THE PHOTOGRAPH PART 2: HIGH WATER

By Doug Ford, DVM, Production Animal Consultation, and Greg Quakenbush, DVM, Geissler Corp.

Iam a person who needs to keep busy, focusing on life’s adventures, family, friends, business, projects, and fixin’ what’s broken. My dream of acquiring South Platte River property deluded me into believing there would be nothing but smooth sailing ahead. My carefully planned strategy appeared to be falling flawlessly into place. I will never forget the excitement of fencing our new parcel of property. In true Doug Ford style, every detail was carefully and intentionally planned. It would be perfect! Part of my excitement would be to purchase a semi load of beautiful 7ft bark covered Texas cedar fence posts, new premium grade barb wire, and 1 ¾ inch barbed staples. I was to be the envy of northeastern Colorado and maybe ev en the whole state!

With every detail cleverly organized, I methodically placed piles of posts and rolls of wire for efficient access and installation. I couldn’t wait for spring! In 2010 I had lived in Morgan County for more than 30 years and never seen the South Platte River out of its banks. As fate would have it, this would be the year of higher-thannormal spring moisture and exaggerated spring runoff in the high country.

In all MY planning, I never stopped to think that all that snow and rain on the east slope of the Continental Divide would flow right past my backdoor at some time or another. Being the MAN of unwavering Faith, I confidently reassured my wife Jan everything would be okay, as each day the water crept closer to our prized stash of cedar posts.

I recall vividly the afternoon we arrived just in time to see a battalion of cedar posts floating randomly and scattered about for a quarter of a mile in every direction. As I stood thigh deep in cold muddy water donning my Faithman suit, I realized I had forgotten to order the optional Faithman chest waders. Jan and I spent two miserable hours gathering posts and all was well, or so I thought. As we walked to the pickup, soaked to the bone, tears welled up in Jan’s eyes as she quietly said, “Maybe this whole thing was a mistake.” I again confidently reassured her it would all be OK, as an unseen tear welled up in the corner of my eye.

Intermission: this was only a snapshot of what was to come.

Over the next three years, we would build miles of beautiful, straight, tight fence in saturated ground where the water table was about 2 ½ foot. Every fence post had to be tamped in with 15 to 20 scoops of gravel. Who could have known the 500-year flood of 2013 was about to destroy most of what we had accomplished in the past 3 years? Unlike a few fence posts floating away, 2013 was the real deal. I learned that CFS means cubic feet per second. This is a noteworthy number. When water passes a measuring weir at so many CFS, it is time to move to higher ground.

This was a hard lesson learned. “Experts” predicted that possible high water would hit at about 3:00 pm on the afternoon on September 17. As it turned out, it happened at 11:00 pm the night before. The term possible high water turned out to be a profound understatement. Around 10:00 pm, the power went out as I watched a whitetail doe and coyote rush through our yard headed north in the light of the solar landscape lights. They left just ahead of the water. According to the professionals, we should have had 15 more hours to prepare. Obviously, garage doors don’t open without power and our escape vehicle was ironically marooned. Quick thinking and a rusty screwdriver solved the problem. We had just enough time to grab Cosmo the wonder dog,

Rascal the family cat, and a toothbrush, all in a sudden blinding downpour of rain. As we made our hasty retreat, water was flooding down both sides of our quarter-milelong driveway.

Divinely we escaped unharmed.

We made our way to higher ground taking backroads to Merino, Colorado, hoping to beat bridge closures down river. Luckily, we had our clinic in town which would be a safe place to stay for a couple of days. It looked like there would be no going back north of the river for at least a couple of weeks to assess the damage. Naturally the next day curiosity got the best of me. I drove to the Snyder bridge only to find barricades and a state highway truck with multiple flashing lights. As I approached, one of the workers was coincidentally an old friend and client. After a short conversation, he cheerfully moved the barricades to let me pass, warning me to be careful and not tell anybody what we had done. Miraculously, our casa was completely safe, and power had been restored to the house. Everything else on the ranch was under at least three feet of water. Assorted debris, mud, gravel, old tires, railroad ties, down power lines, and 30-50-foot-tall whole dead cottonwood trees were scattered as far as the eye could see. There was even an outhouse, an old boat, and someone’s bedroom mattress in our backyard. Fortunately, we had moved our cows, equipment, haystacks, and shop tools a few days earlier. The only pressing challenge in the whole ordeal was to rescue two Charolais bulls stranded on a small island. Feed was scarce, but they had plenty to drink!

Lessons learned:

• Man plots his course, but God establishes his steps. (Proverbs 16:9)

• God’s ways aren’t man’s ways.

• Your focus creates your feelings.

• Your misery becomes your ministry.

• Misinformation can be confusing and deadly.

• It’s only stuff.

• Don’t be discouraged, God’s grace and protection is always sufficient.

• Pain, trouble, and heartache don’t come to discourage, distract, or destroy you; they come to establish you.

To be continued...

Digging Deeper

One of the guarantees of life is that there will be trouble. Death and taxes always make the list, with the potential for difficulty being seemingly endless. This all began in the Garden of Eden when sin entered the world, with even Jesus Himself not being immune to the subsequent consequences. He was the lightning rod for trouble and came to earth with the specific objective of providing a final and complete cure for the problem of evil, sin, and suffering.

So, where is God in the calamities of life? Are such events outside of His concern or His control? Is there such a thing as a truly random or freak event that occurs without God’s awareness? Do the words good luck or bad

| luck compose your response to unexpected circumstances? The answer to these and other similar questions will depend upon your worldview and your understanding of the truth regarding our creator.

Most of the trials we encounter are outside of our control. In the final analysis, our happiness or success is directly correlated to our response to difficulty. Our response is the only thing we truly have any control over. It is amazing to note that the hardships and tribulations of life are used by God for our ultimate growth, maturity, and even happiness. Only God can take problems and difficulties and turn them into things meant for our good.

An entire, ancient, all-time best-selling book (the Bible) was written on the subject of navigating through “tough times” and obtaining victory even in what looks like the jaws of defeat. It is amazing that with so much trouble on the horizon, so few seek out its guidance. Below are a few quotes to hopefully stimulate your curiosity and urge you to “dig deeper” and better know the author.

Romans 5:3-5 (NLT) 3We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. 5And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. ***

James 1:2-4 (NLT) 2Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. ***

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NASB) 5Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. 6In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (ESV) 16Rejoice always, 17pray without ceasing, 18give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT) 6Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done. 7Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Greg Quakenbush, DVM is a 1978 graduate of Colorado State University and spent 16 years in large animal practice in Porterville, California. For 19 years, Dr. Q worked for Zoetis (Pfizer) and was Director of the US Cattle Technical Services team. Since 2013, Dr. Q has worked with the Geissler Corporation assisting in the development of new veterinary diagnostic technologies. Dr. Q enjoys Bible study, shooting sports, fly-fi shing, and being a part-time farmer growing citrus and nuts in the central valley of California.

Doug Ford, DVM is the owner of Beaver Creek Veterinary Clinic in Brush, Colorado. Doug earned his DVM degree from Colorado State University. Brush, Colorado has been his home since graduating from Colorado State. Doug’s practice has been remarkably diverse over 40 years of veterinary medicine. Dogs, cats, cow/calf, feedlot, two sale barns, and spaying thousands of heifers for grass. The last 20 years of practice has been 50% large western dairies and 50% beef cattle (spaying, cow/calf, and feedlots). In 2005, Doug was given the privilege to become one of the six founding members of PAC. Doug and his wife Jan ranch in their “spare” time. They are also heavily involved in a wetland’s development project on the South Platte River near Snyder, Colorado. Doug’s dad used to say, “Get your grades up. Do you want to grow up to be a ditch digger?” Doug had no idea how much fun it is to play in the dirt with dozers and track hoes. He feels truly blessed and believes that the best days are yet to come.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. ground beef, seasoned with Italian beef seasoning

• 1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes

• 1 8 oz. can tomato sauce

• 2 handfuls spinach (just to sneak in some extra veggies)

• 1 tbsp. tomato paste

• 2 tbsp. pesto

• 1/2 lb. bowtie pasta, cooked

• 1 egg

• 1 c. ricotta cheese

• 1/2 c. Parmesan cheese

• 1 - 1-1/2 c. mozzarella cheese

• Salt & pepper

Italian beef seasoning

• 2 tsp. thyme

• 1/4 tsp. oregano

• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder

• 1/4 tsp. onion powder

• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt

• 1/4 tsp. black pepper

• 1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper (or more if you like a little spice)