The world will not perish for the
want of wonders, but for
the want of wonder.
~J.B.S. Haldane~

I always knew there was a reason why I balked at home improvement projects, and why I didn’t follow my intuition and continue to live with my dingy white walls and just never gaze at the number of wood shakes popping up each month on the shop, apartment and barn, because if I had I would be a whole lot calmer at this moment. Why I ever thought it would be a good idea to get painting and roofs done all at once just weeks before we stage our first cattle production sale, is a mystery even to myself.

I’ve always heard the horror stories about contractors and for any of you contractors in the reading audience I’m sure these tales don’t apply to you. Although I’m pretty certain that there is a special chapter in the “How To Be a Contractor” book that has a list of pages of excuses for anything. Here we are less then two weeks to sale day and we still have no roof on just the roof off, our painters have managed to finish the inside of the hacienda, but not without causing an amazing amount of chaos, and we won’t get into all the do-overs along the way.

Besides the pandemonium taking place in my living space the month has provided a couple of remarkable moments as well. Mercedes and I packed some big suitcases full of photos and hopped a flight to Sun Valley, Idaho to meet up with David Stoecklein, so that he could judge this year’s photo contest. We were fortunate to be able to spend the day with David at his picturesque ranch with amazing vistas in every direction. With the judging completed we made it home as one of the biggest storms to hit California for years was just ending its rampage. Trees were down, electricity was out, fences toppled and my living spaces were wrapped in plastic, and the smell of paint permeated everything, the only positive were the drop cloths on every floor soaking up the mud from the dog’s paws.

So you can see the good moments have yet to out weigh the slew of tribulations tossed our direction although I would have to say that some lessons have been gained along the way and I’ve learned that no matter how much energy I throw at a problem there are just some things I’m incapable of fixing, and that deep breaths really do work in tough situations. I’m sure this bumpy trail will eventually turn into a smooth path and just maybe I’ll find some humor in it along the way.
I know that you’re going to enjoy the winning photos from this year’s contest; once again it’s been a pleasure to get a glimpse of how you live and work, the photos held some incredible stories. Although you won’t get tired of the photos we’ve included an excellent article on the horse slaughter issues that has polarized the horse industry that I think you’ll gain a lot from. Just to get a smile from you on the chilly November evenings we’ve added a tough of humor along the way with Hooter and the Bull Board.

I want to wish each and everyone of you a very Happy Thanksgiving and I know come the end of November I too will be counting my blessings from the trail……Happy Trails.