The Cowgirl

I had a s-t-r-a-n-g-e day Saturday, November 28th.  The day started very well, me sippin' a mug of joe in my recliner knitting, The Man at the computer looking at local real estate for sale.  The man finds a 1930's cabin that has been re-located from Murphy's cabin's in Pinetop, to the Concho area.  The real estate ad said it had 23 acres, couple of barns and wood cook stove in the kitchen, WELL...........that fired up my lightbulbs.........I learned to can on an ol' wood cookstove.  So we decided that when a reasonable morning hour rolled around, we'd call a realtor and maybe go see this cabin.  In the interim, the man located some further properties we could look at.  So our morning consisted of  driving around our area looking at listings we were interested in.  The cabin............not EVEN worth the money they are asking, but they've only been on the market 30 days, we'll keep our eye on it and see how low it drops (which is really unfortunate for the people who own it, but it's a buyers dream!). 

We decided that since none of the houses we had seen were really good income property, we'd drive around in the Black Mesa area, just because it's pretty and we'd never been on the road.  We went past some very interesting places.  New Dawn Ranch.........that was defintely an interesting place.........several yurts, a single wide mobile, gorgeous backdrop and view and an es-guess-timate of close to $100,000K in fencing and barns for Alpacas.  I wanna be an Alpaca when I grow up............crazy the craze over Alpaca's.

We finished up with that lil' road and headed down Stirrup Road which ended up at the edge of a huge wash...........it was impassable with a four wheel drive vehicle.  However, when we turned around and headed back out to the highway, about a mile or so down, we ran across Stirrup Road. Guess that road's for 3 & 4 wheel drive ATV's. Certainly wasn't one we could take, and we're not weanies.

As we headed East on Concho highway, The Man says," there's a road that I wanna check out, how's that sound to you?"  Well hell, I'm captive in the car, going 70 mph down the road, "sounds good to me."  So we do, we turn onto a dirt road with a sign out on the highway that reads, "A to Z Well Drilling & Water Tanks," so it dawns on me The Man wants to inquire about the water storage tanks, but turns out I was dead wrong.  He really did just wanna take a drive down this road.  This is where my day turns strange...........we are heading South on this dirt road, we're approx. 4-5 miles back in (BTW-there is NO sign of any living creature, driveway nor home), when we happen upon a guy (in the middle of nowhere) in a Bobcat driving down the road........hmmmm.  Further down the road, say another 3-4 miles we run into a guy (looked like an old hippy from the 60's), driving a 1940's Ford tractor.......hmmm.  I ask The Man, "what in the world are these two guys doing?"  I can tell by his look I'm not gonna get an answer.  We are driving along, admiring the country (in the middle of nowhere), taking spur roads off spur roads and just driving.  We're hoping that one of these dirt roads will take us out to the highway in a very round about way......ya know, so we can see all this remote country!  We are in this huge rock outcropping of sandstone driving, when we come upon these piles of stacked rocks.........you know, the "new agey" type of stacked rocks you see in Sedona.........all over!  In the middle of nowhere...........hmmm.  We continue on, both thinking about the rocks when we spot a Border Collie/Aussie Shepherd with a bandana around his neck, running.  Seems he's with the cowgirl on the horse that rounds the corner about the same time we round the corner.  She stops, we stop..........the dog is running around trying to follow her commands and gettin' an ass chewin' by this cowgirl at the same time.  I roll down my window.........we talk, I ask her if we can get out to the highway on this lil' ol' dirt road.  She says, "used to, but the damn wash washed out and ya can't anymore."  O.K. well, can we head further South on this road and meet the highway South of here?  She says, " ya, ya can, but don't turn left up ahead, keep veering to the right and the ol' road turns kindly rough, but........well" she says as she pets her horse,  "I have 4-wheel drive so I can get through anything." About that time, she takes a long pull on a beer she's got with her in this cool beer holder that's part of her darn saddle!  "Yep," she says, "I figured I'd take ol' Wallace out today for a long ride cuz it's gonna snow tomorrow."  She looks up at the sky, sniffs the air, seems like in anticipation of a snow flurry at any moment.  The Man and I look up also....then she says, "Ya know I aint afraid to ride out her by myself, cuz I pack a gun and I know how to use it."  "Good, good," I say to her, "that's a smart thing to do riding this far out."  "Oh no" she says, I don't live that far away, see that mountain over yonder, well I just live up on the side of that damn thing......been living there for five years now, came from Chicago."  "Told myself I'd never live anywhur it snowed evur again after Chicago, but here I am."  Takes another long pull off her beer and gazes off. "See, the Mr. and me bought land out here, pulled in our travel trailer and an ol' bus, but hell it cost us so much to put the well in that we can't afford electricity or a home..........so I live in the travel trailer and he lives in the bus.........works just fine by me."  "Got me three horses." O.K...... I am thinking that we have warped backwards in time to the Twilight Zone.  She's tellin us stuff I don't NEED to know. She says, "What do you do?"  I tell her we have a small sheep ranch and she says, "well, how do you like that?"  I tell her we really love the sheep and it's just a hobby farm really.  "Where do you live?"  I give her a vague idea.........we all sit in silence for a bit AND just when I'm getting ready to tell her to enjoy the rest of her ride with Wallace, she begins talking again.........stuff, like........."ya know, I told the ol' man that we're gettin' to old to be livin' like this, what if he had a damn heart-attack on me, how am I supposed to get his ass loaded in our truck to meet the ambulance out on the county road?"  "My GOD, we're miles off the road on the side of a damn mountian!"  I tell her I can feel for her, "yep, getting to old for this kinda life style for sure."  She likes that I agree with her, like maybe I'd ride home with her and tell her ol' man that I agree with her! 

The cowgirls name is Deb.  She is a real cowgirl from Chicago, who lives off the grid, off the land and as far away from any establishment as she can be!  She rides her three horses everyday of the week cuz she loves them, they need excercise and she can drink her beer in peace.  I wish I'd have had the camera with me for a candid shot of this women on her horse...........Goldwater would have been proud of the shot.

We say "good-bye" and head down the road she suggested............it becomes evident to us right soon, that this road is indeed only passable with her kinda 4-wheel drive..........a horse named Wallace.  We turn around and head back the way we came..........I look to the North and wayyyyy up on the side of a mountain is this.......yellow bus, up near the clouds.  Can't tell if there's a travel trailer or not cuz it's so far up..........but I think it's where she lives.  We never see her, the horse, nor the dog again on our way out...........we drive in silence......................we come upon the man still on his 1940's tractor just driving around on the road................we scoot home once we hit the highway.........in silence. Been thinkin' about Deb the cowgirl all day......... while it's stormin and I'm sittin' by my ol' woodstove in my nice, lil' cozy home. God bless you Deb, the Cowgirl from Chicago!

THANKS-giving

Thanksgiving........my favorite holiday.  Nothing is expected from anyone aside from some good vittles and a comfy, cozy, atmosphere spent with family. Something magical happens on Thanksgiving........we become more focused on the many blessings we've been bestowed in our lives.  We take a calm, deep breath and allow "life to be life" for a day. No worries, no timelines, no problem..........a blessing before a meal with hands interlocked around the table, chatter, naps, movies, and hot, comforting beverages round the ol' woodstove.  

My Thanks & Blessing

1. The health of my entire family

2. The safety of our soldiers.

3. My sweet husband, who has allowed me to be ME!

4. My home

5. My animals

6. Friends

7. My belief

8. My life

9. A special blessing to those who have passed before me.....I miss you all dearly.

May you all have a blessed, and "comfy" Thanksgiving with those you love.  

~Happy Thanksgiving~ 

Marketing Fleece

Finding the niche for marketing our fleece has taken me some time.  When I started raising sheep, I was in it for the meat production only.  It didn't dawn on me that I would soon become addicted to spinning.  Once you learn to spin, everything else becomes muted, in the background.  I still market my sheep for meat sales, and every year, I sell all our lambs.  That's a big deal to me. How did I do it?
1: Give samples of your good, natural lamb (already processed and back from the butcher) to people to try.  Once they've tried your product, they will be back to purchase a lamb the following year........guaranteed!

2: Take good care of the animals, the facilities they live in, and keep them in good body condition.  That speaks volumes to people who are in the market for meat.  A dirty pen, matted sheep, long hooves and foul water do not!

3: Once sold, take a deposit to hold that lamb for them when weaning/or locker time arrives.  Keep them posted on their lamb, the growth, weight, etc.  Set up the locker date for them, once that's done, the locker and the individual are now in correspondence.  Make sure to deliver the animal to the locker as a courtesy.

I have repeat customers who contact us a year in advance of the next lambing due to our attention to detail, exquisite taste of our lamb, and the quality care of our animals. 

Our Fiber: I've just recently found my niche' for marketing the fiber.  It took leg work, word of mouth and a skill.  I have marketed on-line via farm blog forums, walked into shops and displayed my yarn to owners, talked with many people. It has finally paid off......I now market fleece in the Appalachian mountain range, sell yarn on consignment in a local boutique, and have sold to a fiber artist in the valley. I hope to have my own web site designed, and up and running in the near future. People will buy your product if you believe in your product.  I'm not out to make huge sums of money from my fleece or yarn.  I just want to offer a premium yarn and fleece to women who enjoy the art of spinning and knitting as I do.  If the income supplements a small portion of what it takes me monetarily to raise the sheep, I'm happy. Plus, I get all the fiber I want to spin and knit my own lil' treasures.

I have found peace in my love of raising sheep.  At this point in my life, I can't imagine NOT having sheep.  A good friend of mine once told me........."you'll probably keel over in a mess of sheep dung one day Kat, but you'll be happy!"  I couldn't have said it better! 

"Crafting Happiness"



For Melanie

"Hands on projects are like mental health vitamins: They remind our brains we can have some impact on the world."-Body & Soul

"Research suggests that when we immerse ourselves in activities involving planning, anticipation, and self-forgetting movement--such as gardening, crafting, or even engine tinkering (a pastime of the Dalai Lama)-we not only come back into the moment but also reduce stress and combat anxiety and depression."

Yep, hard physical work producing palpable results might be a source of pleasure!  Modern science tells us one of the best cures for depression is god old-fashioned handiwork.  Think of it as DIY therapy. 

In our contemporary age, when it's possible to Tweet ones' deepest thoughts while waiting two minutes for dinner to warm in the microwave, "this circuitry, encompassing a vast amount of "brain real estate," isn't often called on to function in coordination and communication, as it seems evolutionarily designed to do."  When we activate our own effort-driven reward circuitry, it squirts a cocktail of feel-good neurotransmitters, including dopamine (the "reward" chemical), endorphins (released w/exercise), and serotonin (secreted during repetitive movement.)

There are low rates of depression among members of Old Order Amish communities. The Amish, who sew their own clothes, tap their own syrup, and drive handheld plows through dry furrows, could be getting a serious neurobiological lift from all of their effort!

When I knit a scarf, spin my fleece into yarn, can goods from our garden and grow my garden, my brains executive-thinking center get busy planning, then the happy-anticipation zone begins to zing with activity, talking back to the executive top brain and reaching out to other parts that make me dive my hands into action.  The irony is that some of these hobbies sound so simplistic!

As I age I understand that keeping my brain fit is crucial to keeping my body whole, alive and alert.  Learning something new, working Soduku, crosswords, crafting, are all key to aiding in the "whole of Kat." It produces new, healthier brain cells. Doing a mentally absorbing task interrupts ruminations long enough for them to subside, and my thinking becomes more clear and less negative.

When I repeatedly do things with my hands that have a tangible result, I get better at them and I have more confidence.  Handicrafts are so gratifying, and promote a fine grained, joyful observing that is hard to come by when life flies by at it's usual breakneck clip.  Any creative activity presents an opportunity to realize how much you've never noticed, which leads to more engagement, which leads to better health and well-being.  When you let yourself explore your own innate creativity, the resulting "mindfulness"-often branches out into other areas.

For me, the joy is in the planning and execution, when I can tap into some new realm by returning to a beginners mind thinking (I'm thinking it's similar to a childs way of being a free spirit).

Just about everyone has a story, and her/his own deep, uniquely creative talents.  There's so much to learn from the unknown--realizing that often there's no such thing as right or wrong in anything you do.  Hands on work satisfies our primal craving to create solid objects; it could also be an antidote to our cultural malaise...........



My Baby Girl.........Jessi

Jessica Ann

There is a reason GOD gives us the pleasure of having daughters, because we need them like we need breath and a heart-beat.  They are such a quintessential part of our being, an extension with a "new, fresh perspective."  This is my sweet baby girl, Jessica (I've always called her Jessi or Sis).  She is a Thursday's child, born at 11:43 a.m. at 6 pounds 14 oz. in a huge snowstorm, very near the Canadian border in Eastern Washington.  I had her naturally, by the LeBoyer method and nursed her until she was six months of age.  She was a sheer joy from the moment she entered this world.  She has always smiled a lot, talked a lot and been very, very smart!   When she entered pre-school she could count to 10, say her ABC's and was one of the teachers favorite kids.  By the time she was in kindergarten, she was honored with going next door to the pre-school class to "READ" to them.  She has always been a Type A who enjoys excelling in everything she does. 

She's done amazing things over the years: Graduating from high school a year early w/excellent grades, getting her Associate degree when she was pregnant with her second child.  Getting her Bachelor's degree in between the second and third child.  Now enrolled in the Master's program with three kids and a full-time job as a teacher.  She is an excellent cook, debater, dancer, singer, hiker, mother, wife, teacher, lady!  She is MY BEST FRIEND!  I am very proud of this young woman, she has done copious amounts of "good things" with her life. 

She's thoughtful, sweet, humorous, sensitive, kind, loving.  When I watch her with her three kids, I feel honored.  She hugs them, loves them, tells them positive things all the time, she also disciplines like know one you've ever seen.  The kids respect her, love her back immensely, worship her, confide in her, miss her terribly when she's gone...............isn't that the way it's supposed to be?  She rules with an iron clad fist, and holds them as if they were a glass figurine, ever so gently, the perfect dynamic.

She's beautiful with a very slight body frame (size 0), she's very health conscious, energetic beyond human capability (she wears me out).  She outdoes most men in fishing, hiking, and horseshoes.  Anytime I go ANYWHERE with her, people stare.  She exudes a confident demeanor and zest for life that shows in her stance and face.  

Jessi, from the moment you entered my life, you changed me forever.  I wanted you to always be safe, be happy, be healthy.  I pray for you everyday, because now I can't protect you from under my wing.......you have your own family to do that for you now, but it's the BEST way I know to still keep you safe from afar.  I will be praying for you the rest of my days..........because I love you beyond measure.  My life is far more enriched because of you.  Did you know that Thursday's child will go far?  You have gone far my sweet baby, you have pursued a richness in your life and I'm very, very proud of you. I often miss holding you, playing barbies or plane with you, I miss baking lil' goodies for your small, sweet mouth.  I miss the kisses, the grimy hugs, the cherry stained face.  I miss that lil' baby girl, but then I see you walk in the door............and I'm taken back.............you have become a beautiful, smart women, and I'm so proud of you................this is my Billet-Doux to you!



When times seem too hard to bear & I l feel like giving up

I envision your beautiful face, the twinkle of your eyes and things of such

The bond we created from my womb to the day you were born

Is a mother and daughter bind that can never be torn

With the strength and guidance of God and the blessings he pours down from above

I want to be the best mom I can be to you and embrace you with all my love

You are as precious as a flower and as gorgeous as a rose

You have been specially made to the very tip of your nose

You are as sweet as honey; such an innocent young child

You are brighter than any star in the sky every time you smile

I want you to be proud of who you are and strive to be the best

Put forth your efforts to achieve your goals and let God do the rest

I will always be your mother first, but I'm also your friend

Your are the most precious gift, that I've ever been given

I love you Jessica Ann!

A Farm Girls Life

Life sure is good, I've absolutely no complaints (except on occasion when my hands are too stiff!). 

It's a GOOD life when: 1. You wake up to the most gorgeous sunrise ever.

2. The smell of the ol' ranch kitchen smells like fresh brewed coffee.

3. You wake up with a good plan for the day.

4. You feel good.

5. When it's feeding time in the morning, you walk out to a nice, crisp, clean, outdoorsy smell, and all the animals are happy to see you.

6. All the animals appear to be healthy.

7.  Having a bowl of oatmeal with fresh milk from the dairy down the road.

8. Taking a nice, hot bath in the morning with a book....just a half hour to read in peace.

9. No phones interupting the guiet.

10.  A husband that calls you shortly after he's left for work, just to tell you he "loves you."

11. A day spent either canning, gardening, spinning, knitting, reading or cooking.  No T.V. for this "farm girl." I like a productive day.

12. Or, a day skirting fleece from our sheep, or hanging out clean clothes on a well loved clothesline.

13. An afternoon spent blogging with other "farm girls."  We chat a lot about spinning, sheep, gardens, and canning.  Boring to most people I'm sure, but ever so exciting to have such a wonderful network of women to converse with, share ideas.

14. The joy of picking a lot of fresh veggies from the garden and then plotting the meal around it........how blessed we are.

15. A phone call from a grand child after school, to tell me something hugely, significant that happened to them that day.

16. The joy of seeing my husband pull in the drive-way, the three dogs thrilled beyond containment as well, what a splendid "welcome home."

17. A healthy, delicious meal spent with someone you love so deeply.

18. Crawling into bed together, snuggling and talking about the day, the weather, the animals, our grandkids.

19. Saying our "prayers" together in hopes that all those we love will remain healthy and happy.

20. Sleeping well through the night, awakening to the rooster outside our bedroom door in the early morning hours, only to start all over again........

Yes, life is very, very GOOD!

To my lil' cowboy, "I love you more and the most!"

"Ignorance is Not Bliss"

This is "Boone," he was one of three lambs born this year to "Freckles."  He has a brother that looked almost identical although he was polled, and a big sister that looked nothing like the two boys.  They were born very healthy.  My mother helped me with the lambing, it was her first time seeing a lamb born.  She told me the next morning, "I wouldn't have wanted to leave this earth without seeing this, thank you."  How fun that evening was for us.

As most of you know who have followed my blog, we breed and raise sheep.  We sell most of our lambs for meat, we raise a few for close family/friends, and we keep a few for good breeding stock, with desirable traits. Now that I've discovered spinning the fiber into yarn for projects, that plays a role in which sheep we keep and which ones we sell as well. 

No matter what the outcome for the lamb, we raise all equal. We practice good husbandry skills and provide excellent care to each.  We often have a waiting list of people who want to buy "our" lambs. 

We sold this lil' guy yesterday to a couple near our home.  Both moved here from California, apparently they've raised chickens before, possibly a steer or two.........so they've told us........  Late last summer they asked us if they could purchase a lamb from us after it was weaned.  I was a bit hesitant as I could tell from speaking to them, they really didn't have much common sense when it came to livestock (or chickens for that matter).  However, to be fair in my assessment, I gave her books to read on raising sheep and I told her to "google" anything and everything to educate herself on sheep.  From a physical standpoint it looked as though they were getting into the project of raising livestock.  They purchased an additional acre of land, fenced it (and re-fenced it), build a small shelter large enough to house a steer and sheep, bought a feeder, a water trough and hay.  They put some money into this little venture of theirs.  When the time was nearing for weaning, I asked her to return the book(which he said they had been reading), and pick the young lamb up at 7a.m. on August 13th. 

A day prior to the sell date, the neighbor guy called to tell me that they couldn't come pick up this lamb until 10 a.m.  That wasn't good news for me as I don't feed any of my animals if one is getting transported, it's hard on them to deal with the stress on a full gut.  Gives them a tummy-ache.  Plus, "The Man" and myself had two surveying jobs to do that morning, over-time for him and a chance for me to help him.  Also we had to get back at a reasonable hour to accept two squeezes being delivered to our hay barn that afternoon.  This "10 a.m." time frame wasn't working for us..........so with a bit of protest, the neighbor said he'd be here at 8a.m. 

"The Man" and myself got up early, had our couple cups of coffee and then went out to the barn.  I always send an animal off with trimmed hooves, a worming shot, and a shipping fever shot.  I do this early enough to make sure there is no reaction to any of the shots.  All was fine with "Boone" that morning, his temperature was good, he was ready to go to a new home. 

The neighbors showed on time(thank goodness), and "The Man" did his magic on "whispering' to his sheep to calm them.  He caught "Boone" without a hitch............however, about that time the neighbor opened the gate into the barn, and stormed in with his "noose" in hand which he abruptly put around the lambs neck, scaring the dickens out of the other sheep.  Until the lamb was placed in the back of the truck did I notice the tightness around his lil' neck and the fact that his ear was cinched down in the tight mess.  I told the neighbor to "take the tight rope off his neck, sit with him in the back of the truck and try this knot, something that allows him to breathe if he strains against it."  He didn't tie the new knot, instead he held the lamb and they drove off down the road. 

You know when you have a little voice inside of you telling you something?  I didn't listen to that yesterday.  I regret that today.  GOD spoke to me yesterday and I just "blew him off."  Pride and a promise I guess.  Our Border collie even spoke to us and we didn't listen.  He was very stressed the lamb was leaving and baaing in the back of the truck, to the tune of running the fence line crying as they drove off.  It took awhile to calm him, those are his lambs and he bonds with them from the moment they hit this world.  He's the only dog I allow into a lambing jug after lambing, he needs to smell them, lick them, bond with them, he does and the ewes are not in the least bothered by "Blue," they know he is safe.

The neighbors showed at 8a.m. to pick up their lamb, the sweet lamb perished by 9a.m.  I keep asking myself, "how did this happen?"  Ignorance..........lack of education, arrogance, pride...........all of the above.  That was the voice......it told me to tell them I had decided to keep the lamb, raise it for ourselves...........I didn't because I had told them I would sell one to them.  I suspected they weren't educating themselves properly, I was right.

The lil' lamb should have been transported to their ranch, confined in a small corral for about three days and allowed to acclimate SAFELY!!  Instead, the lamb was tossed out in an acre pasture with a huge Hereford steer while the couple went indoors to do..........????  Evidently the lamb slammed his head into the welded livestock panel several times to the point of knocking itself out and collapsing in exhaustion.  By the time we noticed them loading the lamb up in the back of the truck, we went over and asked, "is everything o.k."  Response, "No, we're taking the lamb to the vet, he hurt himself."  I will spare you further details on the injury to this lil' lamb, we suspect a broken neck.  He was scared, wanted to go back home to his brother, mother and sister, the ranch he knew and loved..........his lil' life was premorse.

I will blame myself for not listening to "the lil' voice inside me," and for having suspicions about a couple not educated in raising sheep. They had this ideology that you could just "buy and animal, throw it in a pasture, fatten it up and all would be well."  No common sense came into play here, no observation over the lamb when they took it home, no clue what to do with a lamb once he was down (they didn't move him out of the hot sun (91 F.) for over thirty minutes), they put him in a truck which had been in the hot sun, untethered, with no pad or blanket, and hauled him 17 miles from home.  The sheep vet in town was five miles away. 

This could have been prevented with proper "know how" on raising sheep.  This could have been prevented had I not sold him to this couple. 

We've learned a valuable lesson here, one I will never make again.  I'm sorry sweet "Boone," so sorry.

"One act of pure love in saving life is geater than spending the whole of one's time in religious offerings to the gods.........." --Dhammapada

"The greatness of a nation and it's moral progress can be judged by the way it's animals are treated."--Ghandi

An Old Soul

A calf looking in the front door of the ranch house......"where's my mama?"

What inspires us as individuals to "take up" a way of life, a passion...........and why us?

 My passion for "ranching" has long been with me.  For me, it started as a young girl.  Probably, thinking back, from the time I was 7 years old. I think of myself as an "old soul."  I can't remember feeling any other way.  My whole life has been building to this crux...........owning land, livestock, gardening, canning and living "the old ways."

For me, animals are the highlight of my day.  It gives me  "purpose" to care for them, treat them when they get sick, help the "girls" with their lambings should they need me............seems mine always do, for support if nothing else.  If you've never looked into the eyes of a ewe when she's ready to lamb, you can't know the depth of her "want" for you to be there with her.  Even if it's just sitting in the corner of a lambing jug, speaking quietly to her, coaching her through the lambing process.  It's one of the greatest feelings anyone can experience.  When an animal lets you know that it's "o.k." to be there with them during a difficult time, that's the ultimate.  

When your three day old calve sees you as his surrogate mother.  He'll follow you anywhere, nudge you for more milk, suck on your fingers for security..........even sleep on you.  That to, is the reason I do what I do.

I love when I return from a day gone from the ranch, the three dogs greet me at the gate ever excited I've returned to them, and they no longer have to be in charge of the sheep..........they bounce around, howl with joy, expect pets when you get out of the car.

Picking my own heirloom veggies from my garden(veggies now big and grown from seedlings I started back in winter).  Trimming and cleaning them in preparation for the canning process.  Experimenting with recipes and pickling brines............because I have canned for so many years, I have the confidence to "tweak" a recipe.  Washing my full jars after they've set for 24-hours and sealed.  Lining them up on my cellar shelves, knowing that I'll have fresh tasting fruits and veggies for the cold winter months.

Making my own sourdough starter (now over 12 years old) and making homemade artisan loaves of bread for "The Man" and myself.  Nothing is finer than having homemade sourdough biscuits with homemade plum, apricot, peach, blueberry or apple butter jam.............along with fresh eggs from my hens, and homegrown bacon or sausage from our hog.

Having a wonderful clothes line with an incredible view of the mountains, the BEST part of hanging my clothes out to dry.  The gray water from the washer draining into the orchard to water the fruit trees, while also providing drinking water for the many animals that wander through our ranch land.  I make my own cleaning and washing supplies so that I tread a bit lighter on our earth, eliminating many of the harsh chemicals that most "store-bought" supplies have.

My love of reading books rather than watching T.V. (my daddy used to call it the "idiot box!").  Cutting our own firewood for the long winter months, as it's the only source of heat we have........in 85 years, no resident of this ranch house has deemed it necessary to provide heat in any other way...........hmmmm?  I know why, because wood heat is the warmest heat!  My joy of putting on a pot of soup or stew in the winter on the ol' woodstove and simmering it all day.

To many people, this may sound like a lot of hard work, and I'll admit....not always do I want to hang my laundry out to dry, or make our bread, or even can.  But once I get started, push myself to do so, I'm happy.  I just had a "lazy moment" when I wanted to fudge on the task.  Then, from out of nowhere, I think about my ancestors, my "people," and I think.........what if they hadn't done what they needed to do for a day, a week...........?  Maybe none of us would be here.  

GOD gave us each a day to live in fullfillment.  I don't think he intended for us to sit in front of a T.V., a computer, an electonic game, or on our bumms!  He expected us to spend time outdoors everyday, working the soil, breathing the air, walking, working, cooking healthy meals, spending time in quiet respite and reflection............for me, it can only happen in a garden, "one is nearer GODS heart in a garden than anywhere else on earth."

But truly, my life has always been focused aound my two children.  They ventured into this journey with me from the day they entered this world. This lifestyle I live isn't something new to me, I've been living this way for many years...........by choice.
   I lived in Washington state on a remote five acres, my children grew up there. I grew a large garden, canned, raised animals, shovelled my own snow, dealt with frozen water pipes, dug myself out of the snow when stuck in my ol' truck (I was seven months pregnant on one such occasion)  I also worked, and attended college all the while being a single mom. My children rode a school bus for over three hours daily during the school months.  It was dark when they got off the bus and dark when they got on, they had over a mile walk back into our lil' homestead everyday.  Winter time, I met them out on the county road. They had just enough time to eat a home-cooked meal, shower, do homework and go to bed...........only to start over the next day.  My two children learned my work ethic............work hard, play hard and spent time alone everyday, so you have something to "bring to the table."  They are incredible young people and I love them beyond measure.  They are successful, educated, and productive individuals. They are kind, compassionate, smart, and very loving. We spend time with one another often. I'm a proud mama, I'm glad that my children appreciate how I've raised them.  I'm glad I've left them a legacy, something they can always "fall back on" and know how to.............


On any given day ask my children, "Has she left you a legacy? Has she inspired you to be your best? Are you strong in character and physical being, strong in faith?"  I know that answer..............

"Dreams come a couple sizes too big so you can grow into them."

P.L.O.M. People

Sunday out at the ranch we had a family meal with our kids and grand kids.  It had been over a week since we'd seen our daughter, she had been attending a week long conference in Scottsdale.  There were ten of us, we had a family style meal outdoors at the picnic table, something I always grew up with.

My daughter and I finally got around to talking about her conference, she really learned a lot and enjoyed it.  She especially liked the speaker at the conference who was from Kentucky.  She told me a lil' story about this women, it got me thinking about my family..............all those Southern relatives of mine!

My grand daddy, Grady Henry Noland, was born in Sherman, Texas.  He was the baby out of seven children.  His mother who was originally from Georgia, raised her seven children mostly by herself.  Her husband was a drifter, who would leave her for years at a time and then one day...........just surface again.  The family made their living as sharecroppers.  Traveling where and whenever there was work, so they moved often.

My granny, Bertha Ann Coursey/Noland, was born in Wyatt, Louisiana.  She was the fourth child of twelve children.  Her mama was Cherokee, English and French.  Her father was Irish.  They too were sharecroppers, moving often.

Both families eventually landed in Marked Tree, Arkansas working farms.  That is where my grandparents met and married.  We have a large family cemetary in Jonesboro, Arkansas, not far from Marked Tree.

Eventually my grandparents moved to Arizona. My grand daddy eventually started making his own hard, earned cash by building lil' shotgun houses for the soldiers during the forties.  This eventually earned him enough to buy a small ranch and build a home for the family.  He raised cattle. 

The speaker at the conference, told the group about her mama's favorite word..........it was "P.L.O.M. people"............which stood for, "poor lil' ol' me."  I grew up knowing things like this, it's something that happens when you are raised by Southerners.  Sayings like: "gettin' all the good and plenty out of something," meaning you had to wear it out before you got another.  "Shit fire," which my grand daddy said when something went wrong, the only cuss word I ever heard him use.  I say it now, but tame it a bit with "shoot fire," my middle grandson likes to use it also........frequently!  "Well butter my butt and call me a biscuit," when you couldn't believe something, kinda like "all be."  "Sister," his nickname for his daughter, "Poor lil' ol thing," something usually said when you didn't like someone or were gossiping about them. There were many lil' ol' sayings,  my point being, that life with Southerners is never, ever dull!!!  They certainly keep a conversation full of life and humor.

Now I've met P.L.O.M. people before, you know, the ones that constantly complain about their woes.  Whether is be an illness, a wrongful deed done to them, things just not going right for them............we've all met them. In fact, I have a neighbor that is a P.L.O.M. person, in all honesty, he drives me nuts!!  I can't talk to him for too long, because before you know it, he's rollin' in his own self-pity, I figure he doesn't need me for an audience, he's his own, "one man pity party." Usually when he corners me,  I listen for a wee bit and then tell him I've got somethin' burnin' in the kitchen and quickly depart.

Now I'm a darn positive girl most of the time.  I thank GOD everyday when I wake up, just for the sheer fact that I DID wake up!  Another day to enjoy time with my grand babies, kids, husband and.................our lil' ol' ranch.

My point is that I'm very proud of my roots, I'm very proud of my grand parents for etching out a nice life for themselves when all odds were against them.  I'm proud of the fact that I was able to spend so much time with my grandparents, we were close.  I spent my life eating some of the BEST Southern cuisine ever..............ham hocks and pintos with cast iron cornbread (my granny made the BEST!), fried okra, turnip greens cooked in bacon grease for hours on the stovetop, lima beans and ham, black-eyed peas, fried chicken and fried sunfish, watermelon with salt, homemade ice cream, cornpones, drop biscuits with homemade jams, meringue pies of all types, iced tea by the gallons drunk out of quart jars iced down, homemade mac and cheese, pickled goodies. 

I miss my grand parents, there are so many things I would love to ask them now that I'm older.  One thing is for sure, I'm proud of my "people" and I'm proud to share that Southern gift with my "sister" and "boo"...............Jessi Ann and Jared Thomas (aka J.T.) 

A Spinning Wheel for Katie or Confessions of a Spinning Addict!

This is my newest purchase....a traditional Ashford spinning wheel.  It's a single drive, made in New Zealand, probably a 1960's model.  I think I got a very, very, good deal on this spinning wheel from a very, very, nice lady I know.

I bought this wheel from a "blogger" friend, shepherdess friend, and email friend. It was my first time to actually meet her in person, along with her significant other, and all her beautiful sheep and lambs.  What an education I got that day.  I can't say enough about learning a "new" craft.  I'm a firm believer in keeping the ol' noggin in good working order by always educating self, and learning something new, something that feels good to spirit, that sings out to your soul. Thus my desire to purchase a spinning wheel so the joy of spinning would go a bit faster for me.  You see, I'd always spun fiber with a drop spindle...............now I know that's an art in itself, but what a joke!  Give me a spinning wheel anyday!!!

In my short 2-3 hour visit with K.L. a master spinner herself, I learned sooo much in such a short time.  K.L. is truly a great teacher, a patient woman, a kind soul.  I learned the parts of the spinning wheel, I learned little tricks of the trade so to speak on a wheel, I learned how to spin, how to wash fleece properly, how to oil "the machine," how to thread the machine, how to ply, also knitty knobs and lazy kates, AND.....which way to spin cut fleece!!!  Now I know why she is a Master spinner with the Endowment of Arts, she's phenomenal and I like her a lot.

This is a flyer and a bobbin on a spinning wheel.  Isn't it pretty??  This is a top view to give you an idea of how it works and how the fiber looks once spun.  The flyer goes around wrapping the fleece onto the bobbin as I peddle with my foot.  It's a pretty intricate ordeal if you're not good at multi-tasking, but with time and practice, you too can spin fleece into yarn.The blue rubber band is off a bunch of fresh broccoli, it is used for the tension, I can either tighten or ease up on the tension depending on the fiber and how fast I want to spin.....which isn't fast at the moment, but I'm o.k. with that because right now, I enjoy the feel of the machine as I work the fleece and learn the wheel. Fast is a later date for this spinner.

I also learned that the flyer on the wheel was engineered with the help of Leanardo di Vinci............who knew and isn't that cool?  Also in the washing process of wool, the spinning cycle of the wool is called, "wuzzing."  Washing fleece is called, "scouring."When spinning, you always spin to the right, ply to the left (aka "sinister").  Plying is when you join yarns on your wheel. 

The parts of a wheel: Bobbin, Flyer, Maidens, Mother of All, Tension knob or brake, Wheel and Hub, Footman, Peddle, Leader.......I'm having a blast with this wheel, I'm in love!!!

This morning I pulled up my Farmer's forecast on the weather for our area.....and guess what?  It's going to be really windy on the high plateau today....awww! The garden is watered, the sheep, steer, and chickens are already fed so........... I'm spinning today just for the "shear" (no pun intended) joy of spinning my fleece into yarn!

SONG FOR THE SPINNING WHEEL

Swiftly turn the murmuring wheel!

Night has brought the welcome hour,

When the weary fingers feel

Help, as if from faery power;

Dewy night o'ershades the ground:

Turn the swift wheel round and round!

Now, beneath the starry sky,

Couch the widely-scattered sheep;

Ply the pleasant labour, ply!

For the spindle,while they sleep,

Runs with speed more smooth and fine,

Gathering up a trustier line.

Short-lived likings may be bred

By a glance from fickle eyes;

But true love is like the thread

Which the kindly wool supplies,

When the flocks are all at rest

Sleeping on the mountain's breast.

William Wordsworth (1770-1850)                 

"The Bean Tree"

This is a "bean tree."  It stands seven foot tall, it's made of green willow, and it's my own creation...........well the idea of a trellis isn't mine, but the "bean tree" is.  I've used these for many years in gardening.  However, when we moved from our home in Show Low to our home in the country...............I left my "bean trees" behind, I've been kickin' myself in the hinny ever since.

Yesterday after getting three lil' grandkids up, fed, and ready for their departure from the ranch, "The Man" asked me what I wanted to do for the day.  I told him I'd think about it while he was returning the lil' chicks back to their parentals.

I knew the garden was getting planted over Memorial week-end (as it has for many years), further my greenhouse is being taken over by my heirloom beans with names like: Ram's Horn, Greasy Grits, Anazazi, & the beloved, Giant Speckled.  The runners on these beans are lovingly embracing my heirloom tomato plants and squash.........boy am I ready to plant!  So it only seemed right that "The Man" and I spend a very windy day, along the rivers edge, cutting willow.  I used the lopers, he used a saw.........pretty soon, we had a  truck-load of fresh, green, willow for my craft.

These "bean trees" are NOT hard to make, we can usually whip one out in about a half-hour.  I need ten by next week-end!!  We strip four branches, lay them on the ground and measure seven foot, then cut. We then stand them upright, get the feel of the willow and it's best fit, then start screwing pieces together at the top (think of a tepee).  Once the top is screwed, we make two layers of bracing at different heights on the "bean tree."  Sometimes we criss-cross, sometimes we square off.  Once these are completed, we sink the legs into the earth by about six inches and I plant the heirloom bean in the middle of the "tree."  Then I hang a homemade device from the upper portion of the "tree" to distract birds from my bean plants. 

These "bean trees" work like a charm and they are good for many, many years.  Once the bean plant has started it's upward climb (to the height of seven foot or more), and blooms.........you have a beautiful, piece of art in the garden.

My next garden art will be a loom.  It's part sculpture, part loom, part wildlife attractor and is six foot high and three foot wide  The vertical strings (the warp) are garden jute  The horizontal threads (the weft) are woven in from any materials you want........mine will be wool fibers combined with grasses, flowers, and stalks from my garden. I will weave willow, amaranth, echinacea, and sunflower stalks, dill, zinnias, and black-eyed Susans.  Friends, family and grandkids are all welcome to gather to weave rows on the sculpture. 

The spark of love, the joy of connection, and the knowledge that we are a tiny part of the whole tapestry is amazingly powerful. 

So.............get your creative juices flowing and share your ideas!"When we are motivated by goals that have deep meaning, by dreams that need completion, by pure love that needs expressing............then we truly live life."---Greg Anderson

"Because Kindness Matters"

There are times when people do something unexpected and you're blown away by their insight and kindness.

Last Monday while driving home from Phoenix, "The Man" and myself stopped at a convenience market to purchase some water and candy.  It just happened to be on the reservation.  As we pulled in, a young cowdog was in the parking lot, completely stressed, obviously nursing some young pups somewhere, and she had this very worried look on her face.  I hopped out of the vehicle and said, "hi pooch, where are your babies?"  "The Man" looked over at her and said, "you need to get along and go feed your babies."  This particular convenience market is a busy market.  Cars were pulling in one after another to gas up and head to wherever...........no one really paid any mind to the lil' bitch, but it was obvious she wanted something from someone, anyone!

As I approached the check-out line, I asked the cashier what the deal was with the dog.  He said, "she's a stray, feral, animal control has already hauled her off, but then they realized she had a litter of pups somewhere so they had to bring her back and let her go, you know, she has to nurse those pups."  I asked him, "does anyone know where the pups are?"  He said "yes, they're right over yonder near the creek, out in the desert." 

 We finished our transaction, I turned to head out the door, when "The Man" grabbed by shoulder and said, "head on out to the truck, I'll be out in a minute."  I stopped on my way out to the truck and called the dog, she was so frightened, and headset on her mission. About that time, "The Man" comes out of the market with a big, fat, juicy hot dog in a bunn.  He blows on it, the lil' cowdog is salivating, pacing, hungry.  One at a time, he pinches off lil' pieces and cools them, then tosses them to her.  She is terrified to get too close to him, but the temptation is too much for her, she is hungry.  She gobbles the last of the hot dog and bunn down and backs up a pace, looks at the man and decides he's o.k.................she comes over to him, rubs up against his leg and walks away to beg from others coming and going. 

With a glisten of a tear in his eye, we head out to the truck, get in and resume our trip back up the mountain.  I don't say a word.  When we get home, check on our own animals and head into the house, I turn to "The Man" and tell him, "these are the things you think of and do, unconditionally, that make me love you so very much."  We kiss, hug and head off to retire for the night, it's been a long day.

I love you very much!  You are a special human being and I'm thankful everyday for you.

"The Cycle"

This is sweet "Kitchi" minutes after birth.  His name is Algonquin for, "brave one."  Brave he was, as was his mother, "Gracie."  He was 11# at birth.  He is a Jacob/Churro lamb.  He has very curly, jet black fleece, with dapplings of white.  He will have horns as it's in his genetics.

At 10 a.m. last Friday, "The Man" came into the house and told me to come check our ewe "Gracie."  We knew she was soon to lamb but weren't quite sure when.  When I approached the lambing jug she had chosen, she was in obvious signs of labor.  I assumed she was in the first stage of labor and would present a bag of water soon.  "The Man" and myself stayed in the jug with "Gracie."  We timed a half hour, cooing and speaking softly to "Gracie" giving her words of encouragement, this was her first lambing.  About fifteen minutes into the labor, I realized something was amiss................a thought that had plagued me for most of her pregnancy.  Another push from the ewe and I saw................one hoof! 

I quickly scrubbed up, went back outside and did a check on her.  The lamb was crossed up, what shepherds call "dystocia," meaning an abnormal or difficult birth...........little did we know, it would be both.  As I reached further into the ewe to locate the position of the other leg, she went down on me.  It's so much easier to correct and manipulate a "crossed" lamb when the ewe remains upright.  I did finally locate the other leg, which was further in her and bent.  Once freed and pulled down to meet the other hoove, I reached back in to locate the head.  It was stuck............BIG time.  Everytime I let go of the hooves to try and free the forehead, the lambs legs contracted back inside her.  This is the point in time that "The Man" gets his first experience with helping "birth a babe."

I had "The Man" hold onto the legs (which were a smidgen of the way out), while I further tried to help the ewe with her delivery.  Try as we might, the lamb was stuck!  We are both getting nervous as "Gracie" now isn't responding to a whole lot.........I'm fearing shock as we have worked on her now for approximately 10 minutes.  Finally, I ask "The Man" to let me have the legs, I push the lamb further inside, rotate a quarter turn and let him have the legs back.  Re-entry tells me we can now start pulling slowly.  We are both, literally sweating now, pulling and finally, out pops the head of a very sweet lamb..............he's moving..............thank you GOD.  Another moment and he is fully delivered.  I quickly place the lamb at the mouth and nose of the ewe......to no avail.  The ewe is "spent" and unresponsive!

The lamb is covered in meconium so I realize he's been in the womb too long.  I turn him over to "The Man" for clean-up and resume with my ewe.  I'm cooing her, checking her respirations, telling her to "get up."  Finally, "The Man" who is emotionally spent now, moves over and gently pushes her telling her to "get up."  She does...........oh thank GOD once again.  She is super weak.  She doesn't want anything to do with her lil' boy lamb.  We are worried.

After interminable hours, we get the ewes energy back up to snuff, give shots of penicillan, vitamins, molasses water.............she then finally takes a "sniff" of the lamb..................then a "lick" of the lamb...............then a "nuzzle" of the lamb..............longer than should have transpired, she finally let's her babe nuzzle her breast................colostrum finally in his belly, tired from his entry into the world..............they lie together and sleep. 

After four days in a lambing jug with her son, "Gracie" has turned out to be a very good mother.  She's attentive, let's him nurse as often as he wants, and will stave off other jealous ewes to protect. Fortunately for "The Man," myself, "Gracie" and "Kitchi," no signs of infection are present, he is now bouncing around although very shy with the other lambs (who are much bigger than him at this point).  He's eating alfalfa, sleeping and thriving.

This will be "Gracies" one and only babe.  She is too tiny (due to her own crippling as a lamb) to ever bare another.  I can't nor won't put her through another ordeal like this one.  Do I get rid of her, do I keep her?  I don't know the answer to that question yet................however, I will follow "my heart" when that decision needs to be made.

Welcome to the world, "Kitchi," you are a "brave one!" But then, your mama beat all odds in her own life!!!! 

"Cattle Dot Helps Shepherdess Kat!!"

This is my beautiful mother, I won't tell you how "young" she is but most would not believe me, she looks phenomenal for her age!  She is holding our youngest grandson Chase and her youngest great-grandchild (she has six).

Tuesday, April 13th "The Man" has to leave the ranch during the peak of lambing season, he's headed over to Kirkland Air Force base to survey a new facility.  I'm just a tad bit nervous as I have one ewe in particular that usually has multiples and I don't want to be by myself on this lambing.  "The Man" suggests I call my mama and ask her to come stay with me until his return in a couple of days.  I call, and "Cattle Dot" comes without question, I love her for her selfless acts of kindness.

We get up first thing in the morning and check on the ewe, she appears to be fine but she is sleeping a lot and standing guard in one particular "lambing jug."  This jug has always been the jug she lambs in and NO one else gets to step foot in it when she's ready to lamb!  Throughout the day we check on her, usually hourly checks as I can see she's progressing in labor.........I call this the "silent stage of labor."  The ewe is restless, tired, pawing the ground, isolating herself from the rest of the flock, and generally, just kinda miserable. 

After an entire day of keeping vigil, it's now feeding time for the sheep.  I call each pregnant or nursing ewe to me after the hay has been bucked into the feed bunker, they must come for their grain.  Each one comes as called to snarf up their grain...........except one..........."Freckles."  Often but NOT always, a ewe will refuse her grain feeding just prior to lambing...........a rumen full of grain fermenting isn't an "iddy" way to go into full blown labor.  I know she will lamb soon.

After the nightly feeding, "Cattle Dot" suggests we sit in the barn at the table and have a glass of wine, that way we can "kinda watch the ewe."  I oblige and we enjoy the last of the late afternoon with another glass of wine.  I'm beginning to see the ewe getting more and more agitated so I suggest we mosey into the ol' ranch house and have dinner. 

I've already made up two wonderful arugula/spinach salads with the works, one steamed artichoke (we can split with my wonderful lime aioli), and a batch of roasted asparagus..........that will be our dinner this evening............before sitting down, I make one last check on the ewe and realize that this dinner will be put on hold!

I walk out to the barn leaving "Cattle Dot" to set up the table, only to find a lil' white head standing in the lambing jug...............Miss "Freckles" has decided to start the rodeo without us!  I run back indoors and tell "Cattle Dot" to, "suit up and head out to the barn, she's birthin' babies."  Now "Cattle Dot" has never seen lambs born, she's tried on numerous occasions but to no avail, it's taken four years and she finally gets to assist with a lambing.  She cleans their lil' noses as they arrive, she dips the umbilical, she dries them off, she fills a drench syringe three times for me so I can give them a energy booster............the temperature outdoors is plummeting, we're wet from sheep fluids, we don't have on our proper coats...........and when we think we'll head into the house to get them, another lamb is making it's entrance into the world.  By midnight, we have helped the ewe with her lambing, she's tired, we're tired, but the lambs are doing well, nursing and sleeping, nice and warm under the jug lights. The temperature outdoors is now 33 F.  We pick up our lambing kit, the dirty, wet towels, and head into the house.  We strip down...........do a quick wash over, put PJ's on and eat our meal in silence.

We both stagger off to bed lightly saying our inaudible "goodnights" and drop off into a deep slumber.  "Cattle Dot" has finally seen the lil' lambs born, she's happy, tired, and say's she "wouldn't have missed it for the world." I'm more than thankful that "Cattle Dot" has helped "Shepherdess Kat" this cold, Spring night in April. 

Thank you mama, I'm ever thankful............AND, I'm glad your daddy raised cattle and you are a nurse!  Both bits of your knowledge helped tremendously!!  "Hey............what do ya say we do it again next year?"