WOW, what a day

August 10th, 2023

My granddaughter Sammy teaching in Arusha, Tanzania

I awoke yesterday to what had all the trappings of being an ordinary day as my circle of life gets ever smaller. I’m still able to pull up my pants from the standing position and slide into my low top tennis shoes, no more cowboy boots. Then hoofing it about 100 yards over to daughter Lily and husband Mike and granddaughter Sage’s house, who is a professional quarter horse trainer getting ready to leave for six weeks to train some of her friends young horses on their ranch in Montana. While drinking my morning coffee at Lily’s house, Sage shows me several pictures of her sister Sammy who is now an English teacher at a daycare center in Arusha, Tanzania, Africa for the summer and loving it.

It’s now about 10 o’clock and Juan calls to remind me that in an hour our first load of stocker cattle will be ready to be unload. Which announces the start of the next season of receiving, processing, and then turning out each load of 80 plus or minus head of cattle that will be arriving at different times up until December. Then, hopefully with rain and green grass and gaining 300 pounds they will be ready for sale on the ranch next June 2024. The cattle are all unloaded now as I watch my new partner in the cattle business grandson, Brinan Varian, do the unloading and then processing (branding, vaccinations, and an ear tag for each new arrival) the next morning. 

Our first jar of V6 Ranch Wildflower Honey

It’s now noon and I’m having lunch with a couple of old friends at the Parkfield Cafe. I’m busy talking with my mouth full when I hear a low rumble then the 200 branding irons hanging from the ceiling start to sway followed by a shake that stopped my chattering and allowed me to stand up and thank an almost full cafe for coming to my earthquake party. We had a 15 second, 4.3 richter scale earthquake. With no aftershocks, I went on to tell my friends Larry Sage and Howard Carrol that my granddaughter Lauren who is a very good graphic designer has designed a label for my new venture into the business of Beekeeping and within a half hour after the Parkfield Earthquake I sold my first jar of honey. 

With lunch finished I’m eager to show Larry and Howard my 100 acre Pistachio orchard money pit, that with but one dose of Mycorrhizal Fungi spores three weeks prior, the spores have transformed all the green trees into a greener vibrant color of health and gave me a burst of new life to feed my optimism that next year I will stop all the cash outflow and start welcoming the income.

My daughter-in-law Barbara is presently getting ready to leave with her brother Tom and driving to Yosemite Park. Then with a 40 pound pack on her back she is hiking 90 miles south down the John Muir trail to be met by my son John somewhere along the way where Tom will leave then Barbara and John will trek on for 6 or 7 more days to Lake Edison. August 10th was also a good day to say goodbye and good riddance to times past when delicate was the manner of the day for ladies.

My grandson Kincade at helicopter school

Excuse me but my cell phone is ringing and it’s my daughter in law Tricia, Greg’s wife, reminding Zee and I that dinner will be served about 7pm at their house some three miles distance from Parkfield. She went on to say that their three sons Zack from Texas, Rhett from Montana and Kincade from helicopter school in San Luis Obispo will all be home plus other cousins and friends.

Phone rings again and this time it’s our daughter Katy to inform us that our granddaughter Kala and her husband Chris and our two great grandsons Hank and Jack are on vacation on the lsland of Maui and had to spend the night sleeping in their car because of the fire and would probably spend another night in their car but all are safe.

Phone rings this morning of 8/11 it’s my brother in law Julian to tell me that yesterday, Zee’s sisters Suzy’s grandson who is a professional Rodeo cowboy had a bucking horse fall on him and is in serious condition with multiple injuries at a hospital in Bosie Idaho. We all pray for his return to good health.

Last night it rained 10 hundredths of an inch which is most unusual for this time of the year. I think it’s a cheerful omen for a brand new tomorrow. 

                     See Ya, 

                        Jack