TIME TO POST MORE PHOTOS

Last weekend was the final weekend of the Fort Worth Fat Stock Show & Rodeo. Normally we go the second to last weekend so we had no idea what to expect with this change in routine. There was next to no cattle left to see in the barns. Maybe a handful as the ranchers packed up their tools of the trade, but basically the cattle barns were empty.



The barn with herds for sale had more to offer. Normally when we go there are very few calves. This time each holding pen had multiple newborn calves included with the sale.

And as though we need reminding that this is cowboy and ranching territory (and once part of the raw frontier), here rides the Tarrant County Sheriff's Posse.

At times the activity behind the buildings holds more interest than what goes on inside.

These bulls were being herded toward the cattle shipper you see in the previous photo. I can just hear the bull telling the cow, "If I'm not home by sundown, start dinner without me." Wonder how many of these walking beef markets will end up on a dinner table.

Apparently the final weekend is devoted more toward horses than cattle. The Quarter Horse auction was in full swing. Yes, the auctioneer really does sound as though he is spewing gibberish in a foreign tongue rather than keeping track of bids.

I don't recall seeing these characters on previous visits, but they were cute. It was almost as though they were waving farewell until next year. It was a cold, uncrowded day at the stock show.

A few days later, it started snowing. It snowed and it snowed.

The snow fell at a steady pace all day. It was beautiful to see.

The next morning when it had stopped snowing, this is how it looked from my front yard as I looked down the street.

And this is how it looked in my backyard. I lost some limbs to the weight of the snow. Several were snapped off and now on the ground.

Then the Cedar Waxwings showed up. Every few years they come in huge flocks to strip the holly trees of their red berries. This winter was no exception. There were hundreds of birds in my yard vying for the berries.

They were in every available branch. There were many in the holly trees, but as I opened the back door to take pictures they scattered to the upper branches of the taller trees.

The snow is melting quickly this weekend. The sun is shining, but not for long. We are promised another week of dismal skies and below normal temperatures. But that's okay. I still say it is easier to get warmer than it is to get cooler. At least I remind myself of that when it is 105 in the shade and I think I want to live in the northern climate.

Until the next adventure...