have to head out in 15 below wind chills [in March yet!] to start a generator [that may not want to start either] so I can plug in the tractor engine heater and a battery charger, and let it all run for many hours to hopefully start the tractor. Ahhh…life and hope spring eternal! Have a great day and appreciate all you have, not what is missing. Personally, its now March and most of the winter is behind us, we still have electricity, and there is a beauty in the stillness of the very cold winter weather.
by Bill Byrne | Feb 25, 2014 | Uncategorized
….March is one of my favorite times of the year because it heralds the coming of Spring, another chance to begin again, to experience the growth of nature, in all its beauty and promise of life to come. The yellow daffodils are the first flowers to make a start, sometimes even having to bloom in the middle of the a blanket of snow. The birds begin their morning songs, the geese fly Northward with their group formations, and life starts to spring anew from many different directions.
March is also the start of many of our jobs, from calving, lambing, and kidding to making ready for the coming season. We’ve had a very busy winter this year, doing lots of repairs and improvements to our different lodging accomodations, and doing repairs to fencing and fields. All of us, people and animals included, are waiting for an end to what has been a long winter…..but without a long winter how could we appreciate the hopefull spring?
by Bill Byrne | Feb 14, 2014 | Uncategorized
We are seeking interns to help us with the ranch and it’s programs. It’s a great opportunity to take a “step into nature” this summer, and can range from two weeks to all summer. We do provide housing and a small “stipend” for food and general expenses. Please see more info at CrystalCreekRanch.org/about-us/internships and get back to us here on the blog if your interested.
by Bill Byrne | Feb 11, 2014 | Uncategorized
Another fine winter day…..We have quit fighting the snow and temperatures and started taking a walk every day in the snow and woods. It’s amazing how quiet it can be with the snow and cold. We saw alot of animal tracks, including turkeys. This will be a hard winter for them, and many other animals, because of a lack of food. We definitely get lots of exercise, as there’s nothing in our woods thats not side hill and up or down. I hope you can find time [and enough clothes] to take a walk outside today, even if its in your town or city. It refreshes both the body and the soul to be with the weather, and not against it!
