Green grass, garden produce plentiful in western Nebraska this summer

The summer days are flying by. As some endings are drawing near, new beginnings are on the horizon. In the meantime, the kids and their projects are trying their best to keep us healthy.

Waycee has been making sure we are all eating our vegetables – in abundance. His container garden was quite the success. I am in awe because I cannot even manage to keep a single house plant alive. To be honest, my fake plants even look rough. I blame the Nerf guns for that, though!

Our little gardener excitedly brings his fruit of labor to the house and with just as much enthusiasm discusses who he wants to share them with. The sharing is my favorite part for two reasons. First and foremost, I love that he has such a huge and giving heart, and second my food preservation skills hover close to nonexistent.

The show animals are making sure we get our steps in before the real work of the day begins. The goats get to go for a run every other day now, and I am happy to skip those trips down the road. As I watch the craziness and listen to the laughter, I wonder which ones are having the most fun.

The newly weaned calves do not seem to have many objections to the change of lifestyle. One is not exactly thrilled about it, but the stubbornness of humans runs deep here. Charlee is much more forgiving toward four legged creatures and will fight until the bitter end to make him show-ring ready.

The cattle that must “rough it” away from the barns, fans and spa days are doing exceptional this year. They are fat, shiny and happy.

I had almost forgotten how enjoyable it is to go to the pastures when the grass is green and plentiful. We will still gladly take every drop of rain we can get, but having to drive slower because you can not see the cattle trails is a good problem to have. Not worrying about how many days of summer grazing you have left is a pretty great feeling too!

The many foggy mornings give me the feeling that this winter may be much earlier and different than the last. When it is 100 plus degrees out it is hard to even think about snow, but there is a chance that it could not be far away. I will have to remind myself, and probably others, of that a time or two as we head into August.

I have a feeling the area farmers, especially those with dryland, are also appreciative of the weather Mother Nature has given us thus far. I have not heard of many “white combine” storms nearby, and I think the crops look outstanding.

Most of the wheat has been cut, and potato harvest is getting closer. The corn is tall, bright and many fields are boasting tassels. The alfalfa appears to be producing a higher number of bales, and before long cane will be swathed, dried and wrapped up.

Just a few counties away is not as fortunate, and as always it is saddening to see so much time, labor and money wiped out so quickly. I have no doubts those affected have already begun implementing Plan B and planning for next year.

Sometimes no matter how hard we work and prepare, things that are beyond our control unfortunately happen. Dreams are crushed, hopes are dashed, and sometimes the will to try again starts to waiver. It can be tough, but when you refuse to give up, who knows what great things your future will hold.

As fair time approaches and anxiety about projects creeps up, I make it a point to tell the kids to just try their hardest. This applies to so many other aspects of life, too. It may not happen today, tomorrow, this year or even this decade, but you will be rewarded for your efforts.