Welcome to Awe, Nice!, where we highlight moments of wonder while working outdoors. We're on the radio and we're also on podcast platforms. And you can check us out here. My name is Maddy Butcher, I'm the creator and producer of Awe, Nice! and we are entering our second season of this novel radio segment. Lined up, I have interviews with ranchers, an avalanche researcher, a farmer, a working cowboy, and our first Awe, Nice! moment from Canada. I figure it's time for another segment of Mini-Awe-Polis, a departure from our usual interviews, a snippet of small observations, like hay in my jacket pockets. My horses, dogs, and I did something new and spent several months in Arizona this winter and spring. When we returned to Colorado, there was a multi-species exhale of sorts. Where we were in Arizona was rocky and with hardly any grass, so the horses were happy to return to the soft red dirt and green grass. They have been moving more and also lying down more often, with audible pleasure. The dogs, too, seem happier, freer. It was getting hot down there and the cold nights here have given us all a snap-to spirit. For the horses and dogs, that means more friskiness, more appetite, more soaking up the sun with moments of relaxation whereas in Arizona they'd be seeking shade. There is something to be said for familiarity with one's surroundings. Arizona was unfamiliar to us and I feel like we all carried a bit of a brace as we experienced the time there. Next time, it will likely feel different. So, when we returned to Colorado, our familiarity added to the pleasing aspect of green grass and open skies. The drought has been on my mind and I'm grateful that the pasture could rest until we showed up. It's a precarious time to be on working lands. Many ranchers are selling stock to reduce the pressure on their fields. Personally, I'll be cordoning off sections of pasture, to keep the horses from overgrazing it. For the moment, the wind blows beautifully over healthy grasses and the birds busy the skies with territorial calls and with food in their beaks to feed their young. I anticipate rougher going as summer heats up. May the monsoon season be fruitful. Awe, Nice! welcomes interviewees. If you have a moment you experienced while working outside and would like to share it, contact us here. at awenice.com. Awe, Nice! also welcomes your support. You can find a donate button on our about page. We thank Kershaw knives and Redmond salt for their sponsorships. Music is by my friend, Forrest Van Tuyl. Keep your eyes, ears, and mind open. Until next time.
