Day 1 Vol State Race

What a great day! It was certainly a hot one, with a high of 94 (96 forecasted for tomorrow). Let's start at the beginning though.

Funny thing is

The thing about ultra races is there always seems to be a catch. RougeOrleans race starts on a Friday night at 8 pm and since it's a 126.2 mile race (100 miler and then run a marathon is their gimmick) it's pretty much a guarantee that you will be up for 2 nights straight running to hit the cutoffs. You get the idea now, so the tricky thing about the 314 mile Vol State race is that on Day 1, everyone has to start later in the morning, therefore missing all the 'cool' hours to get some miles in.

Pre race freshness

So it all starts with all runners meeting at Dorena Landing in Kentucky and taking the ferry over to Missouri. Yes, the ferry. 

Crazy Town, yet everyone petted the dogs

Crew Chief and his bestie, Buddy

Getting on the ferry!

Then, once in Missouri, and every one is loaded OFF the ferry, the race director lights his cigarette and this deems the start of the race. The race director is Laz Lake but his real name is Gary Cantrell. He's a well-known fixture in the ultra world and has done his time with racing so now he puts on the craziest races you can think of. That's for another blog.

Where was I. Oh yeah, on the ferry. David, Buddy, Sugar and I all loaded up with everyone else on the ferry to head over to Missouri for the official start. 

Across the river, loaded off, and Laz lights
his cigarette and the race starts.
Back on the ferry we go.

Sugar in her captains seat for the race start

I had made a decision to push my cart (Bob stroller) across Tennessee for this race because it carries so much of the things I need. I know David is there to crew me, but having all my things with me is equally as wonderful. So I have the best of both worlds with supplies in my cart and having David in the vicinity to bring lunch, food, and more drinks, etc.

Another runner (notice the sun protection) as
we go from Missouri to Kentucky.....
and then to Tennessee!

It was approved by Laz that Sugar could ride along in my cart, and that she did today. Sugar trains with me for most all my races. She's an ultra running 5 lb maltipoo who runs and rides. She absolutely loves it, matter of fact, she lives for it. She enjoys all the areas of the cart to ride:

Sugar's spot to hide from the sun. 
She loves this basket under the seat!

Taking a rest from all the looking around.

Some parts of the course have huge shoulders.
Other parts don't, but I enjoy them while I got them.

The 'one foot' wide shoulder with rumble
strip included. 
Sugar riding in her upper level spot. 
She has many spots in the cart.

I jumped ahead. Hold on. So, after we get back on the ferry in Missouri, and cross the river to Kentucky (again) the ferry docks and we all unload and head out for our big adventure. There's alot of nervous energy and everyone is doing their own thing (walking, running). We have a long way to go, my friends. This first day is similar to the first 5 miles in a marathon. It's your warmup and 'place' and speed does not matter at this point. 

The interesting part about Day 1 besides riding the ferry, is the time we start. By the time we've gotten there, everyone is loaded on the ferry, and we go back and forth, it's now around 8 am and the weather is warming up nicely along with all the runners warming up. Day 1 is a sweat fest. 

Let's add another interesting element to this race, and that is that every town you go through, there's tricky directions in each town that you have to pay close attention to, that takes you by the court house for that town. Laz is a history buff and wants everyone to appreciate ALL the court houses along the way. Every one of them. And so it's not a straight shot of a race. It's twisty turny and you have to stay on course or there's disqualification issues. So you're constantly looking at the map and directions trying to figure out the turns on streets that often do not have a street sign. And looking at your phone in the bright sun makes it that much harder. So we all abide by the route closely, and backtrack if necessary to make sure your placed your foot on every inch of that course. None of the runners have come all this way to be disqualified. I've meet runners from Scotland, Canada, Utah, Michigan, Florida and more. People come from all over to run this unique multi day race.

By mid afternoon, Sugar is ready to get in the air conditioning with David and Buddy. David has gotten me lunch, fruit and drinks several times during the day. 

David is wonderful about bringing me all
the things I need. He also brought the 
Race Director and his assistant
Frosty's from Wendys out on the
course. He's kind of a nice guy. 

Finally, as I'm approaching my stopping point for the day (Dresden at 40 miles in) David heads to get a room at the only motel in this small town, The Budget Inn. I'm grateful when I get there that I'll get a shower and a bed to sleep in. But it's thoroughly disgusting. The towels are all stained up, the bedspreads are not something you would even think about sitting on. But it's doable for the night. Never ever in a lifetime would I stop here to stay unless I'm on foot. All runners whether crewed or screwed (not crewed) are not allowed to get in a car nor even be driven anywhere. So where you end up on foot is where you end up. And tonight, I'll take this horrible place because I want a shower SO bad. The layers of sunscreen and layers of salt on my skin being washed off was worth it. 

Forty miles completed, and David had a quesadilla for me waiting at the motel. I share it with Sugar, and now we will rest. My plan is to get up early in the morning and get going in the dark to get some miles in without the ball of fire torturing me. 

I met alot of wonderful, cool people today. Some who were throwing up, some who had leg cramps, some who walked most all day in the heat, and others who seemingly moved down the road without issue. There's one of everybody out here, and this is only Day 1. Just so you know, it only gets worse from here. Hang on for the ride. 

Wait, let’s see what David’s been doing all day. No rest for him being the Crew Chief for 2 dogs and me!

Constant packing and unpacking. 
This was the nice hotel we stayed 
in the night before the race
in Union City, TN. 

Making sure I'm well supported 💗

Wow, Buddy looks huge in this pic.
He's a fan of hanging that big head of
his out the window.

Sugar is more cautious. She hangs with dad 
inside the car in the afternoon heat.

Alrighty oh, I gotta get to bed. I have so much to say about this day, but this summary will suffice for now.

We'll see what tomorrow brings,

Cyndi

Here we go, one more time

Ahhh, yes. 2009 and 2014 were the last years I participated in the Last Annual Vol State Race across the great state of Tennessee. Tennessee is the Volunteer State, after all. Therefore, Vol State makes sense for the race name. So what is this race? It's a 314 mile, 10 day maximum road race on a set route whereby you run however many miles a day on this said route, until you reach the end of the 314 miles. There's motels, convenience stores, cemeteries and cafes sprinkled about along the way. - all places to eat and sleep in. Or better yet, just sleep off the side of the road somewhere, depending if you are able to reach a small town that might have the usual conveniences of life. In 2009, I finished in 7 days (approx 40-ish miles a day) and in 2014, I finished the race in 5 days (approx 58-ish miles a day). This year, 2022 is a year of the unknown in regards to Vol State and 1) will I finish and 2) if so, how long will it take. Whatever it brings, I'll take it. I have no set expectations this year for Vol State. I just want to enjoy each and every mile. I want to smell the smells, see nature, eat, drink lots of unsweet tea and be merry - all while moving my body 314 miles. And once I reach the finish at Castle Rock, after trekking up Sand Mountain into Georgia, I will say a prayer and thank the good Lord who sees me through these adventures every time.

I first attempted this race in 2008, I think it was. I went about 180 miles, stopping at Culeoka, TN and dropped out due to the pain from shin splints. I was silly, naive and new to these types of things and feelings and did not have the mental strength to overcome the issues I would encounter on a multiday race. It's a DNF (did not finish) that I will never forget. What I would learn is that DNF's in the ultra-running world are just as valuable as finishes. We as ultra runners give our statistics as such: Number of DNF's, Number of Ultra finishes, the Number of other misc race finishes we think are relevant for some reason. DNF's are an important tool in ultra running. They teach us things. They teach us everything. What to do different, better, or not at all next time. No runner goes out to get acquire a DNF, but we actually sometimes sign up for a race kind of knowing we may DNF. That's okay. We 'try' at races sometimes, knowing we have to learn some things first. Like failing forward. And that's what my first Vol State race was. Failing forward. 

I went back to the Vol State race in 2009 to claim 1st place women's finish and it was pretty sweet. I was actually just happy to finish, and placing in the race was icing on the cake. And I love icing. Also consider that they were very few females ultra racing at that time. The irony in this was that my finish time was not that astounding, and not my fastest, yet that can show us just how unpredictable races can be and how races can be won depending on who shows up to make it to the finish. Now that was in 2009 and it's now 2022. I'm older and wiser. I'm a farmer and (blood) cancer patient now. Matter of fact, my new treatments start after I get back from the race which I'll talk more about later. I'm a grandmother now, and many other new roles in life that absorb my time. Yet running is a big part of my life. It's what I like. And when I can't run anymore, I'll find something else I like. My body will likely not allow me to do this forever and ever. I get it. But while I can, I will. I'll not be as fast or agile or any of those types of things as I age, because I'm human. But I will still be out there - until I can't. 

The most common question people often ask me is: Why? Why run like that? I used to not know the answer. And then I recently figured out that answer to all the "Why's" that are asked of me. Because I like it. I like it. Similar to why you like watching tv, hiking, fishing, golfing, doing nothing, or whatever hobby is your thing. You like it. 

Getting there

Let's get to the nitty gritty, shall we? David and I are in the truck, loaded with way too much stuff that we won't need that we think we might need. We are driving towards Union City, TN which is close to the start of the race near Hickman, TN. Technically, we start at Dorena Landing, MO and take the ferry across the river to Tennessee whereby we run diagonally across the state then veer down towards northeast Georgia. If you are a Tennessee-ian, then you may recognize these towns that hopeful runners will make their way through: Hickman, back to Union City, to Martin, then Dresden. Gleason, McKenzie, Huntingdon, Clarksburg, then Parkers Cross-Roads. Lexington, Chesterfield, Darden, then Parsons. Perryville, Linden, Hohenwald, Hampshire to Columbia. From Columbia you head to Culeoka (where I famously DNF'd my first attempt) to Mooreville, Lewisburg and then Farmington. Wheel, Bedford, and then to the lovely Shelbyville. Wartrace (home of the Strolling Jim 40 mile ultra) to Manchester then and only then can you feel yourself finishing. Hillsboro, Pelham, Monteagle (more mountains, like I've not been up enough already) to Tracy City. Jasper to Kimbell and then through New Hope before you finally reach Castle Rock, high atop Sand Mountain in the beautiful state of Georgia. Spread out amongst these grueling miles with the ball of fire staring down upon you are luxuries such as Dairy Queen, Sonic, and convenience stores to find food, and cemeteries and ball fields of which to sleep in. Kind and helpful people who live in these areas have slowly begun to recognize the yearly running of this race and sometimes offer water and cheerful words of encouragement. The motels are okay, if you make it to one. You know the ones. The motels you fly by in your car thinking you would never stay there and don't know who would. Yep, people like me are there. That's if I'm not sleeping in the ball field, cemetary or in the bed of the truck with David. Those details will unfold with time. I have no idea of what's to come. All I know is I have this opportunity to participate with other like-minded folks who all like the same thing, with the same sense of adventure. I mean, why not. 

Minding the farm

So who's exactly taking care of Dora and Hope, the mini horses, Belle, Lulu and Willow the sheepies, Maggie the Piggie, Paul the Turkey, all the chickens, all the barn cats and the livestock guard dogs? That would be our Caretaker Extraordinaire, Rosie. She's been there for us through thick and then. She manned the farm while we spent several months at MD Anderson last year. She's been there for all the times we've needed to be away from the farm whether it's for leisure or necessity. Rosie's our girl. The irony in this is that the last time Rosie spent a substantial amount of time caretaking for all the animals, it was 30 degrees and freezing during the winter months and snowvid. Now, it's the opposite end of the spectrum at 102 degrees and keeping waters filled is imperative for the animals survival. 

Not to worry. Rosie has it covered. And we also have our good friends, Angela and Paul coming by the farm to deliver treats and pets to the animals. Angela is a horse person, so Dora and Hope will have some one-on-one attention and as they do, ask for treats.

Excuse the janky video, it did not get copied over well in the truck. But you get the idea. 

As you could see, we have the Tack Room all set up and labeled - with written and laminated instructions. Watering, feeding and treat-giving is all outlined. We even made some changes around the farm (for while we are gone for this trip) that will remain in effect upon our return. Such as placing the dog food bowls up off the ground, consolidating water buckets in areas with water hoses easily accessible. Basically our usual philosophy of managing alot of work by making it as easy as possible. We really applied this on this particular vacation, in hopes that it will make Rosie's caretaking job simpler and our life simpler when we return. Sometimes it takes being away from the farm for a period of time to think about new and better ways of feeding and watering the animals. A clean environment, plenty of fresh water, healthy food and lots of love is what keeps our animals healthy and happy. Oh, and the livestock guard dogs to protect them. They are the reason all the animals are safe.

Maggie The Piggie and Paul The Turkey
will share space while we are away.
The outside of the pen is also a holding place
for dog feeders. The livestock guard dogs
are still adjusting to this new system.

Penny and Dutch enjoying their new feeders up 
off the ground. They are more adaptable than
Levi and Whisper who are used to being served
dinner, not called to dinner. 

Hope (left) and Dora (right) have 
temporary living quarters for caretaker
management purposes. Plus the fans in the 
barn keep the flies off them. 

The chickens are loving the waters all together.
It's like being at a water park.

David apparently found the biggest fan around.
It is hot in the barn. This helps ALOT. 
The LGD's enjoy front row seating. 

What you might not know

What I've failed to mention in all this is how well I'm supported in my ultra running by my fabulous Crew Chief, David. Better know as my husband. He's tolerated this extreme and peculiar habit of mine for years. And I mean years. He's crewed me from Baton Rouge to New Orleans while I ran 126 miles on the levy. He's crewed me on several Keys100 (100 mile) races from Key Largo to Key West. AND he's often found crewing the people around me in the race, for grinsies, because he loves helping others. All while he's crewing me. I married the best Crew there is, and didn't even realize it at the time. He was there for me when I said I was going to run across the U.S. - as he stayed home and worked while I set out for epic adventures. Twice. 

And now, here we go again. Prior in Vol State races, he would bike behind me, crewing me from a bike. Yes, it's true. 

Yeah, he biked like this across Tennessee 
with all our necessities during the Vol
State race prior. This time though,
he's driving it.

Vol State finish ends with a Thank You kiss💛

So who are these people?

Some of the participants of 2009.
This race has grown and grown over the years.
It'll never be this small again.
Also, women in ultra running were a rarity then.

Ultrarunners, misfits, like-minded, quirky. Call us what you may, as I totally get it. When I'm around my people at these races, I can see this. And we all just keep going back for more. We push ourselves to our own person edge, fine-tune our mental strength and enjoy every minute of it. Maybe not every minute, as sometimes it gets brutal. Yet, it's beautiful. Brutiful, let's call it. There are times when things get bleak and dark. I've been taught by my fellow ultrarunners that when that happens, think of it like being stuck in a completely dark room, where you cannot see your hand in front of your face. Then look around that dark room for the light switch. Keep moving around the darkness, feeling your way, holding onto hope, that you will find the light. And you will. When it gets dark, always keep looking for the light, as it will be back. The light always comes back. That's when it's time to pull out your grit and grace to move through the hard times of a hard race. Because everything is possible. Just keep moving - even when things get dark.

David, unfortunately, has seen me in this 'dark room' on more than one occasion in races. He's there to help but only in the ways he's allowed to in a race. Water, drink, food and encouragement. And once again, he'll be around for this $hit-show-to-be called the Vol State race. Thank you, honey bun, for all you do. And is this what you wanted to do for your first weeks of retirement? Doubtful. But yet you are here for it all. Look at you, even bringing Buddy along for all this funny business. 

What a good boy ❤️

And yes, we brought Sugar, too. 

Such a good car rider 💟 And you know she loves
riding in the cart I often push her in when we
run together. 
I'm going to surprise her and let her be in the race
with me - in her cart! Don't tell her. We are doing
this race together. 

Technically, David is crewing all 3 of us. Wonder who'll need the most crewing? I guess we'll all find out. I'll try and give daily updates as we move through this unpredictable and delightful vacation. 

About time

I'm thrilled, actually more than thrilled, that David retired a few weeks ago.

And man was it yummy 😋

This was my favorite thing at the party!

The most wonderful party, and I'd like to thank Kim,
Brooke and Zena and everyone who made
this night so magical!! It was absolutely perfect.

It can be hard to retire. It sounds easy. But to let go of a paycheck and good money is tough. I'm oh-so-proud of him for making that courageous decision. As you know, our cancer journeys are excellent reminders that humans do not live forever. I used to think we would, like everyone else. But now I know better. So David gets to enjoy his free time in life now (after we get back from this so called "vacation"). And I can't wait to watch him do all the things HE wants to do. That's one thing I really love about marriage, is supporting each other's dreams and desires. I want the world for him, and he wants the world for me. And we are each not just dreaming, but realizing our dreams. 

Speaking of a dream, this little one is a dream come true for us.

Just love these two. 
Retirement looks good on you.

Countdown

My good ole ultra running friend, John Price keeps a Vol State countdown going. I just took a look at it:

As we descend upon Union City, Tennessee, I have peace and appreciation for this experience. That I get to participate along with my fellow people in an adventure that will once again provide learning, memories and reconnection with folks I've not seen in a bit. I'll keep moving, put one foot in front of the other. Because we all can always go further than you think. It's all in your head. 

Race starts Thursday morning. I'll see you back here later on Thursday to catch up again and we'll just see what happens. 

It's always a surprise,

Cyndi

I would like to give a biggggg Thank You to David who was the guest blogger for June & July!!! I really really appreciated you stepping in and giving us your side of life on the farm. Turns out there’s so much that goes on out here, that even if we both blogged it, we might not be able to keep up with all the happenings. But we try! Thanks for letting us see life through your lens 😍

Whisper The Weather Wonder Dog

By David Graves, Guest Blogger

"Hello, are you new here?"

Six years ago, Cyndi and I were introduced to a number of “animals that kind of go with the farm….” 

Roy and Stephanie Kirby (previous owners) were moving to a house more in the city with a regular lot size. They realized that many of their animals that they had accumulated while on the property, would have to be “re-homed” because there simply was no space in their new digs. It was a painful time for Stephanie because she and Cyndi were kindred spirits when it came to animals (never met one they didn’t like and want to nurture). Roy and I on the other hand, had mixed feelings… 

I think Roy felt like “Whew wee, I’ll be glad to leave some of these dang animals behind that’s for sure!” and I felt just the opposite, “Boy I’ll sure be glad when they get all these crazy animals out of here so we can fix this place up!”. As usual, Roy and I (and most husbands) had a surprise coming our way that neither of us even considered. Our wives [who were put on this earth (according to Cyndi) to improve and enrich our lives (“You’re welcome!”)] were busily concocting a plan that would be a win, win, win, win, win for all of us! Of course! 

This was how we received the house in its original form. A true fixer upper. 

And it shall be 300 cubits, by 50 cubits, and 30 cubits high……..

So as our closing date grew near, my life enrichment began to take shape. Stephanie and Cyndi had agreed that the three full-sized (code for “big-ass”) donkeys were going to remain on the premises. Papa and Mama donkey were rescues and neither Cyndi or Stephanie had the heart, or inclination, to move them again and re-traumatize their lives! And of course, Baby, who was born here on the farm and had never spent a night alone without his Mama and Papa, would naturally stay to keep the family unit together. Apparently, the breakup of the nuclear donkey family would signal the beginning of the end of Western civilization, and that would NOT happen on Cyndi and Stephanie’s watch! So, the donkey family was signed over to the new owners along with the house, barn, trees and land. Wow, I always wanted three giant donkeys leaving enormous poop piles all over the pasture. I just forgot to mention that to anyone…..ever. 

 

Always curious, always watching

Then came the three Great Pyrenees dogs. They were huge, white, thick-furred large guard dogs (LGD). Now Cyndi and I were no strangers to dogs. We’ve had several and were in fact, bringing a few along with us on our move already! We had Bridgette (80 lbs.) and Maybe (20 lbs.) coming along for the ride from the city dwellings down in Plano to the country out in Gunter.   

Bridgey Bear

Cuddle Bugs

Maybe Baby

The dogs weren’t the only “City Folk” that had something to learn about living out in the country! When we first walked out into the pasture with the donkeys, Cyndi and I just went through the gate with our faithful dog Bridgette loping right behind us. We thought we would introduce them all while we were out there and had everything somewhat under control. Well guess what, (once again) when Cyndi and I think we have things under control and our confident, but not cocky, “how hard can it be” mentality going strong, we find out we have no clue! Things escalated rapidly when the donkeys saw Bridgette. Now apparently donkeys have a real disdain for coyotes and other four-legged scavengers, and they are often used to protect sheep and cattle from predators of that type. Since the donkeys didn’t know Bridgette (not that that mattered much) they saw her as a threat and immediately surrounded her! Bridgette just looked up, and although she is not fluent in country donkey speak, she knew enough to know she was not welcome and should get the heck out of Dodge City while she still could. Only thing was, it was too late, she was surrounded, and all the donkeys were closing in on her from three sides. Cyndi and I were horrified and screaming at the donkeys and Bridgette, which had no affect other than to “amp up” a situation that needed anything but amping up!

Papa and Mama always there for the pets and treats
and good protectors as well

Bridgette feigned a sprint to the right and then the left. She lurched at Mama and then made a break for the only gap in the circle she thought she could escape through. Luckily for us all, Baby donkey was not as practiced as Mama and Papa were and she let Bridgette squeeze out through a small opening in the perimeter of the noose they were tightening on her. Poor Bridgette ran for the gate which we quickly opened to complete her escape from a close call with some mean-ass donkeys! We all remembered that day and prevented that from ever occurring again, especially Bridgette!

 Wait, where was I.....

Oh yes, the Great Pyrenees! 

New-to-us Levi and Whisper back in the day

They had free reign of all areas

Ah yes, Cyndi had shaved them thinking it
would help keep them cooler in the summer. 
Did I mention we were new to this?

BTW- they stayed away from the donkeys at all times and the donkeys recognized then as the all-white, somewhat tolerable, dogs that protected the other animals when the donkeys felt tired or lazy. They barely tolerated the LGD’s, but they did not try to kill them that I ever saw. Stephanie and Roy wanted to take all the dogs so badly, but they knew the farm life was the only life for Sailor, Levi and Whisper. Supposedly, Whisper and Levi were brother and sister, and they were very close. Sailor was more of a loaner and the Kirby’s decided that they just might be able to keep one of the dogs in their new backyard without too much worry.  So they decided to take Sailor along and asked Cyndi if they could leave the other two huge dogs with us on the farm. Cyndi said “Heck no, we don’t need any more animals out here and you’ll just have to……. just kidding! Cyndi said of course they can stay and protect the farm; we would love to have them! And so, Whisper (85-90 lbs.) and Levi (95-100 lbs.) stayed to watch the comical antics of the new “hoomans” moving into the old homestead! 

CrazyTown i.e. Whisper

Now Whisper is the “slightly crazy” sister that seems always nervous and on edge. She has that kind of crazy look in her eye and would growl-down everyone on a regular basis. She generally keep everything in life at the comfortable distance that she preferred. She was not particularly fond of hoomans or their new city dogs that they brought with them! Levi, on the other hand, was the king of the pasture. He was a bad-a$$ dog who watched the perimeter of the fences like the guards at a prison. It’s just that his job was to keep everything outside the fence instead of all the prisoners in! And outside they stayed! Levi was such a good watchdog all the other animals got together and made up a song about him. I could not understand it all, but one verse went something like this…

You don’t tug on Superman’s cape,  🎵

You don’t poke Batman in the eye,  🎵

You don’t pull the mask off that old Lone Ranger, 🎵

And you don’t mess around with Levi! 🎵

Anyway, you get the idea. I will give Cyndi credit that her decision to keep Whisper and Levi was probably the best decision made out here on the farm. They have proven to be worth their weight in gold and have kept many an animal alive out here. Without them, we would never be able to keep chickens, or goats, or sheep alive. There are coyotes everywhere at all times, just looking for a free meal. But Levi and Whisper bark them away from our property and we have never had something get our animals in the dead of night. Such great dogs. They have even grown to like the new hoomans after all. It took quite a while, but they warmed up to us after they realized we were going to feed and water them regularly. The doggie treats and belly scratches helped win them over!

Whisper has become more and more comfortable
with us.

Levi, always the helper and protector!

At that time, we were still unaware of Whisper’s hidden talent. After some months, we figured out that Whisper used that crazy look in her eye and that mean disposition as a way to protect herself. She was scared of many things, and she kept up that hard exterior to protect her soft, somewhat timid, interior. She had to be tough to protect the property and gain the respect of the other animals. Her talents and true personality would only reveal themselves over the next few years. 

But one day we found Whisper cowering over in the corner of the barn. She would not come to us, wouldn’t eat, wouldn’t move anywhere. She’d just lay there looking nervous. Later that night I went out to check on her and she was still laying in the same position not sleeping but not fully awake either. It had started raining a little and I shut a couple of barn windows on my way back inside. 

The next beautiful morning arrived.....

.....and I went to check on our poor girl, but she had vanished like a ghost! I found her out running around with Levi like nothing happened. She had breakfast and it appeared that she had recovered from her temporary illness. 

We went on about our business of working on the farm, with lots of improvements and changes we wanted, to help make life easier. I put big doggie doors in for Bridgette so she could get into the Laundry Room on really hot days and opened up the Tack room for Levi and Whisper to get to during the sweltering heat as well.

Nellie bar the doors!!!!

One thing Cyndi and I learned early out here was how and when to “Button Down” the barn. This consisted of shutting the big double barn doors on the North and South sides, unlocking, securing, and then re-locking the four barn windows. Then making sure both Tack Room doors were closed securely. This sounds simple but can take some time to accomplish, especially if you are doing it by yourself and the wind or rain, or both are slowing you down. Button it down right, or your hay, chickens, feeders, trash and anything else that is loose will be making an unscheduled stop in the neighbor’s field, on their front porch, or in the street. You would then have to canvass the surrounding area to gather your belongings, IF you can find them all. 

 

Barn doors to be shut when storms are coming

North and South Big Doors need to be
buttoned down too

There are 4 total windows to consider when
a storm is coming 

There were many nights that I would be relaxing after a nice shower and having a little snack watching the news when Pete Delkus, Evan Andrews, David Finfrock, or {fill in your favorite meteorologist’s name here} would come on to tell us that there is a “good chance of rain tonight and into the morning hours, accompanied by light Northeasterly wind gusts overnight”, etc. etc…..

This would send Cyndi and I into full frantic ‘Button Down’ mode. We would scurry out to start the process of trying to get it done quickly without having to require another shower before bed!

Living in Texas nearly all my life, it seems I should have more skepticism about such forecasts, but we fault on the side of caution for the livestock.…anima….pets that sleep in our barn. More often that not, we would simply be creating more work for ourselves for in the morning, when we would undoubtedly receive no rain and have to begin the next day with a morning unbuttoning!

Over and over this persisted until the night I finally decide to “Just let it go for the night, it will be fine…” followed four hours later by a screaming, soggy, wind-blown attempt to button down the barn in a gale!

Mother Nature Knows Best

While we did this dance back and forth, each playing our part in the on-again, off-again, nature of North Texas weather, I realized that Whisper would be hiding in her usual spot near the chicken coop.

Sometimes she was there, but other times she would be casually lying out in the pasture near the barn. 

She's a fan of the fire pit too, as are the chickens

She even would be as far away as the Belle Tower, seemingly unconcerned with “80% chance of showers and strong winds through the evening”!  The pieces finally started to come together for me one night when Whisper actually snuck into the inner sanctum of our front yard, and I found her tucked away in the Laundry Room, having helped herself to Bridgette’s doggie door and making herself at home. That’s weird! I asked her what was going on and she just looked at me with her terrified (but still a little crazy) eyes. She was not going to budge, and I was not about to try to make her. 

And the crazy eyes begin

I went upstairs and went to bed, deciding it was too late to worry about such foolishness tonight. I’d deal with this tomorrow.

Tomorrow came incredibly early that day, because around midnight the wind started howling (along with Whisper) and the rain came down in teacup sized drops! Funny that old Pete Delkus never mentioned this other than a very slight chance of light showers around 6am. In Pete’s defense, at 6am there were still some “light showers”, but they were just the remnants of the torrential rains starting at midnight!

From that time on, Cyndi and I would hear the weather and then go check to see where Whisper “The Weather Dog” was and what she was doing. She became our meteorologist on the farm and was correct in her predictions nearly 100% of the time. 

Weather Check

Now I don’t want to over hype her abilities, she would not always give us a lot of notice, but if she hid, you better do the same! Would her tail tickle, her ears pop, her dew claw scar throb, or could she just “feel” the barometric pressure drop? I have no idea how she does this magic, but as Cyndi would say “It’s a thing!!”

Whisper The Weather Wonder Dog
making her prediction 

All good things come to an end….. 

Without radar and a truckload of scientific equipment, Whisper continues to outperform the weather people on TV. She may not warn you about the heatwave next week, but severe weather in the next 12 hours is her sweet spot! We tease about it but still acknowledge the fact that Whisper will get us to button down faster than any weather report we might hear!

Fast forward to the Summer. It is hot, hot, 100+ degree hot and the chances of rain in Texas during the Summer is slightly above non-existent.

Yet, Whisper is in the Laundry Room tucked back in the closet like a tsunami of water and hail are falling within the hour. The only give away is that she is not stressed and does not have that crazy look, in fact, she has no look at all! She is sound asleep and dreaming of dinosaur bones covering the yard, mountains of bacon treats everywhere, and helpless raccoons stuck in the fences (or whatever dogs dream of). 

Whisper has discovered that the Graves Farm Laundry Room is a comfortable 72 degrees regardless of the outside temperature. She might as well be laying on her chase lounge, on the beach, sipping pina coladas as much weather forecasting as she is doing!! She IS a super protector, and the oldest LGD we have. She has served us well for many years and kept our own dogs, as well as intruders, “in-line”. Maybe its okay if she takes it easy for the Summer. Meteorologist don’t go to Summer School!