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Sunday, May 9, 2010

Happy Mothers day


Happy Mothers day to all the mothers of the world and especially to my own mom. There are many things in the world that irk me a little but few things that just flat piss me off. One of those things that piss me off is when I see someone who is not a good mother to her children. I was and still am very close to my dad and I often mention him here and he is someone who had great influence on my life. I know I mention my mother on this blog less often although she has been and is a great mother and also been a great influence on my life.



One reason I think I don’t mention my mom as much is because she is such a good mother. I find that so non extraordinary given the care and guidance I have watched mothers in nature give their offspring. I guess in today’s world it seems like a dad that is close to his children and a loving father seems to be kind of the exception rather than the norm. There are some bad mothers out there but I see the bad mothers as much more of an exception than a rule. I have been lucky because I have been surrounded by lots of relatives and friends that are great moms as well as my own mother and all she has done for me over the years.



I sometimes spend too much time around momma cows and so I try and relate things I see with them to the human nature. Sometimes things are glaringly different but many things are the same. Easy now ladies I am not saying human mothers are cows! I guess what I am getting at is having a good father is important and helpful but I have seen many humans and bovines excel at life without the benefit of a good father. Rarely, and I mean very rarely does a human or bovine achieve a very high level without the benefit of a good mother.



Being a good mother has to be a very difficult job. It seems to me to be an exercise in contrasts with a delicate balance. On one hand you want to let your kids explore, spread their wings and learn about life. On the other hand you are scared to death that they might get hurt and your protective nature kicks in. I see this every spring and fall in the cows. Some ranchers won’t keep a cow if she is too protective of a calf because of safety issues. I love a cow that is protective of her calf. Many people are afraid of working around bulls, granted you have to be careful but I would rather go ten rounds with most any bull than two rounds with many cows with newborn calves at their side.



Being a mother has to be difficult given all the things a woman needs to know and does as a mother. Being MY mother has a whole new level of difficulty especially when I was a teen. Johnny Paycheck has a song “I’m the only hell my momma ever raised” Well, that is certainly fitting in my life. Being the oldest child and the only boy I always found new ways to test just how deep a mom’s love could run. I always knew that her love was a constant though. I also always knew that even though mom would be upset at something stupid I had done, she also would be the person that would keep dad from implementing capital punishment for misdeeds.



Here are just a few things I put my mom through growing up. I think I was about 4 when I somehow managed to crack my head open (which kinda explains many things). I was 6 years old when I ate some treated (poison) seed wheat. I remember how scared my mom was when I puked pink wheat across the dinner table and was then rushed to the emergency room. I was in 1st grade when my mom got her first call from the school. I was caught (and subsequently slapped) by my teacher for looking up her miniskirt! I think poor mom thought there was not enough psychiatry in the world to save me. My mom was who I went to after my first brush with the law. I had gotten my drivers license on the morning of my 16th birthday. By 10 p.m. that night I had my first speeding ticket for driving 103 in a 35 m.p.h. zone. I think the worst was when I was a sophomore and had a girlfriend that was not only a senior but a cheerleader. I showed up at the breakfast table shirtless one Sunday morning unknowingly covered in hickeys. Oh my poor mother! In my early teens I even wrecked my motorcycle racing on Mother’s day. A torn lower lip for me and a trip to the emergency room for her, dad and I was what mom got on her special day.



Through all those tests mom has never wavered in her love for me. Never once did I lack for baked goods, potato salad, fried beef heart or beef stew with dumplings. I can’t ever remember not having clean clothes for school or a sporting event as I grew up. She is a wonderful grandmother to my kids as well as all my nieces and nephews. Mom has been most impressive to me the last few years. With all the shock of losing dad and all of the sudden life changes for us all she has been solid as a rock. She has trusted me and my decisions regarding the ranch even when I am less than appreciative of that trust. I know I do not say it enough but I love you mom and thank you for everything you have given me in life. Happy Mothers Day!



Today’s real environmentalist species found on the ranch is Slender phlox aka Microsteris gracilis.



Today’s picture is a fall calving cow 7491w with her first calf 9491w which is a steer calf that she is doing an extremely great job of raising. Watching this cow groom her calf today reminded me of many trips to church as a kid and my mother. Almost as a rule mom would lick her hand or a kleenex and either wipe my dirty face off or pat down an errant hair on my head before we walked through the door. I love you mom.

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