BACK IN THE SADDLE AGAIN

FRIGID IOWA

THE FLINT HILLS, KANSAS

THE FORT WORTH STOCK SHOW

GRANDDAUGHTER ALLISON SHOWING HER LAMANCHA GOAT

SORRY, NO RIBBONS THIS TIME

Monday, 8:00 AM.  28 degrees F at the ferry dock, 26 on the back porch.  Wind NNW, calm at present.  The sky is partly cloudy, the humidity 73%.  The barometer is 30.0" and rising.  It looks like it will be a decent day.  The channel remains mostly unfrozen and the ferry to Madeline Island is still running.
   We are back in the saddle posting again, after a quick trip to Texas and several weeks of frustration trying to regain entry to posting the Almanac.  Evidently we are in a season of mandatory upgrades to servers and web sites, and I had to wade through hours and hours of painful effort to get back in business.  I never would have gotten things straightened out without the help of Jim Nevins, one of our younger tree board members who understands this stuff.   But, all's well that ends well.
   The weather driving down to Texas was brutal until well past Des Moines, Iowa on I35. Texas was relatively cold but sunny during our stay.
   We saw hundreds of hawks posted at intervals along the I road from Iowa south, and upon our return trip saw many large flocks of sandhill cranes moving north towards the Platte River, right on schedule. 
   We spent a lot of time with son Dutch, daughter-in-law Leslie and granddaughter Allison, and among other activities attended the Fort Worth Stock Show, where Leslie and Allison showed their prize Lamancha goats.  They were greatly disappointed in not winning a ribbon.  Guess the goats were off their game.
   The Stock Show is all about goats, chickens, pigs, horses, cattle of every kind, trucks and farm equipment.  Exactly like a state fair, in the middle of winter.  There was a rodeo every day.  Kids were let out of school and families were everywhere.  The crowds were a kaleidoscope of every color and ethnicity, all decked out in Western garb.  It was all very interesting and new to us.
   I was, by the way, sad to see that one of the protesters at the Oregon standoff was shot and killed and others arrested.  It didn't have to end that way, and it will only stoke the fires of western rebellion and be remembered as a corollary to the incident at Ruby Ridge a few years back.  Looks like the feds have declared open season on cowboys.  No Indians bit the dust.