“It’s easier to prepare and prevent, than to repair and repent.” - Unknown

Prepare!

Everyone is “talking” about the snow storm that is coming.  It’s suppose to be starting tonight and continuing through Thursday night.  Everyone seems to be in such a panic.  The question is what can we do about it?  Nothing?  Well, nothing about the weather, but if we are prepared then it’s not going to matter if the snow storm comes or not!!  I’m kinda hoping it doesn’t make it to our place, but if it does…I’m going to be prepared.  We’ve got a couple of pens that can be kinda tricky feeding if there’s ice or snow on the ground.  There’s a little bit of a slope in the feed alley and some how I can always manage to get the feed truck stuck!  Jack doesn’t think it’s very funny, so I moved some cattle around just in case we do get that storm.  I’m going to be PREPARED!!!

We shipped some steers this morning and are getting ready for more to arrive tonight.  The weather has been great…other that the wind is REALLY blowing, but what else would the wind do?  That is what the wind does…blow!  Bud brought this to my attention some time ago.  What else would the wind do besides BLOW?  Never really thought about it, but he’s right.  I think I have a habit of saying things like that without really thinking about it first.  I never gave any thought to what I was really saying, but I don’t say that anymore.  This can be true when working with cattle.  A person can get in such of a habit doing things the same way everytime and expecting the same results (good or bad), but it doesn’t work like that!  We have to think about what we are doing & why.  All cattle are not the same, they shouldn’t all be treated exactly the same.  Just because it worked one time doesn’t mean it’s going to work the same way the next time.  If we prepare our cattle for any situation that may come along, then there we have it, we can handle anything, anytime without any stress on us or our cattle.  And what ever it is… it WILL work!      

Have a Great Day!  We still have some room at the Bud Williams Stockmanship School in Independence, Kansas.  It is April 18 & 19 for the 2 day Stockmanship and April 18, 19 & 20 for the 3 day Stockmanship Plus.  If you are interested please contact me & I will get you signed up!

Lori Martin  620-330-0519  jack.lori@barmbarranch.com

The Sands of Forgiveness
by Author Unknown

A story tells that two friends were walking through the desert. During some point of the journey they had an argument, and one friend slapped the other one in the face. The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything, wrote in the sand:

TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE.

They kept on walking until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath. The one who had been slapped got stuck in the mire and started drowning, but the friend saved him. After he recovered from the near drowning, he wrote on a stone:

TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SAVED MY LIFE.

The friend who had slapped and saved his best friend asked him, “After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand and now, you write on a stone, why?” The other friend replied “When someone hurts us we should write it down in sand where winds of forgiveness can erase it away. But, when someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone where no wind can ever erase it.

” LEARN TO WRITE YOUR HURTS IN THE SAND AND TO CARVE YOUR BENEFITS IN STONE.

“The Law of Attraction attracts to you everything you need, according to the nature of your thought. Your environment and financial condition are the perfect reflection of your habitual thinking. Thought rules the world.” -  Dr. Joseph Edward Murphy
 

Check It Out!

Check out our “Stockmanship Schools” page.  Bud & Eunice Williams will be in Independence, Kansas,  April 18-20, 2008 to teach a Stockmanship School.  If you are interested in improving your stockmanship skills and finding out that the cattle business is a great way of life, then this school is something that you will NOT want to miss.  They are offering a 2 day Stockmanship School (April 18 & 19) and a 3 day Stockmanship Plus School (April 18, 19 & 20).  The third day will be for Marketing, Grass Management &….Whatever you would like to discuss.

  Workin’ Cattle With Miss Avery!!

Casey & Avery came over yesterday to help me work some calves.  She is almost 6 weeks old and getting’ an early start in the cattle business.  Casey put Avery in her sling and then went about her business processing cattle.  Avery looked around for awhile like she was saying, “Been there, Done that!” and then went to sleep for the rest of the morning.  I think she was familiar with it all since Casey had been workin’ cattle right up to a couple days before Avery was born. 

When they aren’t workin’ cattle they’re painting.  Joel & Casey bought a house a few months ago that they’ve been fixing up on & then they’re going to resell or rent it out, so Avery has been involved it that too!! 

She’s a Busy Baby (and she’s smart, too!!) 

“Success is creating a state of mind that allows you to obtain anything you really desire.” - Mark Victor Hansen

What a nice day!!!  I’ve been outside enjoying this wonderful weather today.  Not only enjoying the weather, but everything around me.  It is so nice to be able to do what I do EVERYDAY!  I thought it would be a good day to sort some cattle so that’s what I did.  We had some steers and heifers that have been here for a week or so that range in weight anywhere from 350# to 600#.    I haven’t practiced doing any sorting with them yet, so that’s what we practiced today.  I just sorted the steers from the heifers.  There was about 200 head.  I did this by myself.  It’s not a big deal…but most people think this can’t be done with just one person, no hotshots, no slamming gates and no yelling.  The only reason I can do this without getting the cattle upset or getting myself upset is because I work with the cattle.  They think this is fun, too.  They know how to WALK by me because I have taught them this from the very first day they arrived out our place.  It’s so much fun to be able to do this…and when I got done and took the cattle back to their pens they were buckin’ and playin’ the whole way.  Now that’s a GREAT feeling!!!  

Attitude
Author unknown

There once was a woman who woke up one morning,
looked in the mirror, and noticed she had only three hairs on her head.
Well,” she said, “I think I’ll braid my hair today?”
So she did and she had a wonderful day. The next day she woke up,
looked in the mirror and saw that she had only two hairs on her head.
“H-M-M,” she said,
“I think I’ll part my hair down the middle today?”
So she did and she had a grand day.The next day she woke up,
looked in the mirror and noticed that she had only one hair on her head.
“Well,” she said,
“today I’m going to wear my hair in a pony tail.”
So she did and she had a fun, fun day.

The next day she woke up,
looked in the mirror and noticed that there wasn’t a single hair on her head.
“YEA!” she exclaimed,
“I don’t have to fix my hair today!”

Attitude is everything.

Be kinder than necessary,
for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

Live simply, Love generously,Care deeply,Speak kindly…….

Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about learning to dance in the rain.

Good Memories: The Gift That Keeps on Giving

In a world preoccupied with the quest for material possessions, it’s easy to overlook the fact that the most valuable things we own are our best memories. Good memories are the gift that keeps on giving. They make us smile, feel proud, and re-experience the pleasure of past times.Looked at through the soft lens of sentiment, even the memory of cranky relatives and family traditions that bored or annoyed us at the time can be heartwarming links with our past.But whether your memories of the holiday season conjure up good feelings and happy sounds, smells, and tastes or negative feelings filled with disappointments, resentments, and grudges, I hope you’ll resolve this year to consciously create lasting good memories for yourself and those you care about.

 Change Begins with Choice

Any day we wish; we can discipline ourselves to change it all. Any day we wish; we can open the book that will open our mind to new knowledge. Any day we wish; we can start a new activity. Any day we wish; we can start the process of life change. We can do it immediately, or next week, or next month, or next year.We can also do nothing. We can pretend rather than perform. And if the idea of having to change ourselves makes us uncomfortable, we can remain as we are. We can choose rest over labor, entertainment over education, delusion over truth, and doubt over confidence. The choices are ours to make. But while we curse the effect, we continue to nourish the cause. As Shakespeare uniquely observed, “The fault is not in the stars, but in ourselves.” We created our circumstances by our past choices. We have both the ability and the responsibility to make better choices beginning today. Those who are in search of the good life do not need more answers or more time to think things over to reach better conclusions. They need the truth. They need the whole truth. And they need nothing but the truth.We cannot allow our errors in judgment, repeated every day, to lead us down the wrong path. We must keep coming back to those basics that make the biggest difference in how our life works out. And then we must make the very choices that will bring life, happiness and joy into our daily lives.

And if I may be so bold to offer my last piece of advice for someone seeking and needing to make changes in their life - If you don’t like how things are, change it! You’re not a tree. You have the ability to totally transform every area in your life - and it all begins with your very own power of choice.

~Wishing Everyone A Great Year!!!!

Ringin’ In The New Year With

Miss Avery!!!