Friday, June 26, 2009

June Rancher of the Month

















Our June Rancher of the month is Eric**. Eric comes to us from Florida, by way of Georgia. He works at a local goat dairy, helping with the daily chores and the bi-weekly raw milk deliveries.

Eric is a quiet and unassuming person who is soft spoken and kind to the other Ranchers. Many of our Ranchers look up to Eric because he is so kind and patient with others. They voted him into the office of Ranch mayor last November and he has since passed his office on to another Rancher.


















Of all of our Ranchers, Eric is the most apt to jump in and help out with the most difficult jobs, especially when it includes manual labor. Eric is also a tremendous help to his house parent because he qualifies to cook and work in the kitchen.

















Eric spends his free time taking long walks and watching his favorite TV programs, as well as helping our Ranch manager with whatever work needs done around the Ranch.

Eric is good company. He talks about his life, his opinions (which are many), and his family. He is also a good listener, patiently hearing some of the other Ranchers saying the same thing numerous times. He never complains. He is a friend to all, Ranchers and staff alike.

The staff is very proud of Eric. He quit smoking this year, which may be one of the hardest things he's ever done.



















Eric's greatest desire is to live on his own. The Ranch will be opening an independent living home early next year and Eric will qualify to live in that house. It will be the first step towards his dream and we're pleased to be able to offer him this option.



...bursting with abilities, capabilties, and possibilities!


**Triangle Cross Ranch does not use the Rancher's real names in our public posts.

Monday, June 8, 2009

The Miracle of Summer Color


Triangle Cross Ranch is located in the "Great American Desert". Our climate could be considered extreme to some, with cold and harsh winters and hot dry summers. If it weren't for irrigation, we would be living in a barren desert.

And yet look at what God does for us!!


This summer, so far, we've had a lot of rain. After several years of drought, the rain is a blessing and reward.



God shows His glory in all climates and in all seasons. These little bits of color are part of His fingerprint of creation. "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
Ephesians 2:10




"Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world."
John 17:24



Each of our Ranchers is work of God's glory, showing a unique part of His character to the world.





"All men are like grass and all their glory is like the flowers of the fields. The grass withers and flowers fall. But the Word of the Lord stands forever."
1 Peter 1:24







"Consider the lillies of the field. They do not labor or spin, and yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was arrayed as one of these."
Luke 12:27






"Praise God from whom all blessings flow!"
Doxology








Baby Goats Arrive!!




Our first angora kids of the season arrived on Friday afternoon between 1:30 and 2:00 pm. The twins, a brown male and white female, are racing around their little shelter, literally bouncing off the walls.




















Wednesday, June 3, 2009

June Rancher of the Month

This is Bruce.** Bruce is definitely his own person. He works 4 days a week at a local restaurant as a dish washer and pays his own bills here at the Ranch. He loves to watch TV, especially sports and the news. If we ever need to know what the weather will be we can always trust his reports.




Bruce's routine is very important to him. He lives by the preposted menus, the calendar and the schedule of activities. Deviating from his routine brings him unbelievable stress so things are very predictable in his life and we work hard at keeping it that way.




The Colorado Rockies is one of Bruce's favorite teams. We occasionally get free tickets from friends and donors and the outings to the games are some of his best times. Bruce takes his transistor radio with him to the ball park and listens to another game being played while he watches the Rockies play. He knows all of the statistics of nearly all of the American League and National League players. He's a wealth of information and very handy to have at a baseball game.
Of course, the Broncos are Bruce's other favorite team and he catches every game he can on TV.





Bruce likes to watch action movies with kissing in them. He laughs at each and every kiss, blushes every time and comments about the couples who kiss on the screen. Some of his favorite movies are The Mask of Zorro and Top Gun.





Bruce bottle fed his own Nubian kid this spring and named it, what else?, Bruce! Happily, the fact that Little Bruce was a girl didn't interfere with their relationship at all.








Bruce has been here at the Ranch for 22 years, longer than any other Rancher, board member or staff member. He has seen more than he is able to communicate in those years. He has recently come to the top of the federal funding waiting list and will be moving away from the Ranch to live closer to his job in a host home in Greeley. He's nervous and excited all at the same time. The uncertainty of where he will live and who his housemates will be is causing him stress, but the staff and Ranchers all tell him how much his new family will love him and how happy he will be. After all, what's not to love? He should move to his new diggs by the end of July.

Bruce recently told us that he "wouldn't even miss this place." He laughed after he said it and we knew he was starting to separate. It was sad for us, but a necessary step for him. He loves his house parent, Pauline, very much and depends on her for much more than help with daily living skills. She provides the sense of family, love and unconditional acceptance that Bruce needs to thrive. The local agency is doing their very best to find Bruce a family whose style is a lot like Pauline's.

Needless to say, we will all miss him desperately. This is the next step that God has for Bruce and once his routine is established, he will bloom where he is planted, just as he's bloomed here at Triangle Cross Ranch.




The best of God's blessings to you Bruce! We love you!











"...bursting with abilities, capabilities and possibilities!"









**Triangle Cross Ranch does not use our Ranchers' real names in our public posts.