From the Home Place

November 16, 2025

It’s 35 degrees at 3:45 a.m., headed for 63. In 2 Corinthians 5:17 we read, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” Allow me to illustrate this with a look back to my younger days:

With all of the fancy insulated clothes made now days, from top to bottom, a feller can be plumb comfortable working outside when the temperature is nasty. When I was a kid, I would put on a pair of long-johns, Levis and then cover that with a pair of chaps. On top was a t-shirt, two shirts and a denim coat. I would then top off the ensemble with a felt Stetson, or a Scotch-cap if it was really cold.

With five-buckle overshoes over my cowboy boots I was then ready to ride, fix fence, scatter hay, pull a windmill or whatever was required of a feller during the day-to-day work around a ranch. Oh yeah, gloves were those of yellow colored chore gloves. If it got really cold, I would slip a pair of those little Jersey gloves inside of the yellow ones and off we would go. Of course two pair of gloves made it almost impossible to do most anything, so I had to take them off as much as they were on.

But the greatest improvement in winter ranch work was when we left the team of horses in the barn and started using the ‘ol pickup to feed with. Even a poor heater was better than no heater at all, which is exactly what the hay rack had.

The hay rack was a flat-bed wagon, fourteen feet in length with a set of wheels in the front and another set in the back. On the front and the back of the top part of the bed of the wagon, there was a four-feet tall rail built out of old one-inch pieces of lumber. So if you can see the picture in your mind, the ray-rack had a flat-bed bottom, two ends and everything else was open.

All of the hay was stacked loose back then. In the winter, the team of horses would pull the hay rack alongside one of a stacks of hay, dad and I would then step onto the haystack and start pitching hay onto the wagon. Of course, the lower the stack got, the higher you had to pitch the hay upward, onto the wagon, usually filling one’s face with chaff out of the hay. Yep, the whole process was a real treat!

Dad and I would pitch on a load of hay, strap it down if needed and head for the pasture where our cows wintered. Of course, yesterday’s trail was usually blown full, and the team would have to really work to pull that load through the crusted snow. I can still hear the wagon creek under its load, the horse snort as the snow blew up into their nostrils and the snow crunched under their extra-large feet.

Blondie, our collie dog would lay on my feet, under some hay and off we would go. For some reason, the wind always blew in my face, no matter which direction we were going, making the “real feel” way below zero on most days.

Arriving at the pasture, we would pitch the hay off for the ‘ol girls. Inspecting critters as we unloaded. Then to the windmill to chop and pitch ice out of the tank, check the salt tub and back on the empty wagon to beat our way back to the stack for another load. It was usually way past noon before we would get home. ‘The first matter was to unhook the wagon, grain and brush the horses and then grab an arm-full of wood on our way to the house.

It always took a spell to get out of the layers of clothes, hang them up to thaw on the porch where a wood stove kept the temp around 60 degrees, man did that feel good. We would then make our way on into the kitchen, visit with mom as we poured ourselves a cup of hot coffee and get ready for lunch. No need to get too comfortable, within an hour or so, it would be time to start evening chores: splitting and hauling wood, milking cows, separating, hauling cream to the root cellar, feeding saddle horses, milk cows and finally myself just before going to bed so we could start the whole glorious process over again tomorrow!

For the most part, today’s rancher crawls into the heated cab of his four-wheel drive tractor, turns the radio on, sips on his coffee and suffers while feeding his cattle. The coldest he gets during feeding is walking from the tractor to the house.

Yep, the weather is changing, and the times have changed. But the one thing we can count on is that God has the whole process under control. Way back then, I didn’t know that I had a loving Heavenly Father who watched over us each day. I had never heard of salvation in Christ Jesus. I just lived today, hoping to make it to tomorrow.

Yep, I sure do miss those “old days.” There was just something special about being surrounded by critters, chores and family. Every winter day kept my mind filled with the anticipation of sitting in front of a wood stove, listening to it crackle as my bones warmed up once again. But if I was to feed cattle today, I’m all about that tractor! The weather is changing, times are changing, but we serve an unchanging God, we can always count on Him. So get to church and praise Him for His goodness!

Yes, though all of that is in my past, today I know that God is in full control of my future. Because of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as Savior, I know that there will come a day when my cycle of life will be completed here upon this ‘ol ball of dirt. But until then, I plan to find something to do each day, even if all I get done is write stories about the “good ‘ol days!”

Old ways, just like old people, have “passed away,” but then a brand-new life awaits all Christ followers!

Remembering the past, dreaming of the future with you, Neal