Grace in Green Pasture

It has been nearly two weeks since I have been home. It is hard to imagine that it has been that long, time sure flies! It seems like just yesterday I drove across the country! Home is beautiful. It is May and there is still green grass, not only is it green but it is up to my waist!



There are two angles to look at. The first being that the grass is green. It is May. I don't remember many times where the grass has been green at home during the month of May, not to mention the end of it! You see, there is more than one reason California is referred to as the Golden State. The first being The Gold Rush, the second being the fact that generally by this time of year the native grasses take on a golden brown color. The state is literally GOLD from June to October on an average year. The grass is still green and the wild flowers must have known I was coming because they stuck around too! The cows are loving the green grass, they are livin' high! There is nothing quite as peaceful as cows in belly deep green grass.

The second angle to look at is that the grass is so tall! A good combination of late rain and a lot of sunshine has given our grasses a growth spurt! The grass is tall, so tall that if it grows much more it may start laying over. This is great for cattlemen like my Dad who rely on late grass growth for summer and fall feed, but it could potentially cause some problems later in the summer. See once the grass (and brush) dries out, remember the Gold comment, the fire hazard potential increases! Wild Fires also seem to paint the California sky Gold. Increased tall grasses and thick brush results in more fuel for wild fires. If we aren't careful, too much grass too late, will become too much smoke! So we will continue to be thankful, rotate cows to cut down some of the grass height, and enjoy every moment of grace full green pasture and wild flowers!