This weekend I drove up to Coarsegold to the annual Tarantula Festival. I meet my friend Dennis Fairbanks and he drove me out to his cattle lease. He drove me around showing me the effects of the drought which has plagued California the last few years. On the lease are two gorgeous lakes. Unfortunately the drought has turned them into large mud ponds.

The good news is or hopefully will be, the National Weather Service predicting the possibility of a wet winter.  They report that a weather phenomenon or system called Madden-Julian Oscillation seems to be developing in the Indian Ocean. In the past, this system has generated wet storms for California.

In 1971 Roland Madden and Paul Julian (1) stumbled upon a 40-50 day oscillation when analyzing zonal wind anomalies in the tropical Pacific.The Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) is an equatorial traveling pattern of anomalous rainfall that is planetary in scale. The mechanism and cause of the MJO is as yet not well-understood and is a subject of ongoing study. The wet phase of enhanced convection and precipitation is followed by a dry phase where convection is suppressed. Each cycle lasts approximately 30-60 days.

The prediction is that there is a potential of storms developing in November, providing a wetter than average fall. We shall see and HOPE.

Today I took my children to the Historic Cobb Ranch located just North of Fresno off of Highway 41.  When we arrived I did not realize that it cost $5.00 just to enter.  My first thought was to turn around, go to another pumpkin patch, and save that $5.00.  I paid the measley $5.00 and was glad I did.  It was such a cool experience for the children.  The Cobb Ranch really knows how to entertain its guests.  The grounds are unbelievably tidy, there are animals to see, a corm maze to get lost in, a hayride, a train ride and many others attractions.  My children had such a blast.  I was happy to support such a wonderful place.  I know their Christmas Tree Farm is just as exciting and wonderful. 

Horses are herbivores, animals made to live primarily on plants (forages). About 65 percent of the digestive capacity of the horse is in the lower gut, or the cecum and colon. The cecum and colon contain large microbial populations which allow for the digestion of fibrous feeds, much like the digestive tracts of cattle and sheep (ruminants). Evidenced by the size of the lower gut and the presence of bacteria, the horse is designed to digest primarily forages.

For proper digestive tract function, horses require a minimum of 1 percent of their body weight per day in long-stem dry matter. Forages are most healthfully offered as pasture during the growing season. Conditions such as limited acreage, low productive pastures, seasonal rainfall variations, and the need to house horses separately or indoors restricts the ability to utilize pasture and necessitates the feeding of hay as the primary forage. In order for pasture to provide the majority of the nutrients for a horse, at least two acres should be allocated per horse.

I read in the USA today a story by Stefanie Frith, Frith reports for The Desert Sun in Palm Springs, Calif. relating that in the past few months, a Moorpark California cattle rancher has been forced to sell two-thirds of his herd and spends twice as much on feed do to the drought conditions in California. According to the rancher if the drought problem continues into next year, he’ll have to close down his cattle operationsMs Frith related a California’s Department of Water Resources report that California’s Sierra snow pack, an annual source of water for ranchers and farmers, is at its lowest level in two decades and it’s the same story with rainfall.A friend of mine told me the same type of story. He leases 1000 acres in Coarsegold California near the town of Oakhurst, where he runs 50 to 70 head of cattle in a cow calf operation. He told me that do the rising cost of feed, (doubling in the past year) and the rising cost of fuel he will be closing down his operation at the end of this year.

Do you have an ant problem?  During this hot season ants are out looking for water.  Why do they come in your house, isn’t there more water outdoors?  Almost everyone has an ant problem now and then.  Short of calling an exterminator or selling your real estate there is a better answer.About a year ago I read that ants do not like the smell of peppermint.  Therefore an easy way to rid yourself of these pesky pests, sprinkle peppermint leaves near their favorite entrances (window sills, doorways, floorboards etc).  I tried this recently and it really worked.  Best of all, its cheap and nontoxic. A good alternative to commercial pesticides which meets the now popular Green Earth motto.

Have you stopped lately to smell that beautiful rose in your yard?  Have you taken the time to look at the landscape around you?  We often are so rushed in life that we forget to stop and enjoy the beauty around us.  We would be so much happier if we would stop and take a minute to enjoy our surroundings. 

I am talking about the smell of the fresh mountain air, the pine trees, the salty ocean, the first rain, or delicious aromas from the kitchen.  What about listening to the waves crashing on the shore, the wind whistling through the trees, the crackling of thunder and striking of lightening across the dark sky, the sweet singing of birds, the laughing of a young child, the churping of crickets in the night, the pounding of rain on the roof tops, or the running of the creek out back? 

How often do we forget to stop and be thankful for what is around us?  Have you stopped and looked at the beauty of the sunset or sunrise, the vast mountains, the distant mountain ranges, the sea of blue, or the rolling fields? 

My challenge for you today is to stop and take a minute out of your day to take a deep breathe and look around.  What do you have to be thankful for?