Blogs

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I –
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

—Robert Frost

A friend asked to borrow my pickup to haul the family Christmas tree home and, being the kind man I am, I offered to drive the truck myself. (I didn’t trust my 25-year-old truck in his hands.)

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” I have long been puzzled by the word “meek.” It is one of those elusive concepts that has no adequate definition but seems to be more important than any other attribute of Jesus.

A few years ago, my wife asked me what I needed for Christmas. I racked my brain and offered some vain ideas. But in my heart, I knew the answer. I didn’t really need anything.

They say the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. This phrase rings true in the ear of a rural veterinarian. For the masses who have rightfully adored James Herriot’s All Creatures Great and Small, being a bovine doctor seems like a whimsical journey. It undoubtedly does, and equally does not, live up to the hype of the famous novel.

Last week, I was interviewing an operator for the January edition of Progressive Cattleman. This operation is a little different (OK, a lot different) than your average ranch. They run 800 commercial beef cows, farm 2,000-plus acres and operate a 1,500-cow dairy.