rain Archives - A Cowdogs Advice

I consider myself a blessed cowdog, to have moved from the hot desert just ahead of the summer inferno, to the northern Rockies foothills ranch I now call home. I love learning, exploring, gaining more freedom and knowledge about this place.

The snow run-off was gone and the creek went down. I could explore everything and find a new world!

Then the rains came.

It wasn’t a big blizzard followed by days of rain, as I hear happened a few years ago and was terribly destructive. This time, it just started raining. Rained all day, all night, all day again…

By then, the friendly creek was raging over its banks, commandeering ground that didn’t belong under water. It spread out through the pasture, overtook the fire-pit and picnic spot, carried a few of the boys’ toys into the willows, and ran over the road in a few spots.

I stayed inside mostly, and wasn’t allowed to roam; mom wasn’t sure if I, being a dryland dog, knew about floodwaters, and didn’t want me to wash away! I watched it from up high, but I couldn’t even see my creek! And the roar was deafening.

It only lasted a couple of days, but the flood took over everything, including thoughts and plans. It started going down and at least I could get near; running through the shallow water that over-ran the low meadows was a lot of fun. Then it rained again!

I don”t know how much rain there was, as the rain gauge had a leak. But today, the muddy torrent is back, we just had a big thunderstorm, and there is more rain in the forecast. I just want to go sniff around, but everything smells different! I’ve come to love my creek in the few weeks I’ve been here, and I want to make sure it is still there under the cold dirty water.

I wait and watch. I keep an eye on the boys and don’t let them play too close to the wild water. Every day, it goes down a bit, rising again with the next storm, gradually to return to its assigned path.

Perhaps this is an exercise in faith, and I need to persevere, knowing a bigger hand still is in control. The pleasant meandering ribbon is still there, under all the raging, muddy, violent flood, and in time, it will be restored.

Maybe my little creek is a picture of the world right now, and the God of the universe is still in control, under all the muck and mess of this world, as surely as my gentle gravelly creek still cuts its path under the angry flow.

Too much or too little, I don’t let the extremes wash this gritty cowdog off course.

I stay steady and will find the path again. And when I do, the discoveries will be truly amazing!

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Well, folks, we have rain.

It rained all night, and we have more rain forecast, the typical late afternoon mountain summer storms. It cooled off a bit this time around, too. I sure don’t like the thunder and lightening, but the rain is a blessing – most of the hay is up for now and much of the grain is harvested. Lightening started a few fires, and heavy downpours put out a few. There was a big fire to the west, burning from the shores of a big lake right up to the shore of a small lake where mom used to live. And now with school starting, it is time for Miss Manners again.

With heat and drought, or too much rain and flash floods, or storms, swarms of locusts and every other trial and tribulation, sometimes it is easy to twist off and give up. Easy to lower the bar and care a little less. Those are, however, the times when we should hold tighter to our code and carry on with strength and endurance instead.

One of the foundations to living life with a standard, a code, is manners. Of course, saying “please” and “thank you” won’t necessarily fix things when the going gets tough, but being decent sure helps when everyone gets irritable, testy, fearful when the world falls apart.

I see a decided lack of manners these days. When did it become OK to just be rude and mean? When I was a pup, I would’ve gotten a growl and a nip, at least, for acting poorly, and I think a lot of people could use a little “redirection” now. Remember “if you can’t say something nice , then say nothing at all!” – a good rule to follow for everyone. No one needs to be the target of a nasty, self-centered attitude.

We dogs are able to greet each other with a smile and proper ‘good morning”, wag a tail, not interrupt, compliment, show some civility – shouldn’t people do the same? I learned to “Sit and stay” at a young age, and it seems like young humans should, too.

School is starting, and there will be many kids that haven’t even learned “Sit and stay.” Then teachers have to try to teach them basic manners before they are ready to learn. Maybe parents don’t know how, so get a manual like this: https://amzn.to/3fCqrcQ

Can we return to a place where adults have these skills? Everyone needs”please and thank you”, eye contact and a smile. “Excuse me or pardon me” are good phrases to know as well. Be engaged with a person, look ’em in the eye, put the phone away!

Listen. And watch your language. Words matter, quit being rude and stop cussing. Develop a better vocabulary, and notice that those around you , especially the young, may be influenced by you and what you say. Make it positive, make it count for good. Start sending greeting cards, and sincerely write [in cursive!] words of encouragement.

Always send a thank you note, right away! https://amzn.to/3PPj410

Brush your teeth, comb your hair, look your best and wear clothes – PJ’s and slippers are NOT suitable attire in public! What happened to dressing in a nice and modest manner? Nobody wants to see your underwear or bad tattoo!

Of course, a tattoo like this is considered in excellent taste anywhere!

Along with a Code to hang on the wall and follow, maybe a good book on etiquette would help people learn a few rules. Now I understand that parents need to teach a kid how to set a table and how to behave in a restaurant, but if that hasn’t been done, I think we all have a responsibility to learn elsewhere.

So try this book for starters. https://amzn.to/3pO39W5

Maybe parents can’t teach it because they don’t have a foundation themselves; here is some guidance for them, too:

https://amzn.to/3RsNXtp

Now I’m a country dog, and I don’t wear a collar unless I’m riding in the truck somewhere. A good collar, though, sure helps with learning manners and paying attention. It gives your humans security that a good dog won’t get lost or run away. It is important to learn how to wear it with pride and intelligence. Mine is tough, holds my tags and enhances the beautiful Heeler colors around it. It’s a Carhartt to match dad’s ranch coat!

https://amzn.to/3wTtO7Z

I don’t go for the really fancy ones,