Respect the Rooster: Amazing Mother Nature 

Mother Nature has been testing our patience lately. The ground is dry, the grass is brown, and a good rain has become something we talk about with the enthusiasm usually reserved for winning the lottery. Around here, we watch the skies, study the forecast, and wonder if the weather folks are looking at the same clouds we are.

Drought is no laughing matter for those of us who depend on the land. Pastures suffer, gardens struggle, and chores seem to take on a whole new level of difficulty. But farm life has a way of offering little reminders that even in a difficult season, there is still life to be found.

The other day, I spotted one of our young wether goats enjoying a snack beside the stump of a tree we had cut down. There he stood, happily munching on the fresh green growth coming up around that old stump, as if we'd provided him with his very own salad bar.

Now, I doubt that little fellow was contemplating the mysteries of life. Goats have a remarkable talent for finding something to eat where the rest of us see yard work. Still, that patch of green caught my attention.

We had cut down the tree, but something was still growing.

There is a little science behind that stubborn bit of greenery. Trees are remarkably good at storing resources. Their roots anchor them, absorb water and minerals, and can store carbohydrates that help support new growth. Depending on the species, a tree that has been cut down may send up new shoots from the remaining stump or root system. Those shoots can develop leaves, collect sunlight, and make sugars through photosynthesis.

Not every tree will do this, of course, and dry conditions make it harder for new growth to survive. But some trees have another trick up their sleeves, so to speak. What looks like the end of a tree may simply be another chapter in its life.

Roots are an interesting thing. Most of the time, we don't give them much thought. They're hidden underground, doing their work quietly while we admire what grows above them. Yet the health of a tree depends greatly on what is happening beneath the surface.

People aren't so different in some ways.

We have roots, too. Memories, experiences, family stories, lessons learned the hard way, and the people who helped us along the way all become part of what holds us steady. Some of those roots run deep, reaching back through years of good seasons and bad ones. They remind us that we have weathered difficult times before, even when the next stretch looks uncertain.

And sometimes, like that old tree stump, we surprise ourselves by putting out a little new growth when we thought we had nothing left to give.

Farmers know better than most that hope alone won't fill a water trough or make grass grow. We still have to work, make adjustments, care for what we can, and wait for the rain when there is nothing more we can do.

But there is something to be said for noticing the small things along the way. A green shoot beside a stump. These aren't solutions to a drought, but they are reminders that life continues, sometimes in the most unexpected places…so do your part if you feel inclined..leave out multiple dishes of water, I have see the suqirells, rabbit,s all sorts of birds, deer..stop over - We have even been sprinkling, letting stock tanks overflow….giveing Mother Nature a little encouragement.

Maybe that little wether was simply having lunch. I'll leave the deep thinking to the rest of us. But I rather like the idea that a tree stump, a patch of green, and one hungry goat can remind us to keep looking for signs of life, even when the landscape looks a little discouraging.

Until the rain comes, we'll keep tending what we have, appreciating what is growing, and trusting that not every story is finished just because one chapter has ended.

Until then — respect the rooster…Thank you all - Sara White - Oh, and the tree in the picture was a flat bark elm, very common here. They are often used for shade and as ornamental trees and the goatie stays..we have a few that are ‘pets’