Mid July
Peggy Mathiason shares a glimpse of life on her Montana farm in "Mid-July." Amidst scorching summer days and the bittersweet realities of farm life, she finds solace and gratitude in the simple joys surrounding her. From nurturing a new mother-calf bond to embracing the challenges of drought and fire season, Peggy's insightful reflections remind us to cherish each moment and discover the extraordinary within the ordinary. Join her in counting blessings and appreciating the beauty of mid-July, a time of both endurance and abundant blessings.
Although the temperature will climb to 98 degrees today, it’s a beautiful summer day.
I awaken to the summer sun pouring in through our uncurtained windows at an early hour, which is a delight to me, being a morning bird.
The animals are enjoying the last bit of coolness from the night before the temperatures soar, and all is still and quiet. The world is fresh and lovely for now.
Mama cow Millie lies in the sun while her calf Betty keeps close by. A month ago, Millie gave birth for the first time, and when we saw the placenta she hadn’t expelled yet, we ran from the house to the cow pen.
But the new calf was stillborn or had died during birth. We tried to resuscitate him. It was too late. We cried, and our grandchildren named him "Cricket,” before we took him away, wrapped in an old blanket.
Life on a “farm” has low points, and this was one. We had anticipated this birth for a long time.
Resources were called upon, and we procured a “bum calf” born at a dairy, and they delivered Betty that day. Millie accepted the calf as her own after a while—as a first-time mother, she didn’t know about nursing it, but she soon learned. Now the two are inseparable and even are the same color, so they look like they belong together.
This connection was a high point on our little farm.
I know today I will be busy—keeping garden hoses going in many places on our acreage, making sure the dogs take a break from their romping in the heat, and mowing a little alfalfa for Millie and Betty. There are outdoor projects and chores to share with family, who live very close.
The countryside is drying up, portending forest fires soon. It’s an unsettling prospect, but because my husband is contracted to operate equipment in a fire event, it’s also a revenue stream for us.
I sit this morning counting my blessings here in this place. There is a little bit of heaven here, a foretaste of paradise for us. God is good. Always. I hope you are enumerating your blessings too.
Mid-July is the time that we endure the extremes of seasonal weather, although there are some that consider this Montana heat wave excessive. I’m content to work early in the day and become a house cat in the late heat.
Honestly, I wish mid-July would last much longer.
MID-JULY
