Stories from the Stringam Family Ranches of Southern Alberta

From the 50s and 60s to today . . .



Saturday, February 25, 2017

Unexpected Answers

Daddy on Heinrich.
(With my eldest sister who doesn't appear in this story...)
The Stringam ranch covered a lot of ground.
A lot.
Going out to check the cows was an event.
Usually requiring hours. If not a whole day.
And prairie weather is—ummm---let’s go with capricious.
It sounds a whole lot better than unpredictable. Or just downright volatile.
On to my story . . .
Daddy had gone to ride through the herd, checking that no one was AWOL.
Or hurting.
Or dead. It was nature, after all.
It had been a beautiful day when he left. With no weather channel or satellite imaging, there was no way of knowing that this could change. Dramatically.
Sigh.
About five miles from the ranch, a storm blew up.
Now you have to know that the prairies are known for their endless stretches of grasses.
And notable absence of trees.
When a storm starts, it can get a really good run.
In a matter of seconds, one can go from happily basking in the winter sunlight to being mercilessly buffeted by cutting winds and blinding snow.
That’s what happened here.
Daddy’s world was instantly blotted out.
No landmarks. No solar guide.
Up and down were even difficult to differentiate. 
Daddy stopped his horse. There was only one thing left to do.
Have you ever heard the phrase: “There are no atheists in foxholes”?
Well that would apply equally to ranchers stuck in snowstorms.
Daddy needed to pray.
He did.
Then he waited.
All at once, he felt the distinct impression to let go of the reins.
Yep. Cross them over the horse’s neck and leave them there.
I expect you realize that this is a tall order for a rancher. You let go of the reins, you lose control of the situation.
Again, the impression came.
Sighing, Daddy did as he felt impressed to do. Then hunkered down in his coat and tried to pretend he was somewhere warm and sunny.
The horse started to walk.
Slowly. And steadily.
Occasionally, Daddy would poke his head out to stare at the great featureless wall of snow that hemmed he and his horse on every side.
Then, as his mount kept moving, he would slide back into the comparative warmth of his coat and start praying again.
All at once, the storm seemed to lessen. Daddy frowned. Yes. There was a definite break in the wind.
The horse stopped moving.
Daddy poked his head out.
They were standing in front of the barn.
I believe in answered prayers.
And in the Guardian Angels sent to our aid.
They appear in all sorts of ways.
Sometimes with four legs and a mane and tail. 

12 comments:

  1. That is amazing. I was caught out on the 'ridge' in the middle of nowhere in the dead of winter and encountered situations similar to that. Only difference was that I was in the truck and I had a radio. I remember one time out in the sand hills at the north end of the ranch; I was scattering range pellets to the cows. It was chinooking when I loaded the truck but I saw that masssive gray mass coming in from the north. It dropped from 40 above to 0 in less than an hour. The snow started and soon it was ZERO visibility. I was able to follow the wind and blowing snow until I saw the fence, and I would've plowed right through that if it wasn't for the headlights reflecting off the barbed wire. I turned east at the fence and followed it to the gate. From there on we had a built-up trail and it was fairly easy getting back to the ranch and then on the main road to town. I don't know if I really prayed or not but I'm sure the thought went through my mind a time or two....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Super scary! You sure have to have a healthy respect for the forces of nature!

      Delete
  2. We ask for guidance but we have to be willing to follow it....and therein lies the problem for most of us. So glad your Dad both listened and obeyed.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Amazing story. Animals have what we would consider superpowers in a human, and they don't get nearly enough credit!

    George's story is amazing too. As someone who gets sinus headaches with an abrupt change in air pressure or temperature, the thought of the temperature falling that fast makes me wince!

    ReplyDelete
  4. What a story.
    I'm sure animals can and do sense more than we often credit them for.
    I'm so pleased that your dad listened and followed the impression ...

    All the best Jan

    ReplyDelete
  5. This is beautiful. My inner voice most often tells me to take a nap.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Powerful story. As a child, I was walking home from a friend's house, about 4 blocks from my home, and got absolutely disoriented in a snowstorm. I ended up making a big circle, ending back at my friend's house, but I was so frightened and can still remember that feeling. I've lived on the plains in Kansas and know how that situation might have ended in a totally different (and tragic) way. Thankful that horse had the instinct to find the way and that your Dad trusted his inner voice.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Horses do know the way home, don't they? What a story. Thank goodness your father did what he did. Good horse.

    This actually reminds me of the chapter in Mark Twain's "Roughing It" about him and his friends getting lost in the blizzard!

    ReplyDelete

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