The first foal of the year hit the ground yesterday evening
with the dramatic background sound of thunder. Chief’s first night in this world
was accompanied by lightning, heavy rain and a little hail. Though we hate to
see a new baby out in this kind of weather his mother is not fond of being in
the barn, much preferring to tough it out in the open. So he was welcomed to the 4DH in the midst of
an Oklahoma thunderstorm.
I suppose we should have been praying for clear weather but
instead we were cheering for as much rain as would come down. The last few
years of dry weather have left our pastures suffering. Hay comes at a premium
and we find ourselves hauling it from Colorado to supplement the ever
increasing lack of locally grown hay. We are thankful for a little rain and
even more thankful for the kind of rain we got last night.
We are a long way from being at normal moisture levels here
in Oklahoma. Every drop that we can get we need all the way across the state. Today,
while working on the tack building roof my son said “Dad, the pasture sure
looks green this year.” Everyone paused to look and appreciate.
I know rain can become a problem when it comes down in
torrents and floods the land. What we have needed for a very long time is a
good soaking rain and we have been receiving exactly that. The thunder and
lightning are just a show added to the rain for our enjoyment. We do not control
the weather; not the drought or the rain. Having suffered the first, we are
glad for the second as it spills down from the sky and fills our terraces,
ponds and creek. Things are looking up here in North East Oklahoma.
And what about the new-baby Chief? He spent this day splashing circles around
his mother in a joyous dance that cried out “Let it rain!”
*For
more information on Debra Coppinger Hill go to the poetry section at
AlwaysCowboy.com
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RIDING DRAG with DEBRA COPPINGER HILL is featured each week at ALWAYS COWBOY where Debra is a Resident Western Poet. Join her and her Cowboy Friends for Cowboy Poetry, News & Events. http://alwayscowboy.net/debra_coppinger_hill_poetry.html
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