More Winter

Thrusday night Holly woke me up. The storm was scaring her. It was storming and lightning flashed across the sky and lite the house up frequently. The thunder boomed and the lightning flashed. Holly never did like a storm. She reminds me of the first dog Bill and I had. She was a German Shepherd named Princess. As soon as a storm started she was under the bed. Holly doesn't go that far but she does get very tense during a storm.

The other dogs were outside and when I called them they did not come back in. I don't know where they spent the night but it was a terrible night and not fit for man nor beast as they say. The wind gusted up to 50 and 60 miles an hour. The rain was pouring down in sheets. The wind was blowing it like a small whorl wind. I have never seen rain come down so hard or in such patterns.

So failing to get the dogs to come in, I went back to bed. Holly was inconsolable during the storm. She was in constant need of my attention. Finally I fell asleep once again and when I awakened again the storm was over. I was thankful I still had electricity. I looked out the windows and the cows were in and were ok.

The dogs were ready to come in now and to be fed. They had come out from their hiding place.

I checked the horse lots and the gates were all open. The stong wind had broken the chains on the gates. Thankfully, only three of the horses were out. The others didn't know their gate was open. So before coffee and before my teeth were brushed, I was out getting horses back in their field. It wasn't hard. They are suckers for a feed bucket.

Today, the rain started and then the sleet and just before dark snow had covered the ground. I heard someone say today that they weren't going to participate in winter anymore this year. I would like to opt out but it just doesn't seem like it is an option right now.

I hope all is well with all of you and you had no further damage from the wind and rain.

You must know I don't have a very exciting life. All I seem to write about is the weather and how often the horses get out of their fields.

God bless. Have a good Sunday

Another Day on the Farm

I am not complaining. It rained today and is muddy. The horses are muddy from where they like to roll. My beautiful horse Mt Girl is a real mess. She is muddy from head to tail and all the areas in between but I think she loves being out in the pasture. Yesterday I was out in the field and she walked up to me and she was all about letting me rub her and scratch her itchy spots. She followed me when I moved. She is no longer indifferent to me as she has been in the past.

It is really nice to actually feel like she knows me and likes to have me around her. At one time when she was with Chris all the time, I believed she was more his horse than my horse and I was a little jealous that she loved him best. That sounds funny doesn't it.

I remember the time I rode her in a show in the horse park. Chris was sitting in the stands and when we did the line up, she saw him and I thought she would have like to climb up to where he was sitting. She would not stay back from the concrete wall. That was as close as she could get to him and that is where she wanted to be. The next class, I lined up in a place where Chris wasn't in front of her.

Horses are funny animals and they have their favorites just like humans do. I am glad I am becoming one of her favorites. And I am glad she loved Chris so much. He taught her a lot about obedience and what riding was all about. She is a better horse because of his great training skills.

Thank you Chris.

A New Day

Today started as cold but the wind had died down so it was not so bad to bundle up and go out to the barn. I started filling water troughs and got feed in a bucket for my gelding that gets extra every day. As I walked toward his stall from the outside, I noticed one of my pregnant Rocky Mountain mares laying beside the big round hay bale we had fed yesterday.

On second look, I realized she had tried to roll and got too close to the hay bale and now she couldn't get up. Her feet were up against the hay bale. I was a little paniced. I did not want to lose this valuable mare. Her head was laying down hill and she looked very unconfortable and distressed. Since it was morning and I had not been to the barn, I had no idea how long she had been in that position.

I knew that when we had cattle, if we found a cow or steer that was laying with feet uphill, it was critical to get them turned back down hill soon or risk losing that animal. So I wondered if horses could get into a position that would endanger their lives as well. So needless to say I was concerned. I really don't know how to drive one of the tractors. My son always drives it and says it is a little tricky so I stick to the IH. Today the bush hog is hooked to it waiting for a nice day for me to do some bush hogging.

I thought of the four wheeler but this was a new bale of hay just put out yesterday and I thought it probably wouldn't budge it. Then I thought of my relatively new 4 wheel drive pickup truck. So I decided to risk a few scratches on it to get that mare up.

So I pushed the bale of hay with the truck and got it far enough away from her that she could get on her feet. Then I smacked her just hard enough with the dressage whip to make her want to move and up she came. I breathed a huge sigh of relief when she got to her feet and walked away like it was just another day with a new adventure.

Later as I was filling up their water trough, she walked up to the fence and let me scratch her neck and make over her. Then she walked away. This has not been a mare that was overly friendly to me in the past. Yes I can catch her when I need to but today was different in her attitude. I felt she was thankful to me for helping her out of a tight spot and I was thankful I could.

Today I have another reason to thank God for his goodness and mercy to me and my farm.

More Snow-More Winter

As I write this the dogs are snoring and the furnace is running. All is well and right in the house.

We had another good snow last night. I saw the horses around dusk last night and the wind was blowing hard and they were running for cover. They have a wooded areas in their fields they go to when the weather gets too awful. They were high tailing it there fast last night.

Day light showed me the snow had accumulated pretty good last night. The horses were out shortly thereafter and were glad to see the big bales of hay coming their way. The wind has died down some and they have hit the hay pretty hard.

This is winter in Kentucky. One never knows what to expect as far as the weather goes. I remember one year I washed my windows inside and out on my birthday, February 5. The day was beautiful. It was like an early spring day. This year I was so happy to get my power back on my birthday. It was a great birthday present.

Such is life. I have seen 67 winters now and the weather runs in cycles. I remember back in the 70s the cover of one of the news magazines told us it was a coming ice age. We were all going to end up as blocks of ice according to them. Now it is global warming and we are all going to burn up. So now to cover their bases, they are talking about climate change. Well hello. The climate does change. I have seen it cycle for 67 winters now. Some years there is lots of snow and ponds are frozen so we can ice skate them. I remember one year the Ohio River froze over around Louisville Ky. Some not so smart people took crazy chances and walked across the river on the ice.

So that is my prespective on the weather. We talk a lot about it but no one can do anything about.

Hope you are all staying warm and taking care of yourselves so you don't end up as an ice cube this winter.

God bless you and keep you in his care.

Correction

The web site for Southeast Christian is www.southeastchristian.org

My Life Isn't Just All Farm

While most of my waking hours are spent here on the farm, I do get out and about and have other interests. One of them, of course, is my church. I am a member and attend Southeast Christian Church in Louisville Ky. Every year months before Easter, the Church starts the process of getting ready to present an Easter Passion. I volunteered this year.

I am helping with the animals used in the production. There will be lambs, goats, donkeys, a horse and a camel. I am sorry to say that my none of my horses will get to be involved. The animals are provided by someone else who specializes in providing animals for productions.

I went to the first meeting for our group tonight. When I got my assignment, I learned I would be taking care of the lambs. I am somewhat familiar with lambs as we did have sheep at one time when I was growing up on the farm. But I have never really been around the lambs that much. Tonight I was told I would learn how to handle the babies and in turn instuct the cast members how to handle the babies. I will be watching for signs of health problems such as off feed, cough or loose bowels. I can do that. It is the same I do with my horses and cattle.

So I am excited. The Passion will start in early March and run through the last of March. It is well worth the time to go and live the story of the Passion of Jesus Christ our Lord. To get information on the dates and tickets that are available, go to http://www.southeastchristianchurch.org/ You will then find a link to events and find the available tickets. I hope you will join us in worship as we prepare our hearts and minds to celebrate the most meaningful season on the Christian calendar.

God bless and keep you in his care.

New Life

"This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it."

I think the worst of winter is over. At least it is looking better now than it had. Today was another exciting day on the farm.

Today the first calf was born from my beef cows I bought last fall. Late this afternoon my daughter, Mary Beth , and her daughter came to the farm to spend the night in their camper. She walked up to the barn where I had gone to do my chores and announced that one of our cows was about to present us with a new calf.

She, Andrea and I walked to where the cow was and sure enough there was a new calf, not minutes old. From the way we carried on you would have thought this was the first calf ever born on our farm. And in truth it has been many years since we have had any baby animal born on the farm. (Other than the wild ones). He was a nice healthy Angus bull calf.

He was soon trying to stand on his own. He would get up and fall down again. Every time he got up we could tell he was getting stronger. After about a half hour we went on our way to tend to other things. Later when I rode the four wheeler to check on him again, I found he had gone under the rope fencing and down a small hill. I tried to pick him up to get him back under the fence to his mother but he was too heavy.

My dogs Erica and Lilly were all about checking on this new creature. Mom didn't like that at all. But when I got the calf to his feet he took a liking to Erica. He started following her and I kept encouraging Erica to follow me and the calf followed Erica and soon we were up the hill a little where I could put him back under the fence to return him to his mother.

Next I bawled like a new born calf and soon the cow spotted us and came running to her calf to make sure he was alright. When I left the two of them again, he was trying to figure out where the dinner end of the cow was. She was licking him and pushing him in the right direction. Later when I went back to check on them the calf was taking a much needed rest so I was assured that his tummy was full of nice warm milk. The cow was standing gaurd by him and the bull was taking care of both of them.

Today starts a new era for our farm. New life is starting to spring up all around us. Soon we will have another new calf and then there will be the foals born on the farm this year. It won't be long before the fields will start to turn green with the new growth of grass. The daffodils that my grandmother planted will be blooming around the old homestead where my father was born. We will start to see the new crop of wild turkeys and fawns during our trips over the farm.

The yearlings have grown over the winter but as the grass comes on they will start to really shift into high gear as they continue their trip into adulthood. And it is hard to believe from my little corner of heaven that all is not well with the world and our country. I have to turn the radio on to be reminded that things are not as they should be in this country.

It makes me ever more grateful that God has allowed me the privilege of living on this farm again and in the house my father built. And I think of the carpenter, Mr Brookshire that helped with all the building projects on the farm and what a well contructed house he and my dad built. It was home to our children until they were on their own. It has been a place of joy and comfort. Of sorry and grief as we lost those we loved. But through it all it has been home and a place that shields us from harm and at times from the world around us. A place of solace and comfort. A place where we have had our happiest moments and now a place to continue to build memories that will last a lifetime.

And although Bill is gone now and I live here alone, I can still hear his voice at times and see him in the rooms and remember the times we spent here together. And in our memories and our hearts, he lives on. And our lives go on until the day God calls us home and we will be reunited with those who have gone on before. The loved ones that have been so much a part of our lives and who have left an empty spot at the table and in our hearts.

Later everyone. God bless you and keep you in his care.

The Vet Visits

Today was the day. At about 11:45 the vet pulled up into the farm yard and the next several hours were spent catching the horses, drawing blood, doing some dental work and giving shots where needed. It is always a busy day when the vet comes, not to mention expensive so we make the most of every visit.

I have a wonderful vet with a great "bedside" manner. He has the heart of a teacher and he talks to us as we go through the horses. He doesn't just talk, he is instructive. Today, one of the boarders helped with the work and Dr Thompson taught Steve as he worked. He explained what he was doing and why. Our horses for the most part are very easy to catch so in that respect the work went really well. One exception was one of the yearling fillies and she just did not want to be caught today. But she was finally caught and the work was done.

If you have never seen an equine dentist work on a horse's teeth, I can tell you it is a real experience. Have you ever been given something for free that costs you a lot. That is what my "free" gelding, Aladin, is doing to my wallet. He is 20 years old and not 14 as I was told. They say "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth" but perhaps one should. He is a horse that is a hard keeper. Tonight he is in his own stall and starting to get a special diet of hay and grain (topped with corn oil). This will start to put weight back on him. He had his teeth worked on and wormed plus coggins pulled. The vet says the teeth work should help him chew better and therefore start to utilize the feed he eats to the fullest.

Aladin is my charity horse. He was given to me because he had no other place left to go. My maternal insticts kicked in and I felt sorry for him and wanted to make him fat and healthy looking again. My granddaughter fell in love with him and rode him while she was here. With TLC he looked great at the end of the summer and into the fall but with winter and his teeth needing to be floated, he has gone back to looking like the ghost of a horse he did last spring when he came to the farm. He is part Arabian and part whatever. He is easy to catch and he doesn't mind being ridden. But he is not an easy keeper.

He makes me appreciate my Rocky Mountain Horses that looks great even after a hard winter.

Later everyone. Thanks for reading. Have a good night's rest and tune in again tomorrow.

Here We Go Again

As you read on my previous blog, Thursday evening was spent getting my weanlings into a safe place for the night after their big escape. Friday morning was spent repairing their fence to keep them in and safe.

Last evening around 7 PM I went to the barn to do something I had forgotten to do. I was greeted by three adult horses that were out of their field and really enjoying a feast of green grass. Occasionally one gets out. But this time there were three. I walked around to the fence and there was a long section of fence down on the ground. I could hardly believe there were only three out but I knew now I would have to lead them down to another field to keep them overnight.

So the next 2 1/2 hours was spent coaching the horses to me to get them to get a rope on them to lead the twelve of them to another field. So finally around 9:30 they were all in a safe field. Today my son and a friend fixed the fence and made sure it was tightened up all around both fields. Tomorrow must be the day for the cows to get out. I hope I am not serious!

When you live on a farm, you have to have something to do. If you have horses and or cows you are sure to never get bored and you will always have something to do.

Hope you have a good week.

God bless you and keep you in his care.

A Wonderful Day

My daughter-in-law Natalie was here by 7:30 and after a quick cup of coffee, we went to the barn to fix the fence the yearlings had escaped through yesterday and then proceeded to move the 4 yearlings from overnight stay in a cheap motel (the corn crib) with no room service back to there roomer home. They had mixed feelings about the return home because in this case the grass is greener over the fence. But on the other hand there was that delicious breakfast waiting for them in their feed trough.

We hurriedly finished the feeding and she was on the way home to get some needed rest as she had just finished a 12 hours shift at her regular job. I was soon behind the wheel heading toward my sister's house for the drive to Stanton Ky and the Van Bert Farm. I have two beautiful fillies in training there and they are doing exceptionally well. One is solid black and the other is a chocolate with white mane and tail. Under the expert tutledge of Jamie Derickson and S T Tipton both are showing so much improvement since I saw them the last time. They both have great promise for the coming season and I am looking forward to seeing them perform in the show arena. They both have a tremendous amount of talent and have progressed nicely under the careful training of those two fine men.

As a bonus H T Derickson was in the barn at that time and gave Eleanor and I our own private clinic as he worked with a young stallion by the name of Diamond Venture. He is an extremely talented young stallion and you will be seeing a lot of him in the UMH shows this summer. In the saddle was an extremely talented trainer. H T gave us a running commentary of what he was doing with his horse and why he was doing it and why the horse was responding the way he was. Some people pay a lot of money to see a demonstration of this calibar and we had the best seats in the barn watching and listening to H T as he went through his daily training schedule.

Two different times people walked out of a doorway and the stallion was startled. Larry Patterson took a hand at that point and starting walking out of doorways in front of the horse. At first the stallion jumped to the side as he had previously but soon he was hardly noticing Larry walking out of the doorway in front of him. Diamond Venture will have many more lessons of that sort in the days to come. We were given a history of how this stallion had started out and his short comings that H T was working on. From his discription we could see Diamond Venture had come a long way. I am personally looking forward to seeing this beautiful young stallion in the arena this year. I know I will cheering for him as he starts his career under the guidance of one of the truely greats in the Mountain Horse industry. H T and his wife Wilda have made huge contributions to the building of the breed. It is an honor to know them.

After a wonderful visit to the Van Bert Farm and enjoying the hospitality there we drove to the nearby stable operated by Chris and Stacie Tipton. The son and daughter-in-law of Larry and Vera Patterson. Chris grew up with parents, grandparents and brothers who all are totally devoted to Mountain Horses and bringing their wonderful attributes and beauty to the attention of the world. Chris and Stacie have my coming two year old filly in training at their facility, Cool Shade Mt Horses.

Once again I was amazed and grateful for how beautifully Velvet is doing under their training and care. Velvet is a Choco Dock daughter and is a blood bay color. Her coat looks like her name, Velvet. Velvet spend her year as a yearling in the pasture on my farm. She had some grain but not a large aount. When I sent her to Chris and Stacie, they really didn't know what to expect. I do think they expected I had made a back yard pet out of her and she would be so spoiled and hard to catch and they would have some hard work to break bad habits I had instilled in her. Not only is she eager to come to them, as she had been with me, she has no bad habits.

I had been watching and using the methods I had learned at the Van Bert Farms to teach my filly. By the time they got her she had worn a blanket several times. I had desentized her to having a rope wrap around her feet and thrown over her back. I had a couple of teen age girls who had worked with her. I walked over to the round pen one day and one of them was laying on her back. Velvet took it like it was just the normal course of things. She had also worn a saddle several times, no one was in it. We flapped the stirrups on her sides. She took everything in stride. We had taught her to back and to step away from pressure.

Chris got on Velvet and gave me a demonstration of how far she had come since I last saw her. He like his grandfather H T gave us a clinic on her training. As he rode he talked about the areas he was working with her on. It was hard for her to settle down today. The weather is cool and just the kind of weather that makes horses frisky. She was definitely feeling frisky. But he had her in hand and had her working at his pace soon enough. As a final demonstration, he rode her up the road and down a hill and then ask her to climb back up the steep part of the hill.

She did it all and the lesson ended on a high note. Just the way all lessons should end. Chris in full control and Velvet having accomplished a pretty difficult task.

Soon it was time to end our visit in Stanton. Eleanor and I really enjoyed our day there. It is always hard to leave. We love the horses and their beauty and good nature. Their gentle kind disposition is always a joy to be around and observe. The Pattersons, Dericksons and Tiptons are so much like family to us and we truly enjoy all the time we get to spend around them. It was a great way to take a day off from the frustrations of this winter.

No Boring Days on the Farm

Are you bored? Do you find yourself wondering what to do to fill your time? I doubt anyone who has a farm has that problem. Since I have returned to the farm, I have had no television. I don't miss it. I don't need it to entertain me.

Working on the farm with animals is enough exercise and entertainment for me. I also don't go to the gym to "work out". Today my workout was feeding the animals which included carrying a bale of hay accross the barn lot to the feeder heifer. Can we picture steaks on the grill?

I had to run into town, wash my son's truck that I got all muddy when I got it stuck, go to the bank and run into the post office.

I was on my way home and had crossed the cattle guard onto my property when I saw a beautiful sight. It was four of the most beautiful mountain horses gaiting across the river bottom. I stopped to enjoy the fluid movement of these beautiful animals but at the same time wondering where they had come from. They were running from the west and the setting sun was blinding me enough I could not tell who they were.

I did know that I am the only one around my area with mountain horses and I could definitely tell they were mountain horses from their fluid movement and what little color I could see. As they got closer to my truck I could see it was my four yearlings. My first thought was that I had left a gate open. But I really didn't think I was that careless. They ran in front of the truck and gaited all the way back to the barn and the enclosure where they had been.

At this point one would hope that they would just go back into the field they came out of but I guess we all know better than that. I soon saw they had knocked down a panel and had made their escape from there. They walked into the hay field and I went to get the feed bucket. Always a good plan. But before I could tempt them with feed they turned and started running back down the road to where they had just come from.

I took the feed back down to where they were eating grass but they had just recently made their escape and was not about to let me catch them to put them back in prision. So we played cat and mouse for about a half hour and I finally got them into another enclosure where they would have a fence surrounding them and would not be completely gone in the morning.

Tomorrow morning will be spent putting the fence back and leading them one by one back to their field. In the meantime they are safely put away for the night and today I had a good dose of exercise. As well as my strength training.

Never a boring day on the farm when you have some animals.

Dejavue (all over again)

Tonight as I was just reading H T 's blog and preparing to write my own, the lights went out. We are having a wind storm in our part of the country. The lights soon came back on so it was a short outage. As I write the wind is howling and the dogs are snoring. But the temperture is not that bad so the furnace isn't running.

I really want to talk about choosing a first horse. Yes, I read all the books before I went horse shopping and largely ignored all of them when I fell in love with Mt Girl. Mt Girl is a beautiful black mare with white socks on three feet and a splash of white on her face She is absolutely beautiful. Her mane and tail are not just long they are exceptionally long. But I over estimated my ability to ride and perhaps I chose the wrong horse for me. But I am so glad I have her. She has taught me a lot about horses. I am a hard headed dense person sometimes. OK often. I may not have learned any other way than the hard way.

Rocky Mountain Horses have a kind and sweet disposition. Mt Girl is no exception. In my over confidence, I forgot all about making sure the horse trusts me. I unfornately forgot I needed to gain her confidence and teach her that I am the herd leader in our herd of two. I could tell by how she reacted to Chris Tipton that she loved him and she would do anything for him. After my infamous fall while riding Mt Girl (I broke a barn door that I fell against) and I told Chris about my unfortunate experience, it was decided I should take her back to him for more training since she would be showing in 08 anyway.

He walked her off of my trailer, tacked her up and got on her not knowing what to expect. Not only had she thrown me, she had also thrown a seasoned rider. But when Chris got on her, she was calm, he rode her awhile and then turned her out for a good run. That is when he jokingly accused me of making up stories about this sweet animal. And watching her with Chris aboard, I almost wondered if I had just had a bad nightmare and dreamed the whole thing.

She was like a child that had been home sick and had finally gotten to come home from a miserable camping experience. It was a terrible experience for her and through Chris's kindness and patience plus her confidence in him she soon recovered.

I was not so lucky. For months, when I thought of riding, I got a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. I did not ride her for several months after that. But I finally recovered and got back on her in Tennessee to ride in a horse show there. Off I came again. It is often said that when a rider takes "an unscheduled dismount" from a horse they blame the horse and not themselves. It was not the fault of this kind and gentle animal that I am a terrible rider. That experience didn't upset me as the previous one had and I was ready to ride again.

Since then I have purchased a horse that is better suited to my skill (or lack thereof) as a rider. Chocolate Amigo is a gelding and does not have those periods of uncertainity that Mt Girl had as a two year old. She would get a little spooked and I did not know know how to reassure her and keep her calm. I am learning more about riding from Chocolate Amigo but I can't wait to get back on Mt Girl and when I am ready I will know it.

I have never been on a horse that had such a smooth gait. Riding her is like sitting in a rocking chair. I have just been along for the ride and it has been the greatest ride of any I ever had in my life. That has been my problem in part. I was just the rider letting her go where she wanted to go and do what she wanted to do.

I am working on form and most of all balance and just knowing how to anticipate what the horse is thinking and going to do. With Amigo that is pretty predictable. He is a great horse and I am learning to keep balanced through different exercises such as figure 8s and riding around cones and barrels. He is a wonderful beginners horse. He is sweet and affectionate and always comes up to me when I am anywhere around the field. He just can't seem to get enough scratching and petting.

I suppose this is the long way of saying that H T in his considerable wisdom is giving such good advice to all riders. Feel your horse out on the ground. Watch for tell tale signs that your horse needs some time to work off excess energy and any other issues. Learn to think like your horse and read the signals they give that they need reassurance and more ground work. When you or I learn to be the herd leader our time with our horses will be so much more enjoyable and rewarding.

Later, God bless and keep you in His care.

I'm looking for Spring

I am getting work here caught up after so many grueling days of below freezing temperatures and hours of trying to keep the livestock fed and watered.

Shortly after my last post the ice storm hit. I was on my computer in the sun room and could hear the rain hitting the windows. We were having one heck of a rain. As usual, the dogs were snoring and the furnace was running.

The next day the lights went out. Power lines had fallen all over Kentucky. Over 700,000 people were without power and I was one of them. I thought of the complaints I had made about my furnace running up my electric bill and longed for the days that it had run. Now I was sitting in the dark with no lights and no water. On the nights I spent here my ears strained for sounds of the furnace kicking on.

My livestock depend on my water source so I had the dual problem of no water for the house and no water for the livestock either. So I loaded the water tank on the truck (with the help of my son, Mike) and we went to Taylorsville to buy a load of water. This worked ok until the tank froze up. So Mike went out in the cold and hooked up a heat lamp and thawed the faucet on the tank and drained the water. By that time I was staying at his house and power had been restored there in just two days. So back to the water company and another $1.50 and the tank was full of water again.

Finally the weather broke and the lights came back on after 9 days and the furnace is running, the water is running and the dogs are snoring.

It has been a difficult time but my family has helped me get through the rough times this winter. I lived with Mike and Natalie and slept there for about a week. My daughter-in-law Natalie was ready to help me with the livestock everyday she wasn't working. My daughter Mary Beth and her husband helped me with feeding and letting the dogs out to run so I wouldn't have to go to the farm so early in the morning.

God has blessed me with a great family and a wonderful place to live despite the difficulties. The horses and cattle have made it through this cold weather. I thank God everyday when I look out the window and see all the horses up and eating at the stacks of hay. Soon the land will come alive with green grass growing and leaves popping out of the branches. We will look out over the fields and there will be new life everywhere. We will see the new crop of foals and baby calves. Despite the economic difficulties that affect us all we will have a sense that God is on his throne and all is right with the world. The winter has passed and spring has come and life everywhere has been renewed.